Mortal: I am the young sect master of the Thousand Illusions Sect

Chapter 18: With a single sword, I will not regret my path!

Su Mixin couldn't help but think of Han Laomo from the original story. When he was in the human realm, he could barely be considered a sword cultivator.

Han Laomo's main cultivation technique is the "Azure Cloud Sword Art", and his natal magic weapon is a set of flying swords. However, when he encountered the Fire Dragon Child using the top-level sword technique "Refining Swords into Silk", he was not moved in the slightest. Even though the two had a good relationship later, he never had the intention to exchange or learn from him.

He chose the Azure Cloud Sword Manual and the Azure Bamboo Cloud Bee Sword simply because they were the best choices he could make at the time. He had no passion for swordsmanship whatsoever, and aside from the few supernatural abilities inherent in the Azure Cloud Sword Manual, he had never dabbled in any other sword techniques.

Han Laomo has always adhered to the principle of taking what is available, and never wanted to spend his energy on his own research. Whenever he obtained a technique or treasure, he would choose the strongest one for his own use.

However, when he roamed the human realm of Tiannan, his greatest reliance and trump card were the seventy-two Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords and the Great Geng Sword Formation that could support him in fighting beyond his level.

A person who had no special feelings for the way of the sword became the number one swordsman in Tiannan.

If we compare Han Laomo to his father Su Yunluo, are they even comparable? The difference is obvious.

When Han Laomo's cultivation reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he was virtually invincible throughout the entire Tiannan region, with no one of his level able to contend with him.

However, even though his father, Su Yunluo, was in the top circle of mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in Tiannan, he never dared to claim invincibility.

With the memories of his past life awakened, the foresight of the prophets in his hands, and the heaven-defying opportunity of the Tongtian Jianmu Space by his side, how could he be willing to be overshadowed by Han Laomo in the future?

Naturally, he was absolutely unwilling to accept this.

For this reason, the Miro Illusion Mirror was never in his consideration or choice from the very beginning.

With three heaven-defying flying sword forging methods right before him, in terms of foundation and power, they are very likely to far surpass Han Laomo's Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword in the future. How could he miss this path of swordsmanship?

The path of sword cultivation is indeed arduous, requiring far more hard work and perseverance than ordinary people. The journey to find various rare materials to forge one's natal flying sword is even more fraught with difficulties.

But for him, these were nothing more than some trials and tribulations.

Moreover, the sword held an extraordinary significance for him.

Throughout his past lives, through countless films, television shows, and books, his greatest aspiration since childhood has been to become a swordsman who roams the world, a sword immortal who ascends to heaven.

This dedication is not for show or to flaunt one's abilities, but stems from a genuine love for the art of swordsmanship.

As a child, he had a fondness for collecting various sword-shaped toys, and as an adult, his bedroom is filled with more than a dozen sword ornaments that he had personally crafted.

Now that he has been reborn into the world of cultivation, and has the opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a sword immortal, how could he not feel excited?

Recalling the moment he awakened his memories, his first thought was to snatch that little green bottle.

But upon closer reflection, he was born with a unique spiritual root and possessed the Tongtian Jianmu space, so he was not lacking in the spiritual resources brought by the little green bottle.

His greatest desire was for the Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword and the Profound Heaven Spirit Slaying Sword.

It was already known from the original work that Han Laomo would later shine brightly with the art of puppetry, not only creating countless Nascent Soul level puppets, but also having top-tier beings who could contend with late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

He himself held the complete path of opportunity and knew all the key points, yet he was never tempted by such a heaven-defying inheritance. He even gave the "True Explanation of Puppetry" to Feng Hou without hesitation.

Why is it that, apart from daily meditation and cultivation, he has been putting off the pursuit of weapon crafting and formations, which he had already decided to delve into?

After much thought, I realized that deep down I had no real interest in these skills and techniques.

What he was obsessed with and what he cherished was always the sword immortal dream that had been hidden in his heart for many years.

Su Mixin slowly raised her head, her gaze clear and firm, and looked at her father, Su Yunluo, before her. She spoke each word with resounding force: "Father, I have made up my mind. My future will definitely be to become a sword cultivator."

My heart is set on a sword, and I will never regret my path!

Upon hearing her son's resounding words, Su Yunluo's eyes first flashed with surprise, but this was quickly replaced by deep satisfaction and emotion.

He gazed into Su Mixin's clear and resolute eyes, where a burning light he had never seen in his son's eyes had been seen before. It was a dedication and sincerity to the path of cultivation, and the most precious essence of a cultivator.

He slowly nodded, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable power: "Good, very good 'I must become a sword cultivator'!"

Su Yunluo raised her hand and gently patted her son's shoulder, the warmth from her palm carrying the expectations of an elder.

"I have lived for hundreds of years and have seen too many cultivators drift along the path of cultivation, abandoning their original intentions for temporary shortcuts and betraying their original aspirations for empty fame and fortune."

