Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 226

Heavenly Realm

First, I decided to explain my situation to Master Minglong. Of course, showing him the memories contained in the obsidian like I did with the Sword Demon would be far too risky, so I just told him that I was once a disciple of the Thunder God Lineage and had gone through various experiences.

After Master Minglong seemed to understand, I presented the Ultimate Technique I had learned from Zhang Sanfeng once again. For a whole day, both the Sword Demon and Master Minglong silently watched my performance, lost in their thoughts.

‘They’re trying to decide on the direction of our training.’

That night, I indulged in the feast of food and vegetables Master Minglong provided and slept comfortably.

[Hey, come out for a second.]

The next morning, early at dawn, Master Minglong called for me separately, so I went out. He stood in front of a lake in the early morning and asked,

“What do you think of the Peerless Technique?”

It was an unexpected question. I had assumed he would inquire about the Arched Sky Sword, the Heavenly Contraction Sword, or perhaps the Insight, but the Peerless Technique? I thought carefully before responding.

“But neither you nor the Sword Demon can execute the Peerless Technique, can you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“What do you think the reason is?”

If I knew, I would have started practicing the Peerless Technique right away. However, even after diligently training the techniques of Zhang Sanfeng, I still couldn’t grasp the Peerless Technique. The geniuses of the Thunder God Lineage as well as the Sword Demon couldn’t either.

As I remained silent, Master Minglong added,

“Don’t think about the Peerless Technique for now.”

“Are you saying I should ignore unnecessary matters?”

“The Sword Demon told me you faced endless constraints under the wrong master. So, while you might have doubts about me, I hope you take this as pure advice: right now, fixating on the Peerless Technique during your training will only yield counterproductive results.”

“……?”

Counterproductive? What does that even mean?

Master Minglong continued,

“Even I, who have practiced the martial arts of the Wudang Sect my entire life, may only obtain the Peerless Technique near the end of my life. None of us here will find it an easy feat. It’s an incredibly high-level technique.”

“Is it really that hard?”

“Yes.”

Master Minglong glanced at my face and chuckled softly.

“Well, since you seem confused, I’ll set some criteria for you.”

“Criteria?”

“Achieve the Sword of Heaven. Only upon reaching that level will you be eligible to study the Peerless Technique.”

What is the Sword of Heaven?

When I tilted my head in question, Master Minglong replied, sounding exasperated,

“Ask that to the Sword Demon over there.”

Just as I suspected, about twenty paces away, the Sword Demon was slowly walking toward us, seemingly having watched our encounter from afar. He grinned and said,

“Master Minglong, if it’s just that much of a conversation, it won’t matter if I’m here or not, right?”

“Yes, it seems you’ve been preoccupied with the training progress of this kid.”

“Ha ha… thank you.”

The Sword Demon seemed to have overheard everything from the very beginning, easily able to employ his formidable martial arts to tap into the No Shadow Soul-Removing Sword. The Sword Demon approached me and said,

“Master Minglong is right. Don’t think about the Peerless Technique until you’ve perfected the Sword of Heaven.”

“What is the Sword of Heaven?”

“The stage where you infuse your intent into the initial forms to create a Mind Technique is the one I previously explained.”

“Yes.”

“That’s only the starting point. Beyond that lies the stage of abstract imagination actualizing into reality. It’s the level where you’ll be able to wield techniques that can truly be called Secret Techniques.”

“……!!”

As soon as I heard that, I understood what Sword of Heaven meant.

It refers to the extreme application of intent to manifest powerful techniques, like the Heavenly Dragon Strike displayed by Lee Kwang or the Sword Technique of Intent demonstrated by the Sword Demon! The kind of martial arts levels that those in the swordsmanship community refer to as the Sword of Heaven. This was certainly different from merely mixing intent into the initial techniques for reinforcement.

I grasped the inner meaning of his words.

“Does that mean… you want me to become a master at the level of Lee Kwang?”

“That thought is not entirely misplaced. The Peerless Technique is incomprehensible unless you’re at the pinnacle level of today’s martial arts.”

“……”

I understood now why these two masters were giving me such advice. The Peerless Technique remains cloaked in mystery, and as it hasn’t been fully revealed, it would be a futile desire for me, a novice, to aspire to something I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. They were guiding me to focus solely on my swordsmanship instead, preventing me from fixating on an unattainable goal.

‘I need to work harder.’

