The So-called Sword Meaning

"What kind of sword intent does Senior Brother possess?" Li Shiyin asked Lu Junxing.

"It is the carefree sword intent..." Lu Junxing raised his hand and effortlessly drew the fine wine prepared by Liu Baixuan, holding it in his hand as he smiled and said, "To ride the wind with a sword, eliminating demons in the world. With wine, we find joy and freedom. Without wine, I am still insane. One drink to empty the rivers and seas, another to swallow the sun and moon. A thousand cups and I remain unswayed, for I am Lu Junxing."

Lu Junxing was truly an interesting person, carefree and unrestrained, like a divine and free-spirited being.

Although such a person was unreliable as a Dao companion, they were quite fascinating as a friend.

"What exactly is the carefree sword intent?" Li Shiyin asked.

Lu Junxing didn't hold back either. After taking a big sip of wine, he tilted his head back and sprayed all the wine into the air. Each drop of wine transformed into sword qi, which stretched out like threads. These threads intertwined and wove together to form mountains, rivers, and the foundation of the world. Within this foundation, one could roam freely, experiencing great carefreeness and absolute freedom!

"So, this is what sword intent is?" Li Shiyin murmured.

"Hahaha..." Lu Junxing laughed and said, "Junior Sister, don't get fixated on the external form. Sword intent, sword intent, it's all about the intent, not the sword itself. The sword is just the concrete expression of the intent. What is intent? It's what you think and feel.

"Junior Sister, everyone's intent is different."

Li Shiyin had a glimpse of understanding because her master had said something similar before.

Her master had told her that when she understood why she wielded her sword and became firm in that understanding, then she would merge it with her sword, which would be her sword intent.

Sword and intent...

"Look, hasn't this Junior Sister comprehended sword intent?" Lu Junxing asked Tian Wenjin with a smile. "What kind of sword intent has Junior Sister comprehended?"

"Merciless sword intent," Tian Wenjin replied indifferently, giving him a fleeting glance.

"Cough!" Lu Junxing continued to drink his wine and said, "That's a pretty good sword intent."

"Does sword qi become stronger with sword intent?" Qi Yuan suddenly asked.

"Not necessarily!" Liu Baixuan shook his head and replied, "My master has only comprehended sword qi, but that doesn't prevent him from being the most formidable in the Dao Sword Sect."

Lu Junxing also laughed and said, "Sword intent, sword intent, at the end of the day, it's just a kind of intent, a thought, an expression of emotions. On the other hand, sword qi represents the pinnacle of sword techniques, the complete understanding of the sword. Only then can one possess sword qi. Moreover, sword qi has no limits when it comes to improvement."

"There are those who have a preliminary understanding of sword qi." He raised his hand and released a simple sword-shaped sword qi.

"There are those who have a certain level of comprehension of sword qi." He made that sword qi freely change in size, from large enough to reach the starry sky and the clouds, to small enough to be like a strand of dust or a strand of hair.

"It's what they call 'lifting something heavy as if it were light.'" That sword qi silently burst open, shattering into countless tiny sword qi strands, each one like a strand of hair or a swimming fish, meandering among the pavilions. They shimmered with light, resembling fireflies, creating a beautiful sight.

These sword qi strands moved about inside the pavilion but did not harm anyone. When Li Shiyin reached out to touch the glowing sword qi with her finger, the sword qi, like real fish, panicked and fled.

This display was truly an example of "lifting something light as if it were heavy."

"So-called 'lifting something heavy as if it were light'..." Lu Junxing reached out his hand and grasped, and all the sword qi returned to his hand, forming the original sword-shaped sword qi once again.

The people in the pavilion waited for a while, but there was no more magnificent performance surpassing the act of lifting heavy weights effortlessly.

Qi Yuan hesitated and asked, "Is this what they call 'lifting light as if heavy'?"

"Hahaha..." Lu Junxing pointed at him and laughed heartily, "You foolish kid! I haven't reached that level yet!"

Qi Yuan was taken aback by his words.

"It is said that when one reaches the realm of 'lifting light as if heavy,' a sword energy can become a mountain peak, a sword energy can become a great river, and a small world can be evolved from a single sword energy," Liu Baixuan said. "It's truly unimaginable."

"I told you, you're a timid person with no ambition. You dare not do this or that. Afraid to imagine? Let me tell you, the reason your sword energy realm fluctuates in the 'lifting light as if heavy' state is because you're concerned about your master also being in this realm and you dare not stabilize it," Lu Junxing teased Liu Baixuan, "You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, how could you have such a cautious posture?"

