Even though the sword was just a weapon, over the millennia, countless cultivators had immersed themselves in it, and there were many different types of swords, Sword Intents, and cultivation methods.
This was precisely the reason why heritage was so important.
There were simply too many Sword Intents and sword arts here, and the longer one stayed here, the more likely one's cultivation would go berserk or even be killed.
This was also the reason why Mingshi Tang had separated cultivation techniques into different levels.
Every single master teacher had their own unique understanding of cultivation techniques. It was still fine if there were only one or two, but as more and more of them accumulated, there would be countless different cultivation methods, and some of them might even be completely opposite. If one didn't separate cultivation techniques into different levels, putting aside the advancement of mankind, one might even go berserk.
As such, even master teachers had to make their own choices when reading books. The more they read, the more confused they would feel.
There were many kinds of sword intents and sword moves here, and those who came here to cultivate would want to give it a try, regardless of whether they were real or fake. As time went by, the hidden dangers would become more and more serious. Not only would one's strength not increase, one might even end up dying here due to learning too much.
"Let me take a look!"
Zhang Xuan said.
"Alright!" the Dusk Cloud Sword said as it led the way.
A distance of a hundred li was nothing at all. It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination.
It was a massive cliff face, and there was a huge character 'Sword' inscribed on it. Even before reaching the cliff face, one could already feel sword qi tearing through the air, threatening to tear them apart.
"What powerful Sword Intent!"
With a grim expression, Zhang Xuan came to a halt.
It was hard to tell which level of calligraphy this character was from, but from afar, it looked as if someone was stabbing a sword at his glabella. No matter how he tried to dodge, the sword wouldn't leave his glabella unscathed.
"Was this left behind by the Old Sword Maestro?"
Zhang Xuan asked in astonishment.
"That's right," the Dusk Cloud Sword replied.
"He really is a grandmaster swordsman!"
Zhang Xuan exclaimed.
After cultivating for nearly a year, he had learned quite a few books regarding swordsmanship, and his mastery of it had reached an extremely high level.
All along, Zhang Xuan had thought that even if his comprehension of swordsmanship hadn't reached the pinnacle yet, he was at least on par with others. However, upon seeing this word, he realized that he was still far from matching up to the Old Sword Maestro.
The other party had already assimilated the 'Sword' into his very bones, and he had even forged his own body into a sword. That was the only reason why he was able to wield such a powerful aura with every single word he wrote, making it difficult for others to evade him.
"Those are all cultivators who came here to comprehend …"
Pointing the tip of his sword forward, he executed the Dusk Cloud Sword.
Looking over, Zhang Xuan discovered that there were several hundred people sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the cliff. Each and every one of them was staring at the words on the cliff and gesticulating with their hands. It was as if they had gone mad.
"What you said is wrong. My move is correct. Look!"
The voice rang out, and a middle-aged man brandished his sword, drawing a rainbow in the air as he stabbed forward. The rainbow extended for several hundred meters before dissipating. Even the air itself was torn apart.
"This is the Upper Sword Heart of the Sword Heart State?"
Zhang Xuan's expression was solemn.
Swordsmanship could be divided into two realms, Sword Intent and Sword Heart.
Most Transcendent Mortals would be able to comprehend Sword Intent, and those who were more talented would be able to comprehend Sword Heart, thus achieving the 'Call of the Myriad Swords, Dragon Roar to the Heavens!'
Sword Heart. Using one's heart as one's sword, one's will as one's sword. Wherever one went, one would be able to execute a sword art. This was the so-called 'Sword-Man and Sword Union'.
There were three realms to Sword Heart, Lower Sword Heart, Middle Sword Heart, and Upper Sword Heart!
Saint realm experts who were able to achieve the Upper Sword Heart in swordsmanship were considered experts among experts. Yet, the young man before him was actually able to achieve the Upper Sword Heart in his first move … His understanding of swordsmanship was actually on par with him!
So far, he had only reached the Upper Sword Heart realm.
"No, that's not right. This Eight Realms of the Night is a technique where one's sword qi flows in all directions. Your sword qi is clearly not right. Watch me …"
While Zhang Xuan was still in shock, he saw an elder beside the middle-aged man shaking his head. He took out his sword and brandished it.
In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with a rain of swords. A cold and sharp aura shrouded the surroundings, covering a distance of several dozen meters. It felt as if anyone who stepped into it would be trapped, no matter how formidable they were.
"He has comprehended Upper Sword Heart as well?"
Zhang Xuan was astonished once more.
It was already a fearsome feat for a middle-aged man to comprehend Upper Sword Heart, but to think that the middle-aged man would be the same as well. In fact, his comprehension of swordsmanship might even surpass that of the middle-aged man before him.
"Both of you are wrong. I think that's the case …"
The third person joined the fray and executed his swordsmanship as well. As if a mist, his sword qi permeated the surroundings.
He had also comprehended Upper Sword Heart.
Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded. He turned to look at the others and saw that every single one of them was emanating a faint aura of sword qi, as if they had morphed into swords.
"These several hundred people … have all comprehended Upper Sword Heart?"
Zhang Xuan swallowed a mouthful of saliva in astonishment.
So far, he had never seen anyone whose swordsmanship surpassed his. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had already seen so many of them. As expected of the Sword Lagoon, it was truly fearsome!
