Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 148 - 118 What is the Pinnacle of Sword Dao_2

Chapter 148: Chapter 118 What is the Pinnacle of Sword Dao_2

He hurried forward and said, "Let me see if I can neutralize the remaining aura...."

Snap!

Xiao Yunyi shook off Gu Wen’s outstretched hand and took a half step back gently, speaking lightly as a drifting cloud, "Brother Gu, no need to worry. I am in a perfectly good state, feeling more comfortable than ever before."

"...."

Gu Wen fell silent for a while, feeling a bit suffocated.

For a moment, he questioned his own idea of wanting to bring everyone on board, and increasingly found that Chi Yu Zi, the drunken fool, was simply too good.

At least Chi Yu Zi just cried out in pain, begging him for wine.

"Your arm will necrotize."

"I will nurture it with mana, and it can be reattached at any time."

"Really?"

"Really!"

-----------------

Gu Wen decided not to meddle anymore and turned a blind eye to Xiao Yunyi’s permanently lost right hand.

He inquired how much longer Heavenly Spring Mountain would remain open, received the answer of one month, and during this period, they could freely use the Sword Pond, refine spiritual swords, and seek out sword spirits.

Heavenly Spring Mountain had three great opportunities: Sword Pond, swords, and sword spirits.

The first two were easy to understand, while the latter, sword spirits, represented a rather special existence. Generally, swords first acquire a physical form before they obtain spirituality, but sword spirits are the exact opposite.

They are born for the sword and can greatly increase the sword’s grade.

For example, a low-quality spiritual sword could directly ascend to top-grade with a sword spirit.

Gu Wen just so happened to need a suitable weapon, a problem that had persisted from Bianjing up until now; he hadn’t found a good weapon.

The reason was his requirements were too high, basically, only Taoist Soldiers could satisfy Gu Wen. Take the Flame Spear for instance, the low-quality spiritual treasure Xuanzhong Spear would wear out after prolonged use, and at the very least, it would need to survive on a middle-grade spiritual treasure.

Just like Chi Yu Zi, it was quite normal for him to break dozens of spiritual swords in a single combat.

Spiritual treasures were precious to people, but to the inheritors of sects, they were merely consumables.

Gu Wen found Chi Yu Zi and upon hearing he was looking for a Taoist Sword of Taoist Soldier grade, he asked in surprise, "Don’t you already have an Immortal Sword?"

He bluffed, "The Immortal Sword is formless. I need a tangible sword to assist me."

Whether he had obtained the Immortal Sword or not was his own concern. Whether it be the Cultivation Technique or capabilities, Gu Wen always preferred to conceal his strengths.

Moreover, it also served as a deterrent; owning an Immortal Sword would make some people rethink their intentions. Holding an Immortal Sword with the Dao at the Fourth Level was not like a child walking in the streets holding a gold brick but more like one holding a nuclear bomb.

An Immortal Sword was not an inanimate object; it was a true Immortal.

Many decisions made by Gu Wen involved thinking three steps ahead; he wasn’t looking for a perfect solution, just one that maximized benefits.

Just as with initially questioning whether Yu Hua was hiding his talents, looking back, without Yu Hua’s help, Gu Wen might have died one day out of illness.

The Zhao family had never intended for him to live on, everything was just a facade to appease the Sanqing Taoist Sect, using him as a means to show goodwill to the sect.

The Immortal Sword was the same; possessing it would attract prying eyes, as well as investors.

Besides, if he kept a low profile, would others not trouble him?

Chi Yu Zi didn’t probe further. She was half-reclining in the Sword Pond, holding an Immortal Sword scabbard leisurely, and said, "The Sword Pond indeed possesses many treasures, and it’s also a great place for sword refining. I could help you refine one...."

"You know Artifact Refining too?"

"This old lady is the number one Artifact Refiner of the era, do you think everyone is like you, knowing only violence and slaughter?"

Ao Tang was skilled in Alchemy, Chi Yu Zi in Artifact Refining, how wondrous.

Gu Wen’s attitude shifted, and he respectfully said, "Please, Fellow Daoist, assist me."

Chi Yu Zi, without further ado, provided three Artifact Refining plans: top, middle, and low grades. Gu Wen directly ignored the middle and low-grade plans.

Refining a top-grade Taoist Sword required one Taoist Sword embryo, three to four Sword Spirits, and a hundred spiritual swords.

The swords from Heavenly Spring Mountain were naturally formed, surpassing all crafted swords in terms of artistic conception. But life cannot rely on conception alone; combat is the most worldly thing among cultivators.

It boils down to four words: mana, Daoist Skill, strength, durability.

Strong mana, multiple Daoist Skills, varying strengths, resilient defense.

The most important aspect of a weapon is durability. The spiritual swords of Heavenly Spring Mountain are not durable, hence the need for reforging them.

Chi Yu Zi was one of the top Artifact Refiners among the younger generation, even refining her own body to perfection. Her Sword Box was actually a mobile Magic Treasure for sword refining, capable of refining swords on its own.

The limit was middle-grade Spiritual Treasures, but due to the unique nature of Heavenly Spring Mountain’s naturally formed sword embryos, there weren’t many restrictions as she was just modifying them.

