Talking with Dudu felt as if I was looking at another mirror image of Kiana. Their ideals, though they differ, ultimately chase the same goal.
To fight for all that is beautiful.
Back then, I could not help and take their ideals as my own. That was how beautiful it was.
"That's right. I once met Miss Shushang."
"Is it about the Blade Mantra?"
"Mn."
She began telling me about their study of the Blade Mantra five years ago. It turns out that Li Shushang had attained the sixth level Tao Heart, the Divine Sword. Bianka followed suit three years after her.
The two of them solely discussed the Blade Mantra for an entire year. Shushang had to enter seclusion after sensing her breakthrough, thus it got interrupted now.
"We can create the new realm with the five... no, seven of us."
"Seven? Could it be…"
"Miss Hua reached that level too."
Divination is a very convenient thing. It stacked with my Encompassing Eyes in terms of summarizing important events that happened while I was breaking through.
Fu Hua broke through the Divine Sword as well. Senti followed her footsteps not long after.
Aside from us sword cultivators, Kiana, Sirin, Seele, and Veliona also reached the sixth level. The rest are on the verge of breaking through, particularly Bronya. Considering there are still 1,955 years left on Earth's development, things are going pretty well.
I did a quick divination and received a date when everyone will be present.
"The date… It will be two years from now. August 15, 2064."
I sensed admiration coming from Bianka's eyes.
"Was that Divination?" She asked.
"Yeah. Divining complex things lessens its accuracy. The time when everyone leaves seclusion is not that complex."
This topic reminded me of Bianka's status as an Artifact Forger.
The Artifact Forging Vein has three top-secret projects on the Void Refinement Realm.
"I heard from Mister Yang about your assistance."
"That one? It's no big deal, really."
Project Qan[T], Project Hyperion, and Project Zhuxian (lit. Immortal Slaying).
Qan[T] can gather all of humanity's strength into one Mecha. Project Hyperion turns all of the solar system's stars as formation nodes, thus gathering imaginary energy, quantum energy, and spiritual qi for bombardment.
Finally, there was Project Zhuxian. It is a special sword artifact on the level of Dao Artifact, the equivalent of Dao Integration Realm. However, forging a Dao Weapon is impossible for now. What they are building now is the prototype of the Zhuxian Sword, a Dao Embryo (i.e., the equivalent of seventh grade artifacts). It is to be added with growth capabilities to transition into a Dao Weapon.
Its main capabilities is to 'borrow' humanity's "Past", "Present", and "Future" into one sword. Qan[T] borrows spiritual qi; Zhuxian Sword borrows humanity's heavy causality.
"I consulted Miss Shushang about the matter. I could not understand its essence…"
Bianka asked about sword intent. The Zhuxian Sword is a Dao Artifact embodying the essence of killing. Its potency is its key, being able to extinguish even the tenacious immortals in a single decapitation.
She faced troubles when she did not know how killing intent felt.
"I can show it to you."
Words are not needed. The memories of my time inside IX's space resurfaced. The overwhelming powerlessness turned my thoughts murky, only to be completely reined in by me. Using it, I emulated the killing aspect of the Zhuxian Sword.
Space froze. Time went still. Not a single life passed through the mountain peak.
Under Bianka's shocked gaze, I manifested the so-called killing intent. No visible changes arose. Her eyes, however, perceived it clearly.
"How is it?"
*****
The one-day long conversation soon ended. Bianka stared blankly at Shi Tian's back. She ended up asking his guidance on what "Immortal Slaying" truly is. It was not some kind of sword nor ordinary mind set.
It was all about killing.
It was a broken, borderline obsessive, mental state that kills to achieve their intended purpose. Only in a twisted place can this kind of intent be born.
'He…'
Bianka saw that exact same intent from Shi Tian. His endless years of isolation inside IX is more than enough to break his very existence, yet it did not. He lasted for a long time before being saved by the golden orb.
Although this experience can no longer affect him, it did not mean he had forgotten about it. The darkness hidden beneath his casual demonstration far exceeded that of an ordinary killing intent. Nobody sane enough can remain normal… except him.
Thus, emulating a lower-leveled power such as killing intent is extremely easy for Shi Tian.
'What did he go through..?'
That same question popped up over and over again. Bianka thought she had seen darkness itself. It is why she has her current resolve. She saw the world's evils and treasured the good even more.
However, when it comes to Shi Tian, she cannot find the words to describe him. Bianka experienced what Kiana, Seele, Veliona, and Sirin did. Their deep bond—body and soul—are enough to know many things about the other party.
Coincidentally, Bianka reached the same conclusion as them.
'Nobody should experience it… not even him…'
*****
The short-term matters are settled. There are still a few months before the others leave their seclusion. I was barely able to send the Tao Gifts to others while undergoing the breakthrough. A sliver of it is more than enough to pull up their realms.
In terms of realms, Kiana, Sirin, Veliona, Bronya, and Sin Mal are on the verge of breakthrough. Meanwhile, Fu Hua, Senti, Ji Xuanyuan, Hei Xuanyuan, Mei, Queen Mei Himeko, and Theresa are on the peak stage of Nascent Soul Realm. Wendy, Anna, Rita, Bianka, and Shushang are on the late stage of Nascent Soul Realm. Finally, there are Vita, Griseo, and Leylah on the middle stage of Nascent Soul Realm.
Once all twenty-one of them break through the Divine Transformation Realm, that would be the greatest hack in history. It is the equivalent of having twenty-one high grade spirit roots cultivating simultaneously for me. Add to that the imaginary energy tempering, spirit roots elevation, and the Innate Yin for dual cultivation…
I broke free from these idealistic thoughts.
It will take some time for Fu Hua and the others to reach the Divine Transformation Realm. The time needed for absorbing Tao Gifts is still considerable enough. I would need to wait for their breakthroughs to come.
A more realistic prediction is me requiring three hundred years tops to complete the Divine Transformation Realm. The Void Refinement Breakthrough that follows after that is estimated to take a hundred years.
Completing the Divine Transformation Realm and breaking through the Void Refinement Realm in four hundred years is absolutely exaggerated in typical immortal cultivation worlds. The difficulty of finding high grade spirit roots alone are high, much less the ones willing to become my partner. Most of these talented people must have a strong background and personality.
Arriving in the Honkai World really is my biggest blessing.
As for the Dao Integration Realm, it all depends on dual cultivation. Innate Yin alone is a huge booster of cultivation, more so the Innate Yin of a high grade cultivator. The Dao Integration Realm is no longer unattainable by then.
"You finally decided to drop by?"
Veliona's grievance-filled look greeted my sight.