"They are the master teachers, combat masters, and unaffiliated cultivators who specialize in swordsmanship in their respective empires and alliances. Even the longest of them has been here for more than nine hundred years … Nine hundred years of accumulation isn't too much at all … "the Dusk Cloud Sword explained.
The Dusk Cloud Sword explained.
"Nine hundred years?"
Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.
He might be a genius, and he had been cultivating for almost a year now … but the time he had spent on swordsmanship was probably less than a single day!
There were countless experts in the Eight Conferred Empires, so it was not too surprising that there would be so many people who were on par with him over the past nine hundred years.
After all, he could not be considered as a true genius. Putting everything else aside, he was already a far cry from matching up to his clone.
"Those people haven't left yet?"
"That word is sufficient for them to cultivate for their entire lives. Ever since they came here, they haven't left," the Dusk Cloud Sword replied.
"Sigh!"
Zhang Xuan sighed.
He suddenly recalled a book that he had read in his previous life. On one of the islands, there was an unparalleled secret manual. Every year, during the Laba Festival, there would be people who would head there, but none of them would return.
Even though there was no one to restrict them from entering, in order to comprehend more profound martial arts, they still chose to immerse themselves in it, oblivious to the passing of time.
"I think I'm right!"
"I'm the one who's right!"
"All of you are wrong … If you're indignant, let's have a duel!"
Huala!
The trio quarreled for a long time, but none of them were able to convince the other. Eventually, they drew their swords and fought one another.
"Actually … their cultivation has already gone berserk!"
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
No matter how profound the 'sword' character was, no matter how skilled the Old Sword Maestro was, the fact that those three were so engrossed in it that they were unable to extricate themselves from it, even going so far as to fight one another. Their cultivation had already gone berserk.
Amidst the exclamations, a victor had already been decided among the three experts. Two of them were severely injured, and the only victor had a dazed look in his eyes. He wondered if he had comprehended the character wrongly. Otherwise, how could the other two be so powerful as well?
Zhang Xuan knew that the other party had already lost his ability to make judgments due to his immersion in swordsmanship. Under such circumstances, it was futile to try and persuade him otherwise. Thus, he raised his head to look at the massive character on the cliff.
Even though the character was inscribed using sword qi, it harnessed the will of the inscriber. Every single stroke of the character seemed to be a different kind of sword art, and it was a majestic sight to behold. The more one looked at it, the more unfathomable it seemed.
"It's no wonder these people are so engrossed in it …"
Just by looking at it for a moment, Zhang Xuan felt his mind stirring, and he could not help but feel the urge to cultivate.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
It was not that his mind was strong enough to resist the temptation that others were unable to resist. Rather, there were simply too many flaws in the sword art that he had comprehended from the character, such that he could not comprehend it at all.
"What are those?"
Exhaling deeply, Zhang Xuan tossed aside the distracting thoughts in his mind. Opening his eyes once more, he saw that the surroundings of the cliff were also filled with countless characters.
"These are the Sword Intent and sword arts that the past generations of cultivators have comprehended. If your understanding of the 'sword' character on the cliff isn't too deep, you can use these as a reference!"
The Dusk Cloud Sword said.
"I see."
Zhang Xuan took a look at the Dusk Cloud Sword.
As expected, it was filled with the insights of the past cultivators, and there were more than a thousand of them linked together.
"It's quite similar to the Saint Ascension Platform!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
He had seen quite a few insights on the Saint Ascension Platform, and every single one of them had thought that they had comprehended the true meaning of the sword art. However, the truth was that what they had comprehended was filled with flaws!
It was probably the same for this sword art as well.
"Flaws!"
Sweeping his gaze across the cliff, several books materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.
These insights were also a kind of secret manual. With just a glance, he would be able to collect them.
"Compile!"
Zhang Xuan muttered softly, and more than a thousand sword art secret manuals materialized in the Library of Heaven's Path.
Tapping on it lightly, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
"It's actually the Heaven's Path Sword Art!"
Zhang Xuan had only intended to browse through it casually, but who could have thought that the comprehension of the crowd over the years would actually be compiled into a Heaven's Path Sword Art!
Zhang Xuan swiftly went through the contents of the Heaven's Path Sword Art in his mind.
He had to admit that the swordsmanship left behind by the Old Sword Maestro was indeed profound. If he were to cultivate according to it, his understanding of swordsmanship would surely rise by a huge margin.
Just as Zhang Xuan was about to close his eyes to cultivate, he suddenly felt the spiritual energy in the surroundings converging toward him, reminiscent of a tornado.
Turning his gaze over, he saw that the crowd, who were immersed in their cultivation, had also raised their heads.
"Master …"
Just as Zhang Xuan was about to take a look at what was going on, the Dusk Cloud Sword suddenly began shaking uncontrollably, as if it had lost control of its body.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Xuan frowned in bewilderment.
"Master, someone has comprehended swordsmanship … As a sword spirit, I'm submitting to him!"
"Someone has comprehended swordsmanship?"
Zhang Xuan was taken aback. At the very front of the crowd, a young man was seated cross-legged on the ground. Sword qi was swirling around his head, reminiscent of an unparalleled sword that had been unsheathed, threatening to tear the world into two.
"Is that Ma Minghai?"
Upon seeing the appearance of the figure, Zhang Xuan frowned.
The other party was no other than the genius of Qianchong Empire, Ma Minghai, whom he had fought with back in Mingshi Tang!
"Why is he here?"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
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