Chapter 44

Last night, the skill inheritance took much longer than expected, and Xiao Zhan didn't wake up until noon. However, thinking about the overwhelming sword power of the *Bajian Dao* (Sovereign Sword Path), a joyful smile involuntarily appeared on his face. By night, he would definitely go into the ring to see what kind of expectations this sword manual would bring him.

Uh? Wait!

Why must he wait until night to enter?

He can enter anytime, anywhere. Has he already formed the habit of sneaking around?

Xiao Zhan touched his chin, his eyes rolling, and a plan formed in his mind. He has a nominal master, who also gave him a ring. If someone asks, he can completely shift all responsibility to him. Who made the old man irresponsible, patting his butt and leaving, making his disciple rack his brains?

Having thought of a way to respond, Xiao Zhan immediately beamed. He hurriedly found Shi Ya, asking her to prepare some food. After filling his stomach, he returned to his bedroom, softly chanting the activation incantation. A green light flashed, and he disappeared inside the room.

When his vision returned, Xiao Zhan was already standing in the hall. He picked up the floating sword card and eagerly entered the corresponding secret room. Seeing the lonely manual on the bookshelf, he was filled with excitement.

Picking up the manual and opening the first page, Xiao Zhan was cautious. He summoned Xiaomi and asked, "Xiaomi, the corresponding card has been activated. Can I read this manual now?"

"Of course you can."

Xiaomi's voice was as cheerful as always.

Hearing this, Xiao Zhan beamed and eagerly flipped to the first page of the manual. Instantly, characters filled with overwhelming and domineering sword intent appeared before his eyes.

"I have spent my life pursuing the supreme sword path and founded the Sovereign Sword Path. However, when I reached the peak of the Sovereign Sword Path, I suddenly realized that this is merely a small path of the sword. There are countless sword paths in the world, but what is the true sword path?"

"I searched the world for the great path and found that no sword path exists. All the countless sword paths in the world are derived from various great paths, such as Yin-Yang, Five Elements, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, destruction, dominance, life and death, cycles, time, and space... All of these can be integrated into the sword, forming corresponding sword paths."

"What, then, is the true sword path?"

"The sword path should be the general term for all the rules and laws of the sword. All the sword paths in the world exist based on this highest rule and law. For example, understanding the Five Elements Sword Path means understanding only the Five Elements of the sword path, which is just a branch of the sword path, a part of this system, and a small path of the sword."

"The true sword path is the path that encompasses all sword paths."

"I roughly divide the sword path into nine types. The supreme and ruling King Sword Path; the killing sword path born for slaughter; the offensive and defensive sword path with the strongest destructive power in the material world; the good and evil sword path that combines all the good and evil in the world; the unpredictable and mysterious sword path; the destructive sword path solely for destruction; the cycle sword path of life and death; the time and space sword path that can cut through anything that has ever existed; and the fate sword path that ignores all defenses."

"Only by combining all nine can one achieve the supreme sword path. Unfortunately, when I wanted to cultivate other sword paths, I found that the Sovereign Sword in my body could no longer accommodate any other sword paths."

Xiao Zhan sat cross-legged on the ground, studying the *Bajian Dao* in his hands.

This manual was made of special materials, resistant to water and fire, and difficult to damage with blades. After reading the preface, Xiao Zhan finally had a general understanding of the sword path. Taking a deep breath, he slowly flipped to the next page of the manual.

As the page turned, the characters seemed to come alive, like unsheathed treasures, with brilliant sword light and overwhelming sword intent. When they formed sentences and paragraphs, an incredible scene appeared!

Xiao Zhan suddenly found that each character came to life, leaping off the page, dancing in a dazzling display, and suddenly merging into a sword saint named Cang Hai, dressed in white, with silver hair and silver eyes. His gaze was like a sword, cold and emotionless, staring at Xiao Zhan.

As soon as Xiao Zhan's eyes met his, the world darkened. When his vision returned, he found himself in a strange space. The sword light was dazzling, and the sword saint was practicing a set of sword techniques.

There was no power to destroy the heavens and earth, no scene to shock the world, only simple and straightforward moves. A powerful, domineering, and fierce sword intent rolled over Xiao Zhan, making him feel like a small boat in a raging sea, about to capsize and sink at any moment.

Just as Xiao Zhan took a step back, the sword saint suddenly lunged, thrusting a sword at him.

The sword light was blinding, and the sword intent overwhelming!

Seeing this sword, the thoughts of dodging and resisting in Xiao Zhan's mind were shattered. He was like a statue, eyes blank, unable to move. It seemed his soul and mind had been stripped away, leaving only an empty shell.

