"This is the invincible will harnessed within the Sword Intent. It is as scorching as the sun!"
Even though the situation was dire, Su Yin felt as though he had just come to a realization.
When he first learned how to chop firewood, the first words that Woodcutter said was, "The way of chopping firewood is like the sun in the sky. There is no retreat. Only when one has the will to fight for supremacy and no desire for victory can one achieve great success!"
Back then, Zhang Xuan had thought that there was no need to talk so much about chopping firewood … But now that he saw the sword mark left behind by a Sword Saint, he finally understood the meaning behind those words.
"Everyone knows how to execute swordsmanship and sword arts. Over the past ten thousand years, they have evolved to the extreme. However … if one wishes to become a Sword Saint, it is insufficient to rely on these. What is required is conviction. Deep in one's heart, there is no one else but myself who can stand above the world."
Li Qiaofu's voice sounded.
After reading the three hundred poems of the Tang Dynasty, even if he didn't know how to recite poems, he would still be able to recite them.
But was that enough to make one a poet?
Not at all!
There were innumerable poets who knew how to 'compose poems', but there were very few who could leave a lasting impression on others. This was the reason why.
There were innumerable experts in the Celestial World who wielded the sword, and new sword arts were being created every day. Over the past tens of thousands of years, the number of sword arts was innumerable … But he was the only Sword Saint in the world.
Sword arts were just like poetry. They were just means to become a poet, not the key to success.
If one wanted to succeed, not only did one not need a sword art, one also needed a 'heart'.
Invincible conviction, indomitable spirit, and a heart that would never give up.
In a trance, Su Yin seemed to have grasped something, and he understood the reason behind Li Qiaofu's strength.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. It was difficult to describe them with words, but in reality, it didn't even last half a breath. In his trance, the Sword Intent reminiscent of the sun pierced toward him once more, drawing a profound trajectory in the air.
In an instant, he felt a piercing pain in his eyes. It was as though something had pierced his eyes, causing fresh blood to flow out. At the same time, he felt as though he had lost all light and entered a world of darkness.
"All of this … is fake!"
The corners of Su Yin's mouth rose as he smiled.
As it turned out, the moves that the sword slash had displayed on the wall were all fakes. There was only one thing that the sword slash wanted to show him, and that was … the conviction of invincibility!
If he had thought that this was a sword art of the Sword Saint from the very start and wanted to imitate and learn from it, he would have fallen into a disadvantageous position, and the seed of being unable to surpass the other party would have been planted in his heart …
Only by facing it bravely, not retreating, not admitting defeat, and breaking through it was the meaning of the sword scar's existence.
"Fearing that his eyes would be blinded, he dodged the attack … If he really did so, it would mean that he had already failed!"
After understanding all of this, Su Yin felt the piercing pain in his eyes. Not only was he not afraid, he didn't even turn his head. Instead, he walked forward.
In his pitch-black vision, the authority of the sword mark seemed to have been challenged. It turned into sharp Sword Qi and whizzed over, wanting to tear him into pieces.
Su Yin was fearless and had a smile on his face.
At this moment, he understood the method that Sword Saints used to surpass the Dao of the Sword … When encountering danger, it wasn't to avoid it. Instead, it was to welcome it, challenge it, and defeat it!
It was just like a novel that he had read in his previous life.
The most formidable sword art didn't have any defense or defense. It only had offense, offense, and offense. As long as one's opponent was unable to dodge or retaliate, one would have won!
This was the meaning of the sword scar.
The fact that he was able to comprehend this point so quickly wasn't because he was more talented than Zhao Xia, You Chi, and the others, or because his swordsmanship was superior. Rather... after ten years of interaction with Li Qiaofu, he had already imparted this belief to him.
Facing it head-on, this belief was instantly ignited.
Wuwuwuwu!
The pressure from the sword scar grew even stronger. Su Yin walked forward step by step, and an invincible belief was born in the depths of his heart. It grew stronger and stronger.
Hu!
A surge of Sword Intent also appeared in his blinded eyes, and he slashed it toward the sword scar before him.
The two forces collided with one another, wearing each other down.
The Sword Intent that appeared in Su Yin's eyes was still immature, but it carried an indestructible and invincible strength. As it clashed with the sword scar on the wall, Zhang Xuan's Sword Intent grew stronger and stronger. On the other hand, the sword scar on the wall was like a river without a source. It grew weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared.
Su Yin understood that he had relied on his conviction to defeat the sword intent within the sword scar and completely condense the invincible sword intent.
There was only one way to become invincible.
There was no shortcut to becoming a Sword Saint. There was only one way to become a Sword Saint, and that was to defeat the previous Sword Saint!
Weng!
As the sword scar was defeated, the sword qi that had blinded him was swiftly cleared away, and Su Yin regained his sight.
The room on the eighth floor appeared before him once more.
