Chapter 43

"Ghost Swordsman?"

Upon hearing this, Su Peng's face showed a look of surprise.

"You're right. Since your heart demon has been provoked, there are two possibilities: either your own spiritual will and sword technique suddenly shine, surpassing yourself and defeating the heart demon, thus slaying it. At that moment, you would have transcended your ordinary self, becoming a seed of the Sword God; or, you fully comprehend the sword intent of the heart demon, gradually using the same sword intent as the heart demon. In this case, you will find yourself transformed into the heart demon, with your lesser self standing opposite you. Slaying this lesser self, you will embody the heart demon, becoming a seed of the Sword Demon."

"However, if you cannot slay the heart demon or learn all of its sword techniques and intents, you will be slain by the heart demon and trapped within it. In that case, you will become a mere puppet who only knows how to wield a sword. That... is a Ghost Swordsman."

Yun Daoshi explained to Su Peng.

"In our Purple Mist Sect, every formal disciple must undergo a trial... Your third senior brother and little senior sister, due to their unique abilities, faced different trials from you. However, disciples who specialize in sword and martial arts must all undergo a trial. To enter the sect, one must pass the test of condensing sword intent. Each person must have their 'sword acupoint' opened by a senior disciple, allowing them to comprehend sword intent and begin cultivation. Daoqi's 'sword acupoint' was opened by me, and Sheng'er's 'sword acupoint' was opened by Daoqi. Now, with you, it is your second senior brother who will lead you into the true walls of our sect."

Upon hearing this, Su Peng immediately thought of two familiar faces and said, "Master, is it that Senior Brother Daoqi cultivates the seed of the Sword God, and Second Senior Brother... cultivates the seed of the Sword Demon?"

"You're right... Daoqi has extraordinary talent, a calm mind, and a powerful soul. He transcended himself, slaying the heart demon I left for him, and cultivated the seed of the Sword God. Sheng'er, on the other hand, faced the heart demon left by Daoqi. Sheng'er is steady and profound, with a heavy heart like the earth, but he could not transcend himself to slay the heart demon left by Daoqi. However, he has excellent insight, comprehending the heart demon's sword intent and slaying his lesser self, thus achieving the seed of the Sword Demon." Yun Daoshi nodded and said.

"Then, Master, in my final moment, a powerful sword intent rose in my mind, slaying both me and the heart demon. What kind of seed is this?" Su Peng asked Yun Daoshi.

"Ha ha... Although your situation is rare, it's not unheard of. You have condensed the seed of the Divine Demon. Whether it's the cultivation method of the Sword God seed or the Sword Demon seed, you can practice both." Yun Daoshi smiled, stroking his beard, and said to Su Peng.

Upon hearing this, Su Peng, who was usually calm, had a fleeting thought: 'Could it be that my talent is even better than my two senior brothers?'

"From your expression, it seems you're overthinking it." Yun Daoshi saw Su Peng's face and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Let me explain. Whether it's the seed of the Sword God, the seed of the Sword Demon, or the seed of the Divine Demon, there is no inherent superiority or inferiority. They only limit certain cultivation directions. The seed of the Sword God focuses on transcending the mundane, using a transcendent soul to control the sword, with a sharp and free sword intent. The seed of the Sword Demon focuses on expressing true self sword intent from the heart, being domineering and assertive. The seed of the Divine Demon combines both, but does not surpass them."

"Whether you slay the heart demon, slay the lesser self, or slay both, the quality of the sword intent cultivated is the same. It's just that the direction of cultivation is determined by your opportunities and nature. If there is a difference, it's that the seed of the Divine Demon has more choices in cultivation methods before reaching great accomplishment, but in actual combat, it depends on each person's specific cultivation."

Yun Daoshi explained to Su Peng.

Su Peng nodded. With his background in psychology, he understood Yun Daoshi's explanation from a psychological perspective.

The seed of the Sword God is like the superego, mainly cultivating a transcendent soul (morality) that surpasses the lesser self and suppresses the id, using the power of the soul to develop potential and wield a transcendent sword.

The seed of the Sword Demon is like the id, mainly developing potential by reinforcing instincts, slaying the lesser self, and using the core of life to comprehend the sword, wielding a domineering and self-centered sword.

The seed of the Divine Demon is like sweeping away the lesser self, connecting to the superego above and developing instincts below, wielding a unified sword.

