Chapter 150: Mission Accomplished

Through internal vision, Ye Junze continuously observed the frail streak of Canghao Sword Intent within his body at that moment.

This sword intent felt both tangible and intangible, occasionally emitting a faint, pale blue light as it swayed gently inside him.

Feeling the sword intent within, Ye Junze could not tell whether this strand of Canghao Sword Intent could be considered his own ultimate sword intent.

After a short while, Ye Junze ceased his overthinking. Since the Canghao Sword Intent had now been successfully cultivated, pondering further would serve no purpose. If it was not the strongest, he would simply cultivate it to the pinnacle through his future efforts. After all, the path of cultivation had never been smooth sailing, nor was anything ever taken for granted. Only by relying on one's own diligence and strength to strive for it could a cultivator truly grasp a fundamental truth upon stepping onto the cultivation path.

Ye Junze lowered his head and thought slowly, "Now that the Canghao Sword Intent has been cultivated, it is time for the final step."

Having made up his mind, Ye Junze began to recover his state. The process of cultivating the sword intent had drained him immensely across all aspects; the consumption of both spiritual energy and mental power was unprecedented.

Although the next step was not difficult in theory, it still required a sound state to support it. Otherwise, if an error occurred in the final step due to a moment of carelessness after finally condensing the hard-earned Canghao Sword Intent, ruining all his previous efforts, Ye Junze might genuinely want to beat himself up.

According to the Canghao Swordsmanship manual, once a cultivator completed the first two steps of constructing the vessels and cultivating the sword intent, only the final step remained—guiding the sword intent into the acupoints.

After all, everything Ye Junze had done previously—both constructing the acupoints and cultivating the sword intent—was to provide a place to preserve and nurture the Canghao Sword Intent.

With both conditions met, Ye Junze naturally needed to guide his sword intent into the sword intent vessels formed by those critical acupoints.

This step held no particular difficulty. As long as the cultivator followed the manual's instructions step by step, success would come easily.

Therefore, Ye Junze was not worried about this step; he only needed to adjust his state properly.

Yet, as Ye Junze restored his breath and condition, he remained unaware that an indescribable change had occurred within him the moment he cultivated that strand of Canghao Sword Intent.

If Lingling, who was still undergoing her own cultivation, were to open her eyes at that moment, she would have easily detected the transformation in Ye Junze.

Though Ye Junze sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, his entire body was currently exuding a bizarre aura. It felt as though he was enveloped by sword intent, radiating an intense killing intent that made him resemble a sharp, unsheathed sword. Once unsheathed, it would undoubtedly turn the heavens and earth upside down.

Yet Ye Junze remained entirely oblivious to this change.

Only Meng Yuan, observing him from an unknown location, noticed the sudden emergence of this strange aura, though it only let out a light, puzzled hum without dwelling on it, assuming it to be the natural transformation that accompanied the commencement of sword cultivation.

After all, in Meng Yuan's extensive experience over the years, such cases were not uncommon. Especially among those with astonishing innate sword physiques, the sword intent emanating from them was even denser, making them look like living swords forged entirely of sword qi.

However, even among those brilliantly talented prodigies destined for extraordinary lives from birth, their ultimate endings were rarely favorable. Those who truly managed to grow up were, in Meng Yuan's past years, not nonexistent, but merely a handful.

Recalling the geniuses who had perished midway due to various unspoken accidents, Meng Yuan could not help but let out a soft sigh, stirred by sentiments unknown.

"Although the talent Ye Junze displays right now is not particularly outstanding compared to those people, fortunately, the current era is relatively peaceful. Yet, judging by the present situation, who can say when chaos might erupt once more? One can only hope that by that time, he has grown strong enough to possess self-preservation, avoiding the tragic fate of those others whose paths to longevity were abruptly severed, leaving them with no hope in this lifetime."

"And that fellow as well, simply dumping his disciple here and leaving everything to me without even coming to check. Weren't they afraid that some accident might befall the young disciple they finally took on after all these years?"

"Even taking a step back, it wouldn't matter if you handed him over to me—after all, it falls within my duties. But sealing away so many of my abilities goes too far! What, were you afraid I harbored selfish motives and would murder your precious disciple to take his place?"

"If you were that afraid, why didn't you teach him yourself? You played the role of the hands-off master quite easily. You never truly know the hardships of running a household until you're the one in charge. If I ever get the chance to meet you in the future, I will certainly have a thorough reckoning with you. This matter is far from over!"

Meng Yuan's thoughts drifted further and further, wandering off to who knows where—perhaps soaring beyond the highest heavens.

Consequently, amidst these wandering thoughts, Meng Yuan naturally had no spare attention left for Ye Junze's situation.

