Sword Path

After the sword qi vanished, a faint glimmer faded on the cliff face as well, easily overlooked if one was not paying close attention. Before this light appeared, the cliff had shown no peculiarity whatsoever, with no detectable trace of a restriction or spirit array. Yet when Qin Sang switched to the Cold Metal sword and slashed out an ordinary sword qi— Just as the sword qi was about to strike, it was blocked by a bizarre force. Impacted, the sword qi rapidly dissipated, until finally a very faint wisp of sword qi drifted onto the surface, still failing to leave a sword mark behind. The difference was that this time, no glimmer appeared on the stone wall. It was indeed as Granny Jing had said: only by cultivating the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter and using sword qi imbued with the unique killing intent of the killing talisman could one trigger the sword restriction here and open the place. Qin Sang hesitated no longer and immediately drove the ebony sword to strike again. As wave after wave of sword qi was swallowed by the cliff face, the light on the cliff grew increasingly pronounced. When yet another streak of sword qi sank into the cliff, Qin Sang suddenly felt the mountain beneath his feet tremble slightly. This time, the light on the cliff did not vanish. The entire cliff shimmered with a faint luminescence, within which a door materialized, its interior cloaked in gloom. Qin Sang's gaze focused slightly, and in a flash of movement, he arrived before the doorway. Now that the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner was of no use, Qin Sang focused entirely on driving the ebony sword, having it orbit his body as protection. Behind the door lay a magnificent ancient hall, easily more than a hundred feet tall. Its deepest recess was pitch-black, with no end in sight. One had to realize that this was already near the mountain peak. The peak was narrow and steep; it was impossible for such a massive ancient hall to exist here. Who knew what secret technique had been used to construct it? Strangest of all, the floor of the ancient hall was actually thrust full of all kinds of swords! These were not spirit swords, but stone swords carved from stone, varying in form. Some were exceptionally broad and heavy as a mountain, while others were as thin as a cicada's wing; no two were alike. Plunged point-down into the ground with half their blades exposed, they filled almost the entire ancient hall. Amidst the thousands of stone swords, a stone path just wide enough for a single person to pass ran straight toward the depths of the ancient hall. This was a Sword Path! Qin Sang stood before the entrance with a grave expression. These stone swords did not appear to be spirit swords—they were merely ordinary stone—yet he could sense that the ancient hall was permeated with turbulent sword intent. This sword intent felt extremely familiar, sharing a common origin with the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter. The killing talisman on the ebony sword trembled as if in joy at meeting its own kind. Qin Sang gazed into the heart of the ancient hall. It was pitch-black there, offering nothing to see, nor could he inspect it with his spiritual sense, for the moment his spiritual sense entered the ancient hall, it would instantly be shredded by the ubiquitous sword intent. What kind of place is this? A trial path? Doubts rose in Qin Sang's heart. He knew that in some sword-cultivator sects, similar trials existed, where seniors left behind sword intent essences to guide juniors in comprehending the Dao of the Sword and honing their swordsmanship. Shaohua Mountain had such a place as well, known as the Sword Tower. Qin Sang had visited it twice, but the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter was too peculiar, making the benefits negligible, so he rarely returned after that. This sword intent was distinctly different from that of Shaohua Mountain's Sword Tower; every strand carried an astonishing killing intent, as expected of something originating from the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter. Those who cultivated the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter and devoted themselves to the killing Dao would surely gain insights walking along this Sword Path. However, he had only valued the cultivation method's rapid cultivation speed and formidable divine abilities. During cultivation, he had relied on the jade Buddha's protection and treated it merely as a tool, never becoming completely immersed in the killing Dao like others. He wondered if he would be able to comprehend anything from the Sword Path. Hesitating for a moment, Qin Sang spurred the ebony sword, conjured protective sword qi, and stepped into the ancient hall. The next moment, the light abruptly dimmed. In an instant, thousands of stone swords trembled in unison, ringing out with drawn-out sword hums throughout the hall. The ebony sword was also affected, its sword qi oscillating and buzzing softly. Upon receiving the ebony sword's resonance, the sword intent scattered through the air settled down. Yet the stone sword closest to Qin Sang vibrated ever more rapidly. Soon after, that stone sword flashed with light, and a streak of sword intent came stabbing forward, arriving upon him in an instant. Qin Sang had not expected an ordinary-looking stone sword to unleash sword intent, and such a potent one at that, causing a faint sense of trepidation to stir in his heart. Fortunately, Qin Sang had been on guard. The ebony sword flashed before him, squarely blocking the sword intent, its sword qi surging in direct opposition. Bang! With a clash, the ebony sword abruptly dimmed, its sword qi scattered. Yet a remnant sliver of that sword intent lingered, bypassing the ebony sword to slash straight toward Qin Sang. Qin Sang's face shifted slightly. Even going all out, he was no match—this sword intent already bordered on the might of a Core Formation cultivator's sword strike. He hastily formed a sword incantation with his fingers, preparing to direct the sword to block it, but suddenly paused. Sensing something, he chose not to recall the ebony sword and instead prepared to resist with his own strength alone. The sword intent, fine as a strand of hair, softly landed before Qin Sang's forehead. Qin Sang braced himself. Unexpectedly, the sword intent left no physical wound on him, slashing directly into his origin soul space instead, where the yellow radiance of the jade Buddha effortlessly shattered it. "Just as I thought!" Qin Sang felt a quiet surge of excitement; he had vaguely guessed as much just moments before. This place was no exception, being similar to Shaohua Mountain's Sword Tower. Though the strike seemed terrifying, it was merely the true intent of the sword Dao sealed within the stone sword, not genuine sword qi. It only invaded the origin soul, likely intended to make disciples of insufficient cultivation know when to retreat. If this was a trial ground, perhaps only disciples at the Core Formation stage could pass through with ease. With his current cultivation, had it not been for the jade Buddha's protection, he would have had to proceed in fear and trembling, slowly unraveling each sword one by one. Even if all went smoothly, whether he could reach the depths of the ancient hall before Ziwei Palace closed would remain up in the air. He recalled Granny Jing mentioning that only by cultivating the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter and breaking through to the Core Formation stage would one stand a good chance of finding Senior Qingzhu's relics. It truly had been no exaggeration. Fortunately, it only amounted to sword intent invading the soul, which could be easily fended off with the jade Buddha. For him, this Sword Path was a smooth, open road! Even so, Qin Sang did not rely on the jade Buddha to just charge straight in recklessly. The moment the ebony sword clashed with the sword intent earlier, Qin Sang had caught a glimpse of a bloody scene. Before he could carefully comprehend it, he had been startled by the sheer power of the sword intent. Reflecting on it now, such scenes were likely left behind by predecessors, with the sword intent containing their comprehension of the cultivation method, the Dao of the Sword, and the killing Dao. If he could observe them a few more times, he would surely gain something. Qin Sang's understanding of the cultivation method was far from as profound as Senior Qingzhu's, who had devoted himself wholeheartedly to it and advanced step by step. He might not be able to realize anything right away. Yet as long as he firmly committed it to memory to slowly contemplate later, it should be of help to his future cultivation and his comprehension of the killing talisman. Perhaps it could even quicken the speed at which he inscribed the killing talisman! With no danger involved, why not take advantage of it? His entry into the ancient hall had gone very smoothly without delay, leaving him with plenty of spare time. Having made up his mind, Qin Sang continued driving the ebony sword and strode forward.