En; Cultivation and Training

Luciel was incomparably surprised. He had just acknowledged that he would never be able to cultivate, and right after that, his golden finger appeared. His new life seemed to be rife with sudden changes. Though, he wouldn't complain about being able to cultivate.

[Host, I won't be able to help you cultivate. The system is meant to facilitate enlightenment, not essence absorption.]

'What do you mean by that?' Luciel thought in fear of alerting his uncle. He hoped that En would be able to hear his thoughts, even if it implied the future invasion of his privacy.

Fortunately, En was deeply encoded into the information that made up Luciel's soul. Mentally communicating with him was nothing; if Luciel transmigrated again, En would be pulled along with him.

[Host, 'enlightenment' refers to your comprehension of yourself and the world around you. Being enlightened will give you powers on the same level as Taoist magic, so you don't have to worry about not being able to gain power.]

Luciel was relieved. 'En, you won't leave me, right?'

[I am permanently awakened and bound to your soul. I will never be able to leave unless you voluntarily unbind me. Though, that isn't good for either of us currently.]

'Really? I understand how you benefit me, but what can I do for you?'

[Our host-system relationship is mutually beneficial. You gain power, and I gain more authority over the universe, which then allows me to give you more power. Although you can't see it now, my increase in capability will become apparent in the future.]

'I see. So how can I enter these trances and be enlightened?'

[If you want power, then tread the paths that lead to it. Beyond this meager guidance, I can't help you. It goes against the rules.]

Luciel thought carefully for ten minutes before opening the door, feeling the flowing breeze and waving leaves and yelling:

"Uncle, although I can't practice martial arts, I still want to practice the sword!"

In an instant, wind elements began to collide, eventually reforming into Zi Tisheng. His expression was cold, as if he was interrupted at an important juncture.

"If you want to practice the sword, you'll only be able to practice the basic moves in solitude. Sword mastery isn't achieved in a couple of weeks either- it's a path that people walk on for a lifetime. Are you SURE you want to tread upon this path?"

"Uncle, it's exactly because of that I want to train swordplay. I've always admired the devotion and willpower of sword cultivators, and want to emulate that for myself."

"Whatever. I'll give you a month to change your mind."

Zi Tisheng clearly wasn't willing to stick around for long and quickly disintegrated again. But in his place, two swords appeared- one of wood and one of steel.

When Luciel held his hand on the wooden sword, the knowledge pertaining to the basic sword movements entered his head, and he began practicing.

...

The cycle of day and night continued perpetually. Zi You had been disconnected from both his families, and now, he only had three companions by his side: En, the wooden sword "Persistence", and the steel sword "Slaughter." Although Zi You had never picked up Slaughter, he still felt that it deserved a name.

When he exited his house today, his uncle stood beside the two swords. "Have you made your decision?"

Luciel was convinced that he would never get on his uncle's good side. He didn't think much of it though.

"I made my decision the second you left, uncle," Luciel replied mirthlessly. "I'm going to continue with this path."

This time, Zi Tisheng didn't even respond, immediately scattering away into the world to Zi You's regretful gaze.

Luciel sighed in resignation. 'I would've liked to have a relationship with you.'

He didn't dwell on it any longer, moving to wield Persistence. With his newfound passion for the sword and the help of En, he quickly entered a trance.

...

In but an instant, a year had passed since Luciel was taken by his uncle. His sword techniques, which were crude and simplistic in the first month, began to bloom.

He slashed out and, with Slaughter, sliced through a tree with one stroke.

[Luciel, you've finally obtained the Enlightenment Path 'Swordsmanship'!]

En was ecstatic. When Luciel finished his sword stroke, the pure energy of the world seemed to wash him from the inside out, increasing his strength and fortifying his body. And in response to Luciel's transformation, En's authority over the world increased, allowing him to grant Luciel more opportunities for enlightenment.

Luciel wiped the sweat off his face. 'I'm already so skilled, and this is just the beginning of the Sword Path? I've trained for so long, but can't cultivators do this after a couple of months of training?'

[When you interact with others in the future, you'll realize just how difficult it is to even reach this level of mastery. This level of progression is already considered monstrous for people without innate sword affinities.]

Hearing this, Luciel shrugged it off and continued. If the thought of being behind someone hindered his training, he might as well have given up there.

...

After Luciel had trained his sword for two years, he forgot about his uncle. He entered the second level of 'Swordsmanship', and with that, all of his bitterness retreated.

Luciel hadn't spoken in over three months, only communicating with En through his mind.

'This level of power... I could probably kill an elephant with a single punch now.'

'I should be equivalent to the peak of the Spirit Genesis stage, but I can't be sure. Though, for a mountain on the fringes of the Grand Mountains, there shouldn't be too much trouble.'

After Luciel left the formation set up by his uncle, he quickly verified his thoughts. After two breakthroughs, En was capable of detecting the cultivation bases of beings below the Golden Core Realm.

The first creature the two confronted was a Gray Tiger, which En determined to be at the utmost pinnacle of the Spirit Genesis stage. After Luciel was washed with the world's pure energy for the first time, his senses experienced a complete transformation, enhancing his five senses dramatically and allowing him to see spiritual entities.

Two ghosts floated beside the Tiger, each of them radiating a ghastly aura that instilled boundless fear into people and gave them nightmares for months on end. But when the auras landed on Luciel, his expression didn't change in the slightest.

'En, I don't have Spirit Qi, so I shouldn't be able to resist supernormal powers. What's going on?'

[The world is naturally protective of those who align with it. After obtaining 'Swordsmanship', the pure energy's transformation of your body also blessed it with protection on the same level as a cultivator's Spirit Qi.]

'So, these ghosts aren't a problem, then.'

Luciel didn't even brandish Slaughter. He waltzed toward the Tiger's group with matchless casualness, not caring about the threat it possessed in the slightest.

Angered by this, the two ghosts split up, rushing to both of Luciel's sides to form a triangular encirclement with the tiger. With that, they fired their yin qi toward him.

But Luciel's body alone was on the level of the Gray Tiger in front of him, far beyond the levels of the two ghosts. The yin qi, which was able to destroy a being's life essence and freeze their bodies and souls was like a spring breeze to him.

In an instant, he took to his sides and punched out at the two ghosts. He was able to scatter them in spite of their immaterial nature, which he attributed to the pure energy's blessings.

The Gray Tiger, seeing this, increased his vigilance and slowly backed away. It was clear that it didn't wish to engage in a fight with the man in front of him, who posed an unknown level of danger towards it.

Luciel, watching the Tiger back away in fear, laughed and advanced anyway. It roared with vibrations that could instantly kill someone and charged at Luciel.

Boom!

After Luciel's fist and the Tiger's paw collided, they were both forced back. It was a draw.

'But now, there's no need for you. Die.'

The moment Luciel brandished Slaughter, he exuded a killing aura that lessened the Tiger's will to resist. But it instantly regained its composure and began to retreat.

'You're a cautious one, but it's too late.'

Luciel launched himself forward, raising his sword behind his shoulder as he dashed toward the Tiger. With the imbuing of his sword techniques into his movement skills, overtaking the Tiger was child's play.

Swing!

In its vision, the Tiger saw a flash shining toward him in the darkness of the night. And after that, his vision turned just as dark.

[Luciel, congrats. After awakening your killing intent and combining it with your persistence, you've unlocked the Enlightenment Path 'Willpower.']