Chapter 1134: The Old Man Resolves Doubts
Lin Feng glanced at the Skyless Sword bouncing on the old man’s shoulder, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Still, he sat down, feeling deeply uneasy. He and this sword that wanted to devour his soul were within inches of each other. Perhaps with just a single thought from the old man, he would become a sword slave.
“Don’t worry. This sword doesn’t actually want to possess a person. Besides, just now it merged with your demonic weapon, and now carries a trace of your aura. It’s even less willing to replace you and turn you into a sword slave,” the old man said softly, as if trying to put Lin Feng at ease. Lin Feng smiled bitterly and nodded. Even if he wasn’t reassured, what else could he do?
“Senior, how do you know it doesn’t want to possess a person?” Lin Feng asked.
“Cough, cough!” The old man let out a light cough, looking even more aged. Then he raised his head and gave Lin Feng an apologetic smile. “I’m old. Forgive me, young friend. Though I’m just a dying old man sweeping the sword grave, I’ve been here for a hundred years. That is to say, I’ve accompanied these swords for a hundred years, day and night. I dare say that aside from the Skyless Sword Emperor himself, no one understands them better than I do. I can easily grasp their emotions.”
“A hundred years…” Lin Feng gazed deeply at the old man. Was this really just an ordinary elder? To have accompanied these sentient swords in the grave for a century, no wonder even the Skyless Sword was so affectionate toward him.
“If that’s the case, then why did it attack me just now?” Lin Feng glanced at the Skyless Sword. The sword trembled slightly, startling Lin Feng into a shiver. Was this thing threatening him?
“Heh heh, this sword is mischievous. Don’t take offense, young friend,” the old man said with a wry shake of his head. “The people of the Sword Pavilion only know this as the sword of the Sword Emperor from days past. They see it as a peerless divine weapon, but they overlook the time it took for the sword spirit to coalesce. The Skyless Sword Emperor used this sword, but the sword spirit hadn’t condensed for long before he disappeared. So, in a sense, this sword spirit is like a human child, possessing a playful nature.”
“Playful…” Lin Feng was speechless. A peerless divine weapon used by a Sword Emperor, and the old man described it as “playful.” It was truly baffling. Would the people of the Sword Pavilion dare to treat the Skyless Sword Emperor’s sword like a child?
“It’s a pity that the people of the Sword Pavilion are all skilled in swordsmanship, yet they never truly understand the swords themselves. They only know how to borrow the sword’s power, and even want to turn you, young friend, into a vessel, a sword slave.” The old man kept sighing and shaking his head. “However, though the sword spirit is like a mischievous child, it still has its own life and knows many things. For instance, it knows that the Sword Pavilion are the descendants of the Skyless Sword Emperor. So, when powerful figures once coveted the Sword Pavilion, it also acted to defend them. That’s precisely why the Sword Pavilion wanted even more to find a sword slave. Unfortunately, young friend, you were chosen. And this little one, though unwilling, still wanted to help them fulfill their mission for the sake of the Sword Emperor’s descendants.”
“Woo woo…” The Skyless Sword let out a whimpering sound, as if wailing in sorrow. Lin Feng was stunned. Could it really be as the old man said? The Skyless Sword only wanted to help the Sword Pavilion complete their mission, to accept him as a vessel and become the master of this body?
“Senior, if that’s the case, then what about that day?” Lin Feng asked.
“Sigh…” The old man let out another long sigh, shaking his head repeatedly, as if deeply disappointed. “The people of the Sword Pavilion think they are the descendants of the Sword Emperor and believe they understand swordsmanship. But in truth, they are all sword-blind. They don’t understand swords. They are unworthy to use swords, and even less worthy to wield the Sword Emperor’s sword!”
Unworthy to use swords? If outsiders heard someone say the Sword Pavilion was unworthy to use swords, they would surely scoff. But for an old man who had accompanied the Sword Emperor’s sword for a hundred years, Lin Feng couldn’t refute him. Perhaps he himself, like the people of the Sword Pavilion, didn’t understand swords.
“Over these years, they have tried countless times to control this sword, to have it sweep across the world for them. But a sword with a spirit, one that once belonged only to the Skyless Sword Emperor, how could they possibly command it? They never tried to communicate with the sword or truly understand it. Instead, they blindly sought to use it for its immense power, to boost their own combat strength. Later, they came up with the foolish method of finding a sword slave. That day you appeared, this little one only showed some unusual behavior because you could sense its emotions. So, the people of the Sword Pavilion thought it had chosen you as its sword slave. They don’t understand swords, yet they recklessly guess at the sword’s thoughts!”
