“Just half an hour of this is worth a whole month of my previous hard cultivation!” Henry Dawson was plunged into absolute shock, hardly able to believe it!

At this moment, his cultivation had already surpassed the early stage of Body Refining Level One!

Although the lower the realm, the easier it is to cultivate, it usually takes about half a year to go from the early stage to the peak of Body Refining Level One. For Henry Dawson to gain the results of over a month’s hard work in just half an hour—what a miracle!

If this could continue, just six more times and he could directly reach the peak of Body Refining Level One!

“Haha, hahaha!” Henry Dawson couldn’t help but burst out laughing. As the saying goes, after extreme hardship comes happiness. The black broken sword had stolen ten years of his hard-earned cultivation, but now, at last, the clouds had parted and he could see the moon!

He continued to circulate the Lieyang Art, trying to lure the black broken sword into releasing free energy again. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, the black broken sword remained completely unresponsive.

Henry Dawson couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but in his mind, the nine sword diagrams surfaced once more.

“Although I was tricked by that black sword for ten years, there’s no denying that this is definitely a treasure! Otherwise, it couldn’t possibly have existed in my dantian for ten years. Those nine sword techniques must be extraordinary!”

He took a wooden sword from the house, stood in the courtyard, closed his eyes slightly, and calmed his mind.

The first sword technique immediately leapt into his mind. Before his eyes, the scene turned into a starry sky, with only a pitch-black longsword dancing, stirring the Milky Way, its might boundless.

That black sword should be the very black broken sword inside his body, only it hadn’t been broken yet—who knows how many years ago that was.

Henry Dawson kept recalling this sword technique, not knowing how much time had passed. He slowly began to move, the wooden sword in his hand tracing out mysterious, indescribable trajectories.

So heavy!

Henry Dawson felt as if the wooden sword was bearing a weight of ten thousand catties, so heavy he could barely hold the hilt. After just a few sword shadows, he could go no further.

“It’s as if the whole world is working against me. With every movement, the sky shifts a little, the earth turns an inch—so many obstacles!”

“Is it because I haven’t grasped the essence of this sword technique, so the world itself rejects me?”

“On the other hand, if I can master these nine sword techniques, will I then be in harmony with the world?”

“Hiss, just what kind of sword technique is this!”

He was resolute by nature—the more difficulties he encountered, the less willing he was to give up. Otherwise, after being tormented by the black sword for ten years, he would have already quit!

Such a miraculous sword technique completely ignited his interest, filling him with fighting spirit and a strong desire to conquer it.

He was determined to master these nine sword techniques!

Again and again, Henry Dawson tirelessly practiced the first sword technique, completely forgetting the passage of time. He felt as if this sword technique was filled with the ultimate truths of the Dao, and with every practice, he gained deep insights, as if he could see the workings of the entire world—the sun rising, the moon setting, everything within his grasp.

Whether it’s sword techniques or saber techniques, they are all called martial skills, distinct from cultivation methods.

However, martial skills are not just empty forms—they must be paired with the appropriate formulas to maximize their power. Otherwise, they would be greatly diminished. But these nine sword techniques were truly strange. After the nine diagrams in his mind shattered into fragments, it was as if they had merged with his body!

No formulas were needed, because they were already within his body—he just needed to keep comprehending them!

The first ray of morning sunlight shone on his body, and Henry Dawson stopped.

He hadn’t slept all night. Although his spirit was still high, after all, he was made of flesh and blood, and combined with the pain he had endured earlier, Henry Dawson felt extremely exhausted. He returned to his room, took a cold shower, ate something at random, and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

When he woke up again, it was already afternoon. Henry Dawson properly cooked himself a meal, wolfed it down, and then began to cultivate the Lieyang Art.

Although that mysterious sword technique might possess power far beyond his imagination, he still needed enough strength to wield it. Right now, he was only at Body Refining Level One—steadily raising his realm was the proper thing to do.

Practicing under the blazing sun, feeling the slow speed at which his true essence was being refined, Henry Dawson couldn’t help but sigh.

It’s like never having eaten meat in your life—not a big deal. But after tasting meat once, if you have to eat only vegetables every meal, who could stand it?

Compared to the free energy released by the black broken sword, his current cultivation speed was unbearably slow!

Although he felt a bit disappointed, thinking about how all the true essence he had previously cultivated was devoured by the black broken sword—now that was a difference like heaven and hell—Henry Dawson didn’t dwell on it, and continued to patiently cultivate.

Day passed, night fell, and Henry Dawson kept cultivating deep into the night without any intention of stopping. From being a “good-for-nothing” to finally being able to cultivate, he wished he could practice twenty-four hours a day.

Buzz!

When the moon was high in the sky, the black broken sword suddenly trembled, and an incomparably abundant surge of free energy was instantly released, flooding Henry Dawson’s entire body.

It’s happening again!

Henry Dawson couldn’t help but show a look of delight. For the moment, he didn’t bother thinking about anything else—he just kept absorbing the endless free energy, converting it into his own true essence and storing it up.