Immediately, a dim golden light flashed on the sword blade—this time, it was clearly much brighter than before. Then the light vanished, and from the illusory hilt of the Nine Tribulations Sword, a stream of icy, dark-gold energy flowed out, instantly merging into William Carter’s meridians. William Carter watched as a flash of golden light appeared on his exposed skin, then disappeared. All the meridians in his body swelled up like a toad, then contracted, and then swelled again...

It was like a balloon: someone blows into it, then lets the air out; then blows into it again...

Like this, it happened nine times in a row, and finally, that sensation disappeared.

The medicinal power of the golden-blooded ginseng liquid, refined by the Nine Tribulations Sword, had finally completely fused into William Carter’s meridians...

William Carter could clearly feel that although his cultivation hadn’t increased, the speed of his energy circulation was much faster, and within his meridians, a layer of golden, flexible light was slowly fading, merging into the inner walls of his meridians...

He tried to surge his energy through his meridians, feeling the incredible elasticity and flexibility within them—like an unbreakable rubber ball—which made William Carter overjoyed!

This gain would lay the foundation for his entire life! The harvest was immense... Though his cultivation hadn’t increased, it had opened up a straight, unobstructed path for his meridians to advance!

If other people’s meridians were just a small pond, then his were undoubtedly like a deep well. This was a qualitative difference!

This foundation was enough for him to advance all the way to Martial Master without ever worrying about the capacity or endurance of his meridians.

Before he could even feel joy, he sensed the Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian suddenly burst into brilliant light, so dazzling that William Carter felt as if his whole body was being illuminated and made transparent. Immediately after, a pain shot through his dantian, the light vanished in an instant, but William Carter knew that something mysterious was happening...

Suddenly, a few lines surfaced in his mind:

“Heaven’s Dao is merciless, all things perish; Heaven’s Dao is compassionate, all things live. The Sword Dao is merciless, slaughtering the world; the Sword Dao is compassionate, cherishing all life. Merciless or compassionate, it all depends on the heart. Nine Tribulations, nine layers—merciless, yet compassionate; compassionate, yet merciless.

Having experienced the vast seas and seen through worldly affairs, compassion is merciless, mercilessness is compassion; deep within compassion and mercilessness lies the Dao of Heaven. Where there are people, there is martial Dao; where there is martial Dao, one ascends to the Dao of Heaven, and in the end, transcends all.

In the mundane world, the secrets of Heaven’s Dao are all within; the seven emotions and six desires are the beginning of Heaven’s Dao...”

William Carter’s whole body trembled violently, his heart surging, his head spinning—at that moment, he nearly fell off the stone wall.

On this sheer cliff where no one could see, William Carter was shaking all over, almost unable to control himself.

In his previous life, he had struggled bitterly in cultivation, even resorting to unorthodox methods and entering the Sword Dao through slaughter, but he had never truly understood, let alone reached the peak of martial Dao. Now, William Carter finally knew where he had gone wrong!

It turned out that his lifelong pursuit of the merciless Sword Dao in his previous life was a mistake! A grave mistake!

Here was the true general principle of the Nine Tribulations, Nine Heavens Heart Method!

Mercilessness and compassion—all reside in one’s own heart. If your heart is merciless, then it is the merciless Sword Dao. If your heart is compassionate, then it is the compassionate Sword Dao!

Cultivate deeply enough, and you reach the Dao of Heaven!

Yet in his previous life, though his heart was clearly compassionate, he forced himself to cut off all emotion—how could he possibly succeed?!

One general principle, yet two paths. One leads to sainthood, the other to becoming a demon! How you cultivate depends entirely on your heart...

Grace Carter, it was my mistake! From the very beginning, I took the wrong path. That’s what led to our lifelong tragedy.

William Carter looked up to the sky, his heart aching with an indescribable pain...

Nine Tribulations Sword, oh Nine Tribulations Sword, you played a huge joke on me—ruined my whole life for the sake of a mistaken cultivation method, only to give me a true rebirth after everything was destroyed!

Should I hate you? Or thank you?

...

In his emotional turmoil, William Carter didn’t even notice that on the illusory tip of the Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian, a faint trace of black had appeared... so tiny as to be almost undetectable, yet it was real!

...

At sunrise, outside the Purple Bamboo Garden, two people arrived. A young man and a young woman. Both wore white robes fluttering in the wind, their garments billowing, making them appear even more extraordinary amidst the sea of purple bamboo.

The young man had sword-like brows and starry eyes, handsome and elegant, but his face bore a trace of forcibly suppressed arrogance. The young woman looked about seventeen or eighteen, with features as beautiful as a painting, a tall figure, and a serene expression. At first glance, anyone would involuntarily think of one word: gentle.

One didn’t even need to know her usual temperament to get this impression.

She seemed delicate, yet carried a heroic spirit; she seemed strong and bold, yet gave off a gentle, graceful aura like flowing water.

“Disciples David Smith of Locking Cloud Peak and Alice Black of Gathering Cloud Peak, by our master’s order, request an audience with Uncle Bennett. We ask the senior brothers inside to please inform him.” The white-robed youth spoke out. His voice carried far, spreading without dispersing, revealing his superb internal strength.

Locking Cloud Peak was the mountain where the second of the top ten disciples resided, closely connected to Gathering Cloud Peak.