Chapter 421: Sword Technique

Jiangnan, Extreme Heaven Cliff.

Within a meditation chamber, Lü Yang’s consciousness fully entered his Sword Dao avatar through the【String-Pulled Puppet】. As his eyes opened and closed, a cold flash abruptly sliced across.

“Crack!”

In that instant, a crack appeared on the floor of the quiet chamber.

Almost simultaneously, as if he had long been waiting, the chamber door was pushed open. A moment later, the Demon-Suppressing True Person stepped in with slightly hurried footsteps.

Upon entry, his first glance landed on the crack in the ground.

“.Hmm.”

The Demon-Suppressing True Person's eyes lit up, immediately praising, “It seems that during your closed-door cultivation, your sword intent has grown ever closer to perfection.”

What he valued was not that Lü Yang had left a crack in the floor—such a feat was trivial for a Foundation Establishment True Person—but rather that this crack bore no residual traces of qi. This meant that Lü Yang had not used any divine arts or magic power, but had purely relied on his【Sword Intent】to leave this mark.

That was no ordinary matter.

After all, no matter how strong a【Sword Intent】was, it was still a form of intent—non-physical and entirely different from divine sense—and theoretically required magical power to exert significant force.

Yet this was affecting reality through intent alone.

Such a state, even within the realm of【Sword Intent】, could be considered a true entry into the hall of mastery. For a time, even the Demon-Suppressing True Person clicked his tongue in amazement at Lü Yang:

“Inconceivable.”

“It seems that the Earth Vein really benefited you. To have progressed this far in your【Sword Intent】—normally, that would only come after a great battle.”

“Excellent. Very excellent!”

After speaking, he turned his gaze to the【Sword of No Killing】before Lü Yang. “Now that you’ve forged your own sword intent, it’s no longer appropriate for you to continue observing mine.”

As his voice fell, the【Sword of No Killing】was already returned to his possession.

At the same time, Lü Yang also rose with a flick of his sleeve, respectfully bowing to the Demon-Suppressing True Person. “This dull-witted disciple must thank Master for your meticulous guidance.”

“Think nothing of it.” The Demon-Suppressing True Person waved his hand, his gaze toward Lü Yang growing ever more satisfied, as if beholding a flourishing leek—an irreplaceable, peerless treasure. Then, changing the topic, he said, “Now that you’ve emerged from seclusion, time is of the essence. Come with me to the Jade Pivot.”

Upon hearing this, a flicker of joy rose in Lü Yang’s heart.

The so-called【Jade Pivot】was, in fact, the Manifestation Pavilion of the Sword Pavilion—dedicated to storing sword techniques appropriate for Foundation Establishment level cultivators—and the true purpose of Lü Yang’s visit.

‘I’ve already cultivated the【Xuandu Blessed Land】. It’s nearly impossible to further elevate my realm in the short term. After all, refining the Metal Element requires soul essence, and my soul in this life still resides within the Immortal Spirit body… So to further strengthen my combat power, I must rely on enhancing my arcane arts and secret techniques.’

But the issue remained unchanged.

Lü Yang lacked his own Metal Element, and thus could not cultivate【True Arts】. While other Dao techniques did boost his power somewhat—

—they were barely better than nothing.

This was why he had focused on【Sword Intent】. If he could acquire a sword art that matched his intent, the results might rival even a True Art.

What surprised Lü Yang, however, was that he had assumed the Sword Pavilion would guard its sword arts very tightly. He had even thought about how to subtly bring it up to the Demon-Suppressing True Person. But before he could even ask, the True Person himself suggested the trip to the Jade Pivot, clearly intending to pass down a sword art.

Yet Lü Yang felt little joy.

‘Too enthusiastic.’

“Gifts without reason often hide a scheme.” The instinct he had honed across many lifetimes left Lü Yang inwardly wary—no matter how he looked at it, this Demon-Suppressing True Person seemed to have ulterior motives!

Still, he quickly let the thought go.

‘This Sword Dao avatar will have to be discarded eventually anyway. I’ll take the benefits first. No matter what his scheme is, at worst I’ll wear out another avatar.’

Extreme Heaven Cliff, Jade Pivot.

What surprised Lü Yang was that despite being called the Jade Pivot, it was actually just a piece of jade, enshrined atop the ancestral hall of the Sword Pavilion’s successive sect masters.