"The greatest taboo in cultivating immortality is a lack of sincerity and a weak will."

"Your clarity of what you seek and your unwavering commitment to your beliefs are more valuable than any rare treasure or extraordinary skill."

"Mi Xin, what cultivator in this world can have a smooth journey? The path to immortality is inherently defying the heavens, and trials and tribulations are the norm."

"The smooth path that your mother and I have prepared for you may actually be the obstacle and prison for your future. We should not define your future with the goal of a Nascent Soul stage."

At this point, a different kind of light seemed to appear in Su Yunluo's eyes: "With my son's talent and Dao heart, he will surely become a great cultivator of the Yuanhou realm in the future, and may even advance to the Nascent Soul stage and ascend to the Spirit Realm!"

Su Mixin's heart jolted, a slight ache rising in her nose, but she straightened her back with all her might, her voice brimming with barely suppressed emotion: "Father..." All her unspoken words culminated in a solemn promise, "Rest assured, your son will not fail your expectations!"

The two sipped tea for a while, calming their nerves.

After a moment, Su Yunluo asked, "Mi Xin, now that you've obtained two main materials in the cave, your target for your natal magic weapon should be the 'Formless Void Sword,' right?"

Su Mixin nodded and said, "Father has a discerning eye; it is indeed the 'Sword of the Void'."

Su Yunluo found his forced praise somewhat amusing, "Of these three sword-forging methods, I have no clue about the Glazed Star Sand Sword, and the attributes of the Azure Emperor Wood-Generating Sword don't match yours."

"This Voidless Sword, just from its description, is clearly the strongest of the three. When you mentioned it just now, you couldn't hide the hope in your eyes. How could I not see that?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mixin nodded slightly, somewhat embarrassed.

Su Yunluo continued, "This sword is still missing three main materials. Among them, the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Mystic Jade, I happen to know a clue about. I learned about it by chance many years ago, but I will not go into details for now. I will definitely help you find this Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Mystic Jade later."

Su Mixin asked with some doubt: "This ten-thousand-year-old black jade is extremely sturdy; doesn't it need to be submerged in water to be retrieved?"

Su Yunluo replied, "Where did you get this information from? Ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Jade is born in ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Ice Mine. It is a superior concentrate of the mine and is mostly found scattered in the vein."

Su Mixin suddenly realized that the Xuan Yu Cave of the Xiaoji Palace had been tampered with by ancient cultivators, and had been condensed into one entity, so it had to be submerged in water to be retrieved.

Su Yunluo changed the subject: "But the other two main materials are ones that even I have never heard of. They must be extremely rare. But don't worry, I will mobilize all the secret agents in the sect to inquire and search everywhere. I will also spread the word in the Nascent Soul cultivator circle. I will surely find some clues."

As he spoke, he picked up the jade slip containing the auxiliary materials and read it carefully.

He continued, "As for the five auxiliary materials, you don't need to worry. The sect's warehouse already has a lot of rare materials, and there should be stock of these five auxiliary materials."

"Including the extremely rare Geng metal essence, there happens to be a piece in the storeroom. It was left by the sect's ancestors in the early years. Fortunately, our sect does not have a sword lineage and does not produce many sword cultivators, so it has been preserved to this day."

"I will have it marked and sealed away, and will retrieve it for you to use when you break through to the Core Formation stage."

At this point, Su Yunluo changed the subject and mentioned another flying sword: "By the way, although this Azure Emperor Wood-Born Sword is a top-tier wood-attribute flying sword with considerable power, you have an ice spirit root, which is incompatible with it. Forcibly forging it may make it difficult to unleash its true power."

"However, the materials required for this sword are the simplest. The sect can also help you collect wood-attribute spiritual materials that are over a thousand years old. If you still want to try it, your father will fully support you."

Upon hearing this, Su Mixin immediately shook her head and said firmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Father, but the Azure Emperor Wood Sword clashes with my spiritual root attribute. I have no intention of forging this sword. It would be more prudent to concentrate my resources on the Voidless Sword."

He had already set his sights on the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Thunder Bamboo, one of the three great spiritual trees in the human realm, and naturally did not want the sect to waste any more effort.

"It's good that you understand." Su Yunluo nodded with relief. "The path of cultivation is about making choices, not about trying to have everything. You just need to focus on your cultivation and break through. Your father and the sect will do their best to cover the materials for you."

After the two finished discussing their natal flying swords and various magical treasures, Su Miluo suddenly remembered the mysterious tortoise shell of unknown origin.

He turned to Su Yunluo and asked, "Father, does the sect have a superior method for crafting defensive magic treasures from the shells of demonic beasts?"

Su Yunluo pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, "Yes, there is. Your mother possesses a secret technique for crafting a top-tier tortoise shield magic weapon. When crafting your Blue Sea Shield, she borrowed many exquisite techniques from it."

