Chapter 91: 87 Xiezhi Sword

87 Xiezhi Sword

After more than half a month, Tang Zhao held this sword once again.

A black sword sheath, a silver divine beast; the sword body was solemn, the Sword Intent chilling.

After so many days, Tang Zhao had held swords suitable for himself and had also simulated holding incomparably powerful swords; this sword was no longer the most comfortable or the most powerful, yet it remained the sword he respected the most.

And now, it included the Sword Guest who respected it.

Just as he was about to draw the sword, Xing Ji suddenly reached out and grasped the Sword Tassel.

A very long Sword Tassel hung from the bottom of this sword, and a bright yellow Bead was attached to the tassel.

"Do you have any impression of this Bead?"

Tang Zhao pondered: "Hmm... Ping Xiansheng wears a headband on his forehead, it seems to have a bead on it? Also, that night, when you came to test me, you also let me look at a bead..."

Xing Ji praised: "Not bad, good memory. This is the Lord's Dharma Artifact; in the future, if you see this bead, it is mostly one of our own. However, this bead is different; it is a seal."

As he spoke, he applied force to his hand and pulled the Bead off.

"Pop—"

With a soft sound, it was as if a firework exploded in Tang Zhao's mind.

Countless rays of light converged and intertwined, countless images intersected, and lines formed black and white pictures in his consciousness, finally freezing into a majestic divine beast with a single horn and golden eyes!

With a light wave, the divine beast leaped out from the sword!

Resembling a qilin, its whole body pitch-black, a single horn growing on its head, its eyes distinct—

Xiezhi!

Legend has it that Xiezhi is impartial and selfless, capable of understanding human nature and distinguishing right from wrong. The single horn on its head is used specifically to gore the dishonest; it is the symbol of justice and fairness in the law!

"Now this Xiezhi Sword is fully handed over to you. The Sword Image, Sword Law, Sword Art, and Sword Essence are all unsealed. You must familiarize yourself with them well."

Tang Zhao stroked the sword body, carefully experiencing the differences between the true Authority Sword and the simulated holding, and with a surge of spirit boiling in his chest, he said: "Hand it to me."

Xing Ji said: "And that Demon Cave information, I went to great lengths to organize a copy for you, yet you actually shoved it to Ping Laotou. Now he has put it back into the Time Jar. You must memorize it thoroughly; if there is anything you don't understand, ask Xiaosi. I remember that the Sword Seed has a cycle of eruption; the closer it is to noon, the milder it is. Take advantage of that time to ask for advice, and at other times, don't disturb him too much."

After pondering for a moment, Xing Ji said: "I will teach you a few more Acupoint Sealing techniques to control him into a coma or deep sleep, so as to prevent him from being unable to sleep at night." Having said that, he imparted a few Acupoint Sealing techniques.

The essence of Acupoint Sealing lies in the accuracy of identifying the points, while the exertion of force and the like are much the same. Tang Zhao had previously been infused with the Mysterious Technique and had directly learned all the acupoints and meridians of the body, so learning a few Acupoint Sealing techniques at this time was easy.

Xing Ji taught it once and tried a few moves with Tang Zhao, discovering that he indeed knew it all, and said: "Every time I teach you martial arts, I get a blow. If only I were a genius who didn't play by the rules like this."

After giving a few more instructions and finishing all the arrangements, Xing Ji turned and left. The way he left was very ordinary; he just rode away on a horse and did not use the dazzling moves like "Sword Qi Transforming into Rainbow" that he had mentioned.

Tang Zhao felt slightly disappointed.

Returning to the front of the house, he saw a square-headed, square-brained puppet rolling over on wheels; Tang Zhao recognized it as the Talisman puppet left behind by Xue Yeyu. The Talisman puppet was very stiff, by no means lifelike, and had no intelligence, but it could move on its own and do some simple chores. At this moment, it was holding a wooden tray with porridge and rice on it.

Tang Zhao greeted the Talisman puppet and said: "I can just take it in. Thank you."

The bedroom was very dark, and he could vaguely see Si Liyu sitting cross-legged on the bed. Tang Zhao went over, set down the porridge and rice, and said: "Teacher Si, the air here is not good; let's change rooms. Xue Fu has many spacious, bright, and scenic rooms; let's go there to relax."

