Chapter 138 A Sword Has Always Existed (Part Six) The sound of the waves is unseen, only the whisper of the wind can be heard! ...

After several busy days, Lin Feiran finally got a full night's sleep without any dreams.

As the sun rose, she immediately opened her eyes and got out of bed, glancing towards her desk, where Ru Xian's figure was no longer there.

She wasn't surprised; given his personality, it was impossible for him to sit there all night.

She rubbed her shoulder and walked toward the desk, where she found a note under the inkstone.

[Borrow three books. On the day you return them, go to my room to find me. I will remove the curse for you then, and after that, heal my illness and protect me.]

As soon as I finished reading it, the note turned into a wisp of light and drifted away.

Lin Feiran kept this matter in mind. After washing up briefly, he climbed onto the roof and took out the jade token that could transmit sound from his bosom.

"While practicing swordsmanship, one must lay a solid foundation by breathing in spiritual energy for one hour each day."

A short while later, Qiu Tong replied, "I saw you cultivating before. Now I'm on the roof with you."

"Alright. Since your foundation is weak, just follow the Supreme Technique for breathing exercises. Once your spiritual veins are constantly full, you can start trying to move your mind and spirit."

After sending the message, Lin Feiran put down the jade token, then picked it up again a moment later and added a sentence.

"When the spiritual veins are constantly full, they begin to surge and swell. No matter how much you absorb or expel, there will be no further change. This process of change can take anywhere from six months to several months. There is no need to rush it."

After an hour of breathing exercises, focus solely on sword practice.

After finishing her business, Lin Feiran put down the jade token and stopped looking at it, focusing only on her breathing exercises.

Her spiritual veins are special, and this breathing technique was developed by her and the sword spirit. It is very suitable for her now, and the flow of spiritual energy is much smoother than before.

As a sword cultivator, after mastering breathing techniques, one must then wield sword intent while circulating spiritual energy; this is what is known as "intentional movement of the spirit."

When the mind, spirit, and body are aligned, the sword will follow. When the sword intent is perfectly integrated, one can create a sword realm that belongs only to oneself.

With the blessing of the Sword Realm, it's as if one has divine assistance, and one's strength will increase many times over.

Lin Feiran still remembered the frost that hung on the branches and eaves when he fought Wei Chang in the dark alley. It was caused by the influence of his sword realm. Although it was only the initial sign of the sword realm and had not been fully formed, its power was evident.

Within his own exclusive domain of swordsmanship, even with his ability to conceal himself, Xun Feifei had nowhere to escape.

Therefore, even though his cultivation level is not as high as Xun Feifei's, this bonus is enough for him to fight.

If she remembered correctly, during the grand banquet, she and Fuyin had a sword duel. Although his swordsmanship was inferior to hers, when he formed hand seals and made incantations, she became disoriented, as if she were standing in a field and suddenly saw a giant sword falling from the sky, which she could not avoid.

That must be his sword realm.

The esoteric sect is full of hidden talents. Last night, she was thinking about how to protect herself. If she could master the sword realm, wouldn't that be another trump card?

Regarding how to cultivate the sword realm, every sword-cultivating sect and every sword cultivator will only say one thing: When you know what kind of sword you are wielding, you will see the realm within the sword.

This statement is extremely mysterious.

When Lin Feiran had fought with others before, she had shown some skill in both moments of exhilaration and crisis. Unfortunately, for her, these were all accidental and unintentional, and the level of swordsmanship she displayed each time was different.

A truly mature swordsman should be like Wei Changzai, who can control even the initial signs of swordsmanship.

She exhaled again, suppressing her impatience; haste makes waste.

As always, she took out the Iron Khitan Book from her mustard seed bag. On every page of this dusty stone book, there were traces of people from the past.

After receiving the imperial edict, they taught her swordsmanship and saber techniques, and she would need to "mend the crack in the sky" at a specific time in the future.

Lin Feiran closed his eyes, laid the stone book on his lap, and formed a hand seal.

With a few rustling sounds, the heavy stone book opened on its own, making a sound no different from that of an ordinary book. The figures on the pages leaped up and then, like water droplets, flowed into her brow.

Within the boundless divine consciousness, two solitary mountain peaks suddenly rose, with surging waves crashing against the cliffs below, creating white foam. Apart from these, there was nothing else around.

On the solitary peak to the left are figures of ancestors, both men and women, some with their arms crossed, some with grass in their mouths, and some adjusting their clothes. The weapons they hold are of various styles, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they represent all eighteen kinds of weapons.

They were originally just a phantom image left behind, but when they entered the divine consciousness, they were like figures in a meticulous painting, with clear lines and different colors.

Lin Feiran stood on the solitary peak on the right, and in her consciousness, she drew figures from several lines.

She clasped her hands in a respectful bow, then shouted loudly across the vast ocean, "Senior Gu, I lost to your sword a few days ago, and I will definitely get my revenge today!"

Since obtaining the Iron Khitan Book, Lin Feiran has spent most of the one or two hours of her breathing exercises battling with them in her consciousness; this is her focus of mind and spirit.

She leaped up, and a man wearing a straw hat appeared on the opposite solitary peak, laughing loudly. A ring-pommel sword, about half an inch wide, was wielded with remarkable dexterity, as if it were his own arm.

The swords clashed, neither side holding back. Lin Feiran survived three moves against him, but was still suddenly knocked back on the fourth strike, spinning back onto the lonely peak, leaving a long trail beneath his feet.

The man exclaimed in admiration, "You've only been here a few days and you've already withstood three of my moves. You're the first person your age to do that!"

Lin Feiran, however, dared not presume: "Senior is too kind."

