Sword Intent

A day and a night later, Li Gan returned to the Divine Sword Sect alone, ahead of the other Inner Disciples.

After all, coming back a day early meant he could ring the bell for one extra day and refine the Chen Bell one more time.

When he turned in the mission, Li Gan discovered that the Contribution Points for this task were not three hundred, but five hundred.

The additional two hundred points were compensation for the increased risk of the Escort Mission.

Afterward, he went to the wooden hut in the valley.

He told his master, Zhou Buping, what had happened during the mission.

Zhou Buping said only, "As a martial artist, you'll encounter more and more things like this in the future."

When Li Gan returned to the Bell Tower, it was still the Hour of the Monkey, so he could ring the bell once more.

"The mountain really is the best place to be."

Sitting on Chenzhong Terrace, Li Gan gazed at the distant green mountains and clear waters. A sudden calm settled over him.

He had been away from the Divine Sword Sect for eight days, and all the hourglasses had run out.

He had no way to tell the time accurately.

Fortunately, the sky was clear today, so he could use the sun to estimate the time.

Next, following Elder Song's Sun-Observation Timing Method and drawing on his knowledge of astronomy and geography from his previous life, he worked out the approximate time and reset the hourglasses.

Of course, the timing was bound to be inaccurate.

He would have to adjust it according to the times the Gengluo Room beat the night watches.

And so, just before the Hour of the Rooster, Li Gan finally finished all the preparations.

Dong, dong, dong, dong!

As seven clear, ringing chimes echoed across the Divine Sword Sect, their sound lingered without end.

Feeling the vitality of his blood and Internal Qi surge within him, Li Gan immediately assumed a stance and began practicing the Heartless Sword Art.

A shapeless aura suddenly spread through the air. Countless tiny strands of Sword Qi rapidly gathered around Li Gan, until he seemed to be surrounded by an ocean of sword energy.

At that moment, Li Gan's consciousness sank into a strange state.

He seemed to forget himself.

He forgot the sword art.

He forgot the sword in his hand.

His mind sank into a state of perfect emptiness.

There was a sword in his hand, and a sword in his body, yet none in his heart.

When he completed the sword routine, the Sword Qi around him vanished with it, as though it had never existed.

Li Gan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze perfectly clear.

"What just happened to me..."

He carefully savored that indescribably wondrous state.

Then a thought struck him, and he hurriedly summoned the System Interface.

Host: Li Gan.

Cultivation Base: Postnatal Realm (Eighth Layer 57/100).

Sacrificial Tool: Chen Bell (refinement 182/10000).

Martial Arts: Sword Piercing Fist (Perfected), Heartless Sword Art (Perfected).

Martial Intent: Heartless Sword Intent (Virtual Image 1/100).

Secret Technique: Myriad Transformation Sword Qi.

"The Heartless Sword Art actually reached perfection, and I comprehended Heartless Sword Intent? I even learned its Secret Technique."

Li Gan murmured to himself.

This Secret Technique was exceptionally powerful—a true trump card, a killing move.

Moreover, it had to be used in conjunction with sword intent. By using his Internal Qi as a guide, he could draw on Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, transform it into countless strands of Sword Qi, and unleash a deadly assault on his enemy.

"Drawing on Heaven and Earth Origin Qi—isn't that something only Xiantian Martial Artists can do?"

Li Gan was astonished.

The Myriad Transformation Sword Qi was far too powerful.

Even with his cultivation at the Eighth Layer of Postnatal Realm, he could draw on Heaven and Earth Origin Qi and unleash a Xiantian-level strike.

Of course, he could only manage one strike.

But against a Postnatal martial artist who had yet to reach the Xiantian Realm, this kind of attack was an absolute crushing advantage.

"If I'd comprehended sword intent and this Secret Technique during that mission, I could have easily dealt with that mere Postnatal Realm Ninth Layer assailant."

Li Gan suddenly understood a little better what the Green-Robed Elder on Yuping Peak had done that day, sending a mass of Sword Qi raining down with a wave of his hand.

