The Gold Content of His Talent Continues to Rise, and the Punishment for the Defeated is Announced

Though puzzled in his heart,

Ying Bing still answered the questions on the paper, starting from the basics and delving deeper.

"Sword techniques and sword arts are essentially the same—nothing more than precision, flexibility, and mastery. If you’ve refined an advanced sword technique to perfection, you’re already passable in this regard."

"However, for those who truly wield sword qi, sword momentum, sword intent, and sword dao, sword techniques are merely experiences they’ve summarized on their path to the dao."

Li Mo nodded, only half-understanding.

He could only draw parallels from his past life’s knowledge of mathematics and physics.

If sword dao was like mathematics, then sword techniques and sword arts were formulas.

For most people, solving problems meant plugging numbers into formulas.

But where did the formulas come from?

They were derived by geniuses who had grasped the underlying principles.

Li Mo took out paper and pen.

"You’re…?"

"Ah, I’m just taking notes."

Li Mo grinned and began scribbling furiously.

The concepts were still simple now, but he feared he might forget them later when they became more profound.

Ying Bing felt slightly disoriented.

In all her past and present discussions on the dao, this was the first time someone had taken notes mid-conversation.

After all, these weren’t things to be memorized—those who understood would grasp them instantly.

After a pause, she continued:

"Sword qi, sword momentum, and sword intent are indeed three different paths, yet they converge toward the same destination."

"First, sword qi. Before the era of Great Yu, during Great Shang, there was a scholar who spent sixty years reading and writing poetry, never practicing martial arts or swordsmanship. Yet, upon entering the imperial court, he used his sharp tongue as a sword to criticize the emperor and sever Great Shang’s national fortune."

"This is the transformation of scholarly energy into sword qi."

"As for sword momentum, it follows the natural flow—the rising and setting of the sun and moon are the momentum of heaven and earth, the blooming and withering of flowers are the momentum of nature, and the will of the people is the momentum of humanity..."

Ying Bing paused to sip her tea, moistening her throat.

Her demeanor reminded Li Mo of a beautiful young teacher from his past life—usually quiet, but when lecturing, she exuded a sacred confidence, as if holding the truth in her hands.

Of course, Li Mo wasn’t just listening intently—his hand never stopped writing.

Half an hour later,

Seven or eight sheets of paper, still damp with ink, lay spread across the table. The young scholar Li licked the tip of his brush, satisfied.

If he could memorize all this,

He’d become terrifyingly strong!

That little Princess Jiang Chulong wouldn’t stand a chance against him!

Just as Li Mo was swelling with pride,

Ying Bing’s questioning voice reached him:

"Did you understand everything I just explained?"

As a genius capable of asking such questions, she assumed he’d grasped most of it by now.

"Understood!" Li Mo nodded confidently.

"Then share your own insights."

Ying Bing’s frost-like eyes locked onto his, waiting expectantly.

Li Mo’s expression froze. His smile faded as he sank into deep thought.

Had he gotten a little... carried away? How had he forgotten that the ice block would test him?

Ah, right—it was a discussion.

After Ying Bing had spoken at length, he couldn’t just stay silent.

But truthfully,

He was utterly lost.

Practicing hammers and practicing swords were worlds apart...

After all, had anyone ever heard of a blacksmith who forged iron for sixty years, then went to court and smashed a tyrant to death with a single hammer?

Noticing the faint confusion creeping into Ying Bing’s gaze,

Young Li’s brain kicked into overdrive.

Ying Bing was genuinely puzzled.

She’d only asked for his thoughts—why was he struggling so much?

Unless...

Finally, after a long silence, Li Mo spoke with an apologetic smile:

"My apologies, I was lost in thought just now."

"In my opinion, Ying Bing, you don’t need to make it so complicated. A swordsman’s path boils down to just three realms."

"First, mastery of technique—a sword in hand, but no sword in heart. The rage of a common man, blood spilled within five steps."

"Second, no sword in hand, but a sword held within the heart. Cultivating unity of man and sword, where all things can become a blade."

"Third, no sword in hand, no sword in heart. At that point, your very existence becomes the sword dao."

His calm tone carried an air of indifference, as if he cared not for others’ judgments—merely stating his understanding of the sword dao.

Across from him, the jade-like woman sipping tea seemed to thaw slightly, a flicker of emotion crossing her frosty demeanor.

After a long pause, she finally parted her lips:

"Well said."

"You taught me well."

"No, you’re right. The great dao is simple—refining complexity into simplicity is the true path."

"Not at all, not at all."

Li Mo smiled lightly on the surface, but inside, he wiped away a cold sweat.

Thank goodness he’d secretly read novels during class back then—even if his teacher had caught him and scolded him for having no future.

Now, it had come in handy!

But noticing Ying Bing’s softened expression and the hint of further questions, young Li quickly seized the initiative:

"If one only practices sword techniques, can they still touch the sword dao?"

Ying Bing pondered before nodding.

"Yes, but also no."

"Yes?"

Li Mo thought to himself—since when did the ice block speak in riddles?

"Skill approaching dao—theoretically, it is possible."

"But the world's sword techniques are countless. An ordinary person could exhaust their entire life and still only grasp a single drop from the vast ocean."

"Most never achieve it before growing old and dying, so no one can truly master it all—unless... Never mind, don't dwell on this. It's meaningless."

What Ying Bing had almost said was that only the legendary "immortals," who shared the lifespan of heaven and earth, would have enough time to attain "skill approaching the Dao."

But the existence of immortals was itself even more elusive and unfathomable than skill approaching the Dao.

"I see."

Li Mo took a deep breath, suppressing the strange stirring in his heart.

"It's late. Thank you for enlightening me today."

"I'll rest now."

With that, Li Mo rose gracefully and left, not taking a single wisp of cloud with him.

Nor did he bother to wash the dishes after dinner.

As Li Mo's figure disappeared, a leaf drifted into the tea bowl before Ying Bing, rippling the reflection of her jade-like face in the tea.

The more time she spent with him, the more she felt how different he was from his past life.

From being utterly unremarkable at first, he had now become impossible to ignore.

Today, Li Mo had drawn even closer to the world she inhabited—almost half a step already inside.

Of course.

Swordplay was not her strongest suit.

Yet, with his talent in the sword path alone, he had earned the right to stand by her side.

"How does he compare to Jiang Chulong...?"

The thought had barely formed in Ying Bing's mind before she silently shook her head.

Jiang Chulong was a born Sword Womb, once possessing Sword Bones as well. They weren't even on the same starting line—comparison was pointless.

[Reminder: One month approaches. The system will announce comparison results in seven days.]

[At that time, the system will rank all genius martial artists within the Eastern Wasteland Domain.]

[Punishment for the defeated has been confirmed.]

[Punishment condition]: "Share a bed with the one who defeats you for at least one month."

Ying Bing didn’t even glance at the so-called punishment.

Now, she had already reached the 20th meridian of the Qi-Blood Realm.

In seven days, she would fully complete the Great Qi-Blood Cycle and step into the Inner Breath Realm!

Reaching the Inner Breath Realm in one month, with all twenty-four meridians unlocked—even across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, this was an achievement unheard of since ancient times!

At the Inner Breath Realm, wielding the Nine-Colored Primordial Phoenix Aura, capable of harnessing the power of the Supreme Yin, and possessing the insight and martial accumulation of one who had once touched the Nine Heavens...

Among her peers, she couldn’t imagine any existence that could surpass her.