Sword Heart, Second Level

Chapter 32: Sword Heart, Second Level Sword Intent +50

Sword Intent +50

Sword Intent +50

Within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword carved by Ancestor Linyuan, the sword intent was like a vast, boundless ocean.

In contrast, the Sword Heart of Yu Xiu was like a lone skiff upon that sea. As the two resonated, the skiff, though small, remained as steady as a rock, riding the waves and utilizing their power while simultaneously comprehending it.

And this was the essence of sword intent.

With Yu Xiu's current comprehension exceeding two thousand, he naturally grasped it with extreme, breathtaking speed.

[Sword Heart: Hidden Edge (25/500)]

The improvement was simply too fast.

Previously, when Yu Xiu practiced the sword, it would increase his Sword Sense, and it took 100 points of Sword Sense to progress 1 point in Sword Heart.

But now, as Yu Xiu directly comprehended the sword intent left behind by Ancestor Linyuan, every 10 points of sword intent increased his Sword Heart by 1.

The cultivation of Ancestor Linyuan's Sword Heart must have long since surpassed the Hidden Edge level, perhaps even by several tiers!

And this was merely the realm of Ancestor Linyuan from a thousand years ago!

Now that a millennium had passed, one could only imagine how terrifying his current state must be.

A thousand years—Ancestor Linyuan had likely not yet passed away; for an existence at his level, his lifespan would surely be immense.

Hmm? At that same moment, Yuan Tiankuo, who was also sitting in meditation and comprehending the sword intent nearby, suddenly opened his eyes. They were a pair of narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes—a rare double-phoenix configuration.

If these eyes were on a woman, they alone would have been enough to enhance her beauty by more than half.

Yet, these eyes were set upon the face of Yuan Tiankuo.

The sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword... He furrowed his willow-leaf brows.

Before Yu Xiu arrived, he had sat here observing the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, feeling the sword intent like a mountain. Although it possessed a majestic and imposing aura, the very weight and solidity of that mountain made the prospect of climbing it as difficult as ascending to the heavens!

One could only gaze from afar, never scale it!

He could only watch from a distance; to truly see this mountain and feel it, there remained an incredibly vast chasm between him and the source!

Simply put, he could comprehend the sword intent, but his progress was slow—exceedingly slow.

The time required for him to rely on the sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword to forge a Sword Heart would be agonizingly long.

But now, Yu Xiu had arrived.

The sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, once as majestic and solid as a mountain, seemed to disperse in an instant, transforming into a vast ocean with violent tsunamis and towering, sky-high waves.

It was fine if one did not attempt to resonate with the sword intent, but to try and engage with it now was to be instantly crushed by the tsunami, leaving not even bones behind!

What did he do? How could he stir the sword intent left by Ancestor Linyuan?

Yuan Tiankuo felt a shock in his heart, finding it inconceivable.

One must know that the Abyss-Suppressing Sword had stood here for a thousand years. Whether it was the predecessors of old or the disciples of today, the number of Qingwei Sword Sect members who had sat here and comprehended the sword intent numbered in the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands.

Yet, those who could truly stir the sword intent within and resonate with it were few and far between.

At the very least, in the decades since Yuan Tiankuo had entered the Main Sect, he had only heard of two such people.

One of them was the current third-ranked true disciple, Ji Shaoheng.

Such a figure went without saying; with the first and second-ranked true disciples having completely vanished from sight, it could be said that Ji Shaoheng was the most formidable individual in the Qingwei Sword Sect beneath the elder generation, possessing a natural Sword Heart.

The second was Yuan Yanzhao, the last to enter the ranks of the true disciples.

This man could be called a "legend." He passed the Four Great Passes in one year, broke through them to achieve the Ascending Dragon state in three, and ascended to the rank of true disciple in five.

In a mere nine years, he had become a true disciple, and upon entry, he immediately ranked sixth rather than at the bottom.

Now, nearly sixty years later, no one knew to what heights Yuan Yanzhao had grown!

Rumors suggested that this true disciple not only possessed a natural Sword Heart but also an incredibly rare natural Sword Body!

As for the other true disciples, they had held their positions for too long and rarely appeared, making them almost invisible and their deeds unheard of, so they were not worth discussing for now.

