Form and appearance were the foundation; nature and intent were the essence. These were the sword principles Jiang Che had grasped during his philosophical discussions with Li Qiubai.
To develop [Sword Nature] so quickly, understanding alone would normally never have sufficed. It also required day after day of practice, prolonged thought and reflection, and finally the pursuit of that flash of inspiration before it could be attained.
If [Sword Nature] were so easy to develop, so many Qi Refining Practitioners aspiring to the path of a Sword Cultivator would not have been left gazing at it with helpless sighs.
But besides the effort Jiang Che had put into practicing his sword and his exceptional comprehension, he possessed an advantage no one else had: Li Qiubai's cultivation insights.
Even the insights into opening apertures were secondary. The most precious part was Li Qiubai's understanding and experience of [Sword Nature].
With these in hand, Jiang Che's cultivation of the sword advanced by leaps and bounds.
One day half a month earlier, as he thrust his sword forward, the twelve forms of the [Azure Torrent Sword Art] had suddenly merged into a single strike.
Form could break, but nature remained unbroken. From that moment, Jiang Che had understood it completely.
In swordsmanship alone, he was only a little refinement through practice away from Li Qiubai.
Taking his Buddhist Path techniques into account, his combat strength likely no longer fell short of the dazzlingly gifted Li Qiubai of those days.
Back in Ailin, how astonishing the might of Senior Sister Hu Yan's flaming saber had been when she was at late embryonic breath. The Evil Monk Puxin had fought two full aperture cultivators alone, his imposing presence sweeping all before him.
Against Jiang Che as he was now, none of them would have measured