Chapter 830 - Aria's Sword Intent & Concept
Inside the earthen bunker, Aria meditated with Tier-7 Divine Sword rested on her lap and bathed in its divine aura, the only source of light within the dark space of the enclosed bunker.
In Aria White's life, she quickly ascended the ranks of Divine King and was also a sword user, but even she barely touched upon the realm of Sword Intent.
Even so, there was no doubt that Aria White was infinitely close to attaining the realm of Sword Intent.
Given Aria White's memories and the Tier-7 Divine Sword in her possession, If Aria wanted, she could have comprehended her Sword Intent much sooner.
However, the exceedingly sharp Sword Intent possessed by the Tier-7 Divine Sword made her ponder a question.
What is Sword Intent, exactly?
Was it just a special force that augments the sharpness of a sword and improves its cutting power? Or a manifestation of one's will to cut?
Swords are weapons; they are made to cut and to kill.
If swordsmen have good swords for cutting, why would they still need to rely on Sword Intent to augment their swords?
This goes against the belief of the first realm of swordsmanship, Sword Spirit, which is to become one with the sword and treat it like they do with their limbs.
If they cannot trust their limbs to do what they can and are supposed to do, then those limbs aren't really their limbs.
A sword that cannot cut is not a sword.
If others say it is, it is just a defective sword, a useless sword, or a broken sword, nothing more, nothing less.
Such a sword cannot be used.
So how can a swordsman who breaks their fundamental belief in the sword advance in the path of the sword?
There are two possible reasons for this.
Either the Sword Intent is not as simple as it was recorded for others to believe, or the fundamental understanding of Sword Spirit was flawed to begin with.
After pondering hard over this matter, Aria arrived at a conclusion; it is true for both reasons.
The realm of Sword Spirit is not to become one with the sword but to form the sword in one's mind.
Hence, it is called the Sword Spirit, the mind's sword.
And Sword Intent is the partial manifestation of that Sword Spirit; the stronger the Sword Spirit, the more powerful the Sword Intent.
'When a person comprehends Sword Intent, they can use any medium as their sword to exert the power of their Sword Spirit…' Aria mused.
'If I can manifest the Sword Intent without the assistance of any medium, that would also be the day that I step into the realm of Sword Force.'
The realm of Sword Force…
At this stage, one can borrow the power of heaven and earth, transforming them into sword force to manifest any number of their Sword Spirits.
'Alas, I am still far from that realm. I should comprehend my Sword Intent first,' Aria decided.
From what she had comprehended, Sword Intent is nothing more than the 'intent' of the Sword Spirit, the will of her mind's sword.
It was just a concept.
'A Sword Intent does not need to be sharp; the characteristic of my Sword Intent should depend on my will.'
'What I want it to be is what it will become.'
'If I want my Sword Intent to be sharp, it will be sharp. If I want it to be heavy, it will be heavy. If I want it to be fast, it will be fast.'
'My will dictates my Sword Intent's Concept.'
'The Tier-7 Divine Sword's Sword Intent already possesses the Concept of Sharpness, so I do not need to comprehend the Concept of Sharpness.'
'If I want to maximize the power of my sword, I need to comprehend a concept that aligns with my elemental affinity.'
'Only when I have more Sword Intent Concepts to fuse will I be able to exert the greatest degree of strength.'
Thanks to the quietness of the soundproof space, Aria could meditate with great clarity and zero distraction.
Not even the subtle sound of her breathing could disturb her; she had entered a state of emptiness and focused solely on comprehending her Sword Intent.
'My Sword Intent must be able to exert the full power of my ice-lightning abilities… Therefore, I need a Concept that highlights the properties of ice-lightning…'
Aria's brows knitted in deeper thoughts.
'A Concept that could highlight the properties of ice and lightning… Ice and lightning have multiple properties, but which ones should I focus on? Which pair of concepts will allow me to maximize my combat prowess?'
She pondered.
'Lightning is fast and contains the power of annihilation, while ice is cold and freezing…'
While brainstorming the properties of ice and lightning, she focused on two particular aspects: the swiftness of lightning and the slowness of frigid ice.
'Swiftness and slowness…'
Although Aria felt unconfident about fusing two concepts to become one, she recalled that she did manage to fuse ice and lightning.
Thus, there was hope for fusing the concept of these two elements.
'The Concept of Swiftness and Slowness… That shall be my Sword Intent's Concept,' Aria's eyes brightened.
After settling on her Sword Intent's Concept, she pieced together everything to form her Sword Intent.
Ice and lightning energy mixed with her Sword Spirit, which in essence, is a type of Sword Seed for her Sword Law.
'My Sword Intent has to be swift like lightning and slow like ice!' Aria's eyes suddenly flickered with a trace of frigid lightning.
In the next moment, Aria grabbed the hilt of her Tier-7 Divine Sword and blasted her way out of the earthen bunker, shooting into the sky and stunning the others in the process.
Nevertheless, Aria focused solely on her sword and didn't pay attention to anyone else.
Shing! Shing!
She infused her intent into the Tier-7 Divine Sword before throwing around a few practice swings at the empty air!
Bzzt!
Her sword hand blurred in a flurry of shadows, moving at lightning-quick speed while cold air pervaded the space, chilling everything!
The Concept of Swiftness and Slowness!
Each of her sword strikes is fast and chilling, striking at others with incredible swiftness while slowing them in the process!
That is her Sword Intent's Concept.