Chapter 1500: Encountering a Soulmate of the Sword Dao

"Greetings, Friend Dairi."

The Light Sword Lord did the same.

The two Solar-Inheritance sword cultivators each bowed with meticulous formality.

Taiyou Sword Lord, seeing this, turned a sullen bluish-green, her phoenix eyes blazing with fury.

But the Dao-companion who could enter her eyes and walk the long road of life beside her was no mediocre, timid sort — a cultivator like that could never become her Dao-companion.

Light Sword Lord had his own aspirations, his own preferences; he was no vassal of Taiyou Sword Lord.

"Friend Guangming, what brings you here this time?"

Jiang Ding asked politely.

"Hahaha—"

"Nothing major, just here to exchange a bit on the Dao of the Sword with Friend Dairi. I've long been deeply curious about the Dairi Sword Pavilion and the Dairi Sword Dao."

Light Sword Lord laughed heartily and said, "Besides that, I simply want to have a fight to the death with you, Friend, so that my own Sword Dao may advance one step further."

"The Tianji Divine Lord and the others of the Badaxian Sect have been pressing us far too hard. My wife and I are not optimistic about the future, so we chose this path."

He spoke of a fight to the death as casually as if he were about to go have a meal — utterly offhand.

"Oh?"

"Friend Guangming, you're that confident? You should know that in the previous battles, I was the one chasing down dozens of you."

Jiang Ding said admiringly.

Worthy of a Solar-Inheritance sword cultivator — say what you will, that kind of boldness alone earns respect and equal footing.

"Haha."

"Friend Dairi, you're not quite right there."

Light Sword Lord smiled: "Your offensive power should be at the late-He Dao level now, yes?"

"It's only because of that Six Paths Reincarnation, your peak Sword Spirit sword arts, and a near ninth-grade Sword Embryo, that you can always seize an opponent's openings and weak points to strike — which makes it look even more terrifying."

"And your concealment ability is, admittedly, miraculous."

"But that kind of concealment, if you choose to attack with it, is usually greatly diminished — it's not the same as the assassination paths of the Lightless Heaven Gate or the Shadow Demon Abyss. Concealment is just your method of evading superior-tier foes."

"Perhaps it's because you prefer drawing your blade for a fair fight, Friend, that you've neglected developing that side?"

Light Sword Lord laid out Jiang Ding's various methods one by one. From the instinct of a fellow sword cultivator of the same lineage, every one of these judgments was razor-accurate, with almost no error.

In truth, sword cultivators were almost always like this.

Lay your methods out in the open — come and fight if you dare; I'll crush you with sheer strength, hiding nothing.

"All in all, if you choose a straight fight, Friend, your strength should be around peak He Dao, yes?"

"I wonder if that's right or not?"

Light Sword Lord asked sincerely.

"

All of it is right."

Jiang Ding was unstinting in his praise, hiding nothing, and said joyfully: "Friend, you've hit every point. But you should be careful — this is not the full extent of my strength."

"Hahaha!"

"I expected as much."

Light Sword Lord laughed uproariously, his voice shaking the four directions, his mood equally overjoyed.

After a while, his laughter finally stopped. He looked at the green-robed youth before him and said seriously: "Friend Dairi, you should be careful too."

"My wife and I are at peak He Dao realm, and recently our Sword Souls have broken through again — our strength has grown considerably."

"Friend, please don't take us too lightly."

He earnestly warned his fellow.

If, through underestimation and carelessness, he ended up costing his own life, then even in victory he would feel boundless regret — because the glory of the sword-duel would be diminished.

"Friend Guangming, please set your mind at ease."

Jiang Ding's expression grew solemn: "I will not be careless in the slightest. I will prepare for this with the utmost killing intent, with no underestimation or carelessness whatsoever — I will not betray the Sword Dao that you and I share."

"That's good, that's good."

Light Sword Lord nodded repeatedly.

He said nothing about the future of the Youming Sword Grotto-Heaven, about those disciples, those sect elders, or his own blood descendants — about how things should be arranged if the other side won.

There was no need to speak of such things.

Between Solar sword cultivators, there was already a tacit understanding; there was no need to worry about anything.

Likewise, if Light Sword Lord won, he would also see to the proper arrangement of the disciples of the Eastern Extreme Demon Gate and the Dairi Sword Pavilion.

"Then this Seat shall remain at the sect, awaiting Friend Dairi's arrival."

Taiyou Sword Lord said coldly.

