"Let me see the map for a bit." Said Ling Xu, who was standing to her left close by the red ivy. She gave him the map carved in a special green wood material as he begun observing.
He wasn't able to see anything else. "You are right, this should be the place but why does it seem like there is no cave at all?" Moving his arm a bit the map suddenly moved.
The map slightly vibrated when his hand got closer to the ivy. Noticing the reason, he got closer to see if the movement in the map increased even more.
All of a sudden, the map begun shining with a soft green light. "It is shining, what did you do?"
"I don't know, I only moved my arm a bit and then…" A light bulb lit up and then looked at the shining lights on the map. "This map must also be the key to opening the cave, that is why we couldn't find it yet."
His arm moved a little to his body as the light faded out, that was the moment Ling Xu understood where it should go. Advancing forward, the light on the map continued shining as it was even brighter than before. He continued that way until he was less than a feet apart from the red colored ivy that covered the stone wall.
All of a sudden, the map vibrated very intense and then a few thin branches from the ivy started moving as if they were a pair of arms. They moved a few inches forward to the wooden map as Ling Xu then closed the rest of the distance.
When the distance was right, they took the wooden map from him and started grabbing onto it harder as they came back to its original position. The map seemed to be embedded on the wall as if it was meant to be there and then its light disappeared.
"Is that it?" They observed the scene for a dozen seconds as there didn't seem to be any kind of reaction. "Is it possible that it doesn't work anymore or that someone else has already come and taken what is in the place shown in the map?"
Ling Xu wanted to respond but he thought deeply for a few seconds as a sudden movement begun.
Rumble!
They looked towards the boulder that was degraded by the rain through time as it begun moving towards the red ivy, covering the bare stone wall that seemed normal. It continued moving until it was right next to the plant grabbing hard onto the stone wall and the green map.
"Look, there is an entrance now!" Sun Qinglan stated as she observed at the space that had been set free after the boulder moved to its left. An opening to a cave suddenly appeared as they came closer.
Hurrying towards the entrance, she was the first to get in front as she felt her body go numb all of a sudden.
Some kind of energy pressed against her and she stepped back very fast, after a few steps she stopped feeling the pressure that came from the cave.
"What happened?" Ling Xu asked confused since he saw her reaction, he didn't feel the pressure since he was a little behind her so he didn't know what had happened. He only saw her standing in front of the entrance and suddenly stepping back nervously.
"I felt some kind of energy press against me, it was very strange. I haven't felt anything like this before." Her hair stood on end from the pressure.
"I will try it." He moved closer to the entrance until he was right in front of it. Suddenly, he felt the same as Sun Qinglan, but when the energy pressed against him his eyes widened extremely fast.
"This is…!" Ling Xu's hand vibrated a little as he begun reliving all the training he had gone through after entering the Formless Sword Sect, ever since he was a menial worker until now.
"Do you know what this is?" She asked after hearing his surprise, curious about what it could have been for him to recognize it.
Coming out of the illusion when he heard her talk, he muttered very low as he seemed to understand what this energy was.
He turned his face towards her while still feeling the pressure, he was standing in front of the cave after all. "After reaching a certain degree of mastery in my Three Purities Sword technique, I had a sensation when sensing the sword but couldn't grasp it in the end. This energy is giving me the same feeling but much stronger!"
"What?!" When she heard Ling Xu explain what he knew, her face turned to shock. "Sword intent! What you felt is sword intent!" She yelled very loudly surprised by Ling Xu's past experience and incredible talent.
"If what you are saying is true, you almost grasped sword intent. This is incredible, only those who surpass the talented ones and are called real geniuses are able to feel it, and even then it is extremely difficult to do so while being in the Qi Refining Realm."
Although she couldn't feel Ling Xu's qi anymore after he had reached perfection in the Formless Qi Breathing cultivation technique and his energy surpassed hers, she knew that he had been an outer disciple for less than a month so she knew that there was no way for him to have surpassed it already.
Even if she was shown in the face that Ling Xu had reached her own level which is the third stage of Qi Refining, she wouldn't believe it.
After he heard what she said, Ling Xu's eyes shone with interest. "If what you are saying is right, then this energy is sword intent. If we use this pressure right we may be able to finally grasp it and comprehend sword intent."
Sun Qinglan's expression started shining also since she realized the preciousness of the chance they were suddenly given. "Brother Xu, you are right!" Understanding that this energy wasn't dangerous, she stood in front of the cave once again and begun advancing as she wanted to enter the cave.
She walked slowly as she took one step at a time, after reaching the entrance she took one step inside. "It is too strong!" She felt the energy coming out from the entrance pressing very hard on her body and she couldn't advance anymore.
