Chapter 112: The Second Layer of Sword Intent

Chapter 112: The Second Layer of Sword Intent

Xu Yan witnessed Pan Yaoshi break through to the Qi and Blood Realm, becoming a martial artist. Although he was only at the Copper Bone Foundation and seemed weak in Xu Yan's eyes, his power was unparalleled in the remote borderlands.

A pinnacle expert in the martial world could wipe out their existence with a mere flick of a finger.

Xu Junhe was also in the midst of a breakthrough, aided by elixirs. He had already completed the purification of his organs, and it had only been a day or two since he entered the door to martial arts.

"This Qi and Blood Elixir is incredibly effective even when made with ordinary spirit medicines. I wonder how much more potent it would be if it were refined with spiritual herbs? Grandpa is getting older, and his cultivation progress is slow. Moreover, my uncles aren't particularly gifted either.

"And there's my mother. Even with the help of elixirs, it will still take some time for her to enter the door to martial arts, and we've already run out of pills."

Xu Yan marveled at the effects of the elixirs and decided to give all the spirit medicines at home to his junior disciple sister for her to refine into pills. He knew that refining elixirs consumed a lot of medicinal ingredients.

Especially when attempting to create new formulas, success was often not achieved on the first try, and each failure meant wasting an entire furnace of ingredients.

"Spiritual herbs! That's what I need. Once I enter the Inner Domain, my first goal will be to buy spiritual herbs. Only they are the true ingredients for refining superior elixirs."

Xu Yan made up his mind.

The desire to venture into the Inner Domain burned strongly within him once more.

Now that Pan Yaoshi had entered the door to martial arts and his father was about to break through, Xu Yan felt more assured about his family's safety.

Additionally, two of the dead warrior guards had decent talent and were close to their breakthroughs as well. After returning, he could ask his junior disciple sister to refine another batch of elixirs to help them.

"Once Dad breaks through, I'll go back and ask my junior disciple sister if there are any elixirs that can restore youth. I'll have her refine some for Mom to take. It would also be great if there were elixirs with milder effects that made it easier to break through cultivation realms..."

Xu Yan thought of his mother.

He didn't expect his mother to fight and kill, but he wanted her to have some level of strength. More importantly, cultivation could extend one's lifespan.

Li Xuan scouted the Endless Mountains and noticed quite a few people venturing into the mountains in search of experts, but he didn't come across a single martial artist.

However, as he ventured deeper into the Endless Mountains, nearing the Inner Domain, he encountered vicious beasts like the Red-Eyed Tiger and the Fire-Maned Wolf.

"Could it be that the Red-Eyed Tiger and Fire-Maned Wolf in Evil Forest originated from these Endless Mountains? That Red-Eyed Tiger seems rather weak, almost like it's not a purebred..."

Li Xuan pondered.

"Now that I'm here, it would be a waste to return empty-handed."

With that thought, Li Xuan descended.

By the mountain stream, he spotted a colorful tiger with a massive physique, only slightly smaller than a cow.

"Could this be the local king of the Red-Eyed Tigers?" Li Xuan wondered, amazed by the tiger's size.

The proximity to the Inner Domain meant that the Endless Mountains had a faint presence of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, allowing for the existence of these powerful beasts.

"Roar!"

The Red-Eyed Tiger felt a sudden weight on its back, and when it turned, it found a person sitting on it!

It roared in fury and tried to flip over, but its nape tightened, and its entire body was lifted into the air. It found itself dangling mid-air, halfway through its roll.

Just like someone had picked up a large cat!

The tiger was terrified. It curled its tail and hind legs, letting out low, mournful whimpers, too scared to struggle. It didn't want to fall from this height.

"Hey, you're quite intelligent for a big cat. I randomly picked one, and it turns out to be one of the smarter ones?"

Li Xuan smiled in surprise.

He carried the Red-Eyed Tiger back to Yunshan County.

Keeping such a big cat as a pet wouldn't be bad. He wondered if it could be tamed. If it could be tamed, he would keep it as a pet, but if not, it would end up in the stew pot.

Its blood, flesh, and even its tiger penis could be used for refining elixirs.

Upon returning to the manor, Li Xuan released the tiger, expecting it to rage and roar. Instead, it rolled over on the ground, showing its belly—a sign of surrender.

"Hey, you're a smart big cat, I'll give you that."

Li Xuan laughed.

"Master, do you want me to extract its blood, flesh, and bones for refining elixirs?" Su Lingxiu asked excitedly as she ran over.

"Let's keep it for now. If it doesn't behave, we can always kill it later," Li Xuan said, patting the tiger's head.

"Okay," Su Lingxiu replied, sounding a little disappointed.

"Stone Two, you're in charge of feeding it. If it doesn't listen, slaughter it," Li Xuan instructed.

"Yes, Master!" Stone Two replied eagerly. "Master, I've learned beast taming before. May I try to tame it? I'll give it a shot."

"Go ahead and give it a try," Li Xuan said, surprised that Stone Two knew beast taming.

However, he knew that Stone Two's beast taming techniques were likely just some common methods from the martial world, nothing too extraordinary.

