Chapter 2: Seizing the Fortune of Heaven and Earth, Forging a Peerless Divine Art!
"The Great Heaven Creation Art!"
"Seize the fortune of heaven and earth, forge a peerless divine art!"
Jian Wushuang opened his eyes, only to find sheer astonishment in them.
"A cultivation art? There's actually a cultivation art in my mind?" Jian Wushuang was startled at first, but the next moment he understood. The reason this art had appeared in his mind must be related to that gray stone bead.
Jian Wushuang was no stranger to cultivation arts. In the Sword Marquis Manor, any disciple who had condensed spiritual power could go to the Arts Pavilion and select a suitable cultivation art for themselves. However, while there were countless cultivation arts in this world, he had never heard of one that dared to claim it could seize the fortune of heaven and earth like the Great Heaven Creation Art did.
"This gray stone bead has been hiding inside my body, and it devoured all the spiritual power I condensed over four years. So unique—now that the gray stone bead has dissipated, it has left me a cultivation art. This art must be extraordinary!" Jian Wushuang immediately began carefully studying the Great Heaven Creation Art.
"The path of martial cultivation is, in essence, a struggle against heaven and earth for fortune and destiny. The Great Heaven Creation Art is divided into many realms: the Nine Heavens of the Divine Dao, the Ultimate Spiritual Sea, the Peerless Golden Core, Slaying Yin and Refining Yang, Aspiring to Venerable, and Ascending the Nine Heavens. Each and every one of these realms defies the natural order of the Heavenly Dao!"
"Those who enter the martial path through the Great Heaven Creation Art walk against heaven from the very moment they begin. Step by step, they defy heaven; step by step, they walk a path unlike any other!"
"Those who defy heaven become heaven's enemy—they are Inverse Cultivators!"
Just these few simple lines left Jian Wushuang completely stunned.
"Defying heaven? Inverse Cultivator?"
Jian Wushuang took a deep breath and slowly calmed himself down. Though it was only a brief introduction, he could still discern the extraordinary nature of this cultivation art.
One must understand that in the knowledge of Jian Wushuang—and indeed of all martial artists in the entire world—the path of martial cultivation began with the Spiritual Dao.
Seven Layers of the Spiritual Dao, spiritual power transforming into a sea, forming the Golden Core, the Yin-Yang Void Realm, and after that, the legendary Transcending Mortality to Sainthood—these were the martial realms Jian Wushuang knew of. But the cultivation stages of this Great Heaven Creation Art differed greatly at every realm from what he knew.
Just at the entry stage alone—one was the Seven Layers of the Spiritual Dao, while the other was the Nine Heavens of the Divine Dao!
One had only seven minor layers, while the other had a full nine.
This completely defied the common principles of cultivation!
When even the division of realms defied the natural order of the Heavenly Dao, it was no wonder that those who cultivated this art were destined to walk against heaven.
This was a truly heaven-defying cultivation art!
The moment one began cultivating this art, one became an Inverse Cultivator who walked with their back to heaven!
Jian Wushuang sat cross-legged on his bed, his feelings at this moment extraordinarily complicated.
There was shock, there was trepidation—and likewise, at the bottom of Jian Wushuang's heart, there was a trace of excitement that was impossible to conceal.
"Hidden within that gray stone bead was actually such a heaven-defying cultivation art?"
"What should I do?"
"A heaven-defying art lies right before me. To cultivate it, or not to cultivate it?" Jian Wushuang clenched his fists tightly, but this hesitation lasted only for a moment before he had already made his decision.
"So what if I'm an Inverse Cultivator? Just as the Great Heaven Creation Art says—the path of martial cultivation is, in essence, a struggle against heaven and earth for fortune and destiny. Martial artists were never embraced by heaven and earth to begin with. Since that's the case, what harm is there in defying heaven?"
Jian Wushuang simply could not find a single reason not to cultivate this Great Heaven Creation Art. Moreover, that gray stone bead had tormented him for a full four years, and now it had finally compensated him with such a heaven-defying art. If he did not cultivate it, wouldn't that be a disservice to all the grievances he had suffered these four years?
No longer hesitating, Jian Wushuang immediately began cultivating according to the methods of the Great Heaven Creation Art.
