Chapter 471: 446 One Heart, One Spirit

At the sound of "Sword, come!", he heard the wind rise behind him.

Besides the sound of the wind, there was also the faint, delicate sound of small objects shaking and colliding.

Ding-ding—swish-swish—

Subtle and crisp, that was the sound of pearls colliding with one another.

The large pearls embedded in the side wall were all trembling slightly, their luster shimmering.

It was the wall trembling that caused the pearls to sway along with it.

Hum—snap!

Suddenly, the wall split open without a sound. The pearls covering the wall burst apart as if a necklace had been cut, splashing in all directions and shimmering with iridescence in the candlelight like water droplets.

A beam of light shot out from the crack in the wall, plunging into the mass of radiance standing before the Broken Sword Box.

From within the light, a hand reached out.

That hand was as smooth and moist as jade, white as congealed fat. Long, slender fingers grasped at the empty air, catching the beam of light. The light instantly congealed, its floating radiance fading away to reveal a sword.

Clatter, clatter—

Only then did the various pearls that had flown off the wall fall to the ground one after another, rolling about everywhere.

At the same time, the sound of Tang Zhao's joints popping like exploding beans grew more intense, and the radiance upon his body expanded magnificently, wrapping that sword completely within it.

Xiangyangzi watched Tang Zhao, then looked at the wall with the massive hole. He saw that after the wall split, the edges of the opening seemed to have melted; the hole was perfectly round, as if there had been a hole there all along.

Behind that opening, a new room was revealed. Without seeing walls or furnishings, it seemed to be filled with brilliant radiance, and one could only vaguely see many things floating within the light.

"Ho, the mechanism is here? A storage locker?"

It was Xiangyangzi's first time seeing this as well, and he could not help but exclaim in wonder.

After a long while, the light in the Spirit Hall, which had been as dazzling as the scorching sun, finally extinguished bit by bit. The air was still permeated with the warm scent of sunlight, and in the very center, only a remarkably handsome youth remained, standing amidst a cluster of sunflowers while holding a sword.

Xiangyangzi was first delighted, then startled, and asked, "Who are you?"

Tang Zhao opened his eyes. His gaze shone like flowing light, sharper than usual, making him appear to have lost some of his customary gentleness. He even carried the imposing momentum of having used light to suppress the oasis in the mental world. Only when he saw Xiangyangzi's flower disk and two round, little eyes did he restrain his gaze, bow properly, and say, "Many thanks to you, Senior, for your assistance."

As soon as he spoke, the sunflower recognized his voice; it was indeed the youth Tang Zhao from just before. Still, it said in bewilderment, "What, you changed your face just by shedding your mortal coil? And you changed it to be so outstanding... Amazing! Every Sword Guest under heaven should have a good change like this."

Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment and touched his face. It turned out that the reshaping of his bones and sinews had been no less intense than being calcined by solar fire, burning away all the makeup on his face. He had returned to his original appearance.

Wait... if it was all burned away...

Tang Zhao hurriedly looked down and breathed a sigh of relief. The light had burned with great restraint; it had burned his inner garments, but surprisingly, it had not reached the outermost layer. His outer robe was still perfectly intact.

Although his Sword Image was light and he could turn it into clothing to change his attire at any time, it would still be a bit embarrassing to be cool for even a moment, even if Xiangyangzi was the only sentient being watching.

He felt reassured and explained, "This is my original appearance. I was wearing makeup before."

Only then did Xiangyangzi understand and say, "You wore makeup to make yourself look worse? You people who are born looking good really do things without any scruples. But this is reasonable; the Dongjuns of past generations were all elegant, peerless beauties. You look worthy of it now, which reminds me of... by the way, how is your Sword Intent?"

Tang Zhao tapped lightly, and a ray of sunlight flashed by.

It was still pure, bright solar light, but there was something extra in it.

It was sunlight, but not the scorching sun of a summer noon; it was the warm sunlight shining on nursery grass and new tree buds in spring, carrying the vibrant vitality of spring.

Xiangyangzi nodded in satisfaction: It had completely merged; it had indeed gone smoothly. It had previously felt the odds were slim, but Tang Zhao's various performances made it feel that success was only logical—if he could not succeed, no one in the world could.

It then asked curiously, "Did you not become a Sword Hero? Your body has been reshaped, and since you can merge with the Sword Intent, your Sword Heart should also have reached the realm. You only need to comprehend a Sword Technique to naturally elevate your realm. Why didn't you do it?"

Tang Zhao said, "Actually, I did feel a breakthrough just now..."

At the very moment the Sword Intent merged, Tang Zhao finally pulled away from the sensation of being light and became himself again. At that moment, he had an epiphany and found the sword's response. His Sword Heart broke through instantly, reaching the realm of "One Heart, One Spirit."

At the same time, in the Waijie, Xiangyangzi had used the excess Sword Essence to help him reshape his physique, saving him the effort of polishing his body step by step with Sword Essence to improve his constitution. He had reached, and even surpassed, the requirements for a Sword Hero, not to mention his Mental Power and Inspiration, which had always far exceeded the standard. It could be said that everything was ready.

In that instant, he had the opportunity to directly comprehend a Sword Technique and step onto the level of a Sword Hero, but in the end, he did not force the breakthrough.

"The end of a strong crossbow cannot pierce thin silk. At the time, I felt my Spirit was exhausted, and I hadn't comprehended the Sword Technique I wanted, so I didn't force the advancement. Otherwise, my realm wouldn't be stable, and my path wouldn't be clear. I still want to accumulate strength and wait for the right moment."

