A Cultivation Tale: The Godly Punisher

Chapter 163: Sword Cultivation, successful at first try

If Alex knew he that he was in a cultivation stage that was just below the Supreme Alpha Eternal stage, he might possibly faint from shock.

How many consummate resources would he use to bring his cultivation to that level? How many obstacles would he face just before he could reach that stage? The depth of his perseverance was simply fathomless.

Then the spirit continued, "I know that you are thinking of the amount of hardships my master would have probably gone through just so he could reach the cultivation stage that he attained. Don't just think too much about it. Actually, my master, when he was very young came across an ancient sword methodology. It was so profound that even at the apex cultivation stage that he was in, he could only comprehend about seventy-five percent of it profundity. So since he fortunately got the methodology from this mortal world, then he too tried doing the same, by leaving his legacy behind in the world he came from with the hope that a cultivator born and bred in it would acquire his possessions. Fortunately, my Master's wish came true. Alright. Enough has been spoken. It's time for the legacy methodology transmission."

Alex gave a broad smile and nodded joyfully at the same time.

'So because the Silver-Violet Sword Banisher got an extremely profound, ancient sword expert's sword-cultivation methodology from this world, he too then decided to leave his inheritance in this world for the cultivation experts of the younger generations. How generous and considerate of him.' Alex said inwardly. Then he continued' Silver-Violet Sword Banisher, thanks for the immense opportunity that you have given me to become stronger. I promise that, I, as your successor won't drive your name into the mud.'

As Alex was thinking, his chain of thoughts was broken when the voice of the legacy-bestowing spirit sounded out.

"Step on the raised blue platform in front of you"

Alex nodded and walked forward to step on an elevated, blue-colored platform that was a few feet in front of him .

A second after he stood on the platform and the platform sank to level with the tiled ground, the center of the statue's forehead began to glow. Then a thin ray of light shot forth from it towards the center of Alex's forehead. The ray penetrated into his head and turned into memories. Some of these memories contained images of the Silver-Violet Sword Banisher, while the rest turned into information on plethoric pill-making techniques, formation grandmaster-level array-laying methods, weapon-crafting methods, and ultimately, the sword methodology he developed using the ancient sword methodology as reference, the 'Banishment Sword methodology'.

Alex whose eyes were closed as he received the transmission shook his head in awe.

The Banishment Sword methodology was a Supernal Battle Entity-grade (A-grade) trinity methodology which contained large numbers of techniques that possessed great offensive power and astonishing movement techniques.

Many hours later, he completely received the entire transmission. The content of the methodology was simply too vast. Not only that, the information about other things that he received were huge in size.

When the ray of light thinned out as it ceased transmitting, Alex clasped his fist before the silver Violet Sword Banisher statue and gave his thanks.

"Good. Now, the next thing is to cultivate swordforce energy." The voice of the legacy-bestowing spirit rang out.

"What? No! Senior, I don't think I would want to cultivate swordforce energy. My cultivation speed is just too slow as I am a Cultivation-deviant. Therefore, if I try to cultivate a new realm-energy, my cultivation speed would decrease again and this wouldn't be too good for me. You are a senior that possesses knowledge of myriad of things. So senior should be able to understand why I can't cultivate swordforce energy." Alex immediately said.

He wouldn't want to cultivate swordforce energy as it would terribly lower his already slow cultivation speed.

"Hmm" The legacy-bestowing spirit said. Then it continued, "Well, I understand your plight. But there would be no point in having the legacy's methodology since you won't cultivate the realm-energy related to it. Anyways, I can help you. There is a time-control room somewhere in this temple. In there, time is slowed down to a great extent. A day in there is three months in the outside world. You would even be able to increase the time ratio between here and the outside world when you understand my master's sword methodology to a high extent." The legacy-bestowing spirit said.

Alex's eyes narrowed.

"Senior, there is a time control room in this temple? And the sword methodology, is time related to it?" He asked with hints of shock and curiousness radiating from his tone.

"Yes, Alex. The room has a time-control array. The array is a temporal acceleration array that reduces the flow of time. So once you can understand the methodology, you would be able to increase the time ratio between this temple and that of the outside word using the array. And to your other question, yes! The Banishment Sword methodology involves both cultivation of time and sword. At an advanced stage, you would have to cultivate chronoforce energy which is also called temporal manipulation energy" The legacy-bestowing spirit replied.

'Damn cool!' Alex said inwardly.

"Alright, senior. In that case, I will cultivate swordforce energy" He said.

"Good" The legacy-bestowing spirit said.

