Saber and Sword

Duàn Yì entered the stone archway at a leisurely pace, a smile on his face and sword in hand.

Before him lay a clean little courtyard. Though not large, it was adorned with pots of red and green flowers and plants, filling the air with a natural fragrance and vibrant life.

Outside the courtyard's eastern wall stood a massive square bluestone slab weighing several thousand jin. It was as high as the wall and more than two chi thick. Five marks, deep to shallow, had been imprinted upon it, instantly drawing Duàn Yì's gaze.

His cultivation was unfathomable, and his Spiritual Realm had already glimpsed the supreme Heavenly Dao. With nearly a single glance, he saw that these marks had been carved by a saber. Each represented an entirely different saber technique and contained completely distinct saber intent.

The saber intents had lain dormant, but the moment Duàn Yì entered, they transformed into five streaks of saber light that shot into his eyes.

The first mark cut deepest into the stone. To Duàn Yì's inner eye, it was a domineering saber technique that followed the path of using strength to crush ten techniques. Its movements were broad and sweeping, its force fierce beyond compare. Though inferior to the Overlord of the World Saber Technique he had once seen, it was not far behind—absolutely among the finest saber arts in the martial world.

The second mark was somewhat shallower than the first. Its saber intent was light and ethereal, like an exiled immortal untouched by mortal dust—flawless and crystal-clear, radiating a detached yet lofty bearing from within.

The third mark carried even heavier Killing Intent than the first two's dominance and ethereality. Indeed, though it was only a shallow saber scar, Duàn Yì could still sense a bone-piercing, hair-raising Killing Intent.