Mount Hua, South Peak, Lotus Peak. Of the Five Peaks of Mount Hua, each possesses its own unique characteristics.

The North Peak is perpetually shrouded in thick mists and swirling clouds. In contrast, the South Peak stands opposite the North Peak, elevated higher, recognized as the most precipitous of the five.

Once, a Celestial Poet captured its essence, saying: "This peak is the highest; the very air I breathe seems to connect with the Emperor of Heaven's throne. A pity I cannot gaze upon such majesty and pen a line that scrapes the azure heavens." This single utterance surpasses volumes of prose.

The Eagle Wing Stone on the South Peak is the sacred ground where the art is passed down from generation to generation to the true successors. Hence, the disciples of the South Peak are inherently bold, a trait cultivated from this very place.

In the initial days of his tenure on the South Peak, Lu Yuan spent his time alongside Gu Xi and Gu Mi, diligently studying the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay under the tutelage of Nangong Hui, the Spring Sword Immortal. Initially, Lu Yuan struggled, having never before trained in wood-elemental swordsmanship, his progress was slow.

However, Lu Yuan's innate aptitude for the blade was exceptionally high, as was his existing swordsmanship. In just a matter of days, Lu Yuan’s comprehension of the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay far outstripped that of Gu Xi and Gu Mi.

To a young woman like Gu Xi, reaching Lu Yuan's level with this set of techniques would ordinarily be cause to cease practice and move on to the next sword form. Here, a clarification is necessary regarding the standard training regimen for true disciples.

Lu Yuan is an anomaly; his training method cannot serve as the benchmark for ordinary true disciples. The typical true disciple begins by learning the foundational sword techniques of their sect—every sect possesses such basics.

Years are spent mastering these foundations before proceeding further. A superior sword set is taught move by move; often, several months are dedicated to a single form, followed by years of slow contemplation and refinement.

It is normal for a disciple to take several years to master just one complete sword style. They generally consider their practice sufficient once they achieve a competent level.

Crucially, they do not typically reach the degree of mastery over the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay that Lu Yuan currently exhibits before moving to the next style. Seeing Lu Yuan continuing to drill the Seventy-Two Forms despite his apparent mastery, Gu Xi was naturally perplexed.

The reason, however, was quite simple. He had fundamentally grasped the forms, but he had yet to truly capture the Wood Sword Intent.

Lu Yuan remained unhurried, attending his lessons with the Spring Sword Immortal every dawn. The scenery around the Eagle Wing Stone was breathtaking.

Standing there, one felt unnervingly close to the heavens, as if the stars were within reach. Looking out, mountain ranges rolled away into the vastness, while distant rivers snaked like jade belts across plains that resembled silk brocade, all spread out beneath him, fostering a sensation of treading on clouds.

... Training on the Eagle Wing Stone usually involved quiet practice.

Yet, despite having perfected the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay, Lu Yuan inexplicably felt an immense, unbridgeable distance from the Wood Sword Intent. Though not overly anxious, the inability to even sense a direction left him distinctly dissatisfied.

That morning, the Spring Sword Immortal was absent, seemingly occupied with other matters. Ninth-generation Sword Immortals like her always carried heavy responsibilities.

Nevertheless, the other recognized true disciples were present: Mo Qianbian, the First True Disciple; Liu Mu, the Second; Wei Bei, the Fourth; and Shen Luo, the Fifth. Mo Qianbian smiled.

"Junior Brother Lu’s reputation precedes him. Are you interested in crossing swords with a senior brother for a spar, perhaps offering some pointers?" Normally, the senior guides the junior, but Lu Yuan’s exceptional swordsmanship was common knowledge, making it perfectly normal for him to ask the Head Senior Brother of the South Peak for instruction.

Gu Xi cheered enthusiastically from the side. Indeed, she had long wished to witness Lu Yuan’s skill firsthand.

The usual training sessions offered no true display of technique; now, with the Head Senior Brother challenging Lu Yuan, her shouts of encouragement were loud and clear. Lu Yuan smiled faintly.

"Perhaps, Senior Brother Mo will need to hold back a little." Mo Qianbian chuckled. "Junior Brother Lu is too modest.

We will keep it light, but I ask that you be gentle; otherwise, I fear I might suffer a rather embarrassing defeat." After exchanging the ceremonial sword salute, Mo Qianbian initiated his attack with the One Hundred and Eighty-Eight Forms of Flourishing Branches. He unleashed the sequence with startling speed and vigor.

This was Lu Yuan’s first encounter with this style. He felt as if he were suddenly enveloped in a dense, ancient forest.

This set was undeniably more profound than the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay. Lu Yuan felt no need to rush.

Shielding himself with his Cloud Sword Intent, he deliberately refrained from breaking the attack, choosing instead to observe the Flourishing Branches technique. Since this was a wood-elemental style, and his current goal was to decipher the Wood Sword Intent, Lu Yuan effortlessly parried Mo Qianbian’s every move with a few casual strikes, slowly absorbing the intricacies of the One Hundred and Eighty-Eight Forms.

