Chapter 904: Sword Heart

The Novel Library

After announcing the commencement of the second stage, the Tower Master of the Sword Tower continued, "A sword cultivator does not merely refer to a cultivator who uses a sword as a weapon. If that were the case, who in the world would not be a sword cultivator?"

Lu Yang nodded silently to himself. The Tower Master was correct. Which cultivator did not dream of becoming a sword immortal? It was simply that after attempting to use a sword, they found it unsuited to them and subsequently gave it up.

"Does a sword cultivator then refer to one who possesses innate talent in the way of the sword? That is not entirely true either."

"A true sword cultivator not only possesses a height of talent in the Dao of the sword that ordinary people cannot hope to attain, but must also possess a sword heart—which is to say, your attitude toward your own blade!"

"There is even a concept known as the sword heart?" Lu Yang was perplexed. He had never heard his master or his eldest senior sister mention such a thing.

Lu Yang felt that he truly needed to attend more gatherings of sword cultivators. He might not even see his master once a year, and after he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his eldest senior sister had stopped teaching him sword techniques altogether. As for the Immortal Fairy, it went without saying that she knew absolutely nothing about the way of the sword.

"The Inquiry of the Sword is divided into two parts: inquiring of the sword from the heart, and inquiring of the sword from the intent."

"This inquiry from the heart tests none other than the sword heart."

Upon hearing the words of the Tower Master, a flicker of unease rose within Lu Yang's heart. If it were a contest of sword intent, he feared no one. But this business of a sword heart was something he had only just heard of; what was he to do?

A grand formation materialized beneath the feet of all the sword cultivators, casting a screen of light upward to envelop them completely.

"This is the Formation of Heart Inquiry. Within this formation, one cannot utter a single falsehood regarding any question concerning the 'sword'."

This was part of the heritage of the Sword Tower, a formation inadvertently comprehended by the Supreme Ancestor of the Sword Tower while meditating upon the Dao of the sword, and it was of immense benefit to the sword heart.

Lu Yang sensed that this formation shared similarities in certain aspects with his own Clear Heart and True Nature Mantra, though this particular array was far more profound and subtle.

The Formation of Heart Inquiry could distinguish truth from falsehood, yet it could not actively pose questions. A total of twelve elders and one Tower Master, numbering thirteen individuals in all, personally stepped onto the field to test the world's sword cultivators.

Among them, the one who drew the most attention was naturally the Tower Master of the Sword Tower. The sword cultivators chosen by the Tower Master represented, to a certain degree, those he held in high regard.

The Tower Master arrived first before Duan Changqing, the green bamboo spirit. "Duan Changqing, do you cultivate the passionate sword Dao or the passionless sword Dao?"

"The passionless sword Dao."

"If your sword were to break, would you grieve?"

Duan Changqing replied coldly, "If the sword breaks, I shall simply forge another. Why should I grieve?"

"Then do you love the Dao of the sword?"

"Naturally, I do."

The formation beneath Duan Changqing's feet flared with a piercing crimson light. This signified that he was lying.

The Tower Master spoke solemnly, his eyes sharp as blades, as if seeking to pierce through Duan Changqing. "You must speak the truth."

Unable to bear the immense pressure exerted by the Tower Master, Duan Changqing could only reply honestly, "I became a sword cultivator only because the offensive power of a sword cultivator is exceedingly formidable."

The Tower Master sighed. "Your sword was forged from a part of your own true form. While this certainly allows you to wield the weapon with absolute ease, you possess not a shred of affection for the Dao of the sword. This will obstruct your path ahead."

The Tower Master then walked over to Yue Chuan, a disciple of the Guan Zu Sect. Yue Chuan drew the Lanyan Sword, and the sword spirit, Ah Lan, snuggled into Yue Chuan's embrace.

The Tower Master understood Yue Chuan well enough; there was no need to ask whether his path was passionate or passionless.

"Yue Chuan, can you achieve living and dying together with your sword?"

