On the Sword Dao

As for the specific time, Qin Sang found it hard to say. The Transforming Wheel Seal and Destroying Demon Seal had already finished fusing; it had not taken long and did not seem difficult. The further along, the greater the difficulty of fusion would inevitably be, and Qin Sang could not neglect his own cultivation to focus solely on comprehending the Buddhist seals. "How about setting a limit of fifty years?" Qin Sang mused, proposing a very generous timeframe. To a Deity Transformation cultivator, fifty years was but the flick of a finger. "Fifty years..." Venerable Zhenru remained silent for a moment, then nodded. As long as he could open the seal within a hundred years and obtain the Buddhist treasure inside the tower, it was acceptable. He had one hundred and fifty years until his next Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, and the remaining time was enough to digest his gains. "This poor monk will wait fifty years for you, True Person! If after fifty years you cannot break the seal, I hope you can pass this seal on to our temple." Venerable Zhenru raised another condition; he would offer corresponding treasures in exchange, but the Buddhist treasure within the Floating Pagoda had nothing to do with Qin Sang anymore. Qin Sang mused and agreed. He stayed at Mirror Platform Temple for several more months, studying Buddhist teachings and continually watching that recorded image. It was precisely from the gains in this recorded image that Qin Sang gained the confidence to fuse the Buddhist seals. On the day of parting, Venerable Zhenru personally saw Qin Sang down the mountain. "Venerable, please wait." Qin Sang bowed, rose on his escape light, and headed north. Venerable Zhenru watched Qin Sang depart, returned to the temple to begin his busy work, and the two agreed to gather as many treasures helpful in resisting the golden light as possible; if other methods of breaking the prohibition were found, Qin Sang would come immediately to assist. On the return journey, most of Qin Sang's attention was immersed in the Seven Master Buddha Seals; the monk's recorded image was shocking, broadened Qin Sang's horizons, and most importantly pointed him in a direction. Returning to Star Island Immortal Lake, Qin Sang first went to Pot-in-Gourd Island, wandered through the city streets for a while, arrived at a secluded small courtyard in the area where mortals lived, and knocked on the door knocker. With a creak, an old man pushed the door open; seeing Qin Sang, his face showed joy. "Master, you're back." "Old Chen, your health is growing ever more robust," Qin Sang said with a smile as he walked into the courtyard. The old man's face was full of gratitude. "Thanks to you, Master, for curing my illness and giving me a place to stand. I, your servant, will serve you as an ox or horse for life, but it still would not be enough to repay your kindness." Qin Sang shook his head. "Take good care of this courtyard; consider it payment for the treatment. No need to serve as an ox or horse." Dismissing the old man, Qin Sang entered the quiet room in the rear hall. A formation had been set up in the quiet room; if Mo Xingdao had news, he would transmit it through this formation. They could only contact each other this way—not timely, but the advantage was concealment. Qin Sang activated the formation, but there was no response. After comforting the old man with a few words and leaving some silver, he left the courtyard and went to Qi's residence. Ever since helping Qin Sang refine the Wind-Returning Armor, Qi's artifact refining skill had greatly increased, and his reputation was even more illustrious than before. Qi had not given up on continuing to smelt the fragments of true treasures, but each verification required consuming vast resources and carried the risk of destroying the Wind-Returning Armor. Qin Sang was not reluctant to part with the Wind-Returning Armor; he simply had more important things to do. He took out most of his resources and entrusted Qi to gather as many spirit flowers needed for the Yinghua Pill as possible, to be given to Master Lingxu for pill refinement. There was another purpose for this visit to Qi: the step of unblocking the qi meridians in the fist wraps was more than halfway complete, and he asked Qi to take a look. As soon as Qin Sang saw Qi, the Wind-Returning Armor was immediately demanded from him. He smiled helplessly and followed Qi into the fire chamber. Ten days later, Qin Sang left Qi's residence and, through the Dao Court's channels, sent the spirit flowers to Master Lingxu's residence. If they were top-tier treasures, he naturally would not feel assured entrusting them to others; the Dao Court surely would not stoop to coveting these spirit flowers. After finishing the miscellaneous matters, Qin Sang continued returning to Sword Heart Island for secluded cultivation. Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, another half year passed. One day, Qin Sang held up the Chengying Sword with both hands, his face showing a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he made up his mind, put away the treasure sword, left his cave dwelling, and decided to ask Real Person Zhijian to examine this sword. For nearly three years, Qin Sang had continually probed it with various methods, but the sword showed no response at all. Even though Qin Sang was continually breaking through in the path of artifact refinement, he was not so much more skilled than the Sect Master of Dianjin Mountain that he could uncover the sword's origins; he could only go consult a master of the sword dao. Also, he did not plan to waste more time on the Chengying Sword. He had many things to do; cultivation was the top priority. Because his divine sense was limited, he did not know when he would be able to refine the Qilin Source Seed. If Qin Sang wanted to maintain his combat power, he had to continually improve his strength cultivation, practicing both dharma and body together. The Essence Cultivation and Sword Nurturing Chapter as the main, the Heavenly Demon Transformation as the auxiliary—this required double the cultivation time. Secondly, comprehending the Seven Master Buddha Seals, refining the fist wraps, and blood-feeding the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would all require effort. The Sword Slave dutifully guarded the front of Real Person Zhijian's cave dwelling, clearly having received instructions. Upon learning Qin Sang's intention, he immediately activated the formation restrictions. "Junior Brother, come inside to speak." Real Person Zhijian's voice came from within the cave dwelling, and the gate opened by itself. The Sword Slave respectfully stepped aside. Qin Sang entered Real Person Zhijian's cave dwelling for the first time and curiously looked around. The cave dwelling arranged for Qin Sang by Real Person Zhijian had been carefully laid out, but his own could be called simple. Inside the hall there was only one person, one futon, and one incense table. On the incense table there was an incense burner, and a sword being enshrined! Qin Sang couldn't help but look at it twice. That sword was very peculiar, hanging upside down above the incense table. He had only seen ancestors and deity images enshrined in the Academy of Transmission of Registers; this was his first time seeing someone enshrine a sword. This sword had no scabbard; white strips of cloth were wrapped around the entire blade, including the hilt, making it impossible to see the sword's true appearance. Qin Sang could tell this was absolutely not ordinary white cloth; talismans were inscribed on it, and he did not know what function they served. He had never seen Real Person Zhijian use this sword before. Qin Sang was puzzled in his heart, looking at Real Person Zhijian with his back turned. His expression suddenly changed. "Daoist Brother, you..." He showed an ashamed expression. "This humble Daoist should not have come." Real Person Zhijian's aura at this moment was extremely vigorous, yet had subtle fluctuations. Only at the critical moment of approaching breakthrough would such a manifestation occur. In just a few years, Real Person Zhijian was actually about to break through to the middle stage of Deity Transformation. His coming was indeed not the right time. "It doesn't matter," Real Person Zhijian slowly ceased cultivating, speaking calmly. "Breaking through at this moment was actually very forced. This humble Daoist nearly had his mind addled by the impact. Your arrival, Junior Brother, happened to let me recover my calm." Not knowing whether Real Person Zhijian's words were true or false, Qin Sang indeed felt guilty and hesitated, not wanting to disturb Real Person Zhijian further. Real Person Zhijian stood up, turned around, and said, "This humble Daoist's words are all true. Junior Brother need not take it to heart. If there is any important matter, feel free to speak directly." Sighing softly, Qin Sang nodded and directly took out the Chengying Sword. "I accidentally obtained this sword and do not know its origins. I originally wanted to ask Daoist Brother for guidance, but I did not expect..." Saying this, Qin Sang directly handed over the Chengying Sword. Real Person Zhijian took it, gazed for a moment, and let out a soft exclamation of surprise. Then his finger drew a line across the blade. With a sharp ring of the sword, the sound echoed through the cave dwelling. Qin Sang's gaze froze. The Chengying Sword in his hands had never made