by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Xiang Shaoyun stood there blankly, the scene replaying in his mind repeatedly, slowly bringing him into a unique mental state. That slash was so very natural and so very smooth. It looked like a completely casual slash, yet it contained an extraordinary power within. With one slash, over 1,000 stalks of bamboo were felled.
How had that person accomplished it?
Xiang Shaoyun kept watching the repeating scene in his mind, trying to figure out the essence behind the slash. But at the same time, he had a feeling that he still lacked something to actually comprehend the essence. It was at this moment that he recalled how the bamboo leaf had cut his face. The leaf seemed completely harmless, yet it was a fact that it had caused him to bleed.
How?
Xiang Shaoyun pondered incessantly, his body sat down cross-legged without him realizing it, and the Overlord Skyslaying Saber appeared on his knees. Once again, he sank into deep meditation, one even deeper than the one before.
Even when ants crawled up his body, he did not seem to realize it, nor when the birds had landed on his head. He had completely blended into the world around him. This was the most optimal state one could be in when comprehending the dao.
In a flash, half a month passed. He was covered in dead leaves and bird feces, as if he were a statue. On this day, the Overlord Skyslaying Saber on his knees suddenly started shuddering. Strands of purple and gold energy started emanating out of the saber, the impact jolting the dead leaves off his body as wind started billowing around him. Out of nowhere, Xiang Shaoyun gripped his saber and gently swung it.
Swish!
A saber energy shot out before vanishing immediately. The saber returned to its previous position, and everything returned to how it was before, as if nothing had happened at all.
Hu! Hu!
The wind brushed past noiselessly; the bamboo swayed gently.
Pa! Pa!
Next, an expanse of bamboo in front of Xiang Shaoyun collapsed. Luo Yongcheng just happened to be in the vicinity at this time. When he heard that sound, his heartbeat sped up, and he inwardly cried out in alarm, H-he couldn't have comprehended it for real, right?
Without a second thought, he rushed to where Xiang Shaoyun was.
Chapter 158: That Was Just Luck
Xiang Shaoyun finally opened his pair of sharp eyes, joy covering his face. He had spent about a month in total, and he had finally touched upon the concept of saber intent, understanding what exactly human saber unity was. The over 100 bamboo stalks neatly felled before him was the best proof of his comprehension.
Human saber unity relied not only on one's compatibility with the saber. What was more important was one's understanding on how to properly use a saber. It was with that understanding that one could better utilize the various saber techniques.
How should a saber be used? When to slash vertically, slash horizontally, slice, or stab? One had to know when to use which in order to perfectly make use of the saber. Upon reaching perfection in the way of using the saber, one’s hand would move in accordance to one's will, and the saber would move in accordance to the body, destroying everything that stood in the way of the saber. The saber was part of the body. One should be able to use the saber like one's own limb, doing what one wanted with the saber.
The Nether Soul Domain had contributed greatly to the relatively short period Xiang Shaoyun had used to gain this comprehension. Without the Nether Soul Domain capturing the scene of the saber expert slashing his saber in the forest before replaying the scene in his mind repeatedly, it would be very hard for him to catch on to the actual essence of the slash.
Of course, the leaf that had cut his face had also played a great role in helping him in his comprehension. The bamboo leaf had swayed along with the wind. In that moment, the wind was the leaf, and the leaf was the wind. Only by becoming one with the wind could the leaf cut his face.
The same concept applied to him and the saber, and by achieving human saber unity, he was able to unleash a greater power from his saber.
When Luo Yongcheng arrived and saw the uniformly cut bamboo, he was overwhelmed with shock.
"They are really the same! Brother Xiang, you have comprehended the saber intent!" Luo Yongcheng cried out in alarm.
Initially, he did not hold much hope in Xiang Shaoyun succeeding. He was 99 percent sure Xiang Shaoyun would fail to comprehend the saber intent. After all, so many people from the Green Bamboo Academy had failed. He found it hard to believe that a young man like this would be able to accomplish what so many had failed. But a miracle had indeed happened. Xiang Shaoyun had successfully comprehended the saber intent.
