Chapter 1565: Skysword Is My Teacher
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Luo Yu and Luo Hui's faces were a little pale. While they were still fidgeting nervously, the spirit appeared.
"Skysword Teacher, you are finally here. I waited for you for the longest time." The spirit walked in front of Han Sen and bowed seriously. He spoke with much excitement.
Luo Yu, Luo Hui, and Luo Li were frozen. Jia Shidao had no idea who the spirit was. Luo Yu knew about the spirit, and he watched as the spirit bowed towards Han Sen. It was an unimaginable thing, and they initially believed themselves to be dreaming.
The son of Furnace Emperor was Xu Mi, and he and his mother were second-gen emperors. He had bowed to a human, and they never thought something like that would ever occur. After all, since when had humanity achieved such a reputation? And since when had they earned the right to such respect?
Even Luo Haitang, despite becoming so famous, had never earned the respect and privilege Han Sen was getting. But now they saw Xu Mi bow to Han Sen and welcome him into the shelter; the level of prestige and respect he had earned was no joke.
Han Sen had promised Xu Mi he'd teach him a sword skill, but he never expected to meet the spirit here. With much surprise, Han Sen said, "Furnace Shelter is here?"
Xu Mi smiled. "Teacher, Furnace Shelter has the ability to teleport. We moved here recently, but we didn't expect to meet you. This is most fortuitous!"
After entering Furnace Shelter, Xu Mi brought Han Sen to a hall.
Luo Yu and the others saw Bao'er and Little Star following, and they started to follow as well. They, however, were stopped.
"Wait here. If it wasn't for Mister Skysword, you humans from Godslayer Shelter would have all been killed." The White Beasts hummed. They were guarding the left and right sides of the entrance to the hall.
Luo Yu did not know where they could go. They did not want to walk around in Furnace Shelter, so they just waited outside. They were quite nervous, but they were still glad Han Sen was there. Otherwise, they might have been killed.
Of course, if Xu Mi knew about the grudge between Luo Haitang and Furnace Emperor, they'd still be on the chopping block.
"What did he do? Why do spirits like Xu Mi obey him? Not even Big Luo receives treatment like that." Luo Li looked towards the hall with a complicated expression. The way inside had been closed now, though, so she couldn't see what Han Sen was doing there.
"Xu Mi, is this the teacher you requested?" Inside the hall, Furnace Emperor—who looked like a god—looked at Han Sen and frowned.
Xu Mi had made it sound important when he requested that Skycloud Beast bring back Han Sen. Furnace Emperor thought Xu Mi was going to get a very powerful teacher.
He did not expect it to be only a human—one who was not even super, at that.
"What can you teach my son?" Furnace Emperor was not happy with Xu Mi's decision, but he wasn't so brash as to throw Han Sen out right then and there.
"Xu Mi wants to learn a sword skill from me, so it is a sword skill I will teach him," Han Sen answered.
Xu Mi quickly stepped in to say, "Father! Teacher's sword skills are strong, and even Six Paths said his talent is as high as the sky. That is why he is called Skysword."
Furnace Emperor heard that and was actually convinced. To earn the compliments of Six Paths, Han Sen had to have been powerful indeed.
But Furnace Emperor could not tell what was so special about Han Sen, so he said, "If you have earned the name Skysword, and earned the appreciation of Six Paths Emperor, your sword skills must indeed be good. My garden has a swordmark. It was delivered by Holy Sword Emperor during his ascension to the Fifth Sanctuary. You can take a look at it. Perhaps you may learn something."
The Holy Sword Emperor he mentioned was an emperor who was good with the sword. He was powerful in the Fourth God's Sanctuary, around five-hundred-thousand years ago. His most impressive talent was his proficiency with the sword.
When he leveled up, he broke the dimension with his blade. The aftershock crashed against a mountain, leaving a cleft across the landscape that never faded away.
The mountain belonged to Furnace Emperor, and he had it moved to the gardens so it would be close to Xu Mi. It was easier for Xu Mi to learn the sword skills from it, by having it there.
