No hesitation, not a single question, Yin Long had simply lowered his head. The woman, Hongzai, could not help but be caught ever so slightly off-guard. The demonic was abhorred and shunned in this world, it had caused far too much destruction to be viewed favourably. But Yin Long hadn't even flinched or even thought about it, even if it was demonic and evil, he was willing to grab hold of it for his sword. That willingness was perhaps one of the reasons the path of the demonic was something so well-suited for him.

"Very well. Watch and listen closely, whether you understand it or not will be entirely up to you, and whether or not you will be able to put it to use will also depend entirely on yourself."

People would only ever be able to show their path to someone else, they would never be able to properly push them onto the same path and drag them along. She could show Yin Long what possibilities lay beyond the door, but opening the door and creating a world behind it would still rely entirely on him.

Hongzai stood up from her seated position, flipping her hand and bringing an exceedingly normal sword out from her interspatial ring. She moved a bit back to put some distance between them and then held her sword ready, her face as blank as they came. She swung her sword a few times, but there was no emotion or energy in the attacks, compared to the beauty he had seen in her earlier attacks it was as if her weapon was dead.

"This is what it means to swing a sword, you're just dragging it through the air and earth, repeating motions with no thought or heart. A sword swung without soul or heart is just a lump of metal, a worthless thing that has no home anywhere. So, what sort of soul and heart are we talking about?"

She spoke quietly as she swung the weapon around, its tip leaving faint grooves in the ground. Jin Wang wasn't really interested in this so he was resting lazily on the ground next to Yin Long, who focused more on Hongzai's words than he had ever focused on anything else.

"It's simple. Remember your rage, the burning in your throat and the soreness in your stomach the moment a fiend robbed you of someone dear."

Her sword swung once more, a simple descending slash, oh-so similar to the other attacks she had already shown. But this one was different, fiery and painful, like a spiked marble stuck in your throat, blocking your breath. It split the air in front of it, the tip sinking into the ground without a single sound, a small crater forming a short second after.

"Recall the moment your older sister was dragged away by the flood's Young Master, remember your weakness and inability to help her in the slightest. You pounded on the doors of the estate all night, but at dawn, all you received was a cold body. Remember her face, the coldness of her skin and her blank eyes, paint it into your soul and heart for all eternity."

Her sword rose from the small crater it had created, splitting the air as it rose. That fiery pain that the descending slash brought with it was gone, all that remained was a bleak and cold ache, coldness covering Yin Long's palms and heart, as if his mind was on the brink of despair.

"You had no one else so you could only bury her alone in the earth behind the shack where you lived. The earth was cold and hard, was it winter? Did you dig stubbornly at the frozen soil with your bare hands? Did your fingernails crack from the strain, did the flowing warm blood cover your hands and the cold earth?"

From an ascending slash into consecutive downward hacks, like fingers digging into the earth. Each hack was filled with sickly warmth, like blood flowing from the hands, pain akin to fingernails breaking accompanying the nauseating warmth.

"How deep could you dig without a shovel, how much frozen earth could you move aside for the grave? Did you put her corpse in the shallow pit, did you at least try to put her face down so that she didn't have to face the bright and uncaring cruelty of the sky? Did you sprinkle cold dirt on her body, one handful at a time, to fulfil the impossible task of covering her from the elements?"

From the downward hacks into a sideways sweep, like she was scattering earth in front of her in a desperate manner. Cold sorrow and heart-breaking pain, Yin Long's throat clogged up to the point where he couldn't even breathe. The sideways sweep looked as simple as a wave of the hand, but it unleashed a nearly invisible wave of power that cut into the wall of the cavern, reducing the earth and stone to tiny chunks that could easily be scattered, that could easily be used to cover a body.

"Do you remember the sinking feeling in your stomach when you came home after a two-week journey and your house was empty? Do you remember how chilly the wind was as you spent the entire night searching for your husband and son? Do you remember the clogged throat as you found the tracks in the snow, the stiffness off your fingers as you dug through the thick layer of snow that had fallen while you were gone?"

Another set of descending hacks, these as stiff as metal and as cold as the unforgiving snow that fell from the sky and danced in the wind. The earth was hacked apart and split open, chunks tossed aside in a haphazard manner.

"Those cold blue lips you found at the bottom of the snow, can you still see them, can your fingers still trace them? Can you still feel the stiffness of the body as you raised it from its unmarked and cold grave? The despair you felt when you saw those small broken knees and traces of blood that had frozen within his mouth? How long was he out there, how hard did he scream for help to tear his throat like that? Do you remember the sensation of loss, the agony of being unable to help?"

