By the time Li Yuan woke up, he found that it was already past morning. After he freshened up, he went out and noticed that while the traces of last night's celebration still lingered in the air, but the training yard had already returned to its usual rhythm.
Dew clung to the grass as he walked through the familiar path he had traversed so many times in the past. At least according to the memories. He saw the younger family members standing in neat rows, practicing their basic forms with the wooden swords.
Off to the side, a few of his cousins at Qi Condensation realm sparred under the watchful gaze of the clan instructor, who stepped in every now and then to correct their footing or sword work.
Li Yuan paused at the edge of the yard, merely watching for a moment, letting the familiar pang of nostalgia wash over him before he finally stepped forward.
He picked up a wooden sword from the rack without ceremony. Several conversations stopped at once as they noticed his arrival. But he ignored them as he was here for a very specific purpose.
To finally learn the Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art.
From what he'd seen so far, the technique was divided into two different parts. The first half of the technique consisted of basic forms. Draw, step, cut, pivot, reverse grip and all that jazz. And while the basic forms were quite different from the ones he mastered upon learning Mountain Splitting Stillness Sword, he didn't find it difficult to get a hang of them.
If the sword art had consisted of only these movements, it would've long since been etched into the Stele within his Spatial Ring. But the true core of the technique lay beyond the forms. The second half required him to learn something far less tangible. It demanded that he learn to cut without relying on the blade.
It demanded Sword Intent.
He approached a Straw Dummy and raised his sword in a stance. Then, he took a deep breath and held that stance. Instead of moving, he imagined an opponent standing three paces away. He picture their throat, their heartbeat, the fear on their face. Everything. He tried to strike his opponent down with his mind while keeping his body still. Attempting to let the act of cutting originate purely from his will.
Nothing happened. But he'd already expected that and kept trying.
He remained there, unmoving, the sword trembling faintly from the tension in his grip. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed several younger clan members inching closer in curiosity. But then the instructor overseeing them cleared his throat sharply and waved them back into line.
Li Yuan was quietly grateful. When those Qin family cultivators attack the Yu family, he would need to fight Five Foundation Establishment cultivators on his own. And that, was definitely not going to be easy. Especially that Gu Mistress, who, from what he had seen in the vision where he failed, had countless life saving treasures and Gu.
That, along with her nigh unlimited Qi reserves made her a nightmare to fight. And so far, even with all the techniques he had, he wasn't sure how he was going to kill her. Hence, his urgency to learn this technique as quickly as possible.
Alas, if sword intent was so easy to learn, then everybody would've had it. So, an entire hour passed and he made little progress.
Eventually, footsteps approached him.
"Yuan, what are you doing?" Li Ming asked.
Li Yuan lowered his wooden sword slightly and exhaled before turning to look at his older cousin. Li Ming was Uncle Li Tian's son, and if not for Li Yuan's slightly superior cultivation talent, he might have been the one sent to the Nine Peak Sect instead.
"I'm trying to understand Sword Intent," Li Yuan replied.
Li Ming stared at him as if he had just announced he intended to reach Nascent Soul by the end of the week. "Sword Intent?" he repeated incredulously. "Even the most talented sword cultivators take decades to grasp that. You're only a teenager. And while you're good with a sword, you're no genius either."
Li Yuan did not argue. Li Ming was not wrong. But Li Yuan also knew that ever since his Mountain Splitting Stillness Sword had reached Complete Perfection, In certain moments of battle, he had felt… something. An edge to his sword that didn't rely entirely on Qi.
He knew what it was. Knew that he had already touched upon the threshold of Sword Intent. The only thing he needed to do now, was push against the door till it opened.
"Perhaps. But I intend to keep trying," he said simply.
Li Ming shook his head but moved a short distance away and resumed his own training. Another hour slipped by, and frustrated by his lack of progress, Li Yuan turned toward one of the straw dummies positioned along the yard's perimeter.
The dummy was crafted from spirit-bound straw specifically designed to endure strikes from Qi Condensation cultivators. Without directly channeling Qi into his blade, even a Seventh Stage cultivator like him would struggle to damage it.
He lifted the wooden sword and brought it down, channeling his Intent to cut it down. His sword form was perfect, and he placed all his strength behind the attack.
The dummy barely trembled and no cut appeared.
He raised the sword again. This time, he imagined the dummy being split cleanly in half. And he swung.
Once again. Nothing.
Again and again he repeated the motion, but frustration began creeping into his thoughts. Technique alone was insufficient. Visualisation alone was insufficient. He was missing something, though he couldn't quite tell what it was.
Then, unexpectedly, a memory surfaced from his past life. A fictional concept, but one that might be of use to him. In that world, it had been called Haki. A Power that did not rely on any sort of external energy, but on will power alone. On the certainty that one's strike would land and damage their opponent. On the belief that one's will could impose itself upon reality.
He inhaled slowly and let his breath out.
He raised the wooden sword again. This time, as he swung his sword, he willed for the Dummy to be cut in half. Willed for the world to obey his command.