Holy Sword Emperor's sword skills were special. Many sword elites had made the pilgrimage to visit that scar, but more often than not, they did not learn anything. Some were very seduced by it, though, and some even came close to losing their swordheart.
Furnace Emperor wished to let Han Sen take a look so he could test the fortitude of the human's mind. If the scar did claim Han Sen's heart and he was seduced by the swordmind, no matter how good people said he was, he wouldn't be a good enough teacher for Xu Mi.
Xu Mi knew this was Furnace Emperor's game, but he didn't think Han Sen would end up getting seduced by the swordmind. So, he said, "Teacher, let me take you to the swordmark."
Han Sen and Furnace Emperor did not have much to talk about. Talking to the spirit, who was sitting loftily on his throne, was boring. So, he was happy to leave with Xu Mi.
Han Sen brought Bao'er along with him to the garden. And while it was called a garden, it was huge. The thousand-meter-high mountain only took up a fifth of the space there.
Han Sen looked at the mountain. There was a swordmark there that had almost cut the mountain in two.
Xu Mi explained, "Holy Sword Emperor broke the vacuum with his sword and created a way that led him to the Fifth Sanctuary. The swordwaves landed on this mountain and left a swordmind behind. Many sword elites have come to face this but left with nothing. I come here to try and learn from the mark, but not even I can learn a thing."
"If it was left behind by a sword emperor, you should have been able to learn something," Han Sen said, with confusion.
Standing at the door, Han Sen felt an insanely scary presence stemming from the swordmark. The swordmind was strong. Just being near it should have allowed for some sort of learning.
Just like people said, if you read three hundred poems and still cannot write your own, you will at least be able to read. You cannot walk away with absolutely nothing.
"Teacher, you don't understand. Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind is special. Many emperor-class elites visit here, and none of them learn anything. Many of them get seduced and almost lose themselves completely," Xu Mi explained as he brought Han Sen through the garden.
In the spirit hall, Furnace Emperor and a female spirit watched through an old mirror as Han Sen entered the garden.
"If that human does not get seduced by the swordmark, will you really let Xu Mi become his student?" The female spirit frowned while watching the video feed.
"If he does not get seduced by the swordmind, and with what Six Paths Emperor has said about him, I can only presume he is qualified," Furnace Emperor said.
The female spirit shook her head. "My son's teacher should be the strongest swordsman in the world. Being qualified is not enough for me."
Chapter 1566: Holy Swordmind
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen entered the garden and felt the swordmind's influence emerge from the cleft.
The swordmind was strange. Most swordsmen would give people a sharp feeling or a strong sensation of intimidation. But this swordmind in particular was different. It toiled back and forth like waves, endlessly. It didn't feel intimidating, per se, but it was hard and tough.
It felt as if the swordmind was not strong at first, and everyone had the chance to battle it through their own sheer will. It wasn't a task only reserved for the capabilities of super beings, though. Those who were gemstones confront it just as well. There were no disadvantages to having a weaker body.
But the swordmind, despite not feeling very strong, would perplex most swordsmen, and leave them unsure of how to proceed. Not even super elites had managed to tame it, and they were often negatively affected by it.
"When people first see it, they aren't sure if this really is Holy Sword Emperor's swordmark. They have to spend a while getting a feel for it before they acknowledge how frightening it can be. This swordmind is like an endless river. The pressure it exudes builds up over time, and the more pressure that builds up, the stronger it becomes. Gemstones class creatures can watch it for a few days and without being affected. Super elites can hardly even make it ten. They are affected after some time, and they might even suffer injuries. In some cases, their faith can be broken and their own swordmind damaged," Xu Mi said.
Han Sen nodded. He practiced had sword skills, and although it wasn't the best, he had a swordmind of his own.
Especially after seeing Six Paths' Heartsword. Ever since, his sword skills had developed to become something special. If he was affected by Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind, it would be a great loss.
Xu Mi went on to say, "Don't try to use your own swordmind against Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind. His swordmind is like water. If you use your swordmind against it, it'll be like trying to go against the stream. The more strength you use, the more pressure will be put against you. If you don't go against it, you could at least last a few days. If you willingly go against it, I'm afraid you wouldn't last a day. In only a few hours, your swordmind might be irreparably damaged."