In this short time, Lin Feng didn’t know how many times the old man had sighed or shaken his head. Perhaps the old man was too disappointed in the Sword Pavilion.
“Senior, aren’t you a member of the Sword Pavilion?” Lin Feng asked curiously.
“No, I’m just a sweeper. How could the people of the Sword Pavilion think highly of me? They don’t even know I’m here,” the old man replied.
Lin Feng thought to himself, if it was really as the old man said, then the people of the Sword Pavilion were indeed blind. Even if the old man’s cultivation was truly weak, with a hundred years of companionship with these swords, his understanding of swords had already surpassed the scope of the Sword Pavilion’s experts. Probably, in the vast Sword Pavilion, only this old man could make the Skyless Sword obey. That was a terrifying treasure, yet no one in the Sword Pavilion had discovered it. Instead, they wanted to turn him into a sword slave.
“Young friend, you must also practice swordsmanship, right?” the old man asked Lin Feng.
Lin Feng shrugged. In the old man’s eyes, even the people of the Sword Pavilion weren’t worthy to use swords. How could he dare claim to practice swordsmanship?
“Junior wouldn’t dare claim to practice swordsmanship,” Lin Feng said with a bitter smile.
“Don’t sell yourself short. Even if your strength isn’t great, the fact that you moved this little one proves you are far better than those arrogant fools. They couldn’t do this. You are more suited to practicing swordsmanship than they are.” The old man’s words made Lin Feng feel somewhat flattered. He said, “Perhaps junior was just lucky.”
“I’ve lived most of my life and never believed in luck. Heaven and earth give birth to all things; existence itself is reason. Luck is part of strength. Release your Sword Dao Will and let me see it,” the old man denied Lin Feng’s words.
“Alright.” Lin Feng nodded, then stood up and took a few steps back. The eighth-layer Sword Dao Will, without any concealment, burst forth. The air was filled with the howling of sword energy, a scene of slaughter, causing the other swords in the grave to resonate and howl as well.
“Fifth Layer of Heavenly Martial Realm cultivation, eighth-layer Sword Dao Will. Not bad. Come back,” the old man called Lin Feng back and asked again, “Do you understand swords?”
“I was just about to ask for your guidance, Senior.” Lin Feng shook his head. He knew he didn’t understand much about swords.
“What do you think, when your Sword Dao Will reaches its peak, what kind of power should it transform into?” the old man asked.
“Sword Essence?” Lin Feng said softly.
“Essence is endless, varying according to one’s understanding. There is Water and Fire Essence, Metal and Wood Essence, Lightning Essence, Wind Essence, Space Essence, Devouring Essence, even Time Essence, Reincarnation Essence—countless. But have you ever heard of Sword Essence? What is Sword Essence? To create a sword with a single thought? Sword Dao Will can also do that!”
“There is no Sword Essence?” Lin Feng’s expression stiffened. He too had been pondering. What was Sword Essence?
“Understanding Wind Essence makes one’s speed like the wind, turning into extreme speed. Understanding Flame Essence makes one’s attacks like fire, burning heaven and earth. Understanding Time Essence makes one’s years wither, feeling the passage of life. But tell me, if one were to understand Sword Essence, what would it be?” the old man asked again. Lin Feng fell silent.
What was Sword Essence? To create a sword with a single thought? To kill with a single thought? Was the path of Sword Dao Will at an end, with no road ahead?
But then why did so many people revere sword cultivators, saying their attacks were terrifying, and that the later stages of sword cultivation were even more fearsome?
Lin Feng realized that his understanding and practice of the sword path had fallen into a misconception.
Seeing Lin Feng silent, the old man revealed a faint smile and said, “It seems you are not from a major power. To have reached the Fifth Layer of Heavenly Martial Realm at such a young age through your own efforts is commendable. Now that your cultivation has reached the Fifth Layer of Heavenly Martial Realm, you should also understand some of the divine abilities of Venerables.”
“You don’t understand the path ahead of the sword. Then let me ask you, how much do you know about Venerables?” the old man asked again.
“Venerables understand the power of Essence,” Lin Feng replied.
“Does a Venerable only understand one type of Essence power?”
“Naturally, some understand more than one,” Lin Feng answered.
“Correct. When one steps into the Venerable realm, even at the same cultivation level, the gap can be as vast as the difference between heaven and earth—far greater than the gap in the Heavenly Martial Realm. Where does the gap lie? It lies in how many types of Essence power they have understood, and whether the Essence power they have understood is itself powerful. For example, can a person who understands ordinary Essence compare with a strong one who understands the power of Time Essence?”