Wang Zimu mused inwardly:
"I have cultivated the Ziwei Formula to the eleventh level, reaching the Qi Refining Late-stage. Now I wonder how well the Pear Blossom Three Swords will fare?"
This cave isn't suitable for practicing swordplay. Why not try the stone platform above the cave?
Wang Zimu tied the vine rope from outside the cave firmly around his waist as usual. Gripping the rock crevices with his fingers, he felt as if he exerted minimal effort to reach the platform in just a few moves.
"Why does my body feel so weightless? Lighter than carrying even a few pounds of water?" Wang Zimu wondered!
He drew the Tian Can Sword. The first move, "Pear Blossom In The Wind," was executed with familiar grace. As the Tian Can Sword moved, the wind around him followed the blade, the sword danced with the wind, light and ethereal as if weightless. Wherever the wind blew, the sword followed. The sword's form blurred into shadows. The branches and leaves of the surrounding trees swayed with the wind, as if everything around was centered on the sword, as if they were all born for the sword...
Fast, fast, fast... So fast that he felt he might drift away with the sword. The continuous second move, "Pear Blossom Outshining Snow," felt much heavier with true qi, yet the sword speed was slow. But then it was fast again. As the sword shadows moved, clusters of pure white pear blossoms scattered freely, like falling snow. Wherever the pear blossoms landed, the sound of the sword piercing objects – "chish chish chish" – could be heard.
Wang Zimu was completely immersed in the Sword Intent, paying no mind to the destructive extent of his swordplay around him. If an outsider were to see, everything within a hundred-meter radius around him would have turned to powder!
Wang Zimu had always harbored doubts regarding his understanding of the third move in the Pear Blossom Three Swords, "Pear Blossom Chasing Souls."
This move could unleash nine consecutive strikes. Wang Zimu could execute three strikes with a wooden stick. Today, officially testing with a real sword, Wang Zimu prepared himself, for this move, when unleashed, was almost a suicidal, soul-chasing, kill-or-be-killed ultimate technique.
"Shoosh shoosh shoosh" The blade cut through the wind, chaotic like thunder, striking the air consecutively, accompanied by dull sonic booms. The air around the blade instantly heated up, as if about to ignite. This was a phenomenon caused by the rapid sword speed and friction with the air.
However, after executing the third strike, the subsequent true qi seemed to be depleted, making it impossible to execute the fourth strike.
It had been twenty days. Wang Zimu sat on the platform, sometimes practicing his sword, sometimes lost in thought. He continuously pondered and researched, but he had not yet been able to execute the fourth strike completely and successfully.
"Could my understanding be wrong? How should the fourth strike, or even the subsequent fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth strikes, be executed?"
Wang Zimu composed himself and began to re-examine whether his thinking was sound.
Holding the sword without true qi, he solely practiced the sword forms, over and over, continuously comprehending the sword's trajectory, the will to strike, the sharpness of the blade, its invincible character...
"Crack" A soft explosion echoed in his sea of consciousness. What was that? He felt a sharp, piercing aura flash around his body. Could this be the so-called Sword Intent?
At this very moment, Wang Zimu raised his hand and grasped his sword!
"Shoosh shoosh shoosh shoosh" He struck four times in rapid succession. His body followed the consecutive strikes of the sword technique, instantly sliding tens of meters forward. Such a powerful sword technique! Wang Zimu thought inwardly, who could possibly dodge it? What kind of genius created such a formidable sword technique? "Sword Intent, hahaha, I actually comprehended Sword Intent! This realm, said to be understood but not expressible in words, how did I grasp it so easily? Am I a genius?" Hahaha...
In reality, Wang Zimu never imagined that he had been practicing the same sword move on this platform for over a month. By chance, he had actually comprehended Sword Intent, a realm that countless martial artists dreamed of attaining! At least ninety percent of martial artists, even after reaching the Body Integration stage, had not comprehended "Intent," because this "Intent" is only understandable, not expressible in words; it depends entirely on one's personal comprehension.
To call Wang Zimu a genius, he himself wouldn't believe it. It was by broadening his thinking and perspective, from contemplating the sword move to the essence of the sword technique, and the will behind the sword technique, that he grasped a trace of Sword Intent.
And the fourth strike of "Pear Blossom Chasing Souls" onwards, requires Sword Intent to be unleashed. Sword Cultivators who do not comprehend Sword Intent, even if they obtain this sword manual, can at most only perform the first three strikes. As for the conditions required to unleash the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth strikes of "Pear Blossom Chasing Souls," only time and Wang Zimu's future trials will reveal them.
In the days that followed, Wang Zimu repeatedly practiced "Pear Blossom In The Wind," "Pear Blossom Outshining Snow," and "Pear Blossom Chasing Souls" (the first four strikes), becoming as familiar with them as his own hands.
"It's time to consider practicing the Tianyuan Sword Technique again. Perhaps the Tianyuan Sword Technique is also a peerless art in the mortal world!"
"Whoosh," accompanied by a sonic boom and burning air, along with a trace of Sword Intent, "Heaven Earth Thunderous Shock" was perfectly executed. It so startled the surrounding beasts and birds that they panicked and fled in all directions.
The second move, "Heaven's Net Vast and Great."
The third move, "Heaven's Way Condemnation."
... The fourth move, "Heaven Collapses Earth Splits," and the fifth move, "Heaven Destroys Earth Extinguishes." He could not execute them no matter what. Perhaps his cultivation realm was insufficient, or his Sword Intent too low; it was unknown.
In truth, Wang Zimu himself didn't realize that if anyone saw him practicing his sword techniques, they would never believe he was still a Sword Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage! Because he could now easily kill a Foundation Establishment Mid-stage expert, and even fight evenly with a Foundation Establishment Late-stage cultivator without being at a disadvantage. These were things Wang Zimu himself did not yet know.
Regarding the sword, although Wang Zimu had cultivated a trace of Sword Intent, his understanding of swords felt very unfamiliar. Despite having encountered the Pear Blossom Three Swords early on, he had never truly held a sword, only truly wielding one in the past few months.
He wanted to truly understand the sword, to experience it slowly. Why was the saying, "The person exists as long as the sword exists, if the sword is destroyed, the person dies," so absolute? Sword is person, person is sword. What kind of realm is Human-Sword Unity?
Sitting on the cliff edge, letting the river breeze caress him, Wang Zimu quietly looked at this not-too-bright, yet dangerously sharp broken sword! The broken edge was not neat, indicating that the enemy who damaged it was also very powerful, only slightly superior to him. He had injected spiritual energy into it several times, wanting to deeply understand this broken sword, but the sword did not open up to him! It refused his probing.
Wang Zimu knew this sword had a story, it had experienced strange events! Looking at the vicissitudes of its wounds, watching the passage of time on its blade...
Suddenly, with a "crack," a surge of sharp Sword Intent spontaneously erupted from Wang Zimu's body, swirling around him. Sword Intent, two percent!
"Ah!" I just wanted to understand the sword, but I didn't expect such an opportunity to arise. This gave Wang Zimu even more confidence in the sword, even making him wonder if he was truly a sword genius?
With two percent Sword Intent, Wang Zimu again practiced the first three moves of the Tianyuan Sword Technique. Although the Sword Intent had only increased by one percent, the sword technique itself had become more than ten times more formidable!