When Mo Qianbian completed the entire sequence, Lu Yuan had not launched a single counter-attack. Mo Qianbian lowered his blade.

"Junior Brother’s skill is profound indeed. You neutralized the entire set without a single riposte.

A pity that my technique has not yet reached the stage where the sword's movement is slow, yet its vitality is explosively swift." "What did you say? 'Sword movement slow, yet vitality extremely swift'?" A sudden, bright thought flashed through Lu Yuan’s mind.

Mo Qianbian blinked in surprise. Lu Yuan finally understood his error.

He had been practicing the sword forms intently, but due to his ingrained preference for fluidity, the five Intents he had already mastered—Wind, Cloud, Rain, Dusk, and Swiftness—were all intensely dynamic. The Wood Sword Intent, however, was fundamentally different.

Wood-elemental swordsmanship is inherently not fast; it is unhurried and measured. The speed lies not in the blade’s travel, but in the surging vitality emanating from it.

Mo Qianbian was unconcerned; that remark was not a South Peak secret, so Lu Yuan was free to know it. —————— What exactly is the Wood Sword Intent?

Lu Yuan lay on the grassy expanse. The sky above the South Peak was clearer than the North Peak, which was aptly named Cloud Terrace Peak.

The South Peak, conversely, boasted far more trees. Lying down, he was surrounded by a pine forest interspersed with cypress, their dense canopy almost entirely obscuring the sky.

While Mo Qianbian had provided the verbal key—"Sword movement slow, yet vitality extremely swift"—grasping the Wood Sword Intent from this single phrase alone was impossible. Lu Yuan pondered.

What is the Wood Sword Intent? Wood.

What is the fundamental meaning of wood? Wood is born from the earth.

Wood grows upward into towering giants, transforming water into substance. Wood embodies infinite life force.

Wood aspires to become a colossal tree. Even the common grass growing from the soil falls under the category of wood.

To observe the full cycle of a tree might take decades. Could he, instead, witness the life and death cycle of grass to glean some understanding?

Lu Yuan lay down, focusing on the ephemeral life and decay of the blades around him. Initially, without sound from beneath the earth, how could he truly see?

If seeing was impossible, then feeling must suffice. Feeling.

Yes, feeling. At first, there was nothing, but slowly, a faint sensation emerged—a trace of life force accumulating within the earth, currently fragile, requiring the warmth of the soil to break the surface and allow its vitality to strengthen.

This vitality accumulated steadily within the soil, growing denser, more concentrated. Finally, this surging life force began to shift.

Precisely—with a sudden, almost audible pop, as if something had fractured—the life force exploded outward, manifesting as a sprout. This tiny shoot remained partially submerged, the soil seemingly trying to suppress it.

Yet, the sprout showed no fear; weak though it was, it relentlessly pushed against the earth's pressure, inching upward, until finally, it broke through and encountered the light, the outside world. Once free from the soil’s compression, and having lost its immediate protection, the grass grew exponentially faster, its life force intensifying.

... Is this the Wood Intent?

Lu Yuan had been lying there for over a month, surviving almost purely on instinct and the occasional consumption of Bigu Pills, simply observing the birth of grass, using the small to understand the great, watching the nearby trees mature. Understood.

Finally, he grasped the Wood Sword Intent. Of course, if one were to try and describe it precisely in words, it would remain elusive.

Sword Intent is inherently mysterious; if it were easily explained, countless texts would detail how to cultivate it, rather than merely recording its existence. Lu Yuan sprang to his feet.

With a flick of his wrist, his Yangwu Sword was drawn. He immediately initiated the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay.

Before, Lu Yuan executed these forms with impenetrable speed, creating a dizzying flurry designed to trap the enemy in a perceived dense thicket. Now, as he began, the execution was measured and unhurried, deliberately slow.

The various stances of the Seventy-Two Forms manifested in his hands. Lu Yuan finally understood: "Sword movement slow, yet vitality extremely swift." Though the sword movements themselves were deliberate, they gave the illusion of speed.

The rapidity was not in the steel, but in the life force it carried. Lu Yuan realized that the Spring Sword Immortal Nangong Hui’s initial strikes, being unhurried, were deceiving; the perception of speed he experienced was merely an illusion caused by the incredible vitality flowing through her sword.

Standing on the grass of the South Peak, gazing at the distant mountains, Lu Yuan practiced each form of the Seventy-Two Forms of Secret Swordplay. Every movement felt utterly comfortable, natural, and free.

Had Nangong Hui witnessed this, she would likely be astonished—to master the Wood Intent so quickly? She herself had dedicated immeasurable effort to achieve this understanding.

Lu Yuan was now completely immersed in the realm of swordsmanship, having successfully forged the first of the Five Elements Intent: Wood. What about the other four Intents?

Ancestor Yan must have prepared separate methods for those. (A brief disclaimer: The cultivation methods for the Five Elements Intent will not follow this pattern; each element requires a unique approach.

I have meticulously planned these distinctions, sacrificing countless brain cells in the process.)V