Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1071: The Brush and the Sword

The two cousins headed down the mountain path later that night and entered the bustling market district of the town below the Crest Spine Sect. The streets were illuminated by glowing paper lanterns and the scent of cooked meat still lingered in the cool air. They visited a quiet merchant stall tucked away in a corner and purchased a generous amount of high quality painting supplies. They bought thick parchment canvas rolls, fine brushes made from spirit beast hair and a wide variety of vibrant ink pigments to ensure they both had enough materials to paint whatever they desired.

The following morning they woke up early before the sky even began to lighten. They gathered their new supplies and hiked up to a secluded stone spire that overlooked the main sect pavilions and the vast land stretching out toward the horizon. The air was crisp and carried a refreshing chill as the two cultivators set up their wooden easels side by side.

As the first hints of dawn painted the distant clouds in shades of pale purple, they dipped their brushes into the fresh ink and began to paint.

Li Yu did not have a clue what he was doing and his painting was terrible right from the very start. He mixed the colors haphazardly and applied the wet ink with heavy, clumsy strokes that dripped down the canvas. Even at the very beginning of the session, his work looked like a seven year old child was just slapping paint around for fun. A jagged brown line was supposed to be a mountain and a large green blob represented the dense forest below.

However, he did not mind his lack of skill at all and was having a great time doing it. He had never formally painted before in his life. The very last memory he held regarding anything similar was sitting on a soft rug and finger painting with his parents when he was a small boy. It was a very warm and loving memory filled with bright smiles and gentle laughter. Getting the chance to reexperience that simple joy on a quiet morning brought a genuine sense of peace to his mind. He hummed a soft tune while adding a bright yellow circle to represent the rising sun.

Li Mei on the other hand painted like a seasoned grandmaster. She held her thin wooden brush with a relaxed, yet firm grip as she stared out over the vast landscape. Her strokes were extremely well done and highly calculated. Watching her hand move across the white canvas was like watching her perform advanced sword techniques in a sparring ring.

The core of her sword path showed through every single motion. The brush strokes were decisive, sharp and carefully measured to create a perfect balance on the paper. It was a direct reflection of who she was as a person and her disciplined nature was being translated clearly through the wet ink. She did not waste a single drop of paint and every line served a specific purpose to build the greater image.

She made tiny adjustments to her landscape as she went along and patiently waited for the environment to change. As the morning sun finally peeked half way up over the distant mountain peaks, she decided that specific moment was the best time to bring the scene to life. She used the new shadows casting across the valley and the brilliant golden light piercing the morning mist as her exact guide for everything else.

Li Yu kept looking over at her painting between his own clumsy strokes and was deeply amazed by her talent. He could see the majestic architecture of the Crest Spine Sect taking form on her canvas with an incredible level of detail.

‘If she never took up the sword, she might be equally as talented with the brush.’ Li Yu couldn’t help but think to himself as he watched.

Then her movements began to get faster. Her brush work became far more refined as she lost herself in the creative flow. Warm memories of her past surfaced in her mind as well. She remembered sitting in the fragrant ancestral gardens with her grandmother and listening to the old woman praise her early artistic efforts. Those distant memories brought her a sense of happiness and warmth that made the painting experience even more wonderful.

After the sun had fully risen and bathed the stone spire in bright light, she was done. She stepped back from the easel and looked at the finished work. She had captured the morning scene beautifully and the painting seemed to radiate a faint spiritual energy of its own, as if it was going to come to life at any moment. A deep wave of emotion washed over her and tears welled up in her eyes as the heavy burdens of the Li Clan and responsibilities melted away in the face of such simple creation.

She did not even realize there were tears falling down her cheeks until a cool breeze brushed against her face. Li Yu pretended like he did not notice her emotional state at all and kept his eyes focused on his own messy canvas while she quickly wiped the tears away with her sleeve.

Once she composed herself, Li Mei unclipped the dry canvas from the wooden easel and walked over to her cousin. She offered him her beautiful painting with both hands extended forward.

