Chapter 157: There Can Be No Haste

Since sword intent has taken form, it is tied to one's path of cultivation.

What, then, is her path of cultivation?

Looking at her Daoist arts, she practiced the *Spirit-Communication Technique* prior to Foundation Establishment, and the *Yin-Yang True Scripture* thereafter. Both relied on the most fundamental principles of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang. Yet, Daoist arts are profound in their simplicity, which allowed her to lay a remarkably solid foundation.

Beyond that, there was only body-refinement and the sword. She had come into contact with blazing fire, swift wind, and roaring thunder. While fierce, overbearing, and advantageous in many ways, she always felt they lacked a certain resonance.

As for the nature of heaven and earth, over the past decade of cultivation, she had been entirely focused on arduous practice and surviving with utmost caution. Her eyes were filled solely with thoughts of earning spirit stones and seizing opportunities. How could she spare the attention to observe the scenery outside of herself? Or rather, where would she find the leisure of mind to contemplate the universe?

Not to mention her life experiences.

They were simply too barren and pale.

When she was a chores disciple, she kept her head down and practiced diligently in the serene Returning Clouds Peak. After becoming an outer sect disciple of the East Spirit Sect, she went out alone to slay demons for wealth, traveling by herself. After reaching Foundation Establishment, she came to Mount Taiji, practicing the sword by day and cultivating by night without rest, striving only to prepare for the Taiji Martial Assembly and the Nine Sects Dao Discussion, unwilling to miss the chance to enter the Nine Sects Palace...

It seemed the past decade had passed in a hurried rush, as if she were simply marching blindly with her head down, concerned only with survival and basic sustenance, leaving no room for anything else.

And now, when she needed it most.

Her mind was completely blank.

Yet, Sovereign Guanqi’s guidance plunged her into deep contemplation. The more she thought, the more directionless she became. Her brows furrowed slightly, and an anxious urge to immediately force a result began to churn within her heart.

"Hmm? You seem quite eager to make this choice." Sovereign Guanqi, seeing her trapped by the problem and frowning in bitter, prolonged thought, slowly spoke up.

At these words.

Jiang Min snapped out of her contemplation and sighed, "How can this disciple not be eager?"

Sovereign Guanqi, however, shook his head and said leisurely, "You cannot rush it; you simply cannot."

"Once you reach the realm of sword intent, any advancement in the path of the sword is intertwined with your state of mind, your life experiences, and your comprehension of the Dao. It requires years, decades, or even centuries of refinement."

"You are still young, with many roads waiting for you to walk and much scenery waiting for you to witness. Why the rush to make a choice?"

Sovereign Guanqi’s words were gentle and unhurried, yet Jiang Min could not let go of her anxiety. She half-closed her right hand into a fist, her thumb slowly rubbing against it, and said in a deep voice, "But the Nine Sects Dao Discussion is seven years away. If my sword dao realm is insufficient, I might not even survive the inner sect selections."

She knew full well that clan disciples and rogue cultivators at the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment were worlds apart. She might manage a narrow victory over a rogue cultivator across realms, but in front of clan disciples with profound mastery of Daoist arts, she dared not lower her guard in the slightest.

Furthermore, when Sovereign Guanqi told her that her sword intent was merely at the threshold and lacked depth, she felt the gap widen even further!

Seeing her fixated on this issue, Sovereign Guanqi turned slightly serious, and with earnest gravity, he said, "The Nine Sects Foundation Establishment disciples participating in the Taiji Martial Assembly and the Nine Sects Dao Discussion may look young in appearance, but in reality, they are almost fifty and above. How do you expect to walk a path in seven years that others have spent seventy years treading?"

"Even if you could finish it, would you walk it steadily and solidly, leaving no regrets?"

Jiang Min understood what he meant.

Her semi-clenched fist tightened into a hard knot, and she said with reluctance, "However, if I miss the Nine Sects Palace seven years from now, I will have to wait another fifty years."

Hearing this, Sovereign Guanqi actually let out a breath of relief, then chuckled softly, "Child, you may strive hard to seize opportunities, but the area where you need to improve right now is not the sword dao, but your progress toward forming the Golden Core."

