Chapter 1880: Sword I

If Ba Zun'an had truly comprehended "I," he wouldn't have asked the question, "What am I?"

Now, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't answered, and instead, he'd kicked the ball back. Naturally, Ba Zun'an couldn't articulate a clear and precise explanation either.

And ambiguous words were better left unsaid.

After a brief thought, Ba Zun'an decided to approach the question from another angle, to solve it for Xu Xiaoshou and for himself.

Just as he never needed others to provide answers, in most cases, philosophical discussions were merely to perhaps serendipitously gain "inspiration" from someone on the same wavelength, or perhaps to understand things better through his own discussions:

"At fourteen, I left my village. My family was ruined, I lost the meaning of life, wandered aimlessly, feeling lost in the world, trying to find a new beginning."

"Later, I rediscovered my old dream, went to the capital for the imperial examination, traveled over mountains and rivers, roamed through great landscapes, and finally met Wen Ting and Ning Honghong, becoming sworn siblings."

"Here, I changed and stepped into the world of spirit cultivation."

Xu Xiaoshou was slightly taken aback.

He had never heard Ba Zun'an recount his past story before.

He only knew that Old Ba had a past with Wen Ting and Ning Honghong, and their relationship was much closer than ordinary friends.

"To discern my path..."

Kong Yuhan murmured silently, his eyes filled with a touch of remembrance upon hearing the words, yet he couldn't recall anything specific.

On the other side, he was anxiously twirling the wooden door pendant in his hand, appearing somewhat distracted and out of sorts.

"I was born with an eidetic memory and excellent comprehension. As a child, I read extensively and learned many principles. Though I didn't outwardly show it, I knew I was stubborn, arrogant, and often looked down on my peers."

"Wen Ting was one of the few who could keep up with my thoughts."

"Following him, Ning Honghong and I gradually entered the spirit cultivation world. Along the way, he taught us ancient sword techniques. Ning Honghong... that is, the storyteller, the one who liked to wear red dresses."

Ba Zun'an paused his recollections, glancing across the tea table, acknowledging Xu Xiaoshou and Kong Yuhan.

This was somewhat unnecessary.

Xu Xiaoshou had long heard of Ning Honghong's name. He continued to listen as Ba Zun'an recounted "I":

"Wen Ting cultivated ancient sword techniques, intending to teach us for self-defense. But for Ning Honghong, what he taught and said was like an esoteric book, not a single word understood."

"For me, however, I grasped everything he taught, understood every point, often drew inferences, and had extraordinary insights – I've always been like this, learning everything quickly. Wen Ting suffered greatly because of this."

"Even when we followed him into the Burial Sword Mound to read the 'Sword Sutra,' Wen Ting said he had understood seven parts of the 'Sword Sutra,' which made him a great talent in sword cultivation of his time."

"I read the entire text, found no obscurity, comprehended three thousand sword Daos, eighteen sword flows, and nine sword techniques, and even found three to five flaws in the 'Sword Sutra's' wording, which I annotated."

Ba Zun'an narrowed his eyes, his tone somewhat amused: "Wen Ting was furious then, saying I had defiled the 'Sword Sutra,' and wanted to beat me. I retaliated with ancient sword techniques. From that moment on, he couldn't defeat me anymore."

Xu Xiaoshou grimaced after hearing this, secretly rolling his eyes.

If anyone else boasted like this, he would have slapped them. But Ba Zun'an's words...

Considering his current achievements, the various legends he left in the spirit cultivation world, and his past behavior of never boasting.

His words were probably still conservative.

Wen Ting following him and teaching him sword arts was definitely not as simple as "suffering greatly"; he must have been struck with self-doubt more than once.

"After reading the 'Sword Sutra,' I had a realization and once asked Wen Ting a question..." Ba Zun'an set down his wine cup.

Xu Xiaoshou and Kong Yuhan looked up, both curious: "What question?"

Ba Zun'an said: "A hundred years in the mortal world, experiencing joys and sorrows, tasting sweet and bitter, ultimately returning to a handful of dust; ten thousand years of spirit cultivation, vying for the Great Dao, seeking transcendence, yet unable to avoid death and the fading of one's Dao. What are the similarities and differences between the two?"

The Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Pavilion suddenly became quiet.

Kong Yuhan and Xu Xiaoshou exchanged glances, offering no reply.

Ba Zun'an answered his own question: "Mortals contend little, their struggles are not strong, and they rarely involve life and death. Therefore, the hundred facets of the mortal world, regardless of lifespan, actually aid cultivation; the spirit cultivation world is a place of 'the strong prey on the weak,' a jungle law, where cultivators exhibit the primitive behaviors of savage beasts, yet they still desire to open their spiritual intelligence and seize fortune..."

