Now was the time to be honest.
Because of this world's peculiarities, Chen Luo no longer dared let the Herrscher of Knowledge go around playing hero. She would definitely be home at night, so there was obviously no way to avoid letting the Herrscher of Knowledge run the hotel.
Besides, this was not something that absolutely had to be kept secret from others.
After all, the secret the Herrscher of Knowledge carried was even more tempting than his own.
In Chen Luo's view, the Herrscher of Knowledge was like the old grandpa who guided the protagonist before he had fully grown. Blindly rejecting and hiding things from her would only drive them farther apart, especially when it was something impossible to conceal completely.
Even in Chen Luo's world, the Herrscher of Knowledge might not have been at the very top, but she was at least first-rate.
So Chen Luo was determined to cling to this thigh.
"So you saved me because of the commission?" The Herrscher of Knowledge looked at Chen Luo expressionlessly, impossible to read.
"Not entirely."
"According to you, once the reward is issued, the commission is complete. In that case, will you throw me out? Your mission commission is complete, isn't it?"
"How could I? If I wanted to drive you away, why would I share my biggest secret with you? The mission may indeed be complete, but I still hope you can stay here," Chen Luo said sincerely.
"Why? Because I can train you? If that's the reason, don't worry. Although you only saved me to complete a commission, you did save me. Even if I don't live in your house, I'll still help train you." The Herrscher of Knowledge shook her head.
"No, that's not the reason. It's because we're already family," Chen Luo said.
"Hah? Are you planning to imitate those hot-blooded protagonists who talk people into submission?" The Herrscher of Knowledge could not help sneering.
"No, no, look. The two of us really are family." Chen Luo showed the Herrscher of Knowledge the friends tab on his talent panel.
Chen Luo had discovered that he could show his talent panel to others, provided he was willing.
And the friends panel could also be sorted into groups.
Chen Luo's friends group contained only two lonely names: Venti and Yun Lian'er.
The Family group had only one even lonelier name.
Family Group:
Herrscher of Knowledge
"Hah? Wait, hold on. How long have we even known each other, and we're already family?" The Herrscher of Knowledge truly could not hold it together when she saw the panel. Her formerly icy expression instantly cracked.
"Since the commission I accepted was to give you a home, I won't go back on my word just because the mission reward has already been issued. And isn't the most important part of a home family?" Chen Luo looked at the Herrscher of Knowledge with utmost sincerity, making her feel a little embarrassed.
Looking at the Herrscher of Knowledge like this, Chen Luo still did not dare show her the relationship icon behind her name.
Family Group.
Herrscher of Knowledge: Father-Daughter
She would beat him to death, right? She would definitely beat him to death, right?
He could never reveal this relationship, even if it killed him!
"So, Little Knowledge, how about we try getting along as family for a while? If you're unhappy with it, you can kick me out afterward." Chen Luo held out his hand to the Herrscher of Knowledge.
"Th-this... Fine, fine. I'll reluctantly accept you as my little brother." Seeing Chen Luo's expectant gaze, the Herrscher of Knowledge hesitantly took his hand.
"Wait, why can't we be siblings?" Chen Luo suddenly objected.
"Hah? You want to be my big brother?"
"Of course. Going by age, you haven't even been around for a month yet, right? I'm already seventeen."
"...A-Luo, today I'll show you through force what it means for an eldest sister to be like a mother." The Herrscher of Knowledge sighed and clenched her fist.
"Wait, what are you trying to do? We're family, family!"
"Exactly. Since we're family, it's easier to beat you up. The internet was right: beat little brothers early."
"Don't come any closer!!!"
"Alright, Little Luo, listen to your big sister. Until you can beat me, just be a good little brother." The Herrscher of Knowledge sat atop Chen Luo while he lay face-down on the couch.
"Fine, you win!" Chen Luo grumbled from the couch.
"We're Father-Daughter, Father-Daughter. I'm her dad." Though he had taken a beating in reality, Chen Luo could still amuse himself by looking at the relationship on his talent panel.
That was called a spiritual victory.
At least, that was how it would be until Chen Luo could beat the Herrscher of Knowledge.
"Alright, don't be mad. Didn't you want to learn swordsmanship from me? I'll teach you. Though I do want to teach you Taixu Swordplay, its essence lies in using Honkai energy. This world doesn't have Honkai Impact 3rd. While it does possess another special kind of power, it's unclear whether combining it with Taixu Swordplay would harm your body."
"Tai Xu Sword Qi has five Essences: Heart, Form, Intent, Soul, and Spirit."
