I Fabricated the Techniques, but my disciple really mastered them? - Chapter 84

Chapter 77 Xu Yan Comprehends the Sword Dao, the Sword Heart is Clear_1

Translator: 549690339

In the mountain forest, Xu Yan was left alone.

He stood amidst the trees, his gaze sweeping the surroundings, where streaks of sword marks crisscrossed, piercing through tree after tree, leaving behind one small hole after another.

Trees that were neatly severed lay on the ground, each chopped into over a dozen pieces.

One could faintly discern the remnants of swordsmanship and techniques.

The more Xu Yan observed, the more he felt a sense of enlightenment, though it was nebulous, as a messy cluster of sword techniques—all previously demonstrated by his master—surfaced in his mind.

But he had forgotten them.

No!

Not forgotten, rather, he had lost the sequence of the moves, forgetting which stroke corresponded to which execution.

The chaotic sword techniques in his mind were verified against the traces around him, and suddenly, a particular technique overlapped with a sword mark on the ground.

“This sword mark was made by this technique,” Xu Yan murmured to himself.

“For a sword heart to be crystal clear, first and foremost it must be unobstructed, unconfined by techniques and forms, and then comes transparency…”

Xu Yan felt he was grasping something.

But the state of a crystal-clear sword heart was still too far out of reach.

At this moment, he felt as if he was back in the small village, just beginning his martial arts training, understanding little yet grasping some insights.

“To forget the techniques and forms, not to be restricted by appearances… The first thing to do is to have a clear sword heart, and for this first step, I should completely forget the swordsmanship my master performed.

“No! To forget doesn’t really mean to wipe away the memory, it means to shed the form, to break free from the framework of swordsmanship…

“Next, what I need to do is to straighten out the traces of sword techniques, to replicate each and every one of them, and then forget the framework, to freely select sword moves and forms, to ultimately create my own swordsmanship.

“This is the first step. Once I complete this step, I should be not far from achieving a crystal-clear sword heart!”

Xu Yan felt a spark of inspiration, understanding how to comprehend and step into the realm of a crystal-clear sword heart.

He jumped onto a large tree and sat on a horizontal branch, quietly overlapping the sword marks below with the techniques in his mind, mutually verifying them.

“This sword mark has covered the previous one, and the previous mark is almost invisible now, how should I verify it…

“Why am I being caught up in the sword techniques again?

“Though that mark has been covered, its essence still exists… It must be this technique.”

It wasn’t until darkness fell that Xu Yan returned to Cloud Mountain County.

However, his mind was full of sword techniques and forms.

Li Xuan observed his disciple returning and watched him in silence, letting the disciple comprehend on his own.

Saying too much could create interference.

He was reminded of the time when Xu Yan had practiced in the small village; now, it was simply the process of re-experiencing the past realizations.

Li Xuan believed that Xu Yan could perceive it on his own.

The Sword Dao he had developed was much more refined than the previous haphazard creation, and he had even personally demonstrated the sword moves for Xu Yan.

“A crystal-clear sword heart is the foundation for cultivating the Sword Dao. The starting point of my Sword Dao has raised the bar for talent required.

“Once someone steps into the Sword Dao, its power will naturally be stronger.

“It’s a framework, into which any sword moves and forms can be fitted. When Xu Yan goes to the Inner Domain, no matter what swordsmanship he learns, once fit into this framework, it will become his own.

“Moreover, it could outshine the original and form a new swordsmanship.”

Li Xuan pondered silently.

He transmitted the Sword Dao to Xu Yan, while for Meng Chong, a muscular man, his talent was not in the Sword Dao.

But in the Saber Dao!

He should also finish developing the related Saber Dao to transmit to Meng Chong.

“Xu Yan remembered my swordsmanship after just one view, indicating an extremely strong memory, which is also a foundation for achieving a crystal-clear sword heart. With this foundation, his comprehension should be much easier.”

Li Xuan also marveled internally at Xu Yan’s impressive memory.

Remembering after just one view.

And the speed of his demonstration was not slow.

In the following days, Xu Yan immersed himself in comprehending the Sword Dao, striving for the crystal-clear sword heart.

He would rise early to seek understanding in the mountain forest.

And didn’t return until nightfall.

Meng Chong, spurred by Xue Wuxin’s provocation, trained even more diligently, accelerating his progress in refining his golden bones.

Shi’er had also begun the Skin Refinement process, and was making fair progress.

Qi Country remained without turmoil.

In the Capital City, Qi King Guo Rongshan was still the foremost among the court officials.

The Third Prince paid daily visits to show his respect.

The eldest prince had already gone out to seek masters.

The other high-ranking officials’ children were also immersed in the craze of seeking masters.

Although the Minister of War’s son and others had turned into mummies, and no one knew why—Xu Yan didn’t provide an answer, and no one dared to inquire further.

They speculated that they might have encountered unknown monsters, leading to their deaths.

Thus, those who ventured into the Endless Mountains proceeded with utmost caution, not daring to delve too deep.

With countless peaks in the Endless Mountains, a thorough search would take an indeterminate amount of time, as teams navigated through the mountain ranges.

But they tacitly avoided the direction the Minister of War’s son and his group had explored.

It was too dangerous there.

A month had passed.

Meng Chong’s golden bones were nearly perfected, soon to encounter the bottleneck where he could no longer refine them further.

Shi’er had completed Skin Refinement.

Having taken such a long time to complete Skin Refinement despite his prowess as a top martial artist in the jianghu, his talent ultimately fell far short of Xu Yan and Meng Chong’s.

Furthermore, Li Xuan found that after Shi’er completed Skin Refinement, the strength of his skin and vigor were not on par with Xu Yan and Meng Chong.