Under the threat of various weapons from its master, Wild Boar Peggy obediently activated its phantom soul and roared furiously.
This sound shook hearts and spirits, and at the same time, it also contained majestic earth-element attributes that instantly enveloped every grain of dust in the medicinal herb garden and nurtured them in all aspects.
However.
It was only one roar.
Jun Changxiao asked: “Wei Lao, how is it?”
Wei Lao crouched on the ground, scooped up a handful of soil, felt it slightly, and murmured: “There have been some slight changes.”
“Slight?”
Jun Changxiao wasn’t satisfied. Then with a dark expression, he looked at Wild Boar Peggy and said: “Don’t just stand there—keep roaring.”
That chubby little fellow immediately had tears welling up in its eyes.
It felt wronged inside, with bitter suffering it couldn’t express.
“Hurry up!” Jun Changxiao berated.
“Whoosh!”
Afraid its master would bring out another set of weapons, Wild Boar Peggy hastily activated its phantom soul again and roared loudly.
Although the sound wasn’t as powerful as before, the earth-element attributes it contained were still formidable.
Wei Lao grabbed a handful of soil: “Sect Master, this contracted beast of yours has a decent understanding of the earth element. If it continuously activates its phantom soul every day and releases its own attributes, it should be able to improve the medicinal garden soil quite quickly.”
“How long?” Jun Changxiao inquired.
“If it can release continuously several dozen times every day, probably about ten days to half a month,” Wei Lao estimated.
“Thud.”
Wild Boar Peggy directly kicked with all four legs and toppled over, tears streaming down even more uncontrollably.
We’re both the master’s contracted beasts—why am I so unlucky!
Jun Changxiao said: “From now on, you’ll live in the medicinal herb garden. Release it several dozen times every day. When you’ve improved the soil, then I’ll take you back into the Sect Master Ball.”
Hearing this, Wild Boar Peggy cried even more miserably.
“Of course.”
Jun Changxiao said: “If during this time you dare slack off and be lazy, just wait to be made into roasted suckling pig!”
Under its master’s threats, Wild Boar Peggy began transforming the soil in the medicinal herb garden. Every day it had to release earth-element attributes several dozen times, and by evening it would be completely exhausted, collapsed on the ground.
…
That night.
Jun Changxiao sat in his study, opened the basic-grade sword dao aptitude liquid, and drank it down happily with his head tilted back.
The taste was similar to the aptitude transformation liquid.
“Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining sword dao aptitude.”
A notification sound came to his ears, and in Jun Changxiao’s sea of consciousness, some strange knowledge appeared out of nowhere.
This knowledge was all related to the sword dao.
“I understand, I understand…” Jun Changxiao murmured, his gaze gradually brightening.
He walked out of the study and came to the small martial arts training ground in the inner courtyard, summoning the mid-grade Cold Gleam Sword.
After taking the basic-grade sword dao aptitude liquid, much sword dao knowledge had been instilled in him, giving him a great degree of understanding of the One-Character Sword Art, the first move of the Ling Sword Divine Scripture.
To be precise, it was as if the clouds had parted—suddenly clear and bright!
“Swish!”
Jun Changxiao placed one hand on the sword hilt, and sword momentum immediately pervaded his entire body, as if he had transformed into a sword with exposed cutting edges!
“Hm?”
Zhou Hong, who was in the middle of comprehending the sword dao, immediately sensed it. He turned his head to look and said in surprise: “The Sect Master is… also a sword cultivator?”
That’s right.
Jun Changxiao was now also a sword cultivator.
Sword cultivators were divided into levels—what level was he at now?
The simplest and most direct judgment was how many sword strikes one could execute in one breath!
Take Zhou Hong for example. After coming to the Iron Bones Sect, without sword technique enhancement, executing the sword twenty-three times in one breath made him a rare sword dao talent.
And like Ye Xingchen, although he wasn’t a professional sword cultivator, his martial arts experience was high. Forcefully comprehending the One-Character Sword Art, he could execute the sword twenty-four times in one breath.
“Based on the Sect Master’s momentum, he should have a decent understanding of the sword dao. Fifteen sword strikes in one breath shouldn’t be difficult.”
Zhou Hong judged from a professional perspective.
And Ye Xingchen, who had just returned from the Training Tower, also saw Jun Changxiao and said rather surprised: “He’s a sword cultivator?”
That’s not right.
He’d never seen him display it!
“Clang!”
The Cold Gleam Sword was unsheathed, sword light flashing.
Swish! Swish!
