Chapter 25: Sparring and the Accumulation of Artistic Conception

Xiao Rang suppressed his power, maintaining a cultivation level equal to Lin Heng’s, as he launched an assault using the Sky Star Sword Technique.

Even so, Lin Heng felt an immense sense of oppression. It was a disparity in spiritual realms. The joy Lin Heng had felt from his sudden surge in cultivation quickly faded under the pressure of this Grandmaster’s aura. His expression became focused, devoid of grief or joy, as he began to employ the Ethereal Boundless Sword Technique to meet the challenge.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A dense series of metallic clashes rang out. In an instant, their longswords had crossed countless times. The rapid-fire collisions blurred into a single continuous sound. Lin Heng felt a stream of concentrated sword energy rebounding against him, leaving his bones aching and his muscles numb, momentarily robbing him of control. A moment later, a longsword was pressed against his throat.

With identical cultivation levels, Lin Heng had been defeated in under a hundred moves within a single encounter, while his opponent remained completely unscathed. Yet, he was not discouraged; the man was a Grandmaster, after all. The ability to effortlessly cut down a peer from a prestigious background in mere dozens of moves was exactly the combat mastery Lin Heng sought to cultivate.

Closing his eyes, Lin Heng began to recall the brief yet tactically intense battle. He quickly summarized the reasons for his defeat. Xiao Rang then spoke, pointing out the flaws in Lin Heng’s performance, which aligned perfectly with his own reflections.

"Master, your Sky Star Sword Technique is only a shell; its essence remains the Ethereal Boundless Sword Technique," Lin Heng remarked curiously before beginning their second bout. He hadn't noticed during the fight, but during the post-match review, he realized Xiao Rang was using their sect’s internal energy and power-exertion methods to drive the sword techniques of another school. Compared to the actual Sky Star Sword Technique of the Sky Star Valley, it only resembled the form; the core was entirely the Ethereal Boundless Sword Technique.

"Indeed. The martial arts of other sects are not so easily stolen. To be able to imitate their external essence after seeing them once is already quite good," Xiao Rang replied. "Of course, there is no need to exhaust yourself trying to steal other schools' techniques; knowing how to counter them is enough. The principles of all martial arts in the world are interconnected. Once you have mastered our sect’s martial arts, you will be able to do as I do: see any martial art and grasp it instantly."

Lin Heng did not fully grasp the depth of these words; he was still in the stage of learning by the book, not yet ready to innovate. Thus, he kept Xiao Rang’s words in his heart for the time being.

The second round of sparring began, with Xiao Rang again using the Sky Star Sword Technique. This time, Lin Heng lasted a little longer but was still defeated. Then came the cycle: Lin Heng summarized his failures, Xiao Rang offered guidance, and they sparred again. Through repeated failure, Lin Heng relied on his extraordinary aptitude to find ways to counter the Sky Star Sword Technique.

In the midst of this relentless combat, Lin Heng felt like a rough blade being forged. The lack of precision in controlling his surging internal energy vanished, replaced by a realm of nuanced power, and his combat instincts sharpened. The potential within his physique was mobilized and put to use in battle. This improvement was visible; Lin Heng began to hold his ground against Xiao Rang’s attacks, gradually transitioning to counterattacks, and by the end, he could fight on equal footing with Xiao Rang, who maintained the strength of a thirteenth-level Master.

At that point, Xiao Rang stopped. He pushed Lin Heng back with a burst of energy and said with a smile, "You have progressed rapidly, disciple. Let us stop here for today. Tomorrow, I will demonstrate the Sky Star Valley’s signature technique, the Myriad Star Sword Technique."

Proper combat is beneficial for stimulating a warrior's potential, but excessive fighting damages the body, overdraws vitality, and diminishes essence, shortening one's lifespan. Thus, half an hour of practical application was sufficient; learning more would be counterproductive.

"Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Master," Lin Heng replied, nodding as he calmed his roiling blood. Xiao Rang then left to attend to sect business.

Watching his master depart, Lin Heng returned to the Kongming Hall to eat, then took a Snow Heart Pill. Afterward, he went to the cliff behind the Cloud Sword Palace to watch the sea of clouds. Sitting at the edge, Lin Heng’s mind became ethereal, his aura merging with the nature of heaven and earth as he watched the clouds roll and unfurl below.

His spirit seemed to dissolve into the world, drifting with the sea of clouds, his internal energy circulating naturally in rhythm with the universe. For Lin Heng, the subsequent cultivation of the Master realm was a matter of steady accumulation; he would naturally reach the perfection of the twenty-seventh level. However, breaking through from Master to Grandmaster required the grasp of an "intent."

There are thousands of intents in the world, representing a warrior's realization of nature and the complexities of human life. Ordinary warriors might be stuck at this stage for a long time, struggling to find their own intent to sublimate their spiritual power to the point of influencing the natural world. But for Lin Heng, born into a holy land of martial arts with a top-tier heritage, this was no obstacle.

His predecessors had long cleared the path, summarizing a complete method for realizing the "Ethereal Intent." Lin Heng could directly sublimate the sword intent of his second-level Ethereal Boundless Sword Technique into a "Sword Domain," thereby entering the Grandmaster realm. By taking the Snow Heart Pill daily and engaging in constant sword practice, Lin Heng had accumulated immense spiritual power, qualifying him to begin comprehending the Sword Domain. Now, he was in the midst of this sublimation process. It was not something to be achieved overnight, but he was in no rush; he had plenty of time to accumulate.

The next day, Lin Heng continued to spar with Xiao Rang. This time, Xiao Rang demonstrated the Myriad Star Sword Technique. This technique, with its extreme variability, was far superior to the basic Sky Star Sword Technique, causing Lin Heng much trouble. Yet, he eventually learned how to counter and break it.

Once the sparring ended, Lin Heng returned to the cliff to watch the clouds. For the next period, his life fell into this new routine: daily sparring with Xiao Rang to understand the various martial arts of the world, or watching the clouds from the back of the Cloud Sword Palace. Of course, he didn't only train; sometimes he would read or listen to his maid play the zither to relax.

As time passed, Lin Heng’s cultivation rose steadily, his inner strength growing deeper by the day. At the same time, the ethereal, cloud-like aura about him grew more pronounced, as if he were on the verge of ascending. In this tranquil existence, two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye.