704: Anything Can Be a Sword

Anything Can Be a Sword

She looked at it, spinning the little piece around. There was nothing special about it, plucked right out of the ground under her. But she stared at it with great interest. 

"Don't think of it as grass but a sword. It is not grass, it is a sword."

The young cultivator closed her eyes and breathed out. 

There was a sword in her hand. That was all she thought. 

It was thin. It was fragile. And it was a sword nonetheless. 

Ignoring everything around her, all of her focus was on herself and the sword. She emptied her mind, thinking of nothing else but those two things. 

She took it slowly, opening her eyes and seeing the blade of grass in her hand. 

"... belief, one's mindset, the Dao..."

With the Godfist's words echoing in her mind, she felt something click. And that piece of grass didn't seem so fragile anymore. 

Taking a basic stance, she stared forward into the empty space. 

The young cultivator had a calm and serene look in her eyes. With nothing else disturbing, she made the first move, a downward slash. 

Simple and pure. 

The young cultivator didn't stop there, she continued to strike the empty space before her. It slowly became an endless chain of attacks, growing in speed and power. In spite of it all, the blade of grass held strong. 

It didn't break or snap. 

Seeing it like that, she pushed it even further, using nothing more than her sword skills. She wanted to see how far she could push it. And by the time she realized it, Ming Yue used the grass with so much force that her swings caused her surroundings to sway. 

And there was a smile on her face. 

She started to believe, to truly believe and she stopped at the hundredth move. Standing there, she looked around her before staring at the piece of grass. 

"It's... undamaged."

Letting go of it, she let the intact grass flutter in the wind, falling to the ground. 

Ming Yue stood there in silence, taking in this new experience. But her face said it all, she was astonished, shocked, and most of all, excited. 

"That... was... so strange", she muttered to herself. 

"How does that even work? It didn't break at all. It should've snapped! Or at least be damaged in some way but it wasn't! How is that possible?!"

Ming Yue had so many questions in her head. Some of them from before may have been answered but they had just led her to even more questions. 

"Is this what she meant? To truly believe, to focus on the Dao, it's truly mysterious"

The young woman felt as if her eyes had been open.

She was mystified by it all, now curious and wanting to know more. Why wouldn't she be? She had just done something that defied all sense of logic. And Ming Yue didn't want to forget the sensation at all. She wanted to understand it.

Her eyes darted around, plucking another piece of grass and striking the empty space. It went on all not. She'd change things up, sometimes using two blades of grass, sometimes a twig, or a pebble. She grabbed anything and everything in sight, using them. 

It didn't matter what she used, they were all just swords to her. 

But she also began to test a few things out. 

With a small rock in her hand, she tossed it into the air, striking it with a piece of grass. It was a swift attack that seemed to go through the pebble though it showed no change. 

Only when she caught it did the pebble finally split open.

Unfortunately, things were not so clear-cut as she challenged herself against a larger piece of rock. Although she managed to cut into it, Ming Yue had not reached a high enough level to cut through it entirely. 

Even then, she was satisfied with the results. The young cultivator knew what to do next. 

"So this is what Realm of a Hundred Swords is about. Hmm, I understand the core of it but I still need a bit of time. Although I can use anything as a sword, it still doesn't compare to a real sword, let alone something like Blood Moon or the Black Blade. I need to focus on improving until I reach that level." 

Ming Yue knew that in due time, she'd be able to reach it. In fact, now that she knew the principle, she was already capable of entering the final stage. But she would not allow herself to do so just yet, not until she was satisfied. 

She might have known what to do and how but understanding it was a different story. 

Perhaps Ming Yue wouldn't take long to understand, perhaps she didn't have enough experience, or perhaps she never would. 

But no matter what, she had to try. 

The sun had already risen, slowly ascending over the horizon. It was very quiet. 

The clamor and noise of last night's celebration died down as many were drunk asleep on the streets or went home. 

Remembering where she was, she gazed at her surroundings, seeing the large empty courtyard where the forge was before walking back into the mansion. 

It was quiet inside as she wandered the halls before stopping in front of a room. It was the only one that had been lit up. 

She stopped, looking at it curiously before a voice called out to her. 

"Ming Yue? Is that you?" 

It was Xing Hou's voice, quiet and a bit meek. 

The young woman paused for a moment before answering. 

"Yes, it's me."

The doors suddenly slid open as Xing Hou revealed herself, fully dressed to go, 

"Right, you have to leave the Endless Peak Kingdom today", Ming Yue said to her. 

The princess looked down at herself. 

"Yes, I'll be leaving soon. Please come in."

She took a step back, letting Ming Yue into her room before closing the doors. 

Walking in, the young cultivator looked around, standing in a room much larger and more luxurious than her room. 

Aside from a bed big enough to fit several people, there was a small dining table and some chairs, a full closet, and several mannequins dressed in armor. There was even a rack specially made to hold the gauntlets that she was given.

"Please take a seat."

The princess gestured towards the chairs before sitting down. Tea had already been brewed and she took out two cups for them both, pouring one for Ming Yue and herself. 

The young cultivator nodded and thanked her before taking a sip. 

She looked at Xing Hou, who seemed to look off into the empty space, holding the teacup with both hands. 

"Is there something bothering you?" she asked her. 

Xing Hou seemingly awakened from this state, looking at Ming Yue with a smile. 

"Not exactly, just feeling a bit nervous. Once I leave, I won't be able to return to my home for the next ten years. Unless something devastating happens, I can't come back. Part of me is excited to explore the world but another part is afraid, afraid of all the things I'll miss, afraid of all the time I'll lose with my family. I... don't know if I'm really ready for this", she answered. 0

Ming Yue could only look at her with a soft expression.

"It is natural to feel that way. In some ways, you will have no home for ten years, your only choice is to wander, perhaps find your own place."

Xing Hou looked at her nervously. 

"What about you? Did you feel nervous when you left your home to cultivate?"

Hearing this, Ming Yue's face changed for just a moment before responding. 

"I left because I had no home anymore."

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