Sword God Supreme

Chapter 5: Cloud Crane Tempering Method

Night enveloped the world like spilled ink, the faint chirping of insects a subtle rustle in the stillness. Returning to his own courtyard, Chen Mo stood in the center, first regulating his breath and calming his mind until his spirit was utterly clear and serene. Only then did he settle into a stance and begin practicing his fist art.

The events in the clan’s grand hall earlier? Utterly insignificant in his eyes. The only thing that mattered now was cultivation!

The Path of Cultivation was divided into four great stages: Martial Dao, Yuan Dao, Spirit Dao, and Mysterious Dao. In his past life, as the Celestial Pivot Sword Venerable, Chen Xuanyuan had lived for one hundred and eight thousand years. His cultivation had reached the final realm of the Mysterious Dao – the Xuanhe Realm!

Also known as the Imperial Ultimate Realm, it represented the pinnacle among emperors, granting a lifespan of a million years. In the Vast Nine Provinces, such beings stood at the apex of all races. Back then, wielding the might of the Xuanhe Realm, Chen Xuanyuan had borne numerous titles: Lord of Boundless, Imperial Sovereign, Teacher of a Hundred Sages, Celestial Pivot Sword Venerable… each one a supreme honor under heaven. Fewer than five individuals in the entire Vast Nine Provinces could stand as his peers!

But for the current Chen Mo, the Xuanhe Realm was unimaginably distant. The urgent task was to begin cultivation anew, forging an incomparably solid foundation upon the Martial Dao.

The Martial Dao was the first stage of cultivation, the beginning of the Great Path. It consisted of four realms: Blood Moving Realm, Qi Gathering Realm, Furnace Nurturing Realm, and Leakless Realm. These were the Four Realms of Martial Dao.

Among them, the Blood Moving Realm was the initial stage. In this realm, one moved Qi and blood throughout the body, tempering skin, flesh, sinews, and bones. It was further divided into four levels: Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, Sinew Refining, and Bone Refining. Achieving perfection in this realm meant possessing vigorous Qi and blood, bronze skin and iron bones, capable of tearing tigers and leopards apart barehanded and shattering stone with fingers. Practitioners at this stage were called Martial Apprentices.

In the quiet courtyard bathed in moonlight like water, Chen Mo moved with deliberate ease. His posture was upright, his steps stable, firm without rigidity, supple without weakness. Each inhalation and exhalation carried a unique rhythm.

In motion, he resembled a crane spreading its wings, light and unburdened. At rest, he was like a pine tree clinging to a cliff face, roots digging deep into the rock.

This was the ​Cloud Crane Tempering Method.

It comprised nine stances and eighteen forms. It originated from the Foundation Building chapter of the ​Dominating Eight Desolations Scripture​!

The Dominating Eight Desolations Scripture was created by Chen Xuanyuan’s closest friend from his past life, ​Zhongli Mo. A man who dominated heaven and earth, whose Martial Dao reached divine heights, he always called himself “A Mere Martial Artist”. Yet in the Vast Nine Provinces, he was the ​Bawu Emperor, a figure gazed upon in awe by the world’s strongest, a mythic existence on the Great Path.

His nature was wildly unconventional, arrogant, and solitary. He had thrashed the stuffy Daoists of the Six Great Immortal Sects and pummeled the old demons of the Three Demonic Sects. Countless Imperial Sovereigns who ruled their domains had been beaten black and blue by Zhongli Mo under the pretext of a “friendly visit”.

However, almost no one in the world knew that Zhongli Mo was not undefeated! He had also “visited” Chen Xuanyuan, then the Celestial Pivot Sword Venerable. The result? He was slightly inferior, suffering a narrow defeat under Chen Xuanyuan’s sword Dao. Yet this very battle forged a deep mutual respect between them, turning them into sworn brothers.

Later, Zhongli Mo presented the martial scripture he had poured his lifeblood into to Chen Xuanyuan for study and reference. This was the ​Dominating Eight Desolations Scripture​!

Upon reading the ​Cloud Crane Tempering Method​ recorded within, even Chen Xuanyuan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration: “This technique approaches the Dao itself; nothing can be added or removed.” Moreover, Chen Xuanyuan had to concede that in the cultivation of the initial Four Realms of Martial Dao, Zhongli Mo’s attainments clearly surpassed his own. In fact, throughout the entire Vast Nine Provinces, no one could match Zhongli Mo in cultivating the Martial Dao’s Four Realms.