Another ascending slash, this one performed with both hands. Heart-wrenching despair and helplessness, like a scream that echoed in Yin Long's head and pushed his heart to the bottom of his stomach. He felt like he was starting to learn and understand, both about this woman who took the name Hongzai, and about what it meant to be a swordsman.

"The rage that broke you when you learned the truth, can you still feel it tear at you from within? The warmth that covered your hand as you plunged your sword into your husband's heart and drenched yourself in his blood, does it still flow down your hand? The agony of betrayal, the anguish of the life you took, the pain of your choice, does your soul still remember their fire?"

Her hand pulled back and then pushed the sword out, a simple stabbing motion that unleashed another transparent burst of energy, this one filled with such soul-searing heat that Yin Long could practically hear his soul sizzling. It dug into the wall of the cavern as if there was nothing that could block it, as if its path was already set in stone. And as it continued into the wall, faint lines of smoke rose from the hole it left. Looking at that smoke, Yin Long felt a slight sting of sorrow and loneliness, emotions hidden so deeply in the sword that they were practically impossible to discover.

"A Worldheart Swordsman accepts the world around him, each swing of his blade arouses the emotions of the world around him. If his sword is filled with joy then the wind dances with him, if it is filled with sorrow then the rain cries along with him. Man and nature, the sword and the world, both existing in perfect unison to support each other."

Hongzai didn't swing her sword again after she unleashed that final stab, her voice felt devoid of emotion, but Yin Long could still feel the intense hatred and sorrow that coursed within her blade. It was perhaps something that would never disappear for as long as she lived.

"But a Woehowl swordsman is different, each swing of their sword is a testament to the cruelty of the world. The world doesn't dance or cry for them, no, their sword makes the world cry and groan, each slash is a nail that scratches the world, a stake driven into its core to break it. We do not accept the world, we cannot, so we take from it and we break it. And just like with the Worldheart Swordsmen, the stronger the emotion we put into our blade, the stronger our sword will be. That is a Woehowl Swordsman, a demonic swordsman."

Hongzai put away her sword, ignoring the havoc it had wrought within the cavern as she sat down again. Even when they swung their sword out of happiness, it was still to scratch the world, to scar it and leave a mark of their presence. That was what it meant to be a Woehowl, to be a demon.

"That is what it means to drive a nail into the world, to be a true swordsman. Did you understand it?"

Hongzai's gaze was directed towards Yin Long, he wanted to learn, and she had demonstrated it. But honestly, she did not believe that just seeing it and hearing it like that would be enough, if it was then there wouldn't be so few swordsmen in existence. But what she didn't know was that the one sitting in front of her wasn't just any man, he was Yin Long, he was born for the sword, he was a sword.

"...Maybe a little. Of the four things you mentioned, the energy should be the law of swords, understanding should be that you need to understand exactly what the emotion you want to imbue into the sword is. And if I'm not wrong then heart should be the memories tied to that specific emotion, the source that brought about the emotion. And soul is you, the person wielding the weapon, your willingness to imbue your emotions and memories into the blade, the willingness to bare yourself to the world with each swing of your blade."

Yin Long's law of swords seeped out from his skin as he spoke, a sword of energy forming in his grasp. He swung it a few times while sitting there, his brows furrowing with each swing as he tried to emulate what he had just seen. His expression was quite relaxed if you ignored the furrowed brows from his failed experiments, but Hongzai's expression faltered slightly thanks to Yin Long's words.

"You..."

She didn't really know what to say, she hadn't expected him to actually manage to dig out the truth from what she had shown. He had shown earlier that he was at least able to acquire the needed understanding, and the shimmering sword in his grasp also showed that he had the energy that was needed.

All he missed now was the heart and the soul, but just the fact that he had been able to discern the truth from her moves and words showed that he most likely had more talent towards the sword than she had initially thought. It was not impossible that he would manage to become a swordsman, it was more a question of what type of swordsman he would become.

"I have shown you once what it means to be a swordsman, I have kept my words. Now leave."

True, she had been caught off-guard by Yin Long's ability to discern the truth, as well as the talent this act showed. But that was it, she wouldn't allow it to amount to more, she could not allow it, so she sent him away since she had upheld her word.

The sword in Yin Long's hands dissipated as Hongzai asked them to leave, his gaze drifting towards her. She didn't hold her sword right now but he could still feel the emotions it carried, that unchained hatred and sorrow, that lonesome coldness. Looking at her sword and what it displayed, he had realized something.

She was free, unchained. There wasn't a single thing tying her down, she had acquired freedom. But it wasn't the same freedom that Yin Long sought, and perhaps even already lived by, it could hardly even be called freedom. It was more like she was floating around in a vast emptiness, nothing tied her down so she was free, but there was nothing around her so there was nowhere she could go.

