Second, will. The stronger one’s will was, the better. It reduced the negative effects of baneful auras. His strong will allowed him to execute the body-tempering saber art better. With the Power of Essence Soul, Meng Chuan could maintain absolute clarity of mind! He could execute the body-tempering saber art without any mental interference! He scored full marks on this aspect.
The third was realm. The Lightning Devastator Fiend Body required one to be at the Realm of Intent. This was because Intent allowed a person’s body to produce strength several times greater than when using Force! Intent allowed one to use more of their body’s potential. This caused a quantitative change in the absorption of baneful aura. Furthermore, Saber Intent would help him execute the body-tempering saber art more intricately. This also bettered the body-tempering effects—a qualitative change.
One had to achieve Intent before they had a chance of reaching the Seventh Refinement. And it was just a chance to reach it.
Many geniuses had reached the Realm of Intent, but the further they advanced in regards to body-tempering, the stronger the baneful auras became. They could barely maintain lucidity when the baneful aura attacked their minds; thus, only achieving a portion of the body-tempering saber art’s effects. If one had a sufficiently robust Godfiend foundation, they would stand a chance of reaching the Seventh Refinement. If their foundation were weak, they wouldn’t have any hope of reaching the Seven Refinement.
I’ll try the Power of Essence Soul. He now knew that the Power of Soul was the Power of Essence Soul. The Essence Soul was closely related to the body, and it was best at utilizing the body’s potential.
Boom!
The Power of Essence Soul fused with his body. His perception of his body became several times clearer. The blood in his heart seemed to be churning like rivers. His lungs and breathing mimicked the whistling air in Thousand Sabers Cavern. With improved perception, he could muster several-fold his normal strength and speed when he used the body-tempering saber art. The body-tempering effects he gained was no less than using Intent.
His body became greedier as it absorbed the baneful aura. His body-tempering efficiency immediately soared. However, this drained his Power of Essence Soul too quickly. Before he could complete one set of the body-tempering saber art, his Power of Essence Soul was already depleted.
Meng Chuan shook his head. The effects of absorbing the baneful aura have increased by several dozen-fold. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. I can train once in the morning. When the Power of Essence Soul has recovered fully at night, I can train again. I can use the baneful aura to temper my body twice a day at maximum efficiency, but these sessions are too short.
Previously, he cultivated for two hours. But now, he couldn’t continue after a few seconds. It was too short.
Even if it’s two times a day, it would probably take a year. There’s still the Sixth and Seventh Refinement… Meng Chuan shook his head. This isn’t a solution.
A beard well lathered is half shaved. I’ll try to comprehend Saber Intent first before continuing to temper my body. As long as I achieve Saber Intent, I’ll probably complete the Fifth Refinement in five days. There’s no need to drain my Power of Essence Soul daily. It’s not good for cultivation either.
Tempering the body with baneful aura is too slow. According to the descriptions in the manual, I should stop. The longer I’m exposed to the baneful aura, the greater the damage to my body. Many geniuses eventually collapse physically and are forced to stop. My body-tempering speed is slow; therefore, there’s no need to persist blindly.
Some geniuses had reached the Realm of Intent. However—with the baneful aura invading their minds—they barely managed to stay conscious. This caused the body-tempering saber art to be ineffective for them. Their bodies suffered severe damage after absorbing the baneful aura for too long.
The wisest method was to train one’s will, such as reaching the Darkness Altar’s summit! With sufficient willpower, one could maintain 60–70% of the body-tempering saber art’s effects whilst being assaulted by baneful aura. This way, there was hope.
However, it was very difficult to temper one’s will! It normally took geniuses three to five years to temper their well. Geniuses could not afford to waste so much time.
The Godfiend foundation was forged in the Mortal Shedding realm. It was impossible to change it now.
Raising realms was even more difficult.
Archean Mountain gave ten years for their disciples to become high-grade Godfiends at the very least, or they would be expelled from the inner sect. With such time constraints, cultivating a transcendent-grade Godfiend body was very difficult.
