Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Zhang Ruochen was pondering if he should disclose the secret that he had unlocked the Space-Time Sacred Mark to Elder Xuanji.
Just then, the elder continued, “Do you know the difference between a sword practitioner and a mere swordsman?”
“Is there a difference between a sword practitioner and a swordsman?”
Zhang Ruochen gave a slight start and immediately stood up, bowing to the elder. He said, “Your disciple do not know. Please enlighten me, Master.”
Elder Xuanji looked at Zhang Ruochen with a glance that was pregnant with meaning and said, “A sword practitioner practices the sword, while a swordsman practices merely sword techniques.”
“And what is the difference between the sword and sword techniques?” asked Zhang Ruochen curiously.
Elder Xuanji replied, “In this world, countless warriors and Monks wield swords as their weapon, yet very few can be called real sword practitioners.
“Admittedly, some subtle sword techniques can unleash infinite power once you succeed in mastering them. But by simply practicing sword techniques at the Ghost Level, or even the King’s Stage, do you think you would be regarded as a sword practitioner? Those who practice such techniques are still merely swordsmen.
“In the face of a true sword practitioner, the sword technique that a swordsman is so proud of would not be able to withstand a single strike. Even a sword technique in the King’s Stage can be defeated in one move.”
“Even a sword technique in the King’s Stage can be defeated in one move.” Had this sentence been uttered by anyone else, Zhang Ruochen would surely have regarded that person as arrogant.
Even a sword technique at the Ghost Level was quite abstruse and unique. Such techniques could cleave mountains and break up streams in one sword strike.
Let alone a sword technique in the King’s Stage!
If a sword technique in the King’s Stage were to make it into this world, even a Saint would probably try to seize it. Getting hold of one strike of this King’s Stage sword technique would mean that you would rule the martial fraternity with this technique that you had mastered.
Yet the person who said this was Elder Xuanji, one of the Three Great Sword Saints of the Eastern Region. Zhang Ruochen had now no other choice but to re-evaluate the truth of this statement.
“Can a sword practitioner really defeat a King’s Stage sword technique in one strike?”
Elder Xuanji continued, “Saints abound in the entire Eastern Region, and many of them are swordsmen. Why do you think your Master has become one of the Three Great Sword Saints, while other sword Saints haven’t?”
Zhang Ruochen pondered and replied, “Could it be because Master is a true sword practitioner? What you practice is the sword, and not merely sword technique.”
“You are right.”
Elder Xuanji nodded and continued to ask, “Do you know how sword practitioners practice their sword?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
Elder Xuanji asked again, “Have you heard of the Wordless Sword Manual ?”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes lit up, and a look of yearning could be seen on his face. He said, “Yes, I’ve heard a little about it. Legend has it that the Wordless Sword Manual is the supreme sacred manual of the Taiji Sect. It is kept in the Holy Land of the Tao of the sword, the Sword Pavilion.
“No one knows the origin of the Wordless Sword Manual . All that is known is that it has been kept at the Sword Pavilion since the inception of the Taiji Sect. It is said that a person could become invincible if he could uncover all of its profundities.
“However, I have heard that only a person who has achieved an extremely high realm in the Tao of the sword can truly understand the sword skill within theWordless Sword Manual . And every sentence of this sword skill is so hard to grasp. Even a Half-Saint might not understand it.”
Elder Xuanji nodded and said, “What sword practitioners practice is theWordless Sword Manual .”
Zhang Ruochen said, “But… isn’t the Wordless Sword Manual the sacred manual of the Taiji Sect? How did it end up circulating in the external world?”
Zhang Ruochen was truly in the dark about the fact that sword practitioners practiced the Wordless Sword Manual . Although he was Emperor Ming’s son in his last lifetime, knowledgeable and extremely well read, his cultivation was too low for him to enter the periphery of sword practitioners.
He had only heard a little about the Wordless Sword Manual and had not seen it with his own eyes.
Elder Xuanji smiled and said, “You certainly wouldn’t know. In fact, the Taiji Sect holds a Sword Technique Conference every century and invites all swordsmen to converge at the Sword Pavilion to try to discuss and uncover the profundities behind the Wordless Sword Manual . The Taiji Sect wants to pool together all the wisdom of humanity to try to crack the mysterious sword skill behind this Wordless Sword Manual .
“But only Half-Saint Class swordsmen are eligible to be invited. How would you juniors ever know about the conference?
“It is simply owing to the Sword Technique Conference that the sword skill within the Wordless Sword Manual has been circulating outside.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Since the sword skill within the Wordless Sword Manualhas been circulating outside, why have so few people attained the level of sword practitioners?”
Elder Xuanji sighed and said, “How can anyone hope to understand it, even if they get hold of the Wordless Sword Manual ? And even if they do succeed in understanding it, how many could reach the beginner level?
“In today’s world, what swordsmen are pursuing are the power of sword techniques and the ingenuity of sword moves. How many are willing to spend long hours studying the Tao of the sword itself?
“Ruochen, you are extremely gifted, and your comprehension ability is also excellent. You would be the best candidate to practice the Tao of the sword. I also wish to bring you as my disciple for the next Sword Technique Conference to demonstrate your innate talents before the world’s swordsmen—just like that legendary Sword Emperor of the past, Xue Hongchen. You will amaze the world with your sensational skills.
