It beat down upon the glazed tiles of the County Yamen. The Great Jin Dynasty had no tradition of neglecting the construction of its local administrative offices, and the Yamen of Dongye County was unusually grand—powdered walls, glazed tiles. This was the place of utmost solemnity in Dongye, where common folk naturally lowered their voices, fearful of disturbing the County Magistrate.

Within a county, the Magistrate held the highest authority.

No one had ever dared to act presumptuously within the walls of the Yamen.

However, at this moment, a young man in green robes was stretched out upon the glazed roof tiles. The sun was truly blinding; it made even sleeping difficult. Lu Yuan, nursing a gourd of yellow wine in one hand and half a roasted chicken in the other, complained that the sun was too aggressive, spoiling his nap—what a tragedy. The matter concerning the Asura was now largely settled; the Asura’s head had already been sent up the chain of command. Now, only the wrap-up duties remained.

Because the final tasks were incomplete, he couldn't leave temporarily.

Thus, he was here, utterly bored to death.

Fortunately, the Yamen provided fine wine and delicious food.

Lu Yuan had always appreciated good drink and good food, so having them available meant he could comfortably remain here for a while longer.

Furthermore, he had already reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation: Qi Solidified into Aura. His spiritual power had seen considerable progress. Having just advanced, his fa li required no further aggressive cultivation; he merely needed to stabilize his current realm properly. The cultivation of spiritual power was a long process that spanned the entire immortal path; one could not rush or become impatient. Once sufficient accumulation was achieved, breakthroughs would occur naturally, like water finding its level.

Moreover, among the spoils he gained from killing the Asura recently, he had acquired the Spirit Sealing Tablet. Within that tablet were three Cloud-type spirit beasts: Cloud Rabbits. These three rabbits continuously channeled cloud-attribute yuanqi into his body. Even though he wasn't actively cultivating now, it was functionally equivalent to sitting cross-legged in meditation at all times.

This haul of loot this time—he had truly struck it rich.

Three Cloud-type spirit beasts!

If the others at North Peak ever learned of this, even the venerable Elder Masters would be consumed by envy.

Lu Yuan looked at the sun; it really wasn't the weather for practicing swordsmanship.

At this moment, Lu Yuan couldn't help but recall the battle with the Asura. The Asura's spiritual power had been superior to his own at the time, and the only reason he won was because his techniques were far superior. His swordsmanship had reached the level of Sword Intent. Once he viewed the Asura’s physical combat as a form of swordsmanship, he could use his own blade to suppress it.

If the Asura fought physically, one could view his actions as swordplay, and then suppress him with one's superior swordsmanship.

Then, what if he used other weapons, such as a saber, spear, or staff? Would that work?

In the cultivation world of the Great Jin Kingdom, although most people used swords, there were occasional practitioners of other arms; not everyone was a swordsman.

Coincidentally, Daoist Bichen and Daoist Biyi were present in the courtyard. Lu Yuan leaped down from the roof and addressed Daoist Bichen, "Speaking of which, Daoist Bichen, I am currently studying a difficult problem in swordsmanship. Do you know how to use a saber, spear, or similar weapons?"

"I do," Daoist Bichen replied. Rogue cultivators differed from those affiliated with sects. Sect cultivators all possessed systematic sword arts and cultivation methods. For instance, at North Peak, everyone used the sword. Rogue cultivators were different; they often lacked truly supreme sword arts. They learned whatever cultivation method they found—many rogue cultivators knew how to use swordplay, saber techniques, and spear arts, but mastered none.

Rogue cultivators, for the most part, were rather pitiable.

Lu Yuan nodded. "I am investigating how sword techniques stack up against saber and spear arts. Could you spar with me using a saber technique?"

I should refuse him. I really should refuse him, Daoist Bichen thought to himself. He was a rogue cultivator of integrity and backbone; how could he yield to someone from an established sect? How could he agree to the request of a disciple from a prestigious sect? He ought to refuse, yet, as if guided by an unseen force, he nodded instead: "I can."

As soon as the word "I can" left his lips, Daoist Bichen felt a wave of speechlessness. How had he let those two words escape?

This was truly tragic.

He usually looked down upon people from the great sects the most, so why had he agreed now?

If he had to blame someone, he blamed Lu Yuan's miraculous swordsmanship. Having witnessed it once, he couldn't resist wanting to see it a second time. After finding himself a rationalization, Daoist Bichen felt considerably more righteous.

"Good, let's begin," Lu Yuan said. "For this practice, we won't infuse too much spiritual power into the forms." He was currently at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, with the power of Qi Solidified into Aura. If he used too much fa li against Daoist Bichen, it would simply be bullying with power. He needed to focus on practicing his swordsmanship today.

Daoist Bichen raised his hand and summoned a long saber. His saber was also a treasure-grade weapon. As a rogue cultivator, he naturally wouldn't possess a flying sword. He eyed Lu Yuan’s Yangwu Sword with jealousy—these damned disciples of the great sects.

The exchange began.

Daoist Bichen swept his saber, unleashing a stream of saber techniques. These were not profoundly deep skills, but facing saber techniques for the first time, Lu Yuan couldn't gain an immediate advantage. However, this was due to the initial unfamiliarity with saber forms. Sabers could accomplish things swords could not, and conversely, swords could do things sabers could not.

The sword and the saber were inherently different.

