Sasuke now was still obsessed with strength.
Ximen Chuixue's ultimate power and relentless pursuit of it captivated him deeply.
Only then did he realize…
There existed a way of life where everything was entrusted to the sword in hand. Only the sword would never betray.
So he couldn't fathom why such a person would marry.
"It's really a matter of choice," Shen Mo said, gently stroking the sleeping Haimaru in his arms, as if reading Sasuke's confusion. "I said before, swordsmanship is the path of slaughter. The Heartless Sword is indeed a fitting choice for the sword. But all power can protect, and swords are no exception—that's the… Devoted Sword."
"Devoted Sword?" Sasuke murmured the words.
He was a different person from hours ago.
Opening so many cans.
Learning so many sword techniques.
He thought he'd grasped the sword, but Shen Mo's words now left him puzzled.
"Isn't a sword just for killing?" he asked.
"Hahaha," Shen Mo laughed, shaking his head. "On the path of swordsmanship, you're still far off. Right now, forget the Devoted Sword—you can't even manage the Heartless Sword."
He could tell Sasuke was getting cocky.
Blind confidence, then a brutal beatdown.
Learning Chidori and charging at Uchiha Itachi—result obvious. Across the anime, Sasuke's thrashings were countless.
Sure enough…
Sasuke bristled, "Anyone who blocks my revenge, I'd kill without hesitation. Isn't that the Heartless Sword?"
He tilted his chin slightly, eyes resolute.
He was already transformed.
Looking at him, Shen Mo shook his head inwardly.
This wouldn't do.
In business, especially this business, the core wasn't just fleecing money—it was keeping clients forever unsatisfied.
Thinking they could succeed alone? Unacceptable.
They had to believe only cans would do!
Good thing Shen Mo had planned for this.
"If you think the sword is that simple… you'll never succeed on this path," Shen Mo said deliberately, then, before Sasuke could retort, added, "But that's fine. Not understanding now is normal. Keep opening cans. Their greatest purpose is letting you achieve what you never could alone."
Sasuke fell silent.
His gaze on the cans still burned with desire.
He could grow even stronger!
He resumed opening cans!
Unbeknownst to him, among the remaining cans, Shen Mo had prepared a grand gift.
Here it came—
In the 194th can, just a jade piece.
"This, of all things!" Shen Mo's exclamation rang out. "Your luck's really something."
"What's this jade?" Sasuke's anticipation surged.
He didn't know what it was, but every time Shen Mo spoke like that, it was something good!
"This is an experience jade," Shen Mo said, looking at Sasuke meaningfully.
"Experience jade?" Sasuke echoed.
"Right. Incredibly rare. It lets you taste a sword's realm. For a rare genius, they might retain part of that realm, making it theirs, skyrocketing their strength," Shen Mo said, pausing, then smirking playfully. "Didn't you claim your sword was heartless? This jade lets you feel the true Heartless Sword."
This jade wasn't a last-minute addition.
It was premeditated.
Why was swordsmanship so costly? Most lacked the aptitude.
To excel in swordsmanship, in any world, you'd need dazzling talent.
It demanded too much of one's aptitude, temperament, and insight.
But its power was real.
Suppressing a player's rewards too much could dampen the desire to open cans. As a former game planner, Shen Mo knew this well. His job was balance: make clients open cans happily, but not so strong they'd stop opening cans.
Now—
Sasuke was slipping deeper into the can-opening trap.
He looked at the experience jade in his hand.
Skyrocketing strength?
I'm in.
Without hesitation, Sasuke followed Shen Mo's instructions, pressing the jade to his forehead, ignoring the "rare genius" part.
Then, the white jade glowed, countless tiny, glimmering swords streaming into Uchiha Sasuke's mind.
His body shuddered.
Sasuke… felt that realm. In that instant, he was like a third party looking at his own heart. It was empty—no emotions, not even hatred, just a snowy, blank expanse. The sole thing—
A sword!
Nothing else.
He'd merged with the sword.
No sword in hand, yet he knew his sword was everywhere. With his will, all of heaven and earth were his sword!
Power, such immense power!
Sasuke felt he didn't need to move—a glance, a thought, could cleave anything.
Yet…
No joy. He'd become the sword. Swords don't feel joy. Recalling Uchiha Itachi, the night his clan and parents were slaughtered, his former brother—his heart didn't stir. That hatred, before this realm, seemed as trivial as dust.
He could still kill.
But not for hatred, nor emotion—only to hone the sword.
This was the pinnacle of heartlessness.
Sasuke's eyes seemed drained of life, mere lifeless objects.
"Wake up—!"
Suddenly, a thunderous shout exploded in his mind.
Like a clap of thunder.
Shattering the sword in his heart.
"Huff, huff!"
Sasuke collapsed, clutching his chest, gasping, eyes filled with indescribable fear.
What was that?
That feeling!
Like he'd died, forged into a sword, all humanity stripped away, leaving only the sword!
"That's… the Heartless Sword?"
His voice rasped as he looked up, looking at Shen Mo. Without that man's shout, he felt he'd never have returned.
How could it be?
Someone could train a sword to that level!
"The Heartless Sword is that path. Those who walk it need only be true to the sword, not to people," Shen Mo said, looking at Sasuke, shaking his head. "But you're not suited for it. Most with aptitude wouldn't grasp much, but they wouldn't be enslaved by the sword's will. If I weren't here, it'd take you a while to recover from that sword-slave state."
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