https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-101-The-Move-That-Decides-the-World/13450076/
Chapter 100: The Ultimate Sword Dao, Divine Sword!
Chapter 100: The Ultimate Sword Dao, Divine Sword!
Over the next few days.
Li Hao stepped out of the Divine General Manor and accompanied Bian Ruxue as they wandered around Qingzhou City.
He took her to enjoy delicious food, watch grand performances, and listen to storytelling.
They even went to a nearby lake outside the city, where he caught dragonflies and butterflies for her, using the pages of a Sword Manual to press the butterflies into specimens and gift them to her.
Despite their extraordinary status, both of them smiled brightly as they engaged in these ordinary activities.
In the countryside, Li Hao brought along paper, pens, and scrolls to paint numerous portraits of Bian Ruxue. Each painting had a different background and angle, totaling over a hundred. He had almost exhausted his experience points from painting her.
But painting for her was not about the experience points for Li Hao.
Outside the city, it wasn't the Blackwater Demon Lake where Second Uncle Li Muxiu had taken Li Hao, but another smaller Monster Lake.
Li Hao brought a fishing rod, and Bian Ruxue sat beside him, with the White Fox Xiaorou curled up in her lap, playing with her.
When they grew tired, the girl would rest her chin on her hands and quietly watch Li Hao fish.
Seeing the young man's focused gaze on the float, his earnestness reminded her of their childhood, and a gentle smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Bian Ruxue's mind seemed to drift back to the courtyard of their childhood.
In that courtyard, while she practiced her sword techniques, she would hear the innocent and unweathered voice from the pavilion nearby:
"Oops, Uncle Lin, you've made another mistake!"
"The pieces should go on the intersections, not inside the squares!"
"Uncle Lin, you lose again!"
Every time she grew tired from practicing, she would look up at the pavilion, and seeing the boy's figure there always brought her a sense of peace.
The joyful laughter from those days seemed to echo in her ears, as vivid as if it were yesterday.
The young man stared at the lake's float, and the girl gazed at his profile, both lost in their own thoughts.
Suddenly, the float moved.
The young man swiftly pulled the fishing rod, like drawing a bow to its fullest, and soon, a Force Mastery Fish Demon was reeled in.
For these Monsters below the Soul Succession Realm, fishing with a sturdy metal rod and special fishing line was sufficient.
"Brother Hao, you're amazing!"
The girl, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality, clapping her hands in delight.
Li Hao smiled, killed the Fish Demon with a wave of his hand, and tossed it aside. Seeing that it was getting late, he reeled in his fishing rod and lifted the fish basket from the water, which contained a few ordinary fish.
He released them into the wild.
Then, he packed up his fishing chair, called to the White Fox, and said to Bian Ruxue, "Let's go home."
"Okay."
Bian Ruxue nodded with a smile. Li Hao carried everything, while she walked behind him, hands behind her back, taking small, happy steps.
As the mountain villages began to fill with the smoke of evening meals, the two by the lakeside returned home.
Their pace was leisurely, passing by the fields and crops outside the village, where they came across a melon field.
Outside the field, a single earth dog guarded the area. Li Hao smiled and had the White Fox distract the dog while he stealthily picked a watermelon.
He held the watermelon close and ran, and once he was far enough away, he casually threw down two taels of silver into the melon pit.
On a hill not far from the village, Li Hao split the large melon, revealing the vibrant red flesh. He handed half to the girl, and each of them took a piece.
Li Hao didn't mind the mess and buried his face in the melon, juice dripping down his chin.
Bian Ruxue, on the other hand, was more refined. She gently pushed the hilt of her sword, and the blade flashed, slicing the melon into crescent-shaped pieces.
She handed one to Li Hao, who took it and began to eat.
"Days like this are truly peaceful..." Li Hao sat on the hill, his hands behind his head, gazing at the setting sun, its last rays casting a warm glow over the world.
