The sword had accompanied him for five whole years, and the time he spent with it was even more than that of his own wife. Even so, he was still unable to fully tame it yet. On the other hand, the young man before him had only bellowed at it and it immediately produced Spirit Euphoria…
Euphoria your head!
Could you be even more shameless than that?
I treated you as though you were my ancestor and not only did you not know gratitude, you even dumped me for someone else, acknowledging someone else as your master…
Guild Leader Zheng felt as though his heart was being torn apart by countless blades. His chest felt so stifled that he could spurt blood at any moment.
His entire face had turned green.
What the heck was this?
Could it be that he had to use forceful measures on this sword to force it into submission?
Seeing the awful complexion on his old friend, Hall Master Sai slapped his forehead.
This was an overpowered appraiser who could even make the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets acknowledge him. Wasn’t earning the acknowledgement of the Imperial Jade Sword a walk in the park for him?
“Zhang shi is just borrowing your sword, he doesn’t intend to take it away…”
Fearful that his old friend might pass out at this rate, he hurriedly sent a telepathic message over.
“Un…”
Only after hearing those words did Guild Leader Zheng finally calm down. He suppressed the urge to spurt blood and turned to look at the young man as a sliver of doubt rose within him.
“Wasn’t he going to inscribe on the formation plate? Why is he borrowing a sword?”
The other party had declared that he was going to try inscribing on the formation plate so why in the world did he make the sword acknowledge him?
“It’s to inscribe the formation plate!” Grabbing the grade-5 blank formation plate, Zhang Xuan flung his hand.
Peng!
The formation plate lodged itself onto the wall not too far away as though a mirror nailed onto a wall.
After securing the formation plate well, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up and a ferocious might gushed out from him. Flicking his sword, a radiant aura shrouded it.
“Sword Intent… Sword Heart?”
Hearing the crisp buzz of the sword, Guild Leader Zheng narrowed his eyes.
Despite being a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert, he hadn’t comprehend Sword Heart yet. To think that a fellow who wasn’t even twenty yet would have reached such a level. Appraising, formation, and now Sword Heart… What in the world was he incapable of?
“Weapon Intent is incomparably sharp, and the might of a Spirit weapon infused with it can be brought up by a notch… It can’t be that you intend to use the sword to inscribe the formation?”
As the thought arose in his mind, Guild Leader Zheng nearly choked on his own saliva.
A grade-5 formation plate could only be inscribed on by a Spirit high-tier inscribing knife. However, a tool of that level couldn’t be found in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance… This fellow couldn’t possibly be thinking of complementing the sword with Weapon Intent to replace it…!
It was easy to make mistakes during the inscribing process even with something as light and small as the inscribing knife. To use a sword directly…
Are you here to play around?
Using a sword to inscribe a formation… Putting aside whether I’ve seen it before, I haven’t even heard of such a thing before!
You must be pulling my leg!
“Using a sword to inscribe a formation?” Hall Master Sai and Wang Haoxun’s vision also darkened.
This was no longer about being brazen, this was insanity!
One might be able to wield a sword with astounding dexterity, but to use a three chi (ten meters) long sword to inscribe marks that were countless times thinner than a strand of hair… How in the world did such a ridiculous notion even appear in his mind?
Ding ding ding ding!
But before he could recover from the young man’s actions, a metallic sound coming from the contact between the sword tip and the formation plate sounded.
Slowly, a thin mark appeared on the surface of the smooth formation plate.
“It’s really possible?”
His vision went dark again.
What kind of monster was this?
To be able to draw formation marks with a sword… Exactly how adept was he with a sword?
“To think that I often make mistakes even when using a carving knife…
Wang Haoxun’s lips trembled non-stop.
Even as a 4-star formation master, he still often made mistakes while inscribing on a formation plate. Yet, the other party was using a sword, which meant that he had to inscribe from a distance of three chi away…
Must you be so exaggerated?!
“It’s workable!”
Contrary to everyone’s shock, upon seeing the formation marks appear on the blank formation plate, Zhang Xuan’s eyes gradually grew brighter and brighter.
