Chapter 477 - 438: Sublimation, Sword Domain

Chapter 477: Chapter 438: Sublimation, Sword Domain

Only then did Chu Mu slowly open his eyes. The sharpness within them lingered, the hint of Spiritual Radiance just beginning to fade.

He scanned the bamboo forest before him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He then raised his arm slightly. A single falling bamboo leaf seemed to be caught by an invisible force, hovering in the space above his palm.

It was just a leaf from a Tier One Lower Grade Spiritual Bamboo. Aside from its form being far more perfect than a mundane bamboo leaf, resembling a Jade Leaf, there was basically no other difference.

Even in Artifact Refining, such a Low Tier Spiritual Material could only be used to refine some ungraded trinkets, making it largely meaningless.

He swiped his hand, and a faint trace of sharpness appeared. It moved with his Divine Sense and finally sank into the ordinary bamboo leaf.

The leaf stiffened, its color turning metallic. Its edge took on a distinctly chilling aura, as if it were a small, short blade.

Chu Mu flicked his wrist, and the bamboo leaf shot out, silent and without a trace of movement.

At that moment, dozens of zhang away in the bamboo forest, every stalk of Spiritual Bamboo in the leaf’s path was sliced clean in half at the waist.

Chu Mu’s gaze flickered. As his thoughts churned, the restrained sharpness of his Sword Intent erupted. In that instant, the deathly still bamboo forest seemed to be infused with life once more.

The scene replayed itself; every single bamboo leaf once again revealed its fearsome edge!

To Chu Mu’s perception, this moment was once again inexplicably wondrous.

This bamboo forest, every inch of soil, every single leaf, seemed to carry the sharpness of his Sword Intent, becoming extensions of its reach.

This feeling of near-total dominion was clearly completely different from a scan with Divine Sense.

A Divine Sense scan was merely for observation.

But this feeling...

In this world where the sharpness of his Sword Intent stretched and intertwined, he seemed to be... the master!

If he had to make a comparison, it was most like the feeling of complete control he had over the Demon Realm after he completed the Refinement of the Heart of the Demon Realm all those years ago.

"A sublimation of my intent..."

Chu Mu murmured to himself, as if he had reached an epiphany.

This strange transformation originated from that final slash he made in the despair of the Demon Realm.

But due to his devastating injuries, this transformation had remained hidden and unexpressed.

Only today, with his injuries fully healed, had that vague feeling finally become reality.

Chu Mu closed his eyes slightly. In his Sea of Consciousness, the Divine Soul Blade still looked the same as before. But where the illusory and the real intertwined, it was as if a soul had been injected into it, losing some of its mechanical rigidity and gaining a spirited, lifelike quality.

Sword Intent stemmed from conviction. And his Sword Dao conviction, back in the Demon Realm, seemed to have been clarified and... washed clean of all dust after he unleashed that slash.

In Sword Dao, there is a concept known as Sword Heart Clarity, which refers to attaining a clear understanding of one’s Sword Dao conviction.

The Sword Dao was the same.

By tempering a mortal heart, a fearless will is born. In the depths of despair, on the brink of death, his Sword Dao had been infused with his own fearless will.

With the sublimation of his intent came a transformation of its Mighty Power and a deeper fusion with reality.

A bamboo leaf, a bamboo branch, a wisp of air...

All things in heaven and earth could become his blade.

’Perhaps this can also be considered a Domain? A Sword Domain?’

Chu Mu’s gaze flickered, and he fell into deep thought.

After its sublimation, his Sword Intent was completely different from before.

Previously, when Sword Intent manifested in reality, it was the Divine Soul Saber that appeared—an illusory existence.

If he used its illusory form against an enemy, it was a direct Soul Cutting attack with Sword Intent, a life-or-death trump card that could easily result in mutual destruction with the slightest mistake.

To fully manifest the Mighty Power of his Sword Intent while avoiding mutual destruction, he needed a specific medium to fuse its sharpness with reality.

For example, his unique Human Sword Unity Technique used the Great Sun True Flame as a medium. His Finger Snap Blade Qi, on the other hand, condensed Magical Power into Saber Qi to carry a trace of Sword Intent.

It was like wrapping the illusory Sword Intent in a physical shell. This fusion of the illusory and the real was the only way to ensure that using Sword Intent against an enemy wouldn’t instantly turn into a life-or-death gamble where both sides suffered, while also maximizing its Mighty Power.

But now, his Sword Intent had sublimated and transformed. All things in heaven and earth could become his blade.

This meant that the existence of his Sword Intent was no longer limited to any specific medium.

Within the area covered by his Divine Sense, all things in heaven and earth could serve as a medium for his Sword Intent, becoming extensions of its reach.

In that case, wasn’t this a Sword Intent Domain that fused the illusory with the real!

And he was the... master of this Sword Domain!

Chu Mu’s eyes grew brighter. On his Light Curtain Panel, the Skill Level for Sword Intent had undergone a sudden leap as his injuries healed. The "Skill Nears the Dao" Skill Level seemed to be reaching its final stage.

Beneath the Sword Intent entry, a new Skill had appeared.

"Domain."

The single word "Domain" was embedded beneath Sword Intent, without the detailed progression indicators that other skills had.

Originating from the sublimation of his Sword Intent, all evolution of this "Domain" clearly stemmed from the Sword Intent itself.

As the Sword Intent transformed, the Sword Domain would naturally transform with it. The Mighty Power of the Sword Intent would determine the Mighty Power of the Sword Domain.

And with the current sharpness of his Sword Intent...

