Sword Heart, Second Stage

Sword Intent +50

Sword Intent +50

Sword Intent +50

Within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, carved by Ancestor Linyuan, sword intent surged like a boundless, majestic sea.

By contrast, Yu Xiu's Sword Heart was like a tiny boat on the open water. Though small, the two resonated, and the boat remained as steady as a rock as it rode the waves, borrowing their force while also experiencing it.

This was sword intent.

With Yu Xiu's comprehension now exceeding two thousand, he naturally grasped it at an extremely, extremely rapid pace.

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

His progress was simply too fast, far too fast.

Before, when Yu Xiu practiced the sword, he would gain Sword Sense, and it took 100 Sword Sense to increase his Sword Heart progress by 1.

But now, by directly comprehending the sword intent left behind by Ancestor Linyuan, just 10 Sword Intent could increase his Sword Heart by 1.

Ancestor Linyuan's cultivation of the Sword Heart must have long surpassed the Hidden Edge stage, perhaps even several stages beyond it!

And that was the level Ancestor Linyuan had attained a thousand years ago!

A thousand years had passed since then. Who knew how astonishing he was now?

A thousand years... Ancestor Linyuan probably hadn't passed away yet. Someone at his level likely had a long lifespan.

Hm? At that same moment, Yuan Tiankuo, who had been sitting with his eyes closed and comprehending sword intent, suddenly opened them. They were a pair of long, phoenix-shaped eyes, and what was more, a rare double pair.

If they had been on a woman's face, those eyes alone would have added more than half to her beauty.

Yet those eyes were set in Yuan Tiankuo's face.

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

Before Yu Xiu arrived, he had sat here and observed the Abyss-Suppressing Sword. Its sword intent had seemed like a mountain—majestic and vast. But precisely because the mountain was so towering and solid, climbing it had been as difficult as reaching the heavens!

He could only gaze at it from afar, never climb it!

He could only watch from a distance. To see the mountain clearly and feel it, he first had to cross an immeasurably vast distance!

In short, he could comprehend the sword intent, but his progress was slow—excruciatingly slow.

He had wanted to rely on comprehending the sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword to form a Sword Heart, but it would take an extremely long time.

But now, Yu Xiu had arrived.

The sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, once as vast and towering as a mountain, seemed to suddenly spread out and become an ocean, with a raging tsunami and enormous waves reaching the sky.

If he didn't use sword intent to sense it, things were still fine. But the moment he tried to resonate with it and experience its sword intent, the tsunami's towering waves would knock him flat, leaving not even a corpse behind!

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

Yuan Tiankuo was shaken to his core, finding it unbelievable.

The Abyss-Suppressing Sword had stood here for a thousand years. Countless members of the Qingwei Sword Sect, both from earlier generations and the present, had come and gone, sitting here to comprehend its sword intent. Even if there hadn't been hundreds of thousands, there must have been tens of thousands.

Yet there couldn't have been many who had managed to stir its sword intent and resonate with it.

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

One was the current third-ranked True Disciple, Ji Shaoheng.

There was no need to explain what sort of person he was. With the first- and second-ranked True Disciples having vanished without a trace, Ji Shaoheng could be said to be the strongest beneath the older generation of the Qingwei Sword Sect. He had been born with a Sword Heart.

The second was Yuan Yanzhao, the last person to enter the ranks of the True Disciples.

He could be called a legend. He entered the Four Great Passes in one year, broke through them and transformed into a dragon three years later, then earned his place among the True Disciples after another five years.

In just nine short years, he had become a True Disciple. And as soon as he entered their ranks, he placed sixth, not last in tenth place.

Nearly sixty years had passed since then. No one knew how far Yuan Yanzhao had grown!

There were rumors that this True Disciple had not only been born with a Sword Heart, but also possessed an extremely rare, innate Sword Body!

As for the other True Disciples, they had held their positions for too long and rarely showed themselves. They were almost impossible to see, and there were even fewer rumors about them, so they could be left aside.