Apart from the Phoenix Divine Body and the Dragon God Body, it made sense why five of the other ten transcendent-grade Godfiend bodies—the Archean Divine Body, the Samsara Divine Body, the Lightning Devastator Fiend Body, the Thirteen Swordbane Fiend Body, and the Great Strength Fiend Body—were the hardest to cultivate.
If I want to reach the Ninth Refinement, I need to achieve Saber Intent. Without any hesitation, Meng Chuan left the chamber.
From this day onwards, he stopped cultivating his Godfiend body and focused on his saber art. Time originally spent for Godfiend body cultivation, was instead used for his saber arts.
He spent seven hours cultivating every morning! After lunch, he painted during his resting hours and recovered from his exhaustion. After all, it was exhausting to cultivate in the Thousand Sabers Cavern for long periods of time, even though he loved cultivating the swift saber. He had no restraint when painting. He could draw as he wished, allowing his mind to relax completely.
After eating food in the late afternoon, he would head to the Thousand Sabers Cavern and spend four hours perfecting the Heart Saber Stance. In total, he spent eleven hours on the Heart Saber Stance every day! After his painting sessions mid-day, he would be at his optimal state.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was June.
Bright Scenic Peak at night.
“Steward Liu, when did Meng Chuan leave?” Liu Qiyue placed dishes on the table and asked.
“Lord Meng Chuan left at 16:45,” said Steward Liu respectfully.
“I understand. You can leave first,” instructed Liu Qiyue.
“Yes.” Steward Liu respectfully retreated.
Liu Qiyue sat at the table and looked at the food she had prepared. Ah Chuan cultivates until so late in the day. For the past six months at Archean Mountain, his cultivation has become even crazier than when we were back at home.
Her heart ached a little.
After hours of training, her mental fatigue greatly reduced her efficiency. According to her master, she should stop to rest if she was truly exhausted and had poor cultivation efficiency. Forcefully cultivating without rest was not beneficial.
However, Meng Chuan had been cultivating for a very long time.
She read a book as she waited at the table silently.
…
Late at night, an exhausted Meng Chuan finally returned to his cave abode.
“Ah Chuan.” Liu Qiyue immediately stood up.
“Qiyue.” Meng Chuan’s exhausted face brightened when he saw Liu Qiyue.
“I personally cooked some food for you. Try it,” said Liu Qiyue immediately. She covered each plate with her hands and heated the cold dishes up rapidly. Using the power of a Phoenix bloodline to heat food was quite a rare sight.
Meng Chuan saw the dishes being heated up. Steam rose from the soup.
He was quite touched. Qiyue probably waited quite long for him.
“Oh, there’s my favorite pork belly.” Meng Chuan’s eyes lit up. He immediately sat down and picked up his chopsticks.
“Join me,” said Meng Chuan immediately.
“There’s no need. I’m already full,” said Liu Qiyue.
“I’m rather hungry,” said Meng Chuan with a smile. He had been cultivating the Heart Saber Stance for four hours in the Thousand Sabers Cavern. He was naturally
very hungry, and he enjoyed the meal.
Liu Qiyue watched from the side with a smile, but she still said, “Ah Chuan, don’t tire yourself out from cultivating. My master said that persisting in cultivation when you’re exhausted is harmful.”
“Don’t worry, I know.” Meng Chuan nodded.
“It’s useless no matter how many times I tell you this,” Liu Qiyue said exasperatedly.
Meng Chuan smiled without defending himself.
If he didn’t paint for more than two hours in the afternoon, he wouldn’t have had the energy to continue practicing his saber in the evening.
His painting time wasn’t fixed. It depended on his mood. Sometimes, it was a little short. Other times, it was longer. He didn’t limit the time as long as he enjoyed himself. Therefore, Meng Chuan never had a fixed time for when he returned in the evening. Liu Qiyue often waited for quite some time.
“Qiyue, I have a feeling.” Meng Chuan looked at Liu Qiyue and softly said, “I’m not far from achieving Saber Intent. I’ll definitely be able to break through within half a month.”
“Really?” Liu Qiyue’s eyes lit up when she heard that.