Sword energy transformed into white light, flickering with dazzling luster in the dark night.
“Clang!”
Jun Changxiao sheathed his sword, his expression extremely calm.
Zhou Hong exclaimed: “Twenty strikes!”
“This…”
Ye Xingchen was also dumbfounded.
Without displaying any sword techniques, Jun Changxiao’s sword strikes could reach twenty—he was definitely a good talent with decent sword dao aptitude!
Of course.
It couldn’t compare to Zhou Hong’s twenty-three sword strikes in one breath back then.
But one had to know, Jun Changxiao had only just taken the basic-grade sword dao aptitude liquid, had gained sword dao knowledge, and was trying it out for the first time!
“Clang!”
He drew his sword again!
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish—
White sword shadows spread out!
When Jun Changxiao sheathed his sword, he had executed a full fifty sword strikes in one breath!
This time, he had used the One-Character Quick Art!
“Not bad, not bad.”
The system praised: “With your understanding of the sword dao, you should be able to match mid-to-upper level sword cultivators.”
Jun Changxiao thought silently: “As expected, what the system calls basic-grade items are no simple matter in another world.”
Indeed, not simple.
One had to know, when Ye Xingchen first comprehended the One-Character Sword Art, he could only do twenty-four sword strikes in one breath. Jun Changxiao managed a full fifty strikes—truly quite formidable.
Zhou Hong, who cultivated later, when he first displayed the One-Character Sword Art, could only manage sixty sword strikes in one breath.
Based on the number of sword strikes, it wasn’t difficult to draw this conclusion.
In terms of the sword dao, Jun Changxiao was stronger than Ye Xingchen but weaker than Zhou Hong, though the gap wasn’t very large.
“I didn’t expect this guy to be a deeply hidden sword dao expert!”
Ye Xingchen was secretly shocked.
“No!”
He hastily corrected himself: “He’s a dual cultivator of sword and martial arts!”
Ye Xingchen greatly recognized Jun Changxiao’s martial dao strength. After all, reaching second-rank Wuzong at such a young age—even his past self would have found that difficult to achieve.
Now he also had extremely high sword dao aptitude—he was definitely a genius of dual sword dao and martial dao cultivation that only appeared among millions of people!
This so-called dual cultivation of sword and martial arts might look impressive, but in fact, it wasn’t particularly useful.
Because cultivating both sword dao and martial dao simultaneously would only waste more time and definitely wouldn’t be as fast as single cultivation.
Of course.
If a dual cultivator of sword and martial arts could reach higher realms, especially stepping into the level of dual King of Sword and Martial Arts, their combat power would be incomparable to single cultivators!
At the same level, martial cultivators couldn’t beat sword cultivators, and sword cultivators couldn’t beat dual cultivators of sword and martial arts.
Throughout the ages on Xingyun Continent, many dual cultivators of sword and martial arts had appeared, but those who truly reached the level of dual King could be counted on ten fingers.
Why was this?
Because for the two paths of sword and martial arts, when either path reached a peak level, a multiple-choice question would appear: either stop at that cultivation realm and let the weaker path catch up with the other, only then could one become a dual King of Sword and Martial Arts, or abandon one path for single cultivation.
Many dual cultivation geniuses, when one path first stepped into peak Wuzong, because they couldn’t bear to cultivate the other path again, or to become stronger faster, had no choice but to choose to specialize in one path.
All in all.
Dual cultivation of sword and martial arts was both a blessing and a curse.
From historical experience, focusing on single cultivation of one path was the most correct choice.
Jun Changxiao didn’t know he had become one of those dual sword and martial cultivators that only appeared among millions of people. After returning to his study, he asked: “Is there mid-grade sword dao aptitude liquid?”
“Yes,” the system said.
Jun Changxiao stroked his chin: “So you’re saying I don’t need to comprehend the sword dao at all—I just wait for mid-grade to refresh and take it to advance?”
“Correct,” the system said.
“Clap.”
Jun Changxiao clapped his hands: “Perfect!”
So the above explanation about dual cultivation of sword and martial arts only applied to martial artists of Xingyun Continent. With the system in hand, he was completely a super bug that jumped out of the five elements and wasn’t within the three realms!
Cultivate sword dao and martial dao together?
Not happening.
He only needed to focus on martial dao—for sword dao, he just relied on drinking aptitude liquid to advance!
“Swish!”
With a thought, Jun Changxiao pulled up the shop, then rubbed his hands together: “Now I have over 4000 contribution points. I absolutely must splurge properly!”