In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 428 Returning a favor is always the way.

Meeting the subtle change in their gazes, Gu Shaoan didn't mince words and said directly, "After a martial artist's swordsmanship enters the realm of oneness with the sword, it can further enhance the martial artist's control over sword moves and their own internal energy. The sword is born with the thought, which indeed greatly improves the martial artist's strength."

"However, the biggest change is in the swordsman's sword intent."

"When sword intent reaches the point of oneness with the sword, sword intent can be controlled by a person just like qi, and can also draw upon the power of heaven and earth to greatly enhance the power of a martial artist's moves."

"But once you reach the state of oneness with the sword, the biggest change in sword intent is that with a single thought, sword intent can fall to the ground like mercury; the thought can fall to the ground."

Before he could finish speaking, the sword pellet inside Gu Shaoan's body trembled slightly.

In an instant, both Sun Xiaohong and Gu Santong felt as if every inch of their skin and the space around them were wrapped in an extremely thin layer, silent and colorless, yet omnipresent.

Sun Xiaohong, who was the weakest, couldn't help but shiver.

Gu Santong and Sun Baifa were carefully sensing the sword intent that filled the surroundings.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan spoke up: "When the sword intent instantly fills the surroundings, it is no longer just my sword intent, but a range, which I call the Sword Domain."

"Within this sword domain, my sword intent is omnipresent, and my perception will instantly increase several times. Any movement of the enemy will be slowed down several times in my sword intent. Just like a chess player, the moment the enemy makes a move, I already know where you are going to place your piece, thus anticipating the enemy's moves."

Sun Baifa's fingers paused lightly on the pipe, and he understood why he had felt that Gu Shaoan had seen through all his guesses and attacks when he was facing Gu Shaoan earlier.

Gu Santong muttered, "This feeling is similar to the state of martial arts when one reaches the point of 'manifesting one's intention'."

Gu Shaoan nodded and said, "That's right! In this respect alone, they may look similar, but in reality they are worlds apart."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan raised the bamboo branch in his hand, and at the same time, a bamboo leaf was slowly moved to his right by Gu Shaoan's control.

Gu Shaoan gently tapped the bamboo branch in his hand to the left.

The next moment, to the astonishment of Sun Baifa and the other two, the bamboo leaf hanging to Gu Shaoan's right suddenly turned into dust and scattered with the wind.

"How did you do this?"

After regaining his senses, Gu Santong immediately asked.

Gu Shaoan replied, "This is a characteristic of the Sword Domain. The martial art of transforming the domain with intention involves using the Qi of the body in conjunction with one's own martial arts to fill the body with energy. After transforming the domain with intention, the condensed energy can only be as gentle as a drizzle, but the sword intent is like mercury spilling onto the ground, penetrating everywhere."

"For example, my sword domain can now reach a range of ten zhang. Within five zhang, the ends of the earth are within reach, and the sword arrives at the thought of it."

Then, Gu Shaoan gently waved the bamboo branch in his hand.

The air currents that had been wandering aimlessly through the forest suddenly "constricted," no longer dispersing in all directions, but instead slowly swirling around him; the small bamboo leaves that had been shaken down by the wind should have continued to fall, but now seemed to have fallen into an invisible body of water, hovering and floating around Gu Shaoan.

"At this level, a swordsman's sword intent is enough to influence external forces."

The moment the words "external influence" were uttered, Gu Shaoan lightly raised his right hand, and the bamboo branch in his hand stood upright.

Immediately afterwards, a series of extremely faint rustling sounds rang out from deep within the bamboo forest. It was not the wind blowing, but rather as if countless bamboo leaves were being gently brushed by some rhythm at the same time.

Then, a wisp of wind from Gu Shaoan's fingertips was condensed at the tip of Gu Shaoan's bamboo branch.

Under the watchful eyes of the group, as wisps of cyan energy gathered, Gu Shaoan's fingertips condensed these wisps into a small, inch-long cyan sword.

Sun Baifa and Gu Santong's eyes narrowed slightly.

Both of them are capable of invoking the power of heaven and earth with their own martial arts.

But triggering and manipulating are two completely different things.

If the power of heaven and earth were likened to a stick, then in their hands, this stick could only be swung numbly.

But in Gu Shaoan's hands, this stick could become soft or hard, and even bend.

Use it as you please.

"When masters fight, they often need to pay attention to the right time, place, and people. If they can adapt to the circumstances, their chances of winning will be higher. The same applies to the forces of heaven and earth."

"When a martial artist's martial arts can reach the level of 'transforming the domain with intention,' they can use the momentum of their own martial arts to influence the momentum of heaven and earth, thereby enhancing the power of their own martial arts."

"After reaching the state of oneness with the sword, a swordsman's sword intent can also achieve this level. However, the difference is that, through the sword intent within the body, it is not about invoking the power of heaven and earth, but about controlling the power of heaven and earth, which naturally has more wonderful applications."

As Gu Shaoan recounted his story, Gu Santong, Sun Baifa, and Sun Xiaohong carefully considered the information.

After a short while, Sun Baifa asked, "What did you mean by saying that the state of man and sword as one is not enough to raise your strength to this level?"

Gu Shaoan said softly, "Although the third realm of swordsmanship is powerful, it is actually only slightly higher than the level of transforming intention into domain. The reason why I was able to fight Elder Sun so easily just now is because the realm I am in now is not the third realm of swordsmanship."

