Chapter 74: Perfect Mastery of the Sword Intent of Heaven and Earth

“Very well, since you insist, I have no choice but to do my best,” Fang Wang said with a respectful gesture. He was not doing this for himself, but for Fang Hanyu; he would have to steel himself and press on. At worst, he would simply hold back for centuries if he must!

Upon hearing this, the Sword Sage broke into a smile. Fang Hanyu, too, could sense that Fang Wang was doing this for his sake, and so he gripped his sword hilt tightly.

Fang Wang rose and faced the lake. From beneath the water, Little Zi popped her head up, peering at him. Fang Wang’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and a streak of sword energy shot out, piercing through the dense mist at the far end of the lake with incredible speed. A thunderous crash then echoed from the distant mountains.

So fast! Fang Hanyu was visibly moved; his Evil Eye could barely keep up with that sword energy. But what amazed him most was: how had that sword energy been unleashed? He hadn’t seen any spiritual power surge out from Fang Wang’s body. Could it be the sword energy had truly shot forth from Fang Wang’s own eyes?

The Sword Sage narrowed his eyes and uttered four words: “Divine-Nurtured Sword Qi.”

Fang Wang blinked, his eyes returning to normal and losing their earlier chill. Turning to the Sword Sage, he asked, “This is the sword art I am most proud of. Does it meet with your approval?”

“What is your relation to the Gu family of Northern Luo?” the Sword Sage asked.

“I have a friend from the Gu family. Seeing I had some talent, he passed this sword art on to me,” Fang Wang replied truthfully. His Divine-Nurtured Sword Qi had reached perfection after ten years of cultivation—its power now rivaled what most members of the Gu family might achieve after several decades, even a century.

The Sword Sage smiled and turned away. “Come with me,” he said.

Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu exchanged a glance and immediately followed. Little Zi leapt from the water and landed on Fang Wang’s shoulder.

They entered the pavilion. With a wave of his sleeve, the Sword Sage closed the door behind them.

Inside the hall, the Sword Sage sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, gesturing for the two to sit before him.

“At six, I apprenticed myself to a master on the mountain to study the sword. At seventeen, I descended to wander the world; at twenty, I was unmatched beneath the heavens. Yet at twenty-one, I met a sword cultivator and suffered a crushing defeat. Only then did I understand what true swordsmanship was: the sword arts of the mortal world had form, but lacked spirit,” the Sword Sage began, his eyes turning distant as he spoke of the past.

Fang Wang felt a deep resonance with those words. Damn, at sixteen he too thought himself invincible, only for a cultivator to descend from the heavens and nearly end him before he could even make a name for himself. If Zhou Xue hadn’t been a reincarnated Immortal Sovereign, he might have perished before reaching fourteen.

“From then on, I pursued the path of immortality. Fortunately, fate favored me, and I forged my Earthen-Origin Spirit Treasure. I spent three centuries traversing the cultivation world, then journeyed south across the seas in search of higher immortal destinies. Only then did I learn there are always greater heights beyond what we know,” the Sword Sage recounted, sighing with emotion.

His gaze returned to Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu. “The road of cultivation is long; swordsmanship is but one of three thousand paths. Too many pursue the pure sword, driven only by competition and violence. True swordsmanship takes all things as its blade. At five hundred, I forgot every sword art I’d ever learned and created a path wholly my own.”

“Heaven and Earth Sword Intent—one that draws upon the spirit of all creation as its intent.”

“Now, you two must choose: one of you will receive my Heaven and Earth Sword Intent, the other my life’s condensed Sword Qi. I shall forge this Sword Qi into your natal spirit treasure, making you one of multiple spirits. Its grade will even surpass my own low-grade Earthen-Origin Spirit Treasure.”

The Sword Sage spoke as if it were a trivial matter.

Fang Hanyu could not help but ask, “Could you bestow it all upon him? I do not seek the inheritance.”

The Sword Sage shot him a glance. “Why?”

“I would feel unworthy. My comprehension of the sword is leagues beneath his. Besides, I do not wish to take a share of his fortune,” Fang Hanyu replied earnestly.

Fang Wang could not help but interject: “You’re being given a choice, and you think you have the right to refuse? Don’t think too highly of yourself. If the Sword Sage is willing to pass this to you, you should be grateful. You have no say in this!”

With that, he turned to the Sword Sage and said, “I choose the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent.”

He already possessed three natal spirit treasures and had no need for another. Besides, he suspected the Heavenly Palace would interfere with the formation of foreign natal spirit treasures. He still remembered the ordeal of forging the Heavenly Palace Halberd.

Moreover, Fang Hanyu was only at the Profound-Origin Spirit Treasure stage. If he could obtain a stronger one, it would be a blessing against fate itself.

Having lived this long, Fang Wang had few friends. Aside from Gu Li, he was on good terms only with his clan. If he could lend a hand, he would.

“But—” Fang Hanyu protested.

“That’s enough. Heaven and Earth Sword Intent and Sword Qi Spirit Treasure cannot coexist. Your bodies cannot bear both. You must choose one, and I have little time left; I cannot wait any longer,” the Sword Sage interrupted, though his eyes shone with gratification.

Fang Wang asked, “You trust us so easily?”

The Sword Sage replied, “I can see the sword heart within the sword qi. Yours is pure, with little greed or distraction. His sword qi, though murderous, shows he thinks of you above himself—proof of loyalty and righteousness. I have waited thirty years and cannot wait longer. Perhaps you are not the best heirs, but I have no other choice.”