"The gap between you and others has never lain in your sword dao realm, but in your spiritual power realm," he explained. "Sword intent concerns the state of mind, and that cannot be rushed. But spiritual power, as long as your comprehension reaches that level, can be elevated through other means."

Hearing this, a flash of enlightenment dawned in Jiang Min's eyes.

Indeed!

The sword dao was ultimately just a tool and should not be overly relied upon. If she grew impatient for improper advancements, wouldn't she be falling into obsession and losing her sense of proportion?

A cultivator's foundation was always their own realm of cultivation, and her advantage lay precisely there. Although she possessed Five-Element Spiritual Roots, she had the peach branch capable of transforming demonic power into spiritual Qi to aid her practice.

Seeing that she seemed to have grasped something, Sovereign Guanqi gave her ample time to think before pointing out:

"Returning to the nurturing of body and mind, during your trip to the City of Evil, although you comprehended sword intent, you also revealed your sharpness too much, allowing your killing intent to leak outward. This is not only related to your cultivation realm, but also tied to your state of mind, showing that you have not only been impatient now, but rather hurried for some time recently."

"If you do not wake up to this in time, the intent to kill will consume you, making it very easy to suffer a deviation in cultivation and endanger your life."

Jiang Min suddenly woke to the reality.

So her problem was impatience all along.

"This state feels so familiar. I remember when I was fighting for the sword spots in the East Spirit Sect, I also fell into sorrow and confusion due to blind, arduous cultivation and constant struggles with others, quietly forming a mental knot. Even my practice became obstructed, until I looked out at the boundless mountains and rivers, which finally untied it."

"What was I thinking back then? It seemed to be... striving against the heavens for time, roaming across ten thousand leagues? Looking back now, it appears rather naive and simple-minded, considering how excruciatingly difficult every single step of this longevity dao is."

"Yet back then, the mental knot was untied nonetheless."

"Now, I have fallen into reckless haste in my sword dao practice, vainly trying to grow fat in a single bite, while forgetting that my true foundation for establishing myself should be the Golden Core Dao..."

Jiang Min suddenly felt a sense of release.

The impatience between her brows drifted away with the wind, and even the lingering killing intent deep within her eyes vanished entirely.

Hoo!

A cool stream descended from the Baihui acupoint, flowing through her entire body, washing away all tension and haste. Her spiritual platform became as clean as a mirror, restoring absolute clarity.

Sovereign Guanqi also noticed her transformation.

He had initially thought it would take Jiang Min some time to slowly change, but he had not expected her to achieve enlightenment so quickly, even receiving a baptism of the Dao's intent.

By this time, Jiang Min was incomparably open-minded. With a slight, heartfelt smile, she cupped her hands and said, "Thank you, Master, for waking this disciple up. I was indeed too restless and impetuous regarding the sword dao. Hearing that my sword intent was merely at the beginning made me somewhat anxious, and the more I thought about it, the harder it was to extricate myself."

"Yet, I will still seize this opportunity. Upon returning to the sect, I will enter seclusion to properly cultivate my spiritual power realm, and only with spare effort will I slowly seek out the sword dao path I wish to walk."

Approval surfaced in Sovereign Guanqi’s eyes, and he smiled leisurely, "That you can attain such an enlightenment ultimately relies on yourself. There are plenty of words like the ones I spoke in books, but whether one can comprehend them depends entirely on personal capability."

"No matter what path of cultivation one pursues, the goal is none other than having one's thoughts flow smoothly. Once your thoughts are smooth, the realm you seek will naturally come to fruition."

"For the next seven years, you can safely focus your mind on spiritual power cultivation. If you need anything, just say so. As for sword intent, you can discuss it more with your senior brothers and sister. They have practiced for centuries and each have their own insights; hearing more will give you plenty of inspiration."

Having finished, Sovereign Guanqi spread his hands toward the chessboard before them and asked with a smile, "Well, shall we restart this game, or continue playing?"

"Let's continue."

As Jiang Min spoke, she removed the few moves Sovereign Guanqi had used to demonstrate for her, restoring the board to its initial state.

"The road already walked must continue, even if it is a detour. But since this disciple has awakened in time, everything is still in time."

Having restored the chessboard, her heart was calm and steady.

She picked up a new white piece and placed it on a fresh spot.