The vast spiritual qi of heaven and earth poured continuously into Jian Wushuang's body as before. His one hundred and eight meridians absorbed it frantically, circulating it through his body along a unique trajectory. After one full grand circulation, this spiritual qi of heaven and earth finally converged toward Jian Wushuang's dantian.
One night passed.
Early morning, before the sky had fully brightened.
Jian Wushuang, who had sat cross-legged on his bed cultivating throughout the night, slowly opened his eyes and looked at his right palm. A wisp of spiritual power emerged, and a sharp gleam flashed through Jian Wushuang's eyes.
"First Heaven of the Divine Dao!"
In just one night of cultivation, he had not only condensed his first wisp of spiritual power—the spiritual power in his dantian now formed a small stream. According to the principles of martial cultivation, once one condensed spiritual power, even just a single wisp, one could already be considered a genuine martial artist.
"The Great Heaven Creation Art truly is extraordinary!"
"With just one night of cultivation, I've already condensed this much spiritual power. This cultivation speed—I don't know how many times faster it is than any of the cultivation methods in my Sword Marquis Manor. And I can feel that the power I can now burst forth seems even stronger than those at the First Layer of the Spiritual Dao in the manor."
Jian Wushuang swung his arms, feeling the strength in his body at this moment.
The First Heaven of the Divine Dao corresponded to the First Layer of the Spiritual Dao of ordinary martial artists, yet there was clearly a gap in strength. Jian Wushuang, who cultivated the Great Heaven Creation Art, upon reaching the First Heaven of the Divine Dao, could clearly burst forth with greater power than martial artists at the First Layer of the Spiritual Dao.
But one had to remember—the entry stage of the Great Heaven Creation Art was the Nine Heavens of the Divine Dao, a full nine minor layers.
"If my power already surpasses an ordinary First Layer Spiritual Dao martial artist, doesn't that mean that when I reach the Seventh Heaven of the Divine Dao, I'll be able to easily crush peak Seventh Layer Spiritual Dao cultivators? And when I reach the Ninth Heaven of the Divine Dao—the peak of the Divine Dao—wouldn't my burst of power be even stronger than those experts at the Spiritual Sea level?" A trace of shock flashed through Jian Wushuang's eyes.
Terrifying.
The Great Heaven Creation Art was simply too powerful.
Not only was its cultivation speed far faster than ordinary methods, but most crucial of all—it defied heaven with every step!
Each and every realm defied the natural order of the Heavenly Dao.
Beyond that, this cultivation art also contained a secret technique.
"The Spirit-Seizing Secret Art!" Jian Wushuang murmured to himself.
The Spirit-Seizing Secret Art was an extremely domineering and incredibly heaven-defying secret technique.
Rather than calling it a secret art, it would be better to call it a forbidden art—the kind that harmed the enemy a thousand while costing oneself eight hundred.
In any case, merely from reading the brief introduction of this secret art, Jian Wushuang couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. He had no intention of cultivating this secret art for now; once his cultivation had risen after some time, he would slowly study it.
"A martial artist!"
"I, Jian Wushuang, have finally become a genuine martial artist!"
Jian Wushuang's heart was roaring and howling madly. Four years of enduring humiliation, and now he had finally condensed his own spiritual power and become a martial artist. It made him want to let out a wild cry.
He was Jian Wushuang—with a single sword in hand, unrivaled under heaven!
He was absolutely not a piece of trash!
……
After a quick wash, Jian Wushuang immediately headed out.
He couldn't wait to tell Jian Meng'er the news that he had become a martial artist. He wanted to give her a surprise.
"Meng'er, I told you—I will definitely become a martial artist. And not only that, I will become very strong in the future. Like my father, I will become the strongest expert of the Sword Marquis Manor, wielding the Three-Kill Sword and commanding the Sword Pavilion!" Jian Wushuang anticipated inwardly.
Four years ago, ever since his father had vanished without a trace, he had already made up his mind.
To become a powerful expert, inherit his father's position, and command the Sword Pavilion! This was the greatest wish of his life!
Before, when he couldn't even condense spiritual power, this wish had been very far away. But now, things were different!
"Have you heard? Just now, Jian Lan, the Grand Elder of the Blood Martial Hall, joined with the entire Blood Martial Hall to make a demand to the Manor Lord—that his daughter Jian Meng'er be made the Master of the Sword Pavilion and given command of it!"
Jian Wushuang's steps abruptly came to a halt.