Chapter 12: Sword Douluo Begins to Doubt Himself
"Do you still want to continue?" Ye Cheng withdrew his sword and hovered in midair, his expression calm and indifferent.
Sword Douluo stared blankly at the distant mountain peak, now reduced to rubble by the sheer force of Ye Cheng's sword energy. As the saying goes, "A glimpse of a leopard through a tube" from this one simple attack, he could already tell just how vast the gap between them truly was.
If they kept fighting, even if he used his strongest ninth soul skill: Divine Demon Twin Slash, the outcome wouldn't change.
The difference in their realms was simply too overwhelming.
"...Forget it."
"I am not your match."
Sword Douluo let out a heavy sigh and shook his head in resignation. For the first time, he truly felt old.
As a Titled Douluo, he had never considered himself aged at barely a hundred years old, he was still considered young among his peers. But now, compared to Ye Cheng, who was only twenty six, he felt as if his years had been lived in vain.
"Your potential is greater than you think."
Seeing Sword Douluo's existential crisis, Ye Cheng actually felt a little guilty.
After all, he was completely cheating his strength wasn't the result of hard work but rather a system granted power up. Fighting against warriors who had earned their power through years of struggle felt a bit like bullying.
Thinking this, Ye Cheng decided to at least comfort him a little.
"How so?"
Hearing that there might be more to his strength, Sword Douluo's despair lessened slightly, and he focused on Ye Cheng's words.
"Your Seven Kill Sword has far more potential than you've tapped into. But you haven't fully developed it." Ye Cheng shook his head and continued, "Most soul masters in this world rely too heavily on soul skills. They only focus on raising their spirit power levels, while neglecting the essence of their martial soul itself. For example do you truly understand your sword?"
"Do I… truly understand my sword?"
Those words struck a deep chord in Sword Douluo's heart.
A flickering insight seemed to surface in his mind just out of reach, like a shadow in the mist.
Ye Cheng could tell from the moment he saw Sword Douluo's martial soul this was not yet the same man from the later parts of the original story.
In the original tale, after losing an arm, Sword Douluo had experienced a great awakening shedding his previous limited mindset and fully embracing his sword, causing his martial soul to evolve.
Right now, he wasn't there yet.
Sword Douluo still thought like a soul master, not a true swordsman.
So, of course, his sword had yet to reach its full potential.
Watching as Sword Douluo fell into deep contemplation, Ye Cheng didn't say anything more.
Instead, he simply turned away and took a step forward and in that instant, his entire figure vanished, as if he had become one with the world itself.
On the mountain cliff, only Sword Douluo remained, frowning in deep thought.
The Next Day
Ye Cheng had not traveled far.
After leaving the cliff, he checked into a nearby inn and spent the night in meditation, carefully adapting to his newfound power.
Then
Knock, knock!
Sitting cross legged on his bed, Ye Cheng opened his eyes.
Even without using his perception, he already knew who was outside.
"Come in."
With that, the door opened automatically.
And there, standing at the entrance, was the same person he had just fought yesterday Sword Douluo.
But this time
He looked different.
Compared to the defeated, disheartened old man from the day before, his entire demeanor had changed. His spirit seemed renewed, and his presence far sharper than before.
It was clear
After pondering Ye Cheng's words all night, he had come to some realizations.
Perhaps, with further introspection, he might not even need to lose an arm to achieve his great enlightenment.
Perhaps
His martial soul would evolve naturally, without tragedy forcing the breakthrough.
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