such a clear sword-ring before. Real Person Zhijian flipped the sword, lightly brandished two strokes, clicked his tongue in admiration, showing an expression of covetous delight, and sighed. "So such a sword artifact truly exists in the world." His finger lightly stroked the blade. While comprehending, Real Person Zhijian said to Qin Sang, "I remember, Junior Brother, you once used a sword in the Sin Plains, and your swordsmanship is skillful. You should know the sword dao." Qin Sang remained silent, glanced at the Chengying Sword in Real Person Zhijian's hand, and truly did not dare to call himself knowledgeable in the sword dao. Real Person Zhijian did not know Qin Sang's thoughts, did not wait for a response, and did not mind. He gazed at the Chengying Sword, his eyes shining, and muttered to himself. "What is the sword dao? "We cultivators cultivate a single sword intent of utmost purity, nurturing the sword with sword intent. Whether choosing Killing Sword, Illusory Sword, Transforming Sword, Ultimate Sword, or various others, only the sword in our hearts, the sword heart clear and penetrating, utmost precision and purity. "Some people believe that only those whose hearts reach the extreme for the sword are true sword cultivators, regarded as orthodox, while all others are inferior." Qin Sang nodded. He approved of this viewpoint. He could clearly see himself; he could not become a true sword cultivator. The Essence Cultivation and Sword Nurturing Chapter was surely a top-tier technique of the Killing Sword lineage, yet he always regarded it as a tool, valuing the killing talismans that increased cultivation speed even more. Looking back on his path of cultivation, he was distracted by too many things: ghosts, corpses, demons, insects, fire, poison, avatars, Buddhist and demonic paths, and so on. He had never even broken through to a major realm purely by relying on the sword dao. As long as it could help him, improve his strength, and assist his breakthrough, he would unhesitatingly use it. Among old acquaintances, Senior Green Bamboo could be considered a sword cultivator. Shangguan Lifeng abandoned the blade for the sword, and if he could comprehend the Green Bamboo Sword Scripture, perhaps he could count as half one. Qin Sang also considered the Real Person Zhijian before him to be one. Unexpectedly, Real Person Zhijian gently shook his head. "This sword dao lies in the two words 'pure and singular,' but are those who practice the sword in other ways not sword cultivators? "They either lack sufficient talent, or have insufficient state of mind, or due to various external factors, cannot walk the path of pure sword intent. "In the world there are the paths of Talisman Sword and Myriad Swords; some focus on sword formations, some emphasize technique over the Way. Some are obsessed with finding rare treasures in the world and refining an ultimate sword without demanding sword intent. Or they cultivate sword intent but rely on external power. "Is the sword dao they seek by forging another path truly inferior to the path of pure sword intent? "This humble Daoist believes that the Great Dao has different paths but the same destination. There is only left and right, no high or low. "It is just that what the world remembers are those peerless bearers of sword intent soaring to the heavens: even with a thousand difficulties and ten thousand dangers, I alone will cut them down with one sword. "And we have simply not yet seen someone who has walked those other paths to their extreme." Real Person Zhijian seemed to just be expressing his feelings, stating his understanding of the sword dao, not seeking an answer from Qin Sang. Pointing to the Chengying Sword, he said, "This sword is a kind of 'external object' through which one can obtain sword intent." Qin Sang was still pondering Real Person Zhijian's argument. Hearing this, he couldn't help but carefully examine the Chengying Sword. "It is said there is a sword dao method that must be performed by top-tier sword cultivators. During the tempering process, they integrate their own sword intent into it, finally forming a special sword artifact," Real Person Zhijian continued. "How is this sword used?" Qin Sang asked doubtfully. He had not sensed any sword intent within the Chengying Sword. "This kind of sword artifact cannot be used alone, but can be refined. During the refinement process, with the aid of one's own spirit sword. After refinement, not only can it increase the might of the spirit sword, it can also split off a sword shadow. It is said the sword shadow can also possess a few tenths of the spirit sword's might. Moreover, the sword shadow is formless and strikes unexpectedly. The enemy certainly would not expect a sword shadow lying in