Asura Emperor Venerable
Chapter 286: Three Realms

Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Three Realms

Shi Hao smiled and said, "Do you know that there are three realms in the Dao of the Blade?"

"What three realms?"

"Hehe, I only know there are many sword techniques, but I’ve never heard of any three realms."

"He’s obviously blabbering nonsense."

"Catch him, give him a few slaps, and drive him away."

"Right, don’t let him interfere with our discussion of the Dao of the Blade and waste time."

The crowd burst out, but still a few people showed a surprised expression, evidently, they had heard of these "three realms."

Liu Yulong then pressed his hand down, and everyone immediately quieted down. He spoke, and this time, his hostility was much less, "Continue."

"The first realm of the Dao of the Blade, the blade is in hand, the blade is in the heart," Shi Hao said.

Isn’t that nonsense?

If you have a blade in your hand, of course, you keep the blade in your heart, what sort of realm is that?

Everyone displayed a look of disdain, increasingly convinced that Shi Hao was spouting nonsense.

"The second realm of the Dao of the Blade is having no blade in hand, but keeping the blade in the heart," Shi Hao continued. As he said this, everyone was stunned; was that it?

Shi Hao indeed had no blade in his hand, but as long as he kept the blade in his heart, wasn’t it sufficient?

Moreover, he had reached the second realm of the Dao of the Blade, far surpassing their understanding.

Hmm, he must be babbling nonsense, no blade in hand, but a blade in the heart, what is that?

"Hehe, you really are good at quibbling, you think you can muddle through with that?"

"Just making up some nonsense, trying to fool us?"

"Don’t listen to his blatant lies anymore, drive him out!"

Many people shouted, each drawing their blades, eyes wide with anger.

Liu Yulong once again calmed everyone down, slowly saying, "Indeed, the second realm of sword technique is having no blade in hand, but keeping the blade in the heart. However, this doesn’t prove that you are a Swordsman, because anyone, even a Swordsman, could claim to keep a blade in their heart."

Really, there are such realms?

The crowd was astonished; had it not been Liu Yulong himself saying it, they would have never believed it.

Strange, why had they never heard about it before?

Shi Hao smiled and looked towards Liu Yulong, suddenly, a wave of blade energy surged, attacking Liu Yulong.

Liu Yulong also stirred up his momentum, moving to meet Shi Hao’s attack.

As the two auras collided, each sensed the opponent’s blade intent.

It is said that cultivating the Dao of the Blade to a minor accomplishment level results in an aura of infinite power, which, although it cannot directly shatter mountains or split rivers, can suppress people’s hearts or even sever souls, truly terrifying.

Of course, both Shi Hao and Liu Yulong were still too far from such a realm; the auras they emitted merely imposed some pressure.

This is what it means to have no blade in hand, but keep the blade in the heart; what is cultivated is the essence of the blade.

—As long as there is a blade in the heart, the blade intent emitted can sever will and shatter souls without engaging in battle.

Shi Hao and Liu Yulong were both advancing towards this realm, but first, their mastery of the Dao of the Blade hadn’t reached such a level, and second, their realms weren’t high enough, so that was all they could manage.

However, this made it clear to Liu Yulong that Shi Hao was not spouting nonsense; he was indeed a Swordsman, and moreover, far stronger than the majority of the "Swordsmen" around.

"Please sit." Liu Yulong nodded towards Shi Hao, his expression immediately softened.

Shi Hao nodded and sat on the ground.

Su Manman was disdainful, crossed her arms behind her back, and started to wander around.

Seeing that Liu Yulong had accepted Shi Hao, though most people still found it inexplicable, they also accepted it eventually.

"Young Master Liu, what is the third realm of the Dao of the Blade?" someone asked Liu Yulong.

"Yes, I want to know as well."

"Young Master Liu, please tell us."

The others chanted in agreement. This was something they had never known, and knowing the first two realms but not the third made them itch with curiosity.

Liu Yulong pondered for a moment and then said, "The third realm of the Dao of the Blade is having a blade in the heart, where all things can be a blade."

Upon hearing this, the crowd was initially stunned, followed by a tingling sensation on their scalps.

This statement was not hard to understand; reaching such a realm meant being able to turn a leaf into a blade, pick up a stone from the roadside to use as a blade, or even use a strand of hair as a blade. This was the sublimation of Saber Intent, no longer confined to the form of a blade.

However, was there truly someone in the world who had reached such a realm?

Seeing many people expressing skepticism, Liu Yulong laughed and said, "Do you know what blade Sword Emperor used to create Falling Blade Gorge?"

"It must have been Sword Emperor’s standard blade, Dragon-Breaking Sword!" someone guessed.

Liu Yulong shook his head. "According to historical records, Sword Emperor did not even draw a blade. He simply used his hand as a blade and split this mountain open, diverting the Cang River."

Hiss, a chorus of gasps rang out.

Using hand as a blade?

That a body of flesh and blood could emit such terrifying blade energy to split an entire mountain?

For a moment, everyone exhibited a look of wistful longing, regretting not having been born a hundred years earlier to witness that unparalleled stroke of the blade with their own eyes.

"With the Sword Emperor’s strength and realm, even a hundred years later, he must still be in this world."

"Since Sword Emperor had once been here, perhaps he will come again."

"Right, we still have a chance to meet Sword Emperor."

Liu Yulong smiled. "All right, let’s not discuss this now. Let’s continue discussing the Dao of the Blade."

The crowd then pulled back from their reverie and resumed the previous topic.

Shi Hao was not paying attention to the crowd; he was sitting cross-legged, sensing the blade energy, and then nodding in his mind.

Why was a pavilion built here?

Because this was where the blade energy was the strongest yet least destructive, making it the most appropriate place to sense the Sword Emperor’s mood and observe.

Indeed, even if the martial arts level of the Eastern Fire Continent was not high, it definitely did not lack geniuses who keenly discovered this point.

Shi Hao decided to stay here for a few days, which would surely advance his sword technique significantly.

This improvement would be at the level of mood because he was no longer confined to a specific type of sword technique.

The crowd discussed tirelessly, forgetting sleep and food, eating some dry food and drinking some water when truly hungry or tired, sleeping on the rocks for a while, and continuing the discussion upon waking up.

Shi Hao did not speak, nor did he listen to the crowd’s discussion; he was simply silently sensing the blade energy.

He held the memories of Yuan Chengmie and had inherited his vision, yet because Yuan Chengmie did not specialize in the Dao of the Blade, his blade skills could only be considered average.

But this ’average’ was relative to Heaven Building Ladder; when compared to Other Shore or even the Self-Observation level, it was an absolute crush.

He was gradually reaching a wonderful state, and several days later, he felt he was touching a certain barrier. If he could cross it, his sword technique would surely undergo a qualitative improvement.

The second realm of the Dao of the Blade, no blade in hand, but a blade in heart!