Book 5: Chapter 75: Sword Ji and Formation Ji! That familiar sword intent |
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"However, Anye, don't even think about avenging me," Ji Wuchen advised. "The Demon Lord's power and influence are too formidable. Without reaching the True Immortal Realm, going against him is like hitting a stone with an egg..."
"Master, rest assured, even if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't seek revenge," Wang Anye wholeheartedly agreed with his master's perspective.
It's a joke, after all. The Demon Lord is one of the two most powerful True Immortal beings in the Red Moon Demon Dynasty, standing at the pinnacle of human civilization.
Ji Wuchen's voice faltered.
After a few moments, he continued with a hint of melancholy, "Anye, you could at least pretend to be indignant, just for show."
"Master, let's return to the topic of the 'Sword Comprehension Tablet'," Wang Anye suggested. "Which sword mark did you leave back then?"
"Excluding the sword intent that seems to have been left by a True Immortal Realm expert, mine ranks fourth," Ji Wuchen introduced with a slight sense of pride. "See, it's that one, slightly below the center, quite conspicuous. Even when compared to the ancestors of past generations, my talent in swordsmanship is considered among the top."
Following Ji Wuchen's guidance, Wang Anye quickly found the sword intent left by his master.
Indeed, as his master said, this sword intent was slightly longer than most of the others on the stone tablet. It wasn't the best, but it was certainly above average.
Ahead of it were only the strongest one and the five-inch sword intent left by the ancestor Chen Jianming, along with two others that were only slightly longer.
The power emanating from the sword intent was grand and majestic, like the vast might of the heavens, fully showcasing the dominance and strength of a sword cultivator.
"It's truly a pity," Wang Anye remarked with a sigh. "If Master had returned alive from the Red Moon Demon Dynasty back then, advancing to the Lingxu Realm shouldn't have been a problem. With your talent in swordsmanship, you would have been among the stronger ones even among the many Lingxu Realm experts."
When he first became a disciple, he was young and thought Ji Wuchen's late Divine Realm cultivation was already very high. But now, as his understanding of Basalt cultivation deepened, he realized that his master was still in the growth phase of his cultivation back then, far from reaching his limits.
Sword cultivators are generally known for their high combat power among cultivators of the same level, not to mention those in the Lingxu Realm.
For instance, the True Monarch of the Purple Void Holy Land is among the top combat powers in the entire human camp.
As the master and disciple conversed, Ji Yanxiu introduced, "According to the rules of the second self-trial, each trial participant has one hour to comprehend the sword intent on the Sword Comprehension Tablet. Afterward, they must leave a sword mark with the newly comprehended sword intent. If the sword mark exceeds one inch, the trial is considered passed."
"If the sword mark is less than an inch, it won't qualify to remain on the Sword Comprehension Tablet, and the tablet will automatically erase it."
Ji Qianqian frowned and said, "Wouldn't that be unfair to Celestial Realm trial participants? After all, there's a significant gap between the Celestial Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm, and their strengths aren't on the same level."
"That's not the case. The depth of the sword mark on the Sword Comprehension Tablet has nothing to do with the amount of profound energy; it only tests the strength of the sword intent itself. As long as the will is strong enough, even a Celestial Realm cultivator might succeed," Ji Yanxiu explained, cautioning, "Also, when leaving a sword mark, do not use profound energy, or you'll be disqualified from the trial."
It's no wonder.
Purple Mansion Realm cultivators have a lifespan of eight hundred years and are considered land immortals in weaker worlds. If they were to strike with full force, they could easily slice off a small mountain peak.
Although the Sword Comprehension Tablet can imprint sword intent, it's not a Dao artifact or a divine treasure and can't withstand the repeated ravages of powerful profound energy.
"In that case, let me go first," Ji Qianqian volunteered.
"Miss Qianqian, please feel free," Wei Qingyun and Yuntai An had no objections.
Wang Anye, however, said, "The first to attempt has no precedent to refer to and might be at a disadvantage. Why don't I go first?"
