Vines entwined, the narrow path led to seclusion.

In the courtyard, the stone paving was laid out with meticulous order.

Lu Yuan stood in the courtyard of Changchun Residence, "Master, your disciple wishes to seek some guidance from you."

Li Yuanbai paused, startled. "You wish to seek guidance from your master? Although my remaining lifespan is short now, my combat strength has not suffered a significant loss, and I am, after all, one of the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak." As he spoke, an infinite sword intent seemed to emanate from Li Yuanbai, affecting the surrounding flora.

"Your swordsmanship is a perfect match for sparring with Old Nine Ye Fang and Old Ten Ye Yuan of your generation," Li Yuanbai remarked.

Lu Yuan shook his head, stating with firm resolve, "I still wish to seek guidance from you, Master."

Li Yuanbai frowned. "You are too hasty. Very well, make your move. Let me see what you have grasped in these past half-month." Li Yuanbai's mood was hard to decipher. Normally, Lu Yuan was a slacker, but rarely, spurred by the upcoming Peak Competition and the taunts of Sima Changbai and Sima Hao, he had become diligent. This was naturally a good thing, and Li Yuanbai was happy to see it.

However, mastering the sword was not achieved overnight; one could not rush it. If one became too eager, they might easily fall into a difficult situation, become trapped by their own swordsmanship, and ultimately suffer a severe setback—such precedents were not unheard of in the cultivation world. For Lu Yuan to challenge him now suggested he was indeed too eager in his practice.

This time, Li Yuanbai resolved to properly shock Lu Yuan awake.

Lu Yuan showed no courtesy. Facing his master, one of the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak, to be polite would have been inappropriate. Nourishing My Sword was already drawn, its bright blade tumbling swiftly in Lu Yuan's grip, executing the move, "Gale Sweeps Through." At this moment, Li Yuanbai's expression drastically changed. Impossible. Within this technique, he perceived Sword Intent—the Sword Intent of Wind. Tremendous waves crashed through Li Yuanbai's heart.

Could it be? His disciple, only sixteen years old, had comprehended the Sword Intent of Wind? When he himself comprehended the Wind Sword Intent, he had been one hundred and sixteen, and that achievement was considered quite remarkable, otherwise he wouldn't rank among the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak. And now, his disciple had grasped it?

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed absolutely impossible.

Test him again, Li Yuanbai thought inwardly.

Li Yuanbai flicked his hand, his long sword tracing a path through the air like fine silk. It was also the move, "Gale Sweeps Through."

Gale Sweeps Through against Gale Sweeps Through. Both embodied the Sword Intent of Wind, the Wind Intent merged into the Sword Intent.

"Gale Sweeps Through" was a ferociously powerful move, its sword momentum swift as lightning and its destructive force considerable.

The two manifestations of "Gale Sweeps Through" slammed violently into each other. With a bang, the surrounding scenery, once filled with flowers, saw countless blossoms and even patches of turf ripped away by the aftershock, as if a true gale had passed. With Sword Intent integrated into the move, the effect of nature's storm was clearly simulated. Li Yuanbai had deliberately used only power equivalent to Lu Yuan’s; he did not intend to defeat his disciple, but merely to test his skill and swordsmanship.

As the two strikes collided, a flash of wild ecstasy crossed Li Yuanbai's mind. His disciple had truly mastered the Sword Intent of Wind.

This was an intent he himself had only mastered after reaching over a hundred years of age.

Then, let’s test the next move.

Without reservation, Li Yuanbai immediately unleashed a sword strike. This sword felt continuous and fluid, appearing utterly mundane. However, anyone familiar with the One Hundred and Eight Styles of Wind and Cloud would recognize this as "Flowing Cloud," one of its techniques. This move appeared calm on the surface, yet it concealed a lethal killing blow, making it incredibly terrifying.

Lu Yuan instantly understood his Master's intent and flicked his wrist, delivering the same style, "Flowing Cloud."

Flowing Cloud met Flowing Cloud.

These two moves appeared perfectly placid, and when they collided, virtually no significant destructive force was generated.

At this moment, overwhelming joy flashed through Li Yuanbai's heart. Indeed, in those last two exchanges, he had felt it—his disciple had comprehended the Sword Intent of Cloud. Two Sword Intents: Wind and Cloud. Unbelievable! Fascinating, truly fascinating! His disciple, usually so lazy, had erupted at this critical juncture, grasping the Sword Intents of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

When he himself was young, he was called a genius, yet he only comprehended this at one hundred and sixteen.

His disciple, now, was merely sixteen.

The gap between one hundred and sixteen and sixteen was simply too vast.

If he had few years left, the one thing that weighed most heavily on his mind was his only disciple. However, Lu Yuan’s performance now allowed his heart to rest slightly easier, though certainly not completely.

Li Yuanbai tested him again. "Of the One Hundred and Eight Styles of Wind and Cloud, how many swords are there in total?" This was a small examination.

