Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 904: Sword Heart

After announcing the commencement of the second segment, the Sword Tower Leader continued, “A sword cultivator is not merely a cultivator who uses a sword as a weapon. If that were the case, who in this world wouldn’t be a sword cultivator?”

Lu Yang nodded inwardly. What the Sword Tower Leader said is right. Which cultivator hasn’t dreamed of being a sword immortal? They simply tried to use the sword as a weapon but found it unsuitable, so they gave up.

“Then does a sword cultivator refer to someone talented in Sword Dao? Not entirely either.

“A true sword cultivator not only possesses talent beyond ordinary people in Sword Dao, but also harbors a Sword Heart—that is, your attitude toward your sword!”

“There’s such a theory as Sword Heart?” Lu Yang was puzzled. I’ve never heard Shifu or Big Senior Sister mention it.

He felt that he really should attend more sword cultivator gatherings. I may not get to see Shifu even once a year, and after the Foundation Establishment Stage, Big Senior Sister has stopped teaching me sword techniques. As for the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, it goes without saying that she knows nothing about the Sword Dao.

“The Sword Seeking is divided into two parts: seeking the sword through the heart and seeking the sword through the intent.”

“Seeking the sword through the heart tests one’s Sword Heart.”

After hearing the Sword Tower Leader’s words, Lu Yang felt somewhat uneasy. If it were a competition of sword intent, I’d fear no one. But I’m hearing this “Sword Heart” thing for the first time. What should I do?

An array appeared beneath every sword cultivator’s feet, shooting a curtain of light upward and enveloping them.

“This is the Heart-Seeking Array. Within it, one cannot lie when answering any question concerning the ‘sword.’“

This was one of the Sword Tower’s heritage, an array that the Sword Tower Supreme Lord had unintentionally comprehended while ruminating on Sword Dao. It greatly aided one’s Sword Heart.

Lu Yang felt that this array shared some similarities with his Clear Heart True Nature Mantra, though it was more mysterious and profound.

The Heart-Seeking Array could distinguish truth from falsehood, but couldn’t initiate questions. The Sword Tower had twelve elders and one tower leader—thirteen in total—who personally stepped forward to test all the sword cultivators.

Among them, none drew more attention than the Sword Tower Leader. The sword cultivators he chose to test signified that he regarded them favorably to some extent.

The Sword Tower Leader first approached the bamboo demon spirit Duan Changqing. “Duan Changqing, do you cultivate the Heartful Sword Dao or the Heartless Sword Dao?”

“The Heartless Sword Dao.”

“If your sword breaks, would you be sad?”

Duan Changqing replied coldly, “If the sword breaks, I’ll just forge another. Why would I be sad?”

“Then do you like the Sword Dao?”

“Of course, I like it.”

The array beneath Duan Changqing’s feet blazed with glaring red light, indicating he lied.

The Sword Tower Leader spoke sternly, his eyes like swords seeming to pierce through Duan Changqing. “Say the truth.”

Unable to withstand the pressure, Duan Changqing confessed honestly. “I became a sword cultivator only because a sword cultivator’s offensive power is very strong.”

The Sword Tower Leader sighed. “Your sword was forged from part of your body. This certainly aids your mastery of the sword, but you feel no emotion for the Sword Dao. This will block your future path.”

He then approached his closed-left-gate disciple, Yue Chuan. The latter took out the Lanyan Sword, its sword spirit A’Lan nestled in his arms.

He knew Yue Chuan well, so there was no need to ask which Sword Dao he cultivated.

“Yue Chuan, can you live and die together with your sword?”

Looking at A’Lan in his arms, Yue Chuan declared firmly, “I can!”

“Then what is your relationship with your sword?”

Yue Chuan replied without hesitation, “I want to marry A’Lan!”

The Sword Tower Leader pressed a hand to his forehead. Asking Yue Chuan was just a formality. How could I not know what my eldest disciple is like? If it weren’t for the Great Xia’s laws not recognizing sword spirits as marriageable entities, the two would have wed long ago.

“Mingtai, can you live and die together with your sword?” The Sword Tower Leader’s tone was genial. In terms of seniority, unless the Sword Tower Supreme Lord revived, even if all past tower leaders were dug out, none would outrank Mingtai.

“I can!” Mingtai held the Hanguang Sword—the Sword Tower Supreme Lord’s personal sword and Mingtai’s original form. If anything happened to it, he wouldn’t survive.

“What is your relationship with your sword?”

“We are one entity.”

An uproar broke out from the crowd. The array showed no reaction, indicating that Mingtai hadn’t lied. Hearing his answer, countless cultivators felt ashamed. Although their feelings for their swords were sincere, compared to Mingtai’s, they still fell far short.

“Greetings, Tower Leader Guan.” Seeing him approach, Lu Yang hastily bowed.

The Sword Tower Leader’s name was Guan Yi.

“So you are Lu Yang? This is our first meeting.” The Sword Tower Leader smiled at Lu Yang.

Although he had conflicts with the Taciturn Daoist Priest, those were matters between seniors and unrelated to the younger generation. As the Sword Tower Leader, nothing delighted him more than seeing talented young sword cultivators grow.

