At regular intervals, the meridians and flesh would channel nutrients to the main vein—this is also why all the major sects open their gates to recruit disciples on schedule.

As for the opening ceremony that Henry Clark and the others were to attend, the disciples had already been selected; it was somewhat akin to a welcome party for new students.

And as one of the ten core inner disciples of his generation, his attendance was mandatory.

However, participating in the opening ceremony was not such a simple matter.

The opening ceremony was mainly aimed at the young members of the cultivation world. These people were not ordinary mortals without any foundation; on the contrary, they had been cultivating alongside their elders and mentors since childhood, possessing a solid foundation and background.

To foster a sense of competition and crisis awareness among their disciples, every major sect would allow these newly admitted disciples to challenge the inner disciples during the opening ceremony. As long as you felt confident in your strength, you could freely choose any inner disciple to compete with, and you didn’t have to worry about not finding one—because at that time, all the inner disciples would be standing there, ready for you to pick.

Pretty unlucky, isn’t it? That’s just how frustrating and depressing it is.

Of course, the major sects had absolute confidence in doing this.

After all, though there were many cultivators and powerful techniques in the world, none could compare to the deep foundations of these great sects. The inner disciples were taught top-tier cultivation methods, which were considered first-class even in the entire cultivation world. As for the core inner disciples, such as Henry Clark and others, they practiced superlative techniques like Innate Purple Qi. Those who could be selected as inner disciples—especially core inner disciples—would be considered top-tier figures even outside the sect. Naturally, the major sects had nothing to fear.

Of course, minor mishaps were inevitable. Those senior students who lost in these newcomer challenge matches would have a tough time afterward. Although they wouldn’t be expelled from the sect, they would inevitably become the target of ridicule and scorn, eventually fading into obscurity, never to rise again.

Although Henry Clark was lazy, he certainly didn’t want to live a miserable life in the future, nor did he want to embarrass Mark. He remembered how his master had helped him break through the second level of Innate Purple Qi before leaving, taught him the complete Taihao Xuan Yue Sword, and even gave him an extremely rare sword embryo. If he were to lose, it would be truly inexcusable.

Therefore, after Grace Carter and Brian Foster left, Henry Clark resolved to train hard.

But what should he practice?

With only one month, it was wishful thinking to master the Taihao Xuan Yue Sword. And as for his Innate Purple Qi?

He had only been at the second level for half a year; making significant progress was impossible. Although both techniques were marvelous, a month was far from enough to make any real headway. For him, the easiest area to improve was his lightness technique.

This had always been his forte.

With a gentle tap of his left foot, his whole body floated up from the ground like a drifting cloud. Having reached the second level of Innate Purple Qi, he was considered above average even among the ten core inner disciples. With this solid foundation, his already adept lightness technique became even more effortless and natural.

Additionally, he needed to strengthen his swordsmanship. The Taihao Xuan Yue Sword was out of the question—it was too profound and mysterious. He needed to switch to something simpler and more practical.

The Luo Fu Sect had countless sword techniques, with no fewer than several hundred top-tier foundational forms. Yet he only knew three: the most basic entry-level sword technique of the Luo Fu Sect, the Eight Trigrams Nine Palaces Sword; the most advanced, the Taihao Xuan Yue Sword; and finally, the Twofold Return to Origin Sword, which his master had passed down to him.

Chapter Six: Twofold Return to Origin Sword

Strictly speaking, the Twofold Return to Origin Sword was not a Luo Fu Sect sword technique—or rather, it was not yet a Luo Fu Sect sword technique.

Because it had not yet been included in Luo Fu’s Sutra Repository.

This sword art was discovered years ago by the Drunken Sword Mark during his travels, in a secluded valley deep within the Great Cang Mountains. It consisted of only two moves.

However, in the eyes of a master like Mark, these two moves contained endless variations. When practiced to a high level, even a casual swing could unleash unparalleled power.

Of course, with Henry Clark’s current level, he certainly could not reach the realm described by Mark.

But ever since he entered the sect nine years ago, apart from practicing the Eight Trigrams Nine Palaces Sword in his first year, he had spent most of the remaining eight years practicing these two moves. Though they seemed simple, within the interplay of one straight, one round; one moving, one still; one hard, one soft; one upright, one slanted—there was endless subtlety, mutual reinforcement and counteraction. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Henry Clark was no fool; after eight years of practicing two sword moves, and with Mark’s occasional but precise guidance, he had naturally grasped the profound essence of the sword art.

With this in mind, there was nothing more to consider. In this month, he had to focus on these two areas. Of course, he couldn’t neglect his Innate Purple Qi cultivation either. For the past half year, though he had been lazy and gluttonous, neglecting his training, he had never missed his twice-daily, two-hour sessions of Qi cultivation.