Chapter 5: Sword Comprehension

After annihilating the Luocha Sect, Lin Feng did not linger to engage the reinforcements sent by the Wuji Demon Sect.

After suppressing the enemies with his Sword Intent, he swiftly departed.

It was not that he feared their numbers.

His main concern was avoiding exposure of his identity.

From Leng Hanshuang, he had gathered some basic information about Qian Daoxiong, the Grand Elder of the Wuji Demon Sect.

For someone to hold the position of Grand Elder of the Wuji Demon Sect, their strength was beyond question. Once a battle broke out, his identity as a member of the Shenxiao Sword Sect would inevitably be revealed.

When that happened, suspicion would naturally fall on him.

After all, everything he knew — aside from his Sword Intent — had been taught to him by Su Mubai.

The Wuji Demon Sect and the Shenxiao Sword Sect had been enemies for many years, and both sides understood each other well.

Without absolute certainty of killing everyone who might talk, Lin Feng chose a temporary retreat.

There would be plenty of time to deal with the Wuji Demon Sect later — no need to rush. They had dared to use the Luocha Sect to strike at Su Mubai, and that had already placed them on Lin Feng's kill list.

As for the survivors of the Luocha Sect, they had been completely crippled. Leaving them alive would make their existence far more miserable than death.

A demonic faction like the Wuji Demon Sect would never tolerate useless waste.

While the many top-tier factions within Li Continent kept their eyes on Lin Feng, he had already quietly returned to Lone Existence Peak.

But he would no longer idle about as he once had.

In one month, he needed to enter the Nine Nethers Secret Realm to find the Bianhua Flower for his master.

Making the most of his time to strengthen himself was of the utmost importance.

In the past, Lin Feng had always felt that living within a top-tier sect like the Shenxiao Sword Sect meant he only needed to avoid provoking others. Being alone on Lone Existence Peak wasn't bad — at least he'd live longer.

But Su Mubai's severe injury had shown him that the Shenxiao Sword Sect was not invincible, and even this place could become unsafe.

If he wanted to live long, he had to stand at the very top of the food chain.

Shenxiao Sword Sect. Lone Existence Peak.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged beneath a great tree, eyes closed and perfectly still.

If any Sword Cultivator had witnessed this scene, they would have been both envious and awestruck.

For Lin Feng had entered a profound and mysterious state known as Sword Comprehension.

The reason Sword Cultivators could fight above their level as a matter of course — becoming existences feared throughout the cultivation world — lay fundamentally in Sword Comprehension.

Sword Comprehension was a vital component of a Sword Cultivator's combat power, surpassing even the advancement of one's cultivation realm. Each layer comprehended caused one's offensive power to skyrocket.

From lowest to highest, the layers were: Sword Force, Sword Intent, Sword Domain, and Sword Dao.

Each layer was further divided into four stages.

Subtle Mastery, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Peak Mastery.

Only those with exceptional talent in the Sword Dao could comprehend them.

At this moment, Lin Feng was at the second layer of Sword Comprehension — Sword Intent.

Specifically, he was at the third stage of Sword Intent: Major Mastery Sword Intent.

Once he comprehended Peak Mastery Sword Intent, he would have the opportunity to break through to Sword Domain.

Sword Comprehension was the foundation of a Sword Cultivator's ability to fight above their level, yet it was not something anyone could simply will themselves to achieve.

Within Li Continent, the vast majority of ordinary Sword Cultivators spent their entire lives only ever reaching Subtle Mastery or Minor Mastery of Sword Force.

Those who could comprehend Peak Mastery Sword Force were rare, and those who reached the second layer of Sword Intent were rarer still — a truly exceptional few. As for the third layer, Sword Domain, no one in Li Continent had yet been heard to have comprehended it, let alone the final layer, Sword Dao.

For Lin Feng to have comprehended Sword Intent at just over twenty years of age, his talent in the Sword Dao was terrifyingly formidable.

If he were willing to reveal himself, he would immediately become a priority cultivation target of the Shenxiao Sword Sect and make a name for himself across Li Continent.

In the past, Lin Feng had felt content to rest in the shade of a great tree, and so he had never taken cultivation particularly seriously.

But things were different now.

His master still lay unconscious. Though he had taken his revenge, he still needed to enter the Nine Nethers Secret Realm to find the Bianhua Flower.

The Nine Nethers Secret Realm opened once every one hundred years, and each opening was a storm of blood and carnage.

Countless factions sought to enter and seize Fortuitous Encounters.

Lin Feng dared not place all his hopes on the Shenxiao Sword Sect.

By his estimation, the Wuji Demon Sect might well have set traps within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm, waiting for the Shenxiao Sword Sect to walk right into them.

The two factions had been enemies for years and knew each other well — but he himself was a variable the Wuji Demon Sect could never account for.

Therefore, Lin Feng needed to raise his combat power as much as possible before entering the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

For a Sword Cultivator, the fastest way to increase combat power was not to advance one's cultivation realm, but to deepen Sword Comprehension.

