The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch's expression was odd. Was Quinn's arm-thick yuanqi thread really still called a 'thread'?
Has anyone ever seen such a thick yuanqi thread?
Has anyone ever seen a yuanqi thread with such ferocious power?
And what does it mean that his own yuanqi isn't strong enough? He'd never seen anyone at the Spirit Embryo realm with such immense yuanqi before!
This boy from Oldridge Village had just pierced a barrel-thick wooden pillar with one sword thrust, then stabbed through a two-foot-thick slab of stone with another—the power contained in his yuanqi thread had already surpassed countless Spirit Embryo sword cultivators!
The Village Chief smiled gently and guided Quinn: "That's right. You haven't mastered the most basic movement in swordsmanship—the thrust. What if you could concentrate all your strength into that single action? What if you could unleash your full power?"
Quinn couldn't believe it and shook his head. "Controlling the sword with qi is just using a yuanqi thread to guide the blade. The thread is too soft—how could it possibly channel all my strength?"
"It can be done."
The Village Chief said leisurely, "You need to treat the sword as part of yourself—just like your own hand. Now, raise your hand and imagine you’re holding a sword. Press your index and middle fingers against the blade. When you thrust your hand forward, the sword follows that thrust!"
"Treat it as part of my own body?"
Quinn was confused. His arm-thick yuanqi thread once again coiled around the treasured sword. He gripped with his right hand, thumb pressing against his ring and pinky fingers, index and middle fingers extended as if touching the blade. As his yuanqi fused with the sword, it seemed to soak into the blade itself—he immediately felt as if he’d gained an extra hand. [Note: Yuanqi is the internal energy cultivated by martial artists, similar to qi or spiritual power in xianxia novels.]
Quinn thrust forward. There was a sharp hiss—the yuanqi thread drove the sword in a straight stab, slicing through the air with a piercing whistle! As he thrust, it felt as if a flood of his strength had found an outlet—seventy to eighty percent of his power gathered in the sword, stabbing toward the village!
He was both shocked and delighted. Earlier, when he used qi to control the sword, the blade carried at most a tenth of his own strength. Now, he could feel the sword’s power had doubled! A fierce wind howled through the village. Suddenly, the wooden pillar Butcher often stood atop split in two with a loud crack!
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch laughed, "That’s called the Sword-Pinching Hand Seal—it’s the starting gesture for sword cultivation. You didn’t even use the hand seal just now and could already pierce stone. Looks like your yuanqi is even more robust than mine was back in the day!" Quinn was stunned—his sword hadn’t even touched the pillar. It was the sword wind that sliced it cleanly in half!
The Village Chief shook his head. "But that’s still not enough. Just using the Sword-Pinching Hand Seal isn’t enough to defeat a master who’s spent decades immersed in sword-dao. Quinn, let your yuanqi burst from your palm and try again." The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch was full of praise. This old cripple had, with just a few words, helped Quinn unleash astonishing potential. His mastery of swordsmanship was truly profound.
Quinn did as instructed. Yuanqi thread wrapped around the sword in his palm, his qi surged, and he thrust forward with his fingers together once more. Not enough yet.
Whoosh— The Village Chief said, "You haven’t brought out your full strength yet. Your own power is on the sword, but what about your Spirit Embryo? Where is its strength? The Spirit Embryo must also grasp the sword. Try again!"
This thrust actually whipped up a whirlwind. Inside the vortex, the sword howled—a truly piercing sound! Quinn steadied himself. In the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury, his Spirit Embryo moved with him, fingers together, thrusting forward!
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch’s eyelid twitched. He instantly sensed that Quinn’s thrust was about ten percent stronger than the last. Just two casual pointers from this old cripple, and Quinn’s power had soared so much—truly terrifying! "Not good enough! Where’s the Pure-Heart Sword Formula? It’s not just about forging a pure heart—you must plant it in the sword! Plant your heart in the sword!"
The Village Chief barked, "Yuanqi thread isn’t just wrapped around the sword—it must be rooted inside it. The sword is part of your body, and so is your yuanqi—they’re both your flesh! Try again! Still not enough, do it again! Plant the pure heart in the sword—that’s the real essence of the Pure-Heart Sword Formula!"
Quinn’s yuanqi fused with the sharp sword, soaking into the blade. Suddenly, he felt as if he’d gained another hand.
As he thrust out, it felt like a flood inside him had found an outlet—seventy or eighty percent of his strength gathered in the sword, shooting toward the village!
Wind howled through the village, and suddenly, with a crack, the wooden pillar Butcher always stood on split cleanly in two!
Quinn was stunned. His sword hadn’t even touched the pillar—it was the sword wind that split it!
The Young Heavenly Demon Patriarch was impressed. This old cripple had, in just a few words, made Quinn unleash astonishing potential—his mastery of sword arts was truly profound.
“Not enough.”
The Village Chief said, “You haven’t fully unleashed your strength yet. You put your own power into the sword, but what about your Spirit Embryo? Where’s its power? The Spirit Embryo must also grasp the sword—thrust again!”
Quinn steadied himself. In his Spirit Embryo Treasury, his Spirit Embryo moved with him, thrusting forward!
“Still not good enough! Where’s your Pure‑Heart Sword Formula? It’s not just about refining a pure heart—you must plant your pure heart in the sword! Plant it!”
“Not enough. Again! Plant your heart in the sword—that’s the key to the Pure‑Heart Sword Formula!”
Legs connect to the earth—they’re the source of power. Use the leg techniques Crippled Joe taught you to borrow strength from the ground!
And your eyes? Where’s the Heaven Eye Grandpa Blind taught you? Make your sword see!
You learned boxing from Grandpa Mark—your muscles and tendons are like dragons, and you’ve seen real dragons. Why doesn’t your sword carry that overwhelming dragon force, or the unstoppable momentum of Grandpa Mark’s fists?
…
Again and again, Quinn thrust his sword, and the Village Chief’s demands grew ever higher. First he had to summon only his own strength, then his yuanqi, then his Spirit Embryo’s power, then blend Grandpa Mark’s boxing and Crippled Joe’s legs into his swordsmanship—it kept getting harder.
In just moments, he’d thrust his sword countless times, but the Village Chief was never satisfied and kept him practicing.
Granny Sue, Crippled Joe, and the others watched Quinn practice, each showing shock. With each qi-driven thrust, a short, sharp whistle sounded, then a fierce wind blew, whipping the flags on the smithy, herb garden, and butcher’s shop until they streamed backward!
Each thrust left a sword mark on the ground—a trace of sword wind scraping the earth!
Granny Sue was amazed, murmuring, "In such a short time, the Village Chief has turned Quinn into a sword expert—this is just…"
The Village Chief shook his head, "I haven’t taught him any sword technique—only helped him integrate his strength and what you all taught him. Now he’s just grasped the thrust; he’s still far from truly mastering it. There are other basic moves—chop, lift, hang, cloud, point, collapse, intercept, shear. Only when he’s mastered these basics can he start learning sword arts. Quinn, thrust at the pig-killing saber again!"