"Alright, little Luo, listen to your elder sister—until you can beat me, you'll stay as the little brother." The Herrscher of Sentience sat triumphantly on Chen Luo's back as he lay face-down on the sofa.
"Fine, you win!" Chen Luo grumbled into the couch cushions.
We're father and daughter, father and daughter—I'm her dad! Though physically overpowered, Chen Luo consoled himself by staring at the [Father-Daughter] relationship tag in his talent interface.
This was what they called spiritual victory.
At least until he could actually defeat the Herrscher of Sentience in combat.
"Don't sulk. Didn't you want to learn swordsmanship from me? I'll teach you. Though I'd like to impart the Edge of Taixuan, its essence relies on Honkai energy—which doesn't exist in this world. There's another type of special energy here, but who knows if merging it witht Edge of Taixuan might harm your body?"
"The Edge of Taixuan comprises five essences: Mantra, Form, Sanction, Ascension, and Eminence."
"Mantra is the foundational essence—and aside from Eminence, the most difficult. It has four stages: Stopped Water, Free of Dust, Clear Mirror, and Grand Void. The 'Sword Mantra' consists of 462 nonsensical syllables with no written record. Its profundity lies in how reciting, memorizing, or listening to it tempers the mind. Adolescence is the ideal time to forge a Mantra—the younger, the purer. You're admittedly past that age, but..."
"But?"
"But who do you think I am? The Herrscher of Sentience! This is the only tenet I can cheat for you. A shortcut-forged sword mantra won't be as strong as one properly cultivated, but since males can't advance beyond Clear of Dust anyway, it hardly matters." She waved dismissively.
"Wait, didn't you say Edge of Taixuan might not function properly here? Is this safe?" Chen Luo eyed her skeptically.
"What are you worried about? Would I harm you? Mantra is literally just mental conditioning—a method to enter competitive focus. Before a match, empty your thoughts, relax your body, and sense every subtle change within. Eventually, you perceive nothing but the energy flowing inside you."
Mental cultivation techniques worked anywhere. No issues there.
As for the "SWARA" upon mastering the sword mantra... well, Chen Luo wouldn't reach that stage anyway. So, no problem.
"Form encompasses sword techniques. You can learn these—they won't harm your body and don't require Honkai energy."
"Sanction requires the Xuanyuan Sword to cultivate. Achieve resonance with it, and sword intent manifests naturally. I don't have Xuanyuan here, so you can't learn this yet. I'll steal one for you when we return. Not recommended though, since it needs Honkai energy."
"Ascension is the essence of swordsmanship. The path of the sword is ever-changing; the blade itself is but a vessel. Upon comprehending Ascension, all weapons become as swords in your hands, and strikes need not take sword forms. This realm... probably equates to Sword Master?" She sounded uncertain.
"Finally, there's the ultimate technique: Edge of Taixuan: Eminence. This... this you must master. Then use it to pummel Kiana!" Her said with gritted teeth.
"..." Chen Luo wanted to point out how unrealistic that was, but her murderous glare stopped him.
In summary: of Edge of Taixuan's five tenets—Mantra, Form, Sanction, Ascension, and Eminence.—Chen Luo could learn all except Sanction which needed Xuanyuan Sword and Honkai energy.
But whether he could learn them was another matter—especially Eminence.
For thousands of years, only four had ever executed Eminence. The strongest among them? Li Sushang.
"Wait, pause. Didn't your sword mantra get destroyed?" Chen Luo suddenly recalled.
"Yes, thanks to the destruction of the sword mantra, I don't have to worry about the harassment of that annoying SWARA anymore." The Herrscher of Sentience said while eating ice cream.
"But without a sword mantra, you can't use Eminence, right? If you don't know it, how can you teach me?" Chen Luo suddenly remembered this setting.
The Seven Swords slew their master. The Immortal Phoenix lost her sword mantra—and with it, Eminence.
No sword mantra, no Eminence!
"Idiot! I'm the Herrscher of Sentience! That old fossil could simulate Eminence by burning memories with Fenghuang Down—why wouldn't I manage? Besides, using and teaching are two different things!" She bonked his head.
"Wait, another question—"
"So many questions!" The Herrscher of Sentience said impatiently.
"You said males can only reach Free of Dust in sword mantra cultivation. If it's incomplete, how could I possibly execute Eminence?"
"Uh..." She froze.
Because... he was right.
"I don't care! You have to master Eminence and beat up Kiana!" Faced with this logical impasse, the Herrscher of Sentience reduced to acknowledge it.
Throwing tantrums was a child's privilege!
"???"
"Blame your stupid garbage talent!"
"How is this my talent's fault?" Chen Luo was stunned
"Can't your talent be more flexible? Why can't I set prices for skills? If I could sell you Edge of Taixuan for one Primogem, you'd master it instantly! Worthless talent!" The Herrscher of Sentience said unhappily.
"Can you blame me for this?!" This reason was something Chen Luo had not expected.
"Ask your talent panel—if I teach you the other three essences, can it discount the rest?" She huffed.
"Well... actually, Edge of Taixuan stages can be purchased separately."
"Oh? Then how much for the stages?"
"Mantra, Form, and Sanction are 500 Primogems each. Ascension costs 1,000. Eminence is 1,500—with the requirement that Sword Mantra must at least reach Free of Dust." Chen Luo read the talent interface's explanation.
"Of course, this is before discounts. After discounts, the cost is halved."
"Ugh! Why must that damned talent panel act as a middleman when I'm the one selling?!" She looked ready to strangle the talent.
"Don't ask me."
"Whatever! Free of dust it is. How many Primogems do you have now?"
"160."
"So few." The Herrscher of Sentience said with disdain.
"Don't be disgusted, this is equivalent to my gains in several months before." Chen Luo, who spent nearly two years to save 1,000 Primogem, said so.