Yu Fei found a clip, placed a sheet of paper under it, and carefully broke off a third of the Nourishing Spirit Incense stick. He fixed it in place with the clip, lit it, and set it on his headboard.

Then, he sat cross-legged on his bed, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind.

The Nourishing Spirit Incense had a clear, lasting fragrance.

As Yu Fei inhaled the wisps of light blue smoke, he felt as if his brain was being submerged in a gentle, life-giving stream.

Yu Fei felt his mind being nourished, and the piercing pain, as if from being struck by a sharp sword, slowly subsided. He drifted into a state between sleep and wakefulness.

A long while later, Yu Fei woke up!

He felt surprisingly well, his mind refreshed and brimming with energy.

He glanced at the lit Nourishing Spirit Incense and saw it had only burned about halfway down.

He immediately went over and put out the incense.

’Just as I thought. The damage to my spirit wasn’t that severe.’

Staring at the remaining half of the Nourishing Spirit Incense, Yu Fei mused to himself.

’Should I train some more?’

Yu Fei caressed the Cyan Lotus Sword. If he tried a few more times, he was confident he could completely merge that trace of Sharpness into his Imagined Sword.

"Rise!"

As the sword seal between his fingers changed, the Cyan Lotus Sword slowly floated up.

"Command!"

Within his spiritual space, Yu Fei visualized a sword that was remarkably similar to the Cyan Lotus Sword in his hand and slashed forward.

Like a crescent moon, a snow-white, sharp Sword Intent instantly tore into Yu Fei’s spiritual space. Before the two could even make contact, Yu Fei’s Imagined Sword crumbled like tofu and dissipated into light.

"Ugh..."

SHINK!

The Cyan Lotus Sword fell onto the bed. Its sharp tip tore through the quilt, pierced the mattress, and embedded itself in the bedframe.

"Hiss..."

Yu Fei rubbed his temples with both hands. He had a headache—in every sense of the word.

’I got careless...’

He had forgotten just how sharp the sword was!

Yu Fei stared at the ruined bedding, on the verge of tears. His mom was going to kill him.

Having no other choice, Yu Fei changed the sheets and duvet cover. After all the trouble, he decided to take his sword downstairs to practice a few more times.

Like a thief in the night, Yu Fei furtively found an empty corner, dusted off the bluestone pavement, sat down cross-legged, and began his training.

"Command!"

In his spiritual space, the supremely sharp Cyan Lotus Sword Intent instantly struck. The blurry sword image was immediately shattered into a field of starry, fragmented light.

Yu Fei clutched his head and slammed it into a nearby tree.

"Hiss... This is so fucking painful!"

It took him a long time to recover. He stared blankly at the Cyan Lotus Sword on the ground. The details of the Cyan Lotus Sword Intent replayed in his mind as he continuously savored the agony of his condensed Spiritual Power being shattered.

’One more time. I can do this!’

Gritting his teeth, Yu Fei extended his trembling hands and formed the sword seal.

He finally understood. What bullshit Sword Nurturing Skill? What garbage Contemplation Skill? The core of the Green Lotus Sword Nourishing Skill was actually very simple.

He figured the person who created this Swordsmanship must have thought something like this:

’So, you want to master Sword Intent while in the Body Tempering Realm?’

’Hmm, getting yourself hacked to death by Sword Intent a few hundred or a few thousand times should do the trick!’

’Still can’t get it? Then make it ten thousand times!’

This Cultivation Technique had very little in common with a proper Contemplation Skill. Only the initial method of outlining the sword in one’s mind was part of the Contemplation Skill.

Normally, with a traditional Contemplation Skill, the Cyan Lotus Sword would be like a painting containing the divine core of the Cyan Lotus Sword Intent.

The practitioner would continuously observe and imitate the Sword Intent within it until they grasped it and it grew stronger.

However, there was a problem with this method: it was difficult for successors to comprehend a Sword Intent that surpassed the original master’s.