But just who was this Yu Xiu?

Yuan Tiankuo considered himself a genius with a chance to become a True Disciple, and he was well known among the ten Main Peaks.

After sitting beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword for three months, he could already connect with Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent. He hoped to form a Sword Heart within a year!

And now, he had met Yu Xiu!

The moment Yu Xiu arrived, he had stirred Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent...

Yuan Tiankuo's emotions churned. The expression in his double phoenix eyes shifted unpredictably. "Born with a Sword Heart? Or unparalleled comprehension? Or perhaps he's exceptionally attuned to Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent?"

Su Wenjin had told him that Yu Xiu was also remarkably talented. In three years, he had already broken through the Four Ascending Dragon Passes and entered the Four Great Passes!

Even Dragon-Slaying Peak had taken an early interest in him, bringing him into the peak. He might one day become the Peak Master's personal disciple!

Yuan Tiankuo withdrew his sword intent, not daring to resonate with the Abyss-Suppressing Sword now, afraid that Ancestor Linyuan's vast sword intent would smash him to pieces.

But he soon furrowed his brows again. He's connected with Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent. The Fire Demon in the underground fire vein is probably going to show its face again!

So be it!

They were both disciples of Dragon-Slaying Peak. Protecting him once was no trouble!

Besides, Yu Xiu seemed quite likable!

He didn't disturb Yu Xiu, merely sitting quietly and keeping watch over him.

Things unfolded just as Yuan Tiankuo had expected. After only three days, the underground fire vein suddenly erupted.

The disciples being punished in the Earth-Fire Abyss and collecting Earth Fire Essence fled the cave one after another.

"A Fire Demon has appeared in the underground fire vein!"

"Quick, get out!"

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

Yuan Tiankuo slowly rose and walked against the flow of people, stepping forward to stand at the cave entrance. He was like a keen-edged sword plunged into the ground, shattering the surging earthfire, cleaving the waves of heat, and parting the fleeing crowd, unmoving as a mountain.

"What abundant yang energy. The cultivators of the Qingwei Sword Sect are still as pure as ever—enough to whet my appetite!" A low voice came from the place where the fire vein surged inside the cave.

"I rarely get the chance to come out. I'd better eat my fill!"

As the final words, eat my fill, rang out, a scorching wave rushed from the cave. But before it could reach Yuan Tiankuo, it silently vanished into nothing.

Right after it, a towering figure, a full two zhang tall, appeared. Black demonic aura curled around its entire body, with flashes of molten, lava-like fire flickering within it.

The Fire Demon, shrouded in demonic aura and impossible to make out clearly, stopped before Yuan Tiankuo and said, "Insect."

"Vmm!" The entire Earth-Fire Abyss seemed to tremble for an instant as the Fire Demon spread its enormous hand, sending waves of air rolling out in every direction. The shockwaves spread across the whole Earth-Fire Abyss.

"Clang!" At that same moment, a sword rang out, and a flash of sword light appeared, stilling the surging waves of air and the trembling Earth-Fire Abyss.

It stilled the Fire Demon, too.

The next instant, the towering Fire Demon, still shrouded in demonic aura, fell silent. It was split in two, then turned into a wisp of green smoke and vanished without a trace.

Without a word, Yuan Tiankuo stepped forward, picked up the spiritual object left behind by the Fire Demon, and put it away without even looking at it.

"Is that Dragon-Slaying Peak expert really that powerful?"

"Even the Inner Court elders might not be his match!"

"What level was that Fire Demon?"

"No idea, but it must've been beyond the Four Great Passes. I've only felt an aura like that from the elders of the Main Peaks!"

The punished disciples, who had fled far from the cave, were trembling with fear.

Someone suddenly looked toward the figure still sitting motionless beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword. "Why is there another Inner Court fellow sitting over there?"

