Chapter 487: Who Has a Blade?

This sword had followed him for a full five years; he spent more time with it than with his wife, yet even now it was not completely tamed—merely familiar. Who would have thought that a single rebuke from the youth would send its spirit surging...

Surging my ass!

Can't we just get along?

I've been treating you like a lord all day, yet instead of gratitude, you throw yourself into someone else's arms and acknowledge them as master...

President Zheng felt his heart twist like a knife, a stifling rage surging through his chest, threatening to burst forth at any moment.

The man's face turned green.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Could it be that this thing only responds to force, not kindness?

Seeing his old friend's face shift from pale to green, on the verge of collapse, Pavilion Master Sai slapped his forehead.

This was the super appraiser who could even make the Flowing Goblet and Winding Water acknowledge him as master; making the Jade Que Sword submit was surely a piece of cake?

“Master Zhang is just borrowing it; he won't take your sword away...”

Afraid his old friend might die of depression on the spot, he quickly sent a telepathic message.

“Mm...”

Hearing this, President Zheng finally calmed down, suppressing the urge to spit blood, and looked at the youth before him, a doubt rising in his heart.

“Wasn't he supposed to carve a formation disk? What does he need a sword for?”

He kept saying he was going to carve a formation disk—why make a sword acknowledge him as master?

“It's for carving the formation disk!” He casually picked up a blank fifth-grade formation disk and exerted force with his palm.

Bang!

The disk embedded itself into the wall not far away, like a mirror nailed to the wall.

Having fixed the formation disk in place, he raised his brows, a surge of aura bursting from his body. Zhang Xuan shook the longsword, and sword light flickered.

“Sword intent? The Sword Heart realm?”

Seeing the longsword hum and display such immense power in his hand, President Zheng was stunned, his pupils contracting.

He had reached the fourth level of Mortal Transformation but still hadn't grasped the Sword Heart realm. Yet this kid, not yet twenty, had achieved it. Appraisal, formations, even Sword Heart... was there anything he couldn't do?

“Weapon intent is sharp and unmatched; it can elevate a spirit weapon of the same grade by a tier... You're not thinking of using a sword to carve formation patterns, are you?”

Remembering something, President Zheng nearly choked on his own saliva.

A fifth-grade formation disk could only be carved with a spirit-grade upper-tier engraving knife to leave patterns. Such an item certainly didn't exist in the Ten Nations Alliance... This guy wasn't planning to use weapon intent as a substitute, was he!

Engraving knives were delicate, and even they made mistakes carving fine formation patterns. Using a sword directly...

Are you just messing around?

Carving formation patterns with a longsword... Not only had he never seen it, he'd never even heard of it!

What kind of joke was this?

“Carving formation patterns with a sword?” Pavilion Master Sai and Wang Haoxun on the side also felt their vision go dark.

This wasn't just bold; it was lawless, a pipe dream.

A sword, though nimble, was still over three feet long. Carving formation patterns finer than a hair... what was he thinking?

Ding ding ding ding!

Before they could react to the youth's actions, the sound of the sword tip contacting the formation disk rang out.

A series of crisp sounds, and fine lines slowly appeared on the smooth surface of the disk.

“It actually works?”

Their vision went dark again.

What kind of monster was this?

Carving formation patterns with a longsword... what level of sword control had he reached?

“I make mistakes even with an engraving knife...”

Wang Haoxun's lips trembled uncontrollably.

He was a four-star formation master, and even with an engraving knife, he often made errors. This guy used a sword, standing nearly three meters away to carve...

Was this necessary?

“It works!”

Unlike the others' shock, as the longsword danced in his hand and formation patterns appeared on the blank disk, Zhang Xuan's eyes grew brighter.

Using a sword with sword intent to carve had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, and surprisingly, it worked.

He pushed his mental state to the limit, the Eye of Insight flickering as if seeing the special patterns and uneven bumps on the formation disk. The longsword in his hand strictly followed the descriptions of formation disks in the Heavenly Dao Formation, carving continuously.

If a master teacher were present, they would surely notice that he had entered a special state of mind... stripping away the false to retain the true, with a clear and penetrating mind.

The Insightful Realm!

The second level of the mental state was Still Water, and the third was this Insightful Realm.

Insight into worldly affairs is all knowledge; mastery of human feelings is literature!

In this realm, one could extract the essence from chaos, the mind became more penetrating, and analyzing matters became much simpler. Paired with the Eye of Insight, it allowed carving formation patterns without error, methodically, unaffected by any emotional fluctuations.

What others could only accomplish with an engraving knife, he achieved with a longsword. The Heavenly Dao Formation was one reason, but more important was this unique ability of a master teacher.

“Carving a formation disk with a sword... no wonder he could break formations with a single kick. Who is this great expert?”

The senior and junior disciples on the side were so frightened their hearts nearly stopped.

Others worked with a needle-like engraving knife, but this guy used a sword and still produced work as fine as theirs... Even seeing it with their own eyes, they found it unbelievable.

Ding ding ding ding!

