909 Sword Qi

"Apprehend them!"

"Investigate that area!"

Alex could hear many roars inside this big mansion. As he had expected, Aria's father certainly made his move as soon as he heard all the assassination things from his daughter and immediately went to apprehend the people while forcing them to abide by their investigation.

That was also the reason why he said it was going to be a long night.

"I wonder how can someone sleep for a long sixteen hours…" Alex murmured as the difference of time confused him.

[Night life is also longer, you know.]

"…" Alex facepalmed. "I am not going to comment anything on that."

[Fufu, anyway, the situation here has gone under control, so you don't need to worry about us and train there. That guy has also left, but I can't really make any movement during this time to make it less suspicious. I will be updating our status from time to time since I will be a bit busy from now on.]

"I understand. Don't worry about me." Alex nodded before looking outside his windows while thinking how long he should stay in this world and until what point. "Never mind, I should be able to feel whether that is the right time to leave or not in the future. It's probably going to take at least three years, but I am sure the situation over there will be stable again at that time."

Sighing, he then returned inside and closed his window, trying to pass the time with cultivating.

The next day, he sensed someone coming to his house and quickly opened his eyes. He then walked to the front while activating his Spirit Eyes.

After confirming the person outside, he then opened the door and greeted her. "Good morning. You look like you don't have a good night."

"Thanks to you." She let out a long sigh. "Still, I am thankful. To think our second elder and third elder have an agreement with the Grayfig Family. Our family has indeed been playing in someone's hand this whole time. Thanks to you, our family can survive this ordeal."

"I am still wondering why you can't suspect your own elders?" Alex narrowed his eyes.

"Oi, oi. Do you think it's easy to investigate them openly? This family doesn't hold a true monarchy that lets the family head do whatever he wants. To make sure that none of them are banding together to rebel, it's necessary to give them a bit of extra space."

"Albeit that extra space is the one that cost you everything."

"Yeah. Before it becomes everything, you have saved us. That's why I would like to thank you. Is there anything you want for this?"

"Nah, I am good. I have an agreement with you, so your safety is on my priority list as well."

She stared at him for a while before nodding her head. Well, it's not like I need sleep, and my mind is refreshed now that I have eliminated the threats inside the family. Shall we move on to the original plan?"

"Yeah."

"Sure." Alex nodded.

"This way." She stretched her hand to the door on the side that led to the stone field that had been reinforced by an array, making it perfect for practice. "By the way, the credits are going to my brother, so everyone can accept his previous behavior."

"Hmm?!" Alex thought for a moment and agreed with that choice. "So, you can say that the reason he changed in the past was due to eliminating the threat inside the family? And to do that, he didn't mind being hated by family. That sacrifice will surely touch many people in the family."

"Something along the line. At the very least, my brother should be able to take on the position at any moment, albeit he plans to join the Unsurpassed Blade Sect before it."

"In that case…" Alex narrowed his eyes.

"Don't worry. The recommendation letter is still for me. He wants to challenge everything from the start to show that he has changed for the better. In other words, we might meet my brother in the sect." She glanced at Alex's expression.

"I understand, but I need to warn you first, his safety is not my priority. And don't try to risk your life during that time to take advantage of this agreement, so I will help you. I can't afford my identity to get known for the time being."

What Alex meant was his real identity. If this world knew about him, it would spread to all worlds in its surrounding. At that time, not only he but Eulja would also be in danger.

"Don't worry. He should be fine, and I will help him from time to time without you. Besides, Young Master Nyx must have a big identity to hide his God Rank strength." She smiled as if she had seen through Alex's strength.

"God Rank Expert, huh. I don't know how I should feel when the one I invited to join my influence is too smart. It somehow scares me because I won't know what you are thinking." Alex glanced at her and didn't deny her of his strength. "Still, I will make it clear. Now that you know my real strength, one wrong move, I might accidentally destroy your family."

"I understand. I am just curious to see what kind of person would send a God Rank Expert like you, moreover, you look like a young master or such according to your strength and age. That's why I can't comprehend your action to come to this world. You should be cultivating in your own world for better protection."

"I have my own reason." Alex shrugged. "Anyway, it's better to train."

"I understand." Since Alex didn't want to talk about it, she decided to stop to get any information from him. They then walked toward the field as she stepped forward and turned back at him. "I am going to show you Sword Qi first and what is the difference between it and Sword Intent."

Alex nodded and stepped back to get a better look. He wondered whether his Sword Mastery could help him on this as well.

"First of all, this is Sword Qi." She released the same energy that she used against the worm and spread it, so Alex could feel it.

