Chapter 504: Who Has the Knife?

This sword had been with him for five full years; he had spent more time with it than with his wife. Yet, even now, it wasn't completely tamed, merely familiar. Who knew that the young man only needed to utter a single command, and its spirit immediately stirred...

Stirred, my foot! Is this how we're going to play?

I've been treating you like a lord every day, revering you, and instead of showing gratitude, you just threw yourself into his arms and recognized him as your master...

President Zheng felt his heart being twisted by a knife, a wave of suppressed anger surging through his chest, threatening to burst forth at any moment.

His face turned green. What kind of situation was this? Could it be that this thing only responded to toughness, not gentleness?

Seeing his old friend's face turn from green to white, looking like he might collapse at any moment, Pavilion Master Sai slapped his forehead. This Master Zhang was a super appraiser, even able to make the Flowing Goblet River recognize him as its master. Making the Jadefall Sword recognize him as master would be easy, wouldn't it?

"Master Zhang is just borrowing it; he's not taking your sword away..." he quickly sent a telepathic message, fearing his old friend would die of frustration on the spot.

"Hmm..." Hearing this, President Zheng finally calmed down. He forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit blood and looked at the young man before him, doubt rising in his heart.

"Aren't you going to engrave a formation plate? Why do you need a sword?"

He kept saying he wanted to engrave a formation plate, so what was the point of making the sword recognize him as master?

"It is to engrave a formation plate!" He casually picked up a blank Level 5 formation plate and exerted force with his palm. The plate embedded itself into the nearby wall, like a mirror nailed to the wall.

After securing the formation plate, Zhang Xuan's brows lifted, and a surge of aura burst forth from his body. He flicked his long sword, and a sword gleam flickered.

"Sword Intent? Sword Heart realm?" Seeing the long sword hum clearly, emitting such immense power from his palm, President Zheng was stunned, his pupils contracting. He had reached the Fourth Stage of Transcendent Mortal, yet hadn't comprehended the Sword Heart realm. He never expected this fellow, not even twenty years old, to have already achieved it. Appraising treasures, formations, and even Sword Heart... What else couldn't he do?

"Weapon True Intent is incredibly sharp; it can elevate a spirit weapon of the same level by one grade... You're not trying to engrave formation lines with a sword, are you?" Remembering something, President Zheng almost choked on his own saliva.

A Level 5 formation plate can only be engraved with a carving knife of high-grade spirit tier to leave marks. The Myriad Kingdoms Alliance certainly doesn't have an item of this level... This guy isn't trying to use Weapon True Intent in conjunction with his sword to substitute for it, is he? A carving knife is light and agile, yet it's still easy to make mistakes when engraving delicate formation lines. To use a sword directly... Are you here to fool around?

Engraving formation lines with a long sword... He had never even heard of it, let alone seen it! What kind of joke was this?

"Engraving formation lines with a sword?" Pavilion Master Sai and Wang Haoxun, standing nearby, also felt their vision go dark. This was no longer just about being bold. It was reckless, an impossible daydream. Although a sword is agile, it's still over three feet long. To engrave formation lines many times finer than a strand of hair with it... What was he thinking?

Clink, clink, clink, clink!

Before they could react to the young man's actions, they heard the sound of the sword tip touching the formation plate. A series of crisp sounds, and fine lines slowly appeared on the smooth surface of the plate.

"It actually works?" Their vision went dark again. What kind of monster was this? Engraving formation lines with a long sword... What level of sword control had he reached?

"I always make mistakes even with a carving knife..." Wang Haoxun's lips trembled continuously. He was a four-star formation master, frequently making mistakes even with a carving knife. The other person was using a sword, engraving from nearly three meters away... Is this even possible?!

"It's feasible!" Unlike the shock of the others, as the long sword danced in his hand and he saw formation lines appearing on the blank plate, Zhang Xuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Engraving with a sword combined with Sword Intent was something he had thought of on a whim. He hadn't expected it to actually be feasible.

With his mental state operating at its peak, his Eye of Insight flickered, as if he could see the special patterns and varying contours on the formation plate. The long sword in his hand continuously engraved, strictly following the descriptions of formation plates in the Path of Heaven Formation Art. If a Master Teacher were present, they would certainly notice that he had entered a special state of mind: dispelling falsehoods and preserving truth, with a clear and understanding mind!

The Insightful Realm! The second level of mental state was "Mind Like Still Water," and the third level was precisely this Insightful Realm. "Understanding the ways of the world is wisdom; being skilled in human relations is an art." This realm allowed one to find the essence within chaos, making one's mind clearer and simplifying the analysis of matters significantly. Coupled with the Eye of Insight, it allowed him to engrave formation lines without the slightest error, methodically and unaffected by any emotional fluctuations. Delicate movements that others could only achieve with a carving knife, he could accomplish with a long sword. The Path of Heaven Formation Art was one reason, but more importantly, it was the unique ability of a Master Teacher.

"Engraving a formation plate with a sword... No wonder he could break a formation with one kick. Who exactly is this powerful figure?" The seniors and juniors at the side were so frightened their hearts nearly stopped beating. Others worked with carving knives as fine as needles, but this guy used a sword directly and still managed to achieve the same precision. Even witnessing it firsthand, they found it unbelievable.

Clink, clink, clink, clink!

After an unknown period, Zhang Xuan retracted his long sword and stopped, panting heavily.

