Chapter 40: The Sixth Form of the Nameless Sword Art, 'A Thread of Spirit'

Within the cave heaven of the first Snow Appraisal Scroll.

Inside the magnificent palace, everything was resplendent. On the throne in the great hall, a figure gradually coalesced—the golden-robed emperor.

"You're here again," the golden-robed emperor said, looking down from above.

Ji Ning below nodded: "This time, you must be careful. If you're even slightly careless, you might lose to me."

"This is the first time you've said that." The golden-robed emperor's eyes lit up. A broad golden greatsword appeared in his hand. He rose and walked down the steps one by one. "Come, come, don't disappoint me."

A cold ice sword also appeared in Ji Ning's hand.

Ji Ning stood motionless, while the golden-robed emperor slowly descended step by step. Though they had not yet exchanged blows, their auras surged faintly as they observed each other. The golden-robed emperor had always won over the years, but he also sensed that Ji Ning's threat was growing.

"Something's off." The golden-robed emperor suddenly felt strange. Although Ji Ning stood in the distance, he gave an elusive, unfixed feeling—something he had never encountered in their past battles.

"Forget it, I'll just crush him directly." The golden-robed emperor followed the path of openness and righteousness. He swung the golden greatsword down from on high.

Boom~~~

A terrifying momentum pressed down directly. The great sword slashed down furiously, as if to cleave all obstacles in its path. The mere sword-intent was enough to chill many World-level cultivators.

"Scrape." The cold ice sword in Ji Ning's hand flashed like a wisp of smoke, directly scraping against the golden greatsword.

Though it was only a glancing touch from the side, it was more uncomfortable for the golden-robed emperor than a head-on block. The strange force from that scrape caused his golden greatsword to veer off course. Once the sword changed direction, it couldn't even touch Ji Ning.

No matter how formidable the sword technique, what use was it if it couldn't reach the enemy?

"His methods have indeed changed." The golden-robed emperor was startled.

"The Nameless Sword Art is truly miraculous." Ji Ning was overjoyed. Although he had just learned the sixth form of the Nameless Sword Art, he had never used it in actual combat. The golden-robed emperor was his first real opponent.

With this exchange, he effortlessly neutralized the golden-robed emperor's fierce killing move. In the past, Ji Ning could block it, but it was always strenuous, even forcing him back.

But now, without much effort, a simple, casual sword stroke—without clashing head-on—had blocked it.

"Again!" The golden-robed emperor roared. Suddenly, a golden crescent moon sword-light appeared out of nowhere in the palace, slashing horizontally toward Ji Ning.

"Sss." Another seemingly casual sword stroke scraped from above against the domineering golden crescent. With that scrape and press, the force of their sword techniques clashed. The golden-robed emperor's sword was more overbearing, while Ji Ning's was more elusive, yet it still changed the direction of the golden-robed emperor's sword.

The sword that was originally sweeping horizontally toward Ji Ning, after being scraped and pressed from above, only swept at the ground before Ji Ning's feet, not even touching him.

"How can this be?"

"Impossible."

The golden-robed emperor grew furious and attacked again and again. His sword path was truly fierce and domineering.

Ji Ning seemed casual and elusive each time, but in truth, he was fully focused, pushing his sword technique to its limit. In this exchange, his understanding of the sixth form of the Nameless Sword Art deepened, and he became more adept at using it in battle. As the fight progressed, Ji Ning began to relax.

"Sss." "Sss." "Pfft."

Their sword lights intertwined.

It was strange.

Normally, close combat was filled with violent crashing sounds, as if heaven and earth were splitting apart. But when Ji Ning's sword clashed with his opponent's, the sound was very soft. Ji Ning moved as if writing with a brush—effortless and elegant.

"Pfft."

Ji Ning's ethereal sword light, scraping against the golden sword light, stabbed directly into the golden-robed emperor's throat—a single thrust through the throat.

Everything fell silent.

The golden-robed emperor stopped. Ji Ning withdrew the cold ice sword.

"You win." The golden-robed emperor wore a strange smile. "Over the years, your sword art has been improving. I knew that one day you would defeat me. But I didn't expect it to come so soon. Can you tell me the name of this sword technique?"

"It is a sword art created by a mighty figure, the sixth form, called 'A Thread of Spirit,'" Ji Ning said.

"'A Thread of Spirit'?" The golden-robed emperor nodded slightly. "Your sword is indeed ethereal and threadlike. When it doesn't strike, nothing happens; when it does, it's most uncomfortable."