Bian Ruxue paused in her melon eating at Li Hao's words, then smiled and said, "Yes, they are."
Li Hao smiled, finished his half, and Bian Ruxue shared two pieces with the White Fox. After they all finished eating, they walked home together.
When Li Hao and Bian Ruxue returned late, with mud on their boots and pants, Li Tiangang said to Li Hao:
"You should take Xue'er to better places to play, not those dirty, messy spots. And when you go fishing, what about Xue'er? Won't she get bored? Think about her more."
Li Hao listened expressionlessly, smiled faintly, nodded, and said, "Mm", before turning and leaving.
Bian Ruxue quickly said to Li Tiangang, "Uncle, it was actually my idea to watch Brother Hao fish. He's very good at it, and I could tell he enjoys it."
Li Tiangang, who doted on his future daughter-in-law, said with a gentle look:
"I know he enjoys it, but since you're here, you shouldn't always do what he wants. If I'm not around one day, and you always let him have his way, it will be hard for you."
"Uncle, please don't say such things. Nothing will happen to you", Bian Ruxue quickly replied.
Li Tiangang smiled and said, "Good Xue'er, don't worry about me. You should think more about yourself."
Bian Ruxue was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "I will."
Several more days passed.
Li Hao accompanied Bian Ruxue on a tour of the city. They happened to catch a Festival in the western part of the city. They watched the fireworks, the street performances, and the shadow puppet shows.
Even as the Festival was drawing to a close, the two of them still felt unsatisfied.
Li Hao was carrying a load of purchases, but he hadn't brought any Attendants or guards with him, so as not to make both himself and Xue'er feel uncomfortable.
"Are you having fun?"
Sitting on a stone by the roadside, the two of them sat side by side, watching the sunset beyond the city walls. Li Hao smiled and asked.
"I am."
Bian Ruxue's eyes were full of joy.
Li Hao turned his head and gazed at her profile. She still had some of the features from her childhood, but there were changes too. She had grown up and matured.
And she had become even more beautiful and radiant.
However, such radiance, though beautiful, comes at a price.
Like a meteor, it is dazzling but fleeting, burning out its entire life in an instant.
Li Hao watched quietly, and they sat in silence.
After a moment, Li Hao said, "Would you like to keep living like this forever?"
Bian Ruxue was taken aback, turned her head, and looked at Li Hao.
Their gazes met, and they could see many things in each other's eyes.
Bian Ruxue slowly turned her head, a relaxed smile on her face. "Of course, I would."
"Really?" Li Hao asked, his gaze flicking to the sword in her hand.
It was always with her.
Bian Ruxue's smile faded slightly. At that moment, she seemed to understand that Li Hao had noticed something.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Brother Hao, I might have to let you down."
Bian Ruxue turned her head again and looked at Li Hao. The relaxed smile was gone, replaced by a slight frown and a touch of sorrow and helplessness.
Li Hao fell silent, and the faint hope in his heart slowly sank.
Seeing Li Hao's silence, Bian Ruxue's words flowed out like a sudden release. She sighed, lowered her head, and spoke to herself:
"I know, Brother Hao, you have been very good to me, and I can never repay your kindness."
"But, I want to see, to try, to see the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, to see if I can reach the summit."
When she spoke of the sword, her soft voice carried a hint of unshakable determination.
Li Hao's lips moved, but he didn't speak.
He watched the girl lower her head. At that moment, besides the familiar contours of her face, Li Hao saw something else familiar.
It was the same look he had seen in countless geniuses, the look of moths flying toward the flame, risking their lives to pursue their dreams.
"Actually, once you've seen that view, you'll realize that a simple, ordinary life like ours is the happiest", Li Hao said softly, almost to himself.
The joy of these days of play couldn't match the drive of her Sword Heart, could it?
Bian Ruxue looked up at the sunset and said, "Maybe, but if I don't see it, I fear I will never be at peace. I want to see the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, and I want to see the ultimate power of the Divine Sword that my master spoke of!"
