Chapter 181 - 116: The Sect Leader’s Summons Shakes the Guiyuan Sect

Courtyard Number 266.

The courtyard wasn’t large, paved with green bricks and with several clusters of verdant bamboo planted in a corner.

The bamboo leaves rustled in the morning breeze.

Zhang Su sat cross-legged inside his room.

The room’s furnishings were simple: a table, a chair, and a bed.

A cup of long-cold tea sat on the table.

The occasional chirp of a bird, crisp and distant, drifted in from outside the window.

Zhang Su’s eyes were closed, his breathing steady and drawn out.

Within his body, the Yin Yang Mixture Strength slowly circulated, lap after lap, like a tireless river.

His Inner Strength was much denser than it had been a month ago.

Although he was still far from reaching the Embracing Pill realm, Zhang Su was not in a hurry.

When it came to cultivation, haste made waste.

Meanwhile, in his mind, the prototype of the Divine Intent for the Light and Shadow Killing Sword was slowly rotating.

It had been a month.

A full month had passed since he first nurtured this Divine Intent prototype using the Sword Nurturing Skill in the small town’s inn.

Over the past month, he had spent several hours every night circulating his Sword Nurturing Skill to nurture this prototype.

During the day, he cultivated his Inner Strength, read through the secret manuals he brought back from Hidden Sword Manor, and trained the martial arts with high Compatibility to the Perfection Realm.

His days were peaceful, but his gains were substantial.

He had already trained all ten of the high-Compatibility martial arts from Hidden Sword Manor to the Perfection Realm, accumulating quite a few Compatibility Value points in the process.

He had also practiced seven or eight Fast Sword techniques. Although their Compatibility wasn’t particularly high, their sheer number added up.

His Compatibility Value on the panel had risen from 79 to 95, not far from the one-hundred-point mark.

SWISH.

Zhang Su’s eyes snapped open.

In that very instant, he felt the Divine Intent prototype for his Light and Shadow Killing Sword finally undergo a complete transformation.

At that moment, the Divine Intent prototype in his mind abruptly contracted before rapidly expanding, like a seed breaking through the soil to grow into a small tree.

It had transformed from a Divine Intent prototype into a true Divine Intent!

Zhang Su could feel the Divine Intent for the Light and Shadow Killing Sword suspended in his mind, alongside the Divine Intents for the Nine Shadows Sword Technique and the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique.

Three Divine Intents, three different auras.

The Divine Intent of the Nine Shadows Sword Technique was illusory and ethereal, like a ball of mist.

The Divine Intent of the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique was fierce and domineering, like a bolt of lightning.

The Divine Intent of the Light and Shadow Killing Sword was sharp and cold, like an invisible blade.

CLANG.

Zhang Su drew his sword in an instant.

The sound of the Shadow-Stealing Sword leaving its sheath was crisp and pleasant.

He executed the Light and Shadow Killing Sword.

For this strike, he used no Inner Strength, simply swinging the blade.

The edge of the blade cut through the air, letting out a sharp whistle.

Previously, when he used the Light and Shadow Killing Sword, it was fast, but it always felt like something was missing.

It was different now.

Bolstered by the Divine Intent, the power of the Light and Shadow Killing Sword had skyrocketed.

Wherever the blade passed, it was as if the very air was being sliced open.

Zhang Su could clearly feel that every move and every form of the Light and Shadow Killing Sword carried a sharp killing intent.

That killing intent didn’t originate from his own heart but emanated naturally from the Divine Intent.

It was as if the swordsmanship had come to life.

CLICK.

Zhang Su sheathed his sword.

The sound of the Shadow-Stealing Sword returning to its sheath was clean and sharp.

He sat on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes, and once again focused on the three Divine Intents in his mind.

’A third Divine Intent...’

Zhang Su carefully calculated the time. It had taken him about a month to "nurture" the Divine Intent for the Light and Shadow Killing Sword.

One month, from a Divine Intent prototype to a true Divine Intent.

Compared to other Martial Artists who relied on sudden epiphanies to form a Divine Intent, or those who spent a decade honing a single sword skill to approach the Dao, this speed was already remarkably fast.

Some of those Martial Artists could go their entire lives without ever giving birth to a Divine Intent for a single swordsmanship.

It wasn’t that they lacked talent, but that this path was simply too difficult.

The birth of a Divine Intent required serendipity, comprehension, and a flash of inspiration.

It was something one could only hope to encounter by chance, not seek out deliberately.

But Zhang Su, relying on his Sword Nurturing Skill, had forcefully carved out a path of his own.

Within his mind, Zhang Su briefly sensed the three Divine Intents.

These three Divine Intents also varied in strength.

The Divine Intent for the Nine Shadows Sword Technique was the weakest, the one for the Light and Shadow Killing Sword was a bit stronger, and the one for the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique was the strongest.

The three Divine Intents jointly guarded a faint glimmer of light.

That was the Martial Dao True Intent Prototype.

However, Zhang Su was surprised to discover that the Martial Dao True Intent Prototype seemed to have grown slightly stronger.

Before, that glimmer of light was so dim it seemed on the verge of extinguishing, but now it appeared a tiny bit brighter.

Though it was just a little bit, Zhang Su could feel it.

This wasn’t his imagination.

He immediately checked his status panel.

Host: Zhang Su

Cultivation: Huajin (Middle Stage)

Martial Dao True Intent: 2% (Three Divine Intents)

Infinite Sword Scripture Bursting Sword Form: Compatibility 100% (Minor Achievement)

Taiyin Divine Technique: Compatibility 100% (Perfection)

Profound Yin Divine Technique: Compatibility 100% (Great Success)

Absolute Yin Divine Technique: Compatibility 100% (Great Success)

Compatibility Value: 95

Just as he thought, his Martial Dao True Intent progress had increased from 1% to 2%.

An increase of 1%.

It wasn’t much, but the fact that his Martial Dao True Intent had finally progressed was a relief to Zhang Su.

This proved that his path of using Divine Intents to coalesce his Martial Dao True Intent was entirely feasible.

As long as he was on the right path, it didn’t matter if his progress was a little slow.

The most frightening thing was to be heading in the wrong direction.

Now that the direction was confirmed, the rest was just a matter of time.

’It’s just a pity that the speed of nurturing a Divine Intent is still too slow. I can only nurture one at a time...’

Zhang Su had actually tried nurturing two, three, or even more Divine Intents at once.

But it was completely impossible.

The way the Sword Nurturing Skill operated dictated that it could only nurture one target at a time.

He had tried practicing two types of swordsmanship in his mind simultaneously and then circulating the Sword Nurturing Skill to nurture them.