Nine Desolate Records

As the morning light pierced through the mist, Lu Li was already standing in front of the broken sword.

The mornings in Sword Tomb Valley possess a unique stillness. It's not silence, but the stillness of thousands of broken swords humming in the morning breeze, as if the entire valley is breathing.

Xuanji stood three zhang away, holding a withered branch in his hand.

"The first move of the Ceasefire Sword Intent: 'Soothing'," the old man said, his voice resonating with the clang of the sword. "Watch closely."

The withered branch was lifted up.

The movements were extremely slow.

So slow that Lu Li could see every slight tremor at the tip of the withered branch, and every angle at which Xuan Ji's wrist turned. But strangely, as the withered branch moved, the surrounding air began to solidify, the morning breeze swirled around it, and even the sword's cry from the depths of the valley seemed to soften.

It's not intimidation.

It is a more fundamental kind of "soothing," soothing restlessness, smoothing out sharp edges, and calming down all thoughts of resistance.

The withered branch traced a semicircle in the air.

There was no sword energy, no radiance.

But Lu Li clearly saw that the air rippled like water along the path the withered branch had taken. Wherever the ripples reached, the small pebbles on the ground sank slightly, the sword ash stopped rising, and even the restless source within him calmed down for a moment.

"This is..." Lu Li's pupils contracted slightly.

"Use stillness to control movement, and softness to overcome hardness." Xuanji concluded, "'Smoothing' is not an attack, but the creation of a 'field.' Within this field, all violence, sharpness, and restlessness will be weakened by thirty percent."

He looked at Lu Li: "What you need to do now is to use your sword intent to create a 'pacification field' within three feet of you."

Lu Li took a deep breath and drew the Dragon Suppressing Dagger.

The dagger gleamed with a cold, bluish-black light in the morning glow. He closed his eyes, recalling the thousand fragments he had purified in the Sea of ​​Sword Souls the previous night, and the obsessions and resentments that had been soothed.

The sword imprint was burning hot in my palm.

He tried to draw a wisp of sword intent from the sword imprint and inject it into the Dragon Suppressing Dagger.

The dagger trembled slightly, emitting a low hum.

But that's not enough.

The sword intent was drawn out, but it was like a wild horse that had broken free, rampaging through the dagger without any attempt to "soothe" it.

"Wrong." Xuanji's voice rang out, "It's not injection, it's 'resonance'."

A withered branch touched Lu Li's wrist.

A gentle yet resolute sword intent emanated from the withered branch; it wasn't an attack, but a demonstration. It lightly "touched" Lu Li's sword intent, then guided it, outlining an extremely simple cycle within the dagger.

It can be withdrawn at a moment's notice.

But in that instant, Lu Li understood.

The essence of soothing is not suppression, but "understanding and acceptance".

He reactivated his sword intent.

This time, he didn't force it to be controlled. Instead, he felt the flow of every bit of energy within the Dragon Suppressing Dagger, just as he had purified the fragments in the Sword Soul Sea, trying to understand the dagger's own "emotions." It was a contradiction—a long-dormant emotion, yearning to be awakened yet afraid of losing control.

The sword intent gently enveloped this energy.

It's not about confrontation, it's about companionship.

The tremors of the Dragon-Suppressing Dagger gradually subsided.

A faint, almost invisible silver halo began to appear on the surface of the dagger. The halo enveloped Lu Li within a three-foot radius, and within this area, the morning breeze softened and dust slowly settled.

"You've succeeded." Xuanji nodded, "But it's only the beginning. A true 'soothing field' can last for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and its range can reach three zhang. Right now, you can only manage three chi for ten breaths."

Lu Li sheathed his dagger, and the halo dissipated.

Fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

These ten breaths alone consumed a great deal of mental energy.

"Take a 15-minute break," Xuanji said, "and then continue."

The morning exercise continued until noon.

Lu Li failed twenty-seven times and succeeded three times. His best result was maintaining the calming field for fifteen breaths, with a range of four feet.

Each failure caused a backlash from the sword intent, making his blood and qi surge. But each success made the sword imprint more solid and his control over the sword intent more refined.

During his midday rest, Lu Li leaned against the shadow of the broken sword and swallowed pills to regulate his breathing.

Xuanji tossed him a water pouch: "How are you feeling?"

"It's like dancing on the edge of a knife," Lu Li gasped. "The slightest mistake could lead to either a complete collapse or a backlash from the sword intent."

