Jian Lin kowtowed respectfully three times. She and the Sword Immortal let out a long sigh simultaneously. The new master and disciple pair did not get along well.
"Master, what are your plans next?" Jian Lin asked with concern. "In about ten days, my secret realm cultivation will end. Will you be coming out with us?"
The Sword Immortal's breath caught in his chest. After a long pause, he slowly said, "Good disciple, you must understand that from now on, wherever you go, you must follow my arrangements."
It wasn't her call. She was asking if she wanted to follow him, but who was the master here!
"Master, how many years has it been since you last went out?" Jian Lin asked worriedly. "I need to report to you in advance. I still have a lot of things to do, like going to the demon realm to save my sister, accompanying my boyfriend back to the demon realm, and when the demon-slaying war breaks out, I have to help him. I absolutely cannot stay here to cultivate in seclusion."
"Who, going back to the demon realm? Why do you have to help him?" The Sword Immortal keenly caught the keywords. His shocked gaze fell on the Demon Lord, and he asked tremblingly, "You boy, who exactly are you?"
The Demon Lord stepped forward at the opportune moment, cupped his fists in a salute, and formally introduced himself.
"You are the Demon Lord..." The Sword Immortal clutched his chest and scolded Jian Lin with disappointment, "Rebellious disciple, you come from a righteous sect, yet you are entangled with the Demon Lord. What is the world coming to! I really..."
Jian Lin retorted righteously, "Master, I was entangled with him before I even became your disciple. You have no reason to call me a rebellious disciple. Besides, you've already accepted me, so don't get angry over these things. Be careful not to harm your health."
The Demon Lord also advised, "Yes, senior. Those things are not important. Please take care of your health."
Jian Lin was displeased upon hearing this and turned her attention to the Demon Lord, "What do you mean? Are you saying I'm not important? Then what does our relationship mean? We were kissing in the last barrier, you can't shake me off."
Jian Lin wasn't afraid of anything else, but she was afraid that the affection points she had painstakingly accumulated would stop with the Demon Lord.
"No, I didn't mean you're not important," the Demon Lord explained earnestly. "I meant that our matters are not important to the senior."
"Well, that's actually quite important," Jian Lin stood up, saying indignantly. "If we were to get married, you and I are both without parents. Master is our only elder, and we would have to kowtow to him."
What she said made sense. The Demon Lord stroked his chin and fell into thought. It seemed he shouldn't have said it wasn't important.
"Enough!" The Sword Immortal roared, interrupting their argument. He mustered all his strength and said, "You two are forbidden from mentioning anything about getting married. We'll discuss the arrangements for ten days later, ten days from now. For now, Jian Musheng, you will practice horse stance to show me your basic skills."
Well... how were her basic skills? Of course, they were a complete mess.
Moreover, Jian Lin did not persist to the point of spitting blood. This was an examination, not a life-or-death battle. She didn't intend to fight to the death. When it was almost time, her legs went weak, and she collapsed on the ground, repeatedly saying she couldn't do it.
The Sword Immortal had a look of unspeakable expression. Jian Lin found it strangely familiar. She remembered the Demon Lord looked like this at first, with helplessness and disdain. If there wasn't a reason to keep her, he would have kicked her away long ago.
Jian Lin got up and sat cross-legged. Habitually, she took out a bag of jerky from her Qiankun bag and asked considerately, "Master, would you like to try some? I made it myself, it's very delicious."
The Sword Immortal couldn't believe it and asked tremblingly, "You haven't achieved辟谷 (Bìgǔ - abstaining from grains) yet? Even if you haven't, you can still take辟谷丹 (Bìgǔ dān - grain-abstaining pills)!"
"I have achieved辟谷," Jian Lin replied obediently. "I'm just a picky eater, and I feel uncomfortable if I don't eat."
The Sword Immortal closed his eyes and looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. His disciple probably indulged in all sorts of desires. What a sin.
Heaven must have sent her to punish him. His path to enlightenment was stuck at the final hurdle, with no progress for a hundred years. He had a premonition that as long as Jian Lin successfully graduated, he would surely ascend to godhood.
Thinking of this, the Sword Immortal felt much better. He even gave Jian Lin some face, took a piece of jerky, and put it in his mouth. Indeed, it tasted very good.
Seeing that her master had eaten, Jian Lin was also very happy. She turned and handed it to the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord also picked up a piece. The three of them sat together, chewing jerky in a harmonious atmosphere.
After they finished chewing, the Sword Immortal suddenly had an epiphany. He realized he couldn't start with Jian Lin herself, but with the sword behind her.
After all, that sword was the opportunity that brought her to the Sword Immortal's cave.
The Sword Immortal asked to see Jian Lin's sword. Jian Lin did not hesitate. She drew the sword from behind her back, offered it with both hands, and placed it in the Sword Immortal's hand.
The sword was silver-white and translucent, shimmering with brilliance. Every detail exuded extraordinary value.
"This sword is very beautiful," the Sword Immortal said, examining it back and forth. "What is its name?"
"He Yi Sword," Jian Lin thought for a moment, then took out the system's description. "It is said that this sword is invincible, capable of cutting down all things with a single swing, unifying the world. Hence, its name is He Yi Sword."
Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in the Sword Immortal's eyes. What an imposing name. Cutting down all things with a single swing, unifying the world. Could it truly be so?
"But it's just what I've heard," Jian Lin didn't fully trust the system's description. To make her exchange for the divine sword, they might have used some exaggerated words. "By the way, a friend of mine also said that this sword is an ancient divine sword, which is why I can't pull it out. Master, what are your thoughts? If that's the case, will I only be able to use it after ascending to godhood? That would be truly tragic."
"No," the Sword Immortal said with certainty. "With me here, I will teach you how to communicate with this sword, how to make it yield willingly and be used by you."
Jian Lin was filled with awe. "Master, you are truly my good master. Your disciple relies entirely on you!"
The Demon Lord couldn't help but interject, "Senior, you say how to communicate with a sword. Doesn't that mean one has to cultivate sword intent? Isn't that a bit too difficult for her?"
With Jian Lin's mediocre skills, she hadn't even mastered swordplay. To directly begin comprehending sword intent, how long would that take?
"I have my ways, you don't need to worry," the Sword Immortal stood up, returned the sword to Jian Lin, and signaled her to follow him. "You two come with me, I'll take you to the sword formation."
The two followed the Sword Immortal back into the cave. He went down a side path, along stone steps, and into the deep underground. The space here was vast. Torches were lit at the bottom, and the environment was dry and warm, completely different from the caves Jian Lin had adventured in before.
When they reached the very bottom, Jian Lin was shocked to discover a colossal stone sword, standing tall and inserted in the center, like a pillar supporting the massive cave.
"This is my sword formation. Those who have entered the Sword Immortal's cave to cultivate in the past, with my guidance, comprehended sword intent. As long as they defeat the sword formation and touch the hilt of this stone sword, they are considered to have passed successfully and can proceed to the next barrier."
Jian Lin's attention was completely diverted. "Master, what is in the next barrier?"
In her opinion, the Sword Immortal's cave having a Sword Immortal was already impressive. She couldn't imagine what his next trial could be.
"Want to know? Then comprehend sword intent and defeat the sword formation, and you can see for yourself," the Sword Immortal said coolly. "If you can't comprehend sword intent, what's the use of asking?"
Jian Lin pouted. The old man was really good at blocking people.
Without further ado, the Sword Immortal flicked his finger, activating the sword formation. The sword formation immediately took shape, its golden light illuminating the cave.
Jian Lin gasped, her eyes shining. She had seen many formations since coming here, but this was the first time she had seen something so golden. It was truly luxurious and beautiful!
The Sword Immortal noticed Jian Lin's expression and sighed softly. He didn't say much, only telling her to walk into the sword formation.
The Demon Lord looked on with some concern. "Senior, she doesn't understand what sword intent is. I'm afraid she won't be able to dodge."
"Don't worry, she's my disciple. Would I harm her?" The Sword Immortal said calmly, with his hands behind his back. "This is my sword formation, I can control it. Rest assured."
Hearing this, the Demon Lord felt relieved and nodded at Jian Lin, signaling her to go in.
Jian Lin was completely reassured and stepped into the formation without any hesitation.
Just then, the giant stone sword in the center of the formation emitted a strong golden light. Many runes flickered on the sword body, and a deep voice echoed in her mind.
It asked, "Who goes there? State your name."
Before Jian Lin could speak, the Sword Immortal behind her said, "This is my new disciple, Jian Musheng. Ming Yan, come out and meet her, let her familiarize herself with what sword intent is."
The golden light suddenly flashed, and a golden light mass appeared. It gradually took on a human form, revealing its features, and extended its finger towards Jian Lin.
Jian Lin understood the other party's intention. She also extended her finger, and the two slowly touched in mid-air.
In an instant, an eternity passed. The sword intent transformed into countless figures. Jian Lin looked closely and recognized them as the moves she had practiced.
Truly amazing. What kind of magic was this? With just a touch, it could extract all her cultivation content.
Those sword intent moves appeared before Jian Lin one after another, as if urging her to do something. But Jian Lin had no ideas. She cast a pleading gaze at her master.
The Sword Immortal said in a deep voice, "Sword intent is a mirror, helping you to examine yourself. Jian Musheng, look closely. What are the flaws in the moves you have practiced? What are the areas that are not in place? Make corrections."
Jian Lin understood. It was like a video recorder. When she was at the gym, the coach would record her workouts and then watch them with her, pointing out where her force was applied incorrectly.
The principle was the same. She immediately began to examine her practiced moves from a second-person perspective and found that they were very different from what she had imagined.
Not to mention Xuan He Zhenren's swordsmanship, just the moves taught by the Demon Lord. The first level of the Bright Moon Swordplay was fine. She had practiced it for a long time, and it was passable with no major problems.
The second level was not good. Compared to the Demon Lord, it was like a buyer's show versus a buyer's show. The third level was even worse. The Demon Lord only taught her once when he had the chance, and she didn't remember much. The moves were all strange and unsightly.
What was even more terrifying was that Jian Lin had forgotten what the moves originally looked like. She could only keep looking back for help from the Demon Lord, hoping he would give her some hints.
The Sword Immortal noticed their interaction and asked with interest, "What? Did you teach her this swordsmanship?"
"Yes, senior," the Demon Lord replied respectfully.
The Sword Immortal turned his gaze to the moves in the sword formation and remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Quite an interesting swordsmanship, but it's not accurate. Young Demon Lord, spar with me for a few moves. Let me see what the true level of this swordsmanship is."
With that, the Sword Immortal attacked, lunging towards the Demon Lord.