After an unknown time, Zhang Xuan withdrew his longsword, stopped, and gasped for breath.

“Sword intent is a concentrated expression of spirit and energy. Maintaining it at the finest level is extremely demanding and easily tiring!”

Seeing him like this, President Zheng advised, “Don't rush. A formation disk isn't carved in a day; you can take it slowly!”

Sword intent represents the cultivator's understanding of the sword, infused with all their passion. Maintaining it for a short while is fine, but prolonged consumption is too great. Even with Zhang Xuan's pure Heavenly Dao true energy and deep cultivation, he couldn't hold out long.

“Mm...”

Nodding, he adjusted his breathing on the spot, then looked at the formation disk fixed on the wall, his expression solemn.

Although his control of sword intent had reached the Sword Heart realm, he indeed couldn't use it for extended periods. Just this short while had already left him feeling strained.

If he continued, not only might he fail to carve further, but he might also ruin all his previous efforts due to instability.

“If I compare my understanding of sword intent to a bottle full of water, constantly pouring it out will eventually empty it.”

Frowning, Zhang Xuan pondered, “Right now, I'm almost empty, and the formation disk is less than half done... To fill it again, I'd need a day or two of adjustment...”

Sword intent, like true energy, has a limited quantity. Using it continuously will eventually deplete it.

And now, he was nearly depleted, yet the formation disk before him wasn't even half carved.

What should he do?

He couldn't really take days to carve a single disk like others, could he?

If President Zheng knew what he was thinking, he would surely think he was crazy.

Not to mention four-star formation masters; even a five-star master would need several days to carve such a high-level formation disk. He wanted to finish it in a short while with a sword... wasn't that a dream?

“Right, sword intent can carve, but so can blade intent! My sword intent is nearly spent, but my blade intent hasn't been touched...”

Just as he was agonizing over how to speed up, his eyes lit up.

He had not only comprehended sword intent but also blade intent.

Having studied the Heavenly Dao Blade Art, his control of the blade had also reached a very profound level.

Earlier, using sword intent had exhausted him, but blade intent... hadn't been used at all, still a full bottle.

With a light smile, he stood up again and looked around: “Everyone, does anyone have a spirit-grade mid-tier broadsword?”

Using a sword as a blade could still unleash blade intent, but its power would be weaker. At this critical moment of carving, there was no need to take risks.

“A blade?”

Everyone was baffled.

Weren't you using a sword to carve the formation disk? What do you need a blade for?

“I have one...”

Pavilion Master Sai hesitated, then flipped his wrist, producing a nine-ring broadsword, heavy and fierce, exuding a wild aura.

“Lend it to me!”

Approaching, Zhang Xuan took it, flicked it lightly, and it emitted a dragon-like roar.

“Good blade!”

With a single glance, he knew it was a formidable spirit-grade weapon, no less than the Jade Que Sword.

“I'll return your sword!”

With the broadsword in hand, he flicked his wrist and tossed the borrowed sword back.

Although this weapon had acknowledged him as master, borrowing was borrowing; it needed to be returned. He couldn't take someone else's property and claim it as his own.

Besides, he had no great attachment to weapons. Though the Jade Que Sword was fine, he felt no greed.

If he truly needed one, he could buy it.

Moreover, if he had such intentions, he would have emptied the entire Flowing Goblet and Winding Water long ago. Would he have let the Appraisal Pavilion off just by changing a condition?

“This...”

Taking the longsword, President Zheng's face reddened with embarrassment.

Spirit treasures had sentience; usually, when they acknowledged a master, even the original owner would reluctantly part with them.

Because if you didn't give it up and forcibly kept it, not only would it fail to acknowledge you, but it might also provoke resentment from its spirit.

If a weapon didn't acknowledge its master and harbored resentment, even if kept, it couldn't be used. It was better to do a favor and perhaps sell it at a good price.

He had thought that since Master Zhang had stirred the sword's spirit and made it acknowledge him, he would have to bid farewell to the Jade Que Sword forever. Unexpectedly, the man returned it without a care, showing no intention of keeping it.

“Master Zhang, you and this Jade Que Sword are fated. That's why it stirred and acknowledged you the moment it saw you. Such harmony between man and weapon is rare in the cultivation world. Whenever it occurs, it becomes a celebrated tale, bringing great fame.”

“I've had this sword for nearly five years and couldn't make its spirit submit. It's better to give it to you, to fulfill the harmony between man and weapon...”

Gritting his teeth, he pushed the longsword forward.

Parting with a sword he had cherished for five years was hard for anyone, but since the sword had already acknowledged another master, keeping it was useless. He might as well be generous.

Having said this, he expected the other to take the sword, but saw no movement. President Zheng couldn't help but look up and saw that Master Zhang, as if not hearing him, casually tapped several times on the nine-ring broadsword he had just taken.

Hum!

A crisp sound, and the broadsword roared.

His lips turned white, and his hand trembled. President Zheng nearly dropped the sword.

“Spirit stirring... This blade... has also acknowledged a master?”