Lone Peak Sword Art

Su Yu's gaze swept across row after row of ebony bookshelves as he quietly assessed them.

This floor clearly held only Human-grade High-tier martial skills. The more profound techniques were surely upstairs.

His fingertips lightly brushed the book spines, sensing the passage of time in the ancient texts.

Clear Wind Sword Style...

He pulled out a book and flipped it open. On the title page, he found these words: The sword moves with graceful ease, like wind slipping through a crack. It takes a man's life in ten steps, leaving no trace even after a thousand miles.

It was indeed exquisite, but he felt it was missing something.

He took out another book, Frost Sword Style. Its opening read: Sword Qi congeals into frost, sealing the enemy's meridians. Wherever the sword's force reaches, three feet of ice form.

Su Yu shook his head slightly. Though this sort of control-focused sword art was good, it didn't suit his usual fighting style.

When he came across Blazing Sun Sword Style, its description—each strike scorching the sky like a blazing sun, burning away everything in its path—made him pause.

But on second thought, such a fierce style would be difficult to pair perfectly with Fleeting Light Shadow.

Just as he was about to turn to another bookshelf, a dusty manual caught the corner of his eye.

He brushed off the dust, revealing four bold, powerful characters: Lone Peak Sword Art.

Steady and weighty, defending like a mountain, attacking like thunder...

Su Yu softly read the general principles on the title page, his heartbeat quickening.

He continued reading: This sword art valued intent over form. The greater one's comprehension, the stronger the sword moves. Those who mastered it could sever a peak with a single strike.

He eagerly flipped to the specific techniques:

"First stance, Mountain Suppression: The sword's force descends like a mountain, suppressing the opponent with overwhelming power. It combines defense with offense. When perfected, each strike falls like the Five Great Mountains descending from the sky."

"Second stance, Mountain Severing: Build up power before unleashing it; the sword falls like a bolt of thunder. One strike, one kill. It must be paired with footwork, and emphasizes striking after the opponent but arriving first."

"Third stance, Soaring to the Heavens: Only those with extraordinary comprehension can grasp it. The sword's intent pierces the sky, rising like a lone peak thrusting up from the earth, unstoppable."

Su Yu's eyes blazed.

This sword art was practically made for him!

It offered both defense as weighty as a mountain and attacks with the might of thunder. More remarkable still, it demanded exceptional comprehension.

Wasn't that his greatest strength?

This is the one. Su Yu murmured, carefully tucking the manual into his robes.

As he turned toward the fist techniques, he reflected: Although swordsmanship was the foundation of his cultivation, he couldn't be sure he'd never find himself without a sword.

If that happened, his strength would take a severe blow. Wouldn't that be dangerous?

Learning a fist technique was simply preparing for a rainy day.

On the fist-technique rack, the words Thunderclap Fist caught his attention.

He opened it and read: The fist strikes like a peal of thunder, focusing on an explosive burst of power. At Lesser Accomplishment, it can shatter metal and split stone; at Great Accomplishment, its force penetrates the body and damages the organs.

Su Yu nodded in satisfaction.

This fist technique focused on speed, precision, and ruthlessness. It was just the right complement to his sword art.

Should an unexpected situation arise, combining the explosive force of Thunderclap Fist with the footwork of Fleeting Light Shadow would be enough to handle most dangers.

A quarter of an hour later, the others began filing out of the Scripture Repository.

Su Yu's gaze swept over the martial skills in their hands:

Su Yan had chosen Clear Wind Sword Style, its moves light and graceful.

Su Mei had chosen Snowfall Sword Style, its sword force scattering like falling snow.

As for Yunxiao, he had chosen Blazing Sun Sword Style and the footwork technique Wind Chasing Steps.

Su Yu nodded to himself. If he hadn't already learned Fleeting Light Shadow, he would probably have picked a footwork technique too.

When Lu Yue saw the Lone Peak Sword Art in Su Yu's hands, he furrowed his brow and said gravely, "This sword art demands exceptional comprehension. It's as difficult to cultivate as a Low-grade Yellow-tier Martial Skill. Have you thought it through?"

Though he admired Su Yu's talent, he knew well what made this sword art so unusual.

Among the Outer Sect Disciples, no one had managed to cultivate it to Lesser Accomplishment.

Its power depended entirely on one's comprehension. Those lacking it couldn't even get started, let alone unleash its power.

But for someone with extraordinary comprehension, they said its power could rival a Yellow-tier Martial Skill.

"This disciple is certain," Su Yu replied firmly.

Seeing this, Lu Yue said no more, though he had already begun making plans: once Su Yu hit a wall in his cultivation, he would step in and help him choose another superior sword art.

That way, not only could he save this promising young talent from taking the long way around, but Su Yu would also owe him a favor. Wasn't that the best of both worlds?

After thanking Lu Yue, the group each returned to their quarters to devote themselves to cultivation.

Three days later, Sword Qi crisscrossed Su Yu's training room.

The long sword in his hand was sometimes as steady as a mountain, its weighty, solid force pressing down until the air around him seemed to still.

At other times, the blade whipped around and fell like thunder, its sharp Sword Qi scoring long cracks across the floor.

These were the Mountain Suppression and Mountain Severing stances of Lone Peak Sword Art.

He could just barely call it Initial Accomplishment.

Su Yu lowered his sword and stood still, fine beads of sweat already dotting his forehead.

He called it that only because the manual clearly stated that one had to execute the Mountain Suppression and Mountain Severing stances in full to reach Initial Accomplishment.

To reach Lesser Accomplishment, he would not only need to increase the power of those two stances, but also comprehend the most difficult one—Soaring to the Heavens.

Over these three days, even with Su Yu's exceptional comprehension, he had encountered a bottleneck while practicing the third stance.

Soaring to the Heavens required using sword intent to draw upon the power of heaven and earth, making the move rise like a lone peak thrusting from the ground, straight into the clouds.

Each time Su Yu tried to perform it, he could feel the spiritual energy within him falter at a crucial point, as though an invisible barrier were preventing the sword's force from rising.

Su Yu stared at the sword in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. Sword intent... The term mentioned in Lone Peak Sword Art—could it be...

He suddenly shook his head and chuckled. No, it couldn't be that realm. How could a mere Human-tier High-grade Martial Skill require him to comprehend true sword intent?

He slowly walked to the window and gazed into the distance.

Beyond the courtyard, a towering lone peak rose straight into the clouds, its craggy slopes especially striking in the light of the setting sun. Wisps of cloud curled around its summit, making it look like an ink-wash landscape.

Perhaps... Su Yu brushed his fingertips lightly over the blade, lost in thought.

Did the sword art's "intent" mean incorporating the lone peak's essence into the moves?

He recalled the manual's description: defending like a mountain, attacking like thunder.

In an instant, an idea flashed through his mind: Mountain Suppression focused on steadiness and weight. Didn't that fit the lone peak's unshakable presence? And Mountain Severing was fierce and sharp—didn't that echo the peak's steep, rugged slopes?

A spark lit Su Yu's eyes, and the long sword in his hand unconsciously settled into the Opening Stance.

This time, he no longer pursued the moves' forms alone. Instead, he tried to feel the lone peak's presence with his heart...