Lu Yuan dissected and observed each move, and suddenly realized that saber techniques were ultimately nothing more than this.

Though the saber and the sword appeared different on the surface, they were fundamentally the same.

Having grasped this realization, Lu Yuan continued to strike with his sword. These strikes were not entire, formalized maneuvers; they were often casual slashes, yet each casual strike pointed directly toward Daoist Bichen’s weak points, forcing him to abort his own techniques midway. Daoist Bichen now finally understood the feeling the Asura had experienced before.

No matter what move he attempted, he could only execute half of it before having to retract it—this feeling was nauseating enough to make one vomit blood. Furthermore, it felt as if he constantly possessed an opening, allowing his opponent to slip in with any casual thrust of the sword. He felt as though his entire body was vulnerable. This feeling was both unbearably frustrating and left him feeling completely exposed before his opponent, profoundly uncomfortable.

In his many years traversing the cultivation world, Daoist Bichen had never encountered an opponent who made him feel this uneasy.

"Switch to the spear," Lu Yuan commanded, creating a momentary gap.

Realizing he couldn't gain any ground using the saber, Daoist Bichen immediately switched to the spear. With the long spear in hand, he deployed his spear forms. Initially, it looked as though he and Lu Yuan were parrying and dissecting each other's moves, but similar to the saber exchange, after a short while, Lu Yuan forced him into an agonizing position. No matter what technique he used, he could only complete half of it, and a casual sword strike from Lu Yuan would exploit a vulnerability, making him feel exposed everywhere.

This agonizing sensation nearly made Daoist Bichen spit blood.

It was true that watching Lu Yuan demonstrate swordsmanship from the sidelines looked incomparably beautiful and miraculous.

But truly sparring with Lu Yuan, being his opponent, was this agonizing and nauseating.

This miraculous swordsmanship was truly bizarre.

At this moment, Lu Yuan was completely immersed in an utterly strange state, his spirit entirely absorbed in it.

Sword strikes were composed of fundamental moves like cleaving, chopping, pounding, sweeping, parrying, wiping, intercepting, thrusting, twisting, pressing, hanging, and clouding.

Saber maneuvers consisted of moves like cleaving, chopping, thrusting, sweeping, slicing, blocking, and intercepting.

Spear techniques were formed by the most basic actions: thrusting, stabbing, striking, pressing, coiling, circling, blocking, grasping, lunging, poking, deflecting, and weaving.

Sword forms, saber forms, and spear forms differed on the surface.

But in essence, they were all connected.

They were all constructed from basic movements. Truly formidable techniques had their intent residing within them.

The intent of the sword, the intent of the saber, the intent of the spear—to put it plainly—it was all Intent.

He used the sword, and he cultivated Sword Intent. His opponents used various weapons, but as long as one saw past the surface and delved into the origin, everything was Intent. In other words, any opponent whose skill had not yet reached the level of Intent could not contend with him regarding technique, regardless of the weapon they wielded; the result would be identical.

Ten thousand weapons—no matter how strange—were ultimately just Intent channeled through them.

What Lu Yuan grasped now was a realm: the Realm of Ten Thousand Weapons Returning to Intent. Once this realm was understood, in the future, no matter what bizarre weapon his opponent used, he could trace it back to its origin and pursue its inherent intent, fearing nothing.

The Realm of Ten Thousand Weapons Returning to Intent was extremely difficult to grasp, though perhaps slightly easier than achieving pure Sword Intent; the difficulty remained formidable.

Whether one achieved it depended entirely on luck and sudden enlightenment.

Once enlightened, he would never again fear any weapon, be it saber, spear, club, or halberd.

If unenlightened, all discussion was pointless.

And now, Lu Yuan had achieved this insight.

In the future, even if his opponents used strange weaponry, he would be able to handle it.

Let them be strange; let them be strong. With the Sword Intent of Wind and the Sword Intent of Cloud in hand, how could he possibly fear any bizarre technique under heaven?

"Finally, enlightenment," Lu Yuan said, moving his hand. The Yangwu Sword, shimmering like a pool of autumn water, returned to its sheath.

It was only then that Daoist Bichen was freed. Honestly, sparring with Lu Yuan was too nauseating. His moves were effortlessly exposed, and halfway through executing a technique, he felt compelled to stop, enveloped entirely by the aura of his opponent's sword. This feeling was truly revolting.

"Thank you, Daoist Bichen, for helping me comprehend the Dao of the Sword," Lu Yuan said, cupping his hands in thanks.

"No need to thank me, no need," Daoist Bichen muttered, tears welling up again. What was happening to him? He was a proud rogue cultivator who had always resented the great sects. Now, a disciple of a great sect was thanking him. No, he was a rogue cultivator; he absolutely could not become complicit with the great sects.

Daoist Bichen was just about to assert his rogue cultivator integrity and disdain for the major sects, but when he looked up, Lu Yuan was nowhere in sight. He saw that Lu Yuan had already ascended back to the rooftop. Couldn't you leave a little slower? Couldn't you let me at least express my disdain for the great sects before you depart?

"Such miraculous swordsmanship," Daoist Biyi murmured from the sidelines, who had observed the fight.

"Such agonizing swordsmanship," Daoist Bichen declared dismissively, deliberately raising his voice so Lu Yuan could hear. He wanted to make it clear that he held Lu Yuan's swordplay in utter contempt.

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