Chapter 5: Becoming a Sword Cultivator

"Yes!" Lu Qingshan did not hesitate and chose to learn the Cultivation Technique. The freshly earned 40 experience points instantly decreased by 10.

"Experience -10, currently learning [Qi Drawing Technique]!"

A torrent of data flooded into Lu Qingshan's mind.

Unlike the simple act of selecting skills in a game, this data transformed into related knowledge of the Cultivation Technique once it entered Lu Qingshan's mind.

How to sense the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, how to draw in Qi, the circulation paths of Spiritual Power within the body...

It was as if he had been spiritually initiated, allowing Lu Qingshan to truly and completely grasp this Cultivation Technique in an instant.

Meanwhile, in his own empty Dantian, Lu Qingshan once again felt a faint, mist-like Spiritual Power (+10 Spiritual Power).

"Learning success! You have mastered [Qi Drawing Technique], your Rank has been raised to Qi Refinement!"

"Advancement successful, conditions for class selection met, please choose one of the following six classes as your main profession: Sword Cultivator, Body Cultivation, Beast Cultivator, Spiritual Cultivator, Dharma Cultivation, Nether Cultivator. Note, once the main profession is determined, it cannot be changed!"

"Choose Sword Cultivator!"

"Class transfer successful, you have obtained the main profession [Sword Cultivator]!"

"You have gained the professional talent [Specialization]: Without specialization, one cannot succeed. Sword Cultivators who specialize in the Sword Dao cannot transfer to any secondary profession!"

"You have gained the professional talent [Trapped in Formation]: The resolve to be trapped in formation is to face death without surrender. All damage dealt by Sword Cultivators is increased by: Rank x5%. As a balance, Sword Cultivators will not receive any bonus to Stamina attribute!"

"You have gained the professional talent [Sword Technique Affinity] (Primary Level): The experience required for Sword Cultivators to learn and upgrade sword techniques is reduced by 10%, and the experience required to learn and upgrade skills other than sword techniques is increased by 10%; sword technique damage is increased by 5%!"

——————

That is the Sword Cultivator, one of the most distinctive classes in Nine Heavens.

In the eyes of Sword Cultivators, everything in the world hinges on a single sword.

Immortal Cultivation Techniques, or the various arts of cultivation, are not what Sword Cultivators pursue. In their view, what problems cannot be solved by a straightforward sword strike? Why bother with other techniques?

Sword Cultivators have the thinnest health and the most fragile bodies among the main professions in Nine Heavens.

They are the only one of the six main professions that do not receive Stamina attribute bonuses as their Rank increases.

Before class transfer, the conversion ratio between Stamina and Health Points for every player is fixed: 1 Stamina = 10 Health Points.

But, except for Sword Cultivators, after class transfer, other professions receive a 1 point increase in the Stamina to Health Points ratio for every Rank advancement (1 Stamina = 11 Health Points).

For Body Cultivators, who regard Stamina as their main attribute, this increase is even 2 points. It might not seem like much in the beginning, but as the Rank goes up, the bonuses become increasingly significant.

If one reaches the Fifth Rank of Void Refinement in Nine Heavens, at that point, for Body Cultivators, 1 Stamina = 20 (10+2×5) Health Points, while the same Rank Sword Cultivator would still be at 1 Stamina = 10 Health Points, which is double the difference.

That means starting from the Void Refining Realm, each point of Stamina for Body Cultivators is equivalent to two points for Sword Cultivators.

Of course, as compensation for their meager HP, Sword Cultivators receive a significant buff to their attack power.

Sword Cultivators are an extreme class that trades high health for explosive damage, and under the bonus of [Trapped in Formation], they possess unmatched damage output in Nine Heavens. Even the most resilient Body Cultivators cannot withstand the continuous attacks of a Sword Cultivator.

This is a class with very apparent strengths and weaknesses.

Sword Cultivator players are colloquially known as "brutes" or "mad dogs" in Nine Heavens.

The officials of Nine Heavens once conducted a survey to vote for the most popular class in the game; Sword Cultivators won by a wide margin with fifty percent of the vote.

However, it is worth noting that in a survey of the most disliked class by players, Sword Cultivators again claimed the top spot with an overwhelming ninety percent of the vote.

