Only when Duncan's mentality improved to the next level did the true glory of the sword technique revealed itself to Duncan.
<Absolute Cut Sword Arts> was one of the mainstay martial arts techniques of the Heavenly Demon Sect. What many members of the Heavenly Demon Sect didn't know was that this technique was added by the founder of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The founder of the Heavenly Demon Sect obtained this sword technique from a troublesome rival he slayed. Considering the reputation of the founder, any sword technique that could enter his eye is bound to be a bit profound.
Most cultivators of <Absolute Cut Sword Arts> never realized its true potential. This sword art wasn't a complete technique. It was a single part of a larger technique that was present in the scripture pavilion of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
When they saw that this technique only talked about using the sword to cut, they gave up on it. Instead, they began to pursue other sword techniques that were flashier and looked mighty.
Since they gave up the first volume, they never bothered to check the contents of the other volume. They deemed it to be relatively basic and forgot about it most of the time.
Those who checked the volumes at the higher level felt that this technique was quite mundane for practitioners of their level. Unless one pursued all the volumes from start to end, one wouldn't realize how incredible the sword technique is.
Most disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect came from their sub-ordinate sects or from a cultivator family. Even those who didn't fall under this category came from the group of martial artists who had prior knowledge of other martial arts techniques.
In their eyes, <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>, which only showed how to cut with a sword became a bit dull. Their pursuit has always been something showy or grander. This sword technique that talked about cutting was a bit bland to them.
This, in turn, paid off. With Duncan left with no other choice but to use this technique or get killed in the cave and wilderness, he began to use it with all his heart. Not knowing any other martial arts techniques also helped Duncan out here.
Duncan, who had no prejudice, became an ideal practitioner for this sword technique. Since he was lacking in knowledge regarding the cultivation world or other martial techniques that existed, he clung to this technique with all his might.
<Absolute Cut Sword Arts> was a sword technique that instructed the basics on the surface. However, how could something so mundane enter the eyes of the founder of the Heavenly Demon Sect?
Only when someone persisted in using <Absolute Cut Sword Arts> to the maximum will they realize that this technique was not that simple. Yes, it talked about only the basic action of cutting with the sword.
But, the goal of every martial arts technique is to go from simplicity to complexity and revert back from complexity to simplicity in the end. The two simplicities were entirely different.
And this sword art talked about the latter. And this was the true might of <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>.
In fact, this sword art can be considered to be a hidden gem in the scripture pavilion. It directly touched upon the profound truths of the Sword Dao. Only when someone reached a high enough level will they understand this.
Duncan was not an exception to this. He didn't understand that the technique he practiced touched upon the true meaning of Sword Dao. To him, this simple technique that instructed him on how to cut with his sword was perfect for a novice like him.
Hence, he didn't think much about it and continued to explore it more and more. Duncan never considered himself to be a genius or someone special. So, he was content as long as the martial arts technique he practiced was useful to him.
This mindset and his recent experiences provided the much-needed impetus for him to grasp the vague meaning behind the <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>.
Furthermore, Duncan never realized that in order to make powerful attacks, a low-level cultivator like him must expend a lot of qi. When his sword cuts became powerful he didn't think about it much. He never wondered why the expenditure of his qi hadn't risen along with the power of his sword cuts.
The reason behind this was that Duncan had already touched upon the door of Sword Dao with his mastery of <Absolute Cut Sword Arts>. He has already grasped the concept of cutting things clearly. However, to an ignorant bumpkin like Duncan, such thoughts didn't even exist.
To this date, he didn't even have a faint understanding of what a Dao is. His discussion with Shen Wulong wasn't enough for him to do so. To him, those were vague concepts that were far beyond his scope at the moment. So, he never thought about them deeply. He only concentrated on cutting with his sword.
This pure mentality and his recent increase in confidence after his fights combined to let him touch the illusory state that is required to understand the concept of cutting clearly.