He shook his head: "The Dao's principles are reversed!"

Xu Xiaoshou gasped.

Upon careful thought, it indeed seemed to be the case.

Even Rao Yaoyao, high above the clouds, cultivated the Red Dust Sword by drawing insights from the lives of emperors, nobles, and common people in the mortal world, using this to enter, comprehend, and achieve the Dao.

This Dao, fundamentally speaking, was, as Ba Zun'an said, completely reversed!

"But the Great Dao has always been like this."

"The cause of the Great Dao's workings, which created the current state of the mortal and spirit cultivation worlds, has been the same for millions of years. How can there be a 'reverse'?"

Ba Zun'an lightly tapped the rim of his cup, his brows slightly furrowed, and he spoke softly:

"So I thought, this is not the Dao's principles being reversed, but humanity's sinking into the Dao."

"In other words, people haven't truly discerned their true 'I,' and thus the Great Dao plays tricks on them. 'I' is trapped within the Dao."

His finger tapped sharply on the tea table, a jolt to the heart. The sound wasn't loud but was deafeningly clear:

"To discern 'I' is to then comprehend, cultivate, and play with the Dao, achieving freedom and ease – this is the correct sequence for 'cultivation,' which ordinary people cannot reach."

The Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Pavilion was now so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Kong Yuhan had clearly taken it in, his eyes somewhat glazed over. He even forgot to twirl the wooden door pendant in his hand, staring blankly, speechless.

Xu Xiaoshou also felt a slight tingle. He couldn't help but change the subject: "How old were you then?"

Ba Zun'an paused: "Seventeen or eighteen?"

This is the fattest pig?

What was I doing at seventeen or eighteen? I think I was in a hospital bed?

What was the Name Ancestor's Indulgence Body doing at seventeen or eighteen? Oh, he had just entered the Tiansang Spirit Palace not long ago and was struggling desperately for one move of "White Cloud悠悠."

Geniuses always have astonishing insights...

Xu Xiaoshou quickly suppressed his emotional fluctuations.

This Ba Zun'an, well, he was just like that. Similar ideas could emerge from extraordinary people across generations, and they could also be conceived.

Conceiving is one thing; whether one can achieve it is another!

"So?"

Xu Xiaoshou asked, "What do you want to express? That you're amazing?"

Ba Zun'an shook his head, then nodded: "At that time, my words carried little weight, and Wen Ting didn't care. Later, when he introduced me to Old Man You, I didn't bother to say anything."

"But I am a stubborn person. The Dao I had decided upon would not change for the mainstream, nor be moved by external factors. I focused on this and began cultivating."

Really started?

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth twitched: "How did you start?"

"Cultivation is nothing more than investigating things to understand their principles, entering the Dao through things."

"Just as Cen Qiaofu spent half his life chopping wood and comprehended the Dao overnight, I entered the Dao with the sword, leading to knowledge that is nothing but ferocity, killing, and unwavering forward momentum."

"To cultivate 'me' is to investigate 'me,' which simply means discerning 'me'."

"Later, it also proved that my idea was not greatly wrong, perhaps it was truly 'accurate'..."

Ba Zun'an hinted at a future insight before returning to the past: "First discern 'me,' then cultivate the Dao, this is correct – but the Great Dao often plays tricks on people, and my idea was too naive. In reality, there isn't that much time to proceed this way; one can only do both simultaneously, cultivating the Dao while discerning 'me,' taking one step at a time."

He sighed: "When the Dao was achieved, I still hadn't fully discerned 'me,' and so I was trapped for another thirty years."

Only thirty years!

What do you want to do, Old Ba!

To truly discern meaning requires entering a time predicament, being trapped for ten epochs, let alone discerning 'me'?

"For thirty years, didn't you cultivate the 'Sword-Me'? Does 'Sword-Me' equate to investigating 'me,' discerning 'me'?" Xu Xiaoshou felt that "Sword-Me" was the key point, and what Ba Zun'an wanted to express, judging from his words, was not that simple.

"Exactly."

Ba Zun'an agreed first, then said:

"But in reality, the 'Sword-Me' wasn't just thirty years. It began that year after I finished reading the 'Sword Sutra' in the Burial Sword Mound and had those thoughts."