"Sword Intent is a concentrated manifestation of one's essence, qi, and spirit. Maintaining it continuously, especially at its most refined state, requires extremely high demands and leads to fatigue very easily!" Seeing him like this, President Zheng advised, "Don't rush; a formation plate isn't carved in a single day. You can take your time!"

Sword Intent represents a cultivator's comprehension of the sword, infused with all of one's passion. Maintaining it for a short while is fine, but prolonged use consumes too much energy. Even with Zhang Xuan's pure Path of Heaven True Qi and profound cultivation, he couldn't sustain it for too long.

"Hmm..." He nodded, adjusted his breathing on the spot, and looked at the formation plate fixed to the nearby wall. Zhang Xuan's gaze was solemn. Although his control over Sword Intent had reached the Sword Heart realm, he indeed couldn't use it for extended periods. After just this short while, he already felt like he couldn't hold on much longer. If he continued, not only might he be unable to proceed with the engraving, but he might also, due to an unstable state, ruin all his previous efforts.

"If the comprehension of Sword Intent is likened to a bottle full of water, constantly pouring it out will eventually empty it." Frowning, Zhang Xuan pondered, "My current state is almost depleted, yet the formation plate is less than halfway engraved... To refill it again, without one or two days of adjustment, it would be very difficult..." Sword Intent, like True Qi, has a limited quantity. Continuous use will eventually deplete it. And now, he was almost exhausted, yet the formation plate before him wasn't even half engraved. What should I do? I can't possibly be like them, needing several days to continuously engrave a single formation plate! If President Zheng knew his thoughts, he would definitely think Zhang Xuan was crazy. Not to mention a four-star formation master, even a five-star one would require several days to engrave such a high-level formation plate. He, holding a long sword, wanted to finish it in a short while... Wasn't that just dreaming?

"That's right!" As he was struggling with how to speed up the engraving process, his eyes suddenly lit up. "If Sword Intent can engrave, so can Blade Intent! The Sword Intent in my body is greatly depleted, but my Blade Intent is completely unaffected..." Not only had he comprehended Sword Intent, but he had also comprehended Blade Intent. Having studied the Path of Heaven Blade Art, his control over blades had also reached an extremely profound realm. Just now, using Sword Intent had left him half-dead with exhaustion, but his Blade Intent... it hadn't been consumed at all, still like a bottle full of water.

He smiled faintly, stood up again, and looked around. "Everyone, does anyone have a medium-grade spirit saber?" While a sword could be used as a blade to manifest Blade Intent, its power was clearly weaker than using an actual saber. At such a critical engraving stage, there was no need to take risks.

"A saber?" Everyone was utterly bewildered. Aren't you going to engrave the formation plate with the sword anymore? What do you need a saber for now?

"I have one..." Pavilion Master Sai hesitated for a moment, then flipped his wrist, and a nine-ringed saber appeared in his palm. It was heavy and fierce, exuding a sense of wild power.

"Lend it to me!" Coming forward, Zhang Xuan reached out and took it. He lightly flicked it, and it emitted a resonant hum like a dragon's roar.

"Good saber!" Just one glance told him it was definitely a formidable spirit-tier weapon, no less impressive than the Jadefall Sword from before.

"Here's your sword back!" With the long saber in hand, he flicked his wrist and tossed the borrowed sword back. Although this weapon had recognized him as master, a loan was a loan, and it needed to be returned. He couldn't just take someone else's property and claim it as his own. Besides, he didn't have high demands for weapons. While this Jadefall Sword was good, he had no covetous desires for it. If he truly needed one, he could simply buy a sword. Moreover, if he truly had such intentions, the entire Flowing Goblet River would have been emptied by him long ago. Would he have casually changed conditions and let the Appraiser Hall off the hook?

"This..." Taking the long sword, President Zheng's face flushed with embarrassment. Treasured artifacts possess spirits, and when a spirit recognizes a master, the original owner, even if unwilling, would mostly reluctantly part with it. Because, refusing to give it away and forcibly possessing it not only wouldn't make it recognize the master, but might even cause the spirit to become resentful. A weapon that doesn't recognize its master and bears resentment, even if kept, cannot be used. It's better to do someone a favor and perhaps even sell it for a good price.

He had thought that Master Zhang, by stirring its spirit and making the long sword recognize him as master, meant he had completely bid farewell to the Jadefall Sword. He never expected... the man would return it without the slightest hesitation or intention of keeping it.

"Master Zhang, you are destined to be with this Jadefall Sword. That's why its spirit stirred and it completely recognized you as master the moment it saw you! Such a perfect match between a person and a weapon is extremely rare in the cultivation world. Any instance of it becomes a widely celebrated legend, bringing great fame."

"I've had this sword for almost five years, yet I couldn't make its spirit submit. It's better if I just give it to you, to fulfill this perfect match between person and weapon..." Gritting his teeth, he pushed the long sword forward. To directly give away a long sword that had been with him day and night for five years, anyone would be reluctant. But this sword had already recognized someone else as master, so keeping it would be useless. It was better to be generous this one time.

After speaking, he thought the other person would surely take the long sword. But seeing no movement, President Zheng couldn't help but look up. He saw Master Zhang, who seemed not to have heard him, casually tapping the newly acquired nine-ringed saber several times.

With a crisp sound, the long saber hummed. His lips went white, and his hands trembled. President Zheng almost dropped the sword.

"Its spirit stirred... This saber... also recognized him as master?"