It was a strange feeling for him. 'This Sword Qi… It's sharp like Sword Intent, but it can actually injure someone in the process. However, I don't think it can weaken an enemy's attack like Sword Intent.'

"So, how do you feel?" She asked with a smile.

"It's different from Sword Intent, but I feel something strange. It's a kind of Soul and Spiritual Energy. The Sword Intent is like our soul, while this Sword Qi is the energy. But…"

She widened her eyes, never expecting Alex to learn this much just by feeling it for a few seconds. She believed there was no one who could do it as fast as him in this world, so it certainly surprised her.

Even so, Alex's answer wasn't perfect, and she decided to complete it. "You are right in that comparison part. However, you miss one point. Unlike Soul and Spiritual Energy, we can use this Sword Qi to fuel the Sword Intent, making it sharp enough to injure someone or even materialize an attack with that."

"Ho?!" Alex thought for a moment. He had expected the first half but was quite surprised by the other half. "Materializing an attack?"

"Yes. Just like how you conjure a Martial Art with Spiritual Energy, you can conjure an attack with the Sword Qi, albeit you need a container for that."

"And that container is the Sword Intent," Alex answered.

"You're right." She nodded. "However, the Spiritual Energy originates from the Heart, right?"

"Yeah. After cultivating, it is absorbed by the heart as it turns into our own."

"However, the Sword Qi is not from there. Instead, it's our soul that converts the Spiritual Energy to Sword Qi with the help of Sword Intent."

"Turning the Spiritual Energy to Sword Qi with the help of Sword Intent," Alex repeated in a low voice before he suddenly realized what was going on. "I see. It's a kind of coating and fusing our Sword Intent with Spiritual Energy. The soul is the one stabilizing it and harmonizing it. Then, the Sword Qi is born."

She drew a gasp, wondering what kind of monster Alex was. This might be the first time someone understood the concept without a full explanation. She even doubted the fact that he had never learned Sword Qi.

Unbeknownst to her, Alex already had Sword Qi and Spear Qi. Unfortunately, it wasn't derived from cultivating like the ones in this world. Instead, it came from the fruit of the technique called Sword and Spear Possession.

Even so, Alex had been observing it for a while, so he certainly knew one or two things about it.

"But converting the Spiritual Energy to the Sword Qi is easier said than done. Even the Peerless Sword God in the past said he only mastered it in three days, so I guessed you need a bit more time to do that." She warned him, hoping that he actually needed more than three days or else she might faint from shock.

"What should I do to convert them?"

"You need to release your Sword Intent and assimilate it with the Spiritual Energy around. If you succeed in transforming the energy, you may begin to absorb them and make them your own."

Alex nodded. "Should I do it now? Or do you want to explain more things?"

"I will let you try first to know how it feels."

Hearing the confirmation, he then sat on the ground in a lotus pose before releasing his Sword Intent. The moment she felt this, she realized once more that Alex was really a God Rank Expert. As much as he wanted to hide it, he couldn't hide the fact that his Sword Intent was far stronger than her.

She was a Sword Saint, so it was obvious what Alex's level was.

'Hmm? Although I don't know much about God Rank Experts, I have heard the fact that they need one more process to convert the Spiritual Energy first into Divine Energy before assimilating it with his Sword Intent.' She didn't say this because she never experienced it, so she didn't want to give him misinformation without checking it first.

As she expected, when Alex began releasing his Sword Intent and assimilated it with the Spiritual Energy, it clashed, creating a spark around the area.

Aria was forced to retreat a few steps so she didn't get hit by those sparks.

"By the way, I want to ask something. Is there any record about someone combining the intent and Spiritual Energy with their element as a catalyst?" Alex asked while maintaining his focus.

"No. You shouldn't do that. In this case, your element is considered as impurities. There is a benefit in doing that, but it's not worth it if you see the disadvantages it will bring." She shook her head while feeling the energy around to check whether Alex used his element or not. She couldn't see, so she only relied on her senses to check.

Fortunately, Alex had yet to do it and asked first.

Knowing the answer, he nodded and continued. He tried to assimilate it with his Sword Intent but soon realized that the Sword Intent was killing the Spiritual Energy as the two levels were not the same.

'Is there something wrong with this?' Alex furrowed his eyebrows before recalling to the sliver of his Sword Qi and Spear Qi he had. "Ah, I see. How about this?"

Alex realized the fact that his Sword Qi and Spear Qi contained Divine Energy instead of Spiritual Energy. In that case, he pulled all the Spiritual Energy and converted it into Divine Energy first like how he cultivated it, but he immediately released it to the air instead of absorbing it.

"This…" Aria sweatdropped.