"I want you to have this," Li Mei said with a soft and sincere voice as a thank you for getting her to do this activity.

Li Yu looked at the stunning landscape and then smiled warmly before gently pushing her hands back toward her chest. "You should keep it. That is the very first painting you have created since you became the official heir to the Li Clan. It is very special and you should hold onto it as a reminder of this morning and this feeling."

Li Mei looked down at the canvas and felt a deep attachment to the work but she still wanted to express her gratitude. "Are you sure? I really want to give you a gift."

"If you insist on giving me a gift, you can give me your next painting," Li Yu told her while tapping his wooden brush against his chin. "You can give me the one you paint later today or the one you make tomorrow."

She was surprised by this casual statement. "Tomorrow?"

"Of course," Li Yu said with a bright laugh while gesturing to the extra rolls of blank parchment sitting on the ground. "You have to paint more. We bought enough supplies to last for weeks."

She blinked in surprise because she genuinely thought this was just a one time thing to pass a single free morning. The idea of doing this again tomorrow and the day after that had not even crossed her disciplined mind. Realizing that they could just continue this peaceful routine made her incredibly happy though. She nodded her head and carefully rolled up her masterpiece to store in her spatial ring. She intended to hang it up in her room when she returned back home.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Later that evening the two cousins found themselves sitting above a deep rocky canyon while painting a grand waterfall crashing into the dense forest below. The setting sun cast long shadows over the rushing water and provided a dynamic scene to capture. Li Mei focused on her canvas and her technical skills were even better this time around as she grew more accustomed to the brush.

However, while the image of the waterfall was flawless, the painting did not have the same emotional aura that the first one possessed. The first painting was born from a deep release of tension while this one was simply a beautiful execution of skill. While both looked beautiful, it was clear to see which one was the greater masterpiece.

When they finished for the night, she rolled up the canvas and handed this one to Li Yu. He accepted the gift with a wide grin and then handed her a thin brush dipped in dark ink.

"You need to sign it in the corner," Li Yu asked while holding the canvas flat on the stone ground.

"Why do I need to sign a simple landscape?" Li Mei asked with a confused smile.

"Because maybe one day you will be a famous painter across the cosmos and I can sell this piece to a wealthy collector," Li Yu joked while pointing at the empty corner of the paper. "My weapons cost me a lot of spirit stones to create and a man has to fund his martial path somehow."

Li Mei laughed brightly at his ridiculous reasoning and said she would be happy to help fund his weapons. She knelt down and signed her name with elegant strokes in the bottom corner of the painting.

This peaceful routine went on for another three days. They would explore the surrounding territories during the day and find a new beautiful location to paint when the light was just right. On the third day, they sat on a grassy hill overlooking a small village while the sun was setting in the distance. The sky was painted in vibrant hues of orange and deep purple while smoke drifted lazily from the village chimneys.

Li Mei was halfway through painting the quiet settlement when she suddenly stopped moving. Her brush hovered an inch above the canvas and her breathing slowed to a faint whisper. Her eyes lost focus on the physical world as she went into a meditative trance. Her mind started putting complex martial theories together and the artistic strokes she had been practicing over the past few days began to merge directly with her understanding of the sword, achieving enlightenment.

Li Yu noticed her sudden stillness immediately. He recognized the heavy fluctuation of Qi gathering around her body and knew she was entering a critical state so he did not say a single word to break her focus. He quietly stood up from his own easel and pulled several metallic array disks from his storage ring.

Li Yu walked in a wide circle around their position and planted the disks into the soft soil to set up a powerful concealment formation. The array activated with a soft hum and effectively hid their physical presence and their energy signatures from the outside world. He then crossed his arms and scanned the surrounding forest to protect her if any wild beasts or rogue cultivators wandered too close.

While Li Yu stood guard, a fierce storm of insight raged within the spiritual sea of Li Mei.