Liu Baixuan remained expressionless and asked, "You fear nothing, neither heaven nor earth. Are you capable of transforming the world with a single sword?"

"Tch... How hard could it be?" Lu Junxing scoffed, "Before the path, I will use a sword to defeat you and transform the world. Any other moves that defeat you don't count."

"Before the path, I have already reached the Golden Core stage. If you can't transform the world with a single sword, you can't defeat me either..."

Watching the two experts argue was indeed entertaining, but it wasn't their main purpose for being there. Li Shiyin took the opportunity to exchange swordsmanship experiences with Tian Wenjin and Qi Yuan. The three of them had similar levels of strength, and there was much to discuss.

Qi Yuan hadn't comprehended sword energy or sword intent, but his cultivation had reached the later stage of the Golden Core realm, and his flying sword technique was truly outstanding. Li Shiyin had comprehended sword energy but not sword intent, while Tian Wenjin had comprehended sword intent but not sword energy. These three individuals surprisingly complemented each other, and through their exchanges, they gained a lot.

However, swordsmanship discussions couldn't just remain in words alone; they had to personally take action and exchange moves on the sword's summit.

Li Shiyin sparred with Qi Yuan and Tian Wenjin, and even had a brief fight with Liu Baixuan and Lu Junxing, with wins and losses on both sides... It wasn't about who won or lost, but rather about mutual gains and losses with each person. During this time, other disciples also came over to their side and invited them to spar.

While the exchange of other sword techniques was certainly interesting, the most fascinating sparring match tonight was the sword energy duel between Li Shiyin and Lu Junxing.

Lu Junxing had reached the third stage of sword energy, where he could transform sword energy into nothingness and manipulate it at will. Li Shiyin, on the other hand, had touched the threshold of the third stage and could already transform sword energy into a whole. So Lu Junxing proposed a competition to snatch wine using their sword energy.

The rules were as follows: the referee would toss the wine into the air, and Li Shiyin and Lu Junxing would each use their sword energy to grab the wine. They couldn't merge the sword energy with the wine, only carry it with the sword energy. The one who obtained the most wine in the end would be the winner.

This match was about testing their control over sword energy.

Two people sat in front of a stone table in a pavilion, each releasing their own Sword Qi of Mountains and Rivers and Sword Qi of Stars and Celestial Bodies. Initially, there was an abundance of drinks, and they each used their Sword Qi to contain the drinks. However, as the drinks dwindled, their Sword Qi gradually came into contact with each other and began to compete. Lu Junxing had cultivated for a longer period of time, so his Sword Qi was much stronger than Li Shiyin's. He forcefully tried to snatch it, making it difficult for Li Shiyin to resist. So Li Shiyin had no choice but to maneuver around and pick up the drinks that Lu Junxing didn't care for. But even though Li Shiyin had settled for second best, Lu Junxing's Sword Qi still outnumbered hers...

"Hahaha..." Lu Junxing laughed heartily. "Trying to snatch drinks from me, Junior Sister, you miscalculated!"

"Enough with the antics after getting an advantage!" Liu Baixuan shook her head. "Who doesn't know that you, Lu Junxing, are a big drunkard?"

Lu Junxing felt no shame; instead, he took pride in it. He triumphantly lay down on the ground and gulped down all the drinks he had snatched, saying, "Cheers, cheers!"

Li Shiyin also finished her drink and said to Lu Junxing, "Senior Brother, your cultivation level is indeed much higher than mine."

She had thought that under her master's strict demands, she had already mastered Sword Qi quite well, but she didn't expect Lu Junxing to be even more proficient.

"You're still young; don't be disheartened!" Lu Junxing chuckled. Lying on the ground, he let out a burp.

Li Shiyin shook her head and smiled, as if Lu Junxing were much older...

The exchange lasted the whole night and dispersed when the sun rose the next day.

Standing at the highest point of the Dao Sword Sect and watching the sunrise, Li Shiyin saw at the edge of the sky, the dim golden light scattered like countless Sword Qi spreading across the heavens and earth. Standing amidst the golden light, she felt as if the sky itself was beneath her feet.

She turned to Tian Wenjin and said, "Wenjin, it's been a while since we visited Dan Peak. How about having a hot pot today?"

Tian Wenjin looked at Li Shiyin standing on the cliff, draped in the shimmering golden light, her beauty indescribable.

Approaching her at the edge of the cliff, she looked down at the layers of clouds beneath her feet and replied, "Sure, let's go!"