ambush." Real Person Zhijian paused and then said, "Most importantly, one can obtain the sword intent left by predecessors from the sword artifact—first obtain, then comprehend. Naturally it is much easier than cultivating on one's own. However, such transmission is entirely different from imparting a sword scripture. It will inevitably brand the sword intent's mark upon the heart, difficult to erase, and is best suited for passing down techniques to fellow sect disciples. So it is also called an Inheritance Sword Artifact. Were it not that this humble Daoist pursues pure sword intent and does not wish to be disturbed, I would certainly ask Junior Brother for this sword." He repeatedly expressed regret. This kind of sword artifact was indeed extremely precious, a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. Those able to refine Inheritance Sword Artifacts were without exception top-tier sword cultivators. Hearing this, Qin Sang also frowned and fell into thought. Judging from Real Person Zhijian's wording, the Chengying Sword was apparently not a simple fusion into a spirit sword. He didn't know if it could be used on the Wandering Sword. If not, he could only choose the Grey Oriole Sword. As for sword intent inheritance, Qin Sang was naturally very tempted. But the Essence Cultivation and Sword Nurturing Chapter was his fundamental technique. If he rashly obtained another's sword intent inheritance, would it shake his own dao path? A master was right before him. Qin Sang immediately voiced the doubt in his heart. Upon learning that Qin Sang's fundamental technique was a sword dao technique, Real Person Zhijian's gaze was somewhat strange. After all, the strength cultivation and poison dao strength Qin Sang had previously displayed were both extraordinary. Other sword cultivators may not cultivate sword intent, but at least they still use swords. Real Person Zhijian considered and said, "Junior Brother is different from us. If you do not pursue the most precise and pure sword intent, you can accept the inheritance and will surely benefit greatly. But it is best not to accept it wholesale. How to grasp the 'proper measure' within it requires Junior Brother to weigh it himself. But doing so would inevitably have the appearance of wasting a precious thing." Saying this, Real Person Zhijian showed a look of regret. An Inheritance Sword Artifact can only be passed to one person. If Qin Sang accepted part, the remaining sword intent would also dissipate. If the descendants of the person who refined the Chengying Sword obtained this sword, perhaps they could give rise to a top-tier sword cultivator. Qin Sang did not have such thoughts. The Chengying Sword was obtained from the Immortal Palace. The person who refined the sword back then had probably long since turned to dust, and the whereabouts of his descendants were unknown. Thinking of this, Qin Sang's heart suddenly stirred. The Essence Cultivation and Sword Nurturing Chapter and the Chengying Sword both came from the Immortal Palace. Could there be a connection between these two inheritances? This thought emerged in his mind. Qin Sang was all the more eager to try. "Junior Brother, are you certain you want to accept the sword intent inheritance?" Real Person Zhijian asked. Qin Sang nodded without hesitation. "Please teach me, Daoist Brother." "Inheritance Sword Artifacts generally have a special seal sealing the sword intent inheritance, preventing others from recognizing it. One must first find the seal, then see whether the seal is strong or weak..." Real Person Zhijian detailed the method for refining an Inheritance Sword Artifact to Qin Sang. Qin Sang carefully remembered it, thinking to himself. The Chengying Sword did not know how many years it had existed. After the wear of time, the seal might have weakened considerably. After receiving Real Person Zhijian's guidance, Qin Sang bowed with thanks. He did not leave immediately, and pointed outside the cave dwelling. "I will stand guard for Daoist Brother." Real Person Zhijian's breakthrough was imminent and could not tolerate further disturbance. Real Person Zhijian did not refuse. Smiling and nodding, he said, "If you have any questions about the sword dao in the future, you can come find me at any time. I am untalented, but I can also bring Junior Brother some inspiration. My help is not for nothing. After Junior Brother comprehends the inheritance, I want to spar with you." "Far more than mere inspiration. I only hope Daoist Brother won't find it troublesome in the future," Qin Sang secretly sighed. Befriending Real Person Zhijian was truly a brilliant move. Since Senior Green Bamboo, he had finally met another renowned master of the sword dao. Real Person Zhijian laughed heartily.