Chapter 167 - 112: Waylaid in the Canyon, Ouyang Yin Reappears

That was a Realm countless Martial Artists could never reach in their entire lifetimes.

But even grasping inspiration and attaining some insight was as fleeting and illusory as the moon’s reflection in water.

No one could guarantee they would ever be inspired.

It was something that could only be chanced upon, not sought.

But Zhang Su had now discovered a third method for creating Divine Intent.

The Sword Nurturing Skill!

If the Sword Nurturing Skill could create a Spirit Sword Seed by nurturing a sword...

...then could he "Nurture Martial Techniques" to create Divine Intent?

This was just a flash of inspiration on Zhang Su’s part.

Zhang Su had no idea if it would actually work.

He had to give it a try.

As it happened, Zhang Su had practiced some of the most basic Martial Techniques, which he could use for his experiment.

He closed his eyes, and a Basic Fist Technique he had mastered to the Perfection Realm surfaced in his mind.

This Fist Technique was very simple, consisting of only a few moves.

Zhang Su had long since practiced it to the Perfection Realm; he could perform it with his eyes closed.

He began to activate the Sword Nurturing Skill.

He treated the Fist Technique as a "sword" to be nurtured.

But Zhang Su quickly ran into a problem.

A sword was a physical object.

He could clearly sense the Cold Frost Sword, which was how he was able to form a Spirit Sword Seed in his mind.

The sword was in his hand; infusing it with his spirit was a natural process.

But a Martial Technique wasn’t a physical object. How could he nurture Divine Intent from it?

Zhang Su frowned.

This obstacle wouldn’t stop him, however.

He recalled the Martial Technique in his mind.

He visualized himself performing it, over and over.

At the same time, he targeted the mental image of the Martial Technique and began to activate his Sword Nurturing Skill.

However, the Sword Nurturing Skill was, after all, for *Sword Nurturing*. It was intrinsically linked to swords.

With a Fist Technique in his mind, Zhang Su tried several times, but he couldn’t focus his spirit.

Zhang Su adjusted his approach, selecting a Swordsmanship technique instead.

This time, the process went much more smoothly.

But Zhang Su still couldn’t nurture Divine Intent. He felt as if some barrier was still in the way.

Zhang Su pondered this deeply and a possible reason came to mind.

’Could it be that my Compatibility isn’t at 100%?’

Zhang Su’s brow furrowed.

’The Swordsmanship has already reached Perfection. What difference does it make if the Compatibility is 100%?’

But since this was an experiment, he had to consider every possibility.

Many of Zhang Su’s Swordsmanship techniques had been cultivated to Perfection with a Compatibility of over 90%.

He didn’t have many Swordsmanship techniques at the Perfection Realm with a true 100% Compatibility.

Zhang Su quickly selected a Swordsmanship technique: the Light and Shadow Killing Sword!

He remembered this Swordsmanship well.

When performed, the sword light was as fast as lightning.

Back when he was practicing it, he had raised its Compatibility to 100%, so it met his criteria.

And so, images of the Light and Shadow Killing Sword filled Zhang Su’s mind.

Then, he activated the Sword Nurturing Skill.

This time, it seemed to go exceptionally smoothly.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

Time flew by, and soon the sky began to brighten.

The eastern horizon showed the pale white of dawn, and the morning light filtered through the paper window, casting a hazy glow across the room.

Zhang Su’s motionless body suddenly trembled.

SWOOSH.

The next moment, Zhang Su opened his eyes.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes before quickly fading.

’Is this... Divine Intent?’

Zhang Su was astonished.

’In just one night, did I really nurture the Divine Intent for the Light and Shadow Killing Sword?’

A Spirit Sword Seed had indeed appeared in Zhang Su’s mind.

However, this Spirit Sword Seed was very unusual.

It seemed to be intrinsically bound to the Light and Shadow Killing Sword technique.

Only when he used the Light and Shadow Killing Sword would this Spirit Sword Seed erupt with unprecedented power.

So, Zhang Su tried to perform the Light and Shadow Killing Sword.

He stood up, grasped his Cold Frost Sword, and swung it gently in the confines of his room.

WHOOSH.

A flash of sword light.

It was as if the Light and Shadow Killing Sword had come to life.

The power of the blade had indeed surged as it cut through the air.

But it didn’t seem quite the same as true Divine Intent.

Although the Swordsmanship’s power had increased, the amplification was too small.

’This isn’t Divine Intent. At best, it can only be considered a nascent form of Divine Intent... It will take more time for this nascent form to grow before it becomes true Divine Intent.’

Zhang Su understood.

The Sword Nurturing Skill didn’t produce true Divine Intent, but rather a nascent form of it.

However, even if it wasn’t true Divine Intent, this was undoubtedly a path to quickly generating Divine Intent for his Swordsmanship.

Previously, for a Swordsmanship to birth Divine Intent, Zhang Su had to rely on flashes of inspiration and moments of epiphany.

It was something that could only be chanced upon, not sought.

But now, things were different.

With the Sword Nurturing Skill, he could now "nurture" Divine Intent into existence.

It would take time, but at least he now had a viable path forward.

However, this method had a prerequisite: it required 100% Compatibility.

Essentially, only someone like Zhang Su could use this method.

Other Martial Artists couldn’t do it, even if they knew how.

Moreover, he wouldn’t have to worry about the Divine Intent nurtured by the Sword Nurturing Skill disappearing after he used the Swordsmanship.

After all, Divine Intent was different from a Spirit Sword Seed.

A Spirit Sword Seed was a one-time use item; once used, it was gone.

Divine Intent was permanent.

Zhang Su was very satisfied.

The Sword Nurturing Skill was his greatest reward from this trip to Hidden Sword Manor.

With the Sword Nurturing Skill, he could now nurture the Divine Intent for all kinds of Swordsmanship.

At this rate, forming his own Martial Dao True Intent was truly just a matter of time.

Even many Innate Grandmasters, it should be noted, had failed to form a Martial Dao True Intent.

The path was simply too difficult.

But now, Zhang Su had found his own way.

Outside, the sky had already brightened considerably.

Zhang Su rose, left his room, and pushed the door open.

The door to the adjacent room opened as well, and Gu Ying stepped out.

She was wearing a pale cyan dress today, her hair tied in a simple bun, with a light layer of powder on her face.

She looked well.

"Young Master Zhang, good morning."

Gu Ying greeted him with a smile.