Chapter 272: The Prerequisite for Sword Essence (2)

The two figures stood atop the pavilion beneath a clear sky, the gentle breeze of early summer brushing past them.

A faint smile appeared in Feng Jiuxuan’s narrow eyes. He said nothing more on the matter and instead asked, “Changtian, are you ready?”

Xu Yuan looked puzzled. “Huh? Ready for what? Uncle, weren’t you the one who told me to come find you after I broke through to the fifth rank?”

Feng Jiuxuan gave him a strange look. “Changge didn’t tell you?”

“No.” The corner of Xu Yuan’s eye twitched. His answer was firm and decisive.

Feng Jiuxuan seemed to understand what had happened. He gave his nephew a helpless look, patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder, and leaped from the pavilion. “It makes no difference. You’ll understand once we begin. Come down first.”

The Sword Pavilion stood roughly 400 feet tall, making it the highest structure within the Chancellor’s Manor. Countless divine weapons and peerless blades were stored inside.

Xu Yuan did not immediately jump. His cultivation did not permit that kind of confidence. Standing at the edge, he craned his neck and examined the distance to the ground.

The fall could probably kill 40 witchers.[1] It probably could not kill him.

With that thought, Xu Yuan carefully descended in several short leaps before landing heavily on the ground.

In front of the Sword Pavilion lay an enormous training ground, roughly the size of two football fields. This place was also a forbidden area within the Chancellor’s Manor, reserved solely for Feng Jiuxuan’s study and practice of swordsmanship.

It was, after all, the Sword Saint’s training ground.

After landing, Xu Yuan felt a slight numbness in his feet. He raised his eyes and saw Feng Jiuxuan standing in the center of the training ground, watching him calmly.

“Changtian, try swinging your sword at me.”

“Swing my sword?” Xu Yuan looked puzzled and asked quietly, “Like what we did before?”

Feng Jiuxuan shook his head, his voice gentle. “Swing however you please. All that matters is that you manage to raise your sword against me. You may use Luo Daofan’s soul power as well.”

Xu Yuan still did not understand, but he asked no further questions. Instead, he first estimated the distance between them.

His uncle stood roughly 200 feet away. He might as well begin with the old reliable combination.

Void Step Slash → Blood-Ink Jade, Waltz

Having made up his mind, Xu Yuan raised Clear Whisper horizontally before his chest and stared at Feng Jiuxuan, who stood some distance away with his thumb resting against his sword’s hilt.

The instant their gazes met, he suddenly felt himself flying through the air. As he tumbled, he saw a headless body dressed in bloodstained robes. Then his vision went black.

He had no idea how much time passed. When he finally jolted awake, a vast and brilliant sky filled with stars stretched above him. It was beautiful.

Yet the shuddering sensation of having truly died still lingered throughout his body. It had not been the terror of standing at death’s door. It had been the absolute despair of death itself.

Forcing down the discomfort in his chest, Xu Yuan slowly sat up. “Hah… I-I died just now…? No. Uncle wouldn’t actually kill me…”

“You’re awake?” Feng Jiuxuan’s calm voice came from nearby.

Xu Yuan turned to look at him, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “U-Uncle, wh-what was that just now?”

Feng Jiuxuan smiled faintly, his voice still gentle. “One method of applying sword intent.”

Xu Yuan recalled the illusions that Ran Qingmo and Ying’er had forced upon him shortly after he transmigrated. One had cut off his head. The other had cut off his hand.

Barely managing to push himself to his feet, he asked tentatively, “Before I began cultivating, I experienced something similar from Ran Qingmo and Ying’er. But I remember those illusions didn’t feel real.”

Feng Jiuxuan shook his head, his gaze mild. “They were different. What you experienced was most likely an illusion produced by their oppressive aura. My intent, however, can directly harm a person.”

A single glance could kill. Xu Yuan considered this for a moment before asking, “Uncle, did you make me wait until I reached Soul Condensation because you were afraid my soul sense might collapse?”

“That was one consideration.” Feng Jiuxuan nodded and pointed toward Clear Whisper lying off to the side. “Let us continue.”

Xu Yuan stood exactly where he was, looking as honest and obedient as a lamb. He did not move an inch.

Seeing this, Feng Jiuxuan chuckled. “Don’t worry. Your uncle will be gentler this time. This is meant to train your perception of intent.”

What a joke. Xu Yuan still did not move. He was not an idiot. The moment he picked up that sword, his head would probably leave his shoulders again.

After a brief pause, he gave an awkward smile and cautiously asked, “Uncle… weren’t we supposed to be practicing swordsmanship? And what about that Sword Essence from Heaven’s Gate Peak…?”

“You must first learn to perceive intent before you can use Sword Essence,” Feng Jiuxuan explained. “Once you master it, you’ll never again fail to notice an enemy’s skill until it is already in your face.”

Xu Yuan still did not move. He glanced around in every direction.

Feng Jiuxuan smiled pleasantly. “Changtian, stop looking. Pick up your sword. Your father has already handed you over to me. Even if he comes here and tells me to stop, it will make no difference. Here, your uncle’s word is law.”

In the end, Xu Yuan bent down to retrieve his sword. He figured that avoiding his uncle’s eyes might make the experience slightly less awful.

The instant he picked up the sword, he died again.

??

Ten days later.

Xu Yuan had experienced just about every manner of death imaginable, yet he still had no idea what the hell this so-called intent was supposed to be.

When he woke up once more and saw Feng Jiuxuan still standing motionless in the center of the training ground, Xu Yuan found himself missing his elder brother, Xu Changge, terribly.

This uncle of his was even more ruthless than Xu Changge!

A full moon hung high overhead.

Xu Yuan sat sprawled across the training ground. After being beheaded over and over again, his state of mind had undergone a slight change.

Simply put, he was ready to give up and lie there forever.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan suddenly spoke within his mind. “Luo Daofan, how the hell am I supposed to deal with this?!”

His uncle had said that he was allowed to borrow Luo Daofan’s strength.

Luo Daofan might have fallen on hard times, but he was still a Sage. Surely he had some way of handling this. The old man’s reply was refreshingly blunt. “Simple. Tell your uncle to stop cutting your head off immediately. Let you experience it a few more times, and you’ll eventually understand.”

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked inwardly, “Could you dodge it?”

“Of course. The intent your uncle is using is weak enough for you to evade at your current level.”

“Then take control of my body and dodge it once,” Xu Yuan said.

Luo Daofan’s voice turned peculiar. “What would that accomplish?”

“At least show me how it’s done.”

“Fine. Relax.” Luo Daofan agreed readily, a hint of eagerness entering his voice. “This old man would also like to see how powerful the youngsters of this age have become.”

Feng Jiuxuan, who had been standing in the center of the training ground waiting for Xu Yuan to rise, suddenly raised an eyebrow.

He said nothing, but an intrigued gleam appeared in his eyes as he watched his nephew.

Amid the silence, Luo Daofan leisurely picked up the Clear Whisper from the ground. Without a sound, he tilted the blade slightly upward, as though parrying something invisible.

Unfortunately, a weakling like Xu Yuan could not see any of it.

Under Luo Daofan’s control, the sword’s cold gleam danced beneath the moonlight like a fluttering butterfly.

Feng Jiuxuan, who had not moved once throughout the entire ordeal, tilted his head slightly, as though something had just flown past him.

And this time, Xu Yuan caught the faintest glimpse of it. It was not qi. It was an indistinct phantom, something impossible to properly see, describe, or understand.

1. Random Witcher reference? I don’t know. The term in the Chinese is literally 猎魔人. Goodbye 40 Geralts?