And so, our training began at the break of dawn now that we were all gathered.

First, I demonstrated both the Arched Sky Sword and the Heavenly Contraction Sword to Master Minglong for review. He observed my movements for half a day, absorbing my techniques before finally saying,

“As expected, the fundamental principles are not much different from what we’ve been taught in our sect.”

“Is that so?”

It seems the Heavenly Contraction Sword and Arched Sky Sword have been sufficiently passed down in the Wudang Sect.Master Minglong nodded and continued,

“If Zhang Sanfeng had wanted to deliberately leave behind the Arched Sky Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword, there must have been some advanced applications involved.”

After hearing that, I searched my mind for any advanced applications of the Arched Sky Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword that Zhang Sanfeng had imparted to me, but I couldn’t find any. Master Minglong then spoke with a frown,

“It seems he was simply worried about the inheritance of our sect being severed.”

“So…”

“I don’t have anything further to teach you regarding the Arched Sky Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword. Instead, please elaborate more on the True Martial Seven Cuts Classic, the Heavenly Five Divine Decisions, the Tai Chi Yau Ji Willow Sword, and the Seven Stars Biding Shadow.”

Thus, I spent the rest of the day delivering my martial art teachings to Master Minglong. When the sun began to set, it was finally time to receive training from the Sword Demon. He chuckled and said,

“Ho ho. I’d love to train in martial arts all day long, but it must be awful being stuck with Master Minglong.”

“Ah… that’s…”

I glanced around. Master Minglong was about fifty paces away practicing the Ultimate Technique he had learned today, but he was such an incredible master that he could still hear our conversation. The Sword Demon seemed to find it amusing and remarked,

“Well, it can’t be helped. Master Minglong is ahead of us in regards to the Arched Sky Sword and the Heavenly Contraction Sword. We need him to share the remainder of the techniques so we can benefit from his leftovers. Don’t regret investing two to three months into him.”

“Understood.”

“Now, let’s begin our training!”

Ta-da-dang!

The Sword Demon and I started with light sparring. Since I had already practiced this in the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword, I didn’t find it particularly fresh. The only difference was that I had become capable of basic exchanges using my intention, so now enduring for a hundred breaths wasn’t too challenging.

Once our warm-up sparring ended, we sat facing each other and talked.

“You’ve realized the differences between your heart (心), intent (意), and thought (念), haven’t you? Now, as you apply them more comfortably, try to incorporate them naturally into your initial forms.”

“Alright.”

“While doing so, you’ll come to realize which Mind Technique is the best for you.”

The Sword Demon’s advice was invaluable. Up until now, I had been primarily using intention for basic exchanges, but during our sparring, I learned to infuse intention into the initial forms to enhance them.

As I continued transmitting my martial arts to Master Minglong and sparring with the Sword Demon, time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Master Minglong, contemplating the Ultimate Technique, spoke up,

“I need to talk to the Sword Demon. Call him over.”

“Yes.”

Responding to Master Minglong’s request, I called Sword Demon, who was training alone in another area. They soon ventured deeper into the mountains to have what seemed like a very secret discussion.

After half a day, they returned and told me,

“Starting today, we will teach you the applications of the Arched Sky Sword.”

“Applications?”

“Of course, I mean its applications as a Mind Technique.”

Now, I was moving beyond the symbolic effects that I had been practicing thus far and entering the true essence of the Arched Sky Sword. After concluding that, the Sword Demon glanced at Master Minglong and said,

“And once I finish teaching you, you’ll learn Sword Intention from Master Minglong.”

“……!!”

That statement sent a jolt of excitement through me.

Sword Intention!

It was one of the highest realms in swordsmanship, and in fact, comparable to Sword Technique of Intent. A martial artist who reaches the realm of Sword Intention earns great reverence wherever they go, and most people go their entire lives without once witnessing such a master.

‘Until now, I’d only been forcing myself to assume that level using internal energy… but is it possible for me to actually wield Sword Intention!’

True Sword Intention surpasses techniques like Sword Qi or Sword Flame by a whole different level!

I was overwhelmed with excitement in my heart but posed a question to the Sword Demon,

“Why exactly do I need to learn from Master Minglong?”

My question was rather bold and disrespectful toward Master Minglong, yet I felt it was imperative to get this clarification. The Sword Demon responded with a bittersweet expression,

“Of course, I could teach you Sword Intention, but I can’t compare to Master Minglong, who has inherited the true fundamental techniques of the Wudang Sect. It’s a matter of systematic educational methods and the differences in experiences.”