But who exactly was this Yu Xiu?

Yuan Tiankuo prided himself on being a genius with hopes of reaching the rank of true disciple, and he held no small reputation among the current ten main peaks.

After sitting silently beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword for three months, he had managed to connect with the sword intent of Ancestor Linyuan, with hopes of forging a Sword Heart within a year!

Yet, he had witnessed Yu Xiu!

This person had stirred the sword intent of Ancestor Linyuan the moment he arrived...

His emotions fluctuated, and the expression in his phoenix eyes shifted uncertainly: A natural Sword Heart? Or is his comprehension simply peerless? Or perhaps he is just extremely compatible with the sword intent of Ancestor Linyuan?

He had heard from Su Wenjin that this Yu Xiu was also remarkably talented, having broken through the four stages of the Ascending Dragon in three years and entered the Four Great Passes!

Even Dragon-Slaying Peak had gone to the trouble of recruiting him in advance, with hopes of him becoming the personal disciple of the Peak Master in the future!

Yuan Tiankuo withdrew his sword intent, not daring to resonate with the Abyss-Suppressing Sword at this moment, fearing he would be pulverized by the overwhelming sword intent of Ancestor Linyuan contained within.

But soon, he furrowed his brows again, With the sword intent of Ancestor Linyuan being drawn out by him, I fear the Fire Demon in the underground fire vein is about to stir once more!

Fine!

Since we are both of Dragon-Slaying Peak, it is not unreasonable to stand guard for him once!

Besides, this Yu Xiu is quite pleasing to the eye!

He did not disturb Yu Xiu, simply sitting in meditation to act as his protector.

The facts were exactly as Yuan Tiankuo had anticipated; only three days later, the subterranean fire veins suddenly erupted.

The disciples who had been punished in the Earth-Fire Abyss to collect Earth Fire Essence fled the cavern in a panic.

"A Fire Demon has manifested within the fire veins!"

"Run, run!"

"Let that expert from Dragon-Slaying Peak deal with the headache!"

Yuan Tiankuo rose slowly, moving against the flow of the crowd. He stepped forward and stood at the entrance of the cave, appearing like a sharp, unsheathed sword planted firmly in the ground. He shattered the surging flames, cleaved through the heatwaves, and parted the crowd, standing as immovable as a mountain.

"Such abundant Yang energy. The cultivators of the Qingwei Sword Sect remain as pure as ever; it makes one's appetite grow!" A deep voice echoed from the point where the fire veins erupted within the cave.

"It is rare to emerge; I must eat my fill!"

As the final word "fill" fell, a scorching wave of heat surged out of the cave, yet it vanished into nothingness without a sound before it could reach Yuan Tiankuo.

Immediately following, a towering figure nearly two zhang tall emerged, its body wreathed in pitch-black demonic aura, with magma-like firelight flickering within.

This Fire Demon, shrouded in demonic energy and impossible to discern in form, paused before Yuan Tiankuo and uttered, "Ant."

"Hum!" The entire Earth-Fire Abyss seemed to tremble for an instant as the Fire Demon spread its massive hands, creating rolling shockwaves that radiated throughout the entire cavern.

"Clang!" At the same moment, a sword hum rang out. Sword light flashed, suppressing the surging waves and stilling the tremors of the Earth-Fire Abyss.

It also suppressed the Fire Demon.

In the next instant, the towering Fire Demon shrouded in demonic aura fell silent, split into two halves, and finally dissipated into a wisp of green smoke, leaving no trace behind.

Yuan Tiankuo did not say a word. He stepped forward, picked up the spiritual object left behind by the dead Fire Demon, and stowed it away without even glancing at it.

"Is the expert from Dragon-Slaying Peak truly this formidable?"

"I fear even the elders of the Inner Court are not his match!"

"What level was that Fire Demon?"

"I don't know, but it must have exceeded the Four Great Passes. I have only felt that kind of aura from the elders of the Main Sect!"

The many punished disciples who had fled the cave were trembling with fear.

Someone suddenly looked at the figure who remained motionless beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword: "Why is there still an Inner Court fellow disciple over there?"

