In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 249 With unwavering focus of mind, the sword's intent reigns supreme in heaven and earth.

In response to Gu Shaoan's question, Sun Baifa exhaled smoke from his mouth and asked, "Kid, tell me about your current situation first!"

Knowing what Sun Baifa meant, Gu Shaoan said as usual, "When you first hold a sword, you only have sword moves in your mind. If you have a sword in your hand but no sword in your heart, the sword is dead."

"Having held the sword for several months, I have the sword in my hand and the sword moves in my mind, but I am still bound by the moves."

"Having wielded the sword for ten years, I have a sword in my hand, a sword in my heart, and sword techniques hidden in my mind."

At this point, Gu Shaoan paused, then said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Even now, we're still stuck here."

There are priorities.

Over the years, Gu Shaoan has practiced and used swords.

However, the focus has never been solely on specializing in swordsmanship.

Therefore, even after ten years, Gu Shaoan only reached the first level of swordsmanship.

It also represents the level of swordsmanship achieved by 90% of sword practitioners in the martial arts world.

The ability to create a martial art like the "Emei Sword Manual" was entirely due to the "Martial Arts Enlightenment Card".

However, if Gu Shaoan were to rely on his own deduction to create subsequent sword moves of the "Emei Sword Manual," it would be too difficult given his current level of swordsmanship.

The best solution is undoubtedly to improve Gu Shaoan's own swordsmanship.

If Gu Shaoan's swordsmanship can also reach the realm of oneness with the sword, creating the tenth or even eleventh swords in the "Emei Sword Manual" would be a natural outcome.

The Way is above, which everyone can look up to; but the path is ahead, yet there is no way to step on it. It is like a mirage, a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water, a door that cannot be entered.

The path of the sword is vast and boundless. If one wishes to improve one's swordsmanship, one must inevitably spend a great deal of time sincerely exploring the gates of the sword path.

To shorten this time is tantamount to seeking guidance from those who came before.

Upon hearing this, Sun Baifa nodded and said, "Judging from the sword move you used earlier, you have indeed entered the first level of swordsmanship, the level of having a sword in hand and having a sword in heart."

"This one step alone puts him ahead of 90% of his peers in the world."

The so-called "having a sword in one's heart" does not mean having sword techniques in one's mind.

Just like a beginner swordsman, all they have in mind is the sword moves and routines of their own sword practice.

Take the Sunset Sword Technique as an example.

Even if the "Sunset Sword Technique" can achieve "perfect smoothness," it is only the highest level of sword technique cultivation.

It still can't be considered that he has a sword in his heart.

The so-called "having a sword in one's heart" refers to the mindset of having a sword.

It refers to the fact that when a swordsman holds a sword in his hand, he has only one thing in his mind.

"The sword itself"

Just like a few years ago, when Gu Shaoan grasped the Heaven-Slaying Sword, all of Gu Shaoan's spirit and intention were not scattered on the key points of the sword-wielding movements, but were condensed into a whole.

At this moment, the Heaven-Slaying Sword was no longer just a cold weapon to Gu Shaoan, but had become the sole extension of his spirit and will.

With the longsword in hand, as the blade cut through the air, Gu Shaoan could even feel the subtle resistance of the blade cutting through the air, anticipating everything it would encounter along its trajectory.

Only by achieving this state of "unwavering focus of mind and spirit, where the sword's intent exists solely amidst heaven and earth."

Even with Gu Shaoan's "proficiency panel," it still took him nearly seven years to reach this level.

The level of difficulty is self-evident.

At this moment, Sun Baifa spoke up: "When the mind is as firm as a rock, it is condensed into a single thought, solely focused on the sword, and this is called the sword thought. And this sword thought is the monument of the sword in the heart of the sword practitioner, and the sword practitioner's sword moves, sword principles, and sword techniques are all contained within it."

At this point, Sun Baifa shook his head and said, "Although this sword intent is a monument, it is also a cage. Once the sword intent is generated, it will also bind the sword practitioner's thoughts, spirit, and even all agile changes within it."

"If one cannot break free from the cage formed by this sword intent, then the path of swordsmanship for the rest of one's life will come to an end here."

"Only by breaking through this barrier can one glimpse the second realm: having a sword in hand, but no sword in heart."

Gu Shaoan cupped his hands and said, "This junior is all ears."

After carefully considering his words, Sun Baifa said, "Having a sword in hand but no sword in heart" does not mean that the swordsman should abandon their sword intent, but rather that this "solid and heavy" sword intent should be cultivated from a tangible "monument" to an intangible "flow."

As he said this, he raised and lowered his wrist with remarkable ease, and the pipe moved forward silently.

This lifting and releasing was extremely fast.