"What is it?" Ling Xu asked in surprise.
"The pressure from the cave once within it is much stronger than outside, I tried just putting my feet and I couldn't advance any further." She looked at Ling Xu and then continued. "If I am right only those with the body strength of someone in the ninth stage of Qi Refining would be able to move deeper."
"What?!" Hearing her say that Ling Xu was shocked as he realized that he wouldn't be able to enter the cave either. Although his current strength was enough to kill someone in the seventh and eight stages of Qi Refinning, he didn't possess the body strength of someone in the ninth stage.
Ling Xu only managed to kill them because one wasn't looking and the other couldn't muster any strength in his body from the shock of seeing him kill someone in the eight stage of Qi Refining, which was a stage above his and made him feel like he wouldn't be able to fight back.
But even if they fought he knew he could win, but that was relying in his dense qi that had become truly formless after perfecting his cultivation technique, and in the high attack power he had from perfecting his sword technique.
But when it came to raw body strength he was only on par with someone in the fifth or sixth stage of Qi Refining, if Ling Xu wanted to depend on that he didn't have any chance at all.
"I will try it either way." He mustered the courage to at least try as he advanced until he was about to enter, just one step away from being inside of the cave.
Stepping once, just to the point where his right feet was inside made him feel the pressure from the energy coming out increase a lot.
"Uh?" He tried moving once again and then again when he suddenly realized after a few breaths that he had already taken two or three steps within the cave. Although the pressure from the cave was very strong, he didn't feel that he wouldn't be able to move at all.
Looking at him in great shock, Sun Qinglan asked. "What did you do?" She begun making her own conclusions. "Could it be that he has a body born with innate strength, strong enough to rival someone in the ninth stage of Qi Refining. If that's the case it explains how he managed to kill the senior disciples who came with us."
Ling Xu didn't know what to answer as he closed his eyes for a second. "What is the reason behind me being able to enter and her not?" He felt the energy pressing him hard and felt a few strands from it passing along his body, without putting the same pressure as the rest.
"That's it!" An idea came pretty fast into his mind. "This must be because I have already felt this energy before and I am very close to grasp sword intent. So it doesn't put as much resistance against me as to you since I have gained some kind of affinity with it."
After she heard his reasoning she thought that it made sense, but then she saw a problem. "Then isn't it impossible for me to enter the cave?"
Ling Xu heard her question and thought for a few seconds while still inside the cave as he thought of something. "I don't think that's it, you can use this chance to try to feel the energy coming out from the cave and comprehend sword intent. When your comprehension is strong enough the energy won't press as hard as before and you will be able to enter."
"So that's it!" She said in surprise and continued. "Still, you should try and enter, after all you are already able to go. Once I can enter I will follow right behind you."
Ling Xu looked at her and was moved as he saw her face which showed no sign of greed and didn't want to burden him. "Sister Qinglan is very considerate, she doesn't want to slow me down so she wants me to go first."
He nodded. "I will do as you say, so I am hoping to see you in the cave once you have comprehended it." Then he took another step deeper into the dark cave as he continued pressing forward while feeling the sword intent pressing against his whole body.
Once the darkness on the cave made Ling Xu's figure disappear inside, Sun Qinglan, who was one step outside of it, sat down in the lotus position.
She began feeling the changes and movements of the sword intent as she imagined and continued comprehending her own sword technique. The mastery over her Red Autumn Leaves Sword technique advanced smoothly since she was inspired by the sword intent which carried the essence of the sword.
"Wait for me brother Xu, I will comprehend the sword intent as fast as I can and enter right behind you."
Within the darkness of the cave, after Ling Xu couldn't be seen anymore he noticed the pressure increased a lot. Being barely able to take one more step before stopping in place he stood there.
"It seems this is my current limit." Although he currently had the middle stage treasure sword from the senior disciple in the seventh stage sheathed to his side, he took the one which he was the most familiar with.
Having practiced with it the most, after entering the outer sect, he felt he was more comfortable with the low grade treasure sword taken from the Affairs Hall worker that visited him that night.
Once the sword was in his hand, he concentrated deeply on three things, first it was the sensation of his body when his hand grasped the sword. Secondly, the energy pressing against him since it carried the sword intent and there was a lot that could be comprehended from it. And thirdly, the last thing but the most important one, the feeling he had when he perfected the Three Purities Sword technique.
This was because just reliving the feeling got him closer to comprehending sword intent since he had a slight and foggy guide, clouded by the time that separated him from that moment. Although it wasn't as vivid as before it was still showing him the beginning of a path.