Chapter 6: Comprehending the Grass-Wood Sword Art

Having decided to use the Five Element Divine Beasts to condense his five visceral organs, Lin Jiufeng threw himself into the work.

Each day he cultivated, awakening the qi of his five organs and slowly condensing it.

It was a long process — one that demanded patient, grinding effort and could not be rushed.

Lin Jiufeng was no young man in his twenties. He was one hundred and thirty years old, his temperament steady and unmoved by outside distractions.

Slow and steady it would be.

A little progress each day, accumulating over time — the Five Element Divine Beasts would inevitably be condensed.

Since cultivation could not be rushed, he turned part of his attention to his three junior disciples.

Lin Jiufeng guided them earnestly in their practice. Children of around ten years old, they cultivated for twenty hours every day, with only four hours left for sleep.

Day after day, without exception.

Sometimes they were so exhausted they fell fast asleep mid-meditation.

Sometimes they were so tired they dozed off right at the dinner table.

Yet not one of them ever complained.

All three gritted their teeth and persevered — even Wen Xinyun, who seemed so delicate, held on through sheer stubborn will.

Diligence is rewarded.

Especially when the diligent are also gifted.

Three months later, just as Lin Jiufeng condensed the Vermilion Bird within his heart, all three children broke through the First Seal on the very same day, one after another.

Ten-year-old children, reaching the First Seal.

Without the aid of any resources — relying solely on hard work and the Yuhua Ascension Scripture.

Even within the Taishang Sect, such children would be considered peerless geniuses of the rarest kind.

After breaking through, the three little ones came rushing to Lin Jiufeng in jubilation. Wen Xinyun was so overcome with emotion that tears streamed down her face, and she threw herself into Lin Jiufeng's arms, sobbing like rain falling on pear blossoms.

Seeing Wen Xinyun weeping so openly, Zhou Tianzi and Yue Dashan felt their own eyes grow red.

Lin Jiufeng gently patted Wen Xinyun on the back and said softly, "Your Uncle-Master knows how hard these past months have been for all of you. Let it all out."

Wen Xinyun kept crying, as though releasing a lifetime of grievances she had never been allowed to voice.

Zhou Tianzi, eyes reddened, said quietly, "Junior Sister is different from us. She comes from one of the great Cultivation Clans — a powerful family. But she lost both her parents when she was young, and being a girl, she was never valued. In her own home she was treated worse than a servant, oppressed at every turn. She had no way to go on living there, so she ran away, met our Master, and came here."

Yue Dashan nodded. "Junior Sister never talks about it, but we both know she's been carrying a fire inside her — she wants to prove herself to those people, to show them that her talent surpasses everyone else's."

Lin Jiufeng was taken aback. He had not known Wen Xinyun's past was so difficult.

Such a small body, bearing far more hardship and pressure than any child her age should ever have to endure.

Lin Jiufeng smiled and said, "The past is the past. From now on, you are the Senior Sister of Yuhua Sect. In a decade or so, your name will be known throughout the entire cultivation world."

Wen Xinyun choked on her sobs, shuddering as she lifted her head. Through tear-blurred eyes she looked at Lin Jiufeng and gave a firm nod. "Uncle-Master is right. I need to be strong. I am the Senior Sister of Yuhua Sect."

Lin Jiufeng looked at her tear-streaked face and said, "Go wash your face. You look absolutely terrible when you cry."

Wen Xinyun's cheeks flushed crimson at once. She covered her face with both hands in embarrassment and bolted out of the room without looking back.

Lin Jiufeng, Zhou Tianzi, and Yue Dashan all burst out laughing.

"What about you two — do you have stories as difficult as hers?" Lin Jiufeng looked at the two boys and asked, "If you do, Uncle-Master's arms are available for a good cry as well."

Zhou Tianzi scoffed, "Real men don't go around crying. My whole family is dead — I'm the only one left. So I'm going to train hard and avenge them."