"It looks tame, but it is actually overbearing," Han Sen said.
"Well, it did come from an emperor of the sword generation," Xu Mi said.
Han Sen felt the swordmind's rush and likened it to a lapsing tide. He thought to himself, "I have practiced Heartsword. My sword skills are tough. I can challenge the water, never giving up. Going against Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind is a perfect opportunity to make my Heartsword stronger."
Han Sen knew that Furnace Emperor had asked him to go there to see the mark as a form of test. Han Sen didn't really want to teach Xu Mi, so it didn't matter that he had to take this detour. He wasn't in a particular rush to give Furnace Emperor an impressive demonstration.
Han Sen used his swordmind, and then the mark's swordmind that was previously tame suddenly began to swell.
The stronger Han Sen pushed his swordmind, the more pressure the other swordmind brought down on him. It was just as Xu Mi had explained. Xu Mi saw Han Sen use his swordmind against Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind, and he became very excited as he watched them fight.
"His swordmind looks like Heartsword. There is definitely a bit of difference between his and Six Paths' variants, however." Furnace Emperor watched Han Sen use his swordmind. He could see it all.
Furnace Emperor had fought Six Paths once. He lost, but the experience made him very familiar with Six Paths' sword skills.
Xu Mi's mother, Fire Empress, frowned. "Xu Mi told him what he knows about Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind, and still he uses his own swordmind to go against it. He is brave, but he is too arrogant. He is not suitable to be Xu Mi's teacher."
Furnace Emperor shook his head. "Don't be so sure. Although Six Paths Emperor is not as good as Holy Sword Emperor, they are not too far apart. He self-destructed and became an emperor again, starting from scratch. Restarting like that means he might not be any worse than Holy Sword Emperor now. If Han Sen really practiced Heartsword, even if he only managed to nail 70% of it, he will definitely be able to resist the power of this swordmind without bringing damage to himself."
"If he only knows 70%, then why not just ask Six Paths to become his teacher instead?" Fire Empress said.
"It's not that easy to hire Six Paths. If he didn't take Xu Mi seriously, then paying him would be pointless." Furnace shook his head.
"Xu Mi has our great genes. The talents he has must surely be better than those of Six Paths. If Xu Mi is not good enough to be his student, I don't think anyone in the Fourth God's Sanctuary would be good enough for him." Fire Empress opened her eyes wide. She was like any mother, though, thinking her son was the best.
The pressure building upon Han Sen was becoming a lot. When he used his swordmind, the swordmark that was previously calm suddenly started to rage.
Han Sen felt as if he had been thrust into a rapid river. The other swordmind was griding against his sword skills, and he felt as if he'd be flattened any second.
A swordmind wasn't all about pure power. The swordmind concerned itself with the sensation of the sword. It was something you could only feel, and not describe. You could not touch it, either, as it was not solid.
But if your swordmind was damaged, things could turn out worse than if you endured a physical injury.
When physical damage was inflicted upon you, you could consult a doctor and use their medicine to heal. But if it was your heart that was injured, nothing could remedy it. You would have to use your own will to fix it.
Han Sen felt as if his swordmind was like steel, but it was getting ground down. His will was being used up quickly. If he had been a person with a weak will, he'd have gone crazy already.
Even a swordsman with a strong will wouldn't have lasted this long under this sort of opposition. But Han Sen was different. His Heartsword gave him a strong swordmind, and his will was reinforced by the crystallizers. That scary swordmind could not break his will.
No matter how much the swordmind tried to break his will, Han Sen was unmoved. Instead, he allowed his will to get stronger.
Time passed, and so far, an hour had gone by.
"No wonder he is the teacher. He has battled with Holy Sword Emperor's swordmind for an hour, all without moving. He is better than those super swordsmen," Xu Mi complimented him.
"He is good," Furnace Emperor said.
Fire Empress coldly said, "It's only been one hour. If he can last twelve, and his swordmind is still fine, then he can be Xu Mi's teacher."