Discussing the Dao with Liu, First Understanding Sword Techniques

Lin Huai slowly opened his eyes.

Not only did he see Qian Daoliu and Dugu Bo, but he also spotted a heroic-looking girl with short, light purple hair and a touch of bewitching charm standing beside Dugu Bo.

It seemed this was Dugu Yan.

Her hair was still light purple, indicating she had not yet been too deeply affected by the toxins.

The three of them saw that Lin Huai had finished his absorption.

Qian Daoliu released his soul power to sense his condition and asked with concern, "Little Huai, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"

Looking at Qian Daoliu's eager expression, a warmth surged in Lin Huai's heart.

It was fortunate that he had taken Qian Daoliu as his master; if it had been anyone else, he might have been killed the moment he revealed the existence of the immortal herbs.

"Rest assured, Master. My mental power has greatly increased this time, and I have even communicated with the autonomous consciousness of my martial soul."

"The autonomous consciousness of your martial soul?"

The three of them exclaimed in surprise simultaneously.

Observing their shocked expressions, Lin Huai remained calm on the surface, though his heart was leaping with joy.

His martial soul was an existence on the Douluo Continent that was "unprecedented and likely never to be repeated."

"Yes."

"My martial soul actually possesses self-awareness."

"It is just that my current mental power is not yet enough to allow her to fully manifest."

Lin Huai circulated his soul power and summoned the Malenia martial soul.

"For now, I can only summon her physical body and the combat instincts inherent to that body."

Dugu Yan looked at the incredibly quiet, tall beauty.

An urge to test her skills appeared on her face.

"Lin Huai!"

"Can you spar with me?"

"I have never seen such a unique martial soul before; let me try it out."

Qian Daoliu looked at Dugu Bo, signaling with his eyes for him to stop Dugu Yan.

"Not yet, I still need a few days to stabilize."

"Let's spar in two days."

Lin Huai remembered that he had not yet mastered the Flowing Water Sword Technique, so he decided to first ensure he could use his soul power without any hindrances.

Dugu Yan instantly wilted.

"Fine!"

He watched Dugu Bo's mouth open and close.

"Senior, do not be anxious. Let us wait for Chrysanthemum Douluo to arrive before we discuss the method for detoxification."

"What if there is an herb that can directly solve the problems with your martial souls?"

Dugu Yan was stunned upon hearing this.

"Martial soul problems?"

"Grandfather, is there something wrong with our martial souls? Why didn't I know about this?"

Qian Daoliu signaled for Dugu Bo to take his granddaughter away.

"Yan Yan, let us go to the other side. Grandfather will tell you some secrets regarding our family."

After saying this, he used his soul power to sweep Dugu Yan away from the center.

"Little Huai, did you obtain any solution regarding this curse from your communication with your martial soul?"

Lin Huai thought back to the massive gains he had made from communicating with Malenia.

The corners of his mouth rose involuntarily.

"Master, I have found a way to completely resolve the Scarlet Rot!"

Qian Daoliu's expression also relaxed.

Although he had taken this disciple in somewhat impulsively, he still hoped that Lin Huai could inherit his mantle and help Xiao Xue manage Martial Soul Hall after he was gone.

Fortunately, he had obtained the method to resolve this bizarre curse.

"Teacher, do you possess Sword Intent?"

Qian Daoliu snapped back to reality upon hearing his disciple's question.

"Sword Intent?"

"I have long since comprehended Angel Sword Intent."

"Is Sword Intent the method to resolve this curse?"

Qian Daoliu's expression turned contemplative, perhaps thinking that a certain teaching method might not be entirely reliable.

"When the time comes, Teacher will take you to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect once more."

"Chen Xin should have also comprehended the Seven Kill Sword Intent."

Although he had only been his master for two days, Qian Daoliu truly treated him as his successor.

"There is no need to rush, Teacher."

"It is not purely reliant on Sword Intent; I must comprehend the corresponding 'Intent' through the Flowing Water Sword Technique I obtained earlier."

"As long as I first refine my sword technique to the level of 'Subtlety', I can cultivate normally."

"If I can reach the level of 'Momentum', I might even be able to simply utilize the power of corruption."

"Therefore, we actually have more time than we thought."

Qian Daoliu nodded.

"Very well, I will first teach you the insights I gained when I learned the sword, so you may use them as a reference."