"This is only the first move." Xuanji sat cross-legged opposite him. "The second move, 'Guidance,' requires calming the field and then guiding the enemy's power elsewhere, or guiding it back to the enemy. The third move, 'Conversion,' is even more difficult; it requires converting the enemy's attack into your own power."

Lu Li remained silent for a moment: "Senior, are these three moves... truly the entirety of the Ceasefire Sword Technique?"

Xuanji glanced at him: "What do you want to ask?"

"It's too passive," Lu Li said. "Soothing, guiding, and transforming are all responses. What if we encounter a situation where we must take the initiative?"

Xuanji smiled.

This was the first time Lu Li had seen the old man smile; his wrinkles were piled up like cracked earth.

"The Sword Intent of Ceasefire was not created for killing," Xuanji said. "But if you insist on asking... when you can integrate the three forms, you will naturally understand the fourth form."

"The fourth move?"

"That's beyond the scope of my teachings." Xuanji stood up. "That's a 'sword' that you need to comprehend yourself. Everyone's fourth form is different. Some people comprehend 'Guardian,' some comprehend 'Severing Thoughts,' and some..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I realized 'returning to stillness'."

Lu Li's mind jolted.

Return to silence.

It doesn't sound like a gentle move.

"We'll begin once we've rested enough." Xuanji turned around. "We'll practice the second move this afternoon."

In the afternoon, a breeze picked up in the valley.

A wind blew from the depths of the valley, stirring up sword ash and forming patches of hazy mist in the air. Xuanji had Lu Li stand at the wind's edge, using the Soothing Field technique to counteract the wind's force.

"The wind is a force of nature, without any killing intent, making it the perfect tool for practicing guidance," Xuanji said. "What you need to do is not to block the wind, but to make it go around you, or to make it change direction."

Lu Li unfolded the calming operation.

A silver halo enveloped him within a three-foot radius. The wind, entering the halo's range, did indeed slow down, but it didn't change direction and continued to rush towards him.

"Feel the wind's trajectory." Xuanji's voice came through the wind. "Where did it come from, where is it going, what did it encounter along the way? Then, use your sword intent to give it 'guidance'."

Guidelines.

Lu Li closed his eyes.

Within the smoothed-up area, every movement of air was clearly discernible. He could feel the wind surging out from a crevice deep in the valley, swirling and rising close to the ground, splitting upon encountering the broken sword, one part continuing forward, the other circling to the sides.

His sword intent was like an invisible hand, gently touching a wisp of wind.

It wasn't a forced reversal, but rather a gentle nudge along the wind's natural course, following its original path.

It's like throwing a small pebble into a rapid current.

The wisp of wind deflected slightly, colliding with another. The two wisps intertwined and merged, creating a tiny vortex. The vortex drew in more air currents, and eventually, all the wind within three feet of Lu Li's face swirled to either side.

The area where he stood formed a windless zone.

"Not bad." Xuanji nodded, "But it's not enough. Guiding isn't about avoiding, it's about controlling. You have to make the wind obey you, make it go left, it can't go right; make it stop, it can't continue."

Lu Li gritted his teeth and continued trying.

This time, he was no longer satisfied with simply making the wind go around him; he tried to make it roll back.

The sword intent penetrates deep into the core of the wind.

The resistance increased sharply.

Wind is the natural force of heaven and earth; even a gentle breeze in a valley contains immense energy. Lu Li's sword intent was like a fine needle, attempting to pry open the entire sea of ​​wind.

The needle bent.

The sword intent backfired, causing a tightness in his chest and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew." Xuanji's voice remained calm. "Start with one wisp. Control one wisp, then control the second. When you control nine wisps of wind at the same time, you can influence the entire sea of ​​wind."

Lu Li wiped away the bloodstains and started anew.

One strand, two strands, three strands...

At sunset, he could simultaneously guide five wisps of wind, weaving them into a small vortex in front of him. The vortex slowly rotated, drawing in all the surrounding sword ash, fallen leaves, and pebbles, forming a gray sphere one foot in diameter.

"Disperse." Lu Li said softly.

The sword intent vanished.

The cyclone exploded, the gray sphere disintegrated, and the dust settled.

He was breathing heavily, his whole body soaked in sweat. But there was a light in his eyes.

"That's enough for today," Xuanji said. "Go back and adjust your breathing to consolidate your understanding."

Lu Li bowed and dragged his tired body back to the makeshift shed beside the broken sword.

The thatched hut was built by Xuanji using withered branches and dry grass; it was simple but provided shelter from the wind. Inside, it was lined with dry grass and contained water bags and dry rations.