"Even this expert from the Main Sect of Dragon-Slaying Peak has to stand up to slay demons, and we have to endure the heat to collect Earth Fire Essence, so how can he sit there unmoved?"

"Inner Court disciples come here to be punished, yet he can sit calmly under the Abyss-Suppressing Sword. He must be a well-connected person with a strong backer. I fear this expert from Dragon-Slaying Peak is even acting as his protector!"

Yuan Tiankuo's phoenix eyes swept over them like blades. The group of punished disciples felt as if they had been transported from a subterranean furnace into a frozen cellar; they fell silent, terrified, and obediently went to collect the Earth Fire Essence.

Ignoring the punished disciples, Yuan Tiankuo's gaze was deep. He lingered on Yu Xiu for a moment before looking away, feeling inexplicably irritable.

As the eighth of the Ten Heroes of Dragon-Slaying Peak, he had been reduced to a protector for Yu Xiu in the eyes of these people!

If this were to spread, that dog of a man from Dragon-Slaying Peak who never stops talking would surely laugh him to death.

He looked at Yu Xiu again, seeing that Yu Xiu was completely unaffected by the appearance of the Fire Demon, still communing with the sword intent of Ancestor Linyuan!

I wonder how long he intends to contemplate!

Yuan Tiankuo grew increasingly restless.

Not only could he no longer contemplate the sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, but he also had to act as a protector. More importantly, if word of this reached Dragon-Slaying Peak, that dog would never stop yapping in his ear.

On the sixth day, another Fire Demon appeared, only to have its head severed by a casual strike from Yuan Tiankuo.

On the eighth day, the Fire Demon died the moment it appeared.

"This expert from Dragon-Slaying Peak is terrifyingly strong!" The punished disciples dared not even breathe loudly.

The Fire Demons escaping from the subterranean veins possessed a terrifying aura capable of easily wiping out all the Inner Court disciples, yet before this man, they could not even withstand a single strike.

It was hard to imagine just how powerful this expert from Dragon-Slaying Peak truly was.

On the tenth day.

Yuan Tiankuo, currently feeling restless, suddenly looked up at Yu Xiu, who was sitting rigidly beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword.

In his perception, from that direction, a sharp sword resembling the morning sun was rising, glowing, and releasing an incomparably keen sword intent. It faintly resonated with the sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, appearing to have the momentum to stand on equal footing!

But this feeling came and went in a flash.

It was as if it were merely an illusion.

In the blink of an eye, the vast sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword had settled once more, becoming as heavy as a mountain.

And that fleeting, rising sword, like the morning sun, had also gone silent and vanished.

"He... has he birthed a Sword Heart?" The pupils in Yuan Tiankuo's phoenix eyes widened sharply, then rapidly contracted.

Sword Heart, Hidden Edge!

It must be the Hidden Edge, the first stage of the Sword Heart; otherwise, it would have been impossible for it to vanish in a flash.

It was definitely the Hidden Edge, concealing all sword intent, which is why it appeared that way!

"Sword Heart..."

"Sword Heart..."

"Is he even more monstrous than the Ten True Seeds on Dragon-Slaying Peak?" Yuan Tiankuo's heart surged, unable to calm down for a long time.

On Dragon-Slaying Peak, the ten strongest and most outstanding disciples beneath the Peak Master and the elders were known as the Ten True Seeds!

Every one of them had manifested a Sword Heart and had also sought to comprehend the sword intent left behind by Ancestor Linyuan here.

Yet, no one had ever been able to trigger a resonance with Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent.

Some elders had speculated that it was because they were too old when they achieved their Sword Heart, failing to attract the favor of Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent!

But these were the seed candidates competing for the position of true disciple, the undisputed strongest, some of whom could even rival those elders on Dragon-Slaying Peak who had lived for over five hundred years.

And beneath the Ten True Seeds, the ten strongest disciples under the age of one hundred were known as the Ten Heroes.

Yuan Tiankuo was the eighth of the Ten Heroes.

As far as he knew, no one among the Ten Heroes had yet manifested a Sword Heart.

Of course, it was possible that the top three of the Ten Heroes had already achieved a Sword Heart, only to keep it hidden, likely eyeing a position among the Ten True Seeds.

