Chapter 29: An Unprecedented Peerless Immortal Blossom—The Sword-Soul Jade-Heart Orchid! The Azure Lotus Sword Attains Ultimate Sharpness
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“Along the course of fate laid out in the original plot…”
Li Taxian strolled slowly among the spirit herbs, deep in thought.
“Tang San swallowed the Eight-Angled Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Delicate Herb whole, without any preparation, and claimed that he had forged a body impervious to both water and fire.”
Li Taxian’s assessment was simple:
“What a waste of heavenly treasures!”
“Eating spirit herbs like Zhu Bajie devouring a ginseng fruit, and then calling oneself impervious to water and fire?”
“All he did was give his martial soul a little resistance to those elements!”
“Could he withstand Ma Hongjun’s phoenix flames head-on?”
Li Taxian turned his gaze toward the two wondrous herbs growing beside the ice spring and the fire spring. A brilliant light flickered in his eyes.
“Only by using the origins of ice and fire as the fermenting base to brew Iceflame Immortal Dew, which harmonizes yin and yang…”
“Then, using the immortal dew as a medicinal catalyst while consuming the Eight-Angled Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot Delicate Herb together, can the medicinal effects of these two herbs be brought to their utmost potential.”
“According to the Records of Spirit Brewing, one might even cultivate the ‘Molten Frost Spirit-Vein Body.’ The meridians would be woven from lava and crystal frost, granting not only true immunity to the侵usion of ice and fire, but also the ability to nourish oneself with their energies.”
At the thought of such a wondrous constitution, Li Taxian could not help but feel his blood surge with excitement.
However—
Just as his gaze swept across the area and he prepared to ladle up spirit spring water to begin brewing, a uniquely shaped spirit herb suddenly entered his field of vision.
This spirit herb…
Had taken root at the boundary between the fire spring and the ice spring.
Though battered by the forces of ice and fire, it remained straight as a sword, proudly facing the wind.
Its stem resembled ten-thousand-year-old cold jade, while its narrow, elongated leaves overlapped like interwoven blades.
The flower’s center was even more extraordinary. Several petals floated free of the stalk, clustering around the phantom of a tiny golden sword that radiated a sharpness capable of making one’s heart tremble.
“This…”
Li Taxian’s gaze slowly hardened.
This spirit herb!
There had been no record of it whatsoever in the original story!
Searching through the memories in his mind, Li Taxian’s breathing quickened slightly.
He knew what this spirit herb was called.
—Sword-Soul Jadeheart Orchid.
A peerless immortal bloom capable of nurturing a “sword fruit”—yet if it was not picked in time, it would vanish from the world.
Among the countless spirit treasures recorded in the Records of Spirit Brewing, the Sword-Soul Jadeheart Orchid was an exceedingly rare existence.
Its effects were equally profound and mysterious: tempering the sword soul and giving direct expression to the sword heart.
“At the present stage of the Douluo Continent, the concept of ‘extremity’ has yet to emerge.”
“But somehow, I can sense that when I use the Three Swords in Their Glory, the Azure Lotus Sword has already touched upon ‘ultimate sharpness.’”
“If I consume the Sword-Soul Jadeheart Orchid…”
Li Taxian’s heart burned with anticipation.
“Can the Azure Lotus Sword truly enter the realm of ‘extremity’?!”
Swish—
Swish—
Just as his emotions surged, strands of tiny yet incomparably sharp sword qi suddenly scattered from the Sword-Soul Jadeheart Orchid.
At the flower’s center, the phantom of the golden sword blazed with light, instantly solidifying as though it were a tangible golden blade.
Only a single golden filament, thinner than a strand of hair, still barely connected the little sword to the flower’s center.
“The sword fruit has matured?!”
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“So soon!”
Li Taxian did not dare delay for even an instant.
With a flip of his hand, the Azure Lotus Sword appeared in his grasp.
A flash of sword light!
He slashed toward the golden filament connecting the little sword to the flower’s center!
This was the second wondrous trait of the Sword-Soul Jadeheart Orchid: those without destiny would find the sword fruit dispersing rather than being granted to them!
The Azure Lotus Sword was peerlessly sharp and swept toward it in an instant.
At the very moment the blade was about to touch the filament—
The solidified golden sword seemed to possess a spirit of its own.
Its body trembled, and it actually flew toward the Azure Lotus Sword of its own accord.
Clang!
A ringing sound, like jade and gold striking one another, suddenly echoed through the air.
The golden sword detached itself from the flower’s center and drifted lightly downward.