It also has an indescribable sense of fluidity.

Even when Sun Baifa deliberately slowed down the movements during his demonstration, Huang Xuemei and Sun Xiaohong could only barely see it clearly.

"laugh!"

The next instant, in the three people's sight, a thin, withered grass stem, drifting in the wind, seemed to hit an invisible wall three feet away from the pipe head, silently breaking in two and falling to the dust.

When Sun Baifa completed this action, his eyes were calm and unwavering, and he didn't even focus on the grass stem.

Sun Baifa's gaze fell on Gu Shaoan, and he asked, "Did you see clearly?"

Gu Shaoan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Sun Baifa continued, "Just now, I didn't visualize the shape of the staff in my mind, nor did I calculate how much force I should exert or how fast I should go!"

He tapped his chest with his withered fingers. “It’s not that I have no sword intent, but that this ‘sword intent’ has already seeped into my entire body like mercury, permeating every bone, muscle, and skin. As soon as the thought arises, my body moves with the sword. When I move, my mind has already arrived. The thought is formless and intangible, leaving no trace.”

"The release and withdrawal of sword intent rely entirely on instinct, without the need for conscious thought to 'command' it. This is called 'no sword in the heart.' This is no ordinary state. One must refine that solid 'tangible sword intent' through countless trials until it is perfectly integrated with the body's reactions, and the body follows the thought."

After pondering for a moment, Gu Shaoan said, "This is somewhat similar to the theory of martial arts touching on the concept of transforming one's mind into a domain."

Upon hearing the example Gu Shaoan gave, Sun Baifa glanced at Gu Shaoan in surprise.

He then exclaimed, "Your comprehension is truly astonishing."

"Indeed, in terms of the second stage of swordsmanship alone, it is indeed very similar to the theory of martial arts reaching the point of transforming the domain with intention."

"Therefore, if a martial artist can reach the level of 'using intention to transform the domain' in a martial art, and if they also use weapons, it is not too difficult to reach this level by analogy."

"This is why most top-tier martial arts masters in the world possess extremely high levels of skill in weaponry." After a slight pause, Sun Baifa continued, "And beyond this 'having a sword in hand, but no sword in heart'..."

As he spoke, Sun Baifa slowly closed his eyes, his breath becoming almost imperceptible in an instant. He was like an ancient stone sinking into a deep pool, and the pipe in his hand seemed to lose its "presence." It was no longer a separate object, but had completely merged with his withered hands, slightly hunched shoulders, and calm aura, becoming one with him.

At that moment, Gu Shaoan clearly sensed that the subtle yet undeniably real "intention" emanating from Sun Baifa had changed.

Even when demonstrating "No Sword in the Heart," Sun Baifa always carried a special staff intent, giving his withered figure a towering momentum.

At this moment, the overwhelming aura emanating from Sun Baifa completely vanished.

To be more precise, this overwhelming momentum has been completely contained.

At that moment, his right hand, which was holding the pipe, trembled slightly without warning, as if a gentle breeze were blowing through the willow branches.

"Om-"

The next instant, the Yitian Sword in Gu Shaoan's hand emitted a clear, short, and sharp sword cry, like the sound of jade shattering, from its sheath.

Gu Shaoan turned his face slightly to the side.

In that instant, Gu Shaoan was certain that Sun Baifa had not used any internal energy.

Instead, a wisp of inexplicable and special energy quietly swept past the Heaven-Slaying Sword in his hand.

It was this special energy that caused the Heaven Sword to resonate.

Opening his eyes, Sun Baifa's somewhat hoarse voice, as if from years of smoking, rang out again.

"When a swordsman enters the third level of the state of oneness with the sword and forgetting the self and the object, the swordsman's sword intent will be transformed again, transforming into a kind of "mental perception" that transcends ordinary senses, a kind of "spirituality" that is completely connected and integrated with the mind and intention of the weapon in hand."

"It is precisely because of this transformed sword intent that not only can the swordsman's swordsmanship reach a level of subtlety, but also that martial artists who have entered this level can vaguely perceive, guide, and influence the surrounding forces of heaven and earth."

"By fusing sword intent with the weapon in hand, and then using the sword as an extension of the body, one can sense the most subtle changes in the trajectory of the universe, and even influence the power of the universe."

As he spoke, Sun Baifa's gaze suddenly fell on a withered leaf that was being blown about by the wind in the night sky.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Shaoan discovered that Sun Baifa's presence had completely dissipated in the wilderness, and even the pipe in his hand seemed to have "disappeared".

The next instant, the tip of the pipe that had "disappeared" in Sun Baifa's hand appeared with extreme precision on the trajectory of the swirling dead leaves and touched it lightly.