"Divine Sword, huh..."
Li Hao shook his head and smiled. There were countless swordsmen in the world, and for untold years, a legend had been circulating.
There were myriad sword techniques, various schools, and different sword stances, all of which had evolved to their limits.
But these were not the ultimate Sword Dao!
The ultimate Sword Dao was called the Divine Sword!
No one knew the stance for drawing that sword, no one knew how it was swung or thrust.
No one knew if that sword truly existed.
But countless people believed that if one could comprehend such a sword,
they could slay gods, cut through ghosts, exterminate demons, and vanquish all evil. They could split the sun and moon, fill the seas!
Such a sword was the ultimate pursuit and goal of all swordsmen.
Li Hao had read about many Grandmasters and even some Sword Saints in the Rain Listening Pavilion. They had all recorded their efforts to comprehend these sword techniques, engaging in duels, battles, and exchanges!
The legends of the Divine Sword were most widespread and fervent eight hundred years ago, when sword cultivators were most obsessed, driven to madness!
But the fervor gradually diminished because no one had ever achieved it, and it was relegated to legend.
After a few hundred years, people grew tired of the topic and no longer debated or explored it.
He hadn't expected that the girl in front of him would have such thoughts and such aspirations.
Was it that old man who instilled these ideas in her?
Li Hao thought of the old man who had rejected him. He had neither good nor bad feelings toward him, but now, a hint of anger welled up.
"Was it all your master's teaching?" Li Hao asked.
Detecting the slight emphasis in the young man's voice, Bian Ruxue's expression changed, and she looked at Li Hao before shaking her head.
"No, my master only mentioned it casually. It is what he pursues, but he never forced it upon us. This is the path I want to explore on my own."
"Is that so."
Li Hao's anger subsided. "If you practice the sword, I can accompany you, and I can teach you."
Bian Ruxue couldn't help but think back to the events of her childhood courtyard.
She sighed inwardly; things were different now.
"The Divine Sword has no rules, no records, only legends. It cannot be taught. Perhaps only when someone truly wields that sword will its elegance become tangible."
Bian Ruxue whispered, "I know you can also wield a sword, but this sword has already reached the Dao. Even my master can't teach it. Only by dedicating one's entire life to understanding and exploring can one glimpse a fraction of it."
Li Hao remained silent.
Indeed, with a Sword Saint as her teacher, she wouldn't need his help in swordsmanship.
He looked at the girl, his gaze intense. "Do you really mean to say that you have given your heart entirely to the sword?"
The Sword Dao Heart Immersion can make one obsessed, but there is a difference between obsession and madness.
Only true love for the sword could lead to such devotion.
Bian Ruxue met Li Hao's gaze without flinching. When it came to the sword, she was unwilling to hide or evade.
"Yes, so I want to see it for myself."
"But what if you can't see it?"
"So I want to try."
"Countless swordsmen have pursued this in vain. It's just a legend, something no one can achieve. Are you willing to give up the happiness you can easily attain now for such a fleeting legend?"
Li Hao looked at the girl before him, unable to understand. He had mastered many arts, but he had never been so obsessed.
Bian Ruxue fell silent for a moment before saying, "If I don't make an effort to climb once, I might regret it for the rest of my life!"
Li Hao couldn't help but laugh and sigh.
The countless infatuated men and women, the endless grudges and entanglements, all stem from this unwillingness to let go, don't they?
But, flowers can bloom again, but youth never returns...
Li Hao sighed and said, "What did you originally plan to do?"
Bian Ruxue saw Li Hao sighing continuously and felt a pang of sympathy in her eyes, but she still bit her lip and said:
"In my sect, there are two choices: the Secular World and the Sword Dao. Actually, both can be chosen simultaneously, but doing so means you are still choosing the Secular World."
"Because the Sword Dao is pure, it is singular."
"Only singularity can achieve the ultimate!"
She spoke softly, "I've already made my decision when I came down the mountain. I plan to stay with you for a while, then continue honing my swordsmanship!"
