sinovels Chapter 392 Sword Tomb! The Old Eunuch's Insights on Swords!
Chapter 392 Sword Tomb! The Old Eunuch's Insights on Swords!
The gap immediately closed, the ripples subsided, and the door returned to its original state, as if it had never been opened.
The two sword guards outside the door looked at each other in bewilderment!
For a fleeting moment, they seemed to glimpse a flash of light on the door, but upon closer inspection, everything appeared normal.
"An illusion?" someone whispered.
The other man frowned, his grip on his sword tightening, before finally shaking his head: "It must be a reflection from the glass lamp. Strengthen our vigilance and wait for our senior brother to return."
They have no idea that an uninvited guest has appeared inside the treasure vault.
Behind the door was not the dark hall as expected, but a hazy blue light.
Chen Fan stood at the entrance of a passageway paved with white jade, and looking up, he couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his heart.
The passageway was about three zhang wide and its top was not visible. The walls on both sides were neither brick nor stone, but were made of whole pieces of "Sword Intent Jade".
This jade comes from the Sword Abyss in the far north. It is naturally able to absorb and seal sword intent. At this moment, hundreds of light marks, some deep and some shallow, some sharp and some long, are flowing on the wall!
Those are the sword aura imprints left by generations of Qingyun Sect sword cultivators, which have not faded over the years, making the entire passageway look like an inverted Milky Way.
A peculiar sense of "sharpness" permeated the air.
It wasn't murderous intent, but a pure, time-tested aura of swordsmanship. With each breath, it felt as if countless tiny sword energies seeped into the lungs through the throat, leaving one with a slight chill throughout the body, yet also a clear mind.
Chen Fan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, suppressing the instinctive tremor in his heart. Although he was skilled with a sword, his swordsmanship was mostly honed through actual combat, emphasizing simplicity, ruthlessness, and a single, fatal strike. He had never seen such a systematic and vast accumulation of sword intent before.
This place was nothing less than a treasure trove of swordsmanship for him.
He strode forward.
Footsteps echoed softly in the silent passageway.
The light marks on the jade swords on both sides seemed to come alive, flickering slightly as he approached, as if scrutinizing this unfamiliar visitor.
Chen Fan kept his eyes straight ahead, but his divine sense had already quietly spread out, probing into the depths of the tunnel like tentacles.
After walking about a hundred paces, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It was a circular cave with a diameter of nearly 100 feet, with a dome hanging high above it. Hundreds of luminous pearls were inlaid on it, arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, casting a cool and soft light.
In the center of the cave stands a three-tiered bronze sword platform, densely covered with hundreds of ancient swords of various shapes and sizes, including longswords, shortswords, broadswords, thinswords, straight swords, and curved swords!
Some were rusted, some gleamed coldly, and some were even just half a broken blade. Each sword exuded a unique aura, whether it was aloof, violent, calm, or agile.
Dozens of stone tablets of varying heights are scattered on the ground around the sword platform. The surface of the tablets is as smooth as a mirror and is covered with densely packed tiny characters and mysterious sword patterns.
This place is the core of the Qingyun Sect's thousand-year accumulation of swordsmanship!
Sword Tomb Stele Forest!
Chen Fan paused before the sword platform, his gaze slowly sweeping over the room filled with swords and stone tablets. The sword intent surging in the air grew even stronger, almost tangible, causing a faint stinging sensation when it brushed against his skin. He closed his eyes, relying solely on his divine sense to perceive it.
In an instant, countless images, sounds, and feelings surged in like a tide!
A swordsman in white robes dances with his sword atop a snow-capped mountain, his sword light as bright as a rainbow, cleaving through the wind and snow!
An old man in a blue robe sat motionless beneath the waterfall, letting the torrents wash over his body, yet the wooden sword in his hand remained unmoved!
A young man repeatedly thrust his sword under the moonlight, for ten years, for a hundred years, until the sword was so fast that it cut through the moonlight!
A woman used a sword as a pen to draw talismans in the void; wherever the sword tip passed, spiritual patterns appeared!
This is the sword intent imprint left by generations of sword cultivators of the Qingyun Sect.