This Sword Domain...

Just imagining its Mighty Power sent an indescribable thrill through Chu Mu.

In the past, his Sword Intent existed solely within the Human Sword Unity Technique, which was his strongest method, one of Unrivaled Attack.

But now, a Sword Domain, carrying a Sword Intent that could evolve all things, was like countless instances of the Human Sword Unity Technique crisscrossing through space!

The transformation of its Mighty Power was far more than a simple case of one plus one being greater than two!

A Sword Domain with unrivaled killing power, and the Nine Dragon Prison Suppression Tower for defense...

Chu Mu’s heart surged, unable to contain his excitement. After another round of contemplation and experimentation, carefully savoring the wonders of his sublimated Sword Intent, he finally managed to suppress some of his agitation.

「By noon,」 Chu Mu finally walked out of the bamboo forest. As he crossed the covered walkway, he suddenly stopped and took out his Sound Transmission Order. Just as he expected, two transmissions were flashing on it.

One transmission was from Cyan Wood True Master, and the other was from that seemingly restless... Five Poison Child!

Chu Mu glanced at it, and the two transmissions sounded in his ear one after another.

After listening for a moment, Chu Mu pondered. Cyan Wood True Master’s invitation was about that Tier Four Puppet, which was clearly not a problem.

Whether he could repair the Tier Four Soldier Puppet was secondary; he had studied the way of Puppets deeply and truly did not want to miss the opportunity to witness a Tier Four Puppet.

After all, for some unknown reason, this high-level Tier Four Sect Guardian Puppet of the Immortal Dao Sect was not recorded in the two volumes of the Artifact Refining General Outline.

As for the Five Poison Child...

Chu Mu frowned. At that moment, a young woman approached gracefully from the end of the walkway.

"Brother Chu."

"These are the details of the True Understanding Pavilion’s expansion over the past few months."

"Also, as of now, twenty-eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators have joined our pavilion. Recently, three small Clans have also expressed a desire to join..."

The young woman handed over a Jade Scroll, her report methodical and clear.

Chu Mu sat down in the stone pavilion. The young woman, as if by habit, picked up the wine pot on the table, filled a cup with Spirit Wine, and passed it to him.

The young woman asked, "Brother Chu, would you like to set a time to meet the new Foundation Establishment Cultivators who have joined our pavilion?"

"Let’s wait a while."

Chu Mu took a sip of Spirit Wine and shook his head. "I have an appointment with Cyan Wood True Master. I don’t think I’ll have any free time in the near future."

As he spoke, Chu Mu swiped his hand, and a palm-sized piece of verdant Spirit Wood hovered in his palm. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a faint sharpness flowed out. Wood shavings flew, and in the blink of an eye, the Spirit Wood was carved into a small, inch-long blade.

He formed a hand seal, and wisps of Great Sun True Flame immediately enveloped the inch-long wooden blade. After only a moment of burning, the wooden blade was still verdant, but a dark, metallic luster had appeared within the green.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes. With a point of his finger, a sliver of sharp Sword Intent sank into the inch-long wooden blade.

The wooden blade was exquisitely crafted and now held a distinctly fierce edge. At the same time, as the sharp Sword Intent fused with it, the wooden blade suddenly became as heavy as a thousand catties.

Chu Mu flicked his sleeve, and the wooden blade hovered before the young woman.

"Take this blade. Even if you encounter a Golden Core Cultivator, it will keep you safe!"

Chu Mu’s tone was calm, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

His Sword Intent had transformed; every wisp was now equivalent to a full-power strike of his Human Sword Unity Technique.

With his current Cultivation, an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator would find it difficult to block such a strike.

A single wisp of Sword Intent, if not enough to completely kill a Golden Core Cultivator, was more than enough to heavily wound one.

"Thank you, Brother Chu."

The corners of the young woman’s lips curved up. Her bright eyes sparkled as she took the wooden blade and tucked it away like a precious treasure.

"Oh, right, Brother Chu."

"There’s one more thing I need to report to you."

Her expression then changed, and she seemed to hesitate.

Chu Mu was puzzled. "What is it?"

The young woman looked conflicted and spoke cautiously, "Someone from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion came and delivered a congratulatory gift."

"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

Chu Mu was surprised.

The young woman’s voice was low. "It was sent in Chang Chun True Master’s name, as a congratulatory gift for your Core Formation, Brother Chu."

"Chang Chun True Master..."

Chu Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. He quickly ran through all the Golden Core Cultivators he had ever interacted with and was certain he had no connection to this person.

Then, as if he realized something, he looked at the young woman with a faint, knowing smile.

"Accept the gift."

Chu Mu put down his wine cup and nodded.

The young woman’s involvement with the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was a trivial matter in his eyes.

In the eyes of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s new backer, it was also clearly a trivial matter. They would never offend a fellow cultivator of the same realm over something so minor.

They had sent a gift from so far away, all the way from the Northern Border to the Vast Sea. This showed their desire to avoid any enmity over the matter.

"Hong’Er understands."

The young woman replied, her tone noticeably subdued.

Chu Mu, however, took out a Jade Scroll and passed it to her.

"This Jade Scroll lists some Spiritual Materials and Objects. Make arrangements for the pavilion’s cultivators to collect them."

"You can use any and all of the pavilion’s resources. Don’t worry about it."

As he spoke, Chu Mu handed over several Jade Bottles. "Don’t let your Cultivation fall behind, either. These are the Elixirs I used during my Cultivation in the Foundation Establishment Realm. They are all Flawless Pills, and I still have quite a few left..."

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