Chapter 40: Dao Heart Myriad Manifestations
The sword dao seed beat like a heart, pounding violently! Around it, sword energy surged and roared, crying out unrestrainedly!
In that instant, all the sword energy suddenly contracted, as if time itself had stopped at that moment.
Then, the seed seemed to be gently split open by something.
A strand of sharp, irrepressible spiritual light drifted out, condensing into the shape of a small sword. It hovered upright above the dao seed, then slowly descended, half of it sinking into the sword dao seed.
The sword dao seed, once like an inanimate object, now seemed to have life, trembling slowly.
The small sword above it also hummed softly.
“This is…”
A sudden insight arose in Song Yan’s heart.
“The embryonic form of sword intent!?”
“No… something isn’t quite right.”
First he felt surprise and joy, but then some confusion followed.
“It’s not sword intent…”
The Seed Planting Technique stated that sword intent was the will of the sword dao. But Song Yan hadn’t even properly practiced swordplay for more than a few days yet—where could sword intent come from?
Upon careful contemplation, this so-called “sword intent” didn’t seem to contain spiritual essence as described in the Seed Planting Technique.
Then what was it…
He thought through the entire Content of Spirit Transformation section from beginning to end, yet still couldn’t find any explanation for this peculiar situation.
On the sword dao seed, besides sword energy and spiritual energy, only two things could exist—the “Heart of Seeking the Dao” and the “Will of the Sword Dao,” as previously mentioned in the Seed Planting Technique.
“…The Heart of Seeking the Dao?”
In ancient times, a sword cultivator’s sword contained two things. One was the sword body, equivalent to the current flying sword.
The other was the true foundation—the natal flying sword.
The natal flying sword required the Heart of Seeking the Dao and the embryonic Will of the Sword Dao, supplemented by sword energy and spiritual energy, refined day and night, before it could be condensed.
In combat, the natal flying sword could be attached to the sword body or controlled independently.
If the sword body shattered, it could be reforged. But if the natal flying sword was damaged, one’s cultivation would at best fall, and at worst, one would die and the Dao would vanish.
Truly, the sword and the person exist together; when the sword shatters, the person perishes.
The Heart of Seeking the Dao was originally formless and substanceless. After the natal sword intent took shape, it naturally fused with the sword intent.
For some sword cultivators, these two were in fact complementary, each containing the other.
However, there also existed a relatively rare situation.
That was when the Heart of Seeking the Dao and the Will of the Sword Dao originated from the same source, appearing simultaneously.
Perhaps now, it was Xie Tianji’s intense obsession with the sword dao, transmitted through this sword scroll, the wondrous effects of the Two Polarities Pearl, resonating with Song Yan’s strong determination to seek the great Dao of immortality and the dao seed within the Town-Dao Sword Manor, with the aid of the wondrous effects of the Two Polarities Pearl…
The Heart of Seeking the Dao had actually transformed into part of the natal flying sword, appearing within the Town-Dao Sword Manor!
“However… even if it is the Heart of Seeking the Dao, it seems incomplete.”
Of course it was incomplete.
Because this was actually Xie Tianji’s Heart of Seeking the Dao, not Song Yan’s.
It was just that this dao heart and will shared many similarities with his own “thoughts,” and with the aid of the Two Polarities Pearl and the Town-Dao Sword Manor, it had resulted in this current situation.
To comprehend the Dao was no easy task.
The mortal Xie Tianji could be considered a peerless prodigy, yet it still took him half a lifetime to reach this state of mind.
In the end, Song Yan roughly pieced together his speculation.
“This is also a good thing.”
He exhaled a long breath and gazed calmly at the scroll before him. After a moment of silence, he carefully put it away.
To be honest, Song Yan had always considered himself dull-witted and never considered that he could touch upon these ethereal things that seemed to rely so heavily on comprehension.
“A fortunate coincidence, a blessing to the heart—truly, it is beyond words.”
He composed his emotions, sat cross-legged on the stone bed, and carefully contemplated this Heart of Seeking the Dao.
