The morning passed by a bit awkwardly. Fortunately, Han Yan was already quite used to Bian's quirky nature.
After their breakfast, Zero and Bao'er went inside to watch some shows while Han Yan and Bian went to the training field.
Although there was a training room in the house, it wouldn't last against a single hit from a demigod.
So they opted to train their skills outdoors—especially those that wouldn't devastate the surroundings.
Han Yan held a chopping board, which had a loaf of bread and a knife on top.
She sat opposite Bian and took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Why do you want to master intent?"
Bian considered her question for a moment and answered, "Lately, I've been fighting humanoid opponents whose weapon prowess is equal to, if not greater than, mine."
"I need an extra edge against such beings. As such, I can't just swing my blade willy-nilly anymore. My sword skills learned in battle are already comparable to top-notch sword styles out there, so the only thing left is intent."
Bian never really had a set method for enhancing swordplay, but his prowess—honed through sweat and blood—was more practical than most learned swordsmanship out there.
Han Yan thought about what he said and agreed with his conclusion. Bian had spent most of his time fighting beasts, and while his skills against them were second to none, he was lacking against human opponents.
"I'll try my best to make it clear to you, but whether you'll be able to grasp it is entirely up to you."
Intent wasn't something that could be learned by anyone just because they wished to grasp it.
She picked up the knife and used it to cut the bread. There were no fancy movements—she just cut the bread into even slices.
Then she suddenly lunged forward, the blade moving toward Bian's neck at breakneck speed.
The knife paused just as it made contact with his skin. There wasn't even a mark there.
"Is a knife good or bad?"
Han Yan went back to her original position and sat down.
Bian knew she wouldn't harm him, but his nerves still stood on edge due to her sudden burst.
When he heard her question, he was about to say that a knife was bad.
The knife was scary when it came for his throat, and no one would like being cut by a knife. Knives had been used throughout history for some unspeakable acts—such as flaying a person alive.
'Does that make the knife inherently bad though?'
Of course not. The people were the ones who were bad. They carried out their bad intentions using a tool.
Bian already knew this, so Han Yan had to shake his belief with her little act before posing the question.
"A knife is neither good nor bad—it is merely a tool. In the hands of a chef, it can be used to slice bread, and in the hands of a murderer, it's used to bring death."
Han Yan nodded and carried on.
"So what separates the knife held by a chef and that held by a murderer is the purpose for which it is used. That purpose is called intent."
"There are infinite forms of intent, yet most people go through life without grasping a single one."
"There is breathing intent, writing intent, learning intent..."
"Wait, hold on! Breathing intent? Writing intent?"
Bian knew about killing and weapon intent, but what the heck was breathing intent?
"Of course. Take a runner, for example. A person who runs needs more oxygen in their lungs, and thus has to breathe in an intentional manner to get that result."
"So that's breathing intent?"
"Yes, it is. As long as you're being intentional about what you do, it can become a refined intent."
"The same holds true for writing. Most people write to put down information, but only by being intentional about your writing can it become more than legible."
"Then some people take it a step further to learn calligraphy, which is a high form of writing intent."
Bian had his mind blown by such revelations. Who would have thought there was this aspect to life, and he'd never even considered it?
'Speaking of calligraphy, I still have the Altering Brush. I need to check it out later to figure out the power is.'
Bian thought he was smart, but this little conversation had greatly broadened his understanding.
He was grateful that his wife was not only stunningly beautiful but also quite clever.
"So I have to be more intentional about my sword strikes to develop sword intent, right?"
"If it were that easy, everyone would be an expert already. Intent is elusive in nature and isn't easy to grasp. You can't even be sure you're going down the right path. Once that train of thought enters your mind, it sprouts doubt, and a sword that hesitates will surely cause its master to perish."
"Oh... damn."
Practicing sword intent might get an average person killed. Luckily, Bian was anything but ordinary—and he had someone to guide him.
"We wouldn't want to devastate the planet, so let's start with something light."
Han Yan brought up a small wooden log as she spoke. Then she used the knife to make a carving in the log.
Bian collected the palm-sized log from her and observed the cut on it.
There was a feeling of lethality in that cut.
Beep Beep**
Han Yan's commlink rang out and she stood up, about to head inside.
"Try to replicate that cut on another log. It's okay if you don't get it on the first day."
She winked at him and went inside.
Bian, meanwhile, was left looking at the log of wood in his hand.
He picked up another piece of wood and made a carving on it. It had the same dimensions and depth as the mark Han Yan made.
"It's incomplete. This is just a mark on the wood. It doesn't carry the sharp intent like the one Han Yan left."
For several hours, Bian went through everything he knew, trying his best to force his intent into fruition.
Hundreds of logs were ruined that day, yet he didn't feel an ounce of solid progress.
'What am I missing?'
"Uhm, hey Bian, come here for a moment!"
Bian rose up feeling slightly frustrated. He looked around to find that the sky had darkened and night had already fallen.
"Is this what it feels like to be untalented?"
He sighed and went around the house, seeing Han Yan waiting with Zero and Bao'er.
"What's this all about?"
"I thought we should properly celebrate our successful evolutions to demigods, so I'm hosting a light show."
There were a hundred things Bian wanted to say, but the first firework lit up and flew into the sky.
A single firework streaked into the night sky like a comet, its trail a glowing thread of red. For a heartbeat, silence held—then, with a sharp crack and a hollow boom, it burst open.
Petals of light unfurled in midair—radiant reds, crackling whites, shimmering greens—spinning out in perfect symmetry before dissolving into flickers and sparks.
These were unlike the usual fireworks earthlings played with. They were basically missiles made for leisure, and their explosion was simply a divine experience to watch.
Bian felt his worries fade away in that moment. Han Yan's cold fingers intertwined with his, bringing him warmth.
He was utterly mesmerized by the light show, putting aside the matters in his heart and giving his all to experience the moment.
After a few moments, the last flames in the sky faded into obscurity.
"That was beautiful," Bian exclaimed. He really cherished observing such beautiful scenes.
---
That night, Bian thought long and hard about how to manifest his intent.
'The Emperical Will, Emperical Aura, and Emperical Decree. The untrained mind might link these to an Emperor, but I know that isn't the connection.'
He looked at the back of his palm. Even in pitch darkness, Bian could observe the details of his skin with perfect clarity.
'Emperical, meaning having to do with the empirical. That which is empirical is based on observation rather than logic or theory. Meaning, it is an absolute that can't be figured out only by reasoning.'
'The Emperical Will, which deals with probability. The Emperical Aura allows me to kill that which can't be killed. And lastly, the Emperical Decree allows me to fuse objects together.'
Bian concluded that from his powers, he might be able to learn killing intent using the Emperical Aura. After all, it specialized in permanently killing beings.
He would love to jump right into action, but rather Bian restrained himself and opted to sleep instead.
He might not have needed sleep as much as a demigod, but it was still very beneficial to him—and his hand, which was severed, would be completely healed by the time he woke up.
'To think, the first time I was injured I had to use the regen torch for almost an entire week. Now, reconnecting a served limb is only going to take two nights of natural rest.'
Truly, Bian had grown stronger. Not only had his fitness increased, but also, he now possessed a silver geno core.
At the speeds with which he was currently getting stronger, he would probably outpower the Executioners in the near future.
Right?