Pei Ye had not expected those arrogant words to include him, but the woman's voice held no agitation. She was merely stating a fact, as naturally as when she had handed him a pear earlier.
And judging by her ability to see through [Clouded Sky Obscures Eyes, Lost Feathers] through a wall, that "six months" was plainly a limit set for him.
"Can those realms also be used to classify sword arts?" Pei Ye asked.
Ming Qitian nodded. "It is indeed an unwritten way of classifying them. The realm at which a sword art reaches its ceiling determines its level."
Pei Ye looked up thoughtfully. "Miss Ming, I heard White Deer Palace is renowned for technique. Are all their sword arts in the Clumsy realm, then?"
Ming Qitian smiled faintly and shook her head. "Let us speak only of their swordsmanship—the path White Deer Palace follows is an experiment undertaken after standing at the summit of Sword Dao. They devote every ounce of ingenuity to sword techniques, not because they have abandoned the higher realms, but precisely because they hope to reach the realms of Intent, Heart, and Dao directly through 'technique.' It is a shortcut that can spare them years of accumulation and insight."
Pei Ye only half understood.
Ming Qitian continued, "If you have the chance to learn those intricate arts of theirs, you will feel a gulf. You could still learn those exquisitely refined moves within six months, but if you then sought still greater perfection in 'technique,' you would find it extraordinarily difficult-because you would actually have left the Clumsy realm by then and begun attempting to leap toward the three higher realms."
"White Deer Palace's sword techniques have matured considerably in their passage from Clumsy to Spirit. Their marvels save disciples a great deal of