"Comprehending Sword Intent during the Kuilei Han Punishing Divine Tribulation was the catalyst. From Sword Intent to Sword-Me was the process. Everything was merely a process and means to actualize the ethereal and illusory 'Dao' into something tangible, like the 'techniques' of the Corrupt Yin."

The way he spoke, using the language of the Sacred God Continent, yet combined, Xu Xiaoshou found it somewhat incomprehensible.

He started with the details: "So, how did you cultivate 'Sword-Me,' or rather, discern 'me,' over these decades?"

Sword-Me was not just a higher level of Sword Intent; it was also a means for Ba Zun'an to actualize his ideas at that time.

Xu Xiaoshou understood this point.

He was now curious about the concept behind Sword-Me.

Sword-Me was clearly conceptualized after Sword Ghost, and it even seemed to have a hint of plagiarism in its name. But now, it seemed everything wasn't sudden but premeditated?

Ba Zun'an smiled, not answering directly, but instead said: "Do you know Shen Yi?"

Nonsense!

But what does this have to do with Shen Yi?

"And do you know ancient martial arts?"

Also nonsense!

I practice ancient martial arts too, okay!

I even cultivated it to the Four Abnegations: abandoning the body, abandoning the spirit, abandoning intention, abandoning self... Huh?

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils suddenly dilated, his scalp tingling slightly, "'I'..."

He was now far too sensitive to this word, "I."

Ba Zun'an seemed not to notice Xu Xiaoshou's subtle reaction, his face filled with recollection as he said:

"Shen Yi and I knew each other quite early. Although we acknowledged each other before the Ten Grandmasters' War, our first encounter and battle were actually much earlier, during my travels in Dragon's Lair."

"In his early days, Shen Yi was a bounty hunter, not yet attached to Xiang Yaoyao. To cultivate ancient martial arts, he exhausted his resources and lived a very difficult life, taking on any dirty or arduous task if there was a mission."

"He took a mission to the Dragon's Lair to extract dragon sinews for a Taixu descendant and make bowstrings. It just so happened that I was exploring the Dragon's Lair at that time."

Ba Zun'an's tone was very light, speaking slowly.

It was at this crucial moment that he displayed some storytelling talent, giving a sense of a detailed narration:

"Dragon's Lair, esteemed as one of the Seven Forbidden Zones, though its current era seems somewhat in decline, still contains many secret realms within."

"We met in the 'Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone,' which was formed after the ancient Tongxuan Jade Dragon perished. It can create a high-law consciousness space – the Sacred Palace's White Dragon has half the bloodline of the Tongxuan Jade Dragon."

"In the Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone, those skilled in intention can break through shackles and reach beyond Dao-transformed laws. Although only intention can reach it, the body and spirit cannot, it is still a significant fortune."

"When Shen Yi and I met, we both sensed that each other's cultivated Dao was extraordinary. Seeing a good hunt, we immediately started fighting without a word."

"Shen Yi moved from Nine Palaces, Eight Gates, Seven Constellations, opening to Six Paths, but couldn't do anything to me. Then he went from body to spirit into intention, until we fought into the high-law region of the Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone."

"Ordinarily, opening the Four Abnegations in the Five Regions would be a death sentence for him, but in the Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone, intention could penetrate the profound without side effects."

"I saw 'abandoning self' among the Four Abnegations for the first time."

Ba Zun'an showed a peculiar expression on his face, a mix of longing and excitement, as if he had validated the feasibility of his own ideas through someone else, a rare display from him:

"Once the Four Abnegations opened, I couldn't resist the dominance of extreme ancient martial arts at all."

"I couldn't even find where Shen Yi was, where his body... his intention... well, or rather, where Shen Yi's 'self' was."

"Yet, I could feel the omnipresent fist shadows, every punch landing, almost shattering my 'self'."

"I was awakened."

He paused, gazing at the empty space before him.

The void seemed to contain countless fist shadows of Shen Yi, surging from the past, making him dizzy and disoriented, yet he didn't succumb:

"If it were ordinary in the Five Regions, with my realm at the time, opening the profound with a sword would also be a certain death. But in the Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone, intention could penetrate the profound, and I could even glimpse the scenery behind the profound gate in advance..."

At this point, Xu Xiaoshou listened in awe.

Although he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, just listening to Ba Zun'an's narration made him imagine that it was truly a battle among immortals.

The Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone provided them both with an opportunity to unleash their full power and reach the extreme, making the fight undoubtedly exhilarating.

"When I opened the profound with my sword, it also penetrated into 'me.' My nine great sword techniques became so exquisite they seemed guided by immortals; even I was astonished."

