When he returned home, Qi Dao eagerly summoned his Iron Sword!
The sword was gray and dull, looking utterly ordinary, with several cracks running along its blade.
Yet the moment Qi Dao held it in his hand, that mysterious connection surfaced once again.
The Douluo world had concepts such as sword intent and the unity of man and sword.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Ji Juechen, the Sword Fanatic, were examples of this.
Looking at the Iron Sword in his hand, Qi Dao recalled the strange state he had entered outside the Awakening Hall.
Perhaps what he had experienced was something akin to enlightenment!
With that thought, Qi Dao became even more attached to the Iron Sword.
So what if he only had half a rank of innate soul power?
He would still become a sword god!
The youthful spirit of a young man was something the world could never reproduce.
Qi Dao’s life would never be inferior to anyone else’s!
…
At the dinner table, Qi Dao looked at his father.
“Dad, could you buy me a sword sheath tomorrow?”
His father, Qi Mingyuan, froze for a moment.
“Son, what do you need a sword sheath for?”
In the Douluo Continent, weapon soul masters didn’t need to carry physical weapons.
They only needed to release their martial souls in battle.
Qi Dao smiled.
“I want to put my Iron Sword martial soul in a sword sheath and carry it with me.”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t just Qi Mingyuan.
Wang Rou was also stunned.
Neither of them could understand what had prompted their son to come up with such an idea.
Qi Mingyuan asked with an amused expression, “Son, can you tell your dad why you want to carry your martial soul around?”
“Remember, every time you release your martial soul, even if you don’t use it, it will continuously consume your soul power.”
Qi Dao answered seriously, “Because I feel that doing this will make it easier for me to comprehend the soul and will of the sword.
Maybe it will help me cultivate faster.”
After hearing this, Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou were still completely baffled.
What kind of strange logic was this?
If holding a sword could really let someone comprehend the soul and will of the sword, then why hadn’t he sensed anything after holding one for more than twenty years?
The couple exchanged a glance and secretly shook their heads.
It seemed that no matter how precocious their son was, he was still just a child after all.
He still had these wild and unrealistic ideas.
But it didn’t matter.
Perhaps after some time, he would naturally come to his senses.
Besides, seeing that their son hadn’t become depressed after awakening with only half a rank of innate soul power was already enough to satisfy them.
Qi Mingyuan chuckled.
“All right.
Dad will buy you a sword sheath tomorrow!”
“Thanks, Dad!”
A smile appeared on Qi Dao’s face.
The next day, Qi Mingyuan really did bring home a black sword sheath, its surface decorated with delicate patterns.
Qi Dao took the sheath and immediately fell in love with it.
He promptly placed the Iron Sword inside, hung it from his waist, and rested one hand on the hilt.
That subtle sensation returned once again.
Qi Mingyuan grinned and teased him.
“So, son, can you feel the soul of the sword now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Dao closed his eyes and raised a finger to his lips.
“Shh~”
He could feel it.
The connection between himself and the Iron Sword was gradually becoming stronger.
It was so faint that it was almost impossible to detect, but it was definitely growing stronger!
Qi Mingyuan struggled to hold back his laughter.
His son really did look as though he knew what he was talking about!
Wang Rou watched from a short distance away, her face filled with affection.
“Our son really is handsome!”
Qi Mingyuan walked over and grinned.
“Of course.
He takes after me!”
That night.
Qi Dao sat quietly on his bed, meditating.
The Iron Sword lay horizontally in front of him, while his peaceful face carried a hint of solemnity.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes.
They were bright and clear, and a smile appeared on his calm face.
“It really works.
My cultivation speed is faster than before.”
Although the improvement was so slight that it was almost impossible to perceive, Qi Dao was absolutely certain of it.
This effect might not show much after one or two days, but accumulated over time, even grains of sand could eventually form a mountain!
Qi Dao picked up the Iron Sword lying in front of him and smiled.
“Iron Sword, oh Iron Sword.
The Great Dao is boundless, and I have taken yet another step toward becoming a Sword God!”
The moment he finished speaking, his heart suddenly stirred.
“Calling you Iron Sword forever won’t do.”
“You and I are destined to shake the world one day.
How could you possibly lack an imposing name?”
“Let me think~.”