Cultivation realm could not be raised in a short time — it required slow, steady accumulation. But Sword Comprehension could yield enlightenment in a single moment.

If Lin Feng could take one more step forward and reach the third layer of Sword Comprehension — Sword Domain —

Forget the upcoming journey to the Nine Nethers Secret Realm; even within Li Continent itself, he would have the power to walk sideways through any obstacle.

* * *

Half a month later.

Lone Existence Peak. Beneath the ancient thousand-year-old tree.

Whoosh!

Lin Feng opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air, a flicker of disappointment crossing his gaze.

This session of Sword Comprehension had taken half a month. His Sword Intent had advanced one step further — from Major Mastery to Peak Mastery — yet he had failed to comprehend Sword Domain.

This left him somewhat dissatisfied.

He had finally made a genuine effort, and still he had not reached his goal.

If other Sword Cultivators knew what Lin Feng was thinking, they would probably be furious enough to spit blood.

To advance Sword Intent from Major Mastery all the way to Peak Mastery in just half a month, qualifying to pursue the deeper layer of Sword Domain — what kind of monstrous talent did that require?!

Such a speed of Sword Comprehension was utterly unparalleled across all of Li Continent, and yet Lin Feng was still unsatisfied?

Truly, comparing oneself to others is enough to drive a person mad.

Although he had ultimately failed to comprehend Sword Domain, Lin Feng had a faint sense that he was not far from it — he only needed the right opportunity.

When that opportunity would arrive, however, was impossible to say.

"Sigh. If only I could go to the Sword Tomb to comprehend — the conditions here are ultimately lacking. Breaking through to Sword Domain here will be difficult. Going to the Sword Tomb should give me a chance," Lin Feng muttered to himself with a helpless sigh.

The Sword Tomb he spoke of was the Shenxiao Sword Sect's burial ground for swords — a place where the personal blades of countless predecessors since the sect's founding had been interred, including no small number of legendary swords.

The Sword Tomb was a sacred ground for Sword Cultivators and the finest place for Sword Comprehension.

As the Senior Brother of this generation, Lin Feng was by rights the most qualified to enter the Sword Tomb.

Yet because he had always concealed his strength and talent, his title of Senior Brother within the Shenxiao Sword Sect was nothing but an empty name.

He had never even participated in a single Sect Tournament.

And the qualifications to enter the Sword Tomb were determined by the Sect Tournament.

Therefore, Lin Feng currently had no way in.

Unless he revealed his Sword Dao talent before the Sect Master and the sect's upper echelons — which would guarantee the sect's immediate attention. They would not only let him enter the Sword Tomb, they'd practically let him live there.

But Lin Feng was not yet ready to do that.

With the experiences of his past life, he had always held firmly to one belief:

Keeping a low profile was the true path — the way to live longer and further.

Unable to enter the Sword Tomb for Sword Comprehension, he could only turn his attention to researching the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

It was said to contain all manner of rare and precious heavenly treasures. Opening once every one hundred years, it drew countless factions rushing in to compete for them.

Of course, entering the Nine Nethers Secret Realm came with restrictions.

One's bone age could not exceed one hundred years.

Exceeding that limit meant being torn apart by the natural forces within the Nine Nethers Secret Realm upon entry.

In other words, each person could only enter once in their lifetime.

This greatly limited the ability of major factions to sweep through the Nine Nethers Secret Realm.

After all, the bone age restriction of one hundred years was enough to deter many powerful cultivators.

And no major faction could afford to send all of their carefully nurtured talented disciples inside.

If they were all wiped out, the consequences would be disastrous.

Every time the Nine Nethers Secret Realm opened, there were those lucky enough to obtain an extraordinary Fortuitous Encounter within, soaring to prominence and astonishing the world. This caused cultivators under one hundred years of age — even those of modest talent — to want to try their luck. Who knew? Perhaps they might stumble upon some rare heavenly treasure and completely change their fate.

Lin Feng had no interest in other heavenly treasures. His sole objective was the Bianhua Flower.

If he cultivated earnestly, he was confident that even without the aid of any heavenly treasure, he could surpass the vast majority of talents within Li Continent.

Day by day, time passed.

Lone Existence Peak was like a forgotten corner of the world — even when the Shenxiao Sword Sect held grand sect ceremonies, this place was automatically overlooked.

Lin Feng was quite content with that.

Had it not been for what happened to Su Mubai, he truly would have liked to stay here forever.

No worries about food or drink, and when there was nothing to do, he could admire the scenery and throw together a barbecue. How wonderful was that?

Why bother going out to fight and kill?

There were two reasons Lin Feng had chosen to keep a low profile.

First, he carried the experiences of his past life on Earth, and understood well the principle that a tree standing taller than the forest will be felled by the wind. He had no desire to draw attention.

Second, he felt no real sense of belonging to this world — it always felt like a dream to him.

Perhaps one day he would wake from it.

There were few people he truly valued.

His master Su Mubai and his Junior Sister Su Xiyao were undoubtedly first and second on that list.

They were Lin Feng's reverse scales — touch them, and die.

─────────────

Edited by Fat Goose