“In a few days, I’ll use my saber art in front of you,” said Meng Chuan with a smile.
Liu Qiyue nodded. Her eyes were bright. She was extremely happy seeing Meng Chuan becoming stronger.
Chapter 101 - Basic Mastery of Saber Intent
An early summer morning, the sky was dimly lit.
With a saber by his waist, Meng Chuan arrived at the Thousand Sabers Cavern alone.
Swoosh. Leaping 100 feet high, he entered the familiar cave. After passing several forks on the path, he took a few turns and walked nearly two hundred feet before stopping. The wind was far more intense here. The wind blades were faster and sharper. Ordinary Seamless realm experts could lose their lives if they were hit by the wind blades. However, Meng Chuan smiled as he took in this scene.
Every time he split the wind blades apart, he felt a sense of accomplishment.
The depth he traveled in the Thousand Sabers Cavern signified how brilliant his Heart Saber Stance was. He believed that he wasn’t too far from reaching basic mastery of the Heart Saber Stance.
Meng Chuan focused and slowly summoned strength from his body and Quintessential Essence. It was as if he was gathering his strength before pouncing on prey! His right hand suddenly moved without any warning. He held his saber hilt and unsheathed the blade. An aqueous saber beam streaked across the air. When it struck the wind blade, the strange force contained within the saber beams exploded with a bang.
He swung his saber continuously, producing ten arcing saber beams that fanned out beautifully. The saber beams glistened like water. When they struck their targets, a deep sound would ensue, dissipating the wind blades completely.
There were a few key requirements to gain basic mastery of the Heart Saber Stance. One needed to draw their saber quickly! The saber art required each slash to be connected without pausing!
Most importantly, it was a combination of Yin and Yang. The Yin represented the hidden strength converged within the saber. When the saber hit a target, the Yin would turn to Yang—the Yang was responsible for the eruption in strength! The Yin-to-Yang transformation produced a special explosive force. This Yin-Yang Blast was the essence of this move. With this explosive strength, one could quickly retract the saber as it transformed into Yin! When striking again, another Yin-to-Yang transformation would occur. This could go on perpetually.
Continuing the perpetual cycle of Yin-to-Yang transformations was the most difficult thing about the Heart Saber Stance. Without any intent guidance, it was hard to master the Yin-to-Yang transformation. The text-based descriptions in the manual were extremely vague.
Thankfully, Meng Chuan had a solid foundation. He had a lot of experience with the Saber Drawing Stance—which was similar to the Heart Saber Stance. This allowed his cultivation to be smooth.
Every day, he slashed at tens of thousands of wind blades. After half a year, he had grasped many of Heart Saber Stance’s secrets. The moment he consolidated all his knowledge into one, he would take that critical step.
Yin is concealment; Yang is explosive. Yin turns to Yang, and Yang turns into Yin. Yin and Yang spin perpetually, ensuring that the saber never stops. Meng Chuan executed his saber art constantly. Amidst thunderous booms, he blasted apart the wind blades.
There was no pattern to the wind blades’ attacks. Sometimes, ten wind blades would attack simultaneously. Sometimes, there would be a handful of wind blades, and they all had unpredictable trajectories.
However, as long as he struck out fast enough, he would be able to cleave through them with his saber!
Almost. Just a little bit!
He had executed the Heart Saber Stance many times. His strength and Quintessential Essence fusion had become instinctive as his Saber Force transformed slowly. He constantly pursued perfection. With his perception domain, he could identify the tiny flaws in his saber art execution.
Just a little more. Just a little bit more.
He pursued perfection with every slash.
Whoosh. When he finally struck out with his saber again, he finally reached his goal.
His muscles and bones underwent a magical fusion. He erupted with strength several-fold greater than normal. His Quintessential Essence began circulating with a unique rhythm. His Quintessential Essence perfectly merged with his body.
The saber beam’s speed suddenly increased. The saber beam flashed, turning blurry when it streaked across the sky. Following that, it struck a wind blade. With a deep boom—at the area where the wind blade had been struck—the air spherically distorted.