Then Alex's body vanished and he appeared in a large, marble-walled empty room.

When he appeared in the room, he saw no array and began to wonder where the array would be. Then he looked at the ground and made a guess that the array was beneath the tiled floor.

As soon as he guessed the location of the array, he suddenly felt strange. This was because the flow of time suddenly increased. If it were other people, they wouldn't notice the huge rise in the rate of flow of time. But Alex was able to because he had a powerful perception. He could sense the sudden, massive increase in temporal flow.

He then knew that the palace-spirit had activated the time-control array. So he sat in the cross-legged position on the tiled floor and began to contemplate the sword and it properties; that is, it characteristics.

'What is the sword? The sword is a flat instrument that's broad or thin and possesses sharpness. With it sharpness, it can be used to cut everything. So this makes it an instrument of tyranny, fearsomeness and death. People's thought of the superphysical power of sword is that it can be used to slash all in their path and reign supreme, but mine is to lacerate everything in my path to liberation. It's my key to freedom from all forms of shackles. With it, I will sever everything that obstruct my way. With it, I will use it to gain freedom from all kinds of oppressions and walk the vast earth and soar the sea of firmaments with unstoppable momentum and insurmountability. With the sword, I will liberate myself and the ones I love and care about from suppression and limitation. That's what the power of the sword is to me. The power of freedom!' Alex said inwardly.

This was Alex's understanding of the sword.

Every sword cultivator in this realmverse had their own peculiar understanding of the way and might of the sword. But this was Alex's comprehension of it. He understood the sword as an instrument of liberty, as a tool to freedom from enslavement or captivity. And since nothing can restrain him or hold him back; shackles, cuffs or binds, then he is a government of only himself and for himself. He is a sovereignty. One who is an existence not ruled over by any being. He would be under no entity. He would be someone who cannot be subjugated by any means since he has the power of freedom and liberation; no one can limit him.

Now in possession of an absolute, deep understanding of the mystical power and arcane capability of the sword that was unique to only him, he suddenly began to hear acute, keening sounds.

'I actually did it' Alex said inwardly.

Then he opened his eyes and could see ribbons of a golden-colored energy around him. Since he had now tuned his physical senses, perceptions and cultivation-sense to the frequency of swordforce energy, he could see and perceive them. He could hear whistling and keening sounds continuously emitting from them, and could feel their power of sharpness on his skin. His eyes shone with intense amazement and extreme gladness.

The spirit where it was observing Alex had it eyes glow with shock and marvel. Since it was a sword-cultivating treasure-spirit, it could see the ribbons of energy circulating around Alex. But what made it deeply amazed was the color Alex's swordforce energy had taken. It was golden!

Alex's swordforce energy was golden in appearance because of his heaven-severing conviction; which was to cut everything in his path into halves, even the heavens and the gods that dwell in it if they try to stand in his path. And then because of his resolution which was to be free from all forms of restraints and soar across the vast skies of the sea of worlds independently.

The sharpness-energy (swordforce energy) Alex actually attuned his senses to was the one that possessed a sovereign-will and a liberation-will. These were the will to exist as a government under no government, to be a sovereign, a ruler and dictator of oneself and the will to liberate everything from incarceration and oppression respectively.

Alex then employed the absorption method of the Banishment Sword methodology.

Very quickly, large bundles of the energy began to flow into his body through his pores and along his energy meridians to his energyhouse.

Alex grunted in pain as they cut apart his skin and entered into his vastly-elastic energy channels which accommodated the great quantity of swordforce energy which flowed in a rampaging manner in it to his energyhouse.

Like that, Alex was covered in blood and began to groan miserably as he cultivated the energy.

He wouldn't be covered in blood if he used the Sword Beginner-rank cultivation method. But because he was using the Supreme Sword Paragon-rank cultivation method of the Banishment Sword methodology which was a fast-rate, energy-gathering method, it immersed him in agonizing pain as the large amount of energy that had materialized cut apart his skin from the pores to enter into his body.

Alex was doing this to rapidly cultivate swordforce energy even if there was a temporal acceleration factor which was generated by the time-control array.

- Two months later -

Groaning in misery, with reddened eyes and green veins popping from the temples of his head, Alex struggled to cultivate swordforce energy from the initial-phase entry stage to the mid-phase entry stage.

Another two months passed and he upped his cultivation of swordforce energy from the mid-phase entry stage to the late-phase entry stage.

........

Four more months went by and Alex's cultivation of swordforce energy reached the half-step condensation stage.