Cultivation: But Not a Game-Chapter 228 - 139: Requirements for Comprehending Sword Intent

Chapter 228: Chapter 139: Requirements for Comprehending Sword Intent

The offense and defense switched rapidly, and Su Yu had to change his moves.

But at that instant, his opponent’s previously defensive sword momentum suddenly burst forth, catching the flaw right as he switched from defense to offense, smashing apart his twin swords, leaving him wide open as two flying swords rushed towards his face.

However, Su Yu did not retract his flying swords to defend but instead showed a knowing expression, urging his mana to send the smashed swords flying back towards the opponent. The twin swords combined, twisted into a spiral, forming a Sword Qi whirlwind that enveloped and sliced at the opponent fiercely.

"Finally, you fell for it."

As his mana was about to be exhausted, no matter how steady he was, he had to take the risk to change moves for a decisive strike.

At this moment, both sides completely abandoned defense to see who could hold out longer.

In this regard, Su Yu had absolute confidence. With a Qi and Blood of as high as eight hundred thousand and a physique over ten thousand, it was not just a joke.

Their flying swords encircled and slashed at the opponent fiercely, determining the victory in just three seconds.

One stood towering and steadfast while the other’s protective light screen was shredded to pieces within seconds, quickly having its defense breached. The twin swords strangled and twisted the illusion’s neck, vanishing into light.

At the moment of defeating the fifth opponent, the battlefield began to collapse, an invisible force wrapped him, soaring skyward.

Opening his eyes again, he had returned to the grand hall from before.

The vast grand hall was empty, with only three others besides him. Those three turned to look at Su Yu, one nodding slightly, one expressionless withdrawing their gaze, and the last, a young man with red hair, rocked his head with a roguish face.

Su Yu paid them no mind, only glanced and then withdrew his gaze.

Without surprise, these people were all victors who continuously won the five rounds of opponents.

According to the rules, this was considered passing the first stage, having already secured the third-tier rewards of the Sword Palace. If desired, they could now take a refined foundational Sword Formula or a Tier Seven Flying Sword and leave.

If they chose not to leave, they would proceed to the next round of trials, passing which would yield higher rewards.

But if they failed the trial, they would be directly eliminated, and even the third-tier reward would be forfeited.

But those who came to the Sword Palace were all geniuses, with wealth that wouldn’t fancy a Tier Seven Flying Sword. They would surely proceed further, and Su Yu was no exception.

Sitting cross-legged alone in a spot, Su Yu waited while reviewing the battle earlier.

Luo Qingchan had not come out yet; though immensely powerful and undoubtedly rated higher than Su Yu, it didn’t guarantee passing.

The trials were based on their individual strength; weaker matched weaker opponents, stronger matched stronger opponents. Only by defeating those stronger than themselves could one be considered a true strong one.

If one couldn’t even defeat someone slightly stronger, it was a mere facade; how could such a person overcome all odds to ascend to immortality?

Going through tribulation is much harder than these trials.

As time passed, more people completed the trials and were transported back. A minute after Su Yu emerged, a feminine silhouette flashed, and Luo Qingchan also returned after passing the trial. Upon seeing him, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face as she approached him with light steps.

"How did you find the difficulty?"

"It’s a bit harder than I imagined."

Luo Qingchan frowned slightly and said:

"My opponents were all top sword fighters who had comprehended Sword Intent. The final match was incredibly close; I almost lost."

"Almost..."

"Oh no, I forgot something."

Upon hearing this, Su Yu suddenly remembered something, a bit annoyed as he punched his palm:

"Wait for me a bit."

Turning around, he reached into his bosom, but in reality, his hand delved into the Sea-Suppressing Pearl and grasped the soft little hand of Vast Sea, flipping out a net pouch with Earth Vein Spirit Fish with colorful tails:

"These are spirit fish. You don’t need to eat them to refine; they can directly increase your physique and strength by up to 1000, raising your victory chances."

Luo Qingchan’s eyes glimmered, and she accepted the pouch without hesitation.

"If I’d given it to you earlier, it wouldn’t have been so thrilling."

In scenarios where Daoist techniques or any defense methods couldn’t be used, a 1000 increase in physique indeed greatly boosts the chance of victory.