Lu Yuan replied, "Two styles. One is the Cloud Sword, and the other is the Wind Sword."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanbai burst into laughter. "Well said! Two styles in total: the Cloud Sword and the Wind Sword." He laughed so heartily that it caused him to cough, given his frail condition. Yet, the cough was worth it, for from this answer, he understood that his disciple had truly, genuinely awakened to the essence.

Previously, when his disciple had mastered the principle that sword moves are dead but the person is alive, and came seeking guidance, Li Yuanbai had vaguely mentioned Sword Intent. But he clearly hadn't expected the disciple to grasp it, as the barrier of Sword Intent was extremely high. Once this barrier was crossed, given enough time, one was guaranteed to become a first-rate master of the sword.

At that time, mentioning it was only to give his disciple some direction for the future.

Who would have expected that, after more than four months, Lu Yuan would actually grasp the Sword Intents of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud?

How could this fail to elate Li Yuanbai?

Among the tenth-generation disciples, in terms of Sword Intent and swordsmanship, his disciple should now rank first. Even among the ninth-generation Elders, not ten of them had grasped Sword Intent. The realm of Sword Intent was inherently difficult to attain; once achieved, that person was destined to become a master in the cultivation world, at least growing to the level of a North Peak Six Sword Immortal.

Moreover, his disciple grasping Sword Intent at sixteen was almost setting a record for their youth.

On Mount Hua's North Peak, the youngest to comprehend Sword Intent was likely the Second Generation Patriarch, followed closely by his current disciple.

Lost in this joyful realization, Li Yuanbai could not help but laugh aloud. Since his severe injury relapsed, he hadn't felt such unbridled joy in a long time.

"I am relieved about this Peak Competition now," Li Yuanbai stated. Based on grasping Sword Intent at sixteen alone, his disciple would not be squeezed out of the ranks of the Ten Great True Disciples. Sima Changbai's scheme would be foiled. As soon as he finished speaking, he erupted into another violent fit of coughing; his body declined daily, and he knew he couldn't hold on much longer.

Time slipped away like sand between his fingers.

How much lifespan did he have left?

His initial deep-seated worries had lessened considerably.

Naturally, Li Yuanbai added sternly, "To grasp Sword Intent at your age—even I am proud of you. However, the path of immortality is riddled with peril. We cultivators navigate an incredibly dangerous environment; you must never become arrogant because of this small achievement."

"Yes," Lu Yuan nodded. He had admittedly felt a touch of pride just moments ago, but upon his Master's reminder, he immediately calmed his mind.

——————

There was indeed no need to worry about this Peak Competition anymore.

Precisely because of this realization, he instantly reverted to his usual slothful state.

Subsequently, Lu Yuan resumed his habitual lifestyle: sleeping when he felt like it, fishing, barbecuing, or buying some wine.

The days passed by with supreme leisure.

One day, Lu Yuan was lying stretched out on the grass.

Nearby, two cold lights flashed, constantly clashing in the air, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, the sword waves rolling, the sword light intensely frigid. One sword style was perfectly square, radiating an aura of righteous integrity within its rigid form; the other style was rounded and flowing, boasting excellent defense. These two were naturally Ye Fang and Ye Yuan.

The trio of close friends had gathered again.

Ye Fang and Ye Yuan were biological brothers. Ye Fang was a disciple under Junzi Sword Fang Ru, one of the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak, while Ye Yuan studied under Yuanrong Sword Ye Rongyang, another of the Six Sword Immortals. Their swordsmanship naturally differed greatly. Though practicing the same One Hundred and Eight Styles of Wind and Cloud, Ye Fang executed it rigidly and uprightly, whereas Ye Yuan used it smoothly and integrally.

Lu Yuan stood by without intervening, merely watching. He observed that in every move executed by either of them, there were numerous exploitable flaws—flaw connected to flaw—that entirely failed to conform to the Sword Intent of the One Hundred and Eight Styles of Wind and Cloud. Lu Yuan was certain he could easily exploit those gaps.

I truly have improved significantly, Lu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Previously, his strength was only on par with Ye Fang and Ye Yuan; they fought to a standstill. But now, he felt he could effortlessly locate the vulnerabilities in their sword techniques. To defeat these two, he wouldn't even need thirty moves. Their current sword realm was still stuck at the first level of swordsmanship: moves are rigid, and the person is constrained by the form. He, however, had long reached the level of Sword Intent, placing him infinitely higher in swordsmanship.

That was why he could spot their flaws so easily.

Lu Yuan lay watching their spar while savoring the yellow wine from his flask with relish. The four months spent cultivating in the Willow Forest of Raging Winds had been incredibly worthwhile; reaching this level, mastering Sword Intent—how satisfying.

(Two chapters totaling six thousand characters today. Since I am still writing the older book, I cannot manage more. Please forgive me; I will post three chapters tomorrow. Incidentally, some readers may have already realized that this book is simply the story of a protagonist cultivating the sword—a very pure and simple tale.)