"Heart Essence is the entry-level Essence, but it is also the most difficult one aside from Sword God. It has four realms: Still Water, Dustless, Bright Mirror, and Tai Xu. The 'Sword Heart Incantation' is a strange and inexplicable sequence of syllables, totaling four hundred and sixty-two sounds, with no written record. It has no meaning in itself. Its mystery lies in the fact that reciting it, silently chanting it, and listening to it can temper one's heart. Adolescence is the best period for honing a sword heart; the earlier, the purer. Honestly, you're a little too old for it, but..."
"But?"
"But who do you think I am? I'm the Herrscher of Knowledge. Heart Essence is the only one I can help you cheat your way through. Though the effect of a Heart Essence obtained through cheating will be weaker than one acquired through proper cultivation, Heart Essence was never suited to men in the first place. Dustless is the limit, so there isn't much difference in how you cultivate it." The Herrscher of Knowledge waved a hand.
"But didn't you say Tai Xu Sword Qi might not function properly in this world? Is it really okay to practice it like this?" Chen Luo was doubtful.
"What are you worried about? Would I hurt you? Heart Essence is really just cultivating the mind. Put simply, it's a method of bringing your body into a competitive state. Before a match, empty your thoughts, relax your body, and sense every tiny change within it. In the end, you know nothing and feel nothing except the power flowing through your body."
A method for cultivating mental strength like this could be used anywhere, so there was no problem.
As for the Divine Sound that came with achieving mastery of the sword heart... Chen Luo would never reach mastery anyway, so there was no problem.
"Form Essence is sword techniques. You can learn that too, and it won't harm your body. It's fine even without Honkai energy."
"Intent Essence requires the Xuanyuan Sword to cultivate. Once your heart and mind resonate with the Xuanyuan Sword, sword intent will arise naturally. I don't have the Xuanyuan Sword on hand, so you can't learn it yet. I'll go back to the original world later and snatch one for you. But this one requires Honkai energy, so I don't recommend using it."
"Soul Essence is the essence of swordsmanship. The path of the sword holds endless transformations. A sword itself is merely a vessel to rely upon. After comprehending Soul Essence, you can wield every weapon in the world as though it were a sword, and your attacks need no longer be confined to sword forms. Only upon reaching this realm can one be considered to have mastered swordsmanship. This is probably what a Sword Master is, right?" The Herrscher of Knowledge said uncertainly.
"Of course, there's one final Essence: Spirit Essence. This is the ultimate move, the Tai Xu Sword God. This... you absolutely have to master this, then use it to beat Kiana up!" As she said this, the Herrscher of Knowledge gritted her teeth.
"..." Chen Luo really wanted to say that might be a little too difficult, but seeing the unhappy expression on the Herrscher of Knowledge's face, he kept quiet.
Overall, among the five Essences of Tai Xu Sword Qi—Heart, Form, Intent, Soul, and Spirit—Chen Luo could learn all except Intent Essence, which required the Xuanyuan Sword and Honkai energy.
Whether he could actually learn them was another matter, especially the final Spirit Essence.
Over thousands of years, only four people had ever used the Tai Xu Sword God, and the strongest among them was Li Sushang.
"Wait, pause for a moment. If I remember correctly, your sword heart was destroyed, wasn't it?" Chen Luo suddenly remembered this.
"Yeah. Thanks to my sword heart being destroyed, I never have to worry about that annoying Divine Sound bothering me again." The Herrscher of Knowledge spoke while eating an ice pop.
"But without a sword heart, you can't use the Tai Xu Sword God, right? You can't use it, so how can you teach me?" Chen Luo suddenly recalled that setting.
The Seven Swords of Taixu had slain their master, Immortal Crimson Kite had lost her sword heart, and from then on, True Person Crimson Kite could no longer use the Tai Xu Sword God.
So without a sword heart, one could not use the Sword God!
"Idiot, I'm the Herrscher of Knowledge. Old Fossil can use Yu Du Chen to burn her memories and manifest a simulated Tai Xu Sword God, so why can't I? Besides, being able to use it and being able to teach it are two different things!" The Herrscher of Knowledge rapped Chen Luo on the head.
"Wait, I have another question."
"Why do you have so many questions?" the Herrscher of Knowledge said impatiently.
"You just said men can only cultivate their sword hearts to the Dustless realm. But if the sword heart isn't complete, how can one use the Tai Xu Sword God?"
"Uh..." The Herrscher of Knowledge froze.
Because she realized Chen Luo was right.
"I don't care, I don't care! You have to cultivate the Tai Xu Sword God, then beat Kiana up!" Upon realizing that it seemingly could not be done, the Herrscher of Knowledge refused to accept it.
Being unreasonable was a child's privilege!
"???"
"It's all because of your stupid garbage talent."
