Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 928: The Flaw of Ten Thousand Swords Return to One
First Elder’s popularity was clearly several notches above that of the Taciturn Daoist Priest. When First Elder advanced to the Transcendent Tribulation Stage, the entire Dao-Seeking Sect erupted in jubilant celebration.
Only after three days did that scene of collective revelry gradually subside.
“So this is the legendary Chengying Sword.” The Taciturn Daoist Priest stroked the sword with unbridled affection. My good disciple truly has skills. Back when I visited the sword vault, I had sought the Chengying Sword’s approval, only to fail and settle for a spirit sword of a lesser grade.
And there is Lu Yang’s Qingfeng Sword, which possesses its own small world. I’m envious.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest’s spirit sword was no ordinary item either. It was a growth-type spirit treasure, capable of elevating its grade as his cultivation advanced, growing alongside him. With sufficient investment of materials, it might even one day ascend to the immortal grade.
“I heard that Liu Ningxuan’s personal sword reached the level of an immortal sword before he became a half-immortal. That’s truly remarkable.” The Taciturn Daoist Priest expressed a trace of regret. I heard that Liu Ningxuan had just died within Sword Tower. I won’t ever have the chance to cross swords with this Sword Dao legend.
Then again, now that the Sword Tower Supreme Lord has been resurrected, I can try sparring with her instead.
But definitely not now. My cultivation and the quality of my personal sword are still insufficient. I need to grow stronger first.
“I heard you executed Ten Thousand Swords Return to One at the Sword-Seeking Grand Ceremony?” the Taciturn Daoist Priest asked.
“Mmhm.”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest looked at Lu Yang with satisfaction, never expecting his disciple to master this technique before he could even teach it.
“Come, demonstrate it for me.”
Lu Yang spread his Sword Dao incipient field. Countless Qingfeng Swords materialized from the ground and the sky, their presence as stern and imposing as hell.
He raised the true Qingfeng Sword. The swords embedded in the ground and sky burst free from their seals, merging with the true Qingfeng Sword, causing its sword momentum to swell by more than three chi.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest’s eyes lit up. “Sword Dao incipient field and Ten Thousand Swords Return to One? Come, use one sword strike on me.” He was eager to have a taste of its power.
Without hesitation, Lu Yang let out a shout. A great sword-qi dragon roared forth, then abruptly transformed into the real Qingfeng Sword, slashing toward the Taciturn Daoist Priest.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest unhurriedly extended two fingers and gently pinched the Qingfeng Sword’s blade. The ferocious sword suddenly fell silent, unable to press downward a fraction further.
“It indeed is Ten Thousand Swords Return to One. It seems you learned it by watching me perform it back then, though the version I executed was a clever expedient.” The Taciturn Daoist Priest recalled having displayed this technique only once before Lu Yang, during his battle against the Heartless Creed.
To comprehend seventy to eighty percent after seeing it once, he’s truly an extraordinary genius of Sword Dao.
“A clever expedient?”
“Sit. I will explain it to you slowly.”
At the summit of Heaven’s Gate Peak, only Lu Yang and the Taciturn Daoist Priest remained.
Yun Mengmeng and Gan Tian had no interest in Sword Dao. Gan Tian had found a scenic spot by a stream to play her qin, while Yun Mengmeng brought snacks purchased from the dining hall in a cloth bundle and lay sprawled atop a large boulder in the river, nibbling on treats as she listened to Gan Tian’s music.
The dining hall’s snacks and pastries could double as weapons, but Yun Mengmeng was no pushover herself. Her teeth at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage possessed terrifying power, making short work of those snacks as easily as ordinary confections.
As for Yun Zhi, she claimed to have no interest in Sword Dao and had also gone to the riverside to listen to the qin.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest said, “I heard that during your match with Mingtai, the battle ultimately devolved into a contest of sword qi.
“This reflects a particular issue. Each time you or Mingtai unleashed sword qi, it represented your limits, but those were the limits of condensing sword qi into form, not your true limits. Had it been your genuine limits, your strength should have been depleted after unleashing sword qi once.