Although it might seem that the seed of the Divine Demon is more powerful, in reality, all three methods, when practiced to their limits, are the same.

Understanding this, Su Peng then asked, "Master, what if one fails to slay the heart demon or the lesser self and becomes a Ghost Swordsman? What would that be like?"

"In that case..." Yun Daoshi's face showed a hint of pity, "If the lesser self cannot be transcended and is suppressed by the heart demon, one becomes a slave to the heart demon. Depending on the cultivation level of the person who left the heart demon, if their cultivation is not yet profound, the Ghost Swordsman might be abnormal for three to five months, dancing with the sword in a frenzy, eating and sleeping when exhausted, and resuming the dance after recovery. After three to five months, their consciousness might partially recover, mechanically remembering the heart demon's sword techniques and having some of its abilities, but they will never surpass the person who left the heart demon and will develop extreme emotions like admiration and fear. If the Ghost Swordsman's cultivation is too low and the person who left the heart demon is too powerful, the Ghost Swordsman will become a complete puppet, executing the commands of the person who left the heart demon without fail."

Su Peng was silent, realizing how fortunate he was to have passed this trial, but wondering how many others had such good luck.

After a moment of silence, Su Peng thought of another question and was about to ask when Yun Daoshi, as if foreseeing his thoughts, said, "Our sect has always been small, partly because the first trial is extremely dangerous, and we are reluctant to take on disciples easily. Additionally, there is a sect rule that the number of disciples in each generation cannot exceed ten. In my generation, there are only seven disciples, and in your generation, including you, there are only five. However, despite our seclusion, many people seek us out. Those with genuine sincerity, I have accepted some, but most cannot overcome the heart demon. Your senior brother Daoqi has created two Ghost Swordsmen, and your second senior brother has created three. Ghost Swordsmen are considered part of the sect, but not as formal disciples."

Su Peng was silent, realizing he had never seen a Ghost Swordsman, indicating that this was a hidden aspect of the Purple Mist Sect. If he hadn't been formally accepted, he might never have known about this.

"Alright, I have explained your doubts. You may now leave and rest for a while. Later, I will watch you practice your sword techniques and, based on your talent and insight, find a suitable set of sword techniques and cultivation methods for you." Yun Daoshi concluded.

"Disciple obeys." Su Peng nodded and left the Dao Hall.

Stepping out of the Dao Hall, Su Peng looked at the clear sky, feeling as if he had been reborn.

Taking a deep breath, Su Peng first went to the wooden pavilion. He wanted to thank his senior brothers Xu Daoqi and Dugu Sheng.

Arriving at the wooden pavilion, Su Peng found that Dugu Sheng was still practicing his sword techniques, but the others had dispersed.

Seeing Su Peng approach, Dugu Sheng, who was practicing slowly, nodded slightly. Su Peng also nodded. Looking at Dugu Sheng's sword techniques, he felt a sense of vastness and transcendence, no longer being drawn into the mental realm by the sword intent.

After practicing for a while, Dugu Sheng completed his set of sword techniques, put away his sword, and Su Peng took the opportunity to approach.

"Master should have explained everything to you." Dugu Sheng said in a low voice. Su Peng nodded and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for opening my 'sword acupoint.' However, there are still a few things I don't understand about the sword path, and I would like to ask you."

"Feel free to ask." Dugu Sheng placed his sword back in the sword bag he had brought and said to Su Peng.

"Our sect requires all new disciples to open their 'sword acupoint' and condense sword intent. But what is the purpose of this sword intent?" Su Peng asked Dugu Sheng.

"That's hard to explain. Just watch this." Dugu Sheng formed a sword with his fingers and thrust toward Su Peng's forehead!

Su Peng stood still, allowing Dugu Sheng to thrust. The fingers stopped an inch from Su Peng's forehead.

"What do you feel?"

Dugu Sheng asked, and Su Peng replied, "A simple sword intent, aiming to pierce the center of my forehead, penetrating three inches into my brain."

"Correct. You can feel my sword intent and describe it casually because you have cultivated it. However, someone who has never cultivated sword intent, like an infant, would have been killed by my finger thrust just now."

"Really that powerful?" Su Peng asked, his mouth agape. Dugu Sheng's finger thrust was swift but carried no internal energy!

"Indeed. An infant's soul has no defense, only a true self without a lesser self to resist or a soul to protect. An ordinary adult has a hard shell of self and a weak soul, but they don't know how to use it actively. A sword intent expert can easily kill an ordinary person by attacking their mind, turning them into an idiot, even without using any internal energy."

