That sword intent sank deeply into Lu Fengmian’s consciousness, like a seed falling into soil, quietly waiting for the mont it would break through the earth.
Faced with such a blade, no one could remain unmoved.
Lu Fengmian closed his eyes, yet his hand lifted of its own accord.
He wanted a sword.
The mont this thought arose, Enlightennt Cliff responded.
Dao aura surged in from all directions, seeping from the fissures of the cliff face, rising from the rock strata deep underground, peeling away from the veins of grass and trees, erupting from every inch of soil that had been perated by sword intent for ten thousand years.
They swirled and intertwined, condensing within his loosened palm.
Light and intent interwove, gradually outlining the shape of a sword—without substance, without weight, rely an exceedingly faint phantom, like light congealed in the morning mist.
Lu Fengmian grasped it tightly.
He stood up.
The bluestone beneath his feet was cool, the wind blew from afar, and below lay the grassy ground at the base of Enlightennt Cliff. Yet he felt as though he were standing upon that scorched earth from ten thousand years ago.
He closed his eyes and recalled the posture of that strike.
The phantom sword ford from Dao aura in his hand rose with him.
Then, he slashed upward.
Sword intent shot into the heavens—sharp, resolute, invincible—like silent thunder, striking straight into the heavy cloud layer above Enlightennt Cliff.
Those clouds were extrely thick; even sunlight could not penetrate them. Like a celestial curtain, they had forever shrouded the base of the cliff, lingering for unknown years.
Yet before that sword intent, they were as fragile as a thin veil.
In an instant.
The clouds seed to split open.
A fissure tore from the center and spread outward to both sides. Countless beams of light pierced through the opening, falling upon the base of the cliff, upon the bluestone, upon the grass, and upon the three disciples still contemplating the Dao.
They opened their eyes in confusion, squinting against the blinding brightness.
Lu Fengmian remained in his sword-swinging stance.
His moon-white robe fluttered in the wind, his sleeves snapping crisply. Sunlight fell upon him, upon his face, upon his right hand that still loosely gripped the hilt.
The entire valley was illuminated.
Plants that had not seen sunlight for years were bathed in it for the first ti.
Lu Fengmian stood still as the sword in his hand slowly dissipated, transforming back into Dao aura.
At the top of the cliff, the gray-clothed man had risen to his feet at so unknown mont.
He stood at the cliff’s edge and looked down.
The fissure in the clouds still remained, sunlight pouring through it and shining upon the valley floor that had not seen daylight for years.
His gaze passed through the rift, through the light, and landed upon that figure at the bottom of the valley.
There was no sword in his hand, yet the aura around him had not fully dispersed.
The gray-clothed man watched for a long ti before letting out a soft sigh.
Lu Fengmian slowly opened his eyes.
Sunlight spilled across his face, sowhat dazzling.
He lifted a hand to shield his eyes and looked upward through narrowed lids.
The clouds overhead retreated to both sides, as if they dared not approach again—or as if they had finally been willing to yield this stretch of sky.
Warm sunlight poured over the base of the cliff, making all things appear vibrant with life.
He lowered his head and looked at his hand.
There was nothing there.
Yet the tremor his palm had felt when that sword swung; the power surging through his limbs when that intent condensed; the reverberation that echoed through the entire world at the mont that heavenly light descended—none of these could be forgotten.
The wind blew from afar.
It carried the fragrance of grass and trees, the warmth of sunlight, and the breath of this land awakening after ten thousand years of slumber.
He Shi’an was the first to co back to his senses.
But his “return to awareness” rely ant that he realized he was still breathing.
Zhou Wu stood not far away, the alchemy furnace ornant at his waist still swaying slightly, yet he himself seed frozen in place, unable to move.
Zhao Qingyin’s hands were still held in a hand seal—the defensive posture she had instinctively ford when startled.
However, the sealing process had halted halfway, suspended in midair, as if she herself had forgotten what she had been doing.
They turned their heads in unison toward the person on the bluestone platform.
Sunlight outlined the contours of his brocade robe, and the aura around him gradually faded. He raised his head toward the rift, the light obscuring his profile so that his expression could not be seen clearly.
No one dared to speak first.
The three stood there, like statues numbed by acupoint strikes.
Until the figure on the bluestone turned his head to look at them.
[Obtained approval from Baicao Peak Zhou Wu (core disciple).]
[Obtained approval from Tianyan Peak Zhao Qingyin (core disciple).]
Lu Fengmian withdrew his gaze from the sky and let it fall upon the three dazed figures. He seed to finally notice that he was being watched, and a trace of apology flickered in his eyes.
“Sorry,” he said. “Did I disturb your contemplation of the Dao?”
The three of them seed to recover from their numbness.
He Shi’an reacted first, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
“No, no, no, no, no!” He said “no” five tis in a row. “Senior Brother, what are you saying! Being able to witness such swordsmanship from you is our honor!”
Zhou Wu nodded vigorously, losing his usual composure entirely; the force of his nodding was even greater than He Shi’an’s.
Zhao Qingyin nodded as well, like a chick pecking at rice.
Lu Fengmian looked at their appearances and smiled faintly.
You overpraise .
He withdrew his smile and swept his gaze across their faces, confirming that they were indeed unhard.
“Since I have already comprehended the Dao, I won’t disturb you further.”
He waved to the three of them.
Then, with a light tap of his toes, he turned into a streak of light and flew toward the top of the cliff.
The three lifted their heads, watching as that figure gradually disappeared into the distance.
Only when nothing could be seen did they lower their gazes and look at one another.
“…Did Senior Brother just say ‘disturb your contemplation of the Dao’?” Zhao Qingyin asked in a low voice.
Zhou Wu nodded.
“…He called that a disturbance?”
Zhou Wu was silent for a mont, then nodded again.
He Shi’an scratched the back of his head and suddenly chuckled twice.
“Who cares,” he said, unable to suppress the excitent in his tone, “at least we saw it with our own eyes! When we go out bragging in the future, we can say that when Senior Brother split the clouds above Enlightennt Cliff with one sword, we were right below contemplating the Dao!”
At the edge of the cliff.
The gray-clothed man still stood there, not sitting down.
He gazed at the figure rising from the base of the cliff, as if he had long anticipated this scene.
Lu Fengmian landed before him, stepped forward, and gave a solemn bow.
“Many thanks, Senior.”
The gray-clothed man looked at him and gave a slight nod.
“This sword was not bad.”
His tone remained calm, without the slightest fluctuation.
But his next sentence made Lu Fengmian involuntarily lift his head.
“It possesses the embryonic form of his.”
His?
Was he referring to the person Lu Fengmian had seen within his consciousness?
That blurred figure from ten thousand years ago who had stood atop the mountain, holding a sharp sword and turning heaven and earth into sword intent?
Lu Fengmian wanted to ask more.
But before he could finish speaking, the space before him was already empty.
The gray-clothed man had vanished. No one knew when he had left, not even a trace of aura remaining. Only the wind at the cliff’s edge blew past, as if brushing the hem of his long robe.
Lu Fengmian stood there, silently gazing at the empty cliff.
He suddenly recalled what Zhou Wu had said when they first arrived.
“It’s said that back then, Grandmaster Lingyun split this mountain with a single sword strike. The sword qi cut into the earth’s ridians and has not dissipated for ten thousand years.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers