And indeed, the Sword Dao had been continually evolving.
Even till now, there were many branches, such as "Unity of Man and Sword," "Sword Qi and Thunder Sound," "Refining Sword into Silk," "Sword Heart Clarity," and so on...
This is why modern practitioners could possibly be no inferior to their ancient counterparts.
But these were merely supplemental methods for their respective realms; the great realms of Sword Dao should be Qi, Gang, Intent, and Shi.
Only by cultivating Sword Qi could one unleash methods like "Sword Qi and Thunder Sound."
By condensing Sword Gang, one would be able to refine "Refining Sword into Silk" and divide Sword Light!
Eventually, one must comprehend the "Sword Heart" to achieve "Sword Heart Clarity" and unleash the methods of Sword Intent.
These insights were all gleaned from a Sword Cultivator's manual he had read.
Regrettably, it only introduced the general realms and did not offer any cultivation techniques.