Chapter 10 - Two Paths

Li Jie started to ponder the question asked by the mysterious man whilst looking at the sword placed in front of him intently which was shining with a mystifying luster, "A sword is just a tool used for killing"

said Li Jie, upon hearing which the mysterious man shook his head "your answer can be considered correct from one perspective, but other weapons can also be used to kill,

why is sword considered the king of weapons, why is it used by most of the noblemen to wield as a form of status, why is it learned by most cultivators".

Li Jie was stunned by what he heard but understood that a sword has many functions except killing and then pondered some more to change his answer to "A Sword can be wielded to kill, to defend, to protect and for many things which I am unaware of, and maybe I will later learn more with experiencing more of my life", said Li Jie with a smile of contentment,

The mysterious man smiled and nodded, hearing this answer given by Li Jie, looking at the sword in front of him made Li Jie want to badly learn swordsmanship but he didn't know if the man sitting beside him will teach him, because of his extreme curiosity towards the man, he asked with some hesitation "Respected Sir, will you be teaching me swordsmanship".

The middle-aged man smiled looking at the boy smiled filled with curiosity in-front of him, "well if you want me to teach you swordsmanship, I can teach it to you but let me tell you a little secret which many would not know, is that swordsmanship practiced by everyone, no matter which place whether a great family or a sect or however strong a cultivator is, their swordsmanship is flawed and incorrect!!! they can never reach the peak of swordsmanship ever!!!

Li Jie was utterly dumbfounded after hearing this shocking statement by the mysterious middle-aged man "then what is the correct swordsmanship honored sir" asked Li Jie with total newfound respect, because this knowledge was not known by anyone, not even his father and mother or they would have told him and the fact that this middle-aged man was sitting right here in the Li castle and not even his father noticed him which was a big feat.

the middle-aged man first went quiet as if pondering something then said "Swordsmanship is used as tools by most cultivators around the world, while some do try to understand the depth of swordsmanship but can only understand it's fur,

the true way of learning swordsmanship lies in benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth, and desire for glory, which is a mindset necessary for true sword cultivators but hard to go on as time passes and humans are usually tainted by their desires and emotions after some time, that's why I am asking you,

Do you really want to learn swordsmanship from me, you must have heard that the path of cultivation is arduous but you should know that the path of swordsmanship is harder, while many claiming but no one is able to reach it's peak" said the man with a firm expression.

Li Wei nodded in understanding and said with a determined expression "no matter what, I must learn the path of swordsmanship even if it's harder than cultivation I will cross all hurdles that will be infront of me",

hearing which the middle-aged man had a crafty smile and said, "What if you get the chance of getting a bloodline!!!" Li Jie was stunned happy and excited

"Really, can I get a bloodline," said Li Jie with a very exciting expression, "Yes, you can get an extremely powerful bloodline at that, one which is stronger than your mom and dad's bloodline even stronger than any existence in this whole Universe!!!!

Li Jie was shocked and excited after hearing the man's words with a trembling expression he asked "Honored sir, I would be extremely grateful to you if I can get a bloodline", the man just smirked and continued,

"But if you obtain a bloodline, you will not be able to learn the true swordsmanship, after all the true swordsmanship requires a person to devote his all to the way of sword and after you get the bloodline I will not be teaching you anything and every memory you have of me will be removed as for the new bloodline can be told as an awakening of sorts, after all, it's rare but not impossible to happen," said the middle-aged man with a stern expression,

Li Wei suddenly stopped everything that he was feeling at the moment and calmed himself down to ponder over everything said by the man in-front of him, after all, this was once in a lifetime opportunity in-front of him, getting a bloodline will help him regain respect status and most of all he will be accepted by everyone and no one will make fun behind his back about him and his family,

and most of all he would be able to cultivate and become stronger for certain and protect his family, whereas the way of sword completely depends on a person's comprehension and even one wrong step could lead to dire consequences,

thinking continuously over the situation made him frown deeply after all no matter how you look at it, the way of swordsmanship has more cons whereas obtaining a bloodline is more beneficial but he felt if he were to decide on obtaining the bloodline he will be losing something important, something which will make him feel empty for a long time,

having a hard time in choosing one of the paths given by the man in-front of him, he asked in an apologetic tone bowing towards him

"Honored sir, Can I get some time in deciding what to chose".

the middle-aged man stopped him from bowing and said " A true swordsman bows to no one, not to the kings nor the emperors nor to the saints not even to those distinguished gods" said the man in an arrogant tone

and then he smiled warmly "you don't have to worry kid for asking me of such a request, after all, it's a decision of your life, think and decide wisely, you can take your time in deciding, I will be waiting for you here in this training pagoda" smiled the mysterious middle-aged man.