"How is this related to my talent?" Chen Luo looked utterly bewildered.
"Can't your talent be a little more user-friendly? Can't it let me set the prices for these skills and abilities myself? Then I could sell you Tai Xu Sword Qi for one Primogem, and wouldn't you learn it all? Garbage talent!" the Herrscher of Knowledge said unhappily.
"You can blame me for that?" Chen Luo had not expected this reasoning.
"Ask your talent panel whether, if I teach you the other three Essences of Tai Xu Sword Qi, this thing can give us a better price," the Herrscher of Knowledge asked with a sigh.
"Uh, actually, Tai Xu Sword Qi can be sold separately."
"Hm? That's possible? Then how much is Tai Xu Sword God?" the Herrscher of Knowledge asked.
"Heart, Form, and Intent cost five hundred Primogems each. Soul costs one thousand Primogems, while the final Spirit Essence costs fifteen hundred Primogems. And to purchase Spirit Essence, your Heart Essence must at least reach the Dustless realm," Chen Luo said as he read the explanation on his talent panel.
"Of course, that's before discounts. After the discount, the cost is halved."
"Ugh, why does that damned talent panel middleman have to take a cut when I want to sell something to you?" The Herrscher of Knowledge was extremely unhappy.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
"Forget it, Dustless it is. By the way, how many Primogems do you have now?"
"One hundred and sixty Primogems."
"That's so little." The Herrscher of Knowledge looked at him with disdain.
"Don't look down on it. Even this is equivalent to several months' worth of gains for me in the past." Chen Luo, who had spent nearly two years saving up one thousand Primogems, said this.
"Right now it's past two o'clock. There are still four hours until dinner, so there should be enough time." The Herrscher of Knowledge looked up at the clock in the living room.
"Enough time for what?" Chen Luo did not understand her sudden remark.
"This is enough time to help you learn Heart Essence, with a bit of Form Essence thrown in. At the very least, you can learn Initiating Sword Form and Transforming Sword Form. If your mental strength is sufficient, learning it all won't be a problem either."
Form Essence had four Forms: Defensive, Transforming, Initiating, and Opening, for a total of twenty-one techniques.
Initiating Sword Form had three techniques: Waning Moon, Severing Sea, and Rending Sky.
Transforming Sword Form had six techniques: Flying Falcon, Black Hawk, Rain Swallow, Vine Sparrow, Cloud Eagle, and Moon Egret.
Defensive Sword Form had six techniques: Weeping Willow, Hidden Orchid, Sturdy Bamboo, Ink Chrysanthemum, Pure Lotus, and Green Pine.
Opening Sword Form had six techniques: Shattering Rock, Chaotic Thunder, Thunderclap, Mountain Collapse, Instant Dust, and Quaking Wind.
The Herrscher of Knowledge knew that with this miraculous talent, Chen Luo would learn more and more things in the future, and they would grow increasingly bizarre. It would be perfectly normal if he eventually stopped using Tai Xu Sword Qi, but laying a solid foundation for him could never be wrong.
"Is Tai Xu Sword Qi really that easy to learn?"
Could he really learn so much in four hours?
"Tai Xu Sword Qi naturally isn't easy to learn. Old Fossil spent who knew how many years developing it. But I'm the Herrscher of Knowledge. Do you know what a consciousness space is? Do you know what an illusion is?"
"Hm?" Chen Luo instantly became alert.
"In a consciousness space, you can spend a whole day there, while only a minute or two—or even a second or two—passes outside. So, A-Luo, prepare yourself. Once I finish this bag of spicy strips, we'll properly study Tai Xu Sword Qi." The Herrscher of Knowledge spoke as she opened a bag of spicy strips.
"??? You mean four hours in the consciousness space?"
"Yep." The Herrscher of Knowledge nodded.
"I suddenly remembered that I have something to do. I need to do my homework, so I'll head upstairs first. Can you get off me?"
Chen Luo and the Herrscher of Knowledge had remained in the same position, with her sitting on top of him.
"Tomorrow after tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are. It's fine to do your homework tomorrow. Just sit tight and wait for me to finish my spicy strips so we can practice swordsmanship." The Herrscher of Knowledge ignored Chen Luo's resistance completely.
Only by raising Heart Essence to the Dustless realm could he learn Spirit Essence, and no one could deny the power of the Tai Xu Sword God.
And only after learning the Tai Xu Sword God could Chen Luo use it to clash Spirit Essence beams with Kiana.
And this time, the Herrscher of Knowledge would help Chen Luo seize the position on the right.
The Herrscher of Knowledge reviewed the reason for her failure: in beam clashes, the one on the left always lost.
So it wasn't her fault. It was her positioning!
Before you continue