"When the time comes..."
Her voice softened, and her cheeks turned slightly red as she glanced at Li Hao. Seeing that he was also looking at her, she turned away:
"When the time comes, Brother Hao, when you want to settle down and start a family, I will return and marry you, and we will have children."
Li Hao felt only a deep sigh in his heart as he knew she hadn't finished.
"Then what?" he asked.
"Then, I will continue pursuing my Sword Dao", Bian Ruxue said, the blush on her cheeks fading as she spoke earnestly.
Li Hao understood her plan. "But getting married and having children will take a year of your time. That way, it won't be a fully devoted pursuit of the ultimate."
Bian Ruxue nodded, knowing this all too well.
If she truly wanted to pursue the ultimate, the best way would be to sever all ties with Li Hao.
To be solely accompanied by the sword.
But, everything from her childhood made it impossible for her to cut ties so easily.
The gratitude she felt was too deep, too significant.
She knew that without Li Hao's help back then, she wouldn't have had the chance to pursue the Sword Dao, or even become a disciple of the Sword Saint.
The Li Family used the highest-quality Foundation Building Elixir and the best Strange Blood to shape her bones and muscles. Li Hao even gave her the most refined blood essence extracted from the three-thousand-year-old Demon Corpses that Li Tiangang had slain at the border, for her Blood Dissolution.
This was how she was shaped into the supreme ninth rank!
This gave her the opportunity to pursue the Sword Dao.
How could she forget such a favor?
If she forgot, her heart would be incomplete, and so would her sword.
How could she climb to the peak and become the ultimate swordsman?
Therefore, even if it meant a year's delay, she was willing.
Bearing Li Hao's child was what she truly wanted, the only way she could repay him.
"Have you made your decision?" Li Hao looked at her.
"I have", Bian Ruxue said seriously.
Li Hao's lips twitched, knowing that persuasion would be futile.
She had already given her heart entirely to the sword.
He couldn't help but sigh, finding it somewhat ironic.
Four years of sharing the same courtyard through wind and snow couldn't compare to eight years of companionship with the sword.
Yes, in terms of time, he was only half.
How could he compare?
But, he was alive, while the sword was not.
He thought back to the dark nights in that courtyard, and the bright starry sky.
He remembered the first time he saw that little girl crying, comforting her broken heart after losing her father.
He remembered that sunny day when two small hands made a promise in the courtyard:
"You have to be a good girl. As long as you stay here, I'll come back no matter where I go."
"Cross my heart."
"You can't change, you said so. Whoever changes is a dog."
"Okay, okay."
Who could have predicted that the child who had laughed and promised casually would end up being the one who truly meant it?
Those letters flying from the Southern Sword Hut were like ellipses after a vow, leaving things unfinished and to be continued.
Just as the people in the courtyard were still waiting for the spring breeze to arrive, the young girl far away, nine thousand miles distant, had already dedicated her heart to the sword.
Li Hao had never expected that the little girl who left with his master that day would truly go so far.
Perhaps that day he was too happy and mistook her farewell for a promise...
Li Hao thought back to a fishing trip by the lake several years ago, when Second Uncle Li Muxiu, seeing the young prodigy's unparalleled talent, couldn't help but impart his unique secret technique.
The *Half-Step Invincible Fist*.
After teaching it, Master Li asked, "Do you know why this fist technique is called 'Half-Step'?"
The young man guessed, "Could it be that Second Uncle only created half of it?"
Master Li smiled and shook his head, "The world thinks so, but that's not the case. This 'Half-Step' is the complete version."
The young man asked, "Then why is it called 'Half-Step'?"
Master Li replied, "Because a half-step is what makes it invincible."
The young man didn't understand.
Master Li continued, "Because if a person takes a full step, they might not be able to control their force. If the enemy dodges, they might find themselves in a difficult situation... Life is the same. Don't take things too seriously, or your heart might run away."
