Chapter 243 — Bowing the Head in Submission
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
I cannot set it down and carry it with me into the grave! " "Some things, even when one knows full well how perilous they are, must still be done by someone! " The village head spat out a mouthful of foul breath. "To do it may mean failure, may mean death — but there is always a thread of hope. Not to do it, and there is not even the smallest scrap of hope. The things the Human Sovereigns of every generation have done are far more than you imagine.
Shen'er is very good.
" The alchemist said pityingly, "It is only that my heart aches a little for Shen'er, dragged onto your old road.
How is Shen'er ever to beat you? " "He cannot beat me. " There was a trace of pride in the village head's voice. "With Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers, he will never beat me.
Though that move is composed of fourteen basic sword forms, I have polished it until it has not a single flaw. If he wants to fuse the Imperial Preceptor Jingping's three basic sword forms into my sword art, then he must alter Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers. His idea is good, but his vision is not as high as mine. The moment he alters it, a flaw appears; the more he alters, the more flaws.
" The alchemist was dumbstruck. He spat out a mouthful of foul breath, and looking at Shen Mu hurrying about, his heart was full of sympathy.
"And yet he can use my hand to hone his sword art. " The village head smiled. "The more he alters Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers, the deeper his understanding of the sword.
And the deeper the understanding, the more he can leap free of swordsmanship, leap free of sword arts, and come near the Dao. If his understanding of the sword reaches the level of the Dao, it makes no difference whether the basic sword forms number fourteen or seventeen.
To learn a sword art and to wield a sword art is only the realm of technique; technique is learning in order to use. To rise to art, one must create — the Imperial Preceptor Jingping stands at that stage; only what one creates is the realm of art.
And one step beyond, casting off both art and technique, that is the realm of the Dao. " The village head said, "Shen'er now stands between technique and art.
Borrowing my hand to polish his sword art will raise him more than if I simply passed the sword art down to him.
" A long while later, Shen Mu's cultivation returned to its peak, yet he did not come straight to seek the village head. Instead he sat down in silence, calmed his mind, and pondered, trying to make his Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers perfect and without a single flaw.
How to fuse the Imperial Preceptor Jingping's three basic sword forms into Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers without leaving any flaw — that was what he wished to achieve. To fight the village head with the village head's own sword art, he would surely lose; but to improve it, to refine it, and there was still hope of victory. He pondered with all his heart.
In his mind the various sword moves were thrown into confusion, then reassembled, and in his mind he fought a conjured village head with sword arts.
Yet every contest ended in defeat. He simulated battle after battle in his mind, but no matter how he improved it, he could never change that outcome of defeat.
After who knew how long, Shen Mu's spirits lifted and he rose to his feet; in the storm of his thoughts he had already beaten the village head with his new sword art, and he called out eagerly, "Village Head, one more round! " The village head smiled amiably, "Good. " Shen Mu came charging with a whistle and unleashed his improved sword art — and then Shen Mu flew high into the air, scattered a string of blood blossoms in midair, and tumbled into the chicken coop.