The mechanics of the Sword Cultivator class are very popular among players, simply put, they stand for "flashiness." However, the reason for the dislike by many players is often due to this "flashiness," which can often leave themselves and their teammates utterly frustrated.

Anemic and explosive in damage, these two labels combined on the same class lead to the consequence that in every battle, Sword Cultivators seem to operate under a max-level taunt aura, always becoming the primary target for the enemies—no one dares let a Sword Cultivator freely deal damage.

Sword Cultivators are a class with an incredibly high ceiling but terrifyingly low floor. The gap between high-skill and average players is enormous.

In the hands of a skilled player, a Sword Cultivator often moves through a crowd of enemies untouched, their sword striking fear into gods and men alike, and they are hailed as Sword Immortals!

In the hands of a novice, a Sword Cultivator is like death blowing in the wind, an ever-present companion, a one-way journey from which there is no return. Once they step onto the battlefield, they vanish without a trace—true death without the possibility of life, earning them the nickname "The Orphans."

But whether they are called Sword Immortals or Orphans, Sword Cultivator players can all enjoy the unique joys that come with their path.

What do players seek in a game?

Is it not simply to find joy?

...

After changing his class to Sword Cultivator, Lu Qingshan saw significant changes in his previously empty personal attribute panel:

Lu Qingshan (Human Race)

Profession: Sword Cultivator

Cultivation Technique: [Qi Drawing Technique] Lv1 (0/100) —— [Spiritual Power +10]

Rank: Qi Refinement

Experience Points: 30

Free Attribute Points: 0

Personal Attributes: Strength 1, Agility 1, Mana 1, Divine Soul 1, Charm 1, Stamina 1

Health Points: 20/20

Spiritual Power Value: 10/10

Talents: [Innate Swordseed] (Legendary), [Thick-skinned], [Specialist], [Trapped in Formation], [Sword Technique Affinity] (Primary Level)

Skills: [Heavenly Eye Technique]

__________

In just an instant, Lu Qingshan went from an ordinary person to a Qi Refining Cultivator.

However, to Jie Shi standing nearby, there was no sign of any anomaly; all the changes had occurred in utter silence.

Having become a Qi Refining Cultivator and acquired spiritual power, Lu Qingshan could now use a storage bag.

"What exactly is the situation in the Corpse Refining Cave, how many people are there, and what are their cultivation levels? Give me all the details," Lu Qingshan asked Jie Shi for specific information about the Corpse Refining Cave while playing with Jie Shi's storage bag taken from his waist.

Jie Shi watched Lu Qingshan fiddle with his own storage bag, a shadow flickering in the depths of his eyes, although he answered Lu Qingshan's questions very cooperatively.

According to Jie Shi's account, the scale of the Corpse Refining Cave was much greater than what Lu Qingshan had anticipated.

The master of the Corpse Refining Cave, the [Blood Corpse True Man], who was also the master of Jie Shi and Song Qing, was not the Qi Refining Cultivator that Lu Qingshan had previously imagined, but was instead a veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The reason why the Corpse Pool where Lu Qingshan was located used First Grade strengthening corpse fluid was that the Corpse Refining Cave had a total of three Corpse Pools.

Two were for refining First Grade Corpse Puppets, of which Lu Qingshan's was one, and there was another one for refining Second Grade Corpse Puppets.

A Second Grade Corpse Puppet corresponds to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can refine them.

Knowing the specifics of the Corpse Refining Cave, a sense of relief couldn't help but arise in Lu Qingshan's heart.

Fortunately, the [Blood Corpse True Man] was not at home; otherwise, the chances of escaping from this place would have been slim to none.

To a large extent, Qi Refining Cultivators still belong to the category of mortals; if well-planned, it is not impossible for mortals to kill Qi Refining Cultivators. However, Foundation Establishment Cultivators are a completely different story.

In the world of cultivators, overcoming gaps between ranks is as difficult as climbing to the heavens. The skills that Foundation Establishment Cultivators master, both in number and level, far exceed those of Qi Refining Cultivators.

Furthermore, with the ability to sense others with their [Divine Sense], a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can easily overpower a Qi Refining Cultivator in terms of combat power.