The expected pain did not come. When Xiao Zhan came to his senses, he found himself back by the bookshelf. But the set of sword techniques he had just seen was deeply imprinted in his mind, unforgettable.

Stunned, Xiao Zhan felt a sense of confusion. When he looked down at the manual in his hands, the characters seemed to have lost their life, no longer emitting dazzling sword light or overwhelming sword intent, becoming ordinary.

Surprised, Xiao Zhan wanted to flip to the next page to see the following content.

"You can't read the next page!"

At that moment, Xiaomi's voice sounded.

Xiao Zhan's movements froze, and he hesitated, "Why?"

"Without the corresponding understanding of the sword, reading a higher-level sword technique will result in being completely destroyed by the consciousness left by the original owner of the sword technique."

Recalling the terrifying sword of the sword saint, Xiao Zhan's hand jerked back as if it had been electrocuted. He patted his chest, still feeling the aftereffects, and asked, "Xiaomi, the manual says there are nine types of sword paths. Why didn't the sword saint collect them?"

"Of course, he did. But the owner must agree to a condition for these manuals to appear."

Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up, and he asked expectantly, "What is the condition?"

"Complete the sword saint's legacy, cultivate the nine types of sword paths, and achieve the state of nine nine returns to one."

"Is it that simple!"

Xiao Zhan rubbed his chin excitedly. Just by looking at the *Bajian Dao*, one could infer the power of the other eight sword paths. If he cultivated all of them, wouldn't he be invincible in the world? Such a good deal, not to agree would be foolish.

Just as Xiao Zhan nodded in agreement, the sword saint's voice suddenly appeared in the room.

"Inheritor of my path, I hope you remember your promise. In the future, when you learn sword techniques, I will be gentler. Hahaha!"

The sudden voice startled Xiao Zhan. After a while, seeing that the sword saint did not appear, he sighed in relief. But he cursed inwardly, "This guy is already dead, why is he still haunting me? Being gentler in the future is clearly a threat, forcing him to cultivate the nine sword paths."

Suddenly, Xiao Zhan froze. He saw that the previously empty bookshelf was now filled with various sword manuals. Instantly, he forgot his earlier frustration and pounced, flipping through them one by one.

Rich! Rich! I'm rich this time!

Looking at the room full of sword manuals, Xiao Zhan laughed happily.

Who is the sword saint? He is an existence that can disregard millions of armies. The sword manuals he collected are not simple. Just thinking about the *Bajian Dao* gives an idea of the power of these manuals. Mastering just a few sets of sword techniques, and the day of invincibility in the world would not be far off. Thinking of this, Xiao Zhan went wild with excitement, as if he could already see his invincible and majestic appearance.

"Master, you are smiling so lewdly."

Xiao Zhan's laughter stopped abruptly, and he rolled his eyes, "Xiaomi, now that we have the manuals, how do I cultivate the sword techniques?"

"Of course, you should cultivate all nine sword paths together!"

"Why must I cultivate them together? Can't I cultivate them separately?"

"The nine sword paths are divided into nine different sword intents, and each sword intent is divided into nine levels, so one sword path ultimately has eighty-one swords. Nine nine returns to one, and the nine sword intents at each level can merge, naturally, the nine swords can also merge, until they ultimately merge into one sword. This is when the sword path is fully cultivated. The reason for cultivating them together is that different sword paths have mutual repulsion, which increases at higher levels, so they must be cultivated together from the beginning."

Xiao Zhan understood, "Can I cultivate the first level of the sword techniques now?"

"No!"

Xiao Zhan exclaimed, "Why?"

Xiaomi explained, "To cultivate the first level of the sword techniques, you must master the sword heart."

Xiao Zhan was confused, "Sword heart? What is that?"

"The sword path is divided into eight realms: heart, soul, intent, spirit, domain, divine, pure, and saint."

"The heart is also called the sword heart. The sword heart is the essence of countless sword paths condensed. The sword heart is the foundation and essence of the sword path, the soul of the sword, equivalent to a person's heart. The nine sword paths must have nine different sword hearts."

"The soul is also called the sword soul, which is the place to store the sword heart, equivalent to the body of the sword. You can use divine weapons as the sword soul, or you can condense sword qi into a sword soul. The sword soul exists within a person's body, and the stronger the person's body, the stronger the sword soul. The realm of the sword soul is also called the realm of body refinement."

"The intent is also called the sword intent, which is an elevation of the sword, the will of the sword. It is like a person's character, with strong subjective consciousness. When the sword intent is understood, the sword qi will have autonomous consciousness, attacking the enemy."

Xiao Zhan listened with great interest. Seeing that Xiaomi had stopped, he asked, "What about the later realms?"

