Yinshan Record

Chapter 598 Cutting Through Wood, Observing the Reality and Illusion (Part 1)
Lightning-struck wood, refined by heavenly lightning, becomes an extremely exquisite material. Although Su Che was not skilled in weapon crafting, he could still sense the remarkable nature of this material. Its inherent strength and density, along with its affinity for the power of lightning, granted it almost limitless potential.

Even with his current sword energy, he might not be able to cut it in two, even if he used the most powerful Taiyu Abi Sword.

That's right.

I can indeed blast this lightning-struck wood away, burn it to ashes with the Nine Netherworld Burning God Yin Fire, or even use various other methods to destroy it.

With their current sword energy, in terms of "sharpness," their own sword energy is indeed insufficient to cut through this lightning-struck wood.

However, through the sword intent of this lineage of creation, he accomplished what he should not have been able to do.

In the final two thousand sword strikes, Su Che concentrated his sword intent on a single point, changing his aim from directly severing the lightning-struck wood to using subtle sword energy to continuously wear down and tear apart the tiny scales on its surface.

What appears to be a single, sweeping strike is actually a web of countless fine, needle-like sword energies that relentlessly tear and disrupt the structure of the lightning-struck wood. It pulls at the tightly packed scales, widening the original gaps.

It's less about cutting with a sword and more about transforming the sword's intent into a file, slowly tearing and grinding it apart.

At the same time, the magnetic force affects the lightning power inside the lightning-struck wood, constantly disturbing the lightning power that was originally circulating and self-contained.

The power of thunder is divided into yin and yang, which are in balance with each other, but Su Che is constantly adding fuel to the fire, disrupting the original balance.

Finally, Su Che waited for the right moment. A crack appeared on the scales on the surface of the lightning-struck wood, and the original lightning power of the lightning-struck wood fell into chaos under the disturbance.

The opportunity was fleeting, but Su Che seized it.

A light strike, in terms of sword energy alone, is not even enough to reach the level of the Core Formation stage.

However, the changes contained within it subtly reveal some profound truth, aptly splitting the lightning-struck wood into two pieces.

After all, once the scales refined by the power of heavenly lightning are removed from the surface, and the lightning power that is constantly generated inside is no longer present, this lightning-struck wood is just a piece of wood with a slightly denser texture.

Su Che did not sever the lightning-struck wood with a single sword strike, but after thousands of strikes, the lightning-struck wood was completely "broken" by Su Che's sword intent.

Because structurally and internally, the lightning-struck wood no longer holds any secrets for Su Che.

Su Che was puzzled again. Why did the East Sea Sword Palace have such a strong opinion about the Creation lineage? Why couldn't such a method of avoiding the real problem be considered sword cultivation?
"Okay, you've got it pretty fast, kid."

Kong Kong'er naturally saw how Su Che managed to break the lightning-struck wood, but for this immortal sword cultivator, Su Che's path was exactly what he had hoped for.

It's practically impossible for Young Master Su to pursue pure sword intent now, whether it's soaring to great heights or reaching the pinnacle of mastery.

The burdens he carried made it impossible for Su Che to ever embrace that kind of purity.

Moreover, sword cultivators consider not only talent, but also the choice of moral principles.

From this perspective, Su Che will never be a pure sword cultivator.

Moreover, Kongkong'er didn't know if it was because of the influence of Baichuan Sword Immortal in recent years, but she no longer valued this pursuit of "purity" as much.

After all, there are very few people in this world who can achieve that kind of purity.

But what about the rest? Tell them they're all useless and should never touch a sword again?
There is no such thing in the world.

If we can pave a path for them to gain something and achieve something, that would be a meritorious deed.

All rivers eventually flow into the sea; the title of Hundred Rivers Sword Immortal is quite fitting.

However, Kongkong'er didn't have time to continue arguing with Su Che about these subtle thoughts; he had other things to teach Su Che right now.

That is the reason why the sword cultivators of the Lihe Pavilion were able to become famous assassins in the East Sea.

"Lord Changxin, please take a look."

Kongkong took out a sword pellet from his hand. He spread his hands out, with a sword pellet on his right palm and nothing on his left.