"Truly amazing!" Su Peng said, filled with admiration. "Senior Brother, are you a sword intent expert?"

"I am close to the peak of the sword intent realm but still fall short." Dugu Sheng replied.

"Then... what about Senior Brother Daoqi?" Su Peng thought of his senior brother Xu Daoqi, whose strength was unfathomable, and asked.

"Senior Brother Daoqi has reached the peak of the sword intent realm... I feel he has already touched the edge of the sword soul realm." Dugu Sheng said, looking up with a hint of admiration.

"The sword soul realm?"

"Yes, after further condensing, sword intent forms a sword soul. Each person's sword soul is unique and can only form one type. Senior Brother Daoqi reached the peak of the sword intent realm about ten years ago and should have initially formed a sword soul by now." Dugu Sheng said, looking up with admiration.

"The sword soul realm? How powerful is that?" Su Peng asked.

Dugu Sheng thought for a moment, trying to find a good way to explain. Suddenly, he saw something and said to Su Peng, "Look at those three large trees."

Su Peng followed Dugu Sheng's gaze and saw three towering trees in front of the wooden pavilion, each with a circumference of three to four people. At that moment, they exuded an unusual aura!

"These trees... are they completely dead above?" Su Peng focused for a moment and suddenly exclaimed.

Su Peng sensed that the trees were completely lifeless above about 1.5 meters. They looked lush, but in reality, they had been stripped of life from 1.5 meters up and would become dead trees within a week!

"That was the sword you wielded when you broke through your heart demon and lesser self. The sword intent, combined with internal energy, completely severed the life force of the trees several meters away, reaching a near-perfect state of sword intent, also known as the virtual sword realm. Senior Brother Daoqi, if he reaches the sword soul realm, would be at the initial stage of the real realm. With his profound cultivation, if he uses his full strength, he could... " Dugu Sheng paused, as if calculating in his mind, and then said, "probably cut off a mountain peak."

"..." Su Peng was speechless. Suddenly, he remembered something someone said at the gathering on Luoxia Mountain, "Back then, 'that person' started by cutting off a..."

At the time, Su Peng didn't hear the rest clearly. Now, he wondered if the person was referring to "mountain peak"?

That would be incredible...

No, it would be a mountain fortress, really exploded...

That was ten years ago...

After a long pause, Su Peng asked, "Senior Brother, with your full strength, one sword..."

"With different cultivation methods, even if I were one realm higher, I couldn't cut off a mountain peak. However, if I were to fully engage in a match with Senior Brother Daoqi, I am confident I could hold out for three days." Dugu Sheng seemed to think seriously before answering.

"So, a match between you two lasts three days..." Su Peng thought to himself.

"Indeed, so, is there a realm below the sword soul realm?" Su Peng's curiosity was piqued, and he asked.

"There is one more realm, the Sword God realm. However, it's unlikely that Senior Brother will reach it within thirty years. Beyond the Sword God realm, I don't know, but perhaps Master knows if there are higher realms." Dugu Sheng said.

He paused and added, "The sword intent realm is not directly proportional to strength. You might have high strength but low sword intent cultivation, or high sword intent but average strength. However, if sword intent is integrated into strength, it can be very powerful."

Su Peng was silent, digesting the information Dugu Sheng had given him. After a while, he recovered and asked, "Senior Brother, you said the sword I wielded when breaking through my heart demon was at the near-perfect state of sword intent. Wouldn't that make me invincible among ordinary swordsmen? In a battle, I could just use one sword intent to cut off their life force, and they wouldn't even know how they died?"

"Ha... you still have a long way to go. When breaking through the heart demon, most formal disciples of the Purple Mist Sect will wield a sword far beyond their current sword intent realm. This sword gives a general idea of their potential, but to wield it again, you need to cultivate and seize opportunities."

"Oh..." Su Peng nodded, thinking, "I knew it, leveling up isn't as easy as cheating."

However, Su Peng immediately thought of another question and asked Dugu Sheng, "Senior Brother, what realm were the swords you and Senior Brother Daoqi wielded when you broke through?"

Dugu Sheng frowned, thought for a long time, and finally relaxed. Just as Su Peng's curiosity was about to burst, Dugu Sheng said:

"To keep your confidence in practicing the sword, I won't tell you..."

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