Lu Li sat down cross-legged, swallowed the pill, and began to circulate his internal energy.

Consciousness sank into the body.

The scene of the three rivers converging reappeared. But this time, the collision between the crimson-gold river and the dark blue stream was not so intense; under the harmonization of sword intent, a touch of "order" had emerged. Several more silver-white light spots also appeared, representing the will that had been strengthened during today's cultivation.

Lu Li opened his eyes and looked at the sword mark on his palm.

A faint silver line appeared amidst the crimson-gold patterns, a mark of today's cultivation.

Night was falling.

In the valley, the broken sword began to glow.

It's not the sword itself that glows, but the faint light of the sword's spirit. The remnant soul, dormant during the day, will appear at night, lingering beside the sword, whispering, and reliving fragments of its past life.

Lu Li walked out of the thatched hut.

Under the moonlight, the entire valley resembled a sea of ​​stars. Beside each broken sword, there was a light, some bright, some dim. Some were quiet, some were restless, some were weeping, and some were roaring.

He walked up to the faceless shadow from yesterday.

The shadow remained kneeling before the broken sword, gripping the hilt with both hands, repeating the motion of drawing the sword.

Lu Li sat down next to him.

I didn't try to purify it; I just watched quietly.

After watching for a long time, he suddenly spoke up: "What are you afraid of?"

The shadow paused.

Although it still had no face, Lu Li could feel that it was "looking" at him.

"You can't pull it out because you don't want to," Lu Li said softly. "This sword represents a certain responsibility, or sin. You're afraid to take responsibility, so you can never pull it out."

The shadow trembled.

The sword ash around it began to fly, and the moonlight distorted on it.

Lu Li extended his right hand, and the sword imprint on his palm glowed with a gentle silver light. He did not touch the shadow, but simply let the light envelop it.

"It's okay," Lu Li said. "It's normal to be scared."

In the silver light, the trembling of the shadow gradually subsided.

It lowered its head and looked at the hilt of the sword in its hand.

This time, it didn't try to pull it out forcefully, but simply gently stroked the engravings on the sword.

The engraving is deep; it's a name.

"Are you his descendant?"

The shadow did not answer.

But it let go.

Two deep handprints were left on the hilt of the sword.

The shadow stood up, bowed to Lu Li, and then turned into a speck of light, disappearing into the broken sword.

The broken sword emitted a clear ringing sound, and a small piece of rust peeled off the blade, revealing the gleaming blade beneath.

"Lu Li".

An old man was standing not far away, holding a green lamp in his hand.

"The truth is often crueler than you imagine." Xuanji walked to his side. "But before you know the truth, you must first be qualified to bear it."

Lu Li turned his head: "What does Senior know?"

"What I know, I won't tell you." Xuanji looked at the sword, its rust partially gone. "Some roads must be walked alone. Some truths must be uncovered by oneself."

Under the moonlight, the sword gleamed with a cold light.

It was as if it had been asleep for too long and had finally been awakened.

"Go back." Xuanji turned around. "Starting tomorrow, practice the third form."

Lu Li took one last look at the sword before following Xuan Ji back to rest.

Deep in the valley, underground.

Within the Sword Soul Sea, the thousand fragments purified by Lu Li began to actively converge towards the center.

They are no longer passively waiting for purification, but actively "embracing" the power of the sword seal.

With each fragment embraced, the sword imprint solidifies a little more.

With each step of solidification, the connection between Lu Li and the Sword Soul Sea deepened.

In the deepest part of the Sword Soul Sea, the monster dragging chains, a variant of "Battle Will," slowly opened its eyes.

For the first time, doubt appeared in its eyes.

For three thousand years, it has devoured countless obsessions and resentments, and has long been accustomed to chaos and violence.

But recently, it sensed a gentle yet firm force purifying the impurities within its body.

That force was very weak, as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

But its essence is extremely high.

It was so high that it was frightening.

It's not a fear of power.

It is a fear of "order".

Chaos is its breeding ground, and order is its natural enemy.

It began to struggle.

The chains rattled, causing the entire Sword Soul Sea to tremble.

On the ground, all the broken swords in the valley trembled simultaneously, and the sounds of swords clashing merged into a shrill shriek!

Lu Li suddenly rushed out of the thatched hut.

Xuanji stood before the broken sword, his expression solemn.

"It woke up," the old man said, "much faster than expected."

Lu Li looked into the depths of the valley.

From there came the sound of chains being dragged.