161: Chapter 160 Daily Life

In the time that followed, Jiang Hanzhou came to Lijian Cliff rain or shine to temper his True Intent.

The second day.

Below Lijian Cliff, the grayish-white cliff wall was as silent as an abyss.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged on the bluestone slab that had been polished as smooth as a mirror by countless predecessors, his eyes fixed on the seventeenth sword mark on the cliff wall.

He extended his Divine Sense.

At first, it was just a wisp, like a spring silkworm spinning silk, gently touching that sword mark.

The moment it made contact—Boom! His Sea of Consciousness shook violently!

Within that sword mark, it was as if thousands of sharp swords were sleeping, all awakening the instant his Divine Sense probed inside!

Countless surges of sharpness came rushing in like a tide, each one transforming into an invisible sword, fiercely stabbing at his consciousness!

It was not a single gleam of a sword. It was thousands.

Every single one was incomparably sharp, and every single one pointed directly at his inner heart.

Jiang Hanzhou let out a muffled groan; cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead, and the clothes on his back were soaked in an instant.

The moment that sharpness pierced into his Sea of Consciousness, it did not bring pain, but a cutting sensation more unbearable than pain itself.

It felt as if countless invisible blades were slicing his consciousness open inch by inch, stripping away his spirit strand by strand, placing his entire being—from inside to out, from Soul to Physical Body—under thousands of sharp blades, repeatedly cutting and piercing him.

He gritted his teeth and did not retreat.

He locked his Divine Sense onto that sword mark, refusing to let go even if he was pierced full of holes.

One breath. Ten breaths. A hundred breaths.

Time became infinitely long in the midst of extreme pain; every breath felt like a year.

Jiang Hanzhou trembled all over, his face pale as paper, his lips bitten until they bled, yet he remained motionless.

His consciousness had begun to blur.

Those sharp intentions piercing into his Sea of Consciousness were slowly wearing down his spirit, bit by bit consuming his willpower.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have long since fainted, or perhaps their Sea of Consciousness would have collapsed, leaving them a cripple.

But he did not retreat. Because he knew this was the only path he must take.

Contained within that sword mark was the Metal Sharpness True Intent condensed throughout the lifetime of a certain sword Dao Senior. To gain enlightenment from it, one must endure the "interrogation" of this True Intent.

If you can endure it, you are qualified to comprehend it. If you cannot, you are unworthy.

He endured. Even if he died, he would endure.

He did not know how much time had passed. Perhaps an hour, perhaps two, perhaps even longer.

The thousands of sharp intentions piercing his Sea of Consciousness suddenly began to weaken.

It was not disappearing; it was being "tamed."

The Sword Intent that had originally attacked him frantically now seemed to finally acknowledge his persistence; it ceased its attacks and slowly retreated, leaving behind an extremely faint sword mark imprint deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

The imprint was very faint, so faint it was almost invisible. But Jiang Hanzhou knew it was there.

That was the result of his three hours of bitter struggle today.

He opened his eyes. The sky was nearing dusk, and the sunset dyed Lijian Cliff a golden red.

Before him, Qingzhu had arrived at some unknown time, and the food box left behind had long since gone cold.

Jiang Hanzhou glanced at the food box but did not move.

He simply sat cross-legged to regulate his breath, repeatedly visualizing and polishing the remaining sword mark imprint in his Sea of Consciousness until night fell and the stars filled the sky.

Then he stood up and returned to his Immortal Cave. He would come again tomorrow.

The next day. At the third quarter of the Mao hour, Jiang Hanzhou appeared once again below Lijian Cliff.

He did not immediately go to visualize the seventeenth sword mark; instead, he closed his eyes and sank his Divine Sense into his sumeru pouch.

That pale golden bead lay quietly in the corner of the pouch.

The memory fragments of the thirty-year-old Dragon Slaying True Person.

After absorbing it that day, although the image within the bead had dimmed, it had not completely dissipated. He could enter it one more time—only after this time, the bead would completely turn into an ordinary object.

He hesitated for a breath, then probed in with his Divine Sense.

It was still that same Gobi Desert. The wind and sand howled, and jagged rocks stood everywhere.

The figure of the thirty-year-old Dragon Slaying True Person stood holding a sword, five-colored light flowing ceaselessly around his body.

But it was different from last time. This time, the Dragon Slaying True Person did not look at him and did not speak to him.

He simply stood there quietly, swinging his sword over and over again.

Every sword strike he unleashed was a brilliant gleam of light interwoven with the Five Elements True Intent.

Gold, cyan, blue, red, yellow—the five-colored light cycled ceaselessly beneath his sword. Each strike was more harmonious than the last, and each strike was closer to the essence of the "Dao."

Jiang Hanzhou watched quietly.

His gaze locked firmly onto that golden light, the Metal Sharpness True Intent.

Under the Dragon Slaying True Person's sword, the Metal Sharpness True Intent was no longer just "sharpness" and "certain kill."

It intertwined with fire, transforming into a more intense edge.

It was born from water, giving rise to a more enduring sharpness.

It combined with wood, forming a strike of endless vitality.

It was carried by earth; every sword strike was as heavy as a mountain, yet as sharp as a hair.

Jiang Hanzhou saw it.

He saw the subtle changes when the Metal Sharpness True Intent intertwined with the other four elements, and he saw how it was nourished, tempered, and pushed to a higher Realm within the cycle of the Five Elements.

He saw a great deal. So much that his Sea of Consciousness began to ache faintly again, and so much that that memory began to dissipate—

But he did not stop. He stared fixedly at that golden light until the memory collapsed completely, turning into endless white light.

He opened his eyes. Lijian Cliff remained silent, and the sunset remained golden.

Jiang Hanzhou took a deep breath, his gaze falling once again onto the seventeenth sword mark on the cliff wall.

This time, when his Divine Sense probed out, that sharp intention still stabbed at him, but it was not as violent as it had been yesterday.

Those invisible swords seemed to recognize him; there was a hint of "sparring" in their attacks, rather than pure slaughter.

He endured, he comprehended, and he verified the Metal Sharpness True Intent within that sword mark against the cycle of the Five Elements from the Dragon Slaying True Person's memories.

Time flowed on. Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

The fourth day. The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and Jiang Hanzhou was already sitting cross-legged on the bluestone.

After three days of bitter struggle, his Divine Sense could barely withstand the sharp intention within that sword mark, and he was no longer pierced to the point of near-collapse.

Today, he felt something different.

Those sharp intentions piercing into his Sea of Consciousness, after he had visualized and verified them over and over again, began to leave a clearer imprint deep within his consciousness.

It was not a blurred sword mark, but a complete golden trajectory containing a certain pattern.

That trajectory flickered in and out of existence, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if it could dissipate at any moment, yet it always remained.

He stared fixedly at that trajectory, watching it over and over, comprehending it over and over.

He did not know how much time had passed. In the sumeru pouch, the tiger soul saber trembled gently once again.

This time, the trembling was softer and more rhythmic.

On the blade, that shimmering golden luster was a fraction richer than it had been the previous two days.

Although it was only a fraction, Jiang Hanzhou perceived it.

The tiger soul saber was growing stronger. Just like him, it was absorbing the Metal Sharpness True Intent from that sword mark.

He opened his eyes, glanced at the tiger soul saber hovering before him, and the corners of his lips curved slightly into a smile.

Then he closed his eyes again and continued to comprehend.

At sunset, he put away his saber, stood up, and returned to his Immortal Cave.

The fifth day. The sixth day. The seventh day.