Chapter 82 - 34: A Sword Rises from the Sea of the Heart, Slaying Both Others and Myself

Chapter 82: Chapter 34: A Sword Rises from the Sea of the Heart, Slaying Both Others and Myself

When Jiang Xuan gave his answer, he didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

As a Clear Heart Swordsman, a Treasure Level job, his efficiency in learning swordsmanship was without a doubt the highest.

’As for cultivating Techniques, I’ll wait until I’ve built the Scripture Pavilion and changed my job to Scripture Profound Daoist.’

’But I need to get that built quickly. The Scripture Profound Daoist job improves Comprehension, which will surely be a huge help to my Sword Dao cultivation...’

A wave of bitterness washed over Jiang Xuan at the thought.

Building the Scripture Pavilion was no easy task, especially since Jiang Xuan had no intention of cutting corners.

When he’d taken the Gourmet job, it had upgraded from Blue Rare to Purple Treasure. This had not only greatly increased his strength but also made him realize something: even for the same job, the final Grade could be worlds apart depending on how well the awakening conditions were met.

Jiang Xuan undoubtedly wanted to raise the Scripture Profound Daoist job to Treasure Level. This meant that when he built the Scripture Pavilion, he couldn’t just do the bare minimum; he had to strive for the highest possible standard.

’What a pain. Besides, borrowing someone else’s Scripture Pavilion would probably affect the quality of the Scripture Profound Daoist job and any future advancements. That means I have to build it with my own two hands...’

The more he thought about it, the bigger his headache grew. But these were just his inner thoughts. Outwardly, Jiang Xuan’s expression remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, seeing that Jiang Xuan’s first choice was to learn swordsmanship, the aloof Di Chuan’s attitude toward him warmed considerably.

"You’ve made the right choice. Swordsmanship is the best, fastest, and most powerful way to increase your combat strength!"

At his words, Wu Shan, Zhou Qing, and Meng Yingyue all pursed their lips. Clearly, Di Chuan was a sword practitioner, and the other three were not.

This prompted Jiang Xuan to cup his fists toward Di Chuan. "Then I must ask for Senior Brother’s guidance in my future Sword Dao cultivation."

"..." The moment he spoke, Di Chuan’s expression turned odd.

At his side, Zhou Qing couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing with a PUFFT.

"Hahaha! Junior Brother, you don’t actually think Di Chuan is the one who teaches the Four Seasons Valley’s Sword Dao, do you?"

Jiang Xuan: "Huh? He isn’t?"

"Of course not." This time, it was Meng Yingyue who spoke, a gentle smile on her face. "Junior Brother Di Chuan’s swordsmanship is formidable, but he hasn’t reached the point where he can teach others. And the Four Seasons Valley hasn’t fallen so low that we need a disciple to teach swordsmanship."

"Your instruction will be handled by the Sect Elders."

Her gaze dimmed as she spoke, and she let out a soft sigh. "It’s a pity you’re a step too late. If you’d arrived earlier, you might have even been taught personally by a Sword Dao Grandmaster from the Upper Vein... But it’s not too late now. We have several Sword Masters in the Four Seasons Valley who have comprehended Sword Intent."

Before she finished speaking, she gave a light wave of her hand. Magical Power flowed, and several phantasmal swords materialized in midair.

"The Four Seasons Valley has four complete sets of Vessel-Suppression Swordsmanship. Which one do you wish to learn?"

As she asked, she used an Illusion Technique to manifest the Sword Momentum of each, explaining them to Jiang Xuan one by one. It was only then that Jiang Xuan learned that the Valley of Spring specialized in healing and vitality-based Magic, and possessed no exclusive swordsmanship of its own.

The Valley of Summer had a swordsmanship called Mangzhong: Fire Tree and Silver Flowers. This technique brought the summer concept of "bloom" to its absolute peak.

Summer represents prosperity, growth, and explosive blooming. Mangzhong is the season for planting hope, the very moment all things burst with life. This swordsmanship is not about weight, nor about reaping—it is all about one thing: explosion.

To practice this swordsmanship, one must first condense a Sword Seed within their Dantian Sea of Qi. When facing an enemy, the released Sword Seed doesn’t fly directly at them. Instead, it rapidly grows in the air—sprouting, branching out, unfurling leaves, and blossoming. From a single point of light, it explodes into a sky full of sword-light in a mere instant.

The strike is like a firework soaring into the sky; its bloom is like the Milky Way pouring down from above. Only a sword so dazzling, so prosperous to the absolute extreme, could be worthy of the name ’Fire Tree and Silver Flowers’.

Senior Sister Meng Yingyue’s illusory demonstration of Fire Tree and Silver Flowers left Jiang Xuan momentarily stunned.

The second was the Valley of Autumn’s Qiufen·Autumn Equinox Sword. The concept behind this swordsmanship was profound, so profound it touched upon the will of the Celestial Dao itself.

Summer is the peak of Yang, governing prosperity and growth. Winter is the peak of Yin, governing Annihilation and Guicang. The Autumn Equinox is the absolute midpoint of the year, balanced between prosperity and desolation, heat and cold, day and night. It is the only one of the Twenty-four Solar Terms where Yin and Yang are perfectly balanced, day and night are of equal length, and heat and cold are in equilibrium. It is the sole dividing line where the qi of Heaven and Earth shifts from rising and growing to sinking and settling.

At the same time, the autumn harvest is the culmination of life’s Perfection, the ripening of the Dao Fruit. The autumn storing is the prelude to death, the beginning of the body’s return to the earth. The day the granaries are filled with grain is the day the stalks meet the scythe and turn to soil. When glory reaches its zenith, it withers. When life reaches its Perfection, it dies. The Autumn Equinox is the absolute division between these things: life and death, glory and decay, cause and effect.

All of the Ten Thousand Laws of the world are bound by the opposition of Yin and Yang, the two poles that birth each other. The Autumn Equinox Sword is the very principle that defines these poles, the line that divides Heaven and Earth.

Wherever the blade points becomes the midpoint of the Celestial Dao. A single strike cleaves apart all opposing Daos—Yin and Yang are split, life and death are separated, glory and decay are severed, and cause and effect are cleared.

’Such a profound concept... the difficulty of cultivating it must be just as profound.’ Jiang Xuan thought, continuing to listen intently to Meng Yingyue’s explanation.

The final two swordsmanship techniques both originated from the Valley of Winter.

The first was the Heavy Snow・Thousand Mountains Snow Burial Sword.

The Dao Intent of this sword was direct and frigid. It drew its power from the concept of the Heavy Snow solar term: a thousand leagues frozen, a thousand mountains covered in snow, heaven and earth sealed, all sounds silenced. It perfectly embodied the true meaning behind the name "Thousand Mountains Snow Burial." To draw the sword is to make the snow fall; to complete the technique is to form the mountains. A single strike condenses into the form of a thousand snowy peaks and ravines, using bone-chilling, Dao-annihilating Sword Qi to bury an opponent’s vitality, cultivation, and even their Dao Heart within an endless snowscape, never to see the light of day again.