In the straw hut, as soon as Su Yin left, Lu Qiuran's eyes were fixed on the Sword Qi Pavilion in the distance, fearing that something might happen.
"Physician Lu, there's no need to worry. There's no danger in the tower!"
Seeing her reaction, Li Mogang chuckled softly.
Lu Qiuran shook her head. "The first three floors aren't dangerous, but that doesn't mean that there won't be any danger in the later floors …"
Li Mogang frowned. "Physician Lu, you're worrying too much. Your junior is still young, and this is his first time challenging the tower. It's already good enough that he managed to clear the first floor. There's no need to hold out too much hope for the later floors!"
He had been cultivating here for more than a decade, and he had received guidance from a martial arts expert. Even so, he had only managed to clear the third floor. On the other hand, a junior of a physician who had never been here before wanted to clear the third floor … You must be joking!
"The first floor is difficult?"
Hearing Zhang Xuan's confident words, Lu Qiuran was perplexed.
"Of course. There's a unique formation in the Sword Qi Pavilion that suppresses the Celestial Energy in a cultivator's body. In other words, one can only clear the trial based on one's comprehension of swordsmanship!"
Li Mogang raised his head proudly and said, "The first trial is to shoot out a hundred egg-sized pearls from all directions without any pattern. The challenger has to cut down all of the pearls within ten breaths, and not a single one can be missed. Using Celestial Energy isn't a problem at all, but if you rely on your swordsmanship, the difficulty of this trial will be vastly different."
"This …"
Lu Qiuran's heart skipped a beat.
It was no wonder no one had been able to reach the ninth floor of the Sword Qi Pavilion despite its ten thousand years of existence. It was indeed not as easy as she had thought.
Seeing Lu Qiuran's reaction, Li Mogang felt even more proud. "In order to clear this trial, I drew my sword and swung it around for seven whole years. I didn't slack off for even a single day. Even when I slept at night, I would hug my sword to my chest, striving for a perfect fit. That was until one day, when I felt that my sword had become an extension of my arm, I was able to wield my sword as I wished, thus clearing the trial … "
"I saw that your junior doesn't have the slightest trace of Sword Intent in his body. On top of that, he's studying the Way of Medicine, so it's unlikely that he'll clear the trial!"
Lu Qiuran didn't expect the path of swordsmanship to be so complicated. She frowned. "That's not right. Isn't Xue Qianqiu young, and he focuses on swordsmanship as well? Why did he clear to clear the trial? "
"Him?"
Li Mogang shook his head helplessly. "His teacher is the Cangqiong Saint, the world's greatest Saint! Although he didn't cultivate like me, he was gifted and comprehended the Extreme Sword Intent at the age of 17! "
"Extreme sword intent?"
"Sword intent is a kind of meaning that can only be born when a sword cultivator reaches the limit of the Way of the Sword. Once it is born, it can reach the state of 'the person is the sword, and the sword is the person'. At this time, the sword will become a part of the body, and there will be no distinction between the two!"
"Of course, this is only the first level of Sword Intent, Fusion Sword Intent! Then there's' Unity Sword Intent ', which is the realm of' Man and Sword as One '. Above that is' Extreme Sword Intent ',' Supreme Sword Intent ', and' Invincible Sword Intent '! "
Li Mogang replied, "Xue Qianqiu was able to reach the Extremity realm as soon as he comprehended the Sword Intent. There are only a handful of such geniuses in the Celestial World in the past ten thousand years, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to reach the seventh level. He's not someone that your junior brother can compare to …"
Before he could finish his words, a powerful surge of Sword Qi surged toward him from the direction of the Sword Qi Pavilion.
Padah!
The sword in Zhang Xuan's arms trembled as if it had met a tiger, and it fell to the ground.
"This is …"
Li Mogang narrowed his eyes as he stood up abruptly. His lips twitched uncontrollably. "Supreme Sword Intent? H-how is this possible? "
Even though he hadn't reached the level of Supreme Sword Intent, he could still sense the level of the Sword Intent that appeared.
He had just said that the other party couldn't even clear the first level, and yet, he was able to release such a powerful Sword Intent that was even stronger than Xue Qianqiu's …
How in the world did he do it?
Li Mogang's face reddened, and he felt a burning sensation on his cheeks. If there was a hole in the ground, he would have dived right in.
He wasn't the only one. All of the straw huts lit up simultaneously. More than a hundred sword cultivators walked out of their huts and looked in the direction of the Sword Qi Pavilion. They raised their swords slowly, as if they were on a pilgrimage.
…
On the eighth level of the Sword Qi Pavilion.
Two middle-aged men were seated in front of a massive stone tablet. Their backs were facing the stone tablet, and their eyes were slightly opened. There was no light in their eyes at all. To think that … the two of them were blind.