“Ah…”

“He is one of the few individuals able to teach high-level swordsmanship in a way that’s easy to grasp. He can teach you much faster and more efficiently than I could.”

Master Minglong chimed in with a curt voice,

“Kid, consider it an honor. No one besides Qingfeng has learned Sword Intention properly from me.”

“Yes…”

With that acknowledgment, I had nothing else to say. Qingfeng is the exceptional master of the Wudang Sect and holds the title of the most revered expert. That Master Minglong treats him like a child speaks volumes.

I started by learning the applications of the Arched Sky Sword from the Sword Demon.

“You’ve only used the Arched Sky Sword to slightly modify the trajectory of the initial forms, but the true essence of the Arched Sky Sword is much more profound.”

Whoosh!

The Sword Demon showcased the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword. And just at the midway point, the path of his blade suddenly twisted and distorted in ways unimaginable in standard swordsmanship. Soon after, he created two or three clones and shot out the sword qi along paths that were impossible to predict.

Bang bang bang…

In just twelve initial forms, it instantly morphed into several variations! I gazed in awe at the breathtaking transformations, utterly spellbound by the Sword Demon‘s movements as he came to a stop, saying,

“The true power of the Arched Sky Sword lies in using intention to warp the space around you, allowing for attacks to change direction whenever you wish. Fully master the Arched Sky Sword, and you’ll have mastered the concepts of change (變) and illusion (幻).”

“Amazing…”

“You’re now familiar with applying intention, which means you can learn this application technique. Starting today, dedicate at least a year to mastering the applications of the Arched Sky Sword.”

“Understood!”

“Once you complete this, I will teach you the Heavenly Contraction Sword.”

After learning the applications of the Arched Sky Sword, I practiced on my own beneath a torch at sundown, where Master Minglong taught me Sword Intention.

Master Minglong spoke with a stern tone,

“You’ve got it all wrong! You moron!”

Thud!

Master Minglong suddenly lunged at me and kicked me away. I flew through the air, barely regaining my balance to land safely. The speed with which he hit was so phenomenal that it was nearly impossible to counter. Truly, Master Minglong is an extraordinary master!

I protested,

“What did I get wrong? I tried my best to maximize my sword qi!”

“Ugh… What on earth have you learned about intention?”

Master Minglong rubbed his forehead in frustration.

“I said to use intent (意)! If you’re merely puffing up your internal energy and forming qi, that’s just regular sword qi! It won’t amount to Sword Intention!”

“……”

“Damn it! Try to understand, you fool!!”

With palpable desperation, Master Minglong began teaching me the intricacies of Sword Intention. He even shared some hidden teachings of the Wudang Sect. However, no matter how much he explained, I still couldn’t grasp the essence of Sword Intention. In an act of exasperation, I pushed my internal energy to the absolute limit and forced myself to form the Sword Intention.

Whoosh!

Crash!!

“Is this… what you mean? This is Sword Intention!”

“……”

Master Minglong facepalmed in disbelief.

“That’s Sword Intention for sure… but that’s merely breaking past the limits of your qi. That cannot be practically applied!”

“Ugh…”

“Phew… Alright, now I finally understand why they say you’re a fool.”

Master Minglong scratched his head, almost his sanity unraveling. He too, coming from a refined background in the Wudang Sect, had reached the pinnacle level through years of hard work and elimination, so it must be frustrating for him to teach someone as dull as me.

Master Minglong sighed,

“Then let’s tailor it to your abilities.”

“How?”

“What was the first sword technique you learned in this life?”

I thought for a moment and replied,

“It’s the Six Harmony Sword Technique.”

“How long did you train it?”

“Around ten years.”

Although I didn’t train tirelessly during my first life, my pure practice time was around ten years, maybe a little less.

Then, Master Minglong’s eyes lit up with excitement,

“Oh? That sounds interesting.”

“What’s interesting about it?”

The Six Harmony Sword Technique is quite common in the martial world, encompassing only the basic cutting techniques in various diagonal formations. It’s so simple that even a child could replicate it after a few tries. But Master Minglong’s reaction was anything but trivial.

“That level of mastery could prove valuable. From today, you’ll infuse your intent into the Six Harmony Sword Technique until your internal energy runs out.”