Chapter 498: 472 Sword Hero

"I am a copper pea that cannot be steamed soft, boiled tender, flattened by a hammer, or popped by a stir-fry... a clanging, resonant one..."

When tempering his Sword Heart, Tang Zhao recalled this verse. Although Chen Zong had not clearly explained why it was called a "copper pea" at the time, he just felt it was very applicable now.

Right now, his Sword Heart was being tempered in turns by all sorts of tools.

Besides hammers and furnaces, there were chisels, blowtorches, sandpaper... all kinds of tools, each with its own function; in short, they were treating his Sword Heart like raw timber, like uncarved jade, like various materials that needed to be sculpted and forged.

Outside, talking about tempering or honing the Sword Heart was more or less a metaphorical or borrowed rhetorical device, referring to the cultivation of one's own state of mind, but here, these were literal, tangible verbs.

Hammering? If it says it will hammer you, it will hammer you.

This method, logically speaking, was extremely childish and playful, perhaps even stupid.

How fragile a thing is the Sword Heart; let alone the fact that it cannot be manifested outside, even if it were, it should be carefully polished and slowly cultivated—how could it be randomly hammered or calcined?

But... it really works!

When these magical "tools" tossed that red heart about, Tang Zhao truly felt the changes in his Sword Heart in real-time; it was not a simple, crude vibration, but a subtle strengthening, refinement, and progression...

It was as if he had spent years polishing his Sword Heart with the gentle breeze and fine rain. Moreover, these years would have had to be years of constant progress, without ever going astray, to achieve such results.

In short, every seemingly absurd tool could truly train the Sword Heart, and it provided all-around, dead-angle-free assistance. This Zizai Realm world was just that magical.

Tang Zhao knew deeply that behind this wondrous phenomenon, there must be a set of even more wondrous principles and rules supporting the operation of the entire Zizai Realm; those simple, straightforward tools were merely the surface appearance.

Just as in the medical theories of the Human World, "treating like with like" is mostly a joke; perhaps in some constructed Small World, eating walnuts could nourish the brain, and eating cashews could nourish the kidneys—nourishing any part of the body just by eating the corresponding thing—which would be especially friendly to the weak. That must be because the produce of that world is magical or has special rules; it is absolutely not the case that the principle of "treating like with like" can be universal in the Human World.

As for how exactly it operated, Tang Zhao could not know. He had the Congjun Order, and being able to look at the backups left by predecessors was already quite good—could he really peek at the source code? Besides, he hadn't studied the relevant knowledge, so he wouldn't understand it even if he looked.

Being able to enjoy the effects of the Zizai Realm and finding his own path forward, Tang Zhao felt it was already very good.

Coming to Baiyujing this time, although he left behind regrets, the harvest was also astonishing; even if he carried more pressure and responsibility, it was still worth more than the cost.

This training continued for over two hours. At a certain point, the effects of the various tools on his Sword Heart became negligible, and he even began to feel palpitations and discomfort. He hurriedly made the tools stop, knowing he had reached his limit and the Zizai Realm could no longer provide help.

Time to go out.

However, there was no rush to go out.

Tang Zhao had already analyzed his own Sword Heart, his state of mind was clear, and the bottleneck of his realm had dissolved; it could be said he had reached the point where success was natural. As soon as he left the Zizai Realm, he would certainly, as a matter of course, comprehend a Sword Technique and become a Sword Hero.

Unless he suppressed it again.

But Tang Zhao felt there was no need for that. Last time in the Spirit Hall, he had suddenly obtained external force; both his Sword Heart and Sword Essence were lifted up, far exceeding his expectations. He himself felt his accumulation was insufficient and his control lacking; it had not yet reached the point where the melon falls when ripe.

But now, through his own insights, he had achieved the perfection of his Sword Heart, and with the Zizai Realm adding another push, his Sword Heart was stable and flawless, arguably surpassing the Sword Heart realm of ordinary Sword Heroes. His Sword Essence had also passed the critical point with the help of the Jinwu Sword's legacy, so there was no meaning in suppressing it further.

If he could advance upon going out, then he could consider the matter of his Sword Technique in advance.

Not only could he consider the Sword Technique, he could even take this opportunity to organize all his existing Sword Arts and form a new system centered on the Sword Technique.

He could even use the Zizai Realm as a testing ground to try out his tactical system—this was, after all, one of the most orthodox uses of virtual reality.

So... what kind of Sword Technique do I want?

An offensive Sword Technique? Defensive? Sword Technique: Transfer? Auxiliary? Or a comprehensive Sword Technique?

Thinking of this, Tang Zhao was slightly startled, then changed his train of thought:

Is it what Sword Technique I want, or what Sword Technique I need?

If it is what he needs, he must determine the goal, then think carefully, slowly perform Exclusion, and finally, from the best, choose the best, selecting the most appropriate Sword Technique.

In the Waijie, he certainly could not have his wishes fulfilled, but here he could. He could adjust his Sword Heart to a certain suitable state, and once he exited to the Waijie, he would naturally succeed. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

And... if it is what he wants, there is no need to consider so much.

Let his heart, let his Sword Heart, let his Sword Intent tell him what the Sword Technique he wants really is.

His sword would not let him down.

Close his eyes—

Open them!

In the center of Zizai Tower, a light lit up!

That was Sunlight!

There was no need for any guessing; as long as one was a person living under the sun, even a child could immediately recognize it. This was true Sunlight, the Sunlight that accompanied them every day, dispelled the darkness, and shone upon all living things on the earth.

The Sunlight did not know where it came from, shining steadily and peacefully upon the youth, as if this beam of light had been as eternal as the sun.

The youth opened his eyes, his pupils reflecting the Sunlight; his gaze was as brilliant as the Sunlight itself.