To be free but have nowhere to go, was that not simply too sad? There was also the matter she had spoken about earlier, when she denounced Yin Long saying that her sword sang. And perhaps that was true, a Woehowl Swordsman would not have a sword that sang, they would only have a nail to scratch the world.

But whether it was due to his nature or his beliefs, he still thought that her sword sang. It sang a melancholic tune of loss and grief, of loneliness and hate, of coldness that could never be dispelled. It was so sad that it made his throat choke up, but it sang nonetheless, it sang with all its heart and for all to hear. It sang to tell the world that she, Hongzai had lived, that she had once been here, that she had loved and lost.

Yin Long had seen quite a few sword techniques in his life, but perhaps it was due to this being the first technique wielded by a true swordsman, he felt that it would be a shame if it were to just disappear. If this song were to be forever trapped in that vast nothingness where she floated, if it was to never be heard by the world, it would be a shame.

Others may call him sentimental for something silly, but it wasn't as if he had ever really cared about what others said about him. He did not want this mournful song to vanish into obscurity, and it also fit very nicely with his other goal so he lowered his head once more.

"Thank you for showing me your technique, you have opened my eyes to a wider world and I feel that I am only half a step from grasping something. But there is still much I can learn from you, from your technique and experience. So please, give me a chance to study under you, I do not wish to abandon a chance as vital as this one."

Hongzai was strong, extremely strong. She was also extremely skilled, not even Bai Xiang had ever told Yin Long anything about swordsmen and what set them apart from others. Whether or not this was by choice or because he didn't know was something that Yin Long did not know at the moment, but the fact that mattered right now was that he had never mentioned it.

As such, Hongzai was the best teacher for him at the present. She had years of experience as a swordsman beneath her belt, she had definitely only shown him the tip of the iceberg that was her skills. He would see the entire iceberg, he would take it in in its entirety, and if that lonesome song could not be pulled out of the emptiness it floated in then he would at least engrave it in his heart. The world would never get to hear it, but he would remember it, he would be the mark to prove that Hongzai and her mournful song had once existed.

Yin Yu felt like shaking her head slightly when she saw Yin Long lower his head again, he really did not know when to take no for an answer. But then again, that was perhaps one of his more charming traits, the determination to never give up. She had seen the same techniques as him, but she could not see the same thing that he had seen, she could not hear that melancholic tune nor could she see the sad freedom of Hongzai.

That was why the elder of her sect had never taught her, she truly did not have what it took to be a swordsman, she lacked two of the integral parts. And since she lacked them, she would never be able to see the same beauty that Yin Long saw in those techniques, so she would never be able to properly understand why he lowered his head to learn.

Hongzai's brows furrowed slightly at Yin Long's insistence, the heartfelt sincerity and admiration he showed played a large part in making her show that expression. That sincerity to the blade and to learn made it a bit hard for her to face him, those black eyes that didn't have a single blemish or impurity, they were not good for her heart. So she waved her hand dismissively to get rid of him.

"It's not impossible for me to teach you more, you just need to fulfil a few conditions. Bring me the head of a Demonic beast that has already reached the Earthen Door realm, one you've hunted on your own while being in this state of thirst and starvation. You also need to show me an embryonic sword technique that you've created yourself, one that incorporates the essence of a Woehowl swordsman. Of course, the time limit on all three conditions is two months, I do not have the patience to humour you for the remainder of your life."

Creating an embryonic sword technique was not easy, but making one that incorporates the essence of a swordsman was even harder because it meant that you had to already be a swordsman. As for the first task of bringing in a Demonic beast head, it was perhaps equally hard. Yin Long was only at the 4th Immortal Door, to bring in the head of an Earthen Door Demonic beast that he had hunted on his own was practically impossible.

Three borderline impossible tasks that Yin Long should never be able to complete, she was confident that this would be enough to push away even someone like Yin Long. Once he left, she would finally be able to breathe a bit more easily, things would be a bit better for her heart. But all those thoughts stemmed from a lack of understanding, she had no way of understanding the thing that was sitting in front of her with a lowered head. And indeed, he didn't even flinch upon hearing the conditions, his eyes actually sparkled slightly as he raised his head again.

"Two months, is it? Understood, I will return when I've completed the conditions or not return at all."

He practically sprung up from his seated position after he finished talking, two months was neither a long nor a short time. And he had to accomplish three rather insane tasks so time was not something he could afford to waste right now. That first task was especially tricky, as it required him to be in a specific state while he hunted the beast.

But his confidence didn't waver once as he turned and started to leave the cavern. He would not let go of this chance to learn more, he would not let go of this chance to stop that mournful song from fading, he would not let go of this chance to have his own sword sing its own melody.