Chapter 166 - 112: Blocked in the Canyon, Ouyang Yin Reappears

What about Great Success?

And Perfection?

With his 100% Compatibility, Zhang Su’s Sword Nurturing Skill would likely reach Perfection very soon.

Once he did, his efficiency at nurturing a sword would far surpass Ouyang Pu’s.

Zhang Su immediately resumed nurturing his sword.

He sheathed the Cold Frost Sword, gripped it in his hand once more, and began channeling the Sword Nurturing Skill.

This time, the process was even smoother than before.

His Spiritual Power condensed much faster, and the glint of the sword materialized in his mind more quickly as well.

Soon, the Spirit Sword Seed formed once again.

The silvery-white seed floated in his mind, more solid than the one before.

’Huh? I’ve already reached Minor Achievement?’

Zhang Su was rather surprised.

He immediately checked the status of his Sword Nurturing Skill.

"Sword Nurturing Skill: Compatibility 100% (Minor Achievement)"

A moment ago, he was merely at the entry-level, and now he had somehow reached Minor Achievement.

Even with his 100% Compatibility, this speed was simply too fast.

To go from the entry-level to Minor Achievement, even a highly talented Martial Artist would need several years of arduous training.

It had taken Ouyang Pu a full three years to get from the entry-level to Minor Achievement.

And what about Zhang Su?

Between forming his first Spirit Sword Seed and reaching Minor Achievement, he had only drawn his sword once.

The whole process took no more than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

’Wait, what did I just do?’

Zhang Su carefully recalled the sequence of events.

He had just drawn his sword, and then the Spirit Sword Seed that had formed in his mind shattered.

Then he formed it again, only to find that his Sword Nurturing Skill had advanced.

’Could that be the reason?’

Draw the sword, the seed shatters, then nurture the sword anew.

In this process, he was essentially practicing the Sword Nurturing Skill from the beginning all over again.

Each time he started over, it made the foundation of his Sword Nurturing Skill even more solid.

’Is this a case of destroying something to rebuild it stronger?’

He immediately drew his sword again.

CLANG.

The seed shattered.

He channeled the Sword Nurturing Skill again, re-forming it.

Once, twice, three times...

Zhang Su repeated this process over and over.

Draw the sword, disperse the power, begin anew.

Draw the sword, disperse the power, begin anew.

With each re-formation, he felt his mastery of the Sword Nurturing Skill deepen and the Spirit Sword Seed become more solid.

It was like forging steel.

With every strike of the hammer, the metal grew purer.

It was the same for Zhang Su’s Sword Nurturing Skill.

Every time he destroyed and rebuilt it, his Sword Nurturing Skill advanced to a higher Realm.

The next moment, Zhang Su felt the flow of the Sword Nurturing Skill become even smoother.

"Sword Nurturing Skill: Compatibility 100% (Great Success)"

Just as he’d thought, the Sword Nurturing Skill had broken through again, reaching the Great Success Realm.

’What is this? Destroying to rebuild... Or is cultivating a Secret Technique like the Sword Nurturing Skill really this easy with 100% Compatibility?’

Zhang Su considered it for a moment. ’Since it’s working, I’ll just keep at it.’

And so, he continued to draw his sword, then nurture it anew.

Over and over, the cycle repeated.

Time passed without him noticing.

The sky outside the window darkened, and the small town grew quiet. The sounds of people on the street faded, replaced by the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

The inn, too, became silent.

The lamp in Gu Ying’s room next door had long since been extinguished, and her two guards had also retired for the night.

Only in Zhang Su’s room could one hear the crisp, clear sound of a sword being drawn from time to time.

CLANG.

CLANG.

CLANG.

One sound after another, carrying far into the silent night.

But the people of the town were mostly deep sleepers, and no one took notice.

Before he knew it, the sky had turned completely black.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

Zhang Su had a subtle feeling.

His Sword Nurturing Skill had suddenly become incomparably smooth.

It was practically instinctual.

He didn’t need to consciously channel the technique; as long as he held a sword, his Spiritual Power would flow into it automatically.

It was as natural as breathing.

He could nurture his sword anytime, anywhere.

"Sword Nurturing Skill: Compatibility 100% (Perfection)"

Just as he’d expected, the Sword Nurturing Skill had reached Perfection!

Zhang Su looked at the Spirit Sword Seed in his mind. It was no longer silvery-white, but had become almost completely transparent.

Zhang Su knew this was the sign of reaching Perfection in the Sword Nurturing Skill.

His Spiritual Power had been refined to its absolute limit, becoming pure and flawless.

For Zhang Su, it had only taken a few hours.

In less than a day, the Sword Nurturing Skill—a technique Hidden Sword Manor regarded as a secret never to be taught to outsiders and was incredibly difficult to cultivate—had been brought to the Perfection Realm by Zhang Su with such ease.

If the people from Hidden Sword Manor were to find out, one could only imagine their reaction.

Especially Ouyang Pu.

He had nurtured his sword for three years just to barely reach Minor Achievement.

Yet Zhang Su had reached Perfection in a single night.

However, Zhang Su’s purpose for cultivating the Sword Nurturing Skill was to condense Martial Dao True Intent.

As for using the Sword Nurturing Skill in combat?

To be honest, it was rather impractical for Zhang Su.

After all, it was impossible for Zhang Su to not use his sword.

He wasn’t going to spend years nurturing a sword.

Nurturing a sword for three years only for it to be gone after a single use—the efficiency was far too low.

Zhang Su’s path to Martial Dao True Intent was, in fact, already set.

It was to condense Divine Intent.

The more Divine Intent he condensed, the faster his progress toward Martial Dao True Intent would be.

But the Sword Nurturing Skill could only condense a Spirit Sword Seed.

’A Spirit Sword Seed...’

A thought suddenly struck Zhang Su.

The Spirit Sword Seed was pure Spiritual Power.

’And isn’t Divine Intent, to some extent, also a form of Spiritual Power?’

Both were, in essence, forces on a spiritual level.

The difference was that the Spirit Sword Seed was a one-time use item; it vanished the moment it was unleashed.

Divine Intent, however, was permanent.

’If I could combine the Sword Nurturing Skill with some Martial Techniques, could I nurture a Divine Intent as well?’

Zhang Su’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The moment this idea appeared, it took firm root in his mind.

The more Zhang Su thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

The essence of the Sword Nurturing Skill was to use one’s spirit to nurture a sword.

’So why couldn’t he replace the sword with a Martial Technique?’

For a Martial Technique to produce Divine Intent, one either had to reach a Realm where one’s skill bordered on the Dao itself, or seize a moment of inspiration and achieve an epiphany.

Reaching a skill that bordered on the Dao was exceedingly difficult.