Only then did Pei Ye realize what a deadly net these five swords had woven.
Through these five completely different sword arts, it had likewise mapped out its approach to Sword Chess.
At that moment, it too realized that its opponent was identical to itself, so its next strike almost completely caught Pei Ye off guard-it activated the Heart Sword outright.
Of course, it was right.
During their earlier Sword Chess, Pei Ye had surrendered much of his momentum in order to observe, so his only path to victory lay on the level of the mind.
And more wonderfully still, they were already within a Heart Sword technique.
Every advantage and disadvantage, every victory and defeat within a Heart Sword itself reflected the strengths and weaknesses of the mind. Now that its sword had gained an edge over Pei Ye's, it naturally held the upper hand in their contest of minds as well. Thus, at this very moment, it seized the initiative and unleashed this Heart Sword.
For an instant, Pei Ye could barely tell whether this was an illusion-he seemed not to be solving a sword problem at a Sword Banquet in radiant spring sunshine, where neither victory nor defeat posed any danger, but truly facing this self within his heart. With just a moment's lapse, he really would die beneath his own Heart Sword.
The translucent color of [Mirror] seemed to waver, as though something were about to replace it: an icy hue as insubstantial as a dream... This scene was almost impossible to explain, and the vast majority understood none of it. Another Heart Sword had been born within a Heart Sword technique, its sharp new shoots about to pierce the outer shell.
But everything had been stopped a moment earlier.
Pei Ye did not allow thoughts