To understand the magnitude of her current revelation, one had to understand the complex path of the sword. The sword realms had nothing to do with standard Qi cultivation realms like Origin Awakening or Karma Severing. A talented mortal youth could theoretically achieve a high sword realm without ever possessing a drop of spiritual energy if they were talented enough but this was extremely rare. It was a separate journey focused entirely on the comprehension of the weapon itself but in most cases it was a parallel path that roughly followed a person’s cultivation state as well.

The first stage was the Realm of Weapon Unity. At this level the cultivator and the physical blade merged into a single entity. The sword acted as a natural extension of the arm while mastery over physical stances reached the absolute peak of mortal limits.

The second stage was the Realm of Sword Aura. The cultivator learned to project their energy beyond the physical steel to strike enemies from a distance. The physical edge of the blade was no longer required to draw blood as the lingering trails of destructive power did the work.

The third stage was the Realm of Sword Intent. The mind and will begin to shape the actual cutting power of the strikes. The cultivator infused their Qi, soul and their unique worldview into their attacks. At this level a wooden branch could cleave solid steel because the underlying will behind the swing was razor sharp.

The fourth stage was the Realm of the Sword Domain. This was the level where Li Mei currently resided. The cultivator projected their inner sword space outward to control the surrounding space. Within a certain radius around their body, everything became a weapon under their strict command. Falling leaves, drops of rain and even the ambient wind transformed into lethal blades that acted on the passing thoughts of the cultivator.

Li Mei had been stuck at the peak of the Sword Domain for a very long time. Her rigid discipline and her heavy political burdens had calcified her mind and prevented her from taking the next step forward.

The fifth stage was the Realm of the Sword Heart that few ever reach. At this stage the concept of the sword took root within the soul itself and formed a clear and unyielding core. The cultivator no longer relied on external domains or projected energy to showcase their strength.

Their mind became an invincible blade and their resolute will could sever illusions, mental attacks and deep emotional flaws with incredible ease. However, the sword cultivator would usually combine this together with their physical weapon, Qi and other abilities to make their attack even stronger rather than use it on its own.

As Li Mei stood frozen on the grassy hill, the fluid motions of her painting brush finally unlocked the rigid chains binding her comprehension. She realized that a sword strike did not always need to be a forceful demand upon the world. Sometimes a strike could be a gentle stroke of ink bringing light to a shadow. Her relaxed state and change in mental condition over the last few days helped her to understand things she couldn’t before.

A sharp ringing sound echoed from her physical body as an invisible wave of pure sword energy erupted outward. The wild grass surrounding her feet was cleanly severed and blown away by the invisible pressure. Inside her spiritual sea, the chaotic energies condensed and forged a brilliant silver core shaped like a miniature blade.

She had successfully broken through to the Realm of the Sword Heart.

With her newly formed Sword Heart radiating a pure and unyielding light within her mind, her internal vision became flawlessly clear as the fog of her past struggles burned away in an instant. It was at this exact point of clarity that she was finally able to detect a foreign anomaly clinging to the corner of her spiritual sea.

It was a tiny speck of a dark and writhing shadow trying to hide from the bright silver light. Li Mei focused her internal gaze on the dark speck but did not panic. She did not know exactly what demonic heart it was but she could guess its true nature just by looking at it. She recognized the lingering feelings radiating from the tiny shadow. It wasn’t the only one there, as there were two other much smaller demonic hearts close by, ones that she had mostly already beaten in the past.

'You have poisoned my mind long enough!' Li Mei thought with a cold and resolute will.

She did not need to raise her physical sword to fight this battle. She simply commanded her newly forged Sword Heart to strike and a flash of brilliant silver light crossed her spiritual sea like a falling star and sliced right through the center of the dark specks. The demonic hearts did not even have time to struggle before the overwhelming sword energy destroyed them entirely.

The shadow dissolved into harmless dust and faded away into nothingness as Li Mei took a deep breath of the cool evening air while the heavy weight she did not even realize she was still carrying vanished from her soul. The sky above the mortal village darkened into night as she slowly opened her eyes to view a much brighter world.