These predecessors were all top figures in their time. They loved to fight and compete. They must have spent countless years in the Sword Realm of their master and endured countless long periods of loneliness. Finally, they found a junior like Lin Feiran who was tough, resilient, and had good comprehension. How could they let him go?

The group had agreed that Lin Feiran must exchange three moves with each of them each time he used his divine speed to satisfy his craving. So, after one Senior Gu left, another Senior Sun arrived.

Lin Feiran's wrist went numb from the shock. She shook her hand, not daring to keep her senior waiting, and immediately drew her sword and charged forward.

However, she was slightly different from usual today. After exchanging blows with her, the group noticed something amiss. After she was knocked back to the lonely peak and swallowed half a mouthful of invisible ash, a senior with a soft whip wrapped around his body stepped out.

"Lin Feiran, why did you draw your sword so fast today? The essence of Old Yan's slow sword technique lies in the word 'slow,' and you almost made it disappear before you could see it."

The image was extremely realistic, and Lin Feiran wiped away the non-existent ash from the corner of his mouth before finally revealing what was on his mind.

"Sword Realm?" A senior stroked his chin and said, "It's not exactly easy, but it's quite natural. To put it simply, the Sword Realm is the realm of cultivators, and it's not exclusive to sword cultivators."

Another senior nodded: "Just like cultivators who refine weapons, when they are tempering, there will be a spiritual aura protecting their bodies. When cultivators who cultivate the Dao of Wonderful Brushes hold a brush to paint or write, there will be several ink marks in their eyes. Those are all 'domains'. Where there is a Dao, there is a path; where there is a path, there is territory."

The third person chimed in, "That's right, but their domains are useless. However, sword cultivators' domains can be extended to the real world, allowing them to wreak havoc. That's why there's the concept of the Sword Realm."

"Domain?" Lin Feiran murmured. "I never heard of this concept when I was cultivating in the sect."

The senior, who was chewing grass, scoffed: "Of course you haven't heard of it. If I told you that everyone has a domain, how would the special nature of the Sword Realm be highlighted?"

Lin Feiran was even more puzzled: "But the Sword Realm is indeed special; not every sword cultivator can cultivate it..."

The senior chuckled: "Because the heart is not firm enough, one cannot see the sword in one's hand, and therefore cannot see the realm within the sword."

Lin Feiran was truly astonished, feeling that the more he spoke, the more mysterious it became: "So, when I fought with someone before, I vaguely felt the signs of a sword realm, but each time it was different. Could it be because my mind was unsettled? Did I not know the sword in my hand?"

"oh?"

A senior figure leaped up, crossed the waves, and landed directly in front of Lin Feiran, circling her figure which was outlined in a few strokes.

Lin Feiran asked, puzzled, "Senior, what's wrong?"

"How many times have you witnessed the signs of the Sword Realm?" he asked lightly.

Lin Feiran thought for a moment and said, "There were about three times, but what I saw each time was different."

The senior's eyes lit up. He lifted her shoulders, which he had just sketched with a few strokes, and leaped to the solitary peak on the left. As soon as she landed, she was surrounded by people, their eyes shining so brightly that she couldn't help but close them.

"How long has it been since I've seen someone like this? What's their name?"

"What a promising talent!"

"What did you eat to grow up like this? How many swords did you eat in one meal?"

"How old is the good child?"

Lin Feiran: "..."

She felt utterly hopeless.

When I first fought you with swords in my consciousness, I said, "Don't you all already know that?"

One of them laughed and patted her shoulder, exclaiming with delight, "But you didn't say that you might be able to unleash the Three Realms of Sword!"

Lin Feiran paused, turned her gaze, and first considered what she had just said in her mind to make sure she hadn't misheard before speaking: "A person can only have one sword realm."

No matter which classic book or which master, they will all tell you that there is only one realm of swordsmanship.

Only with the most focused and profound gaze can one see that special place within the sword in one's hand.

A senior colleague stepped forward and looked at her meaningfully: "What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand."

He held a short sword, only an arm's length long, in his hand. He then brought his hands together, crossed them, and separated them, breaking the short sword in two.

Lin Feiran was not surprised. The two of them had sparred many times, and she knew that he used two swords.

"Watch closely!"

The people around quickly stepped back, leaving only Lin Feiran in front. Her eyes were extremely focused, not missing a single move from her senior.

In an instant, the solitary peak beneath our feet twisted slightly, and a tidal wave, even more powerful than the flowing water below, surged forth.

Lin Feiran looked around. She had already stood on the shore. A huge wave suddenly surged up and swept her into it. A cold glint appeared in the wave and attacked her like a flying fish, almost impossible to dodge.

As she raised her hand to block, the waves beneath her feet suddenly changed, and she took three steps back. Her right leg sank deep into the mud and sand, where it remained for a long time. Yet, in the high-hanging sun, she could still glimpse that familiar cold glint.

These are indeed two completely different sword realms!

Lin Feiran's heart was in turmoil. When she came to her senses, she was once again on a solitary peak, surrounded by seniors who were just smiling at her with smug expressions.

One of them laughed loudly, then walked to the edge of the solitary peak, raised his hand and pointed, and the mountain beneath his feet suddenly rose several feet higher, so that everyone could look down on the surrounding mountains!

The mighty river rushing between the two peaks, which was originally a raging torrent with billowing white foam that almost eroded the cliffs, now appears as nothing more than a small stream when viewed from such a height.

The sound of the waves is no longer heard, but the wind whispers instead!

"The path to enlightenment is endless. When someone tells you that everyone can only reach one level of sword mastery, you should know that it's because they can only cultivate one level, and that is by no means your final destination!"

Lin Feiran looked down the cliff, the wind howling past, and her heart stirred slightly.

Author's Note: What Fei Ran wanted, Fei Ran got.