<h4>Chapter 145 </h4>


    Even a dagger forged from a special metal and possessing a unique trait shouldn’t be able to resist Sword Maniption Art. And no matter how heavy it was, if its wielder was strong enough, handling it wouldn’t be a problem.


    However, the mental energy consumed by the dagger Mimong was beyond what could be expected from an inanimate object.


    <i>It’s like trying to subdue a creature that’s struggling. </i>


    If someone were to tie a rope to both a heavy boulder and a tiger of equal weight and try to pull them with pure strength, which would be harder? Naturally, it would be the tiger. The direction of the force resisting the pull would change constantly, and the animal might even try to bite through the rope or shake it off as it struggled.


    Leonard looked down at Mimong, which was buried deep into the floor of his room, then grabbed the hilt and pulled it out.


    <i>Clink...</i>


    The de that had split the stone floor like tofu emitted a low hum.


    “Hmm, it seems it can’t move on its own.”


    It seemed that Mimong only reacted wildly when Leonard infused it with his strength and will. Perhaps it was inactive now because there was no energy source.


    From its hilt to the tip of the de, Mimong looked like a normal dagger. There was no magic circle or magic stone embedded in it to absorb mana.


    After confirming that, Leonard tried to establish a connection with Mimong through his willpower.


    <i>Buzz! Buzz!</i>


    As he did so, Mimong vibrated irregrly, struggling to escape his grip. When Leonard’s consciousness intertwined with the dagger’s ego, he could perceive the soul within Mimong, or rather, the thing that could be called a soul.


    <i>I think this is what they called a sword soul in the Mount Mao Sect.</i>


    It was a legend he had never experienced during his days of roaming the martial world as Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk. It was different from themon rumors martial artists often heard—things like treasure maps hidden in ancient ruins, famous swords like Gan Jiang and Mo Ye[1] whose authenticity was hard to determine, or hidden techniques left by masters from the previous generations.


    Unlike those few instances where rumors turned out to be true, sword souls were rather obscure, mainly mentioned by ascetics selling talismans who prattled stories about Sword Immortal Lu Dongbin.


    <i>“The Heavenly Nature Sword Art isn’t about wielding the sword, but controlling the sword soul. It’s quite different from what you might be thinking, Sword Emperor.”</i>


    This story, told by the patriarch of the Mount Mao Sect, which had fallen into ruin with no trace of its former glory, resurfaced from the depths of Leonard’s memory.


    <i>“I’ll give you the scriptures of the Heavenly Nature Sword Art Training Method as payment for what you did for us. I couldn’t master the technique myself, so I can’t teach you. Do with it as you please.”</i>


    The Heavenly Nature Sword Art Training Method from Yeon Mu-Hyuk’s memories was vastly different from martial arts, from the scriptures to the method of circting internal energy.


    Yeon Mu-Hyuk, who had already reached the Creation Realm, recognized it as a mental technique. As such, he persistently studied it for years without giving up, but he ultimately burned it in frustration when he gained nothing.


    <i>Calm your mind and peer deep into your inner core.</i>


    Muttering the first scriptures of the Heavenly Nature Sword Art Training Method, Leonard closed his eyes and focused his consciousness on Mimong. For some reason, he felt he could do it now.


    <i>Change your impure heart. It is natural to be discouraged after seeing no progress following three hardships. Nevertheless, the human mind should not die, nor should the me in you grow too strong. Burn away all your anguish and distractions. Maintain a state of great calm.</i>


    Suppressing the impatience in his heart and quelling the uneasiness within him, Leonard slowly reached a calm and serene mental state, like a crystal-clear mirror. It was a state Yeon Mu-Hyuk had not managed to reach.


    <i>The true test is not external but internal. Observe the boundary that brings you close to your inner demons and do not sumb to the temptations. Practice asceticism. Only by oveing ten demon trials will you be granted the qualification to sense heavenly nature. Just as one must cross rivers and mountains in life, the same applies to the practice of asceticism... Ah!</i>


    Leonard almost eximed aloud.


    <i>So that’s it! That’s why my previous self could gain nothing from the Heavenly Nature Sword Art Training Method!</i>


    Right when he reached the final scriptures of the Heavenly Nature Sword Art Training Method, a sh of enlightenment struck him like lightning.


    The teaching to ovee ten demonic trials was akin to confronting the heart devil. This was the difference between Leonard and Yeon Mu-Hyuk.


    The heart devil was born from Yeon Mu-Hyuk’s life-and-death battle with the Heavenly Demon. The current Leonard had faced the heart devil over a hundred times, thereby meeting the requirement of oveing ten demonic trials.


    <i>sh—!</i>


    As Leonard recognized his own qualification, the Heavenly Nature Sword Art Training Method disyed its power. Qi flowed out in a way he had never experienced before, and willpower surged like lightning from his upper dantian. As the mind-lightning struck, Mimong ceased its violent thrashing and calmed down. It was proof that Leonard had fully subdued it.


    “...I see.”


    Leonard, seeing the soul of Mimong, epted it with a wry smile. He could not help it. Though it possessed an ego, its intelligence was barely that of a two-year-old child. Its consciousness was so primitive thatmunication was almost impossible.


    The real problem was that it had learned the concept of freedom. When Leonard tried to control Mimong with Sword Maniption Art, Mimong had to have realized it.