If that struck a newly-advanced demon monarch—even if their body could withstand the strike—the Yin-Yang Blast would shatter their organs, leaving them severely injured if not dead.
He could kill a newly advanced first Firmament demon monarch with ten strikes.
A peerless genius—who had comprehended Saber Intent and had also mastered a Black Metal Sutra move—could fight and kill a first Firmament demon monarch as a mortal.
Bam! Bam! Bam! The explosions left one trembling. The saber beam blurred because each strike was mind-bogglingly fast. They were like arrows. Once an arrow shot out, it would appear right in front of someone! As for its trajectory? It was impossible to track.
Meng Chuan’s Heart Saber Stance now had the traits of a sharpshooter’s arrow.
I’ve mastered it. I’ve mastered it. Meng Chuan stopped, and his face revealed excitement. I’ve mastered the Heart Saber Stance and have also comprehended the Heart Saber Stance’s Saber Intent.
The Heart Intent Saber had a total of eighteen stances. Each move had a different Saber Intent. This was why it was extremely difficult to master a Black Metal Sutra legacy. Even if one had reached the Realm of Intent, if the Intent weren’t identical to the one required for a certain Black Metal Sutra move, they would be unable to unleash the move’s true might. It would look good on the surface, but it had insufficient strength.
There was only one way to master a Black Metal Sutra’s ultimate technique! That was to cultivate one move for a long time. By doing this, one could reach the Realm of Intent. The condensed Intent would be the most for the move.
It was impossible to inherit a Black Metal Sutra legacy without an Essence Soul. Even Meng Chuan couldn’t inherit a Black Metal Sutra legacy due to his weak Essence Soul. Without an Essence Soul, all one could do was read the written descriptions.
It was too difficult to reach the Realm of Intent without intent guidance. Archean Mountain’s Heaven, Earth, and Man Godfiend techniques had intent guidance for knowledge impartation.
To reach the Realm of Intent without any intent guidance would take ten to twenty years. With intent guidance, it perhaps took a year or two.
After wasting a lot of time and energy on a Black Metal Sutra, many geniuses eventually chose Heaven-level Godfiend techniques when they realized that
there was no hope. If one cultivated a Heaven-level Godfiend technique to a profound level, it was not much weaker than a Black Metal Sutra.
Thus, that begged the question. What should he choose?
Meng Chuan had a great affinity with the Heart Intent Saber Art. If he had cultivated the Lightning Devastator Saber or the World Roving Dragon Saber, he would’ve probably spent six years comprehending Saber Intent. The Heart Saber Stance was just too suitable for Meng Chuan.
Back at Eastcalm Prefecture, he cleaved apart eight thousand flying arrows every day, and now, he did the same with wind blades. With all these similarities, his accumulated experience was what helped him with his swift mastery of the Heart Saber Stance.
With his hundred-foot perception domain, he could sense each of his strikes clearly. He understood his flaws and where he could improve; thus, his cultivation efficiency was high.
Hence, he had achieved Saber Intent and grasped Heart Intent Saber’s fundamental move—Heart Saber Stance—within a year.
In fact, most Godfiends only mastered a few of a Black Metal Sutra legacy’s moves. For example, King Calm Sea’s fifth son—Xue Feng—had mastered three moves. Jiang State’s Xiao Yunyue had mastered only one move. This was because they had limited time, and their cultivation realm wasn’t high. Typically, Godfiends would’ve mastered one Black Metal Sutra move once they became a Darkstar Godfiend.
As long as he trained one move to unimaginable heights, he could rule the world!
A peerless mortal genius—who had comprehended Saber Intent—could fight a first Firmament demon monarch. A peerless mortal genius—who mastered a Black Metal Sutra move—could kill a first Firmament demon monarch easily.
The Heart Saber Stance’s Saber Intent? Meng Chuan stretched out his palm, and an illusory saber appeared. Saber Force condenses into Saber Intent. Saber Intent is corporeal and visible to the naked eye.
The illusory saber that appeared on his palm was black and white. It was extremely sharp.
Archean Eon Art c1-766 Page 61