Everyone who entered this place was worried that they would be eliminated or eliminate others. Yet, this fellow actually sat there and cultivated. Furthermore, from the looks of it, he seemed to have been here for quite some time already. It was no wonder he was so perplexed.
"He's a prodigy of the Qianchong Empire, and he's skilled in swordsmanship as well … It was only after I grabbed hold of the Dusk Cloud Sword that I realized where I was.
Soon, he realized what was going on.
Given that the other party was from the Qianchong Empire, it was likely that he had been to the Sword Lagoon before.
Rumble!
Amidst those words, the surrounding Sword Intent and Sword Qi swiftly gathered toward Zhang Xuan, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Xuan's aura grew stronger and stronger.
Weng!
Beside him, the Mu Yun Sword couldn't hold on any longer. It prostrated on the ground and trembled incessantly. It seemed to be suppressed by the sword qi in his body and didn't dare to resist.
"It's … Sword Quintessence! It's been seven hundred years, I didn't expect to see one again! "
Looking at the Sword Qi that filled the sky and the submission of the sword in his hand, an old man was filled with agitation.
"That's not Sword Quintessence. The true Sword Quintessence is the Return of Ten Thousand Swords. Since it's only Submission of Swords, it should be … Half-Quintessence!"
An old man beside him said.
"That's right, it's Half-Quintessence! Most people only knew that swordsmanship was divided into Sword Intent and Sword Heart, but they didn't know that there was a Sword Quintessence above that! As long as the strength of the sword doesn't exceed that of the wielder, it will obey the wielder unconditionally … "
Another elder remarked, "The young man before us is only able to subdue those whose cultivation is lower than his. He hasn't reached the level of unconditional obedience yet … Most likely, he's only at Half-Step!"
"Even if it's half step, it's already very powerful. Isn't this the reason why we've been researching for so long?"
"Yeah!"
"Seven hundred years ago, when Ji Lingzhen made a breakthrough to this realm, I happened to be right in front of him, and I witnessed the miracle with my own eyes … Who would have thought that I would meet a second person at the end of my lifespan!"
"Ji Lingzhen didn't leave the Sword Lagoon after his breakthrough, right?"
"I didn't. I went to the center of the Sword Lagoon in an attempt to obtain the Old Sword Maestro's heritage … It's just a pity that I haven't succeeded yet. It has been so many years since I last saw him, so I wonder if he's still alive?"
The crowd discussed animatedly.
"Half Step Quintessence?"
Hearing the words of the crowd, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
With a wave of his hand, the Dusk Cloud Sword immediately felt the pressure on it disappear. It struggled to fly up once more, seemingly filled with fear and horror.
Sword Quintessence was a comprehension of swordsmanship that surpassed Sword Heart, and it carried an innate pressure on sword spirits. Considering how Ma Minghai was able to comprehend Sword Quintessence at such a young age, as expected of someone who was qualified to enter the Sanctum of Sages!
Compared to Zhang Jiuxiao, even Zhang Jiuxiao paled in comparison.
Whoosh!
After absorbing the Sword Qi, Ma Minghai slowly opened his eyes.
Huala!
There seemed to be sword qi in his eyes, ready to shoot out at any moment.
Even though his cultivation was still at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm, meaning that he had yet to undergo the lightning tribulation, his cultivation had become much more powerful than before. It felt like he would be able to pierce through even the lightning tribulation with his sword.
"Zhang Xuan?"
Ma Minghai stood up and stretched a little. Just as he was feeling satisfied, he saw Zhang Xuan not far away. His eyes immediately narrowed.
He had crossed blows with Zhang Xuan before. Back then, he had executed the Ocean of a Thousand Swords, but he had ended up being swallowed whole by the other party.
He had intended to use his trump card to defeat Zhang Xuan, but Pavilion Master Yue had stopped him, so he could only leave the matter unsettled.
Later on, when Zhang Xuan challenged Pavilion Master Yue, he had used his puppet … Even though he had won the duel, it didn't reflect his strength.
If he hadn't suppressed his cultivation and made a breakthrough in swordsmanship, putting aside defeating Zhang Xuan, it wouldn't have been too difficult for him to kill Zhang Xuan!
A cold glint flashed across Ma Minghai's eyes as he sneered coldly. "You sure are unlucky to have met me right after I made a breakthrough. It seems like I'll have to eliminate you first …"
Hu!
With a slight leap, Ma Minghai walked up to Zhang Xuan and said, "Greetings, Zhang Shi. We meet again!"
"Yes, we meet again!"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
"Even though I'm impressed by your strength, my apologies, but we are currently in the midst of the secondary selection, and the slots to enter the Sanctum of Sages are on the line. So … do you want to take out the jade token yourself, or do you want me to make a move on you?"
Ma Minghai glanced at Zhang Xuan impassively as he spoke with an authoritative tone. "Take it out yourself, and I can choose not to make a move on you so as to lessen your suffering. However, if I were to make a move on you … Even though the rules don't allow you to kill others, it's still possible for you to suffer some superficial wounds and be immobilized for a short period of time! If you're immobilized here, I can't guarantee that you won't be killed by the saint beasts! "
"Are you threatening me?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
"You can think of it as a threat, or you can think of it as … I'm stronger than you, so I'm pressuring you!"
Ma Minghai sneered coldly.
Zhang Xuan frowned. "Does that mean that … I can do whatever I want just because I'm stronger?"
"That's right. If you are strong, you can do whatever you want!"
Ma Minghai's lips curled up.
Previously, when he was defeated by Zhang Xuan, he had been feeling extremely stifled. However, there was no one else around, so there was no need for him to play by the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion. He could easily crush Zhang Xuan and exact his vengeance.
