Hu Xiaotian understood his sorrow. Dongfang Wuwu was said to have an eccentric temperament, and Lin Baitao was the only disciple he had taken in his entire life. No one had ever heard of him having any other family.
Dongfang Wuwu said, "It was only on the night disaster befell me that I finally understood the true essence of the sword Dao. Do you know its stages?"
Hu Xiaotian said, "At first, there is a sword in your hand and a sword in your heart. Then there is no sword in your hand, but a sword in your heart. The highest stage is having no sword in your hand and none in your heart."
Dongfang Wuwu was astonished. "I spent my entire life studying before I comprehended that stage. To think you arrived at it so easily."
Hu Xiaotian laughed inwardly. He had hardly come up with it on his own; he had read it often enough in martial arts novels. But saying it was easy, doing it was hard. As for that supposed highest stage, with no sword in either hand or heart, didn't that just mean passively taking a beating? He said honestly, "I only heard someone mention it, Master. I don't really understand the reasoning behind it myself."
Dongfang Wuwu said, "Having no sword in your hand or your heart actually means subduing an enemy without fighting. If others lose their will to fight the moment they see you, you have no need to strike."
Hu Xiaotian said, "I'll never reach that stage in this lifetime."
Dongfang Wuwu said, "Neither will I. That is why I condensed seven swords into one. If you can defeat an opponent without striking, who would bother fighting? If you can defeat an enemy with a single sword strike, why use the