The dummy was not split in half. But he could feel something different about his sword now. As if it was heavier than before. So, he continued trying. Continued to manifest his will into reality.
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Then suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
"Imagine killing someone as you strike that dummy." The voice said. "Use your killing intent. It'll help."
So deep he was in his focus that he didn't know who said those words or particularly cared. He simply raised his sword, and this time, he remembered the spirit beasts he had hunted in the Forbidden Forest. The precise moment before he struck, when he had already decided they would die, he swung.
The dummy shuddered, and this time, there was a faint cut in its surface. But… this was not it. Something was still lacking.
He tried again, and this time, he recalled the disciples who had attempted to ambush him. And the cold heartedness with which he eliminated them.
He swung his sword again, and the cut was slightly deeper this time. But it was not enough. Something was still missing.
Then, unbidden, another memory surfaced.
Xu Chen.
A cultivator that he'd had no enmity with but someone that he had cut down regardless. Purely for his own greed and selfish desire. Someone he killed, just because he wanted to. For a moment, he hesitated. But then, he firmed up his will as he imagined killing Xu Chen all over again.
A loud roar left his throat as he swung. Willing the world to obey his will and kill Xu Chen once again. His sword fell on the dummy. There was no burst of Qi, no dramatic flash, no nothing. Simply a wooden sword meeting a straw dummy. Yet, a faint, razor-thin ripple passed through the air. And a moment later…
The dummy split cleanly down the centre. Its left and right side collapsing on the stone with a dull thud.
Li Yuan stared at the two halves in disbelief before a slow, disbelieving smile formed on his face. He had done it. He had finally done it.
A huge smile formed on his face as he looked around, and paused. The younger disciples around him all stopped training. Even the instructor stood motionless, his gaze fixed not on the split dummy in front of him but behind him.
A chill crept up his spine as he turned.
Elder Zi Mo stood a foot away from him. Her black hair cascading over her shoulders, as the morning light outlined her slender figure. The veil obscured most of her face, but to him, that only made her appear even more enchanting in that moment.
It took a moment to come out of the trance, and another moment to connect the voice he had heard earlier with the figure before him. He hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."
Elder Zi Mo regarded him for a moment longer before speaking. "Well done."
Her tone was gentle and melodious as always, yet, he could sense a certain amount of interest beneath it. Then, the Elder turned and walked away, her robes flowing softly against the stone as she finally left the yard.
—————
After Elder Zi Mo left the training yard, Li Yuan did not linger.
The murmurs resumed behind him, his cousins whispering about what he just accomplished, while the younger kids kept glancing at the split dummy in awe. Even the Instructor had a look of shock on his face, but Li Yuan barely registered any of it.
He returned to his courtyard briskly, entered his room, and slid the door shut behind him. Then, he stood still for a moment, listening. No footsteps. No prying spiritual senses brushing against him. Still, he was cautious and quickly set up a 1st tier basic formation in his room to stop any prying senses from noticing what was going on inside.
Only then did he reach beneath his robes and retrieve the Ancient Spatial Ring. And willed himself inward. A breath later, he stood atop a quiet mountain within the spatial island. Miles away from the main Spirit Lake and the cultivated spirit herb garden he normally visited.
The island looked quite beautiful from up here but he did not waste time admiring it. Instead, he summoned his Stele.
The black stone monument materialised before him. Its surface shimmered faintly before lines of golden script carved themselves into existence.
NAME: Li Yuan
AGE: 14
CULTIVATION: 7th Stage Qi Condensation
SKILLS
Heavenly Star Refining Sutra — 1/4000 (Major Accomplishment)
Mountain-Splitting Stillness Sword – 600/600 (Complete Perfection)
Shadow-Cloud Steps – 800/800 (Complete Perfection)
Veil of Borrowed Heaven – 2400/2400 (Complete Perfection)
Spirit Residue Following Technique – 1000/1000 (Complete Perfection)
2nd-Tier Formation Breaking — 3/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
2nd-Tier Formation Crafting — 11/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
2nd-Tier Spirit Herb Cultivation – 6/400 (Moderate Accomplishment)
Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art — 1/750 (Minor Accomplishment)
CURRENT POINTS: 12,046
His gaze settled on the final line where the Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art had finally been registered. Then, his gaze slid to the number on the right.
1/750.
His lips twitched.
750 points just to complete Minor Accomplishment. That alone exceeded what it had taken to push Mountain-Splitting Stillness Sword from early Perfection to Complete Perfection. But he was not surprised. This was not any simple sword technique but one that required Sword Intent to use.
In fact, he had expected the number to reach over a thousand and was silently glad that such was not the case.
If anything, this made him realise that he had underestimated the Heavenly Star Refining Sutra. Because that technique had demanded a thousand points at Minor Accomplishment. If he was not dragged with so many other things and could simply cultivate in peace, he would've already reached 8th Stage of Qi Condensation by now.
Compared to that monster, the Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art was almost… restrained.
Still, he decided to take this technique to Major Accomplishment as well. And save the remaining points for learning the Healing technique as well as the Body and Soul Cultivation techniques.