"Even that expert from Dragon-Slaying Peak's Main Sect had to get up and slay the demon. We have to endure the earthfire and collect Earth Fire Essence, so how can he sit there without moving?"

"Inner Court disciples come here as punishment, but he can sit calmly beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword. He's clearly got powerful connections. That Dragon-Slaying Peak expert must be keeping watch over him!"

Yuan Tiankuo's double phoenix eyes swept over them like swords. The punished disciples suddenly felt as if they had gone from an underground furnace to a frozen winter cellar. They fell silent as cicadas in winter and obediently went to collect Earth Fire Essence!

Ignoring the punished disciples, Yuan Tiankuo's deep gaze lingered on Yu Xiu for a moment before shifting away again. For some reason, he felt a little irritated.

He was the eighth-ranked Hero of Dragon-Slaying Peak, yet these people had made him out to be Yu Xiu's protector!

If word got back, that loudmouth from Dragon-Slaying Peak would laugh himself to death.

He looked at Yu Xiu again and saw that the Fire Demon's appearance had not affected him in the slightest. He was still resonating with Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent!

I wonder how long he'll be comprehending it!

Yuan Tiankuo grew more and more irritated.

Not only could he no longer comprehend the sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, he also had to protect Yu Xiu. More importantly, if this got back to Dragon-Slaying Peak, that loudmouth would keep yapping in his ear.

On the sixth day, another Fire Demon appeared. Yuan Tiankuo casually killed it with a single sword stroke, taking off its head.

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

"This Dragon-Slaying Peak expert is terrifyingly strong!" The punished disciples didn't dare even breathe too loudly.

The Fire Demons that escaped from the underground fire vein had astonishingly powerful auras. They could easily wipe out every Inner Court disciple, yet they couldn't withstand even a single sword strike from this man.

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

The tenth day.

Yuan Tiankuo, who had been feeling irritated, suddenly raised his head and looked toward Yu Xiu, still sitting beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword.

In the direction he sensed, a sharp sword, like the rising sun, was ascending and shining, releasing an utterly unmatched sword intent. It seemed to resonate with the sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword, even faintly holding its own against it!

But the feeling came and went quickly.

It was as if it had only been an illusion.

With a blink, the vast sword intent within the Abyss-Suppressing Sword had settled again, becoming a towering mountain.

And the sword that had flashed into view for an instant, rising like the sun, had also fallen silent and vanished.

"Did he... form a Sword Heart?" The pupils in Yuan Tiankuo's double phoenix eyes suddenly widened, then quickly narrowed.

Sword Heart: Hidden Edge!

It had to be the Hidden Edge stage, the first stage of the Sword Heart. Otherwise, it couldn't have vanished in a flash.

He must have used Hidden Edge to conceal all his sword intent, which was why it had happened!

"Sword Heart..."

"Sword Heart..."

"Could he rival the freaks among the Ten True Seeds of Dragon-Slaying Peak?" Yuan Tiankuo's heart surged, and he couldn't calm himself for a long time.

Beneath the Peak Master and the elders, the ten strongest and most outstanding members of Dragon-Slaying Peak were known as the Ten True Seeds!

Every one of them had formed a Sword Heart, and they, too, had once comprehended Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent here.

But none of them had managed to stir Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent and resonate with it.

An elder had once speculated that it was because they had been too old when they formed their Sword Hearts, and so they had failed to earn Ancestor Linyuan's favor!

Yet they were candidates with a chance to compete for the True Disciple position, indisputably the strongest. Some could even be compared to the elders of Dragon-Slaying Peak who had lived for over five hundred years.

Beneath the Ten True Seeds were the ten strongest disciples under a hundred years old. They were called the Ten Heroes.

Yuan Tiankuo was the eighth-ranked Hero.

As far as he knew, none of the Ten Heroes had formed a Sword Heart.

Of course, the top three among the Ten Heroes might have already formed one and were merely keeping it hidden, most likely in hopes of claiming a place among the Ten True Seeds.