"The later realms are still far from you. Knowing them now is meaningless, so let's talk about them later."

Xiao Zhan had to ask, "How do I cultivate the sword heart?"

"Condensing the sword heart is simple. You just need to practice the sword techniques to perfection and use the essence of the sword techniques to condense the sword heart."

Xiao Zhan was delighted, "So I just need to cultivate nine sets of sword techniques, right?"

"Nine sets are too few. Although they can also condense the sword heart, the power is too weak. To condense the sword heart, Xiaomi suggests you use at least a thousand sets of sword techniques to condense each sword heart, making the condensed sword heart more powerful. If you cultivate all the sword techniques in this room to perfection, you can condense nine sword hearts."

Xiao Zhan turned his head to look at the bookshelves in the room, counting in his mind, there were about ten thousand manuals. He couldn't help but swallow, "So many manuals, isn't that a bit too much?"

"Master, you need to condense nine sword hearts, and a thousand sets for each. Xiaomi thinks that's still too few. It would be better to use ten thousand sets of sword techniques to condense each sword heart, ensuring that your sword path will be invincible in the world."

Xiao Zhan's eyes widened, "Ten thousand sets for each, that's ninety thousand sets of sword techniques. Do you think I'm a superman?"

Xiaomi giggled, "Oh! Master, didn't you cultivate *Meng*? Now the time ratio is ten to one. Cultivate for a few years, and you will almost have mastered the sword heart."

Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes. Even if it were nine thousand sets, it would be a matter of life and death for him. Sighing helplessly, he randomly pulled a sword manual from the bookshelf, sat cross-legged on the ground, and carefully read it.

For a moment, the room was quiet. After a while, Xiaomi said, "Master, do you feel lonely and unbearable when practicing alone? Do you need someone to entertain you?"

Seeing that Xiao Zhan was unmoved, Xiaomi continued, "Master, do you need a beautiful lady to provide the best service for you?"

"A beautiful lady?"

Xiao Zhan looked up, looked around, and couldn't help but smile, "Not bad! This is a great idea! Next time I come in, bring Xue Wu and Xue Tong, the beautiful twin sisters, to serve me. Wouldn't that be great?"

Xiaomi urgently said, "Master, I'm not talking about them."

Xiao Zhan was surprised, "Not them, then are you talking about Shi Ya and Wu Mei?"

Xiaomi pouted, "Master, I'm talking about myself!"

Xiao Zhan didn't believe it, "You? Are you a beauty?"

Xiaomi said excitedly, "Since Master's dream space was perfected, and his mental power increased by a factor of two, I suddenly gained the ability to transform into a human form. Oh, I've been waiting for this day for so long!"

Xiao Zhan was puzzled, "Why don't you transform into a human and come out? It's always so light and airy when you speak, which is very uncomfortable."

Xiaomi said with deep resentment, "According to the rules of the personal assistant, I can only transform into a human form with Master's permission. Master has been very busy lately, and I haven't had the time to ask."

Xiao Zhan was delighted, "Then come out quickly. I've only heard your voice and never seen what you look like."

"Please wait, Master."

Soon, a girl of about fourteen, wearing a black cheongsam, appeared in the room. She was stunningly beautiful, with a graceful figure, and her smile was charming, making her face like a lotus and her eyes bright.

Xiaomi laughed happily, twirled around, and said, "Master, am I beautiful? This is all based on the image in Master's memory."

Xiao Zhan nodded involuntarily. No wonder she was wearing a cheongsam, it was based on the image in his memory. Uh? Wait! His memory! This means all his secrets have been known by this little girl!

If it were just a ring spirit, knowing would be knowing. But now it has become a beautiful little girl, and his privacy has been known by her. Just thinking about it made Xiao Zhan feel uneasy.

"Xiaomi, it's not right to peek at someone's memories. Remember, never do it again."

Xiaomi stuck out her tongue and said playfully, "I know, Master. Anyway, I've seen what I should see, and what I shouldn't see, I've seen everything. Master doesn't have any secrets left to see."

Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes and had to change the subject, "Xiaomi, why did you have to transform into a little girl?"

Xiaomi tilted her head and giggled, "Does Master not like my current appearance? But it doesn't matter. No matter what type Master likes, I can transform into that type, like a lolita, a mature woman, a housewife, or..."

Seeing Xiaomi getting more and more excited and saying more and more outrageous things, Xiao Zhan felt a sense of guilt. What a good girl, and he had...

Suddenly, Xiaomi stopped, looked at the depressed Xiao Zhan, and giggled, "Master, it's not early now. You should go out and see, or someone will be very sad."

Has someone noticed he's gone?

Seeing Xiaomi nod, Xiao Zhan quickly disappeared, returning to reality.

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