At the same time, he could help Pavilion Master Yue vent his anger!
"Alright then!"
Seeing how the other party was so direct, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply. He flicked his palm, infused his zhenqi into the jade token, and pushed it forward. "Since you've already made up your mind, I'll have to apologize!"
"Why? Are you intending to make a move on me? "
Seeing how Zhang Xuan was still putting up a desperate struggle, Ma Minghai burst into laughter. With a tap of his finger, he sent a surge of sword qi toward Zhang Xuan.
His comprehension of swordsmanship had reached Half-Quintessence. Even without using a sword, the sword qi in his body was more than enough to defeat an expert of the same cultivation realm!
Needless to say, a mere Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage cultivator …
Hmm?
Zhang Xuan was perplexed.
When he fought with Zhang Xuan the previous day, he was only at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage. Why would he suddenly look like a pinnacle cultivator at this moment?
How could he possibly advance two realms in a single night?
"Regardless of whether you're at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage or pinnacle, it doesn't matter! Against the current me, only death awaits! "
Zhang Xuan raised his eyebrows and sent a burst of sword qi toward Zhang Xuan. Just as he thought that he would be able to pierce through Zhang Xuan's palm with ease, the sword qi collided with Zhang Xuan's palm and dissipated immediately.
Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
As someone who had comprehended Half-Quintessence of swordsmanship, he knew just how powerful that finger strike of his was. Even Brother Sun would not dare to face it head-on. Yet, that fellow was actually able to dissipate it with a single palm strike … How in the world did he do it?
However, before he could recover from his bewilderment, Zhang Xuan's palm strike continued forward, arriving right before him in the blink of an eye.
Peng!
Under the immense pressure, Ma Minghai's face reddened. He tried to defend himself, but he was unable to do so at all. He crashed right into a massive boulder, and a stifling sensation filled his chest, causing him to spurt a mouthful of blood.
"How could this be … How could you possibly be so powerful?"
Ma Minghai gritted his teeth in disbelief.
The reason why he had lost to Zhang Xuan the previous day was because he had suppressed his cultivation. Yet, despite not suppressing his cultivation and comprehending Half-Quintessence, he was still defeated.
"This must be a coincidence! I don't believe it!"
Ma Minghai abruptly stood up and used his finger as a sword to draw a semicircle in front of his chest. A burst of zhenqi gushed forth, forming a circle around him.
"Sword Qi of the Myriad, heed my command!"
With a furious roar, the sword qi in the surroundings gathered together to form a massive ten-meter-long sword right before his chest.
Having comprehended Half-Quintessence, even though he was still unable to command the sword to heed his command, he was still able to control the sword qi in the air.
There were sword cultivators everywhere in the Sword Lagoon, and their sword qi would not dissipate at all. Being able to manipulate the sword qi meant that he had the support of so many experts, increasing his fighting prowess by more than twofold!
With his current strength, even if a Leaving Aperture realm expert were to face him, he would be able to slay them easily!
"Is this the strength of a Half-Quintessence cultivator?"
"How fearsome …"
"With his control over sword qi, he's practically invincible in the Sword Lagoon …"
"Indeed. That fellow is probably going to be defeated soon …"
The crowd in the area had grim looks on their faces.
They were all sword cultivators, so they knew just how fearsome a Half-Quintessence cultivator could be. With the might of his sword qi, he was practically invincible among his peers.
However, the young man before them was only at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, so how could he possibly stand up to him?
Huala!
Before everyone's shocked gazes, the sword formed entirely out of sword qi pierced right toward Zhang Xuan.
As if breaking through the sound barrier, it appeared right before Zhang Xuan in the blink of an eye.
Judging from the might of the sword, even the toughest of cultivators would be sliced in half if they were to be struck.
"The might of the sword qi is indeed formidable, but it's ultimately not my own!"
Zhang Xuan shook his head. Instead of showing the slightest hint of nervousness, he revealed a look of disappointment as he tapped his finger lightly.
A unique glow emanated from his fingertip, and upon coming into contact with the incoming sword, it immediately dissipated.
"Go!"
Zhang Xuan flicked his finger lightly.
Peng!
Ma Minghai was sent flying once more. His back crashed into the wall, creating a massive depression. It was as if someone had pinned him to the wall, and no matter how he struggled, he was unable to move at all.
"Y-you …"
With a ghastly pale face, Ma Minghai stared at the young man with eyes filled with fear.
He thought that he would be able to crush the other party easily even without suppressing his cultivation, but who could have thought that the other party would be able to render him completely helpless with just a single finger?
Even with the help of his sword qi, he was still unable to defeat the other party!
While Ma Minghai was still in a state of disbelief, the young man walked over gracefully with a smile on his face.
"Even though I am impressed by your strength, my apologies, but we are in the midst of the secondary selection, and the slots to enter the Sanctum of Sages are at stake. So … do you want to hand over the jade token yourself, or do you want me to do it myself?"
Ma Minghai's entire body tensed up, and his face reddened.
Those were the exact words that he had said to the other party a moment ago. Who would have thought that the other party would return them back to him word for word?
"You want to take my jade token? You'll have to kill me first! "
Ma Minghai gritted his teeth.
Losing the jade token meant that he was no longer qualified to enter the Sanctum of Sages. All of his hard work would go down the drain.
"Kill you? I don't think so … "
With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger.
Peng!
Ma Minghai immediately felt as if a mountain was crushing down on him, crushing him to the wall, threatening to suffocate him at any moment.
"Stop it!"
Ma Minghai tried to say something, but no sound came out of his mouth.
"My apologies, but I don't have the habit of backing down before my opponent!"
Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "Right, you're right. You're right …"
"The more powerful one is, the more one can do as one pleases!"
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