“My own disappointing disciple has lost his sword heart and is unworthy of inheriting my Heaven and Earth Sword Intent. His mind is weak, placing too much value on the grade of his spirit treasure. If he were to possess a higher-grade spirit, he would only use it to bully others in the future.”

Hearing this, Fang Wang felt somewhat ashamed. Had he not appeared, would Song Jinyuan have inherited the Sword Sage’s legacy? But things had come to this; there was no room for sentimentality.

“Let us begin,” the Sword Sage said, suddenly raising his hand and pointing his index finger at Fang Wang. Fang Wang’s gaze instantly froze, and within his eyes flickered countless sword-wielding figures.

In that moment, Fang Wang realized that the mysterious figures he had seen practicing swordplay on the lake were, in fact, the manifestation of the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent.

So, the Sword Sage had long planned to pass this on to him—his earlier test had merely been a formality.

That thought quickly faded as Fang Wang immersed himself in the transmission.

A torrent of sword techniques surged into his mind, branded indelibly upon his memory. The sensation was both passive and uncomfortable, yet oddly exhilarating.

Not long after, the Sword Sage withdrew his hand, looking at the dazed Fang Wang with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. “How does it feel?” he asked.

Fang Hanyu, too, looked at Fang Wang, tense with anticipation.

Fang Wang’s eyes gradually cleared. He seemed to have aged a decade in an instant, an air of decline about him. He sighed, “It’s remarkable…”

Damn! He had underestimated the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent—it took four hundred and six years, second only to the True Battle Art.

“From now on, you need not study any other sword techniques. Focus solely on my sword path. With your Heaven-Origin Spirit Treasure, you should master it in ten years. In fifty, you’ll be able to wield the spirit of all things; in a hundred, you may surpass me,” the Sword Sage said with a stroked beard and a smile.

Fang Wang nodded calmly.

“Very well, you may leave. I will now pass the Sword Qi on to him, which will take a month. No one is to disturb me during this time,” the Sword Sage instructed.

Fang Wang took a deep breath, stood, patted Fang Hanyu’s shoulder, and left the pavilion.

With the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent in hand, he could trust the Sword Sage at last.

As the door closed behind him, Fang Wang walked toward the wooden bridge. Little Zi poked her head from his robes, sensing that Fang Wang seemed again to have the air of one possessed. But this had happened before, so she did not ask.

Back in the pavilion, the Sword Sage looked at Fang Hanyu. “I can sense your sincere devotion to the sword. Zhou Yu cannot compare to you. When it comes to swordsmanship, in the future you may yet…”

Meanwhile, outside the pavilion, Fang Wang reached the end of the bridge, spread his arms wide, and let out a furious roar:

“Ah—!”

His voice echoed across Sword Lake, carrying far into the distance.

Miles away, Gu Tianxiong—standing on the lake, meditating on the sword—opened his eyes and cursed, “What little brat is howling like a banshee?”

He was not alone; many sword cultivators frowned in dismay.

Inside the pavilion, the Sword Sage’s expression changed drastically, as if sensing something shocking. Fang Hanyu quickly said, “Please continue, Elder. Don’t mind him—he’s always been this unruly since childhood.”

The Sword Sage took a deep breath. “In the future, never compare yourself to him. Focus on your own sword path—that is the true way!”

Though a cloth covered Fang Hanyu’s eyes, his expression was still one of confusion. He wanted to ask, was that really what you meant?

...

“No! I need to walk for a bit!” Fang Wang lowered his arms and spoke in a solemn tone. Though shouting had brought some relief, he had no desire to cultivate right now.

Little Zi followed, saying, “Young master seems troubled—shall I amuse you?”

Fang Wang pulled her from his robes and tossed her into the lake, then turned and left.

He stepped down from the wooden platform and made his way along the lakeshore.

He recalled that before coming to Sword Lake, he had met someone. What was their name again?

He couldn’t remember, but figured if they met, the other would surely recognize him. He had a good impression of that person—they seemed interesting.

“Young master, wait for me!” Little Zi darted swiftly across the lake behind him.

...

In the First Branch of the Great Abyss Gate, within a cave residence—

Lu Yuanjun and Zhao Zhen sat across from each other at a stone table. Zhao Zhen poured tea for Lu Yuanjun and asked, “That kid’s been gone for over half a year. Have you found out where he is?”

Lu Yuanjun replied, “I checked the direction of his disciple token through the sect’s central artifact. He’s far to the south, likely somewhere in those hundred-thousand mountains. But the exact location is unknown.”

Zhao Zhen took a deep breath. “During this time, I’ve befriended members of the Fang clan and built good relations.”

Lu Yuanjun looked at him with a half-smile. “So? You’re not afraid he’ll find out now?”

“With the emergence of the Heaven-Origin Spirit Treasure, the sect will surely protect him at all costs. Neither you nor I can compare to him. Why compete? When the Great Qi becomes an immortal dynasty, I’ll leave and seek my own fortune. I’ll never return.”

Lu Yuanjun laughed, but then his expression darkened. “Leave? Where do you think you’ll go? If I kill you, he’ll never trace it to me, will he?”

Zhao Zhen remained calm. “I’m just a witness. Your ghost artifact has absorbed so many souls—when it emerges, he’ll surely uncover the truth. At that point, you won’t escape retribution. Killing me serves no purpose. Leaving the Great Abyss Gate and the Great Qi is the best path for both of us. The world is vast—surely there is a place for us somewhere.”