Gu Santong asked in astonishment, "Could it be that there are even higher realms after the third realm?"

Gu Shaoan replied without hesitation, "Martial arts are boundless, and the unity of man and sword ultimately boils down to the tacit understanding between the martial artist and the sword. How could it be the ultimate goal of swordsmanship?"

Sun Bai asked, "After the realm of man and sword becoming one, what realm is next?"

In response to Sun Baifa's question, Gu Shaoan replied, "Heavenly Sword Realm."

Upon hearing Gu Shaoan's name, which signifies a high level of swordsmanship, Sun Baifa's expression froze, as if he were captivated by the words "Heavenly Sword."

"How does this realm differ from the unity of man and sword?"

Faced with Sun Baifa's question, Gu Shaoan pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Use your own sword intent as a guide, the wind and clouds as a sword, the yellow sand as a sword, the spring rain as a sword, wherever your gaze falls, everything can become a sword with a flick of your finger." "Move all things with your mind to form a move, and all things in heaven and earth can become a sword, this is the Heavenly Sword."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Shaoan gently tossed the ordinary bamboo branch in his hand to the ground, and the moment the bamboo branch entered the soil...

A sudden gust of wind swept through the bamboo forest.

Immediately afterwards, the dew on the leaf tips, the dampness in the soil, and the thin, invisible mist in the air all approached Gu Shaoan along an extremely subtle trajectory.

Since it was for demonstration purposes, Gu Shaoan did not speed up the process, but rather slowed it down considerably.

Three breaths later, the surrounding moisture gathered into a droplet of water that hovered in front of Gu Shaoan.

It was at this moment that Gu Shaoan raised his right hand and flicked the water droplet lightly with his index finger.

The movement was so casual, like flicking away the dampness from one's fingertips.

"Ding."

A very light and crisp sound rippled through the water droplet, like a jade bead falling onto a plate, or the sound of a sword hidden at the bottom of the water, clear and cool without being harsh.

The next instant, the round and full drop of water transformed into a wisp of pale blue sword energy, as thin as a cicada's wing, and swept to the side.

"laugh--"

The sound, like a sharp blade slicing through taut silk or a thin line being cut through ice, echoed through the forest.

The moment that whooshing sound reached their ears, both Sun Baifa and Gu Santong felt a chill run down their spines.

Then, before everyone's eyes, the ground was neatly split open where the sword energy passed, and a narrow ravine about ten feet long extended out from three feet away, so straight that it seemed deliberate.

The ravine was not wide, but it was half a meter deep, with frighteningly smooth edges, as if it had been cut open by some extremely fine blade.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the bamboo along the way was quietly split in two.

A series of rustling sounds erupted.

"Sigh~"

Witnessing this process, not only Sun Xiaohong, but also Gu Santong and Sun Baifa stared at the long, narrow ravine in the distance in silence for a long time.

Just now, when Gu Shaoan flicked the water droplet with his finger, neither Gu Santong nor Sun Baifa, who were so close, could sense any fluctuation of Qi within Gu Shaoan's body.

In other words, Gu Shaoan's attack just now was achieved solely through his sword intent.

If it had been combined with the Qi energy just now, how much more powerful would that wisp of sword energy have become?

"Heavenly Sword Realm, Heavenly Sword Realm"

Sun Baifa kept repeating these three words as if in a dream, feeling his mind in complete chaos.

Just then, Gu Shaoan spoke again: "To enter the third realm of military strategy, two conditions must be met. First, one's own mastery of weapons; second, the strength of one's military acumen."

"I have also experienced Master Sun's 'Heavenly Secret Staff Technique' many times. It can be said that he has reached a state of perfection. In terms of using the staff, I am afraid that no one in the world can compare with Master Sun."

"And the artistic conception of Elder Sun is like the momentum of supporting the sky. As supporting the sky, it should have an indomitable and domineering spirit of 'I am the only one who can do it'."

“But soldiers should think of others, and people should think of others. If one’s spirit is gone, how can one go further?”

"Thus, what seems like just a window apart is actually worlds apart."

In Gu Shaoan's opinion, Sun Baifa's skill in stick fighting was definitely up to par.

But the path of martial arts is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind.

This "advancement" refers to the martial artist's own spirit and mindset.

Although Sun Baifa has been maintaining his cultivation over the years, his state of mind has become as somber and lifeless as his age.

Otherwise, with Sun Baifa's power, why would he avoid Shangguan Jin Hong now?

Sun Baifa was insightful, and when faced with Gu Shaoan's words, how could he not know that the reason he had not yet been able to take a further step and enter the realm of oneness with his body was entirely due to his own mental state.

Thinking of this, Sun Baifa shook his head: "It seems that after playing dumb for so long, I'm almost becoming a pig myself."

Finally, Sun Baifa looked up at Gu Shaoan and said, "This old man has learned a lesson from you today!"

Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "It's good that it's helpful to you, senior."

Gu Shaoan always held Sun Baifa in high esteem and gratitude.

If it weren't for Sun Baifa's guidance several times when Gu Shaoan was young, his path in martial arts would not have been so smooth.

Now that Sun Baifa has encountered problems with his martial arts, Gu Shaoan naturally won't hold back.

Returning a favor in return is a principle that has always been followed.

(End of this chapter)