Don't take things too seriously, or your heart might run away...
Only now did Li Hao realize that the "half-step" was a state of mind, not a literal half-step.
The same goes for both the fist and life.
Otherwise, it would lead to defeat...
Li Hao looked up at the fading sunset and sighed deeply.
When Bian Ruxue heard Li Hao's sigh, her heart trembled slightly, as if she felt something was about to be lost.
She tightened her grip on the sword in her hand, then gently released it. Perhaps this was a result she had long anticipated. Why should she feel sad and upset now?
She composed herself, looked up at the radiant young man before her, and asked with a forced smile, "When did you realize it?"
Li Hao slowly turned his gaze, looking at the girl's face, which was as beautiful as the sunset, captivating to the point of distraction. But his eyes were smiling, not lingering in admiration. He said, "Maybe a long, long time ago."
"A long, long time ago..." Bian Ruxue was taken aback and looked at Li Hao with confusion, "Why?"
Li Hao smiled but didn't explain.
The content of the letters and the frequency of their correspondence were enough to reveal something. Humans are emotional beings, and they are naturally sensitive to emotions.
Including how this time, she didn't head straight for the Li Family Manor but first tried to conquer the Mourning River.
Once the Mourning River was infiltrated, the village was destroyed, and the civilians trapped there were doomed. Whether it was conquered earlier or later made no difference; it was just a matter of her mood at the time.
"This time you came back, I'll take you to see all of Qingzhou. Are you really happy?" Li Hao asked.
Bian Ruxue nodded slightly, "Yes, I am!"
"That's good."
Li Hao nodded and smiled, but his smile seemed to be missing something.
She was truly happy, but it couldn't change the heart that had already run away.
Half-step, half-step... Why did I take too many steps...
Li Hao shook his head and smiled.
"What are you laughing about?" Bian Ruxue asked.
Li Hao's gaze fell on the sunset, and he said, "I'm laughing because the scenery is beautiful, but the world is busy, and people rush by on the streets. Who has the leisure to stop and look up?"
Bian Ruxue fell silent, knowing that Li Hao wasn't talking about the passersby, but about her.
So she spoke for the "passersby": "Maybe they have to hustle for their lives, for their dreams... You taught me the word 'dream,' Brother Hao."
Li Hao couldn't help but laugh heartily, standing up with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, "You're right!"
But then he added, "However, if one really wants to, they can spare a moment to look up, it's just a matter of whether they are willing."
"What's the point of that?"
"Of course, there is a point. The purpose of life is to have that moment when you look up, isn't it?"
It seemed they both took it seriously for a moment, then fell silent.
After a long while.
Li Hao's face had regained its composure, slightly weary, and he said, "I'm a bit tired from today's outing. You should go back first."
Bian Ruxue was silent for a moment, then nodded lightly and stood up, "It's getting late, the courtyard should be having dinner. You should come back soon, don't keep Uncle waiting."
Li Hao's lips curled into a smile, "I waited for him for fourteen years. What difference would a few more moments make?"
Bian Ruxue was taken aback, her lips parted, wanting to say something but finding nothing to say.
She suddenly felt a strange, piercing sadness in her heart.
This was a feeling she had never experienced while practicing the sword.
When practicing, she was pure, but now, she wasn't.
Bian Ruxue left first, and Li Hao sat in the same spot, holding the snacks and toys he had bought during the festival.
Looking at the items in his hands, the girl hadn't taken any, and Li Hao couldn't help but smile.
If she really liked them, why wouldn't she take them?
She only took her sword and left like a gentle breeze.
Does the sword really have such charm?
Li Hao looked up, thinking that if he ever had the chance, he would climb to the peak of the Sword Dao and see for himself.
To see how many Sword Dao practitioners lay buried at the base of that cliff.
And whether there truly was a Divine Sword at the peak.
The sunset turned crimson, like a blood-stained orange peel. The sun was setting today...
(End of Chapter)
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