Nascent Saber Intent

Sitting in the small courtyard, Lu Ming took a sip of tea and briefly recounted the events.

"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect you could defeat an Early True Qi Realm martial artist now."

After listening to Lu Ming's account, Old Man Zhao smiled and stroked his beard. Although he knew about Lu Ming's cultivation progress, he wasn't aware of his specific combat power.

One must understand that cultivation and martial skills are only one aspect. Some people practice the same techniques and martial skills as others, and their cultivation progress might even be similar, yet they still can't defeat their opponents.

Others not only have higher realms but also excellent martial skills and techniques, yet they sometimes lose to those who are inferior to them in these aspects.

This is the gap in combat power.

In short, it's a very complex matter that cannot be explained clearly in a few words.

However, one thing is clear: the stronger the combat power displayed, the higher the talent.

The fact that Lu Ming could defeat someone in the True Qi Realm while being a whole realm lower indicated astonishing talent.

"I also have to thank you for your Soaring Dragon Palm, old man," Lu Ming said.

"You can't say that."

Old Man Zhao waved his hand. "The palm technique is only part of it; it depends on who is using it. The fact that you can use it to defeat enemies means it's basically your own credit."

"Alright, go back and tend to your internal injuries. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to heal."

"Okay." Lu Ming nodded and didn't linger any longer.

"This young lad has finally begun to grow. I've been out for so long; it's time for me to go back."

Old Man Zhao stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, watching Lu Ming enter the house, and murmured to himself.

"Saber Intent? What is that?"

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and Lu Ming's internal injuries had completely healed. After recovering, he didn't choose to go out again. Instead, he began to read the book left behind by Old Man Heavenly Saber.

He had already retrieved it.

He had also sneaked back into the tomb. He found traces left by many people, but as for treasure, there was definitely none.

Only a pile of bones remained.

Lu Ming naturally collected them and found another place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to bury them.

This was to repay the kindness of receiving the book.

Returning to the present, Lu Ming was flipping through Old Man Heavenly Saber's travelogue and came across something interesting.

The travelogue stated that Old Man Heavenly Saber had once traveled to the neighboring Zhu Zi Kingdom and encountered a swordsman in his twenties.

His cultivation was not bad; he was also in the Early Gangqi Realm, just like Old Man Heavenly Saber. However, their strength was worlds apart.

With a single saber strike, the swordsman cut a waterfall, about ten feet wide, in half. If it were only this, Old Man Heavenly Saber felt he could have done it too.

But after cutting the waterfall, the saber qi remained condensed and did not dissipate, continuing to block the water flow and preventing the waterfall from continuing.

This startled him. He knew that saber qi from the Gangqi Realm would quickly dissipate after being unleashed, but the opponent's qi lasted for such a long time.

Not only that, but it could also block the water flow, clearly indicating it still possessed considerable power.

Therefore, disregarding the age difference, he quickly and humbly went forward to seek advice.

He received the words "Saber Intent."

In the days that followed, Old Man Heavenly Saber pursued these two words, even neglecting his cultivation.

However, he did gain something. He touched the threshold of Saber Intent and then integrated it into the Heavenly Saber Art. But before he could explore true Saber Intent further, he reached the end of his lifespan.

Lu Ming now knew that the lifespan of Inner Qi Realm martial artists was only slightly longer than that of ordinary people.

If there were no hidden injuries, they could easily live to 120 years old.

Those in the True Qi Realm could live to 150, Gangqi Realm to 200, and Gangyuan Realm to 300.

After that, the Sea Transformation Realm, where Gangyuan transformed into the sea and permeated the entire body, allowed them to live to 500.

Beyond that was the Heavenly Human Realm, which Old Man Zhao said could live up to 1000 years.

Old Man Heavenly Saber was in the Early Gangqi Realm and passed away before reaching 200 years old.

Now, Lu Ming had inherited his legacy.

"Could Saber Intent be that feeling?"

Now that he knew of Saber Intent's existence, Lu Ming suddenly thought of the situation during the last saber strike when practicing the Heavenly Saber Art with the Jade Pendant.

Although that strike was not unleashed, it gave him a feeling of being locked onto from all directions.

He quickly began to review the content transmitted by the Jade Pendant.

He soon stopped reviewing, feeling disappointed. Perhaps the Heavenly Saber Art contained little to no content related to Saber Intent, or maybe it contained almost none, so the Jade Pendant didn't provide him with much information.

Or perhaps Saber Intent was something ethereal, something that could only be understood and not taught.

The Jade Pendant couldn't transmit it to him.

Therefore, he could only ponder it himself.

First, what was "Intent"? The first thing he thought of was an absurd idea that had suddenly appeared to him before.

It was when he was poor and weak that he couldn't even lift a bucket of water properly. However, if it were the equivalent weight in silver, he felt he could run with it as if flying.

This must have been excitement and joy causing him to ignore the weight of the silver.

Another example was when he was extremely angry and smashed a table with a single palm strike.

If it were normal times, he absolutely wouldn't have been able to do it, but in his anger, he did.

Excitement, joy, anger, and the like—these should all be intent.

Under the influence of these intents, people can always accomplish things beyond their limits.

But what exactly is Saber Intent?

While thinking, Lu Ming drew out a long saber gifted to him by a weapon shop owner yesterday and began to stroke it.

He thought while sensing.

A saber could be sharp, or heavy; it could be cold, or scorching hot; it could be used for killing, or for saving people...

And so on, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He fell into deep contemplation.

But soon, he stood up abruptly, as if he had realized something.

"No, these are all superficial appearances, or rather, the saber appears this way because of me."

"Saber Intent is my intent. If I make it sharp, it is sharp. If I make it kill, it is killing. If I make it save people..."

In an instant, it was as if Lu Ming had opened a great door, and he stood there dumbfounded, not moving.

After an unknown amount of time, a sharp intent suddenly erupted from within him, and the long saber placed beside him began to tremble uncontrollably on its own.

"Huh?"

In the adjacent small courtyard, Old Man Zhao, who was lying on a lounge chair, suddenly sat bolt upright. Just moments ago, he had sensed an extremely powerful will.

Sharp and yet resilient.

And its source was precisely Lu Ming's courtyard.

"Could this little fellow have comprehended Saber Intent?"

This intent quickly disappeared, and Old Man Zhao could no longer sit still. With a flash, he appeared in Lu Ming's courtyard just as Lu Ming opened his door.

"Old man?"

Seeing Old Man Zhao, Lu Ming was somewhat surprised.

Old Man Zhao didn't speak but instead scrutinized Lu Ming carefully, discovering that he had changed greatly. The entire person was like a sheathed treasure saber.

At the same time, his eyes were bright and piercing.

It seemed as if countless sharp blades were hidden within, forcing one's mind.

"I didn't expect you to comprehend Saber Intent so quietly."

Confirming that the anomaly just now was indeed caused by Lu Ming, Old Man Zhao's gaze towards him grew more satisfied.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming only paused for a moment before recovering. It was difficult to hide anything from this old man.

However, there was nothing to hide. "It's not true Saber Intent yet, just its nascent form."

"Of course, I know that."

Old Man Zhao said irritably, "No one can comprehend complete Saber Intent from the very beginning. However, you have now taken the most crucial step. All you need to do is continue to hone it."

Lu Ming nodded.

Old Man Zhao then asked, "What are your plans next?"