Sword Intent Seed

The old madman's "gift" was like a shot of adrenaline to Xu Qian's monotonous cultivation. He felt as if he had returned to the state he was in when he first obtained the Longevity Dao Fruit, full of drive and anticipation.

The complex new patterns on the oilcloth were like opening a door to a new world for him. The previous patterns were scattered brushstrokes that gave him a headache and made deduction twice as hard. But now, these continuous lines, imbued with a unique rhythm, were like pearls strung into a necklace, suddenly giving him direction and a clear path!

Every night, after returning to his dorm and bolting the door, Xu Qian would eagerly enter "study mode." Instead of staring blankly at gibberish like before, he would guide the Longevity Dao Fruit to focus on deducing the newly appeared, continuous sword movement trajectories.

The Dao Fruit's clear light flowed, and its efficiency indeed increased greatly!

Those originally obscure lines gradually became clear under the Dao Fruit's analysis. In Xu Qian's mind, it was as if an invisible little person was practicing those trajectories over and over again—how to draw upon the trace of "Sharpness" qi within him, how to attach it to his "sword" (currently only his intent or a wooden stick), and how to stab, slash, and block with the most effortless and cunning angles...

He could even vaguely feel that within this rudimentary set of moves, there was a resolute intent of forging ahead and cutting through everything!

This feeling... is so much better than the fragmented efforts before! Xu Qian felt invigorated. He could clearly feel that the faint trace of "Sharpness" qi within him was becoming more condensed and more... "obedient" under this systematic deduction and intentional guidance?

Before, this qi felt like a proud, unruly child, indifferent and difficult to command. Now, it seemed to gradually recognize Xu Qian as its "parent." Although the amount was still small, it was much smoother to direct.

Days passed. Xu Qian diligently "worked" during the day and "studied" hard at night, his life incredibly fulfilling. Even Zhang Meng noticed his good mood and asked curiously, "Xu Qian, any good news lately? Did you find some money?"

Xu Qian just smiled sheepishly, "Nothing much, just feel like my work is going a lot smoother."

What could he say? Was he supposed to say he was cultivating a peerless sword technique? He'd probably be seen as a complete lunatic.

And so, another half a month passed.

One night, Xu Qian was deducing sword moves in his dorm as usual. He guided the already quite condensed "Sharpness" qi within him along the final trajectory of the complete rudimentary set of moves in his mind, completing a mental cycle.

The moment the cycle finished—

An unexpected change occurred!

The trace of "Sharpness" qi in his dantian, which had been drifting like a rootless duckweed, suddenly trembled violently! It was as if it had received some strong attraction and summons!

Immediately after, the Longevity Dao Fruit seemed to sense something as well. Its clear light blazed, and a stream of pure energy poured into the trembling qi!

Buzz!

Xu Qian felt a clear sword chime ring in his mind! (Perhaps it was an illusion, but it felt very real.)

Under the infusion of the Dao Fruit's energy and the pull of the sword move intent, the trace of "Sharpness" qi actually began to compress and condense on its own!

It was no longer a scattered stream of airflow. Instead, it was as if it was being kneaded and forged by an invisible hand. Finally, at the core of Xu Qian's dantian, it condensed into an extremely tiny, yet clearly outlined—pale green phantom sword!

This phantom sword was only the size of a grain of rice. It was semi-transparent pale green throughout. The blade was straight, and the edge faintly gleamed with a cold light. Although ethereal, it exuded an indescribable purity, sharpness, and an intent to cut through everything!

The moment this phantom sword took shape, Xu Qian had an epiphany, and understanding surged into his heart—

Sword Intent Seed!

This was not a specific sword move, nor was it profound inner strength. It was a seed of "intent"! It was the most core, most fundamental trace of true meaning from the old madman's sword technique, which he had successfully condensed through continuous observation of the patterns and deduction by the Dao Fruit!

With this seed, his future cultivation of any sword technique would be twice as effective! Moreover, when he performed that rudimentary set of moves, their power would be incomparable. More importantly, this seed would continuously grow with his nurturing and comprehension, and in the future, it might even give rise to his own unique sword intent!

This is amazing! Xu Qian was so excited he almost jumped off his bed!

He carefully sank his consciousness into his dantian, "looking" at the pale green phantom sword slowly rotating beside the Dao Fruit's clear light. The more he looked, the more he liked it.

Heh heh, little treasure, you'll follow big brother from now on! I guarantee I'll raise you to be plump and fair... no, sharp as can be! Like a child who had just received a novel toy, he gently touched the Sword Intent Seed with his intent.

Buzz...

The Sword Intent Seed sent a faint, affectionate wave of response, as if acknowledging him as its master.

This feeling was too marvelous! Although his cultivation realm had not immediately improved, he could clearly feel that his "quality" had undergone a transformation! If before he was just a brute with inner strength (Longevity True Qi), then now, he had truly touched the threshold of "skill" and "intent"!