That had undoubtedly been the result of drawing on Heaven and Earth Origin Qi.

He also began to understand why the Divine Sword Sect required Inner Disciples to undertake various missions every year. The purpose was probably to temper them.

He had gone out on one mission, fought a battle, and returned to practice once—and the Heartless Sword Art had immediately broken through.

His mission outside the sect had clearly played a direct role.

For the next few days, he went nowhere, staying in the Bell Tower to consolidate his breakthrough.

After the Heartless Sword Art reached perfection, his Cultivation Base resumed progressing by one point a day.

But improving his Heartless Sword Intent proved extremely difficult.

It took seven days to gain a single point.

In other words, advancing Heartless Sword Intent beyond the Virtual Image stage would take at least seven hundred days—nearly two years.

Still, Li Gan could accept that.

A few more days passed. At dusk, Li Gan went to the wooden hut in the valley and met his master, Zhou Buping.

"You've comprehended sword intent?"

The instant Zhou Buping saw Li Gan, he abruptly sat upright in his rocking chair.

His voice was full of shock.

"Yes, Master. I just comprehended Heartless Sword Intent, along with the Secret Technique Myriad Transformation Sword Qi."

Li Gan didn't hide anything.

"What's your cultivation now?"

Zhou Buping asked.

He could sense a trace of intangible sword intent within Li Gan, but he couldn't detect his Cultivation Base.

"The Eighth Layer of Postnatal Realm."

Li Gan answered honestly.

"Good! Good! You've comprehended sword intent at the Eighth Layer of Postnatal Realm..."

Zhou Buping was delighted.

His disciple's comprehension was even better than he had imagined.

And with his Cultivation Base already at the Eighth Layer of Postnatal Realm, it was clear that his natural constitution was no less impressive.

Who knew what had happened during the entry assessment? The disciple had been needlessly held back for more than two years.

If he'd entered the Inner Sect over two years earlier, he might already be on the verge of breaking through to the Xiantian Realm.

Breaking through to the Xiantian Realm in just over three years was exceedingly rare in the Divine Sword Sect's history.

"Remember what I'm about to tell you, my boy. Once your cultivation reaches the Postnatal Realm's limit, don't break through to the Xiantian Realm right away."

Zhou Buping spoke gravely.

"Master, why not?"

Li Gan asked, curious.

"Nine is the limit of the Postnatal Realm. But between Postnatal and Xiantian, there's another realm called the Flawless Realm. Its main purpose is body refinement: once your Internal Qi is perfected, you've comprehended Martial Intent, and your body is Flawless, the three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit will be complete, and you can attain Perfect Xiantian. Anyone who reaches that level is destined to become a Martial Saint."

Zhou Buping explained.

"The Flawless Realm? Master, there must be restrictions on reaching it, right?"

Li Gan asked.

"To enter the Xiantian Realm, you only need perfected Internal Qi and a Xiantian Pill. But to forge a Flawless Body, you must comprehend Martial Intent and avoid entering the Xiantian Realm. Otherwise, your body will be constantly affected by Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, and you'll never be able to reach the Flawless Realm."

Zhou Buping explained.

"Master, is a Xiantian Pill absolutely necessary to reach the Xiantian Realm?"

Li Gan asked another question.

"At the Postnatal level, if you haven't comprehended Martial Intent, you must use a Xiantian Pill. Even then, there's a chance of failure, depending on the cultivation method you practice. The more profound the method, the greater your chances of success. But if you've comprehended Martial Intent, you can transform into the Xiantian Realm naturally through cultivation, without a Xiantian Pill. So once your Internal Qi is perfected, you must stop cultivating and turn to the special Diamond Body Refining Art."

Zhou Buping answered.

"Master, can't I practice the Diamond Body Refining Art now?"

Li Gan asked.

"No. If you practice the Diamond Body Refining Art before your Internal Qi is perfected, your essence and energy will become impure, affecting your chances of forging a Flawless Body."

Zhou Buping shook his head.

Li Gan understood at once.

From here on, his goal was to attain Perfect Xiantian.

Only then could he climb to even greater heights in the martial path.