Yue Dashan gave a simple, honest smile. "I don't have any family. I was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the countryside eating whatever the villagers gave me."

Lin Jiufeng teased, "You ate charity food and still ended up this chubby?"

Yue Dashan looked aggrieved. "I don't know how it happened. I've been fat since I was little — I put on weight from the smallest amount of food and just can't slim down. I figure that's probably why my parents abandoned me in the first place."

"Don't dwell on the past anymore. You have Yuhua Sect now, you have your Master and your Uncle-Master. We are family." Lin Jiufeng ruffled both boys' heads, messing up their hair.

Zhou Tianzi and Yue Dashan looked at Lin Jiufeng with warm affection, their hearts fully embracing Yuhua Sect as their home.

"How much longer is Master going to be in seclusion?" Zhou Tianzi suddenly asked.

"Yeah, it's already been over three months," Yue Dashan said.

"Three months is nothing. For a master at your teacher's level, entering a death-seclusion like this takes years at minimum. Just be patient," Lin Jiufeng replied.

"Then we'll train hard, and give Master a big surprise when he comes out a few years from now." Zhou Tianzi said eagerly.

"I'll work hard too." Yue Dashan pumped himself up.

"Then go cultivate. Nine Seals to master — you've only just begun the First Seal," Lin Jiufeng said.

Zhou Tianzi and Yue Dashan immediately went off to train, full of energy.

Lin Jiufeng continued his own cultivation as well.

He read while simultaneously condensing the qi of his five organs.

In three months, he had only condensed the Vermilion Bird of the heart.

Next, he needed to condense the Azure Dragon of the liver.

It could not be rushed, so Lin Jiufeng read and improved himself in the meantime.

Fortunately, Yuhua Sect was now under a complete lockdown, with no one to disturb him. He could quietly work on bettering himself.

This time, Lin Jiufeng was reading the biography of a great predecessor.

This predecessor had been a supreme master of the sword path.

The book recorded that his mastery of the sword transcended the Nine Seals, wielding the principles of heaven, using the grass and trees of the world as his blade.

He possessed a terrifying sword art.

That sword art relied on no external weapon — only on the depth of one's comprehension of sword intent.

The deeper one's sword intent, the more powerful the art became.

At its peak, any blade of grass, any twig — all could serve as a sword.

With this art, the great master had looked down upon all under heaven. Even the notoriously domineering Taishang Sect dared not raise its voice in his presence.

But sadly, he blazed like a meteor — brilliant, and then gone.

Some said he had been assassinated.

Some said he had passed away.

Some said he had gone into reclusion to cultivate in secret.

Opinions varied.

The one true tragedy was that his fearsome sword art had never been passed down. Later generations could not catch even a glimpse of it, left only to imagine what it must have been like.

"Using grass and wood as a sword — just how terrifying would that be?" Lin Jiufeng closed the book and murmured to himself.

He shut his eyes and began to envision the great master's sword art in his mind.

Unbound by external objects, unbound by physical form — following the true heart, with all things in heaven and earth, every blade of grass and every twig, becoming a sword.

In Lin Jiufeng's mind, a thunderous boom rang out, as though chaos itself had been split open. A single blade of grass flew forth and slashed toward the sun, moon, and stars.

Boom!!

The sun, moon, and stars came crashing down.

The earth cracked and collapsed, and all things surged forth in chaos.

Sword qi stretched like a great wall, spanning the heavens and the earth.

And yet that single blade of grass remained — just a blade of grass.

In that moment, a flash of divine inspiration struck Lin Jiufeng, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[You have meditated earnestly, activating Heavenly Comprehension. You have comprehended the Grass-Wood Sword Art.]

Within Lin Jiufeng's mind, a sword art of supreme and devastating power had taken root.

The [Grass-Wood Sword Art] cultivates the true heart and deepens sword intent — and through that alone, any blade of grass or twig becomes a sword.

"With this sword art, I am fully confident I could slay a Fifth Seal cultivator," Lin Jiufeng said, his voice filled with certainty.