The Great Dream Heart Sutra—this is the cultivation technique that Dongfang Xiaotian practices.
A cultivation technique is the core of a magic cultivator’s path, and simultaneously the core for a Dao Sword Immortal.
Its main purpose is to enhance one’s cultivation level and increase the spirit sea’s capacity to hold spiritual power.
This explains why magic cultivation and sword cultivation are so similar—both draw upon the same type of energy, so their cultivation methods largely overlap.
Yet, despite their similarities, the differences between magic cultivators and sword cultivators remain quite clear.
Besides the most straightforward distinction—magic cultivators typically train in various ‘techniques’ while sword cultivators practice different ‘sword formulas’—there is also the difference in the magical abilities granted by advancing cultivation.
For sword cultivators, since their system is well-established, no matter which technique they practice, their magical abilities are quite similar.
During the Qi Refining stage, they cultivate sword qi; during Foundation Establishment, they master sword control; at the Golden Core stage, they manifest Sword Qi Manifestation; and at the Nascent Soul stage, they develop Power Accumulation, and so on.
In short, every advancement in the sword cultivation system grants an innate immortal art, making it the most cost-effective path of cultivation.
After all, these immortal arts are not weak by any means, and their potential ceiling is terrifyingly high.
Rumor has it that even among the current Seven Great Emperors, the Dao Sword Immortal still uses these techniques.
Magic cultivators, on the other hand, are less fortunate. Their cultivation mostly revolves around training their techniques, but these techniques rarely bring innate magical abilities.
Therefore, most of their attacks rely on extra training in immortal arts. Those without such arts can only rely on wrapping their fists with spiritual power.
Only a very few top-tier techniques come with built-in immortal arts, and these are considered the true elite.
Of course, if magic cultivation were completely overshadowed by sword cultivation, fewer people would practice it.
Unlike sword cultivators, who focus on nurturing and practicing the sword, magic cultivators focus on mastering the Five Elements arts.
These Five Elements are not limited to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth but include all things in the world.
As the most traditional cultivation system, magic cultivators do not gain any magical abilities from each advancement.
However, their spirit sea’s capacity to hold spiritual power is far greater than that of sword cultivators. In other words, they have a larger “mana pool,” longer attack ranges, and more versatile abilities.
Hence, magic cultivators often unleash large-area AOEs, covering targets with the full spectrum of elemental damage.
For example, the ancient legends of Golden Core cultivators battling for three days and three nights usually refer to sword cultivators.
If a sword cultivator were to fight like that, a Golden Core sword cultivator would run out of spiritual power in less than a day.
After all, this world’s biology is not governed by Darwin, but the law of conservation of energy still holds.
Sword cultivators output high damage, which inevitably means their attacks consume more spiritual power per strike.
Interestingly, due to their similar cultivation systems, magic and sword cultivators once engaged in a fierce debate.
Sword cultivators argued that magic cultivation, an outdated antique that could be slain with a single sword strike, should have long disappeared from history.
Magic cultivators retorted, “If you have the ability, keep your distance and learn what it means that ancestral methods cannot be changed—we are your ancestors!”
Of course, after a period of mutual disdain and conflict, a genius emerged who mastered both the magic and sword cultivation systems, sweeping away his peers and dominating the field—a truly impressive feat.
Because the two cultivation systems are so similar, and sword cultivation originally branched off from magic cultivation but evolved to an extreme where it barely resembled magic cultivation anymore, merging the two back was not difficult.
With just some modifications to existing techniques, one technique could support both cultivation systems simultaneously, even producing various synergistic effects.
That dual-system genius inherited the long endurance of magic cultivation and the high damage output of sword cultivation.
For a time, he was unparalleled. Major families eagerly followed his example, and the rivalry ceased—they became a united family.
Thus, the current dual cultivation system of magic and sword cultivation was born.
However, unlike that rare prodigy, modern cultivators emphasize specialization.
Take Beichen Yue, for example. She primarily focuses on sword cultivation, with magic cultivation as a supplement—typically resulting in high damage output with some elemental attribute enhancements from the techniques.
In contrast, Tushan Bingxian mainly cultivates magic techniques, using sword cultivation as a secondary method to explosively unleash magic techniques, occasionally landing powerful strikes capable of quietly dispatching cultivators far above her level.
