"What happened to me?" Jiang Siming asked a little sheepishly. After all, both times he'd woken up, he'd found a bunch of grown men staring at him. He was starting to wonder if it was because he was too handsome.
"What kind of monster are you, kid? First you reached a state of enlightenment, then you seemed to go berserk. In just a few days, two things that happen once in a hundred years have both happened to you!" Sword Douluo exclaimed, admiration in his eyes.
"Siming, are you all right? You've had us on the edge of our seats these past few days!" Ning Fengzhi had seen plenty in his time, but he'd never witnessed phenomena so far beyond comprehension—let alone twice in one person.
Jiang Siming gave an awkward smile.
"Kid, I have to warn you. Don't use that Self-Created Soul Skill you used the other day lightly. If you accidentally kill someone, you might regret it for the rest of your life," Sword Douluo cautioned him.
Jiang Siming nodded. He couldn't remember what had happened at the time, but the feeling of his body slipping out of his control had been unsettling. From now on, he wouldn't use the skill unless he had no other choice. Learning to weigh the costs and benefits was a necessary step on the path to becoming strong.
"You're already level 40, kid. Are you even human? You gained seven levels in less than two months. A 12-year-old Soul Ancestor— even the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall probably can't compare," Bone Douluo said with a sigh.
The moment Jiang Siming woke up, he'd realized he was already level 40. The system had issued another sign-in task.
"Come on, you two. Uncle Ning. Stop teasing me," Jiang Siming said with an awkward smile.
After the three of them left, Jiang Siming sat cross-legged on the bed by himself.
His Soul Power had increased too quickly. That was a good thing for other Soul Masters, but for Jiang Siming, it couldn't have been worse. If his Soul Power weren't of a higher quality than that of an ordinary Soul Master, it wouldn't be enough to sustain the Zhuxian Sword and Donghuang Bell for long. So Jiang Siming didn't need to rush into obtaining a Soul Ring.
This task had no time limit, but the required Soul Ring had to be at least fifty thousand years old.
First Steps into Hidden Sword, Heaven Dou's Rich Brats
After fighting Sword Douluo day after day, Jiang Siming's understanding of the sword had reached unprecedented heights, but he still hadn't grasped the second realm of the Sword Dao: Hidden Sword.
"Old man, I'm starting to think getting beaten up by you isn't helping at all. Aside from learning how to use sword intent, my Sword Dao seems to have hit a wall," Jiang Siming complained. After spending so much time together, he and Sword Douluo had grown much closer.
"Could you try to have some shame? How old are you? And how long has it been since you broke through the first realm?" Sword Douluo said indignantly. He'd spent his whole life wielding a sword and had only just barely broken through to the third realm.
"Can't help it if I'm a genius!" Jiang Siming thumped his chest and raised his eyebrows at Sword Douluo.
"That's true! If you don't count as a genius, then everyone in the world is useless. But what do you plan to do next?" Sword Douluo asked.
Truthfully, Sword Douluo very much wanted Jiang Siming to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He was proud and aloof, with very few friends. Jiang Siming was the only one who wasn't in awe of him and treated him like an ordinary person, as an equal. If Jiang Siming had known what he was thinking, he would have proudly declared, "I've had advanced education in communism!"
In another sense, Jiang Siming could also be considered half a disciple of Sword Douluo.
"Me? I haven't figured it out yet. My life's been one big accident, and somehow it took a turn I never saw coming." Jiang Siming stretched and pretended not to care. In truth, he was like a giant cargo ship lost in a vast ocean, laden with cargo but with nowhere to dock.
"What do you think of Rongrong?" Sword Douluo asked with a wink.
"Don't start! I have a girlfriend!" Jiang Siming hurriedly turned him down.
"What? You think my Rongrong isn't good enough for you? You little punk, you're asking for a beating!" Sword Douluo threatened.
"Please. I'm so outstanding—what about that little girl makes her good enough for me?" Jiang Siming retorted, standing his ground.
"You weren't this bold before," Sword Douluo said, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a mocking tone.
"From now on, I'll be so bold you won't believe it!" Jiang Siming said cockily.
With a smack, Jiang Siming reappeared on a tree several dozen meters away.
"Old man, you really hit hard! I'm in agony!" Jiang Siming said through gritted teeth. Acting cocky really did get you struck by lightning!
But then Jiang Siming realized something was off. With a single leap, he returned to Sword Douluo's side.
"Old man, how did you do that just now?" Jiang Siming asked curiously.
"Oh? You finally caught on! All that beating you took before was wasted. Turns out all it took was one slap!" Sword Douluo said with a teasing glance at his palm.
"The second realm of the Sword Dao is about mastering sword intent completely. Just like with that slap: if I want to send you flying, I send you flying. If you didn't know who I was, could you tell from appearances alone that I was a Titled Douluo?" Sword Douluo waved his palm again.
"Mastery means being able to use it freely. It doesn't mean you should hide your edge. I've been beating you up for days, and you still act like you're the best in the world. That's the first step to advancing. The next is to wield the sword with your finger," Sword Douluo explained, one word at a time.
"Don't I need my Martial Soul?" Jiang Siming asked, puzzled.
"Training with a sword is also about tempering yourself. What good is the sharpest sword if the person wielding it is a coward? If you're separated from your Martial Soul, does that mean you can't release your sword intent?" Sword Douluo said seriously. He pressed two fingers together, and several zhang of sword energy intertwined with sword intent, surging from his fingertips.
Jiang Siming copied him and pressed two fingers together. Closing his eyes, he carefully felt the sword intent inside him.
"Come out already!" Jiang Siming roared. Two inches of sword intent appeared at his fingertip. His face immediately darkened. Damn it.
"Hahaha, what's that supposed to be? Look at mine—isn't it big and long?" Sword Douluo bragged.
Jiang Siming looked at Sword Douluo's smug face, then at the sword intent on his own fingertip, and cursed inwardly.
"All right! I don't need to beat you up anymore. You've made it through the door to the second stage," Sword Douluo said, patting Jiang Siming on the shoulder.
"That's it? You could've just told me that I'd entered the second stage once I could release sword intent from my fingertip," Jiang Siming said with a dark look.
"You're still complaining? A swordsman must never be a coward. If I hadn't beaten you, how would I know whether you were one? If you reach the third stage someday and can't subdue your own sword, you'll regret it for the rest of your life," Sword Douluo explained.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that. You just wanted an excuse to beat me up," Jiang Siming thought, though he'd already admitted Sword Douluo was right. He still wasn't going to concede out loud.
"You're probably leaving soon, right? I'll tell you what I've learned about the third stage as well."
The sun slowly set, and an old man and a young man remained on the training ground of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Old man, you're practically half my master, so let me warn you: watch out for that so-called Crown Prince." Jiang Siming took a deep drag on his cigarette and spoke.
"Oh? Why not tell Fengzhi?" Sword Douluo asked in confusion, though he too had a cigarette dangling from his lips.
"That's all I can say. Just keep an eye out, and you'll figure out the rest. I'm an outsider, after all. If I say too much, it'll only make my words less convincing," Jiang Siming said calmly.