He inhaled slowly and then willed for the Stele to place 750 points into the Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art. And the line shifted.
Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art — 1/1500 (Moderate Accomplishment)
His mind exploded with pain as deep comprehension of the art filled his mind. But if that was all there was to the technique, then he would not be experiencing such pain.
No. The reason he felt such pain upon learning the technique was because alongside the technique, he had also gained deep insight on Sword Intent. After all, the core of the technique was sword intent. So the moment he gained mastery over the technique, he also gained mastery over Sword Intent.
He clutched his head and staggered slightly before he opened his eyes and stared at the Stele in disbelief. Can Sword Intent really be mastered. Just like that? It shouldn't be, right?
But try as he might, he could not deny the deep understanding of Sword Intent he now possessed.
The Stele… it was even more bullshit than he had thought. After all, learning skills, and learning Sword Intent were two completely different things. Or at least, that's what he thought till now. Now, he was no longer sure about anything.
Still… if he could really learn Sword Intent like this, then the value of this technique just increased a hundredfold. And for that reason, he could no longer afford to hold back. Another 1500 points disappeared, taking technique from Moderate to Major Accomplishment. And then another 3000, taking it from Major Accomplishment to the realm of Perfection.
He fought through the migraine in his head and a wide, crazed grin formed on his face as he thought of the Deep Understanding he had gained of Sword Intent.
"So it's like this… Hahahaha." He laughed, something warm and wet trickling down his nose as he glanced at the Stele once again.
Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art — 1/6000 (Perfection)
"GO ALL OUT!" He shouted and added 5999 more points to the Sword art.
The Stele shifted one final time.
Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art — 6000/6000 (Complete Perfection)
Current Points: 797
The world shattered as information detonated in his mind. Endless refinements. Spatial Micro-cuts. The mathematics of severance. The boundary where sword intent transitioned into a pseudo-domain. The principle of cutting something so finely that even the world struggled to comprehend that it's been cut.
His knees buckled and his vision swam as he knelt to the ground. Blood streamed from his nose. Then from his ears, and eyes and mouth as his vision went white.
For a long while, he knelt there, clutching his head in pain as waves of comprehension carved themselves into his mind.
When the storm finally subsided, he collapsed fully onto the ground, his chest heaving as the world swam around him. Blood flowed freely from his seven orifices and pooled on the stone beneath him.
He reached into one of his Spatial Rings and broke one of his usual unspoken rules. The rule of not consuming any pills. He took out a Healing Pill and popped it in his mouth. Then, he laid there, staring at the sky as the healing pill's effects slowly circulated through his body and healed the damage done to him.
His brain meridians throbbed faintly from mental overload as the pill soothed them. And now that he could think properly again, he could sense that while the damage went somewhat deep, it was also superficial in nature. A healing herb would suffice and some rest would suffice.
What hurt him more was the loss of points.
He glanced at the 797 points remaining in the Stele and let out a sigh. He'd worked so hard to save that many points. And now, most of them were gone. But for obvious reason, he wasn't too upset about that loss. Because what he had gained in exchange was immeasurable.
Sword Intent—true Sword Intent—now lived within him. This gain was so huge in fact, that he had forgotten entirely about the Infinite Micro Slash Domain Art.
He rose slowly, wiped the blood from his face, and drew his blade.
First, he used Mountain-Splitting Stillness Sword. He channeled Qi through the edge and cut toward a nearby boulder. The boulder parted cleanly, as expected. The hide of a second-grade beast was far harder than the rock, So in his eyes this was nothing impressive.
Then he inhaled again and raised his sword once again. Taking the same form from before. Except, this time, instead of using his Qi, he channeled his sword intent. And swung.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the boulder slid apart, cut in half.
The cut was so smooth that even under spiritual sense, it was nearly invisible. It was microscopically flat, as though some god had descended on the world and used a godly artefact to bring this into existence. He stared at the cut in silence. But then…
A deep rumble rolled through the island.
He blinked. And watched in stunned silence as right behind the boulder, on the other side of the ravine the peak of the mountain shifted.
A silent line carved itself across its base before the entire summit tilted, then slid off to the side as the entire mountain was cut in half.
He watched as the mountain's peak fell in a slow, unstoppable descent before crashing into the lower slopes below. The impact shook the island, sending tremors through the ground and a massive cloud of dust into the air. The Spirit Lake rippled violently in the distance. And the entire spatial island shuddered.
Li Yuan stood motionless, watching the destruction in utter silence. He had not aimed for the mountain. He had not even intended to cut that deep. And yet… somehow, he had.
His chuckle escaped quietly at first. Then it grew until it turned into a full blown laughter. He laughed and laughed and laughed. His laughter echoing throughout the island, completely wild and unrestrained.
With this…
He could kill Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
With this…
Those Five Foundation Establishment cultivators of Qin family were no longer a threat.
Slowly, his laughter gradually subsided and was slowly replaced by a cold expression. Instead of waiting for the Qin family to attack the Yu family. He might as well go on the offensive.
Tonight, he would go to the Qin family and deal with them once and for all.
