Chapter 373: The Sword of Wisdom (Part 2)
Chen Changsheng had originally wanted to say more about what the soul of the sword path consisted of and how it related to the comparison between Wang Po’s and Xue He’s saber techniques, but seeing Su Li’s angry expression, he didn’t dare speak up and honestly replied, “I can.”
“Then let’s continue. The soul of the sword path lies in the One.”
This time, when Su Li said “One,” he emphasized the word, making it sound like “Eternity.”
Chen Changsheng earnestly sought clarification, “Do you mean… that cultivating the sword path requires single-minded devotion?”
Su Li thought for a moment and said, “Yes and no.”
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and asked, “Then… is it or isn’t it?”
Su Li stared into his eyes and said, “In short, one word sums it up: One.”
Chen Changsheng lowered his head again and said, “Yes.”
“They say the sword is a weapon of slaughter, not to be used by anyone but a sage. This actually means the sword is also a sacred vessel.”
Su Li calmly looked at the Sky Covering Sword in his hand, his right hand gripping the hilt while the index and middle fingers of his left hand slowly slid along the blade. “When the sword is horizontal, it is like a mountain range on the plain, like iron chains at the bottom of a great river. When it is vertical, it is like an arrow flying through the sky, raindrops falling from heaven. Pointed downward, it splits the earth to reveal the Yellow Springs and the abyss. Pointed upward… it sets the heavens ablaze.”
“The reason for this lies in its form and its intent.”
“The form of the sword is One, and the intent of the sword must also be One.”
“When form and intent are united, its soul is also One.”
“No matter how many sword techniques you understand, it is better to master a single set of techniques to perfection.”
“Even if you have ten thousand swords, you must choose one as your own.”
Su Li looked at Chen Changsheng, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
Chen Changsheng was lost in thought, truly lost in thought—Su Li’s views on the sword path were not particularly novel; there were many similar records in the Daoist Canon, but they didn’t align with his own ideas.
Su Li continued, “Of course, at the very beginning, you still need to learn a lot. With broad knowledge, you can pick the most suitable one without being dazzled by choices. When I was fifteen, I knew so many sword techniques that I couldn’t even remember their names, and that laid the foundation for my later achievements. In short, it’s like those sayings about seeing mountains and rivers—it’s a bit complicated, so try to grasp it as best you can.”
Chen Changsheng didn’t need to ponder deeply to understand the general idea, but this kind of teaching was too advanced—it was a matter for later. What about now? That assassin was still hidden in the night, and on the road south, who knew how many powerful enemies they would encounter? Perhaps countless people were already rushing toward them.
Su Li looked at him and said, “When it comes to actual combat, your state is quite peculiar. You clearly have a decent amount of true essence in your body, but for some reason, your output in battle is terrible.”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was filled with admiration. In the capital and in the Garden of Zhou, many had mocked or pitied him for his thin true essence, but only Su Li had seen his real problem.
This was indeed a troublesome issue. Thinking of Luo Luo and Nanke, with their special bloodlines and the overwhelming power of their vast true essence in battle, he felt envious. But this problem involved the meridians in his body, and he couldn’t explain it too clearly, so he simply waited silently for Su Li’s next words.
“The greatest feature of the Star Gathering realm is the existence of the Star Domain. To break through defenses, you either suppress the opponent with a higher realm, crush them with sword momentum, or use a sufficient amount of true essence to attack a single point. Your realm isn’t high enough, and the true essence you output through sword techniques isn’t enough. Even if your sword is sharp enough, you can’t enter another person’s world.”
Su Li glanced at Chen Changsheng’s short sword and said, “Fortunately, most of the Star Gathering realm cultivators on the continent are only nominal. Their Star Domains are far from perfect, all having weak points and flaws. If the opponent stays still, they might use their realm and momentum to conceal those weak points or flaws, but as soon as they move, they can be seen through. So what you need to learn most now is how to see through the weak points of a Star Gathering realm opponent.”
Chen Changsheng thought of the battle that morning and asked, “Like how you saw through Xue He’s flaw?”
“Exactly. But if you wait until the opponent moves before you see it, it’s often too late. So given your current realm, the best method is to calculate in advance. Even if you have to guess, pick a few positions as backups.”
“How do I calculate?”
“Age, realm, physical strength, body condition, most likely moves, Star Domain characteristics, amount of true essence, sect background, cultural heritage, regional traits, dietary habits, marital status, number of children…”
“Senior… what do marital status and number of children have to do with it?”
“Married people naturally have weaker courage and less stamina.”
“And the number of children?”
“If someone just had a child, they will be exceptionally brave and hard to defeat, because they have too much love and attachment to this world.”
“What if they’ve already had seven children?”
“That person is also terrifying, because they are very likely unafraid of death.”
“…In that case, being married for too long is also extremely terrifying.”
“That’s typical summer insects talking about ice. What’s so scary about that kind of opponent? They probably think about suicide every day.”
“…Senior, can we talk about serious matters and stop being ridiculous?”
“Who’s being ridiculous?”
“…”
…
…
Su Li wasn’t being ridiculous. He listed sixty-seven specific factors for Chen Changsheng. Age, realm, physical strength, body condition, sect background, skin color—all of these were meaningful in battle. According to him, if Chen Changsheng could truly master this sword technique, he could easily see through the flaws of any Star Gathering realm opponent.
This sword technique had no moves, required no strong true essence or high realm—only wisdom and powerful calculation ability. It gave the wielder a pair of wise eyes to see through the world, so it was called: the Sword of Wisdom.
The night stretched on, stars filled the sky. Su Li used his sword as a pen, drawing and writing on the ground by the lake, explaining to Chen Changsheng the relationships and changes between these seemingly unrelated factors. Chen Changsheng gradually accepted the concept of the Sword of Wisdom, listening with intense focus, his mind racing rapidly, unwilling to miss a single word or sentence.
After finishing the explanation of the Sword of Wisdom, Su Li lay down between the two woolly deer and went to sleep.
Chen Changsheng sat by the lake, unable to sleep.
Before his eyes were dense lines of text and the extremely complex process of deduction.
He was good at rote memorization, but this aspect of his ability was truly ordinary.
Without enough wisdom, how could he master the Sword of Wisdom?
He simply couldn’t grasp this seemingly simple yet incredibly intricate sword technique.
Just then, he suddenly thought of that girl he had first met, and it seemed as if a white-clad figure was fluttering on the lake’s surface. If someone with her extraordinary talent for calculation and deduction were to learn this sword technique, she would probably master it quickly.
…
…
(Chen Changsheng’s computational ability is now quite average, but his greatest advantage at this point is that his database is large enough, storing a sufficient amount of information. This month is the New Year, so updates will definitely be severely affected. There will definitely be a break during the Spring Festival, as everyone knows. This month, I’ll try my best to keep the total updates above eighty thousand. Hmm, I’ll write a lot more in March. Also, some friends are very concerned about who is number one on the assassin list. Well… let’s have a guessing game on WeChat. Someone will definitely guess it. Heh, I can only use these two words to express my mood right now.)