So, every cut Duncan made with all his heart brought him closer and closer to the essence of pure swordsmanship. Unknowingly, Duncan's ignorance played a huge part in his advancement.
*****
"This isn't working anymore?"
Duncan mumbled a bit dissatisfiedly one week later.
He was now on the verge of breaking through the Ninth level of the Qi Gathering realm. Initially, due to his rampage over the lower tier Level 2 scorpions, he had been steadily accumulating the slaughter qi needed for his next advancement.
However, with the scorpions now becoming cannier, he was left in a lurch. The amount of slaughter qi he collected began to become sparse. Every time a scorpion was injured beyond a certain limit, it fled into the sand.
Duncan didn't have any techniques to chase after them into the sand. He also didn't have enough power to kill the scorpions despite them burrowing into the sands. That caused him to let his prey escape more often than not.
As a side effect, the increase in his slaughter qi also came to a halt.
Moreover, this time, Duncan's breakthrough was not a minor realm breakthrough. He was going to break through a major realm. From Qi Gathering to the Spirit Sea realm, the chasm between them is larger than any of his previous breakthroughs.
Duncan needed a lot of slaughter qi to accomplish that. And his accumulated slaughter qi was not going to be enough for him to break through. To further complicate things, staying in this barren wasteland has reduced the amount of food Duncan had in his storage.
"Either I hunted down some higher tier Level 2 Demonic Beast or I leave this wasteland," Duncan muttered sullenly as he watched yet another scorpion scurry away after sustaining injuries. "There is no other option for me here."
"My progress has stagnated. Fighting with these lower-tier Level 2 scorpions is not doing anything for me," Duncan mumbled. "So, I need to make a choice now."
Duncan knew deep in his heart that being the weakest cultivator in this Grotto Heaven was hampering him a lot. He needed to urgently accumulate strength. From what he had read, advancement in the early stages of cultivation was relatively easy. And if he got stuck here for a long time, his advancement time will be delayed.
That wasn't something Duncan wanted to experience. Remembering how his master treated him for being weak, Duncan knew that if his progress didn't satisfy his master, he might very well die when he leaves this Grotto Heaven.
But, it didn't mean that he wanted to foolishly seek out higher tier Level 2 scorpions in this wasteland. That miserable night he had experienced before he broke through the eighth level of the Qi Gathering realm was still vivid in his mind.
He had no desire to experience it again. And it was foolish to fight against a demonic beast that was way beyond his level. Already being able to fight against lower-tier Level 2 scorpions was good enough in Duncan's opinion.
After all, he wasn't in the Spirit Sea realm yet. He was already battling beasts that had higher cultivation than him. That was enough for him now. No need to seek out a stronger opponent and end up dead.
That meant, his only option was to leave this valley and seek out other opportunities to break through the next level.
But, Duncan was a bit reluctant to step out of this valley. This place may be a barren wasteland. But, it was absolutely safe for someone like him. Going out of this place will only bring uncertainty to his current existence.
The smart thing to do would be to preserve for some more time and make another breakthrough here. But, Duncan was running out of time. He had already wasted one month trying to hone his body. If he wasted any more time, the time left to explore other opportunities would become short.
Gritting his teeth, Duncan made a decision in his heart. He had no other option than to go out of this wasteland. He could only hope that he wouldn't run into strong cultivators outside. Or even worse powerful Demonic beasts.
Decision made, Duncan decided to act on it without hesitation. Due to his recent sublimation in mental aspects, Duncan had become more and more decisive of late. And there was also the ever-present wanderlust in his heart.
The combination was enough to influence Duncan's actions.
While Duncan may be a little cautious in his heart, he also was a bit of an adventurer. If not for that, he would not have stepped out of his village at the beginning. Practicing cultivation has only increased this aspect of Duncan's character.
"It is decided," Duncan mumbled to himself. "I will leave this wasteland tomorrow and seek out other opportunities to increase my strength."
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