"No worries," Ji Qianqian said self-deprecatingly. "I'm relatively weak anyway, and I probably won't pass this time. I'll just serve as an example for the three of you. I hope that whoever among you gets the manual won't forget our Ji Clan's seven thousand years of guarding it."
With that, Ji Qianqian lightly tapped her foot and gracefully flew to the Sword Comprehension Tablet. She placed her hand on the terrifying sword intent that seemed to have been left by a True Immortal Realm expert and began to meditate.
Regardless of whether she could leave a sword mark or obtain the Sword Formation Manual, this sword mark alone was a rare opportunity for a sword cultivator.
If she could comprehend her own sword path from this sword intent, even if she didn't obtain the Sword Formation Manual, she would benefit immensely in the future.
Therefore, Ji Qianqian closed her eyes and meditated earnestly, soon immersing herself fully.
A sharp aura gradually rose from her body, growing stronger and stronger.
To avoid missing the time, as soon as she began meditating, Ji Yanxiu took out an hourglass for timing and placed it on the stone steps beside her.
The sand in the hourglass fell slowly, making a barely audible rustling sound.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon, an hour had slipped by.
As the last grains of sand were about to fall, Ji Qianqian finally opened her eyes again.
A glint of brilliance flashed in her eyes.
She raised her delicate hand, and in an instant, all her energy and spirit focused on the sword in her hand.
Sword intent is a reflection of a sword cultivator's state of mind and cannot tolerate any falsehood.
Without the support of profound energy, the strength of the sword intent depends solely on the state of mind.
With a flick of her wrist, a sword energy shot out like lightning.
The sharp sword intent charged forward with a desperate determination, as if carving a path through the heavy obstacles before her.
Even if there were raging waves and thorns along the way, she would forge ahead against the current.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, a clear sword mark suddenly appeared on the Sword Comprehension Tablet.
Ji Qianqian staggered slightly, feeling as if all her energy and spirit had been drained in an instant. Yet she didn't care about that at all and immediately looked up at the sword mark she had made.
In an instant.
A look of disappointment appeared on her face.
The sword mark was less than an inch.
Even though she had given it her all, why was it still...
"Alas, what a pity~" Ji Yanxiu shook his head regretfully. "In terms of willpower, Qianqian's sword is much stronger than mine back then. If she had the cultivation of the Purple Mansion Realm and a higher bloodline, she might have comprehended more."
The stronger the bloodline, the higher the compatibility with the Heavenly Dao, making it relatively easier to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and the laws.
The same principle applies to comprehending the sword intent left by predecessors, naturally providing some advantages.
His mind was filled with thoughts, almost unable to restrain himself from thinking: If the Ancestor hadn't insisted on leaving the opportunity to me, the direct male descendant, but to Ji Qianqian, given her innate conditions, she would likely have successfully advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm by now.
If she had participated in the trial earlier, she might really have... Forget it~ What's the point of thinking about this now? Ultimately, it's my own lack of ambition, who else can I blame?
"It seems I have no fate with the manual," Ji Qianqian sighed, feeling a bit lost.
However, she knew that with her level of skill, the hope of gaining the manual's recognition was extremely slim. Having mentally prepared herself beforehand, it wasn't too hard to accept.
Moreover, no matter what, she had gained a lot from comprehending the sword intent this time.
As Wang Anye stepped forward to comfort Ji Qianqian, Wei Qingyun also stood up gracefully and looked at Yuntai An, "Everyone, is it okay if I go second?"
"Suit yourself."
Yuntai An held an ancient sword in his arms, his expression indifferent.
His gaze remained focused on the sword mark, his expression attentive. Clearly, neither Ji Qianqian's performance nor Wei Qingyun's words had much impact on him.
"I don't mind either," Wang Anye said calmly.
"Then I won't be polite."
Wei Qingyun cupped his hands to everyone, then his figure flickered, landing in front of the Sword Comprehension Tablet, sitting cross-legged and placing his hand on the sword mark.
Seeing this, Ji Yanxiu immediately turned the hourglass over, starting the timing anew.