With Lu Yang currently in the spotlight, the Sword Tower Leader’s words immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

“He really is Lu Yang.”

“I wonder what Lu Yang’s Sword Heart is like.”

“With Mingtai setting the bar, even if his Sword Heart is excellent, it can’t surpass Mingtai’s, right?”

Tower Leader Guan asked, “Your shifu cultivates the Heartless Sword Dao. What about you, Lu Yang? Do you cultivate the Heartful Sword Dao or the Heartless Sword Dao?”

Lu Yang hesitated. This was his first time hearing that the Sword Dao was divided into heartful and heartless paths. “May I first ask what the Heartful Sword Dao and the Heartless Sword Dao are?”

“Your shifu didn’t even tell you this?” Tower Leader Guan was somewhat displeased with the Taciturn Daoist Priest. Too irresponsible. Nevertheless, he began to explain.

“A sword cultivator certainly loves their sword, but that love can be categorized.

“The Heartful Sword Dao refers to treating the sword as a person and loving it like a beloved. Everyone in our Sword Tower cultivates this path.

“On the other hand, the Heartless Sword Dao refers to treating the sword as an object, simply loving it as a thing. The most famous practitioner of this path is your shifu.”

Lu Yang pondered over it. Although the Qingfeng Sword is a gift from Big Senior Sister and I like it, I ultimately regard it as an object, with no special feelings.

“In that case, I’m probably cultivating the Heartless Sword Dao.”

Hearing that, Tower Leader Guan was slightly unhappy. So it really is the case, huh? Lu Yang is such a promising seedling, yet that old Taciturn scoundrel has taught him the Heartless Sword Dao.

But then, the array beneath Lu Yang flashed red.

“Hmm? Did you just lie?” Tower Leader Guan’s face lit up with joy. Doesn’t this mean that Lu Yang is actually cultivating the Heartful Sword Dao?

“I lied?” Lu Yang was equally surprised. By Tower Leader Guan’s definition, I clearly fit the Heartless Sword Dao.

Tower Leader Guan guided him patiently and gently. “Do you like your sword?”

Lu Yang nodded. I do like the Qingfeng Sword.

“Do you treat your sword as a person?”

Lu Yang was about to shake his head when he suddenly realized the issue—there was a person inside the Qingfeng Sword!

Lu Yang could only nod again.

Tower Leader Guan clapped his hands, concluding on Lu Yang’s behalf. “Isn’t that it then?! You like your sword and treat it as a person—that is the Heartful Sword Dao!

“Suppose your sword broke or vanished. Would you be sad and weep bitterly?”

Lu Yang considered the scenario. If the Everlasting Immortal Fairy vanished, I would indeed be sad and probably even cry.

He could only nod again.

“See? This isn’t just the Heartful Sword Dao—you’ve reached the profound realm of entrusting your emotions to the sword!”

Inside the Qingfeng Sword, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy giggled foolishly. She was unsure why, but his answers made her elated.

“Then are you willing to live and die together with your sword?”

Within the Heartful Sword Dao, a small subset of sword cultivators, such as Yue Chuan and Mingtai, held extreme feelings for their swords, advocating ‘sword exists, I exist; sword perishes, I perish.’ Sword cultivators had historically revered such extreme emotions.

Hearing this question, Lu Yang’s expression turned peculiar, uncertain how to respond. “It’s not about living and dying together. Even if I die, my sword cannot die.”

Given the Everlasting Dao Fruit’s heaven-defying nature, it’ll be hard for the Everlasting Immortal Fairy to die even if she wants to.

Tower Leader Guan praised Lu Yang’s answer effusively. “Fantastic! Protecting your sword with your life, preventing your sword from suffering any harm, even at the expense of your life!”

Everyone turned their gazes to Lu Yang with respect. Only sword cultivators could grasp what his answer meant. This surpassed even “sword exists, I exist; sword perishes, I perish.”

“As expected of Lu Yang! With such devotion, which sword cultivator today can match him?”

“Earlier, I thought he only had talent in Sword Dao, with no feelings for his sword. I was mistaken!”

“No wonder he could perform One Sword Into Ten Thousand Swords and One Person Into Ten Thousand Persons at the Nascent Soul Stage. Apart from his talent in Sword Dao, his feelings for the sword surely played a pivotal role!”

Tower Leader Guan threw out his final question. “Then what is your relationship with your sword?”

Lu Yang felt that telling the truth would be embarrassing, but the array would detect falsehood, so he could only answer honestly. “The sword is the sovereign, I am the subject.”

Another uproar erupted from the crowd, even louder than when it was Mingtai’s turn. Faces were filled with utter disbelief as they stared at Lu Yang.

“Treating the sword as the sovereign—this is the legendary realm of Person and Sword as One and Body Moves With Sword!”

“No one in history has ever reached this level, right?!”

Sword cultivators were proud. No matter how well they treated their swords, they simply placed them on equal footing, never above themselves.

To set aside a sword cultivator’s pride for the sword—what a Sword Heart!

The more Tower Leader Guan looked at Lu Yang, the more pleasing to the eye he found him. The sword foremost, and the cultivator secondary; not even the Sword Tower Supreme Lord had cultivated the Heartful Sword Dao to this level!