"Senior's sword art is open and upright, extremely domineering. I fought for a long time before winning by a single move," Ji Ning said. In truth, at the beginning, Ji Ning was not yet familiar with 'A Thread of Spirit,' so he couldn't win. But as he grew more familiar and practiced in combat, he finally pierced the throat with one thrust.

The Nameless Sword Art was very interesting.

The first form, Heart Sword, was absolute perfect control over the sword, naturally forming a heart-sword world.

The second form, Killing Sword, was overwhelmingly domineering in power.

The third form, Netherworld, formed a world of its own. In fact, this form was an upgrade of 'Heart Sword,' more perfect in defense and more meticulous in offense.

The fourth form, Edge of the Horizon, was just one word—speed!

The fifth form, World Sink, was just one word—ferocity! The fourth and fifth forms were both offensive moves, suited for different enemies: some required faster swords, others required domineering ferocity.

The sixth form, A Thread of Spirit, was a fundamental leap from 'Netherworld,' more profound than 'Heart Sword.' Heart Sword was merely absolute control over the sword, while 'A Thread of Spirit' pursued the principle that when the sword does not strike, nothing happens; when it does, it has many miraculous effects.

With one sword stroke, it could easily block, deflect, redirect, or even kill!

Thus, it pursued the feeling of 'heart-to-heart connection.' This sword art was elusive and too mysterious to fully comprehend. Fortunately, there was the legacy left by Daolist Liuzhou and that book. Daolist Liuzhou's sword art also focused on defense, and in its later stages, it had the flavor of 'A Thread of Spirit'... Truly powerful sword arts often share commonalities.

So Ji Ning spent five hundred years to comprehend this sixth form.

"The first form, Heart Sword; the third form, Netherworld; the sixth form, A Thread of Spirit—all excel in defense but can also kill." Ji Ning understood that these three forms were fundamentally similar.

All were based on meticulous swordplay, seeking a single fatal strike.

In contrast, forms like Killing Sword, Edge of the Horizon, and World Sink were purely aggressive, charging forward without hesitation.

"You have defeated me and passed my trial. But you still need to defeat the other three," said the golden-robed emperor. "Only then can you receive the Emperor's legacy and become his personal disciple. The sword art of Snow Emperor is among the most fearsome in the endless territories. If you become his personal disciple, your future will be boundless."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

...

Ji Ning had obtained three Snow Appraisal Scrolls. The first was the golden-robed emperor, the second was an assassin, and the third was a fisherman.

The assassin's sword was strange and sinister, heavy with killing intent.

In the darkness...

The assassin appeared and disappeared unpredictably, sword light flashing, striking at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning stood there, cold ice sword in hand, blocking the assassin's strikes time and again. The assassin's sword and the golden-robed emperor's sword were at the same level but different schools, providing different tempering for Ji Ning. His understanding of 'A Thread of Spirit' grew, and from initial discomfort with the assassin's style, he gradually became familiar and at ease.

"Pfft." "Swoosh."

A flash of sword light pierced the assassin's throat as well.

The assassin was gaunt, with scales on his face and green light in his eyes. This was the first time Ji Ning saw the assassin's face clearly.

"You win. Defeat the other three and you'll receive the Emperor's legacy." The assassin's voice was hoarse, and then he vanished with a whoosh.

...

The cave heaven of the third Snow Appraisal Scroll.

It was the fisherman fishing.

The two exchanged blows, locked in combat. The fisherman was no longer as calm as before; he was going all out. Ji Ning's expression was equally solemn. They had been fighting fiercely for over an hour, and the high-intensity battle left them both exhausted.

Note that Ji Ning's battles with the golden-robed emperor and the assassin together took less than half an hour.

"The fisherman's sword is elusive, and he uses his fishing rod to fight me. The rod is sometimes rigid, sometimes soft. My sword is sharp and hard, yet I cannot break through his defense at all." Ji Ning understood.

The fisherman's sword was very similar to his 'A Thread of Spirit.'

Both were elusive, seeking a single fatal strike.

Moreover, the fisherman's sword was relatively 'softer' in defense. When facing a sword of the same style, and with the fisherman having nearly perfected this sword art, Ji Ning couldn't harm him at all.

Finally, they stopped.

"Your sword art is profound, truly first-rate in the endless territories. But my sword art is taught by the Emperor. To defeat me, you need to improve further." The fisherman walked calmly to the riverbank and continued fishing. "Go."

Ji Ning was not disappointed but rather joyful, because through the fight with the fisherman, his 'A Thread of Spirit' had improved greatly.

...