The moment the two swords connected, there actually was none of the jarring clang of two metals ringing, but rather more like a sharp knife going through wood! A low sc.r.a.ping sound was heard, and 'shua', the reflective surface of Ling Jian's original sword was sliced into two!

"Sssss…" All those behind Ling Jian took in a sharp breath of cold air! Who would have thought that just by adding a minute amount of black iron into a sword, that it would result in such unparalleled keenness! Such a G.o.dly weapon was only heard of in the legends, but was now displayed in reality for all to see!

Ling Jian then grinned as he approached Ling Tian. But just as he was about to speak, he was surprisingly cut off by Ling Tian, who said, "No need to say anything, I know your intentions. From today on, you shall only use the broken sword. None of these blades will belong to you, for you do not treasure your companion weapon at all."

"AH?!" Ling Jian was stunned silly. He could not help but plead, "Young n.o.ble…" Ever since the blades were sent over, Ling Jian already started to have his designs. As an a.s.sa.s.sin, who would doubt his fanaticism over a good blade! However, Ling Tian had never once approached this place during the last few days, and thus, even if you gave Ling Jian a million points of courage, he still would not dare to sneak one out for himself!

Finally, he managed to lure Ling Tian in here today. Ling Jian originally thought that he stood a good chance to carry out his scheme and sliced his sword in half, sending the signal to Ling Tian that his sword was already broken, thus would the young n.o.ble please gift me a new one?

How would he know that his intentions were already completely seen through by Ling Tian? Thus, before Ling Jian could speak, Ling Tian had already cut in and condemned him to use his broken sword. Ling Jian stared at the two halves, not knowing whether to laugh or cry...

Ling Chen burst out into laughter, "Serves you right, little Jian! Who asked you to try to play the young n.o.ble for a fool! This is karma!"

"La.s.s Chen, you…" Ling Jian rolled his eyes and was ready to retort back, but then he realized everything that happened was his own fault, and could only hang his head down low.

Ling Tian stared at Ling Jian for a while, before suddenly sighing, "Ling Jian, as an a.s.sa.s.sin, the sword is akin to your second life! And your current sword had already followed you for a good six years, helping you to reap over a thousand lives! You could even say that, in this world, the one most loyal to you was your sword! But to think you could heartlessly just snap your sword in two? Don't you have any sentimental value towards it?"

"Young n.o.ble, I… I..." Ling Jian was speechless at the moment, and could only lower his head further!

"An a.s.sa.s.sin not only has to be true to himself but also true to his sword! One sword in hand, the heavens and earth are mine! This is what I mean! If an a.s.sa.s.sin is not true to his sword, then his way of the sword will never achieve great success! This is something which you must understand on your own! However, the moment you break through this, then your sword moves, sword skills, and even your sword itself will gain a sort of sentience! At that point, this would be the small success stage of the way of the sword!" Ling Tian slowly spoke.

"This is the step one needs to take to enter the realm of the sword!" As Ling Tian turned to walk out, he left behind a sentence, "When you have understood the feelings of your broken sword, then come and look for me for a new sword!"

"Ling Chen, Feng, Yun, Lei, Dian, Chi and the rest, everyone is ent.i.tled to one sword. All of you can come and choose your own, as for the remaining six, they will be left here. This includes the sword reserved for Ling Jian. However, if he fails to meet my expectations, then that sword will remain buried here for all eternity!" Ling Tian harshly spoke. He raised up two fingers before continuing, "I'll only give you two days worth of time! After two days, come to the residence for me to test your way of the sword!"

However, it seemed as though Ling Jian did not hear his last sentence. His eyes were fixed on the two broken halves of his sword, a complex expression hung upon his face. It looked like a mix between joy and sadness, as though he was going insane...

Upon retrieving a sword, Ling Chen could not bear but approach Ling Jian upon seeing his desolate look. However, she was immediately pulled aside by Ling Tian, who whispered to her, "Don't disturb him, it's his best time for him to comprehend the way of the sword currently. If his thoughts are disrupted, then all his previous efforts will come to naught, and he will find it difficult to further his realm in future!"

Ling Chen suddenly realized, "Young n.o.ble actually wanted to use this chance to let him further his sword path!"

"That's right!" Ling Tian nodded. "If I can allow him to comprehend this layer of the way of the sword, this can allow him to achieve the state of 'man and sword as one'!" Turning to the others, he instructed, "In the next three days, no one is to step into this secret chamber, and all are to keep a distance of fifty feet from it! Ling Lei, Ling Dian, you guys are to guard this place! Those who do not heed my warning, kill first before asking! Is that clear?"

Ling Lei and Ling Dian let out sounds of a.s.sent, before a.s.suming their positions, standing unmoving.

Ling Tian eyed the secret chamber quietly, and said in a low voice, "The lands are getting chaotic! Ling Jian, you're my sharpest as well as most loyal sword! I hope that you will not betray my trust and can turn into a real sword! Only in this way can you help me!"