Therefore, the ​Cloud Crane Tempering Method​ authored by Zhongli Mo could be considered the number one Foundation Building technique in the Vast Nine Provinces! For Chen Mo’s current re-cultivation, choosing this method to forge his Martial Dao foundation was an unquestionable decision.

Only this way could he truly surpass the self of his former life at the same stage! His past life’s experiences and cultivation insights gave Chen Mo a crystal-clear plan for his path of re-cultivation: Every single realm in this life must be stronger than in the last.Only then could he forge a ​Peerless Dao Path​ far exceeding his previous one!

Time passed, marked by the burning of several incense sticks. After executing the entire Cloud Crane Tempering Method a full three times, Chen Mo’s body was soaked in sweat, his breathing slightly labored. This was his current limit.

Yet his spirit and vitality were exceptionally vibrant. His tall, slender frame, bathed in the dawn light, radiated the vigorous vitality befitting a seventeen-year-old youth.

“This is only the third day since I awakened my past life memories and began cultivating anew,” Chen Mo mused, wiping the sweat with a towel. “And after just three repetitions, I’m drenched like this... Ultimately, it’s because this body is inadequate. The techniques practiced in the first seventeen years were riddled with flaws, and the foundation isn’t particularly solid.”

Although he had been the top-ranked outer disciple of the Bishui Sword Academy in this life before losing his cultivation, renowned throughout Qinghe County, in the eyes of “Chen Xuanyuan,” such an achievement wasn’t worth a second glance.

“Seventeen years old… he’s missed the optimal period for tempering the Martial Dao,” Chen Mo calculated coolly. “However, using the Cloud Crane Tempering Method for Foundation Building should make it feasible to remedy and correct the deficiencies of past cultivation. It’s not an insurmountable challenge.”

His brow furrowed slightly. “But the Spirit Qi of this world… it’s fartoo scarce.”

These three days since awakening his past life memories had also allowed him to ascertain the nature of his current world.

The ​Xuanhuang Continent. It possessed over a hundred kingdoms, large and small, its territory vast and boundless. The ​Xia Kingdom​ where he now resided was just one among them.

In his past life, Chen Xuanyuan had never heard of the Xuanhuang Continent. Yet he was certain this world must be connected to the Vast Nine Provinces. The reason was simple: the cultivation system prevalent on the Xuanhuang Continent stemmed from the same source as that of the Vast Nine Provinces!

However, the Spirit Qi on the Xuanhuang Continent was nearly exhausted. Rumors held that only the cultivation paths of the “Martial Dao” and “Yuan Dao” remained viable here. The higher realms of “Spirit Dao” and “Mysterious Dao” were almost extinct, existing only as myths and legends. Within the Great Xia Kingdom, it was said the most powerful beings had only reached the ​Yuan Dao​ stage. Even such individuals were revered by the world as ​Land Deities​!

This stark reality underscored just how impoverished and barren the Spirit Qi of the Xuanhuang Continent truly was.

“With a thousand methods and ten thousand divine abilities at my disposal, reincarnating in such a barren place renders most of them useless…” Chen Mo contemplated, yet felt no despair. The Path of Cultivation ultimately boiled down to four essentials: ​Wealth, Companions, Method, Location.

“Finding a ​Spirit Land, a place where Spirit Qi converges, would make cultivation twice as effective for half the effort. If I could further obtain some ​Natural Treasures… I could confidently break through the Martial Dao and step onto the Yuan Dao cultivation path within three months at most…” A self-mocking smile touched his lips. “Wishful thinking. In a Spirit Qi-starved place like the Great Xia, the emergence of Natural Treasures of a spiritual grade is nearly impossible.”

But…a fierce determination ignited in his eyes. “Precisely because it’s difficult, forging a path upward in such a barren world will showcase the true capability of Chen Xuanyuan! Only then will I have the chance to surpass my previous life and reach an even higher realm!”

Why reincarnate and cultivate anew? Precisely to strive for a loftier Dao Path and a higher realm than the last life!

“Tomorrow, I’ll venture outside the city again,” he decided. “To see if I can locate a suitable ​Spirit Land​ for cultivation.”

With this thought, Chen Mo lifted his gaze, looking towards the bright moon hanging in the night sky. His deep pupils reflected the silvery moonlight, an extraordinary glimmer swirling within their depths.