Chapter 39

Night fell.

The stars twinkled.

Xiao Shou only slept for a short while before he woke up.

Yes, it wasn't because he was nervous about the semifinals tomorrow, absolutely not!

He picked up his sword and stepped into the courtyard, standing quietly.

Amidst the chirping of cicadas and frogs, the wind was gentle, and he felt even more serene.

"This is a good time to practice swordsmanship..."

Xiao Shou recalled the sword techniques he had grasped over the past few days.

"Proficiency in Swordsmanship" was really different from other passive skills. Unlike "Strength" or "Sharpness," it provided more insight.

And these insights needed to be summarized by Xiao Shou himself.

He slowly closed his eyes.

At this moment, everything in the courtyard seemed to tremble slightly.

The artificial hills, the spirit pond, the newly built house...

He recalled Chao Qingting's "Great Cold Without Snow." This technique had left the deepest impression on him since the competition began.

It wasn't because of the power of the spirit technique or its level.

It was because this was the first time Xiao Shou had seen someone detach their sword intent from themselves and寄托于雪花之上.

This method of using sword intent truly broadened his horizons.

Yes, he was now stealing the technique.

Stealing Chao Qingting's "Great Cold Without Weapon"!

Although there was no snow, if sword intent could be寄托于雪中, could it also be寄托于其他自然万物之上?

A cold wind blew, and Xiao Shou seemed to merge with nature. The small pebbles on the ground began to vibrate rapidly.

Plop!

Plop!

Xiao Shou suddenly opened his eyes, and the pebbles shot into the air like floating snow, with sword intent rising.

"Ha!"

He swung his sword, and in his mind, a scene of rolling snow-capped mountains appeared, as if this one strike could sever heaven and earth!

In his vision, the pebbles trembled violently and fell to the ground with a plop.

Hmm...

That's it?

Xiao Shou's face darkened. How could this be so different from what he had imagined?

"Phew!"

Fortunately, no one saw...

Otherwise, he would have been utterly embarrassed.

He calmed down slightly and realized that stealing techniques wasn't so simple.

However, this method of using sword intent to parasitize all things seemed to have great potential?

"Fundamentally, this is also a way of fighting using sword intent..."

Xiao Shou walked with his sword, his thoughts spreading out in the night.

This cultivation method was very similar to the way he had previously pondered, fighting without using spirit techniques, purely with sword intent.

"Move with the heart, act with the blade?"

He imagined the scene of leaves falling and thousands being cut down, and then the scene of a sword coming and all swords returning to their source.

Perhaps if he continued down this path, he could reach such a realm?

Xiao Shou was somewhat moved. He knew his talent wasn't great; he had only mastered one move of the White Cloud Sword Technique in three years.

But his understanding of sword intent had improved with the appearance of "Proficiency in Swordsmanship."

Since that was the case, could he try this path?

The mainstream path of sword cultivation was to use sword intent in conjunction with spirit techniques to produce terrifying output.

His idea, however, was to fight purely with sword intent.

This was destined to be a completely different path from the mainstream, and it was unknown whether it would lead to a dead end or allow him to carve out his own style.

"Ah!"

Xiao Shou shook his head. The latter was too difficult, so he would take it one step at a time!

"First, think about how to fight in tomorrow's semifinals..."

His innate physical strength had already been exposed, and everyone knew it. As long as they kept their distance from him, he would lose half his advantage.

The only thing that could sway the battle was this "Zangku"...

Xiao Shou's face showed a strange expression. How did he end up back at sword intent?

He fell into deep thought.

The "White Cloud" move, enhanced by sword intent, had been played in many ways.

Net Sword Style, Pluck Sword Style, Reverse Sword Style...

The first two were fine, just the initial application of sword intent, but for the "Reverse Sword Style"...

Xiao Shou looked at the "Zangku" in his hand.

In the battle with Chao Qingting, this move, which came to him in a moment of crisis, was more about combining sword intent with the sword itself.

At that moment, he felt that "Zangku" had come to life!

"Does the sword have a spirit?"

This seemed to be another way of parasitizing sword intent on something else, but "Zangku" was closer to him, so it succeeded.

Xiao Shou suddenly had an idea. If he could use sword intent to parasitize "Zangku" and achieve a reverse strike, could it be limited to just that?

No!

Xiao Shou's eyes lit up. If he could perfectly control "Zangku" with sword intent, couldn't he achieve the legendary "Sword Control Technique"?

Even...

Sword flight?

After all, flight was a privilege of the innate realm. He was only at the eighth stage of spirit cultivation. If he could fly with a sword, wouldn't it shock everyone?

"Let's try!"

Xiao Shou recalled the battle in the afternoon and infused sword intent into the "Zangku" blade.

"Buzz..."

A long hum, and "Zangku" began to vibrate.

Xiao Shou was surprised. He indeed felt that the black sword in his hand was no longer a lifeless object but had a hint of intelligence.

Great!

This meant he had established a connection with it.

Xiao Shou threw "Zangku" and pointed his fingers upward.

"Rise!"

He seemed to see the black sword rise into the air, but it fell to the ground like an ordinary sword.

Clang!

Xiao Shou's face turned as black as charcoal. The black sword seemed to struggle on the ground as if it had been overused.

That's not right, it wasn't like this in the afternoon!

Was it because he threw it too lightly?

Xiao Shou picked up the sword, infused it with sword intent again, and threw it forcefully.

Whoosh!

The blade ignited and shot into the sky!

Xiao Shou was elated. Soon, he felt the excited sword intent and immediately summoned it.

Swish! A black dot appeared in the sky and rushed toward Xiao Shou.

Xiao Shou was startled. He didn't have an ice sculpture covering him now. If this sword hit him, wouldn't he become the second Chao Qingting?

Thinking of this, he quickly jumped up, trying to stand on the sword and fly.

But "Zangku" flew too fast, passing under his feet and tripping him.

Bang!

Clang!

Both fell to the ground, and the scene was deathly silent.

"Damn it, I don't believe it!"

"Again!"

Xiao Shou tried the sword again, determined to master the legendary Sword Control Technique tonight!

But...

Bang!

Clang!

"Continue!"

Bang!

Clang!

...

Persistence is a poison, and the night brings sorrow.

After who knows how long, Xiao Shou finally realized that when he threw the sword, the black sword wasn't actually intelligent.

It only became truly excited when it reached its peak and he summoned it.

That was the "reverse" in "Reverse Sword Style." Only during the "reverse" process was the black sword truly intelligent.

This discovery made Xiao Shou silent for a long time. He couldn't understand the difference between "throwing out" and "flying back."

But he couldn't find the reason.

"This damned 'Reverse Sword Style'..."

"I should have renamed it 'Sword Control Style'!"

Xiao Shou decided to skip the step of throwing the sword, pointing the tip at himself and infusing it with sword intent.

"Buzz!"

The blade immediately came to life, and Xiao Shou immediately felt its vitality.

He reversed the tip, pointing it toward the sky.

"Buzz..."

The vitality was only a thread.

He reversed it again.

"Buzz!"

He reversed it again.

"Buzz..."

Xiao Shou: "..."

What the hell? Does it only have intelligence when pointed at me?

I think you want to devour me!

Xiao Shou refused to believe it and kept reversing.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz..."

"Buzz!"

"Buzz..."

A black line descended, and Xiao Shou angrily threw "Zangku" away. What the hell is wrong with this sword!

Whoosh!

The black sword flew back.

Xiao Shou: "..."

He cursed, but his passive value remained at +0!