Moreover, having just absorbed the Sword Intent, his Spirit was busy accommodating the Growth Sword Intent. The vitality within it was too thick, even suppressing the intent of light for a time. If he had comprehended it then, he might have comprehended a Sword Technique biased toward the Growth Sword Intent, which would be even more auxiliary than "One Day's Plan Lies in the Morning"—perhaps even "One Year's Plan Lies in the Spring."

That would not be good. The first Sword Technique one comprehends is crucial; to a certain extent, it determines the direction of one's cultivation as a Sword Hero. Therefore, the Sword Ground Division advises all Sword Guests who meet the standard not to rush into a breakthrough, but to first have a rough plan for the future, then break through at the right place and the right time.

A counterexample is Xing Ji. Xing Ji also reached the standard of a Sword Hero early on, but the Marquis specifically required him to suppress his realm and wait for the right time to break through. As a result, when he saw Tang Zhao die from the backlash of the Power Sword, he was agitated and directly comprehended a healing Sword Technique like "Amnesty," turning directly into a logistics auxiliary. It is said that the Gaoyuan Marquis was furious afterward and almost kicked him out of the combat sequence.

Tang Zhao had his own considerations. For the sake of the immediate risks and his future prospects, he resisted the urge to achieve everything in one go and kept his strength just before the threshold of a Sword Hero.

To be honest, from the first time Tang Zhao held a sword until now, it had only been half a year, and he had already touched the threshold of a Sword Hero. This speed could not even be described as advancing by leaps and bounds. No one would believe it if told, and even Tang Zhao himself felt uneasy, unable to help but want to pace himself.

Xiangyangzi nodded its flower disk: "If someone else said this, I would have to spit on them and tell them not to be pretentious. Stop dreaming of 'three refusals and three yieldings' and foolproof plans; if there is an opportunity, grab it quickly. You never know if you'll have this chance again. However, heaven's favored ones like you are the exception. A Sword Hero is a stable future, so you can afford to be picky."

Tang Zhao touched his chin: Why did it feel like he was being implied?

Fortunately, Xiangyangzi continued to guide him: "If you go out, Baiyujing might be better again. You can go to her... what was it... Zizai Tower to take a look. That place can cultivate the Sword Heart; it's quite magical. If you stabilize your Sword Heart realm, you will be in an invincible position. You can become a Sword Hero whenever you want."

Tang Zhao thought that even a Sword Deity said it was magical, so it must truly be magical. He said, "Many thanks for your guidance, Senior."

Ling Baoyu had also mentioned Zizai Tower; it was indeed a place to cultivate the Sword Heart, and she had promised Tang Zhao he could use it if he had the chance.

Speaking of which...

Tang Zhao suddenly remembered that Meng Huazhou had also mentioned that Baiyujing had a place to help increase the Sword Heart, and had even used that to lure him into traveling with him. Did that mean he had known about Zizai Tower all along?

Could it be that he didn't go to Songjian Tower, but went to Zizai Tower instead?

Tang Zhao felt that wasn't right either. Zizai Tower was for cultivating the Sword Heart, which was for Sword Guests. Meng Huazhou was not a Sword Guest now; what would be the point of him going to Zizai Tower?

But this showed that Meng Huazhou was very familiar with Baiyujing. There were too many places he could go, which was truly a hidden danger. Once the Wangliang were expelled, he would have to dig three feet into the ground to find him.

Xiangyangzi said: "Now that your body has been reborn, it is no less than that of a Sword Hero. Your Sword Essence is incomparably abundant, and you have a second Sword Intent. Although you are not a Sword Hero, your strength is definitely no weaker than one. They say the path of a Sword Guest is climbing to heaven one tier at a time, and one cannot surpass a single step. Who knew there would be an anomaly like you, who received the nourishment of an Immortal Sword while still a Sword Guest? I fear this is unprecedented. Alright, there is nothing left here for you; you may go out."

Tang Zhao gripped the sword in his hand and said, "Yes. Then I should..."

At this moment, with the sword in his hand, he felt the world had returned, not to mention that his strength had advanced further. Just as he was about to find his way again, he caught sight of the large hole in the wall, the light flickering within the hole, and the various items floating in the light.

He saw that familiar Time Jar at a glance.

Great, the item was still there!

Although that place was incomparably bright and looked unusual, he did not feel any threat; on the contrary, he felt quite close to it.

Not only that, all the light in this room—sunlight, candlelight, and the luster of pearls—had suddenly become docile. As long as he wished, any ray of light could be used by him.

Therefore, Tang Zhao stepped directly into the room next door.

Calling it a room would be less accurate than calling it a space. This room had no four walls, no roof, and its size could not be determined; there was only a brilliant, dazzling light, and several items floating within that light.

Those items were of various sizes, hanging quietly in the light as if they were bubbles floating in water, appearing neither still nor moving.

Tang Zhao saw his own things at a glance: the Time Jar, his travel bag, his pouch, his accessories... every item that belonged to him was there, not a single one missing. He beckoned with his hand, and the items flew over to him automatically.

When he held the Time Jar in his hand, his heart finally relaxed—now, he finally didn't have to worry about going bankrupt!

Besides his own things, there were actually quite a few miscellaneous items left over, large and small, which could be described as a dazzling array.

"Are these the belongings of people who came to pay their respects before? Could it be that they don't return things confiscated here?"