After a slight pause, he suggested, "Your senior brother has a long-standing relationship with a Supreme Elder of the Hundred Crafts Academy in the Yunmeng Mountains of Xi Kingdom."

"The crafting skills of the Hundred Crafts Academy are among the best in the entire Tiannan cultivation world. Even if they are not unparalleled, they are certainly among the top. The defensive magic treasure crafting method passed down in the sect is also unique in Tiannan. The Qiankun Tower, one of the three sect's treasures, is quite famous."

"Should we ask your senior brother to intervene and persuade that Supreme Elder to come out of seclusion and help with the refining?"

Su Mixin gently shook her head and said in a deep voice, "The quality of this Xuan Turtle shell is extraordinary. I secretly speculate that it was not left by an ordinary transformed Xuan Turtle, but probably came from an ancient exotic beast of a higher grade."

"If this matter is left to outsiders to handle, it is inevitable that the news will leak out and spread, which will only bring unnecessary trouble to my Thousand Illusions Sect."

Su Mixin added, "Father, I'm thinking of devoting myself to studying the art of weapon crafting. This Xuan Turtle shell is so rare. If I can personally craft it into a magic weapon, I can accumulate solid weapon crafting experience and be more adept at crafting my own natal magic weapon in the future."

"It's better than handing over such a treasure to outsiders and having to bear the risk of it being leaked."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunluo first smiled, then shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of teasing yet an undeniable certainty: "It's good that my son has this desire to study, but you still underestimate the foundation of my Thousand Illusions Sect!"

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and said in a deep voice, "Our Thousand Illusions Sect is one of the six major sects of the demonic path. Its lineage has been unbroken for ten thousand years. There are eight Nascent Soul stage elders in the sect, and the mountain-protecting formation is layered upon layered. There are also countless hidden restrictions throughout the sect."

"Let alone one ancient tortoise shell, even ten or eight could provide excellent protection."

"Furthermore, your senior brother has a very close relationship with that Baiqiaoyuan, so he won't easily let the news leak out."

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone becoming even gentler: "Furthermore, the art of weapon crafting is profound and complex, and cannot be grasped overnight."

"This Xuan Turtle shell was left behind by an ancient, rare species. It is a treasure that is one in ten thousand. If you rashly attempt to refine it, you will easily ruin such a valuable material. Wouldn't that be a pity?"

Su Mixin pondered her father's words carefully and found them to be absolutely true. Although he was determined to study weapon crafting, he was also aware that his current strength was indeed insufficient to handle such rare materials.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and said, "Father is right; I hadn't considered things thoroughly."

"It's alright." Su Yunlu waved her hand, her smile gentle. "Since you agree, then let's do as we said before and ask the Supreme Elder of Baiqiao Academy to take action."

"Your senior brother has a deep friendship with him and has connections, so this matter will definitely be handled smoothly."

"Alright." Su Mixin responded, then looked at Su Yunluo and said sincerely, "Then this Xuan Turtle shell will be left to Father to handle. The subsequent contact with the elders and arrangements for refining will be entirely up to Father."

Su Yunluo nodded in agreement: "That's very good. Come with me, let's find a safe place to put the tortoise shell."

After saying that, Su Yunluo got up and led the way, with Su Mixin following closely behind.

The father and son strolled slowly along the quiet corridors of the Mi Lian Palace, heading deeper into the palace grounds. After passing through several stone gates inscribed with restrictions, they finally arrived at an entrance hidden underground.

Stepping inside, the view suddenly opened up – this was the underground training ground where Su Yunluo and his wife usually tested their secret techniques and supernatural abilities.

The training ground was opened using the Mustard Seed Sumeru Technique; the entrance looks small, but the interior is quite spacious.

The four walls, the dome above, and even the floor tiles underfoot were all made of rare Qinggu stone. The stone surface was covered with fine runes, which flowed with a faint blue light. It was indestructible, and even a full-force attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator could hardly leave a trace on it.

"This place is secluded and safe, with enough space to make it perfect for storing a tortoise shell," Su Yunluo said to Su Mixin after looking around.

Su Mixin nodded, and then an enormous Xuan Turtle shell appeared out of thin air and landed steadily in the center of the training ground.

Su Yunluo stepped forward, gently brushing his fingertips across the surface of the tortoise shell, feeling the pure energy contained within, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

He turned to look at Su Mixin and said solemnly, "The specific refining method is in your mother's hands, but she is not in seclusion. She will contact me every year or two, and I will ask her for the method of refining magic weapons then."

"Rest assured, once we have the refining method, I will have your senior brother contact the Hundred Crafts Academy to finalize the date for starting the refining process as soon as possible. We must refine this tortoise shell into a top-tier defensive treasure and deliver it to you as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Su Mixin felt reassured and cupped her hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Father."