"It was just luck," Xiang Shaoyun said humbly.
"If that is luck, everyone in the Green Bamboo Academy might as well kill themselves," Luo Yongcheng mumbled. He then waved his hands and said, "Haha, this is great! Don't forget your promise! I'll tell the principal and the others about this!"
"Don't worry, I won't forget my promise. Give me three days. I need to consolidate my gains. Three days later, I will share my experience with the academy." Xiang Shaoyun nodded.
"Not a problem. Take your time," Luo Yongcheng said and left.
After Luo Yongcheng left, Xiang Shaoyun gently stroked his saber before swinging the saber around with lithe motions. He was still practicing the basic saber moves. But for some reason, his moves this time looked incomparably harmonious, giving off a feeling that he and the saber were part of nature itself. More importantly, the might behind his saber moves was now much more powerful than before, with each of the basic moves akin to a killing move.
Gradually, Xiang Shaoyun increased the speed of his saber swings, until eventually, he was akin to a berserk storm. Each of his slashes had tripled in power, and with the large increase in the speed of his blade, the tiny openings in his saber technique prior to this were no longer present.
This was the benefit of comprehending saber intent. It gave his saber technique a qualitative change. As Xiang Shaoyun practiced, he imprinted his current sensation into his mind. Finally, he stopped, pleased with his training session.
"Only now can I truly be considered a saber master." Xiang Shaoyun smiled in satisfaction.
He then proceeded to eat a large amount of food to replenish himself, as he had not eaten anything in a long while. Three days later, he was finally back to his optimal state. He stood there silently, waiting for Luo Yongcheng to come with the academy disciples to learn the saber from him.
As he stood there gazing at the Saber Forest, he muttered inwardly, "The saber master that once stayed here had most likely intentionally left the slash behind. It wasn't a slash left after gaining a new comprehension. He had probably reached the saber steering phase at that time. What a remarkable saber master."
At this time, Luo Yongcheng arrived with a group of people. There were young and old among them, but there weren't many of them. In total, only about a few dozen people were brought over.
For an academy, this was quite a low number of people to gather. Xiang Shaoyun originally assumed that he was supposed to hold a lesson to everyone in the academy, but looking at the crowd before him, that did not seem to be the case.
"Brother Xiang, this is the principal, these two are the vice principals..." Luo Yongcheng started introducing the people in an enthusiastic manner.
Xiang Shaoyun stepped forward and humbly greeted them one by one. No matter what, he was still a second-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. Thus, it was still not the time for him to put on airs.
"Haha, what a fine young hero. I never expected the person who had accepted the Redwolf Bandit bounty to be a young hero like you. You have even comprehended the saber intent here. Looks like we are truly getting old," said the principal.
The principal was a slim old man. As an eighth-stage Transformation Realm cultivator, he was the strongest expert in the Green Bamboo Academy.
"You are too kind, principal. I need to thank your academy for giving me this opportunity," Xiang Shaoyun said
. He then broached the main topic, "So shall we start now?"
"Sure!" the principal agreed. He then turned and spoke to the people behind him. "Everyone, sit properly and listen well. This is the young hero who has comprehended the saber intent in the Saber Forest. He is going to share with us his experience in comprehending the saber intent."
Everyone was looking at Xiang Shaoyun with complicated gazes. The young man before them was not a disciple of their academy, yet he was the one who had managed to grasp the opportunity waiting right in their academy. They were envious and regretful at the same time.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, "I refuse to believe he has comprehended the saber intent. Unless he can prove it in front of us, we will have a hard time believing him."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a medium build. He was also a Transformation Realm cultivator and was an elder of the Green Bamboo Academy.
"Eighth brother, look here. These are the cuts left by Brother Xiang. What is there to not believe?" Luo Yongcheng said gloomily.
"Hmph. How are the cuts sufficient to be proof?" the eighth elder snorted coldly. He then looked at the others and said, "Everyone, don't be afraid to voice your thoughts. Should we get him to demonstrate what he has comprehended? It would be way too embarrassing if we end up tricked by a young man like this."