"Sage Morning Dawn, I've been able to last for five breaths since yesterday!"
The middle-aged man on the left suddenly spoke up with an excited smile on his face.
"Sage Dark Crimson, you …"
The Sage Morning Dawn on the right was taken aback. Indignation surfaced on his face before he sighed deeply. "Your talent is indeed much higher than mine. Even I was only able to last for four breaths after a hundred years …"
"It's not that I'm talented, it's just that I'm lucky!"
Sage Dark Crimson nodded. "I only managed to comprehend the profundity of Sword Intent last night. As long as you work hard, you'll be able to catch up to me one day …"
"Let's just hope that …"
Sage Morning Dawn sighed deeply. "I really hope that I have the talent of Little Junior. To be able to comprehend Sword Intent at seventeen … With such talent, I think that I'll be able to last for ten breaths after entering this level for a hundred years …"
"That's possible!"
Before the duo could finish their conversation, a brilliant surge of Sword Intent suddenly burst forth from below, causing the windows to creak and the stone walls to flicker.
"Supreme Sword Intent?"
The two Sages stood up at the same time and spread out their Divine Sense.
"It's Little Junior? Haha, I didn't expect him to comprehend Supreme Sword Intent in such a short time. Looks like he'll be able to reach this level today … "
The Morning Dawn Saint laughed excitedly.
On the other hand, Sage Dark Crimson's face darkened.
While Morning Dawn belonged to the Firmament Sect, he belonged to the Yellow Springs Sect.
Usually, it was fine, but now that someone else was here, the balance was broken.
"Since Little Junior is here, I can't show any weakness. I have to hold on for five breaths …"
After his excitement, Sage Morning Dawn turned to look at the stone tablet in front of him.
The invincible Sword Qi on the tablet seemed to have realized that someone was spying on it. With a 'boom!', it turned into streaks of Sword Qi and landed in his eyes.
"Ah …" With a cry of agony, blood flowed out of his lifeless eyes once again.
It was as if his eyes had been blinded by the Sword Qi.
Bang!
Sage Morning Dawn was sent flying, his back slamming into the wall. In the next moment, he turned his back to the stone wall and said excitedly, "This is great! I also lasted for five breaths!"
"Hmph!"
Seeing that the Sword Qi whom he had suppressed a moment ago had turned into a stalemate in the blink of an eye, Sage Morning Dawn's face turned livid. He clenched his fists tightly, thinking about something.
…
Oblivious to the huge commotion that he had caused when he executed his chopping technique, Su Yin had already pushed open the doors of the Sword Qi Pavilion and walked in.
As soon as he stepped in, he immediately felt his Celestial Energy being sealed, making it impossible for him to move even the slightest bit.
With Celestial Energy sealed, one's strength would be limited, such that one could only use the strength of one's physical body.
As expected of a place to test swordsmanship, there was no room for anyone to exploit.
"But … it doesn't affect me much!"
With a flick of his wrist, Su Yin whipped out the True Dragon Sword and chuckled.
Without Celestial Energy, most cultivators would find it hard to get used to it. However, Zhang Xuan only had Celestial Energy for less than a day. Usually, when he chopped firewood, he would use his physical body to drive the laws of nature. Under such circumstances, he was able to bring out greater strength.
Soon, he arrived at the first floor.
It was a spacious hall. There were no stairs or doors, and it was completely empty. There were only a few lines of words on the wall, indicating the method to clear the trial.
It didn't take long for Su Yin to realize that it was exactly as Li Mogang had said. Thus, he walked to the center of the hall.
Accompanied by a whimpering sound, egg-sized balls flew toward him. Raising the True Dragon Sword, Su Yin tapped on them.
Puhe! Puhe! Puhe!
The balls fell from the sky one after another.
Zhang Xuan yawned, feeling a little sleepy.
How slow!
Furthermore, they were huge!
Previously, when he was practicing chopping firewood, Li Qiaofu had tossed him a branch that was as thick as a matchstick, and he had split it evenly into dozens of portions within half a breath …
Compared to that, it was as easy as picking a bird out of one's pants.
It didn't take long for the hundred balls to be chopped into two, and a door of light appeared in front of him.
Walking in, Zhang Xuan successfully cleared the first trial.
The difficulty of the second trial increased significantly. It required a thousand balls to be shot out within ten breaths. To Su Yin, this was still a walk in the park.
The third trial, the fourth trial, the fifth trial …
It was only at the sixth trial that Zhang Xuan started to pay more attention to it.
Just like how Li Qiaofu had taught him, Zhang Xuan used his sword to chop the sesame-sized objects into two. Within ten breaths, he was able to chop a thousand of them into two.
It seemed to be similar to the previous trials, but the difficulty was much higher.