"In the future, if I refine any elixirs that fail, we can give them to the tiger. It would be a waste to discard them otherwise. Whether it benefits from them or not is up to fate."

Li Xuan thought for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, Master!" Su Lingxiu nodded.

Hearing this, Stone Two immediately retracted his neck and said in a dispirited tone, "Never mind then, let's just give them to the tiger."

Li Xuan sat down in a chair and watched as the tiger, now alone, tried to act cute by rolling onto its back. After a moment's thought, he said, "From now on, your name will be Chi Mao (Red Cat)

."

"Roar!"

Chi Mao let out a low growl.

Li Xuan laughed, surprised that this tiger had a decent level of intelligence.

Stone Two fetched a thick, coarse chain and a whip for taming beasts, and proceeded to put the chain around Chi Mao's neck.

Su Lingxiu used the Water Spirit Grass to refine a batch of pills, but among them were two waste pills which she threw to Chi Mao to eat.

After consuming the waste pills, Chi Mao's eyes sparkled as it stared at Su Lingxiu, repeatedly rolling onto its back and exposing its belly, clearly trying to ingratiate itself to her. It seemed that after eating the waste pills, the tiger had discovered that they had a beneficial effect!

Having refined the pills, Su Lingxiu began to help Zhou Ying with her martial arts transition.

Zhou Ying's martial arts foundation was almost set, and transitioning would take time. Without the aid of pills, it would be even more difficult.

Fortunately, her current realm wasn't too high.

After consuming the pills and accumulating Qi and blood, she finally succeeded in sensing her Qi and blood, entering the Refining Skin stage.

With her original martial arts prowess, along with the aid of the pills, Zhou Ying's Refining Skin speed was rapid, and she finally succeeded in transitioning her martial arts.

Su Lingxiu breathed a sigh of relief and began to focus on her own cultivation and research into the Dao of alchemy.

On this day, Xu Yan returned.

Li Xuan learned that Xu Yan's father had broken through to the Qi and Blood Realm and had entered the door to martial arts.

"Is it because there are too few cultivators, and their realms are too low, while my realm is too high, that I didn't receive any feedback?"

Li Xuan pondered this question.

After paying his respects to his master, Xu Yan handed over the medicinal ingredients he had brought back to Su Lingxiu, and they discussed the matter of pills.

"Junior Sister, do you have any pills for maintaining youth? I want to give some to my mother." Xu Yan asked.

"Pills for maintaining youth?" Su Lingxiu pondered, various spirit herbs appearing in her mind. She extracted their characteristics and gradually formulated a pill recipe, although it wasn't quite mature yet.

"It should be possible, but the ingredients for youth-preserving pills must be spirit herbs. I only have Water Spirit Grass, which isn't suitable for refining youth-preserving pills," Su Lingxiu replied with a shake of her head.

Xu Yan was delighted, "Junior Sister, just give me the list of spirit herbs you need. Once I enter the Inner Domain, I'll definitely gather all of them."

"Junior Sister, do you have spirit herbs?" Xu Yan asked in surprise.

"Second Senior Brother brought them back," Su Lingxiu replied solemnly, then proceeded to tell Xu Yan about Meng Chong's encounter with the Demon Sect in detail.

"That Demon Sect again! Unforgivable!" Xu Yan was furious. The last time it was Blood Heartless from the Demon Sect, who almost killed Meng Chong, and now the Demon Sect was involved again. He secretly made a decision.

Once he entered the Inner Domain, he would settle the score with the Demon Sect!

"Junior Brother has comprehended blade intent? Wonderful! I'll go find him!" Xu Yan exclaimed excitedly.

Su Lingxiu's eyes lit up. Senior Brother had comprehended sword intent, and now Second Senior Brother had comprehended blade intent. She couldn't wait to see them spar.

She hurriedly followed Xu Yan up the slope to watch.

Stone Two also brought Chi Mao along to watch the excitement.

Li Xuan raised an eyebrow but didn't go to watch. He already knew who would win.

Meng Chong's blade intent was overwhelmingly dominant, carrying a momentum that could sever the heavens and extinguish the earth.

Xu Yan's Mountain River Sword Intent appeared gentle and unassuming, seemingly lacking in sharpness, but it actually concealed a killing intent that was even more ruthless and merciless.

The mountains and rivers overturn, and all life is extinguished!

"Junior Brother, you've comprehended blade intent? Let's spar!" Xu Yan was thrilled.

"Alright!" Meng Chong replied, equally excited.

Sparring would allow them to validate and gain further insights into their respective intents.

Su Lingxiu and Stone Two stood at a distance, watching the two figures on the slope.

Chi Mao lay on the ground, its eyes rolling as if looking for an opportunity to escape.

Hum!

Suddenly, an overwhelmingly dominant aura surged, and blade intent filled the air, carrying a murderous aura that seemed intent on annihilating everything.

Chi Mao was terrified, its eyes filled with fear, and its body trembled.

It was too frightening.

"What a terrifying blade intent. So, this is blade intent?" Stone Two was deeply shaken.

He looked on enviously, lamenting his own limited talent that prevented him from comprehending blade intent.

