56 Sword Abyss IV

The moonlight shone over a lonely figure sitting cross-legged in the middle of the Bridge of Lamenting. The silvery light made Amon's pale face suffuse a pale glow, looking unnaturally chilling. His eyes were closed, and beads of sweat were slowly rolling down his face, glistening in the faint light like morning dew.

He observed closely how the Sword Qi emitting from the Abyss acted. The way it moved through the air, unstoppable until reaching the array formation, the way it seemed to be attracted towards life, making Amon feel incredibly nervous as all the Sword Qi in the area shot in his direction.

"It is not enough." He thought, retracting his divine sense as his body shuddered unconsciously. He felt as if he was being stalked by a beast and that at any moment he would be ripped apart in pieces. He could not get rid of the anxiousness in his heart, and focusing was hard.

"Do not be afraid of it." Lya's calm voice echoed in his mind, as clear and refreshing as a stream in spring. "You must lower your guard, and let it reach you."

"Open yourself to it, invite it in." She said gently in his ears, almost in a whisper. "It is the only way you will be able to deal with such a feeling."

"When it reaches you, then you might reach back to it." She continued. "At that moment you will be able to understand what Sword Qi is."

Amon furrowed his brows for a moment, but eventually took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He adjusted his position, trying to get more comfortable as he slowly spread his divine sense outward again.

The murderous intent of the Sword Qi took over his sense yet again, making him freeze in place. Remembering Lya's words, he made an incredible effort to not try to resist it. He felt more and more anxious as the sensation of being pointed a sword at grew stronger, but he managed to hold on.

His clothes became drenched in sweat and he started shivering as he started to feel the Sword Qi slashing at him. It was as if the air surrounding Amon had suddenly turned unbearably cold and started to press down on him. He felt as if he was going to be crushed by the cold aura he was feeling, and breathing became difficult.

The cold sensation invaded his body, as if thousands of sharp blades were crawling under his skin, splitting his flesh apart and making him feel maddening pain. His organs seemed to twist and rupture and his muscles turned useless, having been torn to shreds.

Amon tried to scream, but he found no voice coming from his throat, as he tasted the blood seeping from his destroyed organs leaking through his mouth. His thoughts started to scatter, and his vision started fading. As the coldness took over his senses, Amon realized he could feel nothing…

"Aaaah!" He woke up screaming, finding himself still on the Bridge of Lamenting. He was panting heavily, making a dense white mist shoot from his mouth as he gasped for breath. He felt his body numb, and he could not move properly. He was so tense that his muscles had locked him in place.

He looked confused at his surroundings, trying to understand what had happened. There was no pain in his body, and no pressure around him. The Sword Qi was still shooting in his direction, but it was all being blocked by the array formation, making it harmless.

"An illusion?" He asked to himself as he recovered his breath. Having calmed down, he could analyze the situation.

"I guess you could call it that." Lya answered him. "What you experience was sheer killing intent. What you felt was nothing more than what the person dealing the strike wanted to cause to his target."

"But… how?" Amon asked in confusion. "I understand that having a strong will affects the Qi, but how can something as abstract as killing intent remain behind like this?"

"The Nebula." Lya's answer was very simple.

"What?" Amon was taken aback. Wasn't the Nebula the energy and vibrations generated by the will and emotions in the Truesoul?

"If a soul is strong enough, the will can leave behind an impression in the Qi. It is like an echo of the emotions the person had." Lya explained slowly, making sure Amon would understand. "This echo is a kind of Nebula."

The Nebula was the bridge between the soul and the material plane. As everything in this physical world was a form of Qi, it could be said that the Nebula was the connection between the soul and the Qi. For a strong soul to leave an impression in the Qi was not surprising, considering that the will contained in it could manipulate the Qi in the first place.

"Sword Qi is naturally filled with murderous intentions. Sword Cultivators could use the Sword Qi not only in physical attacks, but in psychological attacks too." Lya continued her explanation patiently.

"Such attacks could affect the minds of the targets and the surrounding spectators. It is a good way to create openings." Lya had to be sure Amon understood this. The psychological aspect of such an attack was as important as the physical one.

"What you felt just now was what the person in the receiving end of such a strike would feel." She said, waiting patiently for Amon to ponder over her words.

Amon was in awe as he thought of Lya's words. It truly made sense. He now understood why Lya wanted him to come to the Sword Abyss. It was not only for him to get a better sense of Sword Qi, it was also for him to understand this facet of its use.

"I have one question, Lya." Amon had his brows furrowed as he thought of something. His gaze was incredibly serious, and the matter he wanted to bring up seemed very important.

"You can ask." Lya assured him. His expression had made her curious.

"The first line of the Soulrousing Technique…" Amon's brows furrowed even further. "It is not to simply aid in cultivation at all, is it?"

For the first time, Lya was caught off-guard by one of Amon's questions. If she had projected a body in front of him, her mouth would be open and her eyes would be widened in surprise. She never expect him to bring this matte rup.

"Why did you think of this?" She asked suspiciously, trying to understand his train of thought.

"I just thought that, since Sword Cultivation seemed to make such ingenious use of the makings of the soul and the Qi…" Amon explained hurriedly as his ears reddened. He thought he had spoken something absurd and was starting to feel ashamed. "Then maybe the cultivation technique would be related to it too."

All that answered him was a long silence. Amon got even more nervous at Lya's lack of reaction. It took what seemed to be an eternity for Lya to finally say something.

"You are right." She said in a somewhat hesitant voice.

"The primary use of the first part of the Soulrousing Technique is indeed to boost the speed of cultivation." She spoke slowly, trying to ponder her words carefully. "Nevertheless, its second use is as important as the first."

In truth, Amon was not ready for this knowledge, but if he had managed to catch on, it would be better to explain properly to him.

"The Soulrousing Technique can greatly boost the strength of the Sword Qi a Sword Cultivator produces." She said, confirming Amon's suspicions.

It was only natural. If the Sword Qi's strength was so dependent on the will imbued in it, naturally if you could boost such will, the Sword Qi would be stronger.

Nevertheless, such a use had its risk. The stronger the killing intent was, the harder it would be to control it. Using the Soulrousing Technique as a means to boost an attack should not be done lightly under any circumstances.

"I believe I have no need to explain to you why you should leave this matter to rest, right?" Lya asked in a serious voice. Amon could almost feel her blue eyes glaring at him.

"No. I understand." He said, not showing disappointment in his voice. He knew very well he was not ready for it.

"Good." Lya seemed satisfied at his answer. "Now go on, try to produce Sword Qi."

Amon nodded heavily as he slowly drew Windhowler from the sheath in his back. He slowly stood up, shivering from the cold as a violent wind blew in the Bridge of Lamenting.

As he assumed a stance, the air in front of him distorted, and Lya materialized out of thin air. Amon was dumbstruck as he saw her, not understanding the situation. To further his confusion, the interspatial ring in his finger flashed, and Brightmoon appeared by Lya's side, hovering around her.

"Why do you look so confused?" Lya asked with a charming smile.

"Come on, attack me." She said with a strange glint in her eyes. Amon felt a chill run down his back as he faced her, and he had a bad feeling.

Lya ignored his reaction as her smile widened. Brightmoon flew to her hands as she also assumed a stance. Under the moonlight, her figure seemed to be immersed in flowing mercury, and her white dress had a silver sheen. Her smile suddenly scared Amon as she looked at him with a piercing glance.

"I'll judge your progress."