Unlike Zhang Xuan, Chao Xia Sage and You Chi Sage saw a different scene in their eyes.
The young man stared at the sword scar, unable to withstand the impact of the Sword Intent. Blood flowed from his eyes, and they thought that the young man would turn around to dodge. Yet, contrary to their expectations, not only did he not retreat, he even took large strides forward.
He took several steps forward.
A whimpering sound echoed from the sword scar, and it began to tremble. Eventually, with a resounding 'peng!', it shattered into dust.
The sword scar that they could only withstand for five breaths in a hundred years actually exploded in less than a minute …
What was going on?
The duo was dumbfounded.
Even so, they understood that the young man before them had already cleared the eighth floor and comprehended a sword art that was far stronger than theirs.
Weng!
The door leading to the ninth floor appeared abruptly.
"This won't do. Once he reaches the ninth floor, he'll obtain the Sword Saint's corpse and become the new Sword Saint. With such strength, Lord Netherworld won't be a match for him anymore!"
You Chi's pupils shrank as he narrowed his eyes.
He had long heard of Xue Qianqiu's outstanding talent, but he didn't think that he would be so formidable. What they had failed to accomplish in a hundred years, the young man actually managed to do!
With such talent, it wouldn't be difficult for him to become the new Sword Saint once he obtained the Sword Saint's corpse!
By then … Lord Netherworld would be in a disadvantageous position.
Hu!
Without any hesitation, he whipped out a sword and slashed it down on 'Xue Qianqiu'.
Sword qi burst forth, and Su Yin, who bore the brunt of it, found himself plunged into darkness once more. Not only were his eyes unable to see, his ears were unable to hear, and his nose was unable to smell. In an instant, it was as if his five senses had been stripped away.
Before the sword qi could even reach him, the immense Sword Intent had already crushed his mind.
As expected of a Sage who had cleared the eighth floor. Compared to Daoist Wuwei and Sage Liuyun, the difference was simply too great!
Boom!
Su Yin's face turned grim. Just as he was about to drive the Invincible Sword Intent in his body to resist the sword qi, he saw the darkness being torn apart by a pair of scissors. Following which, he returned to the room once more. His nose could smell the air, and his ears could hear the sound once more.
Sage Morning Dawn's roar sounded not too far away. "You Chi, how dare you assault my junior? You're courting death! Junior, hurry up and enter the ninth floor. I'll help you stop him! "
Knowing that the other party was intent on killing him, Sage Morning Dawn roared as he charged toward You Chi. Countless sword qi burst forth in the room like fireworks.
Even though his comprehension of swordsmanship was greater than the other two, his strength was still too weak. If he were to remain here, he would only be killed. Thus, without any hesitation, Su Yin charged toward the door of light.
The next moment, Xue Qiu had already vanished from the spot.
"Morning Dawn, since you're courting death, I'll grant you your wish!"
Seeing that 'Xue Qianqiu' had fled, You Chi was on the verge of exploding. He swiftly swung his sword, and sword qi burst forth like a storm.
Instead of dodging, Sage Morning Dawn executed all kinds of means to deal with it.
Even though the two of them were still some distance away from reaching Sword Saint, the fact that they were able to reach the eighth floor meant that their comprehension of swordsmanship had reached the pinnacle. As soon as the battle began, it reached its climax.
"I'll destroy the Sword Qi Pavilion if I stay here. Let's fight outside …"
After fighting for a while, You Chi realized that he was unable to exert much of his strength. Thus, with a slight jolt, he appeared outside the Sword Qi Pavilion.
He had to rely on the door of light to enter the Sword Qi Pavilion, but he could leave with just a thought.
"After cultivating for a hundred years, I'd like to see just how powerful your swordsmanship is …"
With a deep groan, Sage Morning Dawn appeared outside the Sword Qi Pavilion.
Boom boom boom!
As the two Sages clashed, the air around the Sword Qi Pavilion was torn apart. Countless sword scars appeared in the sky.
"Retreat!"
Upon seeing the battle between the two Sages, the faces of the sword cultivators who had gathered to watch the commotion immediately warped in horror. They hurriedly retreated.
Those who did not manage to flee in time were reduced to dust by the surging sword qi.
"Who are they? Why are they … fighting?" Lu Qiuran, who had fled several dozen li away, trembled in fear.
The battle between the two Sages was simply too frightening. If she had been just a moment slower, she might have been the one to die.
"It's Sage Morning Dawn and Sage You Chi … They have been cultivating swordsmanship in the Sword Qi Pavilion for more than a hundred years. Why would they suddenly make a move?"
Li Mogang was perplexed.
He had heard of the two of them, but he had never seen them in person. Who would have thought that the two of them would be fighting to the death?
Hu!
While Zhang Xuan was still trying to figure out what was going on, the space not too far away suddenly jolted, and two figures appeared.
"Someone is fighting?"
As soon as the two figures landed on the ground, they immediately sensed that something was amiss and raised their heads.