Looking at Ah Lan in his arms, Yue Chuan declared resolutely, "I can!"

"Then what is the relationship between you and your sword?"

Yue Chuan answered without a second thought, "I intend to wed Ah Lan as my wife!"

The Tower Master pressed a hand to his forehead. Questioning Yue Chuan was merely going through the motions; how could he not know the temperament of his eldest disciple?

If it were not for the laws of the Great Xia Empire refusing to recognize a sword spirit as a legal entity capable of marriage, the two of them would have wed long ago.

"Ming Tai, can you achieve living and dying together with your sword?" The Tower Master spoke with a warm and pleasant countenance. If one were to discuss seniority, unless the Supreme Ancestor of the Sword Tower were to return to life, even if one were to exhume all the past Tower Masters throughout the generations, their seniority would still be lower than Ming Tai's.

"I can!"

Ming Tai held the Hanguang Sword in his hands. This was the personal weapon of the Supreme Ancestor of the Sword Tower, and it was also Ming Tai's true form. If anything were to happen to the Hanguang Sword, he would not survive either.

"What is the relationship between you and your sword?"

"We are one and the same entity."

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out. The grand formation showed no reaction, which meant Ming Tai had spoken no lie. Countless sword cultivators heard Ming Tai's answer, and all felt themselves utterly inferior.

Although their feelings toward their swords were genuine and sincere, they were still several levels short when compared to Ming Tai.

"Greetings, Tower Master Guan." Seeing the Tower Master approach, Lu Yang quickly bowed in salute.

The Tower Master of the Sword Tower was named Guan Yi.

"So you are Lu Yang? This is our first time meeting." Upon seeing Lu Yang, the Tower Master revealed a smile.

Although he held grievances with Daoist Buyu, those were conflicts between the older generation and had nothing to do with the youths.

As the Master of the Sword Tower, what he delighted in seeing most was the growth of exceptionally talented youngsters in the way of the sword.

As Lu Yang was currently at the peak of his fame, the moment the Tower Master spoke, he drew the gaze of everyone present. "He truly is Lu Yang."

"I wonder what Lu Yang's sword heart is like."

"With Ming Tai preceding him, even if his sword heart is outstanding, it surely cannot compare to Ming Tai's, right?"

Tower Master Guan inquired, "Your master cultivates the passionless sword Dao. What about you, Lu Yang? Do you cultivate the passionate sword Dao or the passionless sword Dao?"

Lu Yang hesitated for a moment. This was the first time he had ever heard that the Dao of the sword was categorized into the passionate and the passionless.

"May I first ask what defines the passionate sword Dao, and what defines the passionless sword Dao?"

"Did your master not even tell you this?" Tower Master Guan felt a tinge of dissatisfaction toward Daoist Buyu; the man was simply too irresponsible.

"A sword cultivator must certainly cherish their personal weapon, yet that cherish is divided into different kinds."

"The so-called passionate sword Dao refers to treating the sword as a human being, loving the sword as one loves a person. Our entire Sword Tower, from top to bottom, cultivates the passionate sword Dao. On the other hand, the passionless sword Dao refers to treating the sword as an object, possessing a purely mechanical love for the weapon. The most famous representative of this is your master."

Lu Yang pondered over this. Although the Qingfeng Sword had been gifted to him by his eldest senior sister and he liked it very much, he ultimately viewed the Qingfeng Sword as an object, without any peculiar emotional attachment.

"Then I suppose I cultivate the passionless sword Dao."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Tower Master Guan looked slightly displeased. It was indeed as he feared; a fine sprout like Lu Yang had still been taught the passionless sword Dao by that old scoundrel Buyu.

Yet in the next instant, the formation beneath Lu Yang's feet glowed with a crimson light.

"Oh? You lied just now?" A look of delight appeared on Tower Master Guan's face. Did this not mean that Lu Yang actually cultivated the passionate sword Dao?

"I lied?" Lu Yang was also astonished. According to the definition provided by Tower Master Guan, he should undoubtedly belong to the passionless sword Dao.

