The Inferno of Obsession:

Part One

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107
 Nice! To pierce
an enemy’s heart
with this sword:
that is pure
pleasure!

A raindrop hit the

tip of the blade
with a splash: it
was as though
the rain agreed.

108
Good, good! To
chop an enemy’s
head with this
blade: that is
sheer joy!

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 A raindrop fell on the body of the sword,
as though echoing his admiration.

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Ah, excellent! To awe
heaven and earth with this
sword, to strike terror into
a thousand mountains:
that is utter delight!

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114
Ah, nice!
To hew your
own throat
open with
this blade:
that is true
happiness!

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 Of all the
things in the
world, why
can’t I have
the very best
sword?

Tell me!
Why?

You want the

very best
sword? I have
it right here.

118
The Inferno of
Obsession: Part Two

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 You have a good
sword? A sword
without equal, the
very best?

I have one
good sword.
A matchless
sword, the
very best.

121
 Alright
then,
show me.

Sure, on one
condition: you
must tell me why
you’re looking
for the greatest
sword.

I was born
into a My ancestors were all
family of famed swordsmiths
swords. and great swordsmen
to boot.

For generations, my
family has sought the
beauty, power, and
spirit of swords.

122
But tragedy He’d spent
struck with twenty years
my great- on a great
grandfather. sword. To
test it,

he slaughtered
everyone in his
family, all 84 of
them except my
grandfather.

My crazed
great-grandfather then
Killed himself.

From that And my father, he

day forth, my wasn’t interested
grandfather in swords either.
swore never to He only cared
“talk sword.” about making tofu
He sold tofu for a whiter, softer,
living and forgot sweeter, and
everything about smoother.
swords.

123
 But I was Rain kept falling, so that
different. you couldn't tell rain from
tears...

He squinted his eyes

while he spoke.

At the age
My first word as of fifteen, I
a baby wasn’t secretly cast
“Ma” or “Pa”: my own sword,
without anyone
teaching me
how.

it was “sword.”
The first thing I
ever drew was a
sword;

I also
Every dream learnt many
I had was swordcrafts,
about all without a
swords! teacher.

I knew my life
would be devoted
to the beauty,
power, and spirit
of swords.

My will and
my swords
were one.

124
It was my way but also
my obsession.
One night, I tested my
sword on my father,
mother, brothers, and
sisters.

....

125
 But I was different: I didn’t
kill myself. I wanted to know
what being a truly great
sword felt like.

I started
wandering.
Within ten
years, I
killed 178
people and
collected
182
swords.

Some were not

bad, but none
really caught
my eye.

The mercy
of Buddha
quelled
my filthy
thoughts.

I was
terrified,
for I knew
I couldn’t
go on like
that. I slowly forgot
So twenty-nine about swords,
years ago, and finally...
I became a monk I started to
at a small temple. repent....

126
 For
twenty-
eight
years,
I gained
solace in
tranquility.
Until last
year...

The Buddha didn’t Their power!

All false!
give me any peace! Their beauty!
All lies! I never forgot Their spirit!
about swords!

127
 I left the
temple.

In one year,
I killed 224
people and took
230 swords.

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 But they Now do
were all you see
rotten. why I
want the
greatest
sword?

I do.

And the
sword?

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 The rain
stopped.

The sky
cleared.

What a sword,
what aura!
Mind-blowing!

......

132
 Kill that
There’s What? man!
another
condition
if you
want the
sword.

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134
The Inferno of
Obsession:
Part Three

135
 Kill me?
What
for?

136
I’m truly sorry. Grant me
I know we’ve But I only live
my wish
never crossed and I shall
for a truly never
paths, so there great sword.
is no hatred nor forget your
kindness.
vengeance....

How do you
want to
die? This I
can grant
You really are
you.
crazy, you know
that?
What if this sword
still isn’t good
enough, then I'll
have died for
nothing!

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 Well, I The sword cover
can only suddenly opened up
hope.... all by itself.

Wusheng
didn’t listen
to him. He
was staring
at the sword.

Oh, it’s
the....

My apo-
logies!

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 With a thud, the cover lifted a little.

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 ......

......

You know what ......

a truly great
sword is?

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 ......

A sword that
kills you is a
truly great
sword.

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The cover lifted up again: a dazzling light
shone from within.

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 Even the Abi Messenger
knelt down.

The blind man

placed the sword
on the ground and
clasped his hands
in prayer.

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Wind surged from
all directions.

Everyone who
was watching
scattered off in
hiding.

So it is you,
O Venerable One!
Here we meet
again. Please
awake soon.

The wind made Wusheng’s

clothes flutter....

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 and
vanished.

The blind man

leapt at the
sword,
So did the light from
the sword.

Only a darkened blade remained.

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The wind
died
down...

and the
clouds
scattered.

Take the
sword.

It all felt like a dream.

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 The sword, now darkened, had nothing That light just
special about it. now, where did
it go?

You are
the one Me?
who will
ignite it.

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 And why did
What he call me
kind of ‘Venerable
sword is One’?
this?

You’ll soon
find out.

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 Wusheng looked at the black
sword again.

The sword was silent.

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