Brian Sutton felt that the true qi within his body had reached the thickness of his little finger, so he stopped. According to the method for the first cycle, reaching this point meant the first cycle was already a great success. Opening his eyes, Brian Sutton saw the two attendants of the Sacred Hall standing before him.

“Brian Sutton, the martial art you practice is the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Brian Sutton nodded.

“We regret to inform you that because the martial art you practice is too domineering, while you are cultivating it, others find it very difficult to absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth. In other words, as long as you are practicing, others cannot cultivate normally. Therefore, according to the rules of the Sacred Hall, even though you have not yet stayed here for three years, we must ask you to leave the Sacred Mountain. However, since you have not yet completed three years at the Sacred Hall, we will make an exception and allow you to choose a place near the Sacred Mountain to practice freely. Until your three years are up, your safety in the vicinity will be protected by the Sacred Hall.”

After listening to the attendants, Brian Sutton said nothing, turned around, and sped down the mountain. He had already felt that practicing martial arts atop the Sacred Hall prevented him from going all out; even cultivating the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art was somewhat suppressed, as if there was some restriction set upon the Sacred Hall. Therefore, having completed the first cycle, he had already decided to leave. Hearing the attendants’ words now only suited him even more.

The two attendants behind Brian Sutton were somewhat surprised by his reaction. They had expected Brian Sutton to bargain with them, but this kid seemed rather straightforward.

“Left Attendant, do you think he has the ability to master the complete set of the Ninefold Profound Art?” Only after Brian Sutton had left did the Right Attendant speak to the Left Attendant, his tone tinged with worry: “If our clan could gain another expert who has mastered the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art, it would help us in our current predicament.”

The Left Attendant looked up and sighed deeply, saying, “Survival of the fittest. Ever since Lord Yinghuo mysteriously disappeared, our clan’s status has declined day by day. I too hope that someone in our clan can stand against the gods and demons, but the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art is the most difficult and demanding of all martial arts. Moreover, as it is said, cultivating this art is a path of nine deaths and one life—success is extremely rare.”

“Alas, if before the next war between gods and demons, our clan still hasn’t produced a Divine Realm expert, I fear the agreement with the gods and demons will have to be changed!”

The two attendants’ brows were furrowed with worry. They stood quietly in the plaza, and after a while, sighed, flicked their sleeves, turned, and returned to the Sacred Hall’s entrance to sit cross-legged.

It was only when he reached the edge of the Sacred Mountain that Brian Sutton discovered a fact: the mountain’s edge was surrounded by cliffs thousands of feet high. With Brian Sutton’s current strength, it was impossible for him to soar through the air like the ancient martial artists. It seemed that the Sacred Mountain had always assumed that anyone who ascended it possessed the ability to fly. Now, Brian Sutton faced this awkward predicament. He wanted to go back and ask the two attendants for help, but his pride wouldn’t allow it. After thinking it over, he realized that only the third-level Sword Control technique from the first stage of the Mind-Sword Unity Method could help him. Fortunately, the Sword Control technique was merely a sword skill, not an internal energy cultivation, so it wouldn’t affect others. Thus, Brian Sutton sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, placed his hands on his knees, and began practicing the third-level Sword Control technique on the spot.

The Sword Control technique was even more powerful than the Sword Riding technique, though the two were not quite the same. More precisely, Sword Control was primarily an extremely fast flying technique—flying on a sword. Of course, Sword Control could also be used in combat, and was even more powerful than Sword Riding.

From the characters themselves, one could see the difference between “riding” and “controlling.” “Riding” implies driving, which requires effort from the practitioner; “controlling” means commanding, as naturally as moving one’s own arm, and is clearly less taxing. Once Sword Control is achieved, the three-foot green blade becomes as agile as an arm or a finger, striking wherever one wills. It could be said that body and mind are united, mind and sword are one, and man and sword become one.

Sword Control was more profound than Sword Riding, and thus took longer to master. After three months of meditation, Brian Sutton had only managed to master half of the Sword Control technique—sword flight.

However, though he had mastered the art of sword flight, he lacked a sword. Before his ascension, Brian Sutton had already reached the realm of abandoning the sword—anything, even a blade of grass or a twig, could serve as a sword in his hands. So, with a thought, he plucked a slender blade of grass, and with a slight vibration of his two fingers, the drooping grass straightened like a long sword, as hard as steel and as sharp as a blade. Leaping into the air, he stepped onto the blade of grass, and Brian Sutton streaked through the sky like a flash of light, gliding down from the Sacred Mountain.

The vast land below was desolate and wild, with grass taller than a man, trees over a hundred feet high, and in the wilderness, ancient beasts roamed. Mountains pierced the clouds, and monstrous beasts ran rampant. As his gaze swept over the scene below, Brian Sutton gradually came to understand the plight of humanity. After spending some time in the Sacred Hall, he had slowly come to learn the truth: whether it was demon beasts, magical beasts, or fiends, they were all born stronger than humans, and as time passed, their power only grew.