In the dark of the night, Ling Tian and Ling Chen rode on a horse, leaving the place and returning to Sky Bearing.

"Young n.o.ble, what is the way of the sword?"

"Way of the sword is exactly as such. There's no what to talk about! You can only comprehend it on your own!"

"Are there differences in the way of the sword?"

"Of course, there are different layers. Man and Sword as one is just a lower layer in the way of the sword."

"Then what is the highest state one can achieve?"

"This can only be comprehended on your own. If I tell you now, it will only disrupt your mental state, and it serves no purpose whatsoever."

"But doesn't the NanGong Family's Sword G.o.d Manual also boast of man and sword as one at the final stage? Even Ye BaiFei and Shui QianRou also reached the stage of man and sword as one. In that case, isn't it simple to reach this realm?"

"Their so-called man and sword as one is actually nothing but a joke. The moment Ling Jian comprehends the way, you will naturally understand what is the true 'man and sword as one'!"

"Then when can I achieve that stage like little Jian?"

"You?" In the darkness, Ling Tian's voice sounded indistinct, "When you actually begin to kill, maybe you will immediately comprehend it. A sword without the stain of blood can never reach the stage of man and sword as one…"

"Oh..."

These few days, Third Master Yu felt that he had actually lived the first half of his life in vain. Even as the respectable third master of the number one aristocratic family, he felt that the past few days had been the best, as though he was an immortal indulging in life. Every meal of his was accompanied by a vat of wine, and the most surprising thing was that even after drinking for six days straight, he had yet to meet a duplicate type of wine! This led a wine addict like the third master to feel as though he had already entered the heavens!

What a paradise! These three words were repeated like a mantra before every meal that Third Master Yu ate. Furthermore, with the improvement of Ling Chi and group, there was no need for all of them to go against Third Master Yu together, and only two were needed to handle him currently. This was also another part that greatly satisfied him, unlike when he was at home and everyone avoided him like the plague.

"Third Master, the Family Head has sent a letter over, it's a secret missive!" Xue Leng walked out of the room, holding a small circular bamboo pipe.

"What bullsh*t missive, is it to ridicule the fact that this old man cannot read? Hurry and read it out." Yu ManTian waved his hand casually, not even putting the fact that it was a secret in his heart. The only thought in his heart was 'What sort of wine is that kid going to bring for me tonight?' With the thought of wine, he had already started to uncontrollably salivate.

"This is an order only for my third brother; that he is to immediately work on promoting kins.h.i.+p between the Ling and Yu Families. No matter what, he has to finish this as soon as possible. No form of negligence or tardiness is to be permitted…" After reading the first paragraph, Xue Leng was already tongue-tied.

Just what was going on? Could it be that the impact of the Ling Family could be larger than the Water of Heavenly Wind? Or else, why would the family head go ahead with the proposal regardless of the circ.u.mstances?

"What kind of meaning is big brother trying to say? What was that about promoting something?" Yu ManTian put up a leg as he spoke, scratching his head. The self-proclaimed erudite and elegant Third Master was actually someone who knew what he was capable of, he knew that he would not be able to read it and hence did not even bother to give it much thought. Since he had to pa.s.s it over to Xue Leng for interpretation no matter what, he decided to save his spa.r.s.e brain cells from the trouble. As for his own elder brother, Yu ManTian always looked up to him and was awkward around him. This was not because he feared his brother, but rather because he was afraid that his brother would spew some intellectual gibberish and befuddle him. Every time they had a discussion, it either ended with his brother chewing him out or him being slowly lulled to sleep.

"Family Head wishes you to represent him in proposing to the Ling Family and betroth Miss Yu to Ling Tian. As for her t.i.tle, you are to fight for the best possible!" Xue Leng slowly spoke. At the end, he added in a little of his own thoughts, making Yu ManTian fight for his niece's position. In Yu ManLou's original missive, he did not even care what position she got.

"Oh haha, that's easy for me!" Yu ManTian stood up saying, "I'll go look for that fellow now. I've long thought of him as my nephew-in-law, so now that big brother has agreed, what does this mean? This shows that my foresight is as good as my brother's! Old Xue, to think that us brothers could come to the same conclusion for the first time after so many years, what a rare occurrence," Third Master Yu replied pleasantly, having the sort of feeling that could only be described as 'great minds think alike'. He even dreamed that he was close to approaching his eldest brother's level!

If Yu ManLou were to be able to read his thoughts, most likely this youngest brother would end up being scolded and beaten up again...

Xue Leng stood there in shock for a moment, before realizing that Yu ManTian had already walked out of the door. He immediately rushed out, shouting, "Third Master, this sort of marriage proposal has to be discussed with the elders of the family too, not just Ling Tian himself…." He suddenly stuttered to a halt, for he found out that Yu ManTian's shadow had long disappeared. Just by fighting with the five Ling brothers the last few days, without concentrating on the improvement of his cultivation or martial skills, even his movement techniques were already far beyond what they had been before...