160: Chapter 159 Tiger Soul Advancement

Jiang Hanzhou let out a muffled groan, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

But he did not withdraw.

He knew that this was the Sword Intent within that sword mark "responding" to him.

He took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and began to carefully "observe" the sword light that had slashed into his Sea of Consciousness.

The sword light was very pure.

So pure that it had absolutely no Impurities.

There was no killing intent, no hostility, no pressure, and no unnecessary emotions.

It was simply a sword light.

A sword light as straight as a line and peerlessly sharp.

Jiang Hanzhou watched quietly, observing the entire process of the sword light emerging from nothingness, from void to reality, from slow to fast.

He saw the moment the sword edge was slashed out, the extremely subtle vibration produced when the sword body rubbed against the air.

He saw the "unwavering" determination when the sword edge cut into its target.

He saw the wisp of golden light remaining in the Void Realm after the sword edge had slashed across.

That was the trace of the Golden Sharpness True Intent.

He saw a lot.

So much that his Sea of Consciousness began to ache faintly, so much that the sword light began to blur, so much that his consciousness began to sway—

But he did not stop.

He stared fixedly at that sword light, deeply imprinting every circulation, every condensation, and every burst of it into the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness.

Then, he felt it.

Within that sword light, there was something resonating with the golden light in his Sea of Consciousness.

That was the essence of "sharpness".

That was the will of "must-cut".

That was a higher level of Golden Sharpness True Intent.

It was not the "first level" of "initial glimpse of the threshold", but the "second level" of "entering the hall".

As long as he took another step, as long as he comprehended it a little deeper, he would be able to push the Golden Sharpness True Intent from the first level to the second level.

At that time, the three True Intents, two levels, one level, would be two levels, two levels, one level—

No, it would be two levels, two levels, two levels.

Three True Intents, advancing side by side.

Jiang Hanzhou's heart jumped violently.

He did not open his eyes, continuing to immerse himself in that sword light, watching it over and over, comprehending it over and over, imprinting it over and over—

Just at this moment.

A strange movement suddenly came from the sumeru pouch.

That movement was extremely light, so light that it could almost be ignored.

But Jiang Hanzhou perceived it.

His Divine Sense instinctively split off a wisp and probed into the sumeru pouch—

Then he was stunned.

The tiger soul saber.

That dark, blood-colored long saber that had followed him for months and killed countless enemies was currently trembling gently inside the sumeru pouch.

The trembling was extremely light, yet very rhythmic.

Like a heart beating.

On the saber body, the dark blood color was undergoing changes.

Extremely thin golden patterns slowly spread from the saber hilt, covering the saber body like blood vessels.

For every inch those golden patterns spread, the trembling of the tiger soul saber became one point more intense.

On the saber body, that originally dormant aura was awakening.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly.

He could see it.

The tiger soul saber was evolving.

Advancing from a thousand-forged weapon to a spirit weapon!

How could this be?

He clearly hadn't invested any Heaven And Earth Treasure, hadn't used any Artifact Refining techniques, and hadn't even touched it—

Wait.

The sword mark.

That sharp sword mark.

The tiger soul saber started its strange movement when he was comprehending that sword mark.

Was it absorbing the Golden Sharpness True Intent within that sword mark?

Jiang Hanzhou's Divine Sense tightly locked onto the tiger soul saber, perceiving every subtle change in it.

The golden patterns on the saber body spread faster and faster, from the hilt to the blade, from the blade to the tip, finally converging at the tip to form a small, sword-mark-like golden imprint.

The moment that imprint appeared—

Hum—!!!

A clear, ringing saber cry exploded from within the sumeru pouch!

The intensity, sharpness, and purity of that saber cry made Jiang Hanzhou's Sea of Consciousness tremble!

He didn't even have time to react before the tiger soul saber had already rushed out of the sumeru pouch on its own!

The dark saber body hung in mid-air, the densely packed golden patterns flashing wildly, and with every flash, a golden light shot out from the saber body, striking the surrounding cliff walls and leaving deep holes.

Jiang Hanzhou stood up abruptly.

He did not go to grab the tiger soul saber, just watched quietly.

Because he had perceived it.

Although the tiger soul saber was out of control, there was no hostility in that loss of control.

It was a kind of—

Ecstasy of transformation.

It was the catharsis of finally breaking through shackles after being stuck for many years.

It was the thousand-forged body finally taking that step toward becoming a spirit weapon—

Instinctive cheering.

The golden patterns flashed for a full thirty breaths.

Then, it gradually calmed down.

The tiger soul saber slowly descended and hovered again in front of Jiang Hanzhou, blade pointing down, hilt pointing up, like a subject offering its transformation to a monarch.

Jiang Hanzhou reached out his hand.

Grasping the hilt.

In that instant, he perceived it.

Perceived the difference in the tiger soul saber.

The blade was still dark, but within the darkness, there was an additional layer of faint, flickering golden luster.

That gold was extremely faint, so faint it was almost invisible, but Jiang Hanzhou knew it was there.

That was the Golden Sharpness True Intent from the sword mark, which had been absorbed by the tiger soul saber and transformed into its own sharpness.

He swung it lightly.

A flash of saber light.

No True Qi, no any augmentation, just a swing.

Three zhang away, a rock half a person high was silently sliced into two.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror.

Jiang Hanzhou looked down at the tiger soul saber in his hand, silent for a long time.

Then, he smiled.

A thousand-forged weapon, once it has its own spirituality, is no longer a dead object.

The tiger soul saber was transforming toward a spirit weapon.

Although it had only just taken the first step, and although it was still a hundred thousand eight thousand li away from a true spirit weapon, this step—

Was given by him.

It was when he was comprehending that sharp sword mark that he let the tiger soul saber benefit.

No, that's not right.

Jiang Hanzhou suddenly thought of something.

When he was comprehending that sword mark, his Divine Sense was always locked onto that sword light, always resonating with that Golden Sharpness True Intent.

And the tiger soul saber was right at his waist.

It was even closer to the "True Intent fluctuation" of that sword mark than he was.

It was not just benefiting from him.

It was "stealing the learning".

This saber had spirituality.

Jiang Hanzhou gazed at the tiger soul saber, the golden luster on the blade flashing on and off, as if responding to his gaze.

"Good." He said in a low voice, "Since you have this Opportunity, then cherish it well."

He put the tiger soul saber back into the sumeru pouch and sat cross-legged on the bluestone again.

His gaze fell once again onto that straight, sharp sword mark.

This time, he was no longer just comprehending.

He wanted the Golden Sharpness True Intent within that sword mark to nourish both him and his saber simultaneously.

If one prospers, both prosper; if one suffers, both suffer.

At high noon, when Qingzhu brought the meal, he saw such a scene—

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, his whole body surrounded by a faint golden light.

Three feet in front of him, the tiger soul saber stood suspended in mid-air, the blade also flowing with golden luster, reflecting the light on its master's body.

One man and one saber, as if merged into one.

Qingzhu was stunned for a long while before quietly putting down the food box and retreating silently.

After walking quite a distance, he looked back at the figure under the gray-white cliff, his eyes full of awe.

This Senior Brother Jiang was truly extraordinary.

In the future, he would surely achieve great things.