Si Liyu suddenly opened his eyes, the light in them bright, and suddenly reached out, grabbing Tang Zhao, saying: "Azhao, I thank you—"

Tang Zhao felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, thinking he was being sarcastic, and explained: "Teacher Si, I..."

Si Liyu's voice was urgent: "No, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to perform a meritorious service."

Tang Zhao looked into his eyes and only felt that his gaze seemed to have a ball of fire burning.

He said softly: "Being a Sword Slave is very painful..."

"Pain is nothing!" Si Liyu's gaze was not just burning; it seemed as if his whole person was burning up, and his intense emotions surged to the top of his head, "You know, there are many painful things in this world, but too few opportunities to climb up! Even if ten times, a hundred times the pain and suffering could be exchanged for a chance to advance, it would be worth it. People like us are not afraid of hardship, injury, or even death; we only fear that after all the hardships, there is no chance to succeed!"

His hand gripped Tang Zhao and said: "If it weren't for you, I don't know how long I would have to wait! Perhaps in the future, for the sake of an opportunity, I would do some things that distort my heart. I don't want that! So I want to thank you for saving me!"

As he spoke, his voice became hoarse, just like his hand that was gripping tighter and tighter; it was a manifestation of uncontrollable pain. But the fire in his eyes burned brighter and brighter.

The pain was real, and the desire for success was also real. Perhaps it was precisely because of the pain that he was more eager to dissect himself, using the fire of ambition to resist part of the external suffering.

Tang Zhao was not an ambitious person, and limited by his experience, he did not quite understand Si Liyu's words, but seeing his bulging veins on his arms, he could tangibly feel his pain, so he grabbed him back and smiled: "Teacher Si, it only takes three days for the dream to come true. You—are you okay?"

Si Liyu grinned and said: "Less nonsense."

Tang Zhao still helped Si Liyu out the door.

Xue Fu occupied a large area, with all kinds of gardens and landscapes. Like most rich people, Xue Daxia knew how to enjoy life, which was much more comfortable than that pitch-black area of Black Spider Villa. Although the manor was poorly maintained and overgrown with weeds, and somewhat dilapidated, there were still some good places to live.

Finally, the two chose a study on a rockery. This was the highest point of Xue Fu, with a wide view that made one feel refreshed. Actually, the waterside was also good, but it was on the eve of the Demon Cave's descent, and the water veins had all dried up, so one could only see a pool full of silt, which was not as good as the mountain.

Tang Zhao placed a couch by the window where the Sunlight shone in just right, warm and bright, and placed Si Liyu on the couch, letting him meditate while he practiced martial arts on the mountain.

Practicing martial arts was mainly about familiarizing himself with the Authority Sword.

After being completely unsealed, Tang Zhao could almost understand everything about the sword. Unfortunately, the Glasses did not record Authority Swords, but based on that list, Tang Zhao could basically deduce all the attributes of the Xiezhi Sword.

Sword: Xiezhi (Authority Sword)

Sword Dao:

Sword Intent: Clear, Peaceful, and Impartial

Sword Guest: Judge (Sword Hero?)

Sword Image: Xiezhi (Manifestation)

Sword Heart: -- (Heart-to-Heart Connection?)

Sword Realm: Dharma Realm

Sword Momentum: --

Sword Law: Eradicate Evil Completely, Righteous and Awe-Inspiring, Guarding Peace and Clarity

Sword Art: Horn Gore, Swallow Evil, Bright Judgment, Suppress Evil, A Life for a Life, Restrain Aggression, Hoist with One's Own Petard...

Imperial Sword Art: Haoran Imperial Sword Art

Although there was no Sword Momentum, the Sword Law and Sword Art were very magnificent, and their richness could be said to be no less than the Yanggu Sword. It could be seen that the Judge was indeed a very powerful Sword Hero during his lifetime. Compared to Ping Jiangqiu... no, I won't compare; every time I bring up the old man, I feel quite embarrassed.

As he became familiar with the Authority Sword, Tang Zhao gradually understood the biggest difference between the Authority Sword and "simulated holding."

That is the existence of the Sword Guest.