"puff!"

Without any force, without any hard impact! The withered leaf was held up as if by the gentlest breeze, all its rolling and tumbling instantly vanished, and it hovered there so strangely, extremely steadily, and motionlessly on the dark tobacco pipe head.

The wind is still blowing, but the leaves are not falling.

Sun Baifa turned his pipe, letting the withered leaves slowly drift down from the sky.

"Those truly outstanding sword masters often close their eyes and concentrate for a moment before unleashing their life's power to deliver a fatal blow. Do you think they're just putting on an act?"

"That is to allow them to completely calm their minds, merge their sword thoughts with the sword in their hands, let their minds blend with the surrounding world, and then let themselves strike the sword in accordance with the power of the world, like sailing with the current, so that their sword strike is completely integrated with the power of the world."

After taking a few more puffs of his pipe, Sun Baifa said, "It is said that someone once successfully reached the realm of man and sword as one, and was able to use his sword thoughts to guide ten thousand swords back to their origin."

"During the Warring States period, that Yue woman also once broke through a thousand swords with a single sword, her strength had already reached the realm of transcendence and sainthood."

"Although I practice staff techniques instead of sword techniques, all weapons in the world, though their true meanings differ, share the same level of mastery."

After listening to Sun Baifa's explanation, Sun Xiaohong muttered, "It doesn't sound too difficult!"

Sun Baifa glanced at Sun Xiaohong and said, "Nonsense, it's easy to talk when you're standing up, but looking at the entire Great Wei Kingdom, the number of people who can reach a state of unity between man and sword, forgetting themselves and the object, is at most two hands."

"Anyone who can step into this realm will definitely increase their strength greatly. Even if their internal energy cultivation is only at the Qi Condensation stage, they will still be able to join the ranks of top experts."

Sun Xiaohong stuck out her tongue and said, "I just said it offhand!"

Faced with his granddaughter, Sun Baifa could only roll his eyes.

Then, looking at Gu Shaoan, he said, "If this old man is not mistaken, you usually can't manipulate the power of heaven and earth unless you use the sword technique you just used, right?"

Gu Shaoan nodded and said, "Senior has keen insight."

The power of heaven and earth is not something ordinary.

It is already quite remarkable to be able to use the sword techniques of the "Emei Sword Manual" to draw upon the power of heaven and earth and transform it into one's own.

Normally, without using the "Emei Sword Manual," Gu Shaoan is indeed unable to manipulate the power of heaven and earth.

Sun Baifa continued, "Even I am awestruck by your strength and foundation. With your current strength, you can rank among the top ten among the first-class masters in the entire Great Wei Kingdom. I am not underestimating you, but every well-known first-class master has their own trump card and strength. Before the result is out, no one dares to predict the outcome or life or death."

“Take our sparring just now as an example. It seemed like I won, but when you used that strange force to absorb my palm power at the beginning, if it were a life-or-death battle, and I didn’t know your methods, that one mistake would have been enough to decide life or death. There wouldn’t have been any fighting after that.”

"However, if your swordsmanship can also reach the level of oneness with the sword and forgetting the self, your strength will definitely reach a higher level."

After listening to Sun Baifa's words, Gu Shaoan kept thinking about what Sun Baifa had said.

Seeing Gu Shaoan's reaction, Sun Baifa said, "You are so young to have reached the 'Domain' level in a martial art, which shows your talent."

"For others, it might be extremely difficult to step into the second realm of swordsmanship, but for you, there is a shortcut."

Gu Shaoan's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Please give me your guidance, senior."

Sun Baifa said in a deep voice, "Practice the sword ten thousand times, and you will understand the way of the sword."

"Integrate your martial arts of 'Transforming the Domain of Intent' into your sword moves, and use it ten thousand times. As soon as the thought arises, the internal energy within your body will generate the sword moves accordingly. That will be considered a success."

"This only applies to someone like you, who has already entered the first level of swordsmanship and has a martial art that has reached the level of 'manifesting intent'."

Thinking of Sun Baifa's description of the second level of swordsmanship, Gu Shaoan's thoughts quickly turned and he immediately understood Sun Baifa's meaning.

He immediately cupped his hands and said, "This junior understands, thank you for your guidance, senior."

Upon seeing this, Sun Baifa's eyelids twitched.

"This kid actually figured it out so quickly?"

With the path of sword cultivation becoming clear again, Gu Shaoan was in high spirits.

After calming his thoughts, Gu Shaoan looked at Sun Baifa and asked, "My problem has been resolved. If there's anything else you need, please feel free to ask."

　This chapter took a long time to work on! The sword spirit setting was finally finalized, and I hope you all like it! The next chapter will be at 10:30!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)