Su Lingxiu clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the two senior brothers. She wondered what Senior Brother's sword intent would be like.

Hum!

In an instant, a gentle yet vast sword intent emerged, encompassing the mountains, rivers, and all living beings. Even the overwhelmingly dominant blade intent was enveloped within it.

Despite the relentless onslaught of Meng Chong's blade intent, the mountains and rivers showed no signs of collapse.

Xu Yan was astonished, "Your blade intent, so overpowering!"

"Master brother, I'm about to make my move!" Meng Chong said in a deep voice.

"Alright!" Xu Yan nodded.

A dazzling blade light burst forth, its dominance unmatched as if it sought to tear the heavens apart.

But in that instant, a sword light surged, resembling the flow of mountains and rivers. In the blink of an eye, the mountains and rivers toppled, extinguishing all life in its path with relentless and merciless force!

The blade intent dissipated, leaving only the lingering sword intent.

"Your mountain and river sword intent is truly extraordinary, master brother. I admit defeat." Meng Chong exclaimed in admiration.

His blade intent had reached the pinnacle of dominance, yet he had not expected his master brother's mountain and river sword intent to conceal such ruthless and relentless killing intent.

"Master brother, your blade intent is sharp and overwhelming, and even my mountain and river sword intent would find it challenging to withstand it.

"Today's spar has given me new insights, and I've gained a deeper understanding of sword intent." Xu Yan admitted.

Meng Chong fell into deep thought, as the spar had also granted him some enlightenment. However, compared to his master brother, he knew he still fell short.

"No wonder Master decided to enter the world and continue accepting disciples after taking you in. Your martial arts prowess has already surpassed that of ancient geniuses." Meng Chong marveled.

The spar between the two had concluded, with each gaining valuable insights from the clash of their blade and sword intents. Xu Yan and Meng Chong retreated to assimilate their newfound realizations.

Su Lingxiu returned to the manor and resumed her cultivation in the Dan Yi martial arts. She, too, had made some progress.

Only Stone Two was left feeling bewildered and a little ashamed. He couldn't help but feel the gap in talent between himself and the others, as he hadn't gained any insights from the display.

He glanced at Zhou Ying, who was diligently cultivating, and breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't the only one who hadn't comprehended anything.

Xu Yan sat on the slope, immersed in his newfound understanding of sword intent. Traces of sword intent lingered around him, constantly shifting and evolving. At one point, the sword intent seemed on the verge of advancing to the next level, but then it suddenly stalled.

"My realm is not sufficient to manifest the second layer of sword intent." Xu Yan opened his eyes and exhaled.

He had comprehended the second layer of sword intent.

Meng Chong also gained insight from the spar, learning to temper his overwhelmingly dominant blade intent, allowing him to burst forth with sudden and devastating attacks.

Li Xuan's figure appeared on the slope, casually twirling a jade scepter in his hand as he strolled forward with a relaxed gait.

The moment Xu Yan had comprehended the second layer of sword intent, Li Xuan had received feedback from the system.

"Your disciple, Xu Yan, has comprehended the second layer of sword intent. You have achieved mastery over the second layer of sword intent." The system announced.

Second layer of sword intent! Li Xuan marveled inwardly. With Xu Yan as my disciple, my martial arts legacy will surely flourish!

As Li Xuan approached the slope, he decided it was time to impart the second stage of the dao of the blade to Meng Chong, allowing him to begin his contemplation and cultivation.

"Master!" Meng Chong respectfully greeted Li Xuan.

"Hmm." Li Xuan nodded, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distant horizon, exuding the aura of a reclusive master.

"Now that you've awakened your blade soul and entered the path of the blade, do you have any questions?" Li Xuan asked.

Meng Chong's spirit lifted at the prospect of gaining more insight, "Master, should I nurture my blade as I did before to awaken my blade soul?"

Li Xuan fell into deep thought, considering the prospect of blade nurturing.

While it could be a powerful technique, it also required significant resources and could hinder one's cultivation to a certain extent.

Furthermore, the reason Meng Chong's attack had been so powerful when he drew his blade after nurturing it was due to the sudden release of the accumulated blade intent upon the awakening of his blade soul.

Li Xuan suddenly thought of the blade dao realm he had fabricated, and he realized that even if Meng Chong were to nurture a blade, it shouldn't be an ordinary one. That would be too mundane and unworthy of the grandiose nature of the fabricated blade dao.

With this thought, Li Xuan spoke, "How should you nurture your blade? Now that your blade soul has awakened, you shouldn't be fixated on a single physical blade. What you should nurture is the blade in your heart, within your blade soul.

"Nurture the blade within, not without.

"What if your treasured blade is lost or stolen? Wouldn't that be a futile effort?

"Don't tell me you plan to keep your blade with you at all times to prevent loss, for that is foolishness. The blade you should nurture is the one within your heart, within your blade soul.

"Only by nurturing the blade within can you ensure it will never be lost."

Meng Chong's heart stirred, and his eyes widened as if a new world had opened before him.

"Nurture the blade within my heart? The blade within my blade soul?" Meng Chong murmured, as if he had found the key to unlocking the mysteries of blade nurturing.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end