Chapter 97 - A Master’s Dilemma
But it was Lin Yao’s condition that truly puzzled him. The mysterious phoenix shadow residing within her was a constant source of confusion. It was not a dormant bloodline, nor was it a physical constitution. It behaved like a soul, yet it was not her soul. Even after practicing the True Soul Origin Scripture, the shadow remained completely still, refusing to change or react in the slightest. Only when she broke through a major cultivation realm would it stir a little, and consume a burst of Yin Qi before going back into sleep.
Su Ming’s entire understanding of cultivation theory was built on a balanced system. It was not something he brought from his previous life or some superstition he had. The body was Yang, the soul was Yin, and Qi acted as the bridge to maintain them both in a perfect equilibrium.
In Lin Yao’s case, this logic fell apart. The presence of the phoenix shadow and the extreme level of Yin affinity disrupted the balance, and he still had no idea how to guide her past this obstacle.
’I have to come up with something,’ he thought.
Yet, he did not pull them out. A master could only show the path, but the disciples had to walk that path themselves.
"Contain the leaks," Su Ming said, extending his divine sense. "Do not let the energy escape. Control it. Guide it."
Wang Tian heard the command. He gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached, forcing the crackling silver arcs back through his skin. The pain was excruciating, like pulling iron shards through his flesh, but he refused to let them leak. Slowly, the crackling arcs began to quiet, sinking back into his body to temper his flesh and bones.
Beside him, Lin Yao focused her mind, circulating her cultivation technique to guide the violent energy, slowly reducing the stray sword Qi strikes until the violet flames stopped flaring from her back.
Hours passed. The silver liquid rippled around them, hums echoing across the cliffs.
While ordinary Sword Peak disciples could only endure the Outermost Pool for an hour before their containment failed and they were forced to exit, Wang Tian and Lin Yao remained submerged for hours.
By the time the sky above began to darken, almost at the end of the day, their names had climbed steadily on the entry leaderboard, entering the top one thousand.
Exhausted, their robes damp and torn, they waded out of the pool. Their breathing was heavy, their bodies bruised, but their eyes were bright.
"Return to the peak and consolidate your gains," Su Ming told them, his expression calm. "Do not rush. Your paths are only beginning to solidify."
"Yes, Master," they whispered, bowing with trembling hands before stepping back toward the portal.
Once they had departed, Su Ming turned his gaze toward the deeper parts of the valley.
He walked along the black stone pathway that wound deeper into the secret realm, passing the other scattered outer pools. As he progressed, the air grew colder, and the sharp mist on the ground thickened, swirling around his boots.
After walking for some time, he reached the Middle Pool. It was a separate, massive basin carved deep into the valley floor. The liquid sword Qi here was noticeably darker, denser, carrying an oppressive pressure.
***
Su Ming stood at the boundary of one of the Middle Pools, looking down at the dark, roiling silver liquid. The air here was cold, carrying an oppressive weight that made the obsidian rocks around him ring with a faint vibration. He took a slow step forward, letting his boots sink into the thick liquid sword Qi.
Instantly, a suffocating pressure slammed into his chest. It felt as if a thousand sharp needles of sword Qi were trying to pierce his skin, muscle, and spirit at the same time. The sensation was intense, vibrating through his bones and threatening to cause a backlash. Su Ming did not retreat. He closed his eyes and sat in the lotus position, letting the dark silver liquid submerge him up to his waist.
He immediately circulated the Primordial Yang Sovereign Body Art. A deep golden light pulsed beneath his skin, strengthening his muscles and bones to guide the violent energy. Simultaneously, he activated the True Soul Origin Scripture, steadying his sea of consciousness and building a soul barrier to shield his spirit from the crushing pressure.
Once his body and soul stabilized, he opened his eyes and took another step forward through the liquid.
With that single step, the pressure doubled. His inner sword arts began to regulate on their own, but the sudden influx of liquid sword Qi clashed with his own cultivation. Silver energy, infused with his Dragon Will and Sovereign Will, shot through his meridians like wildfire. His chest tightened, and he felt a sharp pain in his soul. Su Ming focused his mind, immediately bringing the wild energy under control, forcing the stray Qi under control.
Conceptually, this was not much different from the hundred steps he had taken in the secret realm. Each step forward in the Sword Pool increased the pressure. He had to completely stabilize his body, soul, and sword arts before he could take the next step.
Once he was steady, Su Ming closed his eyes and began to reflect on his sword wills. He activated the Halo of Insight in his soul sea. A clear, white light washed over his mind, expanding his comprehension and allowing him to see past the surface of his own techniques.
Instead of trying to force a breakthrough or build something new, he began to strip away the technique layer by layer.
At their core, what remained was the Will behind them.
’What was a Will?’ he asked himself.
A Will, in the path of the sword, was nothing but a concept a cultivator imposed on the world through his sword and sword techniques, achieved not through power alone, but through genuine comprehension, manifested into an expression by raw discipline and focus. But in a broader sense, it was never limited to the sword at all.
The Dragon Will, for example, was simply the projection of a true dragon’s existence. It was a pressure so absolute that lesser beings would submit or freeze before any attack was even launched. It was dominance projected through will as a fact rather than an action.