Quick-eyed and swift-handed, Li Taxian caught it in his palm.
It felt warm and smooth as jade, yet contained an indescribably keen aura.
“Has it acknowledged me?”
Li Taxian clicked his tongue in wonder, then muttered with some concern:
“It actually withstood a blow from the Azure Lotus Sword.”
“If I just eat it like this, won’t it crack my teeth?”
After hesitating for a few breaths, Li Taxian tried placing the sword fruit into his mouth.
The instant it touched his teeth, it transformed into a cool liquid that seeped straight into his bones and slid into his stomach.
In that instant—
A clear sword cry burst from within Li Taxian’s chest.
“Hng…”
His internal organs felt as though they were being pierced by a thousand needles.
Yet amid the agony, impurities were being refined away.
In a daze, Li Taxian seemed to see every drop of his blood transforming into fragmented sword light, surging through his meridians.
His bones rang with the sonorous clash of metal and stone!
A turbid vapor carrying the scent of rust seeped from his pores!
The Sword-Soul Jadeheart Orchid was reshaping his body into a pure sword physique!
At the same time—
The Azure Lotus Sword, standing three feet before Li Taxian, was penetrated by wisps of golden light escaping from his body.
The blade emitted a crisp hum, as though it were undergoing tempering.
Its already limpid body gradually took on the warm, lustrous texture of jade.
Across the three-finger-wide spine of the sword, twelve azure lotus patterns bloomed one after another, vivid and lifelike.
The Azure Lotus Sword merely stood there—
Yet the surrounding air began to twist and blur!
The space within three feet of its edge seemed unable to withstand its sharpness, rippling with visible waves!
Seated cross-legged with his eyes closed, Li Taxian’s consciousness sank into a wondrous state.
He heard the sword’s whisper—
Not the sound of a weapon cleaving through the air, but the natural rhythm of snow falling upon bamboo and dew dripping into a secluded pool.
Hum—!
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The Azure Lotus Sword responded to an invisible summons and leapt into Li Taxian’s hand of its own accord.
Li Taxian’s eyes flew open.
Two beams of azure sword light, solid as matter, shot from his pupils. They pierced three feet through the air before slowly fading away.
With a thought, he raised the Azure Lotus Sword.
He swung it!
Without a sound!
Its speed was so fast that it defied belief!
The sword followed his heart, and the moment his thought arose, its edge arrived!
A thin, crystalline streak of sword light, nearly impossible to see, skimmed across a massive piece of adamantine iron being scoured by the distant fire spring.
There was no roar, no tremor.
The boulder silently split in two.
The cut surface was smooth as a mirror, clear enough to reflect a person’s image.
“So this is the sword of ultimate sharpness…”
Li Taxian stroked the blade and laughed softly.
Yet that peerlessly sharp edge did not leave even the slightest mark on his fingertip.
The Azure Lotus Sword, now like jade marrow, had already attained spiritual awareness and reached the profound state of “concealing its edge and harming none but its master.”
At that moment, Li Taxian suddenly understood.
The so-called extremity meant deducing a certain element or ability to its theoretical absolute peak.
Ultimate ice was absolute zero, freezing all things.
Ultimate fire was the core of the sun, capable of incinerating all beneath the heavens.
But ultimate sharpness, in its profundity and might, was far beyond the extremity of any element.
From this point onward, his sword represented the utmost sharpness in all the world.
By then, the sky had begun to brighten.
Though Li Taxian had spent the entire night without sleep, he was still full of energy.
Humming a little tune, he chopped wood and gathered materials at the bottom of the valley.
Since he had decided to build a dwelling and stay here for a time, he naturally had to carry himself like a hermit.
“Bright moonlight shines through the pines; clear spring water flows over the stones.”
Looking at the small wooden cabin he had built and smelling the savory aroma of a wild rabbit roasting over the campfire, Li Taxian nodded in satisfaction.
“Hm?”
He suddenly frowned.
“Did I forget something?”
“Forget it. If I can’t remember, then I won’t think about it.”
Beside Lotus Lake—
Xue Qinghe stood holding a Three-Immortal Chicken.
From the morning, while the dew still clung to the grass, until noon, when the sun hung high overhead.
He stood there in silence, lips pressed together. Gradually, anger surfaced upon his refined and handsome face.
“Li! Taxian!”
Enunciating every word, Xue Qinghe shouted furiously:
“You actually stood me up!”
I fell asleep with my head on the desk, so the two chapters were posted a little late…
Please, everyone, spare me a few free votes. Thank you, dear readers! This little author bows deeply!
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