The so-called sword pellet was a once-popular type of sword, but its origins can be traced back to the Xuanmen sect and have little to do with the East Sea Sword Palace. Sword cultivators, because they adhere to moral principles, are particular about the weapons they use. However, for the Xuanmen sect, this is not so important.

Compared to the dedication of sword cultivators, the Xuanmen (mystical sect) emphasizes detachment.

The result of transcendence is this sword pellet. Normally, it looks like just a small metal ball, but once it is infused with sword energy and sword intent, it will definitely be able to generate magnificent sword light. Because of the different properties of the sword pellet, it can even have other effects.

Thunder roars, flames rage endlessly, ice freezes solidify, and ghostly energy pervades...

To a true swordsman, this might seem like a heretical or unorthodox approach, but for those in the Xuanmen sect, it is the proper way to do things.

However, what Kongkong'er wanted to demonstrate was not this sword pellet. With a slight movement of his five fingers, the shimmering silver sword pellet suddenly "disappeared" from his palm.

To say it "disappeared" is actually a very strange feeling, because in Su Che's view, the sword pellet was still safely in Kong Kong'er's hand.

However, in Su Che's spiritual perception and even in his divine thought, the sword pellet seemed to not exist at all.

That's right.

Although he did see the sword pellet with his own eyes.

However, his own senses and consciousness were denying the existence of this sword pellet.

This is indeed a very strange feeling for a monk.

Compared to sight, spiritual perception is a cultivator's more real and acute sense. Sight is more easily deceived by illusions, and unless a cultivator has specifically practiced certain supernatural arts related to the eyes, their vision is at most more acute, enabling them to detect some evil spirits and demons.

However, at this moment, Su Che's originally more "real" and "keen" intuition provided completely opposite information to his vision.

Even though Su Che had realized that his spiritual senses had been clouded, he still couldn't believe the answers his vision provided.

"Where is the sword pellet?"

Kongkong asked.

The little fox, who had been eating hotpot nearby, suddenly came over and looked at Kongkong's hands with great interest.

"It's in your hands?"

The little fox replied, "That's strange, how could it deceive my intuition..."

"Because the senses are still in the realm of sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects."

Kongkong'er sighed: "All the ways we perceive the world are actually affected, so pursuing 'truth' is what practitioners care about most."

He gently shook his hand, and Su Che then noticed.

Kong Kong'er didn't only have one sword pellet in his hand; in fact, he had one in each hand, but he was completely unaware of the sword pellet in his left hand.

Illusion?

No, this is something far more sophisticated, built upon illusion.

Su Che looked at Kong Kong'er, waiting for this senior to solve the mystery.

"The sect I come from is called the Lihe Pavilion. Since the founding ancestor, it has been a business of taking money and solving problems for people in the East Sea. Although it is called a sect, we are just doing business. And this can be regarded as a lineage that connects the past and the future within the sect."

Kong Kong'er didn't hold back, and slowly put the two sword pellets together in his hand.

"For an assassin, there are three things that are most important."

"First, you must refine your sword intent to ensure it can unleash tremendous power and kill your opponent in one fell swoop. The goal is to strike with absolute certainty, and if it does, the opponent will die instantly."

"Secondly, it is about stealth and ensuring that you are not discovered by your enemies. Being an assassin is not about being a death knell, where you swing your sword and then ignore everything else. So before killing the enemy, the most important thing is to protect yourself."

"Thirdly, one must be quick-witted and capable. The people to be assassinated are often rich and noble, and they are also extremely skilled cultivators. Not only are they surrounded by layers of protection, but the meticulous ones will also set up many traps. Therefore, the assassin himself must be quick-witted to avoid getting caught in the trap."

"Isn't there a fourth one?"

The little fox asked with a smile.

"You mean you want money?"

Kongkong asked in return, while the little fox nodded repeatedly.

"Girl, if you can do the three things mentioned above, no one will dare not pay, unless they are really poor."

Kong Kong'er paused for a moment and then continued, "What I just demonstrated were the second and third points: stealth and agility. The two are inseparable. If an assassin abandons one of them, the other will inevitably be lost as well."

"What I'm going to teach you next is the Breathing Void Secret Technique of the Separation and Union Pavilion."

As Kongkong spoke, he made a brush with one hand, and the sword intent at his fingertips turned into a blue light, drawing a picture in the air.

(End of this chapter)