Mountains and rivers surging, grass and trees swaying, beasts roaring and birds crying, insects flying and fish swimming…
Wind and rain intertwined, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling, clouds parting and mist clearing, the sun rising and snow falling…
Joy and anger, sorrow and happiness, love and hate, partings of life and death, the myriad forms of sentient beings…
Strangely, this Heart of Seeking the Dao was unconstrained and all-encompassing. Song Yan seemed to have a sudden epiphany in his heart, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t grasp it, and it dissipated just like that.
“What a profound and mysterious state…” Song Yan wasn’t discouraged or disappointed, but rather filled with an inexplicable joy.
Thinking that a mediocre talent like himself could, by chance, comprehend a dao heart—even though it was incomplete—it was still something to have. He felt his heart widen.
When he had cut off his spiritual root and restarted his cultivation, wasn’t that precisely to defy fate and change his destiny like this?
How could he not stand at the center of this world, contending for the great Dao of immortality alongside those immortal prodigies and sect geniuses?
Wisps of spiritual qi drifted slowly toward him, following the breathing rhythm of the Qi Condensation Scroll, merging into his meridians, flowing into the Dantian sea of qi, slowly nourishing the dao seed beneath the sword residence, which now had a sword condensed within it.
“The speed of my spiritual energy cultivation is much faster than before.”
“It’s even slightly faster than before I cut off my spiritual root.”
Moreover, since he had already walked the wrong path of cultivation once before, it shouldn’t take long now to return to the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage.
Song Yan didn’t hesitate and immediately entered a state of cultivating his spiritual energy realm.
For the following days, he worked tirelessly, cultivating his spiritual energy realm and practicing sword control techniques every day.
With the aid of pills and spirit-gathering formations, his progress could be described as advancing a thousand miles a day.
However, the consumption of cultivation resources was astonishing, and he soon found himself running low. Thus, Song Yan occasionally went to the Sect’s Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to take on a few slightly more difficult sect missions, such as slaying low-level yaoguai and collecting herbs.
On one hand, he earned some spirit stones and pills to support his cultivation; on the other, he could combine the sword control techniques he practiced daily with actual combat to further his sword dao.
Song Yan hadn’t disregarded the idea of returning to alchemy, but his proficient refinement of Qi Nourishing Pills was no longer very meaningful—the spirit stone profit was too low, and taking them himself had little effect.
As for other pills, he didn’t know how to make them, and if he started from scratch, the time and effort required would be too great a loss.
“The path of alchemy can wait until I cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining and advance to inner disciple status before making plans.”
Like many sects, the Dongyuan Sect had a basic advancement mechanism.
If outer disciples reached the late stage of Qi Refining—specifically, at least the seventh level of Qi Refining—they could report to the sect and apply for the inner disciple trial.
By passing the trial, they could advance to become inner disciples.
When that time came, they would no longer be troubled by daily chores and trivial tasks. If he truly wanted to return to alchemy, as long as he humbly sought guidance, the elders of the Alchemy Hall would offer some pointers.
It could be said that the status of inner disciples and outer disciples was entirely different.
…
That night, atop Lotus Seclusion Peak.
A female cultivator arrived under the moonlight. Her demeanor was cold and aloof, her frost-colored silk robes untainted by dust, and an Ice Soul Jade hairpin was tucked into her raven-black hair.
She descended on her sword’s light, each step blooming into ice lotuses at her toes, which instantly shattered into fine snow.
“Sister Qin!”
Several female disciples guarding the mountain stepped forward to greet her.
“Mm.”
“It’s late. You sisters should rest early.”
Though this female cultivator appeared cold as frost, her tone was gentle and her heart kind.
“With me here, nothing will go wrong.”
The several female disciples bowed gratefully.
Guarding the mountain was an extremely tedious and exhausting task, and now that this sect genius, Senior Sister Qin, had spoken and spared them the labor, they were grateful.
She returned to her cave dwelling and paused at the entrance.
A voice transmission jade talisman hung above it.
Her brow furrowed slightly, as if she was extremely reluctant, but she removed the talisman. After roughly understanding the situation, the worry between her brows slowly relaxed.
“Sect mission…”
“Very well. Sister Qingqing participated in the Silent Valley conflict before, so she has some experience fighting others.”
“I’ll send her…”