Chapter 123: Six Passes and Nine Ranks

In the third stage of Peerless Island, Dugu Shang lay silently in the tall grass, his expression one of inner turmoil. He pondered over and over, his eyes fixed intently on the Gourd-Man patrolling in circles before him. As his gaze settled on the gourd beneath the creature, his eyes grew bitter.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a moment, a flash of resolve crossed his face. Having made his decision, he lowered his head and extended his right hand. With a twist of his wrist, a surge of mana radiating a sharp, piercing aura appeared in his palm. Given the circumstances, Dugu Shang carefully contained the sharpness of his mana, restricting it to the span of his palm. This was the sword-attribute mana he had cultivated through countless trials and tribulations while struggling to survive on Peerless Island.

*Swish!*

He extended his left hand and gave his wrist a flick. A slender, inch-long sword appeared in his palm, its surface a deep, blood-red that sent a wave of killing intent into his heart the moment he looked at it. This was the Greed-Wolf Origin Sword, the most powerful magical artifact he had acquired during his years on the island.

Dugu Shang’s gaze shifted back and forth between the sword-attribute mana in his right hand and the Greed-Wolf Origin Sword in his left. His heart was truly conflicted; even though he had reached a decision, when it came to actually doing it, he could not bear to let go. These two things were his greatest gains after years of hardship—the hard-won rewards for surviving in what could only be described as a living hell. Yet now, to survive, he had to discard the Greed-Wolf Origin Sword. Even the sword-attribute mana he had cultivated would leave him severely drained if he managed to escape alive. The thought was enough to break his heart.

Caught in a complex and painful internal struggle, Dugu Shang hesitated. He bit his lip, then suddenly looked up at the floating Gourd-Man...

*Swish!*

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head; the fire of determination in Dugu Shang’s heart was instantly extinguished. He turned cold, his spirit chilled to the bone.

The Greed-Wolf Origin Sword was a third-tier artifact containing the Greed-Wolf Killing Method. The Greed-Wolf was named for using wisdom to commit slaughter; the method used the sword as a vessel to calculate the movements of all things, nourishing itself with killing intent. It killed again and again, insatiable and unaware, its power growing step by step, allowing the wielder to become stronger the longer they fought.

His sword-attribute mana was a third-grade mana, sixty percent stronger than ordinary mana—that is, 1.6 times the standard intensity. Dugu Shang’s current strength was at the third stage of the False Core realm—the Acupoint Infusion stage—with ten thousand years of cultivation and mana. Thanks to his sword-attribute mana, he was 1.6 times stronger than an ordinary practitioner at the same stage.

Mana is divided into six stages and nine grades. Ordinary mana is not included; only attribute mana is ranked. The six stages of the False Core realm are: Acupoint, Pool, Cavern, Hall, Palace, and Realm. The nine grades range from the first to the ninth.

First-grade mana: 110%
Second-grade mana: 130%
Third-grade mana: 160%
Fourth-grade mana: 200%
Fifth-grade mana: 250%
Sixth-grade mana: 310%
Seventh-grade mana: 400%
Eighth-grade mana: 600%
Ninth-grade mana: 1100%

Each grade of attribute mana represents a world of difference. When the base strength is equal, the quality of mana determines one's true power. Magical artifacts follow the same six-stage, nine-grade system, providing the same degree of amplification.

Dugu Shang, at the perfection of the first acupoint of the third stage, possessed ten thousand years of mana and his third-grade sword-attribute mana, providing a 160% boost. His artifact, the Greed-Wolf Origin Sword, was also a third-stage, third-grade item, providing another 160% boost. Thus, Dugu Shang’s true strength was 1.6 times 1.6, or 2.56 times that of an ordinary practitioner at the same level.

While the number might not seem large, the difference in reality is immense, especially as one’s strength grows. Dugu Shang could easily ignore ordinary third-stage False Core practitioners; he could practically kill five of them with a single blow—one for every finger. While he might not be at the absolute peak of the third stage, he was certainly a formidable minor expert.

Though his mana and artifact were only third-grade, anyone who understood how difficult it was to cultivate attribute mana or acquire such artifacts would never consider them low-tier. To cultivate sword-attribute mana, one must first acquire Western Refined Gold and incorporate it into one’s mana, inch by inch, until the mana is imbued with its essence. After that, one must find a flame of sufficient temperature to forge that essence deep into the mana.

This was not the end. One then had to find a place rich in earth energy, bury oneself, and use the energies of the Five Elements as a hammer to forge one’s own body like raw iron into a sword. The grade of the final attribute depended on the quality of the Western Refined Gold, the flame, the earth energy, and the Five Elements used in the process.

The agony endured during this process was extreme. Western Refined Gold radiates a sharp aura that chills the body; exposure feels like ten thousand needles piercing one’s bones and marrow—a pain akin to being flayed alive. The flame forging is like being trapped in a sea of fire; the sensation of one’s own mana and consciousness being scorched is excruciating. The earth burial, a state between life and death, exacts a heavy toll on the spirit. And the Five Elements forging, where one must use one's own body as the object and control the mana to shape it, is like using a hammer to shatter one's own bones and then painstakingly piecing them back together—a torment beyond description. Dugu Shang could no longer remember how he had survived it; he was too afraid to even think about that pain now.

Compared to the cultivation of attribute mana, the requirements for magical artifacts were relatively lower, though no less dangerous. Artifacts were scattered throughout Peerless Island. Each was guarded by a beast or a pack of beasts; defeating them or tricking them would yield the prize. However, that was only the beginning. Beyond the guardians, one had to contend with the covetous eyes of others. While low-tier artifacts were manageable, high-tier ones were almost always targeted by powerful rivals. Even after defeating a guardian, one had to escape with the artifact while being hunted by everyone else.

The process was difficult, but unlike the cultivation of attribute mana, it was not inherently agonizing. However, while one could stop cultivating mana at any time—risking only backlash—the struggle for an artifact was a matter of life and death, with no room for mercy. Both paths had their own unique challenges and rewards.