"Sword Heart!" Yuan Tiankuo took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart; his previous restlessness vanished along with it.

If that bastard on Dragon-Slaying Peak wanted to bark about him guarding someone, he would have a counterattack ready.

I am guarding a monster comparable to a True Seed, preparing to take down a guy like you in the top five of the Ten Heroes—wait for your demotion!

Thinking of that bastard's anxious face when the time came, it should be quite interesting.

The corners of Yuan Tiankuo's mouth couldn't help but curl up, finally revealing a hint of a smile.

[Sword Heart: Sword Sound (1/800)]

Above the Hidden Edge is what is called the Sword Sound.

The heart becomes the Sword Heart, capable of hearing the heart-voice of the sword, resonating with the sword; all things in heaven and earth can become a sword, and all things in heaven and earth contain 'sword intent'.

This is the second realm of the Sword Heart.

Yu Xiu slowly opened his eyes.

Earlier, when Yuan Tiankuo looked at him, he seemed like the rising morning sun, his sword intent peerless.

That was because his Sword Heart's Hidden Edge had reached complete perfection and subsequently transformed, causing a momentary leakage of sword intent that Yuan Tiankuo had sensed.

In fact, with Yu Xiu now having entered the second realm of the Sword Heart, his sword intent was far more terrifying than what Yuan Tiankuo had perceived.

As long as he wished, any stone in this Earth-Fire Abyss could be transformed into a part of his sword intent.

If not for the limitations of his current strength, with a single thought, he could summon ten thousand sword intents from this Earth-Fire Abyss, and even the fire veins beneath the earth would be evaporated and integrated into his sword intent.

Theoretically speaking, Yuan Tiankuo could also become his sword intent, becoming a sword himself.

This is a realm that borders on the laws of nature, where there is no logic to be spoken of; it can also be called the 'Sword of Heaven and Earth'.

My strength has already far exceeded the shackles of my realm! Yu Xiu felt no ripples in his heart; all distracting thoughts had been severed by the Sword Heart.

He estimated that even an expert at the second pass of the Four Great Passes would not be able to survive a single move before him.

They would be annihilated by the sword intent of heaven and earth, manipulated by his Sword Heart.

But it was also because he had broken into the second realm of the Sword Heart, 'Sword Sound', that the sword intent left by Ancestor Linyuan no longer had any effect on him.

2189 in comprehension is still too overpowered! Yu Xiu felt satisfied.

Just by relying on the sword intent left by Ancestor Linyuan a thousand years ago, he had directly comprehended the second realm of the Sword Heart.

No joke, if Yu Xiu still had his initial comprehension of 9, Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent wouldn't have even spared him a glance.

"Senior Brother Yuan." Yu Xiu took the initiative to step forward: "Thank you for guarding me."

Although he had been comprehending the sword intent earlier, he had been aware of the successive appearances of the Fire Demons and naturally knew of Yuan Tiankuo's actions in slaying them.

"It is my duty; even without you, I would still have had to slay the demons." Yuan Tiankuo's words were few, and he had no intention of claiming credit.

After saying this, he sat down to meditate beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, Finally, I can comprehend the sword intent in peace!

Heaven knows how envious he was that Yu Xiu had manifested a Sword Heart!

So cold and aloof? Yu Xiu looked at this senior brother, who was better looking than many women, and smiled to himself, not thanking him again.

He sensed the true qi within his body and found that no so-called fire poison had appeared.

He didn't know if it was blocked by the sword intent or if the true qi created by his Life Spring, with its two thousand years of longevity, was simply too pure; in any case, not a trace of fire poison was found.

Without dwelling on it, he began to practice the Dragon-Slaying Evil-Purging Sword.

Although his comprehension hadn't increased, the Sword Heart entering the second realm made his practice of the sword path faster—much faster!

Damn, I don't have the medicinal pills for the Five Viscera realm of the first pass of the Four Great Passes!

Just then, a bottle was tossed over, accompanied by Yuan Tiankuo's faint voice: "Some pills I don't use; perhaps you can make use of them."

So he wasn't that cold after all. Yu Xiu caught the bottle and said, "Many thanks."