When he used Mimicry to hold the Yanggu Sword, he was simply holding that sword, and could not feel the existence of the Sword Guest at all. Whether it was Sword Technique or Sword Art, it was as if the Divine Bird Bathing in Fire Art had been infused into him by a fairy; once he knew it, he knew it, and once he used it, he used it. He did not feel the existence of any other will.

But when using an Authority Sword, he felt as if there were another will within the sword. That will was not a complex thought, nor could it speak, but he could feel its emotions and preferences.

When Tang Zhao swung the sword firmly, he could feel the sword encouraging him; when he slacked off, the sword would stimulate him. Beyond that, the sword would also feel anger, joy, excitement... all sorts of changes, making him involuntarily want to listen to or even draw closer to that will.

This reminded Tang Zhao of Pei Shoujing holding the Pei Jiangjun Sword; as he continuously borrowed the sword's power, he would even don the battle armor and helmet of Pei Jiangjun, his very appearance drawing closer to that original Sword Guest, and even after putting the sword down, his mood and temperament would still be affected to a certain degree.

Authority Sword... is more dangerous than Mimicry.

Tang Zhao thought this, and felt the Sword Manual was still better; although it might lack the possibility of the sword "bursting with power" due to mood, being steady and stable was just fine. Otherwise, with seventy or eighty swords and seventy or eighty different personalities, it would surely drive Tang Zhao to a mental breakdown.

And then there was the Sword Control Art.

It seems one can use Sword Control Art with Mimicry, but it must be learned. It is not automatically learned during Mimicry, but rather learned like a technique by utilizing the annotations in the Glasses. The Sword Control Art itself is indeed a type of technique, belonging to the Sword Guest and not the sword, just like Inner energy, lightness skills, and Mysterious Technique, which are compulsory courses for a Sword Guest.

Tang Zhao stared at the words "Yao Sword Art" in the Yanggu Sword list; after paying attention for a while, the full text annotation would appear, providing a complex set of techniques no less than the Divine Bird Bathing in Fire Art, which could be learned independently, though Tang Zhao was still far from entering the door. Mimicry itself does not provide the various abilities of the Sword Control Art.

The Authority Sword is the opposite in this regard; it has not a single word of technique, but the means of the Sword Control Art can be used at will, as they are inherent to the Authority Sword itself, just like the Sword Technique and Sword Art.

Therefore, the Authority Sword contains the abilities of both the sword and the Sword Guest from their lifetimes, making it more comprehensive. With Tang Zhao's current meager level, the bonus the Authority Sword gives him is higher—a true rebirth, comprehensive and without shortcomings.

No wonder Xing Ji only taught him ordinary basic sword moves at the beginning; if it is only for a single battle, having the Authority Sword is enough.

But it can only be for one time; after Tang Zhao fully understood the Xiezhi Sword, he finally understood where the previous Sword Envoys of this sword had gone.

The obsession of the Xiezhi Sword is "Killer Dies," which actually includes the people killed by the Xiezhi Sword itself.

Of course, it is not that the Sword Envoy dies on the spot after killing someone with the Xiezhi Sword; the Xiezhi Sword approves of the act of carrying out righteous judgment with this sword, and it is only right to eliminate evil completely.

But this sword has a terrible memory; once you have killed someone, if you put the sword down and want to pick it up again, it will no longer recognize you.

A killer cannot hold the sword, no matter what they used last time.

Therefore, the Xiezhi Sword is a one-off deal; no matter how pure and flawless you are, you can only execute one mission, because by the second time, you will have a flaw.

What a trap.

However, precisely because of this, this powerful Authority Sword has never been particularly valued, remaining in Xing Ji's hands without a dedicated Sword Envoy. This is actually quite friendly to Sword Envoys—anyone with Inspiration, who wouldn't want their own sword? Not being tied down by a sword for a long time, or even having one's personality eroded by a dead Sword Hero, is a blessing.

Fortunately, killing Heavenly Demons, Phantoms, Fierce Beasts, and the like does not count as killing people; Xing Ji also specifically exhorted him not to hold the sword to kill people unless absolutely necessary. If he does kill, remember not to pick the sword up again after putting it down, otherwise he will foolishly throw away his own little life.