At first, there wasn't much to see, but as time passed, Wei Qingyun's entire demeanor subtly changed.
A fierce sword intent began to rise from his body, gradually growing stronger.
Slowly, even the spiritual energy in the heavens and earth, as well as the sword intent shrouding the sword tomb, seemed to be affected by his aura, subtly changing.
This phenomenon, which occurs only when one's comprehension of sword intent reaches a profound level, is extremely rare.
Yuntai An unconsciously stood up straight, his expression becoming serious.
Unexpectedly, Wei Qingyun's understanding of swordsmanship was not inferior to his own.
Soon, the hour's time limit was reached.
Wei Qingyun suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze like lightning, full of confidence.
He understood.
The way of the sword lies in "struggle."
Struggle with people, struggle with heaven, struggle with earth. Kill anyone who stands in the way, even gods!
He extended his right hand, gripping the hilt of the ancient sword behind him.
In the next moment, the ancient sword was unsheathed, and a fierce cold light shot out.
It was an incredibly pure sword intent, brimming with unparalleled sharpness.
Where the sword intent reached, it seemed capable of breaking through all obstacles in the world, domineering, cold, and filled with killing intent!
"Whoosh!"
A four-inch-long sword mark suddenly appeared on the Sword Comprehension Tablet, exceeding the required one inch by three inches!
"Hiss!"
Ji Qianqian and Ji Yanxiu both gasped in shock.
So strong!
Even Wang Anye and Yuntai An glanced sideways, their expressions becoming serious.
As this sword mark appeared, the Sword Comprehension Tablet trembled slightly, suddenly undergoing a dramatic change.
Rays of light burst forth from the Sword Comprehension Tablet, instantly dispelling the mist shrouding the sword tomb, and the entire sky brightened.
At the same time, a lazy, charming girl's voice suddenly sounded, "Oh? Someone actually passed the second trial?"
"Let me see... A four-inch sword mark? Hmm, this result ranks fourth on the overall leaderboard," another girl's voice, cold in tone, said. "Seems like he has good comprehension."
As these two voices rang out.
A manual fluttered out.
Unlike other manuals with only one spirit artifact, this manual had two semi-transparent spirit artifacts hovering above it, both appearing to be twelve or thirteen-year-old girls.
Upon closer inspection, the spirit artifact on the left wore a clean and neat white female outfit, with a sword on her back, sharp eyes, and a cold expression, exuding an unruly aura from head to toe.
With sword intent swirling around her, her ink-black hair, tied into a ponytail, flew up, her clothes fluttering, looking particularly heroic and valiant.
The girl spirit artifact on the right, however, wore a loose robe adorned with mysterious runes, holding a formation disk in her hand, with black hair lazily draped over her shoulders, appearing mysterious and intriguing.
Clearly, these two spirit artifact girls were the Sword Ji and Formation Ji.
At this moment, their attention was focused on Wei Qingyun, sizing him up and down, "He looks quite good, among the top in the lineage of inheritors, but I wonder about his bloodline and family background?"
"Wei Qingyun of the Jing'an Wei Clan, greets the two senior spirit artifacts," Wei Qingyun suppressed his inner joy, maintaining a composed demeanor. "Qingyun possesses a great prodigy B-grade bloodline, and the clan is wealthy. If Qingyun is favored by the Sword and Formation Manual, the clan will surely provide abundant resources."
Hearing this, the eyes of the two spirit artifact girls lit up, their expressions increasingly satisfied.
Especially the girl Sword Ji in the green battle dress, who nodded approvingly, "Handsome, good talent in swordsmanship, decent bloodline, and a well-off family. Among the inheritors, he should rank in the top three, much better than the previous Ji Wuchen!"
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Ji Wuchen almost choked, unable to resist protesting in Wang Anye's ear, "These two girls are so materialistic. I was strong in all aspects back then, just that my family was a bit poor."
In the Basalt world, having good talent is one thing, but the abundance of cultivation resources is equally important. Back then, the Ji Clan was a third-grade family, and the support they could offer Ji Wuchen was limited, at most helping him cultivate to the early Divine Realm.