She seemed to have already guessed that the Dairi Sword Lord was nearing the Youming Sword Grotto-Heaven's domain — because the communication now flowed so smoothly, undelayed by the vast stretches of starry space between realms.

"Many thanks for the invitation, Friend Taiyou."

"This Sovereign shall certainly come."

Jiang Ding gave a slight nod, then looked at Light Sword Lord: "Before I arrive, I will sweep the surrounding realms once, to confirm that Tianji Divine Lord and the others are not within striking range. This may take several hundred years — please bear with me, Friend."

"Indeed, that is only proper."

"Friend Dairi has always been cautious and careful — it was my needless worry."

Light Sword Lord sighed.

Between the two, there was no longer any edge of hostility; instead, seizing the chance, they began to exchange ideas, each describing his own Sword Dao — how the Solar Sword Dao went, how the Dairi Sword Dao went.

Taiyou Sword Lord, though her face remained cold, also drily described her own Lunar Sword Dao.

In this process, both sides gained greatly, and even developed a sense of being kindred spirits.

"Daoist Friend Guangming, this is for you."

Jiang Ding recalled something, took out a jade slip, and transmitted the information over: "This is the eighteenth-generation revision of the *Great Sun Sword Scripture* I've begun working on. When Daoist Friend has spare time, you may browse through it. If there are any shortcomings, please do point them out and correct them — I would be most grateful."

A moment later, a copy of the *Great Sun Sword Scripture* was transmitted to the Dark-Bright Sword Grotto-Heaven.

The Bright Sword Lord was startled.

The Dark Sword Lord was startled.

Both were stunned, and for a long while neither spoke.

A trace of struggle appeared on the Bright Sword Lord's face, then he made up his mind, and after that his expression changed repeatedly, as if he were having a fierce argument with his Dao companion beside him.

This was truly an unprecedented scene — for one who had always been as gentle and warm as jade, it was exceedingly rare.

"Sigh—"

"Daoist Friend's breadth of mind is something I cannot match."

In the end, the Bright Sword Lord let out a long sigh and likewise handed over two jade slips: "These are the Path-Combining-tier *Dark-Bright Scripture*, containing the comprehensions of our sect over several hundred thousand years. Please Daoist Friend, do amend them as you see fit."

"In terms of profundity, it certainly cannot compare with Daoist Friend's *Great Sun Sword Scripture*. I accept it with shame."

Clearly, he had originally intended to offer the Heaven-Human-tier *Dark-Bright Scripture*, but was opposed by the Dark Sword Lord, and so his heart was dimmed.

Even his Sword Heart showed a trace of subtle disturbance.

His Sword Dao's boldness of spirit was inferior to his opponent's.

This subtle disturbance of the Sword Heart could become the final straw that breaks the camel's back in a clash of Sword Souls.

"Daoist Friend Guangming, there is no need for this."

Jiang Ding keenly perceived this change, but was unwilling to take advantage of him, and said solemnly: "A Path-Combining-tier scripture exchanged for a Path-Combining-tier scripture — this is simply a matter of heavenly righteousness and earthly reason, a fair transaction. Where is there any question of breadth of mind being greater or lesser?"

"And Daoist Friend Taiyou's reluctance is also entirely reasonable."

"Under heaven, who is without selfishness?"

Jiang Ding looked at the Dark Sword Lord, then at the Bright Sword Lord, and said earnestly: "If a Daoist Friend posed a grave threat to the Immortal Gate, my Sword Heart too would shift like Daoist Friend Taiyou's, no longer pure."

"Between me and Daoist Friend Taiyou, where is there any greater or lesser?"

"And who has the greater breadth of mind?"

The Bright Sword Lord was startled.

His Sword Heart gradually steadied, clear and bright as a mirror's surface.

Indeed!

Under heaven, who can be entirely without selfishness?

The ultimate purity of the Sword Heart is the goal every Sword cultivator pursues — one may approach it infinitely, yet can never fully attain it, for that would mean losing the self of a living being.

"Daoist Friend Great Sun, I have learned much."

The Bright Sword Lord bowed solemnly.

Jiang Ding accepted the bow with equanimity.

Thereafter, the three set this matter aside and continued their conversation, exchanging views on the differences, merits, and flaws between the Great Sun Sword Dao and the Great Yin-Great Yang Sword Dao,

occasionally snapping their fingers in admiration, laughing heartily, like old friends of ten thousand years, bosom confidants and kindred spirits.

No—

Not like kindred spirits.

In this moment, they truly were kindred spirits upon the path of the Sword.