Although they have died and their spirits have faded, their lifelong obsession with the sword, their insights, and even their fleeting moments of inspiration are preserved here through the swords and stone tablets, waiting for future generations to resonate with them.
Chen Fan opened his eyes, a light he had never seen before flashing in them.
Since he began practicing swordsmanship, relying on the difference in the flow of time within the bowl and his own comprehension, his progress in swordsmanship has been remarkably rapid.
But while it may be fast, it ultimately lacks the systematic observation, reflection, and integration required. The sword intent before him, regardless of its level or depth, is the result of the painstaking efforts of his predecessors, and is the perfect resource for him to complete his foundation in swordsmanship and glimpse a higher realm.
He wasn't in a hurry to touch the physical swords!
Those are the foundation of the Qingyun Sect; disturbing them will inevitably lead to chaos. His target is those stone tablets and the intent sealed within the swords.
I walked toward the nearest stone tablet.
The stele is seven feet tall, with the color of black jade. Its surface is engraved with the general outline of the "Flowing Cloud Sword Manual," and the characters are elegant and lively, like clouds rolling and unfolding.
Chen Fan read intently, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the words.
At first, I only felt that the principles of swordsmanship were exquisite, but gradually I began to appreciate the differences!
This sword technique emphasizes "dispersed form but concentrated intent, with endless variations," which is completely opposite to his usual concise and ruthless style.
"Not right." He shook his head, not insisting, and moved on to the next piece.
This is a dull, unyielding stone tablet with only a deep sword mark, about an inch deep, running the length of the tablet.
There are no words, no annotations, only a pure and ultimate sense of "breaking" lingering around.
Chen Fan stood before the monument, gazing at the sword mark. In a daze, he seemed to see a black-robed swordsman facing a sheer cliff, slashing straight down with his sword. There were no fancy moves, no variations, only unwavering determination and the belief in cutting through everything.
A thought struck him.
This sense of "breaking" has a subtle connection with the "annihilation" thought in his swordsmanship. He stretched out his hand and pressed it three inches in front of the sword mark, holding his breath to feel the will flowing within it.
Time passed slowly, and he stood still like a stone statue, only the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly let out a soft sigh and withdrew his hand.
There was a slight stinging sensation in my palm!
Those were the marks left by the sword intent invading the body.
But he was not surprised but delighted, because he had realized that the "break" of this sword mark broke the form, the barrier, and the shackles! And his own "slash" severed the life, the soul, and the cause and effect.
Although they share a similar origin, they diverge to different extremes. If one can capture the purity of "breaking" and integrate it with the fierceness of "cutting" within oneself, one may reach a higher level.
He didn't linger and continued towards the next stone tablet.
The third stele is entirely crimson, like jade soaked in blood, and is engraved with a set of "Prairie Fire Sword Techniques".
This sword emphasizes momentum over technique, focusing on using the sword to draw upon the fire element's spiritual energy. When the sword is drawn, it is like a wildfire spreading across the plains, burning everything in its path.
After a quick read, Chen Fan knew that it didn't suit his own attributes!
His spiritual power was balanced and peaceful, without any fiery or violent elements. However, the application of "momentum," especially the methods of using the power of heaven and earth to amplify one's prestige and suppress the mind of one's opponent, gave him pause for thought.
"Sword intent..." he murmured.
In the past, he relied on speed and sharpness to win against enemies, and had not delved deeply into the concept of "momentum". Although the inscription on this stele focuses on the element of fire, the principles are the same. By drawing inferences from one instance to another, he actually developed a vague idea of how to use sword intent to draw upon the power of heaven and earth in the bowl.
Looking at one stone tablet after another.
There is the "Rock-Stone Sword Intent" which emphasizes "defense," where the sword strikes as immovable as a mountain, as still as a deep pool!
There is a game called "Chasing the Light Sword Record" that pursues "speed". Only speed can break through, and you can travel thousands of miles in an instant!
The Mirage Sword Manual, which emphasizes "illusion," features sword light that alternates between reality and illusion, confusing the enemy's five senses!
There is the "Skillful Finger-Wrapping Soft Sword," which uses softness to overcome hardness and penetrates every nook and cranny...