Sword Art 2

In Long-Spring Yard,

Abbas had just finished talking about the principles of swordsmanship and the four levels of sword art. Then, after a slight pause, he said, "Your understanding is correct, but as they say, easier said than done. It's not easy to reach a point where one is not bound by sword moves."

"Moreover, sword cultivation emphasizes gradual progress; impatience won't do."

"Take it slow." Abbas's tone was quite plain, having experienced countless trials and tribulations, he naturally spoke with calmness.

Harry listened silently, thinking to himself that he also knew that sword cultivation required gradual progress. However, he didn't have much time left, only six months.

He must come up with a sword training plan to quickly improve his swordsmanship.

---

Amidst the Windy Willow Forest,

This was a relatively unknown place on the North Peak.

Here, there were two main characteristics.

First, the wind was strong. Almost twelve hours a day, relentless gusts of wind blew. If it were an ordinary person, survival would be extremely difficult in such a place. However, cultivators also needed to expend some mana to stabilize their forms; otherwise, they might be swept away by the strong winds.

Second, willow trees. Almost everywhere were willow trees, their leaves fluttering in the wind.

Usually, the wind blew here frequently, causing the willow leaves to flutter wildly, creating an unpredictable scene.

Although it had some characteristics, they weren't particularly outstanding. The North Peak was vast, with numerous famous attractions like the True Martial Pavilion, Jiao Gong Stone Chamber, Changchun Stone Chamber, Seductive Woman Window, Immortal Oil Tribute, Divine Soil Cliff, Leaning Cloud Pavilion, Laojun Plow Hangout, Iron Bull Platform, White Cloud Fairyland Stone Archway, etc., making it less frequented.

Occasionally, a few people would come here.

And at this moment, the wind was particularly strong.

A youth in green clothes, somewhat slim, with a hint of cunning in his eyes, was entering this area.

"What a Windy Willow Forest, the wind is indeed strong, and there are indeed many willow trees. Being here feels like being in an ocean of willows," Harry thought to himself.

As for how he ended up here, it was actually quite simple; he came here to practice swordsmanship.

When he was thinking about a place to practice swordsmanship, he eventually settled on this place.

The Windy Willow Forest.

Countless willow leaves fluttered in the strong wind, making them perfect targets for his sword practice. When he was thinking about planning his sword training, he naturally thought of this place.

Since he thought of it, he naturally came.

Concentrating amidst the howling wind, he focused on his posture and locked onto a leaf. These constantly floating willow leaves were quite challenging to track, but he treated them as his opponents and began his sword practice.

"Clouds come, winds disturb," "Wind passes without leaving a trace on rivers and mountains," "Clouds lock deep mountains, winds do not blow"..."Cloudy intentions linger," "Wind cannot be chased"...

With each sword move, he aimed to pierce the leaves swiftly. However, sometimes the leaves moved too quickly in the strong wind, and with so many other leaves providing cover, he often missed his target.

Gradually, Harry realized that the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud were indeed profound, but sometimes the moves took too long, and by the time he executed them, the targeted leaf had already been blown away by the wind. Sometimes, only half a move was necessary.

In his previous sword spar with Squary, Harry realized that the second realm of swordsmanship was when sword moves were dead, but people were alive. People didn't need to adhere strictly to sword moves. However, realizing this and actually implementing it were two different things.

Now, he began practicing this realm.

"Clouds come, winds disturb," using only the first half move, "clouds come."

"Winds lock the mountains and rivers," using only the first part.

"Clouds hide deep in the mountains, winds do not blow," using only the latter part.

He tried to use constantly fluttering willow leaves as targets for his sword practice, day after day, tirelessly. Normally, Harry wouldn't have been in such a state, but now, he had been provoked by Aeron and Houk, so he had to retaliate. Regardless of how lazy he usually was, this time he had to put in effort.

At the beginning, he couldn't do it at all. Using half moves was simple, but smoothly transitioning to the next move was not easy.

"Huff... I'm so tired." Although each sword swing wasn't tiring, swinging the sword thousands of times a day was exhausting. However, he had to persevere. If he couldn't even muster the effort now when he was being provoked, then he was truly worthless.

Sweat dripped from his forehead continuously.

From daytime to nighttime.

In this silent and deserted Windy Willow Forest.

During sword practice, he barely slept for two or three hours a day.

Time passed amidst endless sword practice.

One month passed like this. In that month, Harry had become accustomed to using only half of the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud. Each move in the set had been broken down, making them more flexible and comfortable to use.

At this moment, Harry began to feel something.