He beckoned lightly, and the Sunlight gradually condensed, shrinking smaller and smaller, brighter and brighter, finally turning into a tiny point of light, bright to an extraordinary degree, hot to an extraordinary degree, and almost causing the space to distort, making all light sources and existences lean toward it, as if it were a tiny sun.

"I can already do this much."

Tang Zhao loosened his hand, and the sun expanded, turning back into a pure beam of Sunlight.

Hm?

Tang Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly: Was it his illusion? After the Sword Image condensed into a point-like sun and then expanded, the Sunlight became a little brighter?

That little bit was negligible, absolutely invisible to the naked eye; only he, having a spiritual connection with his Sword Heart, felt it slightly.

This point could be noted down; perhaps he had found another method of cultivation unique to him?

The path to becoming the sun had taken another step forward.

"Two Sword Techniques, huh."

Tang Zhao smiled, "That's right, two Sword Intents, naturally there would be two Sword Techniques."

As he returned to reality, the first Sword Technique was born immediately, followed by the Manifestation of the Sword Image, and he naturally stepped into the Sword Hero realm. And at the moment of crossing the realm, he comprehended a second Sword Technique related to Growth. This also matched his original intention, and he accepted it calmly.

That realm which had trapped many Sword Guests for a lifetime was crossed smoothly in the year he turned seventeen.

It had taken less than a year from his successful Sword Casting to becoming a Sword Guest.

Dual Sword Techniques, dual Sword Intents.

He was probably... should be... quite impressive, right?

Heh heh.

If it weren't for the fact that he still had very urgent matters to attend to and very important tasks to complete, he would really want to start Drifting right there and celebrate properly.

There are no gawking crowds here to make a fuss, which is actually a bit underwhelming.

Mindful of what he had to do, he laboriously tucked away his raised tail, turned his head, and opened the path leading to the backstage area again.

Countless Sword Hearts were still flickering overhead, containing countless secrets waiting for Tang Zhao to unearth, but he had to leave for now.

He picked up the Light Imprint Stone he had left on the Cloud Silk. The Light Imprint Stone is an Art Tool that can record changes in surrounding light and reproduce them, roughly equivalent to the cameras he had heard of. This was an Art Tool he had developed independently, using his own Sword Image as the principle; it could even detect different light wavelengths, including infrared, so it was applicable at night and could record scenes invisible to many human eyes.

Actually, when Tang Zhao first created the Light Imprint Stone, he wanted to name it a "lithography machine." No special meaning, just because he heard Chen Zong say that a lithography machine was a remarkable thing.

But later he thought that although the Light Imprint Stone was good, it was only an Art Tool and seemed insufficient to bear such a name, so he planned to name it again if there was an opportunity in the future.

With a light press, Tang Zhao reviewed the Light Imprint Stone, and he clearly saw that after he entered the Zizai Realm, a thread automatically lowered from the sky full of Sword Hearts and joined the ranks of the Sword Hearts. But at first, the thread had no other movement.

It wasn't until the moment he left the heart room that the thread suddenly moved, forming a glistening drop of Sword Heart.

It really is a copy, "save file" is the most appropriate way to describe it.

Because only by leaving will a save file be formed, and what is recorded is the state of the Sword Heart at the time he left.

Moreover, this kind of recording is automatically generated without the consent of the Sword Hero. Everyone who enters the Zizai Realm naturally leaves behind a backup of their own Sword Heart.

Then...

Sorry, I think I'd better not leave it.

Tang Zhao pinched the Congjun Order and beckoned; his own Sword Heart detached and fell into his Time Jar.

He did not destroy it, but collected it, intending to keep it for future contemplation—experiencing the Sword Heart from a third-party perspective must have its benefits.

Although he had benefited from the backup, Tang Zhao still had selfish motives; he did not want to expose his Sword Heart to others. If it were a visitor like him, it would be fine, but who knows if those who come later might be enemies?

After packing away his Sword Heart, Tang Zhao picked up the Light Imprint Stone again and examined it carefully, wanting to see if he could observe how the Zizai Realm was formed.

Facts proved that he was overthinking; the changes the Light Imprint Stone could record were very limited, and his own experience and knowledge also had limitations. It was impossible for him to just peek at the leopard through a tube like this and uncover the mysteries of such a profound world.

But to say there was no harvest at all would not be entirely true. Through the subtle changes in light, Tang Zhao discovered a clue—

The Cloud Silk of this Zizai Tower should be a channel for the exchange of energy between the inside and outside. What Tang Zhao could output was naturally his Mental Power, while what was input was the power of the Zizai Tower itself. The essence of this power was unknown, but it was likely at the level of Sword Essence, or perhaps a higher level, belonging to the power unique to a Sword Immortal.

Through the Light Imprint Stone, Tang Zhao discovered that his Mental Power output seemed to have occurred only once, which was when the backup was finally formed. At other times, it was all kinds of Cloud Silk power being injected into that heart room.

In other words, his Spirit... had never been guided out?

It wasn't that he was led into some Zizai Realm, but rather that with the help of the Zizai Tower, a Zizai Realm was formed around him?

This... seems to make some sense?

"As one wishes, at ease" (Ruyi Zizai) is, in the final analysis, the ease of the heart and the "as one wishes" of the intent. In one's own heart, isn't it free and easy? Just like everyone's dreams, no matter how absurd or bold, they can be realized in the dream because one is the master of one's own dream.

No wonder those props could immediately receive his mental feedback when they were tempering his Sword Heart—

Because it was right in his heart, and it had never left.

Tang Zhao put away the Light Imprint Stone, took one last look at the cluster of Sword Hearts like stars in the sky, bowed deeply, and left the Zizai Tower with a full harvest.