Lin Huai gathered his thoughts and listened intently to Qian Daoliu's insights on the way of the sword.

"The level of 'Subtlety' is not difficult; even without talent, one can forcibly achieve it through years of hard training."

"Reaching this level is most evident when you can achieve the state where 'the heart follows the sword, and the sword moves with the heart'."

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment.

"The same principle applies to your use of the blade; the fundamentals of weapon mastery all lead to the same destination."

"It is primarily about practicing the basics. When you can freely control the trajectory of your blade and control the force of your attacks at will, you have reached this realm."

Hearing Qian Daoliu's general description, Lin Huai thought of a saying from traditional martial arts.

"Lifting the heavy as if it were light, and lifting the light as if it were heavy?"

Qian Daoliu looked at Lin Huai, inwardly sighing: What a clever little fellow.

"A well-summarized point."

"The subsequent 'Momentum' is different from the previous realm."

"This realm begins to depend on talent; those with good talent may have a sudden epiphany, while those without may never comprehend it in their entire lives."

Qian Daoliu used his soul power to manifest a sword.

"For those with corresponding techniques, one can directly refer to them during cultivation."

Without releasing any other soul power, a gentle breeze suddenly swirled around Qian Daoliu.

He slowly enveloped Lin Huai with his sword momentum.

"This feels like seeing the Angel God..."

Lin Huai looked at Qian Daoliu, and it seemed as if an angel had appeared before his eyes.

He dissipated the sword momentum.

"This is the sword momentum of the Angel Holy Sword that I cultivate."

"If one were to cultivate according to the Chen family's Seven Kill Sword, the final result would be the Seven Kill Sword Momentum."

When Qian Daoliu mentioned the Seven Kill Sword, a look of guilt appeared on his face.

"This 'Momentum' is something you must contemplate and experience based on the sword technique you practice."

"To cultivate the Angel Holy Sword, we meditate beneath the Holy Angel Statue; to cultivate the Seven Kill Sword, one must constantly battle against strong opponents."

Lin Huai thought of his own Flowing Water Blade Technique and asked:

"Teacher, the technique I obtained is called the 'Flowing Water Sword Technique'. Should I stay by a trickling stream, or by the side of surging waves?"

Hearing that Lin Huai had truly taken his explanation to heart, Qian Daoliu nodded with great satisfaction.

"Not bad. When comprehending 'Momentum', some of your insights will influence your 'Intent'."

"When I was comprehending sword momentum, I was influenced by certain factors, causing the 'divinity' of my Angel Holy Sword to weaken, leaning instead toward righteousness and the spirit of chivalry."

His tone carried a hint of embarrassment.

"Although my Sword Intent is also called Angel Sword Intent, without boasting, it could just as well be called Upright Sword Intent."

No wonder in the original work, Qian Daoliu would choose to take a Clear Sky Hammer head-on, and even after his son died, he never attacked the Clear Sky Ancestral Land—such uprightness was practically brainless.

Perhaps this is also the reason why Teacher has been unable to break through to the Sword Dao Domain until now, Lin Huai pondered to himself.

"Actually, Teacher, if you feel 'Upright Sword Intent' is too ostentatious, you could use 'Impartial'."

"'Without bias, without partiality, following the righteousness of the King'—it roughly means to be without the slightest deviation."

"Impartial, Impartial Sword Intent."

Qian Daoliu murmured.

Immediately, a smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad, Teacher will gladly accept it."

"As for your previous question, you can view it as what kind of 'Intent' you wish to lean toward in the future."

"There is no need to worry too much about comprehending something you don't want; if your talent is strong enough, comprehending multiple 'Intents' is also possible."

Lin Huai's eyes darted around.

Comprehending multiple 'Intents'?

That sounds like the basic configuration for a genius protagonist, doesn't it?

Noticing the excited little expression on Lin Huai's face, Qian Daoliu scolded him with a hint of severity:

"Xiao Huai, do not be overly ambitious. I tell you these things in the hope that you will determine your future path as early as possible."

"For now, you still need to keep your feet on the ground."

Lin Huai cried out in injustice internally.

As an 'adult' with a total age of over twenty-five, how could he not understand the principle of taking things one step at a time?

Unfortunately, in front of Qian Daoliu, he was nothing more than a seven-year-old brat.