"It's Senior Morning Dawn and Sage You Chi!"
One of the younger figures immediately recognized the two figures.
Hearing a familiar voice, Li Mogang hurriedly turned his head around, but with just a single glance, he froze on the spot.
Seeing Zhang Xuan's expression, Lu Qiuran frowned. She turned her gaze over as well, and the sight before her also darkened.
The person who had appeared before her was none other than the expert that Su Yin had disguised himself as … Xue Qianqiu!
How did he end up here?
"This is bad. We're going to be exposed. You should hurry up and escape!"
Knowing that Su Yin's identity would be exposed, Lu Qiuran warned Zhang Xuan.
"What about you?" Li Mogang frowned.
"They don't know who I am, but if they were to investigate the token, they might be able to trace it back to you …" Lu Qiuran waved her hand.
"Then you should be careful …" Knowing that Lu Qiuran was telling the truth, Li Mogang quickly turned around and left.
After Zhang Xuan left, Lu Qiuran took in a deep breath. With a resolute look in her eyes, she retracted her aura and concealed herself before swiftly making her way back to the Sword Qi Pavilion.
Her junior had risked his life to save her, so if she had the chance, she would do everything in her power to save him.
…
Oblivious to the situation outside, Su Yin was currently standing in a room on the ninth floor.
At the very center of the room was a stone platform, and a corpse was seated on it. Its eyes were tightly shut, and there was not the slightest hint of aura coming from it.
There were no injuries on the corpse at all. It was identical to Li Qiaofu in Zhang Xuan's mind. It was as if the corpse had been asleep for ten thousand years, leaving not the slightest mark on it.
However, even though the corpse appeared to be completely unharmed, as soon as one approached it, a powerful surge of Sword Intent would immediately sweep across the area, threatening to tear one apart.
"It's the corpse of my teacher, Sword Saint …" Su Yin confirmed.
Other than Li Qiaofu, there was no one else who could emit such an aura.
It was no wonder he was so confident that no one would dare to lay their hands on his corpse. The might he wielded was indeed not something that ordinary people could withstand.
"Teacher, how can I retrieve it?" Su Yin turned to the Fragmented Will in his mind and asked.
If he couldn't even get close to the corpse, there was nothing he could do about it.
"Drive the firewood chopping technique that I have imparted to you, as well as the will of Invincible Will that you have just comprehended … You should be able to retrieve the corpse," Li Qiaofu said.
Su Yin nodded. The feeling of chopping firewood surfaced in his mind once more, and it slowly merged with the Invincible Will of Sword Intent that he had comprehended when facing the sword mark.
Soon, he felt the pressure from the corpse lessening significantly. He hurriedly walked forward, and as expected, the corpse was no longer repelled by him.
"Retrieve!"
Knowing that it wasn't time for him to assimilate the corpse, Su Yin waved his hand, and the corpse flew into his storage ring.
After which, he scanned his surroundings once more.
The room was empty. Other than the corpse, there was nothing else in it.
Since he had already gotten what he wanted, there was nothing else for him to worry about. With a light sway, Su Yin left the Sword Qi Pavilion.
As soon as he arrived outside, he immediately saw Dawnbreak Sage and Sage You Chi fighting.
"You want to take away the corpse of the Sword Saint? Dream on!"
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, You Chi bellowed furiously as he slashed his sword toward Zhang Xuan once more.
"Junior, you should return to Mount Buzhou first and assimilate the corpse of the Sword Saint before coming out of seclusion!"
Sage Dawnbreak Sage bellowed after fending off You Chi's attack.
Even though both of them were Sages, You Chi's comprehension of swordsmanship was slightly higher than Sage Dawnbreak Sage's, so he was still able to fend off Sage Dawnbreak Sage for the time being.
"Senior, what do you mean by the corpse of the Sword Saint?"
Su Yin was just about to agree to it and escape when a doubtful voice suddenly sounded.
Unknowingly, Xue Qianqiu and Sage Liu Yun had already arrived at the Sword Qi Pavilion.
Due to the fact that Zhang Xuan was busy fighting with the other two Sages, he didn't notice the young man who had just walked out of the Sword Qi Pavilion.
"You …"
Sage Dawnbreak Sage was taken aback by the voice. It was only then that he realized that another 'junior' had appeared. His body stiffened as he turned to look at Su Yin.
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan's actions, the real Xue Qianqiu also realized that something was amiss. Following Zhang Xuan's gaze, he was stunned as well. Unable to make sense of the situation, he suddenly heard 'himself' bellowing furiously.
"Who is this scoundrel who dares to impersonate me? Senior Dawnbreak Sage, this fellow must be in cahoots with You Chi. Hurry up and kill him! "
Hu!
The 'Xue Qianqiu' who had just walked out of the Sword Qi Pavilion flew into a rage. A sword materialized in his hand, and he slashed it down furiously.
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