"Sword Heart!" Yuan Tiankuo took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart. His earlier agitation faded as well.

If that loudmouth on Dragon-Slaying Peak tried to mock him for protecting someone, he could fire back.

I'm protecting a freak who can rival the True Seeds. Let's see you take down one of the top five Ten Heroes. Get ready to give up your place!

He imagined the loudmouth's anxious expression at that time. It should be quite amusing.

The corners of Yuan Tiankuo's mouth curled upward before he could stop them. At last, a hint of a smile appeared.

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

Above Hidden Edge was Sword Sound.

The heart became a Sword Heart; one could hear the sword's innermost voice and resonate with it. All things under heaven could become swords, and all things under heaven concealed "sword intent."

This was the second stage of the Sword Heart.

Yu Xiu slowly opened his eyes.

Earlier, Yuan Tiankuo had seen him as a rising sun, his sword intent unmatched.

That was because his Sword Heart's Hidden Edge stage had reached complete mastery and then transformed. His sword intent had leaked out for a single instant, allowing Yuan Tiankuo to sense it.

In truth, with Yu Xiu's Sword Heart now in the second stage, his sword intent was far more terrifying than what Yuan Tiankuo had sensed.

If he wished, any stone in the Earth-Fire Abyss could become part of his sword intent.

If not for the limits of his strength, a single thought would have sent countless streams of sword intent surging through the Earth-Fire Abyss. Even the fire vein beneath the earth would have been evaporated and fused into his sword intent.

In theory, Yuan Tiankuo could become part of his sword intent, becoming a sword.

This was a realm approaching the laws of the world, where no reason applied. It could also be called the Sword of Heaven and Earth.

My strength has already far exceeded the constraints of my realm! Yu Xiu's heart was calm, and the Sword Heart had cut down every stray thought.

He estimated that even an expert at the second pass of the Four Great Passes wouldn't last a single move against him.

The Sword Heart could draw upon the Sword of Heaven and Earth's intent and annihilate them.

But now that he had broken into the second stage of the Sword Heart, Sword Sound, the sword intent Ancestor Linyuan had left behind was no longer of any use to him.

Even 2,189 comprehension is still way too high! Yu Xiu was satisfied.

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

No joke: if Yu Xiu still had his original comprehension of 9, Ancestor Linyuan's sword intent wouldn't have given him the time of day.

"Senior Brother Yuan." Yu Xiu walked over of his own accord. "Thank you for keeping watch over me."

Although he had been comprehending the sword intent earlier, he had sensed the Fire Demons appearing one after another, and naturally knew Yuan Tiankuo had slain them.

"It was my duty. I would have slain the demons even without you here." Yuan Tiankuo said little and had no intention of taking credit.

After speaking, he sat back down beneath the Abyss-Suppressing Sword. At last, I can comprehend the sword intent normally!

Heaven knew how envious he was that Yu Xiu had formed a Sword Heart!

So cold? Yu Xiu looked at this senior brother, who was more handsome than many women, and smiled to himself. He didn't thank him again.

He checked the true qi in his body and found no sign of the so-called fire poison.

He didn't know whether the sword intent had kept it out or the true qi created by his two-thousand-year lifespan Life Spring was simply too pure. In any case, he couldn't detect the slightest trace of fire poison.

Without investigating further, he began practicing the Dragon-Slaying Evil-Purging Sword.

His comprehension hadn't increased, but with his Sword Heart entering the second stage, he could practice the sword much faster—far, far faster!

Oh no, I don't have any cultivation pills for the Five Viscera stage of the first of the Four Great Passes!

Just then, a bottle came flying toward him, along with Yuan Tiankuo's calm voice. "Some pills I can't use anymore. Maybe you can."

So he's not that cold after all. Yu Xiu caught the bottle and said, "Thank you."

If you can't find it by searching the book's title, try searching for the author instead. Perhaps the title was simply changed!