As for Chun’er and those demonic cultivators encountered earlier, they are pure sword cultivators—focused solely on numbers.
Their attacks are nothing but the sharp clang of sword qi, with no fancy extras.
It’s exhausting.
There’s no way around it. Dual cultivation systems are the privilege of the wealthy. You need to train your sword intent and also hone your magical techniques—sounds exhausting, and it certainly is.
But you need to have the resources to support such efforts. Which rich family can provide you with the cultivation resources for two paths?
Cultivating just one path is already expensive; forget about the second.
For cultivators like Chun’er, who are servants, or rogue cultivators with no means of income, single-system cultivation is the only option.
Of course, Dongfang Xiaotian gave up on sword cultivation a long time ago.
What he now practices is not some sword formula but the Great Dream Heart Sutra, the technique his master left him before departing.
Dongfang Xiaotian has studied the Great Dream Heart Sutra, and its cultivation method is very peculiar: it’s practiced through dreaming.
But this dream realm has a special explanation. Dongfang Xiaotian summarized its three main characteristics.
First: Time moves faster within the dream realm.
The saying “One dream, a thousand years” refers to this.
Dongfang Xiaotian once thought he had cultivated for a whole day and night inside the dream realm of the Great Dream Heart Sutra, but upon waking, it was only around dinnertime.
At that moment, Dongfang Xiaotian roughly calculated that time in the dream flowed at twice the speed of reality, or said differently, his activity level in the dream was higher—two days in the dream corresponded to one day outside.
Of course, this isn’t unlimited. It can’t truly double his cultivation speed but provides convenience for learning knowledge-based cultivation paths.
For instance, Dongfang Xiaotian is currently studying spirit talismans and formation arrays. Normally, his time would only allow him to practice one, but now he can study both.
The second characteristic is even more powerful.
Second: Extremely strong compatibility with other cultivation techniques.
Generally, cultivation techniques are incompatible with each other.
For example, dual cultivation of magic and sword systems usually involves practicing only one primary technique or sword formula, with the other serving as a supplement.
In simple terms, if magic cultivation is primary and sword cultivation secondary, and if the magic cultivator has reached Foundation Establishment, the sword cultivation level usually stays at Qi Refining, meaning only Qi Refining stage sword magical abilities can be used.
Tushan Bingxian, Dongfang Xiaotian’s second junior sister, is a special case and thus not referenced here.
In short, cultivators can only seriously master one system, with the other as a helper. Expecting to bloom fully in both systems simultaneously, like that genius in the past, is pure fantasy.
Having one technique that supports both systems is already good; wishing to master both fully is beyond even the nobles’ geniuses’ dreams.
It is possible to study two different techniques, but they are mostly from the same elemental family—ice with ice, fire with fire.
Switching techniques between conflicting elements leads to spiritual energy chaos, ultimately causing the cultivator to explode and die.
Sword cultivators who randomly change sword formulas also end up with clumsy, inconsistent moves, so few dare to change their formulas.
Cross-system cultivation is possible but requires starting from scratch.
The progress is slow, and practicing two systems simultaneously lacks the naturalness and fluidity of one technique compatible with both systems.
In short, given all the drawbacks, the most classic sword and magic dual cultivation today remains a single technique compatible with both systems.
The Great Dream Heart Sutra has no such worries. As long as Dongfang Xiaotian can absorb it, the sutra can accommodate his spiritual power regardless of origin, even without prioritizing one over the other.
Just dreaming grants such immense benefits…
Dongfang Xiaotian’s evaluation: “Training even while dreaming is pure hell.”
However, at present, Dongfang Xiaotian cannot actually train.
As he circulated the Great Dream Heart Sutra to enter the dream realm, a strand of spiritual energy flowed continuously from his spiritual veins into his spirit sea.
But this strand did not expand the spirit sea. Instead, upon reaching a massive void, it dissipated.
It then struck Dongfang Xiaotian’s lower abdomen, dissipating and merging into his limbs and bones.
“Hiss~”
Dongfang Xiaotian rubbed his abdomen. If this were an ordinary fragile sword or magic cultivator experiencing spiritual energy backlash, they’d probably be coughing up blood by now.
Indeed, a damaged spirit sea is a serious problem.
Another failure reminded him that with a massive hole in his spirit sea, using the circulating Heavenly Cycle as a cultivation method was impossible.