This was because these objects were as light as a feather. If Zhang Xuan were to move his sword too quickly, it would be blown away before it could reach him. On the other hand, if he were to move too slowly, he wouldn't be able to complete the task within the time limit.
As such, this trial didn't just test one's speed, it also tested one's accuracy, agility, and grasp of Sword Intent.
Only those who had comprehended Sword Intent would be able to lock down these sesame-sized objects with the tip of their swords, preventing them from escaping.
Of course, this might be difficult for others, but it wasn't a problem for Zhang Xuan either. After ten breaths, the thousand sesame-sized objects were all split into two.
If someone could design a super precise balance, they would be able to discover that the two parts that were struck by him were of the same quality. There was not the slightest bit of difference.
Entering the door of light, Zhang Xuan arrived at the seventh floor.
This was where Xue Qianqiu stopped.
Su Yin raised his head to take a look.
At the center of the room, there were eight wooden rods of equal thickness. Above the rods were eight oil lamps, and below them was a bizarre formation.
Taking a closer look at the rules, Su Yin's face turned grim.
The requirements for the trial weren't too difficult, but it was extremely difficult.
The eight wooden rods were placed in eight different directions, forming a unique balance with the oil lamps above. Once this balance was broken, even if it was only for a tenth of a breath, the trial would fail.
Due to the difference in the thickness of the wick and the oil used, the speed at which the oil burned would be different as well. As such, as long as the oil was lit, the balance would become unbalanced. At this moment, one would have to chop off a wooden rod with a sword to maintain the balance until all of the oil lamps were extinguished!
This wasn't just a test of swordsmanship, it was also a test of one's eye of discernment and grasp of timing.
Putting aside Half-Sages, even Saints would find it difficult to complete this trial without using their strength.
Knowing that it wouldn't be easy for him to complete the trial, Su Yin wasn't in a hurry to activate the trial. Instead, he sat down cross-legged not too far away and calmed himself down.
After entering the Celestial World, the Pill Sage and Apothecary Sage had met with mishaps one after another, and this had left him feeling a little anxious. This anxiety didn't affect his strength much, but it could slow down his swordsmanship, making it difficult for him to complete this trial.
"Not bad. I was still thinking about how I should explain it to him, but who would have thought that he would comprehend it on his own?"
Seeing Zhang Xuan's reaction, Li Qiaofu nodded in satisfaction.
In order to reach the peak of swordsmanship, one couldn't have any flaws in one's state of mind. Otherwise, even the slightest problem would be magnified by one's opponent, resulting in failure.
This was also the reason why he had told Zhang Xuan to remain calm from the moment he learned how to chop firewood.
Who would have thought that Zhang Xuan would be able to comprehend it on his own?
Su Yin did not know what he was thinking. At this moment, Su Yin had entered a special state. In this state, his thoughts flashed like sparks, and all kinds of thoughts flickered endlessly.
"Since swordsmanship can sever all things, why don't I sever my worries, frustrations, and pain?"
An epiphany appeared in his mind. Su Yin's mind suddenly transformed into a sharp longsword and slashed down in his mind.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
With seven consecutive slashes, Zhang Xuan severed all of his worries, worries, and frustrations …
At this moment, Su Yin was like a precise machine. The balance point of the eight wooden sticks and the oil lamp immediately appeared in his eyes. He could see everything clearly.
"Let's begin!"
Knowing that he had already reached his optimal state, Su Yin dashed to the center of the wooden sticks without any hesitation.
Weng! The formation was activated, and the eight oil lamps lit up simultaneously. Flames spurted out from them. Some were large, some were small, some were as violent as fireworks, and some were as gentle as water ripples …
The balance between the wooden sticks was immediately broken.
Hu!
Su Yin made his move.
The sword pierced through the air and tapped lightly on one of the oil lamps. A small section of wood as thick as a strand of hair was severed, and the eight wooden sticks regained their balance.
However, the balance did not last for long before it was broken by the other oil lamps.
Standing at the center of the eight wooden sticks, Su Yin's every move was precise and cold, without the slightest hint of emotion.
The oil in the oil lamps gradually dwindled, indicating that he had already passed more than half of the trial and was about to clear it.
"I told you that I can't teach you the final move, but to think that he still managed to comprehend it on his own …"
Seeing Su Yin's state, Song Yu sighed. His eyes were filled with worry and frustration. "I wonder if he can reconnect the emotions that he has severed. If he can't, what about Shangguan Wanqing, Fairy Jiuqu, and the other daughters-in-law? We can't possibly become widows before we even consummate our marriage! "
A resolute glint flashed across Song Yu's eyes. "That won't do. He's too young, and he doesn't know how it feels. That's why he was able to do it so smoothly. Why don't we … find some beauties for him to try first?"
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