This time there were no extra spiritual swords in the Sword Pond, so Gu Wen could only turn around and walk down to the seventh level.

"Gu Wen."

Yu Hua’s soft voice came from above. At the moment, she was standing where the ninth level Immortal Sword once existed, waving her hand toward him and transmitting her voice:

"After you’re done, come up."

"Okay."

-----------------

Gu Wen walked down the stairs leading to the fourth level. The stairwell was ten zhang wide and twenty zhang high, devoid of superfluous decoration, merely filled with sharp edges as if hewn by swords and cleaved by axes.

This time, there were a total of more than twenty people who had come to Heavenly Spring Mountain, most of whom stayed on the sixth and seventh levels.

The seventh level, including Lan Yongning, had a total of five people. They each found their own fortune, and some were struggling to contend with the spiritual swords.

Lan Yongning had set his sights on the strongest Taoist Sword. Using ink and brush as a cage, he trapped the dragon form that the Taoist Sword had transformed into. However, the Sword Spirit was full of pride and was utterly unwilling to submit to him, preferring death over compromise.

This was the most difficult part of refining a treasure; it wasn’t about not being able to defeat the treasure. Rather, many Artifact Spirits were stubborn and if they didn’t acknowledge you, they simply didn’t.

Suddenly, footsteps came from above. Lan Yongning knew he couldn’t be distracted, but he still couldn’t help but look up.

The others did the same, all curious about who the strongest among the younger generation of the Sword Dao was and who had obtained the opportunities of the eighth or even the ninth level.

Dressed in simple, thin black clothes, with dark hair and deep eyes.

Gu Wen stood out on the vacant Sword Dao staircase, with the sound of footsteps echoing through the space.

Distracted, Lan Yongning’s dragon-shaped Taoist Sword broke free, which should have slashed towards him but, for some unknown reason, bizarrely turned its head toward Gu Wen.

"Be careful!"

Clang!

Gu Wen slightly raised his eyebrows, his eyes brimming with countless sword lights, and a sound of sword cry resonated in all directions. In an instant, the seventh level’s spiritual swords fell like rain, and those that should have been flying in the Grotto Heaven clattered to the ground, quivering slightly.

The Taoist Sword flying toward Gu Wen was no exception; all its pride turned into the weakest trembling at that moment.

Spiritual swords were born from nature, and the purer the sword, the greater the pressure it felt.

Gu Wen bent down to pick up the Taoist Sword, while the people below looked on as if they had seen a ghost. They were also under pressure, but not as intensely as the spiritual swords.

What exactly was this Sword Intent?

Before they could figure it out, Gu Wen had already walked into the seventh level and came to Lan Yongning to return the Taoist Sword.

With so many spiritual swords on Heavenly Spring Mountain, he neither lacked nor cared for this one.

"Brother Lan, your sword."

Lan Yongning regained a fraction of his senses and asked, "Brother Hongchen, was that the True Sword Dao?"

Only the True Sword Dao could explain the scene just witnessed, and beyond that, he could think of no other possibility. A flicker of enlightenment arose within him, and he understood why Gu Wen had ascended to the eighth level.

He must have mastered the True Sword Dao. It had to be!

"Yes."

Gu Wen didn’t conceal or evade; he revealed a trace of the True Sword Dao’s aura once more, openly.

There was a stir all around as the other proud swordsmen gathered, their eyes filled with fervor and longing.

These paragons in the eyes of outsiders all looked at Gu Wen with envy and admiration. Even if their elders had come, it wouldn’t have been much better.

The True Sword Dao was recognized as the foremost sword of heaven and earth – who among swordsmen wouldn’t want to master it?

"This... this... you’ve mastered it, you’ve actually mastered it! Hahaha, the True Sword Dao really exists."

Lan Yongning was somewhat incoherent. It wasn’t just envy but also a kind of joy.

It meant that there really existed a formidable Sword Dao, one that claims to be able to cut through sun, moon, and stars.

He might not achieve it, but at least he could look up to the mountain summit, knowing how high it really was.

Lan Yongning bowed with folded hands and said, "I beg to ask, what is the True Sword Dao like?"

Following that, a group of distinguished swordsmen also bowed with folded hands toward Gu Wen, this person who had previously sought to learn swordsmanship from them.

"What is the True Sword Dao like? And who is the pinnacle of the Sword Dao?"

Gu Wen pondered for a long time. It wasn’t that he was stingy with his words, but he couldn’t think of how to describe the True Sword Dao.

Everyone knew it was the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, the origin of the Sword Dao, the foremost of all swords, but that’s not what they wanted to know.

What they desired to feel was the aura of the True Sword Dao, regarding all swords as rotten wood, overwhelming all other sword techniques in the world.

"If you practice the sword, you should know of the vastness of the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Swords. If you have practiced these three swords, then you would know how difficult it is to attain the True Sword Dao. If you have achieved even half a step into the True Sword Dao, then you would understand, seeing me is like beholding the clear sky above."

Gu Wen’s voice was smooth, much like the undisturbed waters of the Sword Pond.

He wasn’t bragging about himself, but rather he was reminded of the white-haired old man, presumably the legendary Sword Master, who might now be called a Sword Immortal.

"And for someone like me, seeing the person at the peak of the Sword Dao is but a drop in the ocean."

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