“Your version of Ten Thousand Swords Return to One was reverting the Qingfeng Swords formed from sword qi back into pure sword qi and reabsorbing them. This effectively elevated the limits of your sword qi.”
Lu Yang understood what the Taciturn Daoist Priest was getting at. In other words, my version of Ten Thousand Swords Return to One enhanced my explosive power.
Then the Taciturn Daoist Priest shifted his tone. “However, this is not the original intent of Ten Thousand Swords Return to One. Its purpose is to concentrate the power of myriad swords into a single blade, thereby unleashing explosive power that transcends all limits.”
Lu Yang recalled the battle between the Sword Tower Supreme Lord and the Heaven Mandate corpse. All the spirit swords from the sword vault had fused into the Hanguang Sword. It was precisely the scenario Shifu described.
“Come, let your shifu teach you how to comprehend the original intent of Ten Thousand Swords Return to One.
“First of all, the technique requires you to resonate with other swords. The version you previously executed omitted this step, which is why I said that this is a clever expedient.
“After that, with the Qingfeng Sword as your main anchor, you must let the resonance of the other swords gradually harmonize with it...
“It’s best to generate the resonance when the Qingfeng Sword’s momentum reaches its peak..."
“...”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest’s explanation was straightforward. If it were someone else, such as the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, one would have been left utterly befuddled. For Lu Yang, however, it would be easy to understand.
Lu Yang’s eyes gleamed as he mentally rehearsed the process again and again, ruminating on the original intent of Ten Thousand Swords Return to One.
“Let me try.”
Lu Yang produced the Chengying Sword and the Seven-Star Sword Set in succession, drawing looks of undisguised envy from the Taciturn Daoist Priest.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground. Ripples spread across the grassland beneath him, as if sword qi had brushed past. The Chengying Sword and the Seven-Star Sword Set vibrated incessantly until their frequencies aligned perfectly with the Qingfeng Sword’s, whereupon they flew into it, merging as one.
“Ha!” Lu Yang slashed at the Taciturn Daoist Priest with his sword once more. Sword qi cascaded for a thousand li like a waterfall.
A streak of silver flashed, and once again, it was pinched by the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s two fingers.
“Excellent!” the Taciturn Daoist Priest laughed heartily. He hadn’t expected Lu Yang to comprehend the true meaning of Ten Thousand Swords to One with just a few pointers.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent Lu Yang and the Qingfeng Sword flying while hiding his right hand behind his back, rubbing his index and middle fingers together surreptitiously.
The power of this sword strike had exceeded his expectations.
Lu Yang somersaulted twice before landing steadily, the Chengying Sword and the Seven-Star Sword Set tumbling out beside him.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest strode forward, his face wreathed in smiles. “Well done! With diligent practice, you’ll definitely be able to execute Ten Thousand Swords Return to One... Little Lu?”
He noticed Lu Yang standing transfixed, staring at the eight swords on the ground and lost in thought.
After a while, Lu Yang snapped out of it and asked, “Shifu, isn’t executing Ten Thousand Swords Return to One a bit too ostentatious?”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest nodded. The technique was indeed grand and spectacular, particularly the moment when myriad swords resonated and trembled, converging in sequence. It could be considered ostentatious, which explained why it was well-liked among sword cultivators.
Then Lu Yang continued to ask. “But if the technique is so ostentatious, doesn’t that mean the opponent will know that you’re about to use it, giving them time to react?”
“This is indeed a flaw of the technique.” It could allow opponents to dodge or charge up power.
An idea gradually took shape in Lu Yang’s mind. “What if I hide the Chengying Sword and the Seven-Star Sword Set within the Qingfeng Sword’s small world? When I perform Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, the nine swords will merge inside, with no signs on the outside. Wouldn’t the opponent be clueless that I have executed the technique? They would have no chance to guard against it in advance.”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest simply patted Lu Yang on the shoulder.
“Remember, tell everyone you figured out this technique yourself. It has nothing to do with your shifu.”
