Discussion of the Sword

Bai Hua Palace

Wang Li and the ferryman both emerged.

They saw a maid with a scroll walking towards them.

"Is this the one attempting the sword list.", asked the maid.

"Yes"

"Only one?", asked the maid again

"The others are unworthy.", answered the ferryman before leaving.

The maid inspected the young man infront of her who had bright eyes and an acceptable attitude she smiled satisfyingly. The maid then took out the incense stick and started burning it before handing Wang Li a scroll.

"Go in there and pass the test in one incense of time to qualify to attempt the sword list."

"I was just tested by the ferryman twice but there is still more.", asked Wang Li.

"There is"

"Ok", replied Wang Li.

If it was any other prideful sword cultivator he would have created a fuss but Wang Li already knew there would be many test before he could meet the Saint.

Wang Li silently took the scroll and induced origin energy into it before disappearing into it.

The maid picked up the scroll.

"Quite patient as well"

In the Scroll

Wang Li was standing infront of a scholar.

"My family's traditional Sword Style has been passed down through the ages, normal cultivators doesn't stand a chance against it, yet I've always felt like it's missing something, please take a look and help me find the problem", the scholar said

He then executed the sword style while letting Wang Li observe it. Once he was done Wang Li looked at him and thought, 'Luckily I got a lot of sword techniques from other worlds so I can easily find the flaw with this style.'

"You are using your sword to aggressively. You should try using your sword in such a way that it follows the 'as soft as water as hard as a rock' principle. Only then will your sword style become more complete.", answered Wang Li.

The scholar pondered about what Wang Li said before executing his sword style again this time with much less aggressiveness then last time. He seemed happy and thanked Wang Li before fading away.

In the scholar's place now stood a monk with a sword in his hands and eyes filled with confusion.

"My problem is a question of a sword heart."

Wang Li stayed silent and gestured to continue while inwardly thinking 'Oh great the over thinker type, MY FAVORITE. They always use logic to weaken your will. Lets use an UNO reverse card on them.'

"To use the sword as a killing weapon, even though those who are killed enter reincarnation, you still can't eliminate the mourning and obsession left behind, yet you create more karma for the future"

"If that's the case, why kill at all? And why use the sword?"

"This monk asks you, how would a swordsman deal with this?" the monk said.

The monk stopped for a bit, then made an expression of joy: "For the last few dozen years, I have been collecting sword wills around the world, and finally arrived at two answers"

"This type of matter fully depends on personal preference, yet you say there's a fixed answer?" Wang Li disagreed.

The monk stopped him: "Benefactor, do not easily dismiss my answers, I can assure you my answers are what most Sword Cultivators have agreed on for nearly ten thousand years"

"Then please tell me" Wang Li said with a calm expression.

The monk pridefully nodded: "The first answer is, 'No matter who it is, my sword will cut them all down, until I cut open a part of the world for my own and re-educate the beings of the world so that my will is the only truth'"

"The second answer is, 'Cultivation is like swimming against the flow, and sword arts is the same, he who blocks my path of the sword is my mortal enemy, even if he's god himself, I'll cut him down'"

Wang Li listened, then remained silent.

'OH great such a chunni and cliché answer.'

The monk clasped his hand and bow, saying: "The answers are as such, the true meaning of sword cultivation, how does benefactor think? Please also tell me your answer"

Wang Li stayed silent for some time to collect proper words before saying.

"If you want to kill then kill. Why are you thinking so much."

"Hmmm", the monk didn't follow.

"If you want to save the beings of this world then use your sword to save them. If you want to kill the beings of this world then use your sword to kill them. If you only think back and forth then you are doing nothing and merely hastening your death. The true moment to use the sword, is always on the verge of life and death, every mistake could mean your demise; and at that point, to make sure all thoughts are clear, that nothing can affect your judgement and your will, then you must only have a single thought, the thought to kill."

"A-mi-ta-bha, benefactor will definitely gather very heavy karma later" the monk clasped his hand and said.

"You've already picked up a sword, to still mention sin and karma, wouldn't that be hypocrisy?" Wang Li suddenly said back: "You repay those you owe, and take revenge on those who wrongs you, the world is no more than this. To think too much about karma is to bind your own sword will, then what kind of sword would you be cultivating?"

Wang Li didn't hesitate to copy the sentences of Gu Qing Shan to shut this monks mouth. Instead of thinking so much, why don't you just cultivate. If you don't want great 'karma and sins' then just go to a village and live your life as a normal farmer, you hypocrite. Wang Li hated these type of hypocritical people the most.

The monk was speechless and unable to say anything.

The maid outside the scroll opened the scroll while silently praising the boys answer. She made a hand sign and released him.

"Did I pass", asked Wang Li

"That's good the monk didn't seem convinced. If I had continued it would have turned bad.", thanked Wang Li

As the maid heard that, her mood improved greatly and smiled: "I was going to give you a few more rounds of test, but I've decided, you can go straight to attempting the Sword list now"

"Thank you", Wang Li didn't dare to speak more.

The maid then took him to a green jade screen.

"Inside this screen is a Hong Huang Sword formation"

The maid continued: "Yet Her Eminence had a problem, even though the Sword formation was already tamed by her, she still couldn't find the true sword spirit anywhere"

"Your task is to go into the sword formation and find out where the sword spirit is"

"Her Eminence had tamed this sword formation?" Wang Li suddenly asked "Can you tell me a bit about how Her Eminence tamed it?"

The maid was a bit surprised, but still said: "This was Xuanyuan Tianzun's gift to Her Eminence, so she had used Lock Seals and tamed it on the spot" (3)

"One of the three saints, Xuanyuan Tianzun? A gift from him?" Wang Li had a strange look on his face.

The maid answered: "That's correct"

"Ok then, I'll try it"

Wang Li suddenly remembered the so called 'Divine beings' in this paintings were fakers. He couldn't wait to bust their bubbles. Wang Li as a religious human always hated when people liked to play the 'I am a Divine Being/God' card so he was looking forward to it.

The maid lightly nodded, made a hand seal and pointed at the jade screen.

Immediately the green jade screen lightly shook, emitted a blinding spirit light.

In the air, numerous immortal beasts appeared, accompanied with heavenly music and colorful clouds, came and covered the whole upper area of the screen.

A blurred figure appeared on the screen.

Even though his face can't be seen, this figure was wearing the proper attire for cultivators of the old era.

The figure pointed at the sky, suddenly a crack appeared, as the winds escaping from the Space Vortex created immense devastation.

The figure pointed at the ground, as the earth split apart, the four seas boiled and millions of creatures died off.

By just pointing two fingers, and both heaven and earth were broken part, completely out of any cultivator's imagination, even the Saints themselves aren't able to do this.

Such a grand sight really does make any cultivator feel small.

The maid looked at the shifting scene on the screen, thought a bit then advised him: "After you go in there, be careful a bit, even if you can't find the sword spirit, you can't drop your etiquette"

"Okay", said Wang Li clearly not taking this 'advice' to heart.

The maid changed her hand seals a bit, and the screen emits a 7-colored spirit light the wrapped around him.

A dignified voice can be heard.

"Young one, burn the incense, then you can enter the gate"

As Wang Li heard that he looked at the maid.

The maid lightly nodded.

Wang Li went up, lit and incense stick and went into the gate.

As soon as he disappeared, the relaxed look of the maid changed, becoming dignified as she watched the green jade screen.

"Half a year and I've yet to find any clues. Hopefully, this kid can give me a bit of inspiration" the maid silently muttered.