Further rapid advancement to the Lingxu Realm required an enormous amount of resources, which a small third-grade family simply couldn't provide.
Fortunately, Ji Wuchen was quite capable, fighting his way to the late Divine Realm on his own.
However, to gather resources for future advancement to the Lingxu Realm, he and his wife went to the Immortal-Demon Battlefield to earn battle merits. His wife, Fu Hongye, unfortunately, was ambushed and killed there, leading to a series of subsequent events.
"Sword Ji's words make sense," Formation Ji's lazy voice said. "In the past, we sisters were young and naive, repeatedly choosing inheritors with weak family backgrounds, resulting in difficulties in advancing to the Lingxu Realm. The most annoying was Ji Wuchen, not only poor but also recklessly seeking revenge in the Demon Dynasty."
"Seeking revenge is one thing, but he trapped us sisters in this sword tomb for over seven thousand years, trying to let the small Ji Clan monopolize us," Sword Ji also frowned, her tender face full of dissatisfaction. "It's really infuriating."
Sword Ji and Formation Ji, the two spirit artifact girls, continuously vented their grievances about Ji Wuchen, clearly harboring a lot of resentment over the years.
"Master, these two spirit artifact girls seem to have quite the temper," Wang Anye conversed with Ji Wuchen.
"Cough, cough, they're probably just holding a grudge from being stuck in the sword tomb for so long," Ji Wuchen said, not entirely truthfully. "Don't worry, they're actually very cute and not fierce at all."
"Please rest assured, senior spirit artifacts," Wei Qingyun said with a courteous bow, displaying the demeanor of a noble young master. "Our first-grade Wei Clan is vast and wealthy, with countless mines and two Lingxu Realm ancestors. We won't let the two seniors endure such hardships again."
"Sister Formation Ji, I think he's suitable. What do you think?" Sword Ji said with a face full of joy.
"I think he's suitable too. Overall, Wei Qingyun is already a very high-quality inheritor."
Seeing Sword Ji and Formation Ji expressing satisfaction with Wei Qingyun, Yuntai An finally couldn't hold back.
He cupped his hands and said, "Two senior spirit artifacts, I am Yuntai An, of the imperial bloodline of the Immortal Dynasty, with a similarly strong family background. Please give me a chance to try the Sword Comprehension Tablet before deciding on the inheritor."
With Yuntai An stepping forward, Wang Anye temporarily remained silent.
Originally, according to the plan, after meeting Sword Ji and Formation Ji, he should have summoned his master Ji Wuchen to reunite with them.
But seeing their attitude full of complaints towards his master, Wang Anye thought that having his master reunite with them now might have a counterproductive effect.
"Are there other trial participants?"
Only then did Sword Ji and Formation Ji turn their attention to Yuntai An, Wang Anye, and the others.
They both frowned slightly, showing a bit of dissatisfaction, "Finding a suitable inheritor isn't easy. We've waited seven thousand years, and finally, a qualified inheritor appears. Don't mess it up."
"Sisters," Ji Qianqian, feeling a bit anxious, couldn't help but say, "Since they're already here, they should at least have a chance to try, right? Perhaps their performance won't be weaker than Wei Qingyun's? Then you sisters would have more options."
"Well... that makes some sense."
Sword Ji and Formation Ji hesitated slightly, discussed privately, and finally agreed, nodding, "Alright~ We've waited over seven thousand years, a couple more hours won't matter. That Yuntai something, hurry up and try, hopefully, you'll surprise us sisters."
Wei Qingyun's expression fluctuated, wanting to persuade Sword Ji and Formation Ji, but finding no way to do so, he had to patiently wait for Yuntai An's test results.
Fortunately, he was very confident in himself, not believing that Yuntai An could surpass him in sword comprehension.
"Thank you, senior spirit artifacts."
Yuntai An breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to delay, and immediately leaped lightly to the Sword Comprehension Tablet, sitting cross-legged and placing his hand on the sword mark to begin comprehending.
