Chapter 164 163: Marquis of Eastern Arrives
Ling Fei's heart was as calm as still water, completely immersed in the Sword Dao.
'In Swordsmanship, one first comprehends Sword Momentum, then Sword Intent. After comprehending Sword Intent, one must master it, and after that comes condensing a Sword Intent Seed. Take Shangguan Wan'Er, for example. She has completely mastered her Sword Intent and is probably on the verge of condensing her Sword Intent Seed. Only then can one be considered to have made some progress in the Sword Dao.' At this moment, Ling Fei's Heart Spirit sank into the Celestial River Sword Wall.
Now, this space was filled with a formidable Sword Intent, yet Ling Fei was deep in thought.
He wanted to find his own path in the Sword Dao.
As he contemplated it now, Ling Fei realized just how profound Shangguan Wan'Er's attainments in the Sword Dao were.
Back in the Beichuan Mountain Range, after Shangguan Wan'Er had blocked the Emperor's Sword for him, she had been clearly exhausted.
In that state, an ordinary person would have been completely unable to act again.
But at that critical moment, with a mere flicker of her will, Shangguan Wan'Er had unleashed a torrent of Sword Qi, her aura soaring to the heavens.
At that moment, she had clearly used the Sword Intent she commanded, allowing her will to manifest a torrent of Sword Qi that transformed into endless sharp swords to face her foe.
If not for that strike, Ling Fei would not have been able to save her.
As for the Sword Intent Seed, generally speaking, only a Cultivator at the Primordial Pill Realm could condense one.
'Now that I've comprehended Sword Intent, how do I advance further?' Ling Fei pondered.
Just then, within the Sword Wall Space, the heroic, slender man who stood upon the long river like a sharp sword made his move.
Sword…
Where intent reaches, it can take ten thousand forms!
One sword, a downpour!
The man attacked.
With a single strike, his Sword Qi fell like drifting rain.
One sword, a river!
He struck again, his Sword Qi transforming into a river!
Sword Qi, a mountain!
Then, he struck once more, and the Sword Qi became like a mountain, its immense momentum crushing down on everything below.
…
'A sword strike can take ten thousand forms?' Ling Fei carefully contemplated.
He felt a little lost.
He had comprehended the Celestial River Sword Intent, which allowed his Sword Qi to transform into rain, threads, and more.
However, he had also comprehended True Dragon Intent and the Cold Qi Mystical.
The convergence of all these different True Intents left him feeling confused and unfocused, unsure of how to proceed.
Finally, the man withdrew his sword.
"The Sword Forms are myriad, but all lies in intent. Where intent reaches, the sword follows. Where intent reaches, the sword's form… is born!" At last, the man spoke again.
The voice was like rolling thunder, like the tolling of a great bell, piercing straight into his Heart Soul.
Ling Fei was shaken to his core, branding the words onto his very soul.
This was clearly a more profound part of the Celestial River Sword Technique.
"My intent is like a river, so the sword becomes a river! I am like a python, so the sword becomes a python!"
Suddenly, the man attacked. With one strike, the Sword Qi became a river. With another, it became a python.
"The myriad forms of Sword Intent all exist within a single thought!"
Finally, as this voice, like an ultimate truth, faded away, the man withdrew his sword, and his figure gradually blurred.
Only his voice continued to echo in Ling Fei's mind.
'The myriad forms of Sword Intent all exist within a single thought!' Ling Fei's heart jolted. 'That's right! The myriad forms of Sword Intent all exist within a single thought! Sword Intent is all-encompassing, and are people not also capable of encompassing all Daos? I command Celestial River Sword Intent, the Cold Dao Mystical, and the True Dragon Mystical Technique. Although they seem to be different Mysticals, a person is like heaven and earth, all-encompassing. With a single thought, my Sword Intent can emerge. Why must I distinguish between them?'
'Right now, I must master my Sword Intent and reach the Realm where a myriad of swords emerge wherever my intent reaches. Only then can I advance further and condense a Sword Intent Seed.' A realization dawned in Ling Fei's heart, and his path of cultivation began to clear. Shangguan Wan'Er's previous attack and the Mystical within this Sword Wall had brought him to this enlightenment.
This didn't just bring him enlightenment regarding Sword Intent; his understanding of the True Dragon Mystical Technique also gradually became clearer.