With the eighth elder fanning the flame, the others started voicing their agreement. They demanded that Xiang Shaoyun demonstrate what he had learned. They would only be willing to listen to his lesson if they were convinced by his demonstration.
"Principal..." Luo Yongcheng looked to the principal, requesting for help with his eyes.
But before the principal could say anything, Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said, "Sure. Since that is the case, why don't we exchange a few pointers, elder. You will then be able to personally sense the existence of the saber intent. Who knows, you might even learn something from it!"
Xiang Shaoyun was not one to say no to free target practice.
Chapter 159: Thank You for Showing Leniency
"Ok. Let me personally experience the so-called saber intent. Don't disappoint me," said the eighth elder. No matter what, he was a third-stage Transformation Realm expert. He would not fear Xiang Shaoyun. But of course, he was also unaware that Xiang Shaoyun had already slain Li Hao and two other Transformation Realm experts from the Redwolf Bandits, hence the elder's confidence. If he had known that, he would not be willing to be the one to challenge Xiang Shaoyun when nobody else was doing so.
"Don't worry. I will make sure you experience it clearly," Xiang Shaoyun sneered.
When Luo Yongcheng saw that Xiang Shaoyun had agreed to the challenge, he couldn't say anything else. He only shot the eighth elder a look of pity as he thought, Old eight, you have always been an arrogant person. I'm afraid today will be the day you're taught a lesson for your arrogance.
Everyone moved to make some space and waited for the spar expectantly. Most of them were only curious as to what was so special about the young man to be able to comprehend the saber intent not even they could comprehend.
Xiang Shaoyun and the eighth elder stood facing each other, neither taking the initiative to attack first.
Xiang Shaoyun finally opened his mouth, "Since you are the elder, you should attack first."
"Hmph. You are the junior. How can I take advantage of a junior? You first," said the eighth elder with a snort. From Xiang Shaoyun's eyes, he could see how little the young man cared about him. It further inflamed the anger within him as he thought, So cocky at such a young age? Looks like I will have to teach him a proper lesson.
"If I attack first, you won't have the chance to do anything," Xiang Shaoyun said nonchalantly. That wasn't him being cocky. He simply had absolute confidence in himself.
"What big words. Don't cry that I'm bullying you later, then," said the eighth elder. He had a bad temper, and he was losing patience dealing with an arrogant young man. He dashed forward, drew his sword, and slashed at Xiang Shaoyun.
"Sculpting the Moon!"
Blue sword energy rippled out with an astonishing might, as if it was capable of carving even the moon high in the sky. Xiang Shaoyun stood still, his expression serene. He did not look like he was going to do anything at all. When the attack was about to arrive, he finally moved; his figure gently drifted to the side and avoided the attack. The eighth elder was somewhat astonished, but he felt more anger—anger that his opponent did not even bother to hit back.
"Let's see how many times you can dodge! Sculpting the Sun!" The eighth elder's sword split into two swords as he attacked Xiang Shaoyun from two different directions at an even faster speed.
The entirety of the sword move was laid bare before Xiang Shaoyun's wondrous eyes. With his wondrous footwork, he once again dodged the attack.
"Sculpting the Stars!"
Without pause, the eighth elder mustered all his strength and sent forth his third attack, vowing to defeat Xiang Shaoyun with it. The sword energy swept down toward Xiang Shaoyun like a massive curtain.
The crowd around them cheered when they saw the incomparably enchanting swordplay. They all believed that Xiang Shaoyun would not be able to avoid it.
This time, Xiang Shaoyun did not dodge. He lifted his saber and casually slashed it toward the incoming sword. The slash appeared slow, yet the saber intent moved at an incredibly fast speed. All everyone could see was a flash before the saber energy disappeared.
After the swing of the saber, the world seemed to have gone still, including the eighth elder's attack frozen in midair. As for the eighth elder himself, he stood completely still, as if Xiang Shaoyun had frozen him.