Practicing swordsmanship in the Windy Willow Forest, sometimes, he didn't even need to use half moves. Sometimes, only a single motion was necessary. Gradually, he also realized that all the moves in the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud were composed of some basic actions: chop, cut, smash, lift, block, wash, intercept, stab, stir, press, hang, cloud...

There were no other actions. Therefore, the so-called One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud should actually consist of these basic actions combined with a certain intention, like the intention of clouds and wind. But what exactly were the intentions of clouds and wind?

In the fourth month in the Windy Willow Forest,

Harry was swinging his sword casually, contemplating the intentions of clouds and wind. The intention of the wind had already become clear to him; after all, he had been influenced by the wind-blown willow leaves for four months. What was the wind? A gentle breeze leaving no trace was wind. A fierce gale leaving a path of destruction was also wind. All these were wind.

Inadvertently, traces of wind's intention were integrated into his sword moves.

Actually, this was largely due to Harry practicing the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud. There were too many moves in this set imbued with the intention of wind. Even if one practiced in the Windy Willow Forest for a long time, unless one was a prodigy, it would be impossible to comprehend the intention of wind, let alone integrate it into sword moves, with other sword techniques.

And what about clouds? Harry suddenly realized that he had been in a sea of clouds for four months. Yes, the willow leaves here had been blown by the wind for more than four months. This was actually a sea of willow leaves, a cloud sea of willow leaves. Being in between the wind and clouds for four months, he constantly felt and was affected by them.

Harry

 understood what wind and clouds meant.

There was some enlightenment, but more was a natural understanding.

What was wind? What was clouds?

A gentle breeze leaving no trace was wind. A fierce gale leaving a path of destruction was also wind. A warm breeze intoxicating people was also wind. Clouds piling up was clouds. Cloud seas rolling were also clouds. Even the slightest movement was also clouds. The intentions of wind and clouds had entered his mind. He understood the intentions of wind and clouds.

He slowly integrated the intentions of wind and clouds into the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud.

From the basic actions of chop, cut, smash, lift, block, wash, intercept, stab, stir, press, hang, cloud, plus the intentions of clouds and wind, the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud were formed.

Exquisite sword moves appeared in Harry's hands.

"Clouds come, winds disturb," "Wind passes without leaving a trace on rivers and mountains," "Clouds lock deep mountains, winds do not blow," "Cloudy intentions linger," "Wind cannot be chased"...

This was still the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud.

But Harry knew that his One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud were completely different now.

If in the past, sword moves were dead, and people were bound by them, using complete sword moves, it was like seeing mountains as mountains and water as water.

Then, sword moves were dead, but people were not bound by them. People were alive. At that time, using only half moves or some incomplete moves, it was like mountains not being mountains and water not being water.

And now, by using the most basic actions of chop, cut, smash, lift, block, wash, intercept, stab, stir, press, hang, cloud, plus the intentions of clouds and wind, his One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud, move by move, had reached the realm where mountains were still mountains and water was still water.

He had comprehended the Sword's Heart.

There was a moment of enlightenment, but more was an inevitable understanding. He had comprehended the Sword's Heart of the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud.

Harry now looked at his hands and the long sword in them. His master Abbas had mentioned that among the entire Ninth Generation of the North Peak, not even ten people had comprehended the Sword's Heart. This included The Six Great Swords of the Northern Peak. And there wasn't even one person in the Tenth Generation who had comprehended the Sword's Heart. Yet, unexpectedly, he had comprehended it.

To this day, Harry still couldn't believe it, but he also understood that he had indeed comprehended the Sword's Heart. He had reached the third level of swordsmanship, the Sword's Heart level, just one level away from the ultimate Sword's Heart.

Sword's Heart, Sword's Heart, Sword's Heart.

To this day, he still couldn't believe that he had comprehended the Sword's Heart.

After spacing out for a long time, he clapped his hands. Now that he had comprehended the Sword's Heart of the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud, it was time to go back. Four months without a taste of wild game or a sip of wine had left his throat parched.

Culti-Me Sword was returned to its sheath with a snap, and Harry strode out of the Windy Willow Forest where he had practiced for four months.

---

What Harry didn't know, and what wasn't even recorded in the records of Mount Huashan's North Peak at this time, was that the second-generation ancestor who had created the Dragon Clouds Heart Technique and the One Hundred and Eight Moves in Wind-cloud, and who had been unbeatable in the Shian Learners' Landing of the Great Jin Dynasty, had realized and created them right here in the Windy Willow Forest.

Of course, there was also some element of luck. Sometimes, fortunate realizations happened.