'In Martial Arts, one shouldn't be bound by form. If my intent can reach it, even the True Dragon Mystical Technique can become a part of my Swordsmanship.'
In fact, Ling Fei had already been doing this.
Previously, his Celestial River Nine Swords had already incorporated the True Dragon Momentum.
It was just that his understanding had not been so clear before.
Now that his understanding had become clear, it would lead to a qualitative leap in his Martial Arts.
'Now, I can continuously integrate the True Dragon Mystical Technique into my Sword Intent. I can also make the True Dragon Momentum become a part of my own Sword Intent.' Ling Fei's thoughts grew clearer and his conviction solidified. Then, his body moved, and the Long Sword in his hand moved with it.
ROAR!
With a single strike, Sword Qi swept out like the roar of a True Dragon.
This time, Ling Fei didn't need to consciously move like a True Dragon or gather the True Dragon Momentum before striking.
Instead, wherever his intent reached, his Sword Momentum took on the aspect of a dragon.
On the surface, it didn't seem much different from his previous True Dragon Emerges from the Sea of the Celestial River Nine Swords.
But in reality, he had made a qualitative leap.
Before, he had to build up momentum to attack.
Building momentum took time. Once his Sword Momentum was depleted, he would have to build it up all over again to deliver another sharp blow.
However, by mastering Sword Intent, the Sword Momentum would emerge wherever one's intent reached, eliminating the time needed to build it up.
This gave Ling Fei an even greater advantage when facing enemies.
It was just like with Shangguan Wan'Er.
If she had needed to build momentum at that moment, she would have been completely unable to stop the residual Sword Momentum of the Emperor's Sword.
Perhaps she would have already fallen.
In other words, mastering Sword Intent could save one's life in a crisis. There were also many other indescribable benefits.
All in all, this was a major step forward and an essential path for any Martial Arts Powerhouse.
Ling Fei attacked repeatedly, testing his ideas.
Gradually, he felt his mastery over the True Dragon Mystical Technique becoming more complete.
He no longer needed to deliberately build momentum; his body was like a True Dragon, and his Martial Arts attainments were quietly improving.
…
「Time passed quietly.」
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed since Marquis Yun's arrival at Celestial River Academy.
Over the past two days, Divine Guards from Tianyan Academy and the Royal Academy had been continuously gathering here.
On this day, outside Celestial River Academy, a streak of light shot across the Void, and an immense aura swept over the area.
Then, everyone saw two Fire-Scaled Leopards in the distant Void, pulling a War Chariot forged from crimson gold as they sped toward them.
"The Crimson Gold War Chariot! The Marquis of Eatern is here!" When the War Chariot appeared, the Divine Guards beside Marquis Yun immediately cried out in alarm.
Then, their faces lit up with joy as they looked toward the Void behind the approaching chariot.
The War Chariot drew closer and closer to Celestial River Academy.
As their gazes fell upon it, they saw a middle-aged man wearing a Red-Striped Leopard Robe and a Jade Crown seated upon the War Chariot's throne.
The man's tiger-like eyes radiated authority, and he exuded the natural aura of a superior.
This man was none other than the Marquis of Eatern, Wang Yuan, the elder brother of the current Empress.
He was glaring furiously ahead.
"Celestial River Academy!" As Wang Yuan's cold gaze fell upon the archway of the academy ahead, his eyes filled with a dense killing intent.
SWOOSH!
Just as the Marquis of Eatern's War Chariot arrived, two more long streaks of light shot across the sky behind him.
It was two elders, flying through the air on their Long Swords.
The two men wore Python Robes, and as their Long Swords cut through the Void, they left terrifying ripples in their wake.
"It's Senior Liu Changyang!" At once, the eyes of the Divine Guards beside Marquis Yun lit up.
'Have they all arrived?' Marquis Yun turned, a smile touching his lips as he watched the powerful experts streaking through the Void toward him.
'Now that the three great powerhouses have gathered, how could Celestial River Academy possibly refuse to hand over the person?'
'That Crimson Gold War Chariot was a personal gift from His Majesty!' As Marquis Yun looked at the Marquis of Eatern's War Chariot, a clear look of envy appeared in his eyes. 'That War Chariot is a powerful Spiritual Treasure. Not only are its defenses formidable, but it can also aid its user in battle. It's far beyond what an ordinary treasure can compare to.'