Tower Master Guan guided him patiently, asking gently, "Do you love your sword?"

Lu Yang nodded. He did indeed like the Qingfeng Sword.

"Do you treat your sword as a human being?"

Lu Yang was just about to shake his head when he suddenly realized where the problem lay. There actually was a person inside the Qingfeng Sword!

Lu Yang could only continue to nod.

Tower Master Guan clapped his hands, drawing a conclusion for Lu Yang. "Is that not it? You love your sword, and you treat it as a human being. Yours is precisely the passionate sword Dao!"

"Hypothetically speaking, if your sword were to break or vanish, would you be sorrowful, would you grieve, would you weep bitter tears?"

Lu Yang envisioned the scenario described by Tower Master Guan. If the Immortal Fairy were to vanish, he would indeed be profoundly sorrowful and would likely cry. He could only continue to nod.

"Look at that. Not only do you possess the passionate sword Dao, but you have also cultivated it to the profound realm of embedding your deepest passions within the blade itself!"

The Immortal Fairy giggled foolishly inside the Azure Peak Sword. Though she harbored no true understanding of her own amusement, she simply felt that Little Yang's response had filled her with joy.

"Are you, then, willing to live and die alongside your blade?"

Within the Path of the Sentient Sword, there existed a small, fanatical faction of cultivators who possessed an absolute, extreme devotion toward their weapons. They championed the creed that the man existed only as long as the sword did, and if the sword perished, so too would the man. Figures like Yue Chuan and Ming Tai who stood before him embodied this philosophy, and sword cultivators had long idolized such radical devotion.

Hearing the question, Lu Yang’s expression turned utterly bizarre, caught in a bind as to how he should even reply. "It is not a matter of living and dying together. The truth is, even if I were to die, my sword simply cannot perish."

Given the heaven-defying nature of the Immortal Fruit, it would be difficult for the Immortal Fairy to die even if she actively sought demise.

Pavilion Master Guan, however, broke into profound praise at Lu Yang's words. "Magnificent! To protect your sword with your very life, preferring your own fall before allowing any harm to befall your blade!"

The crowd turned their gazes upon Lu Yang, their eyes brimming with reverence. Only fellow sword cultivators could truly comprehend the weight of what his answer implied; this was a devotion that transcended the mere philosophy of coexistence, soaring an entire tier above the notion of dying with one's blade.

"As expected of Lu Yang. With a devotion as deep as this, who among today's sword cultivators could ever hope to match him?"

"Before this, I merely thought him a prodigy of the sword, devoid of any real affection for his weapon. How terribly mistaken I was!"

"No wonder he could manifest ten thousand swords from one, and ten thousand clones from his lone self while only at the Nascent Soul stage. It was not just his innate talent; surely this profound love for his sword played a paramount role!"

Pavilion Master Guan then posed his final question. "Then what, precisely, is the relationship between you and your sword?"

Lu Yang felt that speaking the honest truth was rather humiliating. Yet, if he failed to be truthful, the formation would detect his deception. He could only state the facts as they were. "The sword is the sovereign, and I am the subject."

The crowd erupted in an uproar once more, their voices rising even higher than during Ming Tai's interrogation, as they stared at Lu Yang in utter disbelief.

"To treat the sword as one's sovereign... he has achieved the legendary realm of the unity of man and blade, where the body moves only as the sword dictates!"

"Surely no one in all of history has ever reached such a height!"

Sword cultivators were a proud breed. No matter how deeply they cherished their weapons, they would, at most, place the blade on equal footing with themselves; they would never elevate it above their own being.

To cast aside the fundamental arrogance of a sword cultivator for the sake of the blade—what an extraordinary sword-heart that required!

The more Pavilion Master Guan looked at Lu Yang, the more agreeable the boy appeared to his eyes. The sword as master, the cultivator as auxiliary; not even the Supreme Elder of the Sword Pavilion back then had ever cultivated the Path of the Sentient Sword to such an exquisite extreme!