"Thinking back now, I've likely forgotten most of what I gained behind that door. Shen Yi, however, was in a similar boat. Though he penetrated 'me,' he didn't fully comprehend 'me.' In short, he still couldn't do anything to me."

"Ancient martial arts are truly overbearing!"

He sighed again, then his tone shifted, and the void seemed to spark, generating invisible ripples:

"Shen Yi opened up to the Three Realms of ancient martial arts!"

"If 'Nine Palaces, Eight Gates, Seven Constellations, Six Paths' are techniques, manifesting with form, then 'Four Abnegations, Three Realms, Two Poles, One Honored' are methods, arising without form."

"The Three Realms – severance, detachment, destruction – are the ultimate of intention, not a human art. Even though I had opened the Profound Gate with my sword, I had never seen such a method before and had no experience confronting it, thus I was steadily beaten back."

"But I had read the 'Sword Sutra' and had insights into the vastness of the Great Dao. No matter what, opening the Profound Gate with my sword was built upon Sword God Gu Louying's solid foundation of sword Dao, whereas Shen Yi's ancient martial arts were self-taught through struggles, with no guidance."

"Even if I retreated further, I wouldn't lose. I thought of stabilizing myself."

"As soon as I stabilized, Shen Yi grew anxious."

"That's just how he is; he can't accept a stalemate. Seeing that the Three Realms couldn't defeat me, he forced open the Two Poles."

Ba Zun'an shook his head with a laugh: "Shen Yi was young then, and the Three Realms were unstable, let alone opening the Two Poles?"

"But I was fortunate enough to glimpse the grandeur of the Two Poles of ancient martial arts."

"If the Three Realms are the extreme of intention, then the Two Poles exhaust the ultimate of 'me,' elevating and amplifying the 'Shen Yi' of ancient martial arts and Shen Yi's 'self' to an unparalleled height."

"Just one glimpse, and I was already out of options, knowing I would surely lose."

"Who would have thought that after that glimpse, Shen Yi himself failed to open the Two Poles, collapsing into nothingness, suffering a backlash from his own power, and was blasted out of the Maze of Consciousness Forbidden Zone, nearly losing himself and perishing on the spot."

"I stabilized. Stability is the most important thing."

"I still maintained my sword's penetration of the profound, and I took the opportunity to grab his 'self' from the past, saving the life of that fierce and overbearing fellow."

"The battle, thus, came to an end."

Ba Zun'an regained his composure, placed the wine cup on his left, dipped a drop of wine from the cup onto the tea table.

Then he looked up at Xu Xiaoshou, pointing to the "cup" and the "wine," and smiled slightly:

"This is 'Two Poles'."

"Two Poles are black and white, right and wrong, yin and yang, true and false. They are opposites yet complementary, clearly defined yet intricately interwoven. They can be separate, or combined. When separate, they become two, evolving into the Three Realms, Four Abnegations, and even the subsequent techniques of six, seven, eight, and nine. When combined, they become one honored, reaching the ultimate boundless – this is the concept of ancient martial arts."

"Two Poles, like before and after the Profound Gate, like whether a cultivator comprehends or not, which is to say, the sword and 'I' of ancient sword cultivators. This is my inspiration from observing the Two Poles."

"Thus, the concept of 'Sword-Me' came into being."

Ba Zun'an wiped the tea table with his hand, and the tiny drop of wine evaporated.

He then lightly tapped the wine cup with his fingertip, and with a non-sword technique, the wine cup transformed into a sword, placed into the void, floating high, becoming incredibly ethereal, illusory, and unreachable.

"At this point, 'Sword-Me' still existed only at the conceptual stage."

"I tried to find a way to manifest this 'wine cup' and 'wine in the cup' into reality, to make it tangible, but without success."

"My cultivation began with ancient sword techniques, and I was inevitably confined by them. After gaining enlightenment from Shen Yi's guidance on the Two Poles, I wanted to transcend but became lost within it."

Ba Zun'an used two fingers as human legs, slowly walking step by step on the tea table:

"The path is difficult, and comprehending the Dao is even harder."

"I always adhered to my idea, but I struggled to put the concept of 'Sword-Me' into practice. All ethereal methods were like smoke in the clouds, meaningless."

"Until..."

He paused, and the tiny figure of Ba Zun'an's two fingers stopped its steps, repeatedly tapping the tea table, making thudding sounds.

He chuckled, his face filled with emotion, as if he had searched high and low for something only to find it unexpectedly:

"The Five Regions truly produce extraordinary talents and countless capable individuals."

"Until the War of the Ten Grandmasters, I met another genius..."