He had only thought of complementing the sword with Sword Intent to do the inscribing on a whim so he didn’t really give much of an expectation for it.
Driving his Soul Depth to the limit, his Eye of Insight flickered as he measured the various imperceptible bumps and depressions on the formation plate. Holding the sword tightly, he strictly followed the method detailed in the Heaven’s Path Formation Art to inscribe the formation on the plate.
If a master teacher were here, he would definitely realize that Zhang Xuan had reached a unique state at the moment… Vanquishing Facade, Lucid Mind!
Lucid Analytical realm!
After the State of Mind 2-dan Heart of Tranquil Water was this Lucid Analytical realm.
Knowledge was omnipresent, only waiting to be analyzed!
At this realm, one would be able to peer through chaos to see the crux. At the same time, with a clearer mind, one’s analytical power would grow substantially stronger.
Paired with the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan was able to inscribe the formation marks orderly, unaffected by any disturbances or emotions.
Other formation masters had to use a carving knife to inscribe the thin formation marks but Zhang Xuan could do the same with a sword. While the Heaven’s Path Formation Art played a part in that, what played a more significant role was this ability unique to only master teachers.
“To use a sword to inscribe a formation plate… It’s no wonder why he can break formations with a single kick. Who in the world is this expert?”
By the side, the senior, juniors, and others were so shocked that their hearts were about to stop beating.
Other people had to use carving knives to complete the delicate actions, but this fellow went on to use a sword instead. What left them even more frenzied was that he was able to do it as exquisitely as others… Even when witnessing it with their own eyes, they still found the entire sight incredulous.
Ding ding ding ding!
After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan retracted his sword and came to a halt. Then, he began to pant heavily.
“Sword Intent is an actualization of one’s concentration. It’s very easy for one to get exhausted by maintaining the state for a long time, not to mention, when doing such a delicate job!”
Upon seeing his state, Guild Leader Zheng tried to persuade him. “There’s no need to hurry. A formation plate isn’t something that can be inscribed completely within a day. You should take your time!”
Sword Intent represented a cultivator’s comprehension toward swordsmanship. Activating it for a short period of time was still manageable, but even with Zhang Xuan’s pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi, maintaining it for an extended period of time wasn’t too possible.
“Un…”
Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan began recuperating for a moment. He stared at the formation plate fixed on the wall with a grim expression.
Even though his comprehension of Sword Intent had already reached the level of Sword Heart, he was still unable to maintain that state for extended periods of time. In just a short moment, he already found himself on the verge of collapsing.
If he were to forcefully continue on, he might possibly wreck his previous efforts due to his unstable condition.
“If Sword Intent is a bottle filled with water, if it were to be poured out, there will come a point at which it will run dry.”
Frowning, Zhang Xuan fell into contemplation. “I’m already dried out at the moment but the formation plate isn’t even halfway there yet… It’ll at least take a day or two of recuperation for my Sword Intent to recover…”
Sword Intent was similar to zhenqi. There was a limit to how much one could use it at a moment, and if one were to use it repeatedly, one would find himself sapped dry.
And that was exactly what Zhang Xuan’s current state was. Even so, the formation plate in front of him wasn’t even half done yet.
What should he do?
Did he have to slowly complete it over a course of few days, just as the other party said?
If Guild Leader Zheng were to learn of his thoughts, he would surely think that the world had gone mad.
Even 5-star formation masters would require several days to inscribe such a high grade formation plate with a carving knife. With a sword in hand, the other party still expects to finish it swiftly… Wasn’t this clearly daydreaming?
Just as Zhang Xuan was conflicted over the next course of action, his eyes suddenly lit up.
On top of Sword Intent, he had comprehended Saber Intent as well.
“Right! Since I can inscribe it with Sword Intent, Saber Intent should work as well! Even though my Sword Intent is sapped dry at the moment, my Saber Intent is still at its capacity…”
Having learned Heaven’s Path Saber Art before, his grasp over sabers had reached an incredibly high level of mastery.