And so, the master of the Cyan Lotus Sword Intent had been utterly inhuman. He created a Cultivation Technique that forced one to battle against his own Sword Intent. For any successor, mastering it would mean their comprehension of the Cyan Lotus Sword Intent had surpassed that of the original master.

"Fuck!"

Yu Fei steeled himself. ’I have the Reverse Fate Pearl on my side! I’m destined to dominate this age. You think I can’t shatter your Cyan Lotus Sword Intent?’

"Come on!"

The three-foot-long sword slowly floated to a spot three inches from his brow. As if sensing his intense battlelust, the sword’s tip lifted slightly in a gesture of provocation!

"Command!"

SWOOSH~ Yu Fei focused his entire being, staring intently at the incomparably sharp Sword Intent within his spiritual space.

Supreme and distant, pure and swift!

With a single strike, it could divide all things, shattering everything in its path!

The essence of the Cyan Lotus Sword Intent was extremely powerful. It was only because the power it carried was incredibly weak that a learner could even contend with it.

Subconsciously, Yu Fei visualized a sliver of sharpness into the sword he had outlined.

In an instant, this sword, so similar to the Cyan Lotus Sword, seemed to come alive. It was like a toddler’s first, tentative step.

Carrying its own unique sharpness, it slashed toward the incoming Sword Intent.

But the result was no different from before; it was still shattered into brilliant light.

’No, it was different...’

Yu Fei clutched his head and squatted on the ground, a sound escaping him that was half-laugh, half-sob.

"It was different, haha!"

Because of his Super Speed Reaction talent, Yu Fei had clearly observed that within his spiritual space, his Imagined Sword had resisted for a brief moment before being shattered.

If before it had stood there dumbly waiting for death, now it had learned to make a fist. It knew how to fight back. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

This was crucial. It meant that his very own Sword Intent had sprouted!

Yu Fei rested for a good while. Without bothering to clean up his disheveled appearance, he staggered back home.

"Feifei, did you sneak off to train again!"

His father helped him to a seat, his face full of concern. He poured Yu Fei a glass of water and picked the bits of grass and leaves from his clothes.

Yu Fei waved his hand, drained the glass, and said:

"Dad, I’m fine. I know what I’m doing. This Cultivation Technique from Mr. Yan was passed down from a Grandmaster. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m confident I can master it. When I do, you can retire, drink tea, and enjoy music!"

Yu Zhiguo let out a long sigh, his heart aching as he looked at Yu Fei.

"I may want you to be successful, but I’d much rather you be safe and sound. Feifei, you have to take care of yourself!"

"Bro, what happened to you? You look so drained! Here, have some watermelon to replenish your energy."

Yu Wei carried over a plate of watermelon and placed it in front of him.

Yu Fei gave a bitter smile to himself.

"Don’t worry, I’m really fine. My mind is just a little drained. With the Nourishing Spirit Incense Mr. Yan left me, I’ll recover quickly."

’Family doesn’t care how successful you become; they only fear you’ll get hurt.’

He ate a piece of watermelon. The melons this time of year weren’t the best, but after a year away, the icy-sweet sensation was still a unique treat.

Yu Fei lit the remaining piece of Nourishing Spirit Incense. As the curling smoke enveloped him, his spirit rapidly recovered.

According to the description in the Green Lotus Sword Nourishing Skill, once one could incorporate the intent of sharpness, the Imagined Sword was no longer rootless. From then on, with every training session, the Sword Intent would grow a bit stronger.

Meanwhile, Yan Sea returned to his dorm and made a few phone calls. He needed a batch of special resources.

He hadn’t had such high expectations for Yu Fei before. He never imagined that Yu Fei would be so compatible with the Jie Sword lineage, so his preparations were now insufficient.

’Should I tell Senior Brother?’

Yan Sea was hesitant.

After the tragedy that year, the Jie Sword lineage was almost completely wiped out. Only fringe disciples like him and his Senior Brother had managed to survive by a stroke of luck.

’Better not. What happened back then was extremely suspicious. I don’t know if any of those bastards are still watching Senior Brother. It’s better to keep a low profile until Yu Fei is stronger. It’ll be slower, but it’ll be safer!’