About ten minutes later, Samuel Carter emerged from his meditative state, seeming somewhat more refreshed.

He exhaled lightly, then, noticing the smell of alcohol on the floor, his brows furrowed, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened.

With a wave of his large hand, an invisible force swept through the air, extracting almost all traces of the alcohol scent. The previously pungent environment was now completely free of that odor.

After finishing this, he cast a deep look at Edward Carter, his gaze sharpening slightly, and said, “It seems your talent surpasses mine, so I can rest assured.

What you said this time carries profound meaning. I don’t know if it’s your own insight or something you heard from others. In any case, I, as your father, have gained some understanding and found a solution for myself, so I will be leaving for a while.”

Samuel Carter spoke softly.

This was the first time, while speaking to Edward Carter, that a glimmer of humanity appeared in his eyes.

“Father, how is your injury?”

Edward Carter saw how skillful his father’s actions were and realized that his father’s reputation as a ‘cripple’ was undeserved. Yet, the matter of his disability had already been acknowledged by the family head—why was that?

“Occasionally using a bit of my power is no problem. Now that you’ve tapped into your abilities, Canglan City can no longer hold you. If possible, go to the Zhou family in Cangxiao City, train hard, and while you’re at it, help your father retrieve the ‘Heavenly Evil Sword.’ This is my lifelong wish.”

As Samuel Carter spoke, he had already turned around and started walking outside.

“Father, I will accomplish all of this, don’t worry! Also, Father, can you tell me any news about Mother?”

Edward Carter couldn’t help but ask.

He could tell that his father’s love for his mother was very deep.

“When you have comprehended the Sword Heart, come ask me about this again!”

His father moved quickly, gradually walking away without looking back, his figure becoming more and more indistinct.

Edward Carter did not move, because he knew that no matter what he did, he could not change the outcome. If he had already understood the ‘Sword Heart,’ things would not be as they were.

Everything, everything, was simply because he was not strong enough!

……

The statue in his hand grew warm from his grip. The sword dao mysteries inscribed on it, the flowing sword intent in every stroke, were now almost second nature to Edward Carter.

He only needed to look once to understand and remember. After practicing several times in his mind, even the unfamiliarity in his body seemed to fade.

“Sentimental Sword Dao, Lifeless Sword Dao—these are the Sword of Life and the Sword of Death. All things bear yin and embrace yang, and harmony is achieved through their interaction. This is a great principle. These two sword arts complement and enhance each other, forming a rare and seamless combination.

When things reach an extreme, they reverse; when misfortune reaches its limit, good fortune follows. The ultimate in life is death, and the ultimate in death is life... In fact, this is a very simple sword art…”

Edward Carter lowered his head, looking at the statue in his hand, murmuring to himself.

……

Edward Carter stood here for a long time, thoroughly comprehending the sword intent and mysteries of the Sentimental and Lifeless Sword Dao, lacking only practical mastery.

This was equivalent to mastering the methods of these two sword daos. In swordsmanship, method comes first, then technique.

Just like the basic “Bluewater Reaching the Sky Sword Art”—once the sword intent is grasped, one can begin to cultivate its mysteries. Techniques are merely a way to aid understanding, as they are not fixed.

With this understanding, Edward Carter could combine it with the basic techniques of the Bluewater Reaching the Sky Sword Art to greatly enhance its power.

The ease of this realization made Edward Carter even more eager to comprehend the Form-Intent Dragon Form Sword Art.

He couldn’t help but immerse himself in the comprehension of this sword art again, but this time, it was still extremely difficult.

After less than half an hour, Edward Carter felt exhausted, so he instinctively switched back to comprehending the Bluewater Reaching the Sky Sword Art.

Sure enough, after switching sword arts, even though he was physically and mentally tired, Edward Carter felt an immense sense of relief. In this state, he gripped the broken sword without reservation and began practicing again.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

Nine consecutive sword strikes sliced through the air in rapid succession!

The ninth form of the Bluewater Reaching the Sky Sword Art!

Nine embryonic sword energies gathered in the void, forming an invisible sword shadow that suddenly shot out like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the wall not far away.

There, a sword-shaped gap appeared!

Retracting his sword, even the slight immaturity on Edward Carter’s face could not hide his utter shock!

Inexplicably, his Bluewater Reaching the Sky Sword Art had reached perfection!

It seemed that as long as he strove to comprehend the Form-Intent Dragon Form Sword Art, his other sword arts would advance by leaps and bounds!

This had become an almost perverse, ironclad fact!

After a long while, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

At this moment, a gray figure rushed toward him at top speed.

“Edward Carter, you really are here! Quick, something terrible has happened!”

“Charles Carter, what’s wrong?”