Volume 2 - Chapter 57: Swiftly Conquering Liang Province - Part 2
"I’ll give it a try."
Li Hao spoke.
Lu Chunsheng, hearing this, glanced at him, then stepped aside with a nod.
"Though I hope you surpass him, the rules cannot be broken. You only have ten chances to observe the Heavenly Shadow Monument."
"Understood."
Li Hao fixed his gaze on the top-ranked Heavenly Shadow Monument, watching as the projection of Jian Wudao, a middle-aged swordsman, raised his sword.
Despite the separation of the stone monument, even the mere projection emitted a mighty sword intent that surged toward Li Hao.
The sword light suddenly slashed forward as if it could pierce through the monument itself.
The sword energy was fluid and enduring, like it drifted through the vast void, restrained yet sharp.
Li Hao watched silently, and soon, a notification appeared on the panel.
Li Hao chose to record it.
Although the sword technique executed by Jian Wudao differed significantly from the others on the Heavenly Shadow Monuments, in the face of the panel’s Dao comprehension, all techniques were equal.
As it was recorded, Li Hao learned the name of this sword technique:
"Sixteen Rhythms"
It was an unusual name, seemingly unrelated to swordsmanship, instead resembling something from calligraphy or musical notation.
Li Hao was surprised, but the panel’s recording was never wrong. Perhaps this truly was the original name of the sword technique.
At this moment, the panel had already deduced the technique to its true form level.
Furthermore, the panel had extrapolated additional moves, advancing the sword technique to the ninth move.
The sword moves previously demonstrated by Jian Wudao had only included three.
Lu Chunsheng had mentioned that this sword technique, even with just one and a half moves, was already classified as an absolute-grade sword technique.
The remaining one and a half moves had been deduced by Jian Wudao himself.
Now, relying on his mastery of the sixth stage of the Sword Dao, Li Hao had extended those three moves to nine.
Li Hao speculated that Jian Wudao’s comprehension of the Sword Dao back then must have been around the fourth stage.
"With my level of the Sword Dao, I still can’t perfect this sword technique..."
Li Hao’s expression turned serious.
The deduced sword techniques were already integrated into his memory. Li Hao could sense the profundity of this sword technique, imbued with a subtle and mysterious rhythm.
Having already reached the fourth stage of the Dao of Music, Li Hao now faintly felt that the sword technique's original form might not have been a sword technique at all but rather a kind of musical rhythm.
Perhaps someone had once listened to it, recorded its Dao rhythm, and then refined it into a sword technique.
If this were true, the peculiar name might finally make sense.
But what kind of musical rhythm could enable someone to extract its Dao rhythm and condense it into a peerless sword technique?
Li Hao’s heart brimmed with curiosity and yearning as another thought occurred to him:
When his mastery of the Dao of Music reached a certain level in the future, would he be able to produce the original sound of this sword technique?
And if he could achieve that, might the music he played transform into other supreme techniques?
Li Hao reined in his thoughts, taking a deep breath as he gazed at the Heavenly Shadow Monument. He stepped back slightly before swinging the withered branch in his hand, unleashing all nine sword moves in succession.
The sword intent resembled a melodious ancient tune, dynamic and undulating, with each strike carrying an origin-seeking force and momentum.
Around Li Hao, faint resonances arose between heaven and earth—this was the true form of the technique, capable of eliciting the harmony of the heavens and earth!
Not far away, Lu Chunsheng was utterly stunned.
Although he wasn’t a practitioner of the Sword Dao, he could see how terrifying the sword technique Li Hao displayed was.
He even felt a sense of helplessness, as if he couldn’t withstand it. If they were in the same realm, Li Hao could defeat him in an instant, leaving no room for resistance!
The sword light stretched on endlessly. By the time Li Hao finished all nine moves, the withered branch in his hand shattered into ashes.
On the Heavenly Shadow Monument, something seemed to break. The figure of Jian Wudao vanished, replaced by the youthful image of Li Hao performing the sword technique.
Nine Swords True Form.
To surpass it, only Jian Wudao himself could attempt it now—and even then, it would be a slim possibility.
Lu Chunsheng regained his senses, looking at the young man before him in awe. Initially harboring only faint hope that Li Hao might create another miracle, he had just witnessed one far beyond anything he could have imagined!
Merely by observing it once, Li Hao had practiced this absolute-grade sword technique to its true form level.
Moreover, he seemed to have deduced follow-up moves, seamlessly connecting them to the original technique—a feat beyond belief!
Li Hao exhaled slowly, feeling a slight mental strain as he absorbed the sword technique.
Having recorded numerous manuals from Tianji Tower and absorbed dozens of techniques from the Heavenly Shadow Monument in one day, his mind felt overloaded.
He needed time to sort through his thoughts and memories.
"Tower Master Lu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll return to Tianmen Pass for now," Li Hao said to Lu Chunsheng.
Lu Chunsheng was startled and quickly replied, "Would you not stay a few more days? You’ve just arrived and likely haven’t seen the sights of Yongzhou yet. We at Tianji Tower also have a special training ground..."
Li Hao shook his head slightly. "There’s plenty of time for that in the future. Tower Master Lu, you know I oversee Tianmen Pass and have provoked several demon kings. I worry that if word of my absence spreads, they might vent their rage on the people of Cangya City."
The current Tianmen Pass was no longer his solitary outpost.
Cangya City had grown prosperous, with not only young talents coming to make a name for themselves but also many merchants and refugees seeking shelter.
If the city fell, countless lives would be lost.
Hearing Li Hao’s explanation, Lu Chunsheng knew he couldn’t persuade him to stay.
After all, Li Hao was a general with military duties, and the border populace’s safety was at stake.
"In that case, allow me to see you off," Lu Chunsheng offered.
Li Hao nodded, not refusing.
The two took to the skies, flying out of Tianji Tower.
When Lu Chunsheng had initially sent the Tianji Hermit to greet Li Hao, he hadn’t expected this young man to possess such extraordinary comprehension. Now, he realized that Li Hao was not merely a junior but someone who would soon stand as his equal—or even surpass him.
His perspective shifted from offering a token of goodwill to earnestly seeking to form a genuine connection with Li Hao.
...
At the foot of the mountain dojo, the disciples of Tianji Tower watched as their Tower Master and the young man departed. For a long while, they stood in stunned silence.