Even though he couldn’t activate his Sword Intent anymore, he hadn’t expended his Saber Intent yet. It was still a full bottle ready to be used at his disposal.
Chuckling lightly, he stood up and surveyed the surroundings. “Does anyone have a Spirit intermediate-tier saber here?”
Even though it was possible to utilize Saber Intent through a sword as well, due to the differing nature of the two swords, the might and accuracy of his movements might take a toll. There was no need for Zhang Xuan to take such a risk.
“Saber?”
Stars appeared above everyone’s head.
Aren’t you using a sword to inscribe the formation plate? Why do you need a saber?”
“I have one here…”
After a moment of hesitation, Hall Master Sai flicked his wrist and a nine-ringed saber appeared in his palm. It was heavy and ferocious, and one could feel a violent disposition from it.
“Allow me to borrow it for a moment!”
Walking forward, Zhang Xuan grabbed the saber and flicked it lightly. A sound similar to the call of a dragon echoed.
“Good saber!”
From that, it was clear that the saber was a formidable Spirit weapon. It wasn’t inferior to the Imperial Jade Sword at all.
“I’ll return you the sword first!”
With a saber in hand now, Zhang Xuan tossed the sword that he borrowed back to Guild Leader Zheng.
Even though the weapon had acknowledged him as its master, he had stated clearly before he was just borrowing it. Since that was the case, he had no thoughts of claiming it for himself.
Besides, he didn’t have much of an expectation for his weapon. Even though the Imperial Jade Sword was excellent, he didn’t possess any greed for it.
And if he really needed one, he could always buy one for himself.
If he had harbored such thoughts, he would have long carried the Harmonious Stream of Flowing Goblets away with him. There would be no need for him to negotiate with the Appraiser Hall and let them off.
“This…”
Catching the sword, Guild Leader Zheng’s face turned red in embarrassment.
Spirit artifacts possessed consciousness, and usually, if the spirit chose to acknowledge another master, even if the original owner was reluctant to do so, most would still choose to part with it.
After all, if one were to forcefully attempt to retain control over the weapon, not only would one be unable to earn the acknowledgement of the spirit, one might even incur its hostility.
There was no use keeping a sword that was hostile to one. Since that was the case, one might as well sell the other party a favor. Perhaps, one might even get a good price for it.
Thus, he thought that after Zhang shi had induced Spirit Euphoria in the Imperial Jade Sword, he would have to bid the sword goodbye. Yet… the other party simply returned it back to him, showing no signs of wanting to claim it for his own.
“Zhang shi, you seem to be fated with this Imperial Jade Sword given how easily you induced Spirit Euphoria in it! Such compatibility between a weapon and a human is extremely rare, and these encounters usually end up going on to become legends.
“I’ve owned this sword for nearly five years now but still, I’m unable to get its spirit to submit to me. Since that’s the case, I might as well just gift it to you and fulfill the both of you…”
Gritting his teeth, Guild Leader Zheng presented the sword back to Zhang Xuan.
No one could easily part with a companion who had accompanied one over a span of five years. However, this sword had already chosen its master, and there was no use keeping it to himself. Thus, he might as well extend his generosity to the other party.
After finishing his piece, he thought the other party would immediately take the sword away. However, contrary to his expectations, there was no movement at all. Lifting his head, it seemed like that Zhang shi hadn’t been listening to his words. Rather, he was tapping his fingers on several points on the nine-ringed saber that he just grabbed.
Weng!
A crisp call echoed from the saber.
Guild Leader Zheng’s lips turned white and his hands trembled. He nearly threw his sword aside out of agitation.
“Spirit Euphoria… This saber… has acknowledged him as its master as well?”
Nine-ringed saber:
It’s actually a real type of weapon in Chinese history, a pretty common one at that. The unique trait of the sword is that it has nine rings aligned to one end of its blade (Note that the body of a saber tends to be rather large). It’s said to allow you greater ease in controlling the trajectory of the sword by manipulating the center of gravity. Depending on your age, some of the weaker elderly might opt to go for six rings or three rings.
