Chapter 29: A Sword’s Radiance Shocks the World

The matter of the Hundred Wounds Taoist was of no concern to Zhu Jinzhen, nor did it pique his interest. Instead, he conversed with Zhang Sanfeng about martial arts.

Although Zhu Jinzhen had already surpassed the realm of the Earth Immortal, his understanding of the swordsmanship, while not unrivaled for all eternity, was undeniably among the greatest of the age. Yet, he still found profound insight within Zhang Sanfeng’s exposition on the Taiji principles of yin and yang.

“Embracing yin while holding yang, harmonizing qi in balance—the way of yin and yang lies in equilibrium. A solitary yang cannot endure, a solitary yin cannot be born. Yin and yang, rooted in each other and blended in primordial unity, give birth to and nurture all things.”

“The way of the sword is the same. The ‘Sword Ten: Burial’ may transform into millions of sword energies with one strike, yet it is a solitary yang and cannot last. But if it cycles endlessly, like ‘Sword Eleven: Nirvana,’ it can reach the ultimate and then begin anew, neither born nor extinguished.”

“Do not speak of celestial beings; even the gods descending from the heavens will perish beneath my endless sword qi.”

Zhu Jinzhen’s eyes flashed with understanding.

Ren Piaomiao’s ethereal swordsmanship was brilliant and magnificent, with peerless power forged through human effort—without doubt unparalleled in the world—but Zhu Jinzhen was not Ren Piaomiao. His swordsmanship was inevitably different.

“I observe, Your Highness, that your entire being is perfect, flawless, and complete, unified as one. Every gesture channels qi that connects heaven and earth.”

“Have you already comprehended the realm of the union between heaven and man?”

From the moment Zhang Sanfeng saw Zhu Jinzhen, he watched him intently. Yet no matter how closely he looked, he could not detect the sharp edge of brilliance radiating from this young sword immortal who shook the world.

Zhu Jinzhen was not surprised. After all, before him stood Zhang Sanfeng—the legendary figure in martial arts who was but a step away from the union of heaven and man.

“Zhang Zhenren has a keen eye.”

Zhu Jinzhen wanted to be modest but did not suppress his pride; he nodded and said, “Your junior has indeed been fortunate to break through the threshold of the union of heaven and man and attain the realm of Earth Immortal.”

At that moment, a staggering sword momentum surged from Zhu Jinzhen’s body, as if a celestial sword that ruled over the world and governed all beings had risen between heaven and earth.

That day, within a hundred-mile radius of Jiayuguan Pass, all long swords—whether owned or not—trembled uncontrollably. Eventually, they unsheathed themselves and fell to the ground, trembling nonstop in one direction.

It was as if the mightiest master of the sword way had been born.

Inside and outside Jiayuguan, all sword practitioners felt an overwhelming sword intent, vast as the heavens and mighty as the earth itself, pressing heavily upon everyone’s hearts.

Within a certain inn in Jiayuguan, Ximen Chuixue—clad in snow-white robes, his ebony-sheathed longsword never leaving his side—suddenly changed expression drastically.

“What is happening?”

“Why is my sword no longer obeying me?”

Ximen Chuixue was the Sword God of the age, and his ebony-sheathed longsword ranked fifth in the Baixiaosheng Weapon Registry. Given his mastery of swordsmanship, only some elder swordsmen far senior to him could surpass him.

Yet now, his ebony-sheathed longsword trembled uncontrollably, nearly unsheathing itself without his control, leaving him shocked beyond reason.

In the next moment, a look of horror surfaced on Ximen Chuixue’s cold face.

A sword intent beyond his wildest imagination struck him with such force that it bent his back, crashing down upon him.

“What on earth is this?”

Ximen Chuixue clenched his teeth, striving to calm himself, but the sword intent—like a vast expanse bridging heaven and earth and towering arrogantly over all beings—lingered in his heart like a nightmare, refusing to fade.

If Ximen Chuixue, as a Grandmaster of the Zhixuan Realm, could still suppress his own sword, then those swordbearers below the Zhixuan Realm within and beyond Jiayuguan had no means but to watch helplessly as this unprecedented phenomenon unfolded.

“Look! They all seem to be trembling in the same direction.”

“My sword is but a common finely forged longsword—why does it seem to have gained a will of its own?”

“Could it be that a peerless divine weapon has emerged?”

“It is said that the peerless swordsmen of the jianghu—the Sword God Xie Xiaofeng of the Divine Sword Manor, the old sword saint Feng Qingyang of Mount Hua, the Southern Seas Sword Saint Ye Cheng, the world’s greatest swordsman Xue Yiren, and others—all have comprehended sword intent.”

“Such a world-shaking event is happening here...”

Prince Su?

All who saw the scene of the myriad swords returning to their master—like subjects bowing to their lord—instinctively turned their gaze toward the direction of the Tiance Mansion.

...

Mongol Yuan, Dadu.

After years of absence from the public eye, Pasiba quietly appeared atop the Wanan Temple in Dadu, his eyes straining to look far into the distance, as if wanting to encompass someone separated by thousands of miles.

“Sword intent transmitted across a thousand miles?”

“Has that figure from the Ming made new progress in swordsmanship?”

An unhidden look of shock crossed Pasiba’s calm eyes, but soon he shook his head. “No, this is not sword intent. Even that old demon Du Gu Qiubai was nowhere near such terrifying sword intent.”

“This... is beyond sword intent.”

“This is... the Way!!!”

Pasiba’s voice trailed off into a murmur, then his body suddenly trembled violently. In terms of technique, magic, and will, there was only the Way.

The Way of the Sword!

The two words that swordsmen across the world always spoke now churned Pasiba’s heart like a raging sea, leaving him restless.

“To seek the Heavenly Way, one must first become a union of heaven and man.”

“Could it be that I am one step too late to that young prince?”

The Ming’s Secret Sect’s Ming Wang and Si Hanfei, among others, were so frightened by Pasiba’s murmurs that their pupils contracted and their faces paled.

Prince Su of the Ming has entered the realm of Earth Immortal?

...

Ming Dynasty, the Secluded Green Hills.

A middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a heroic aura, leaning against a tombstone and muttering while drinking wine, suddenly paused his movement and involuntarily pointed forward.

Twelve illusory swords appeared in midair.

If an old friend were here, he would surely be astounded by this scene.

“Since that Xie Xiaofeng, has Ming produced a new peerless swordsman?”

“Sword intent extending across a thousand miles, the realm of Earth Immortal.”

“Truly remarkable.”

The middle-aged man murmured, then suddenly noticed the twelve swords he had conjured trembling uncontrollably. His expression changed sharply.

“No, this seems not to be sword intent. It has surpassed the so-called sword momentum and sword intent. Even the old demon Du Gu Qiubai’s ‘everything as sword’ technique could not reach such a realm.”

“Could it be... the Way?”

Startled by his own conjecture, the man was named Yi Tianxing—a figure long forgotten by the old martial arts world.

But in his time, he had dealt with almost all the peerless masters of various countries, even Zhang Sanfeng was on intimate terms with him. Later, disheartened, he retired from the jianghu and lived an ordinary life.

Yi Tianxing turned to look at the solitary grave in the valley, recalling his youthful days. His thoughts returned to the vibrant times when he met and bonded with his wife Bing Xin, the humorous and touching moments they shared, and the last moment when his wife, growing old, lay in his arms as she passed away.

“Tianxing, don’t continue to wrong yourself for this old woman.”

“Go pursue your sword way, climb the peaks you are meant to ascend.”

“I will accompany you... only this far.”