Suddenly, the eighth elder's attack crumbled apart and vanished as if it had never appeared in the first place. Apart from that, the clothing he wore also started falling off his body, exposing his sturdy upper body. Everyone stared blankly with their eyes opened wide in shock.
They had only seen a flash and Xiang Shaoyun swing his saber once. That one slash had not only defeated the eighth elder's attack; it had also shredded his clothes to rags. All of it was accomplished without leaving so much as a scar on the eighth elder's body—it was an inconceivable slash.
"Thank you for the match," Xiang Shaoyun said as he cupped his fists calmly instead of continuing to attack. He had initially planned to leave the eighth elder completely naked from that slash, but he ultimately decided against it and held back. It was always good to not burn bridges.
When the eighth elder finally recovered from his shock, the only sensation he felt was how cold his limbs had gone, as if he had taken a stroll at the gates of hell. It planted extreme fear in his heart.
He had clearly felt the entirety of the process when the saber had danced about his body, stripping his clothes off. If Xiang Shaoyun wanted to kill him, he would already be dead.
"T-thank you for showing leniency!" the eighth elder said and wiped off his sweat. Then, he gloomily returned to the crowd. Someone immediately gave him a cloak to cover his naked upper body. This action covered him in even more shame.
"Splendidly done! That is indeed the legendary saber intent. An endlessly stunning slash, Brother Xiang," Luo Yongcheng took the lead and showered Xiang Shaoyun with praise. Since he was the one who had brought Xiang Shaoyun here, with Xiang Shaoyun's victory, he shared in the glory as well.
"That is indeed an inconceivable slash," praised the principal. He then added, "Everyone, sit down and listen to Brother Xiang's lesson."
After the fight, they became much friendlier to Xiang Shaoyun than before. Just his strength alone qualified him to face them as equals, not to mention the supreme saber intent he had demonstrated. Not even the principal himself was confident he could block that slash. It would only do them good to maintain a cordial relationship with such a young hero.
The Green Bamboo Academy thus withdrew the contempt they had toward Xiang Shaoyun. A trace of admiration could even be seen in their eyes when they looked at him. Everyone sat down obe
diently, waiting for Xiang Shaoyun to start his lesson.
Xiang Shaoyun did not make things difficult for them. He directly started the lesson. "I learned this saber intent from your Green Bamboo Academy. Now, I shall share my entire experience comprehending the intent without holding anything back. Whether you can get anything out of the sharing session will depend on yourself. Comprehension is something I won't be able to help with."
He then proceeded to tell them everything he had learned during the half month he had spent comprehending the saber intent. Everyone present regardless of age listened with full concentration, and without realizing it, everyone sank into a state of deep contemplation.
Even after Xiang Shaoyun stopped talking, everyone was still in deep thought, slowly savoring everything Xiang Shaoyun had said in hope of learning something from his experience.
It was at this moment that a panicked voice broke the serenity. "Bad news! The Redwolf Bandits are attacking, and they are going to reach town soon!"
That voice pulled everyone back to the real world.
"Nice timing. I was just about to go hunt for their heads!" Xiang Shaoyun said, a trace of excitement visible on his face. Comprehending the saber intent had greatly boosted his confidence. Now, he did not fear even late-stage Transformation Realm experts.
"Brother Xiang, we shall accompany you to the battlefield," said the principal.
"What? No way. That is my mission. Please don't fight over it with me," Xiang Shaoyun left those words before mounting his red wolf and rushing toward the bandits.
Chapter 160: All of You Deserve Death
Not all the Redwolf Bandits were joining the attack. Only a third of them, about 200 bandits, were participating. They rode toward the town, leaving a massive cloud of dust behind them, as they moved with an imposing momentum.
The leader of the raid was a vice leader called Mo Lang, a peak seventh-stage Transformation Realm expert. He was riding on a Great Demon red wolf. An incorporeal murderous intent was emanating from his cold face. Both his arms were not covered by any clothing, clearly showing the large number of scars on them. These were the scars that he had accumulated over years of fighting and killing. For him, these scars were akin to medals of honor.