“This item was left behind by our founder.” 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Inside the ancestral hall, the Demon-Suppressing True Person spoke solemnly, “It’s said that our founder scoured the entire world to find this piece of ten-thousand-year Spirit-Rhino Luminous Jade and refine it into a supreme treasure.”

“Every generation of True Persons who have forged their【Sword Intent】can stand before the Jade Pivot and inject their intent into it. It will then automatically manifest a corresponding sword art. Through diligent cultivation of the sword art and continuous refinement of one’s【Sword Intent】toward perfection… this is the root of why we sword cultivators are peerless within our realm.”

As his voice fell, the Demon-Suppressing True Person stepped before the Jade Pivot.

In the next moment, Lü Yang saw the smooth, mirror-like jade begin to surge with brilliant spiritual radiance. At last, it coalesced into a line of small, clear characters:

『Sword Technique of Holding the Dao and Righteousness to Sever Karmic Deeds』

This was the Demon-Suppressing True Person’s sword technique, corresponding to his【Sword Intent of No Killing】—refined over centuries, now reaching its peak.

Ordinary【Sword Intents】were just that—intents.

But that he could name his with the title【No Killing】was a mark of its perfection, to which the sword technique had contributed greatly.

‘An art both of attack and cultivation.’

Lü Yang understood in his heart. Then, seeing the Demon-Suppressing True Person step aside and gesture with his hand, he did not dare delay and immediately stepped forward to the Jade Pivot.

With a single thought, Lü Yang’s【Sword Intent】extended outward and flowed into the jade. In the next second, it burst with radiant light, piercing Lü Yang’s eyes and seeping into his very soul. In an instant, his mind was fully immersed.

And in that same moment—

Beside him, the Demon-Suppressing True Person’s expression abruptly faded to neutral. His lips parted, and he softly uttered a line:

“Fellow Daoist Lü?”

The timing was perfect—precisely when the Jade Pivot’s light was enveloping Lü Yang’s【Sword Intent】—prompting an almost reflexive response from him:

“Ah?”

The Demon-Suppressing True Person stared closely at the Sword Dao avatar, seeing only blank confusion with no sign of deceit. The soul fluctuations were entirely normal. Only then did his expression relax slightly:

“.It’s nothing.”

Meanwhile, far away in Jiangbei, Lü Yang’s true body inhaled sharply—‘He was testing me! Suspecting that I hadn’t lost my past-life memories!’

Damn it, even good people can set traps!

‘This bastard’s just like【Ang Xiao】—acted the good guy for most of his life, then suddenly betrayed you without warning! Totally unexpected!’

With that thought, Lü Yang was somewhat stunned.

If not for the fact that the Sword Dao avatar’s soul had indeed been thoroughly cleansed, and he was only operating it remotely via【String-Pulled Puppet】, he might really have been exposed!

At the same time, the Demon-Suppressing True Person remained as composed as ever.

Who said good people couldn’t be schemers? Did he not see how strange Lü Yang was? A little test would put him at ease if it passed.

“You’ll stay here to cultivate.”

The Demon-Suppressing True Person said calmly, “The Jade Pivot needs time to deduce a sword art. It must also continuously resonate with your【Sword Intent】. When it is complete, come find me.”

“Disciple obeys.”

Lü Yang promptly bowed again, then refocused his mind on the Jade Pivot. Only then did the Demon-Suppressing True Person nod in satisfaction and quietly turn to leave.

Outside the ancestral hall, he looked up at the sky.

All he saw was a great arc of fortune soaring into the heavens, manifesting scenes of dragons and phoenixes in harmony—his current fortune, prosperous beyond compare.

Yet as the saying goes, “What rises to the extreme must decline.”

‘My time is running out.’

The Demon-Suppressing True Person sighed. In the next second, the silvery laughter of a woman rang in his ears—it was Jingguan, the previous generation Bodhisattva of the Pure Land.

“One moment of no killing is easy; a lifetime of no killing is as hard as ascending to the heavens.”

“As they say, it’s better to redirect than to block. Benefactor Ye, can you truly achieve this so-called ‘no killing’? I fear you’ll end up possessed instead, and turn the world upside down in slaughter!”