    <i>It’s like giving a newborn the ability to fly freely.</i>


    Mimong, with its ego, could control its body freely as long as the user provided power. This was why tremendous mental strength was required for Sword Maniption Art. Forcefully controlling the dagger that struggled to be free was like a horse and a carriage going in opposite directions at full speed. Unless one gave in, the line would snap, or one side would break.


    <i>That is, if I hadn’t mastered the Heavenly Nature Sword Art.</i>


    Carefully, Leonard ced his palm on Mimong’s de and channeled his energy ording to the first verse of the Heavenly Nature Sword Art—a scripture to merge the body and the sword. ording tomon murim knowledge, merging body and sword meant reaching a level where the sword was handled as naturally as one’s own limbs.


    However, the Heavenly Nature Sword Art scripture was literal.


    <i>Sshrukk....</i>


    Strangely, when he channeled his energy ording to the scripture, Mimong merged into Leonard’s left hand, bing one with him.


    “It’s closer to sorcery than martial arts,” Leonard remarked, turning his left hand to confirm that Mimong was undetectable from the outside.


    Using his Dragon Eyes, Leonard confirmed that his hand was entirely normal, with only bones and tendons visible. Not even Demian would notice anything unusual. Leonard clenched and unclenched his left hand a few times, a smile spreading across his face.


    The Heavenly Nature Sword Art was more than just a technique for concealing weapons.


    Leonard extended his index finger and lightly drew it across the wall as an experiment. The solid stone wall, resistant even to sword qi, now bore a crack. Leonard had released Mimong’s sharp energy through his fingertip.


    The sword soul, unified with his body through the technique, imparted its sharpness and hardness to the designated area. Additionally, a safeguard was in ce to prevent it from harming its master.


    “The limitation is that it only applies to one finger, and using energy emission techniques with that finger is impossible.”


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, Leonard raised his left index finger again.


    <i>Shiing!</i>


    A golden sh shot from his finger, slicing through the stone wall effortlessly and embedding deep within. This was the second verse of the Heavenly Nature Sword Art, One Finger Zen.


    By unleashing the sword soul integrated with his body, it became more deadly and powerful than typical Wind Fingershot or Augmented Finger Energy, surpassing even the speed and power of the Tang n’s Golden Dragon Needle.


    “Come back.”


    The sword soul connected to Leonard through the technique obeyed hismand and swiftly returned, reintegrating with his left hand. This was just the beginning, but the first and second verse alone showed immense potential.


    As Leonard’s mastery of the Heavenly Nature Sword Art deepened, the potential of Mimong seemed endless. This was an extraordinary stroke of luck.


    <i>I got my hands on a lifesaving trump card.</i>


    With a satisfied expression, Leonard spent the next few days focused on training the Heavenly Nature Sword Art. Since he was unable to progress any further through repeated practice, the new martial arts and insights were a wee change.


    As he continued to connect with Mimong and exchange intentions through the sword art, Leonard felt its soul rapidly growing. In a few months, or at most a few years, they would be able tomunicate.


    “Turns out I’ve received a gift of immense value.”


    Leonard once again felt grateful to Wade, the Red Dragon Commander, for giving him the dagger as a mere gift.


    * * *


    The priority of the Order of the White Dragon was to hunt down Void Deities, which first required locating them. The Divine Territory was typically located in areas nearly inessible to humans, making it both easy and difficult to find—the crater of a volcano, the depths of the sea, trenches, mountain peaks, and so on.


    “Finding the Divine Territory is just the beginning. When assessing how difficult it will be to subjugate the Void Deity, measuring its mana alone can easily lead to errors, just likest time with Tyr.”


    Leonard nodded in agreement, listening closely to Demian’s exnation.


    “So, the investigation team ssifies the type of Divine Territory and tries to determine the Void Deity’s domain or name. Martial gods, war gods, or thunder gods are always ssified as upper intermediate-rank to high-rank because their divinity is inherently immense.”


    In mythology, martial gods and war gods held significant roles, and naturally, their status and power were formidable. Although Odin was the Chief God of Asgard, Thor’sbat power was greater.


    Generally, sun gods were more powerful than moon gods, and gods representing light or darkness were ssified at least as high-rank. Gods of death and fate were tricky, not because they were particrly powerful inbat but because they were incredibly deceptive.


    Demian’s exnation was clear and concise.


    “Tyr, who governs swords and war, lost an arm to Fenrir and was overshadowed by Thor, which weakened his divinity. He was a top-priority threat until the schrs revealed this. After several battles, it became clear that he was weaker than expected, leading to it bing a target of research.”


    “So the main point is that we shouldn’t rely entirely on ssification.”


    “Exactly! Void Deities are fragments of gods, and their rank can vary based on the fragment’s size. Therge fragment of a Lesser God can wield power close to a True God’s.”


    Therefore, developing the ability to judge for oneself was crucial, Demian advised, handing Leonard a few documents.


    “Read these carefully right now. Ask if you have any questions or need rification.”


    The papers were densely packed with text and illustrations, far more than could be read in a few minutes. Leonard epted them, scanning the title on the first page.


    The purpose was all too clear.


    Subjugation Order—the list of Void Deities to be hunted down by Leonard and others, excluding Demian, was now in his hands.


    1. Gan Jiang and Mo Ye were a swordsmith couple, discussed in the literature involving the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. A pair of swords were forged by and named after them. ?