His spiritual power capacity stagnated stubbornly at Qi Refining level seven.
“Fine, let’s just try to break through to the second layer of the Great Dream Heart Sutra.”
Dongfang Xiaotian had long expected this result and wasn’t discouraged.
Suddenly, the Amber Battlefield beneath his feet quickly materialized into an actual war zone. In his hand, Dongfang Xiaotian held a treasured sword with a jade-green scale pattern.
Ahead was a battlefield, and on it stood a towering armored ghost soldier, exuding a sinister black aura—the enemy Dongfang Xiaotian was about to face.
This was another function of the Great Dream Heart Sutra: simulation.
It simulated a realistic battlefield for Dongfang Xiaotian to practice on, giving him combat experience far richer than most of his peers.
Moreover, this ghost soldier was not just a simulation but a seal left by his master on the Great Dream Heart Sutra.
Its cultivation method differed from others—it couldn’t be naturally cultivated to perfection. Instead, one had to defeat this ghost soldier.
Taking a deep breath, Dongfang Xiaotian charged at the ghost soldier.
One incense stick’s worth of time later—
“Pain, pain, pain!!”
Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help but withdraw from the Great Dream Heart Sutra, having lost and been ruthlessly beaten by the ghost soldier.
The advantage of the Great Dream Heart Sutra was its authenticity; the drawback was the pain was 200% real.
Although all the cultivation insights, talismans, and formations imagined in the dream could be remembered, the dream’s pain was magnified and caused nearly 50% damage to the body.
Perhaps that’s why the Great Dream Heart Sutra could both boost cultivation and strengthen the body.
After enduring the pain for a while and recovering, Dongfang Xiaotian grumbled inwardly about his master placing such a difficult seal on the Great Dream Heart Sutra.
He soon noticed his second junior sister’s heavy figure approaching.
Just a glance at her made Dongfang Xiaotian feel a twinge of jealousy.
She was about to break through. Her cultivation was already at Qi Refining level nine, and now she was advancing to level ten, officially entering the half-step Foundation Establishment stage.
Do these prodigies all upgrade so ruthlessly?
First, the little junior brother advanced from Qi Refining eight to nine, then upon returning to camp, Beichen Yue directly broke through to Foundation Establishment, and now it was the second junior sister’s turn.
Thinking about his own damaged spirit sea and inability to cultivate made him feel sour.
Looking around at everyone diligently cultivating, Dongfang Xiaotian placed his second junior sister into his rocking chair and quietly left this disheartening place.
“Oh, Brother Dongfang, you’re out.”
As soon as Dongfang Xiaotian stepped out of his tent, he saw a young man with a scholarly aura standing outside—it was Xiao Yuanqing.
Judging by his appearance, he had been waiting outside for quite some time.
“Brother Xiao, why are you here?!”
Dongfang Xiaotian shivered in surprise. Hiss, he actually found the camp of the Four Sages Academy! Really?
“What, not welcome?”
Xiao Yuanqing smiled kindly and joked, “Looks like I interrupted your and a few others’ private matters?”
“I don’t see anything private going on.”
Dongfang Xiaotian felt that inside were just some unreasonable geniuses holding a meeting, except for that girl Chun’er.
“Oh, right. The junior sister and junior brother have been found, so no need to trouble Brother Xiao… You can leave now; don’t worry about me.”
“Mm, I just asked. I know.”
Xiao Yuanqing looked at Dongfang Xiaotian and said, “The only reason I waited here for so long was for you, Brother Dongfang. Let’s move somewhere with fewer people to talk.”
“For me?”
Dongfang Xiaotian’s spirit jolted. No way, to somewhere more private? You all are this blatant when looking for someone?
“Let’s just talk here; more people is better.”
“Mm.”
Xiao Yuanqing nodded, his expression suddenly turning serious.
“I came to see you, Brother Dongfang, only to inform you that the Xiao Sect has dispatched three elders to jointly eliminate the Evil God Cult.”
“But there may be a significant number of late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators among them.”
“Surely, another great battle is coming. The dangers here you have seen for yourself. And since your cultivation is lost, Brother Dongfang, you may be affected as well.”
Xiao Yuanqing looked at Dongfang Xiaotian and said, “I still have some time now, so I would like to invite you and your juniors to move outside the ruins with me. After I eliminate our enemies, we can drink together.”
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