“Therefore, you mustn’t go astray and pursue those sword techniques emphasizing one move and one style, forgetting the roots of the Tao of the sword.”
Finally, Zhang Ruochen understood why Elder Xuanji had made him learn the Swift and Neat Sword Technique earlier on.
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How elevated the status of Elder Xuanji was! As one of the Three Great Sword Saints of the Eastern Region, hadn’t he witnessed all sorts of ingenious sword techniques? Did he really want to see that one-move sword technique of Zhang Ruochen?
Apparently not.
He was just worried that Zhang Ruochen would be too intent on pursuing those “one move and one style” sword techniques. He would then go astray, and be led further and further away from the true roots of the Tao of the sword.
Elder Xuanji saw Zhang Ruochen contemplating and he nodded.
He knew that Zhang Ruochen was a clever person that just needed a little reminder to realize his error.
But Zhang Ruochen was, after all, merely a young man who had just reached the Ultimate Realm of the Heaven Realm. It could be said that he achieved immediate fame overnight.
Any young person would inevitably be complacent after performing such feats.
And so, Elder Xuanji decided to batter Zhang Ruochen’s confidence a little by saying, “Ruochen, you must be 21 this year. How do you feel after achieving such fame overnight?”
Zhang Ruochen had thought that Elder Xuanji would hand him the Wordless Sword Manual at once. He had not expected such an abrupt question.
Zhang Ruochen replied frankly, “Your disciple is still very far from a true superior. I would like simply to continue practicing hard, and seek the Holy Road with a devout heart.”
In his last lifetime, Zhang Ruochen was ranked first on the Heaven Board at the age of 16. He had achieved fame long ago.
Therefore, he had not been distracted at all achieving fame this time.
Elder Xuanji continued talking. “800 years ago, the young Empress Chi Yao had once stepped into the Battlefield of the Primitive World alone and massacred almost every living creature within the Primitive World. Carcasses and corpses were piled up high, and blood flowed and converged like the sea. She obtained 90,000,000 military merits for it, far outstripping the military merits offered for the Ultimate Realm of the Heaven Realm.
“That year, she was only 16.
“So your present achievement is still considered a mere trifle before hers. You must set the Empress as your role model, and remember not to be arrogant or maniacal.”
Zhang Ruochen was rather disdainful and he gnashed his teeth. He remarked coldly, “If she was already so addicted to killing at 16, goodness knows how much innocent blood has already stained her hands! How different from a psychopath would I be if I were to set her as a role model?”
With a cold look in his eyes, Elder Xuanji reprimanded him. “Stop talking nonsense. Her Excellency the Empress’s work merits will be handed down through millenniums. They aren’t something you can slander.”
The eyes of Elder Xuanji then softened a little, and he said, with much gravity and meaning, “Young people are just too impudent. As the case is, you ought not say any more in the future. Your life would be in grave danger had some outsider overheard these remarks.”
Zhang Ruochen gradually suppressed his emotions.
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen finally regained his calm.
Elder Xuanji shook his head and no longer spoke with Zhang Ruochen about Empress Chi Yao. He took out a book of about six inches from inside his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen took the book and held it in both hands. Two words could be seen written on its cover:
“Sword One!”
Slowly, Zhang Ruochen flipped open its pages, and focusing his eyes intently, was instantly attracted by the contents of the book.
It took him about two hours to entirely go over its contents one time.
Zhang Ruochen then shut his dry eyes and closed the book, raising his head. He asked, “What an ingenious manual on the Tao of the sword! So vast, profound, and truly astounding! Master, could this be the sword skill from the Wordless Sword Manual ?”
Elder Xuanji nodded and said, “It is, truly. But the contents in this book are merely what I have unraveled myself personally. The real sword skill of theWordless Sword Manual is even more profound and mysterious than what is recorded here.
“You can take a look whenever you like, but you should not practice this completely according to what is written here from my experience. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for you to master ‘Sword One’.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “There is much within ‘Sword One’ that I cannot understand. I hope Master can offer me some advice.”
Elder Xuanji just smiled and asked, “‘Sword One’ is such a profound text. It is natural that you cannot understand it. What I would like to know is… how much of it have you really grasped?”
Zhang Ruochen frowned and sighed deeply.
When Elder Xuanji saw Zhang Ruochen’s expression, he knew that this disciple, whom he was so proud of, had been baffled by Sword One.
Sword One was the real Tao of the sword and the threshold guide for a sword practitioner.
Even a Half-Saint upon his first reading of Sword One would think that he was reading a book from heaven. It would be impossible for him to understand anything at all.
A Monk in the First Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm would be considered quite amazing if he could grasp the meaning of just a few sentences.
Although Elder Xuanji had handed Sword One over to Zhang Ruochen, he had merely wanted him to flip through the text once in a while to prepare his path as a sword practitioner. He did not expect Zhang Ruochen to be able to understand any of it right now.
Of course, what Elder Xuanji had really wanted to do was to use Sword One to crush Zhang Ruochen’s arrogance, lest complacency ruin his grand future.
And quite evidently, his aim had been achieved.