Unnoticed by Meng Yuan, Ye Junze had already steadied his breath, replenished his spiritual energy, and adjusted his condition to its absolute peak.

Thus, Ye Junze prepared to embark on the third and final step of his initial practice of the Canghao Swordsmanship.

Using his internal vision, Ye Junze inspected the strand of Canghao Sword Intent and attempted to communicate with it. To his surprise, the sword intent responded to his spiritual sense with utter ease.

Noticing this, Ye Junze rejoiced inwardly, thinking, "It seems the manual was right; one's own sword intent is exceptionally easy to communicate with."

Seeing that the method worked, Ye Junze delayed no further, guiding the Canghao Sword Intent to flow slowly along the bizarre spiritual energy pathway he had previously traversed.

According to the Canghao Swordsmanship, this process was meant to further temper the sword intent, stripping away impurities to keep it pure and yielding the most refined sword intent possible.

At first, as the sword intent began its circulation, Ye Junze felt nothing amiss. However, halfway through, the familiar, long-absent pain returned. Though still within his threshold of endurance, it was far from pleasant. Despite the agony repeatedly washing over his nerves, Ye Junze gritted his teeth and persisted, continuously refining the sword intent.

After this process had continued for an indeterminate amount of time, Ye Junze, who had kept a close eye on the sword intent, finally noticed a change.

The volume of the sword intent had shrunk slightly compared to when it first appeared, making it appear more delicate. Yet, it radiated a dense solidity, and its original pale blue hue had deepened, seeming to transform entirely into a profound dark blue.

Seeing this, Ye Junze felt a surge of joy. The Canghao Swordsmanship manual stated that such a change during the first refinement signified success, meaning he could proceed to guide the sword intent into the acupoint vessels.

Thus, upon concluding this round of refinement, Ye Junze communicated with the sword intent and cautiously guided it along a slow march toward the location of the acupoint vessels.

He dared not be careless. Even though the Canghao Sword Intent was weak at this stage, it was still sword intent nonetheless. Any misstep in its trajectory could inflict severe damage on his meridians, a price far outweighing any gains.

Fortunately, his sword intent seemed to mirror its master's gentle nature, harboring no trace of recklessness. Under Ye Junze's guidance, it proceeded along the predetermined path toward the several acupoint vessels.

After weaving continuously through his body, the sword intent finally reached the front of the constructed acupoint vessels and came to a gradual halt.

Seeing that the sword intent had finally arrived, Ye Junze let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Then, with a shift of his spiritual sense, he split the complete Canghao Sword Intent into several smaller, finer strands.

With this done, Ye Junze looked at the tiny strands and whispered inwardly, "Go."

As if truly understanding his command, the fractured strands of Canghao Sword Intent streamed into the acupoint vessels one after another without encountering the slightest obstruction, entering smoothly.

Immediately after, a striking scene unfolded within Ye Junze's vision:

Inside every single acupoint vessel he had constructed, a tiny, gently swaying blue sword intent now rested peacefully.

Upon entering the acupoints, the sword intent seemed to be immediately nurtured by the remodeled vessels; the aura surrounding each strand grew denser by the moment, and their color deepened by several shades.

Only then did Ye Junze truly relax. According to the Canghao Swordsmanship manual, once this step was completed, the initial cultivation of the Canghao Sword Intent could be considered a resounding success. All that remained was to let the sword intent slowly nurture within the various acupoint vessels until the day it grew powerful enough.

When that time came, the Canghao Sword Intent gathered from all the acupoints would erupt with an imposing momentum capable of forcing even the heavens and earth to yield three paces!

Naturally, these grand words had been left behind by that omnipotent Sword Immortal Canghao. Ye Junze would never dare harbor such arrogant notions himself.

Even if such thoughts crossed his mind, he would only repeat them silently or let them flash briefly through his brain. To speak them aloud—thick-skinned though Ye Junze considered himself—was a level of shamelessness he felt he still lacked.

"Therefore, I still need to cultivate more. At least one day, I hope to be like Senior Canghao, able to leave words like 'The sun, moon, and heavens entering my eyes are all smaller than this sword of mine' in my own writings without blushing."

More importantly, Ye Junze was certain that if he ever shouted such words aloud, he would instantly be mistaken for another patient suffering from severe eighth-grade syndrome.

He hardly felt the need to endure other people's strange looks and ridicule.

"Regardless, this counts as a great success. I should rest for a moment, then go outside and share this good news with Meng Yuan and Lingling. Ah, most importantly, I must properly thank Lingling; after all, having received such a powerful sword dao inheritance for free, it is only right to show my gratitude."

With these thoughts, Ye Junze withdrew his internal vision, opened his eyes, and looked toward Lingling's direction.

Then, with a face full of joy, he declared, "I succeeded!"