Qi Dao rubbed his chin, racking his brain.
After a while, his eyes suddenly lit up.
“One day, I will be unrivaled among men, while you will stand supreme among all swords!”
“You shall be called Wushuang (Peerless)!”
“Unparalleled elegance, peerless beneath the heavens!”
“Hum~”
In an instant, a humming sound rang out inside the room.
Qi Dao was holding the sword sheath, yet he could clearly feel a powerful vibration coming from within.
In that mysterious connection, he seemed to hear Wushuang’s joyful cheers!
Qi Dao laughed heartily.
“I heard your voice.
Looks like you really like this name!”
“Then let’s work toward our common goal together!”
“This is the bond between us!”
“Hum~”
Qi Dao failed to notice that the cracks on the blade had miraculously healed by a tiny amount.
…
Starting the very next day, Qi Dao began practicing swordsmanship under his father’s guidance.
Qi Mingyuan was nothing more than an ordinary rank 29 Soul Grandmaster.
He was no renowned swordsman.
However, he had once spent his younger years making a living in the Great Soul Arena, where he had accumulated plenty of combat experience.
Even now, he and Wang Rou ran a regular soul-hunting team that specialized in helping others hunt for soul rings.
Through countless life-and-death battles, his swordsmanship might not have belonged to any famous school, but it was much more focused on actual combat.
Simple, but practical!
“The attacking movements in swordsmanship are mainly divided into two categories: chopping and thrusting.”
“When you chop, keep your arm relaxed.
Use the sword’s own weight and the rotation of your waist and hips to bring the blade down.
Don’t rely solely on the strength of your arm.”
“Relax!
Relax!”
“When gripping a sword, you need to be ‘firm, but not rigid.’ You have to keep the sword from slipping out of your hand while maintaining flexibility in your wrist.
Look at the way you’re gripping that sword!”
“How many soul skills do we soul masters actually have?
Especially weapon soul masters like us.”
“Take us sword soul masters, for example.
Every bit of our strength is in the sword.
If you don’t master your swordsmanship, your combat power will be cut by at least half.”
Qi Mingyuan was extremely strict when teaching Qi Dao swordsmanship.
But that was precisely what Qi Dao needed.
And Qi Mingyuan really did have some skills.
From a distance, Wang Rou watched the scene with a gentle smile of satisfaction on her face.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Nuoding Academy began its new term.
Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou brought Qi Dao to the academy and met its Dean, Hans.
The couple had also been students at Nuoding Academy, and they were among the most successful graduates of their generation.
In the future, they had a high chance of becoming Soul Saints—no, Soul Elders and might even have a chance to reach the Soul Ancestor realm within their lifetimes.
Hans greeted them warmly.
“Mingyuan, Wang Rou, how does it feel to return to your alma mater?”
“This must be your child, right?”
“I can see composure and wisdom in his eyes.
Those are qualities ordinary children don’t possess.”
“Hello, Dean Hans.”
Qi Dao respectfully greeted Hans.
Hans burst into laughter.
“What a polite child!”
Hearing Dean Hans praise Qi Dao, Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou couldn’t help smiling.
Qi Mingyuan spoke.
“I brought Qi Dao here to enroll at Nuoding Academy this time.
This child awakened his martial soul two months ago, and he also possesses innate soul power.”
As he spoke, he handed over Qi Dao’s martial soul awakening certificate from the Spirit Hall.
Hans opened the certificate.
After reading its contents, the pity in his eyes when he looked at Qi Dao became even more apparent.
A malignant martial soul mutation.
What terrible luck.
With only half a rank of innate soul power, there was a high probability that he would never break through to rank 20 in his lifetime.
After all, not every person with half a rank of innate soul power could reach rank 29 like his old friend Yu Xiaogang.
At that thought, his eyes suddenly lit up.
That’s right!
How could he have forgotten the Grandmaster?
Their circumstances were practically identical.
Both had suffered malignant martial soul mutations.
And with the Grandmaster teaching him, wouldn’t that be fate?
As if summoned by the thought, the door to the Dean’s office suddenly opened.
A figure strode inside without even knocking.
When Dean Hans saw who had arrived, his face immediately brightened.
“Grandmaster, you came at just the right time!”
End of Chapter