Quickly, he immersed himself in comprehension, gradually entering a state.
Sword intent began to rise from him, subtly changing over time.
Gradually, the elemental energy in the heavens and earth seemed to be affected, and even the sword intent shrouding the sword tomb was drawn, slowly converging around him.
Experienced sword cultivators could tell from his state that Yuntai An had gained some insight into the sword path, and it seemed quite profound.
Sword Ji and Formation Ji exchanged glances, their expressions becoming uniformly serious.
An hour passed in a flash.
As the last grain of sand fell from the hourglass, Yuntai An suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze bright and radiant.
He understood.
The sword is the king of a hundred weapons.
The wielder of the sword should dominate the world, invincible!
He reached out with his right hand, and the long sword in his arms was already in his grasp. In an instant, a sword intent surged forth, shooting toward the Sword Comprehension Tablet with unmatched momentum.
That sword intent was grand and majestic, awe-inspiring, and domineering, like a dragon roaring, or the might of heaven descending, shaking the soul.
In the next moment.
A sword mark appeared on the Sword Comprehension Tablet, slightly longer than Wei Qingyun's four-inch mark!
"Good, good, good." Sword Ji and Formation Ji were overjoyed, "This sword mark is deeper than Wei Qingyun's, ranking in the top four. Wei Qingyun's is now fifth."
"How is this possible?!"
Wei Qingyun's face changed dramatically.
He never expected Yuntai An to be even stronger, pushing him down a spot in the historical rankings.
"Oh dear, this is difficult to choose." Sword Ji and Formation Ji were suddenly in a dilemma, "The two are almost equal in sword comprehension, both good-looking, and both have strong family backgrounds."
"I choose Wei Qingyun," Formation Ji said, "After all, he was the first to meet the trial conditions."
"But Yuntai An is also very good," Sword Ji favored Yuntai An more, "His sword intent is purer and more exquisite."
"Wei Qingyun."
"Yuntai An."
As Sword Ji and Formation Ji were at an impasse, Wang Anye gracefully approached, politely cupping his hands, "Two spirit artifact sisters, please decide after Anye has tried?"
"Right, there's one more who hasn't tried yet, why are we arguing? Maybe this one is even better?"
"Impossible! The probability of two excellent inheritors appearing at once is already very low, could there be a third? How could there be such good fortune in the world? But, this young master seems even more handsome... Oh well, regardless, it's worth a try, hopefully, you'll surprise us."
"Thank you, sisters, for your kindness."
After thanking them, Wang Anye also leaped to the Sword Comprehension Tablet.
From a distance, the sword intent emanating from the sword mark was already strong, but up close, the pressure was directly overwhelming, incredibly powerful.
Wang Anye steadied himself, sitting cross-legged and placing his hand on the sword mark.
In an instant, he felt a surge of domineering and fierce sword intent rushing toward him.
This was the sword intent left by the strongest sword mark on the Sword Comprehension Tablet, left by an unknown expert from the Shenwu period, and the origin of the Sword and Formation Master.
Too strong!
Under the impact of this sword intent, Wang Anye felt a sense of suffocation.
It seemed his previous speculation was quite accurate; this sword intent was likely left by a True Immortal, otherwise, the power was inexplicable.
"Hmm? Something seems off."
Suddenly, Wang Anye frowned slightly, looking puzzled.
Why did this sword intent feel so familiar?
Fierce, domineering, yet vaguely possessing a majestic and vast aura like primordial water, as if a heavenly river pouring down, seemingly capable of sweeping away all obstacles in the world.
In the face of this sword intent, he felt a sense of insignificance and helplessness, like facing the vast ocean.
That indescribable terrifying power was truly frightening.
But beneath this already stormy and terrifying power, there seemed to be something deeper, more profound, and more complex...
Right, the sea, water, primordial water...
"?"
Wang Anye's eyes widened as he finally recalled the source of this familiar feeling.
This, this, this, the flavor of this sword intent is so similar to the sword intent flavor his great-grandmother Liu Ruolan used to beat his great-grandfather Wang Shouzhe with~
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