Two minutes later, after refining all the spirit fish, Luo Qingchan’s physique and strength improved significantly, though her appearance didn’t change much.

As time progressed, more people, who passed the trials, returned; gradually, the hall filled with people, with many familiar faces gathering and talking quietly.

The two glanced around, realizing none of the dozen acquaintances they recognized were left; all had been eliminated, leaving only unfamiliar faces, so they stayed in a corner whispering about the trial, soon leaving Su Yu with a look of astonishment mingled with realization on his face.

"So you’re ranked first overall this time!"

"That’s impressive!"

Su Yu genuinely praised, giving a big thumbs up.

Just like his expression, somewhat surprised but not too shocked, her Sword Dao talent was indeed immensely strong, far surpassing his own.

Even he obtained an Earth-level assessment; her achieving a Heaven-level was no surprise.

"By the way, how did you comprehend your Sword Intent? Are there any prerequisites?"

He was curious about this, as according to Luo Qingchan, her other scores weren’t high; her aptitude and spirit root were middle-grade, but her Sword Dao realm significantly buoyed her ranking, primarily because she had comprehended the True Sword Intent. That alone earned her a top-grade Heaven-level rating, greatly elevating her average score.

Why did it elevate her score so much?

Because the True Sword Intent is a significant chasm in the Sword Dao system. Understanding Sword Intent signifies a completely different tier.

To outsiders, the most iconic image of a Sword Immortal is breaking myriad laws with a single sword; this is also the ultimate goal for Sword Cultivators.

With a single sword, one can cleave mountains and split seas.

With a single sword, one can split the heavens and earth.

With a single sword, one can obliterate all worldly laws.

And all these feats are based on the foundation of Sword Intent. Thus, comprehending the True Sword Intent signifies stepping into the threshold of a true Sword Dao powerhouse.

This kind of power, this kind of realm, it’s impossible for Su Yu not to be moved.

To his inquiry, Luo Qingchan did not withhold anything, and said very seriously:

"The comprehension of Sword Intent actually doesn’t have a fixed standard, but there are some rough criteria. As long as these criteria are met, you qualify for comprehension. However, whether you can comprehend it depends on personal aptitude, experience, and some opportunities."

"Go into detail, what are the rough criteria?"

"Firstly, it’s the realm of Swordsmanship, which has five levels. The first level is Sword Qi Thunder Sound, the second is Condensing Sword into Silk, the third is Sword Light Division, and the fourth is True Sword Intent. To comprehend True Sword Intent, you must first understand the previous three levels of Swordsmanship realm, and at least one must reach a state of perfection."

"Uh..."

Su Yu currently has no Swordsmanship realm at the state of perfection. The closest is Sword Qi Thunder Sound, which is only at a skillful level. It probably requires another year or two of accumulation to advance to perfection.

"Besides the Swordsmanship realm, there are five key factors: soul strength, divine sense strength, willpower strength, Sword Dao Faith, and Sword Heart."

"Exquisite Swordsmanship and the Swordsmanship realm are just the basic conditions, one of which being up to standard is enough. The five key factors are necessary to all be up to standard to comprehend Sword Intent." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Hmm..."

Su Yu fell silent.

He should be able to satisfy soul strength and divine sense strength.

Willpower strength is hard to say, as it is largely subjective.

It can be confidently said that his Sword Dao Faith does not meet the standard. Non-specialist Sword Cultivators usually do not have strong Sword Dao Faith. If you haven’t taken Sword Dao as your main path, how could you have strong Sword Dao Faith? Even saying it aloud, you wouldn’t believe it yourself.

As for Sword Heart, there’s no need to mention it, he simply doesn’t have it.

"This is difficult."

Other aspects can be gradually improved, but without dedicating himself to Sword Dao, it’s almost impossible to cultivate Sword Heart.

This is because it requires a genuine love for Sword Dao to be cultivated, and he...

"Forget it!"

He rubbed his forehead and shook his head, saying:

"Let’s first get an advanced basic Sword Formula, and talk about True Sword Intent—a high-level thing—after meeting all conditions someday or maybe finding other ways to satisfy them."

Not fixating on one thing, the mind broadens.

A few minutes later, the clear and crisp bell rang again in the great hall, and Su Yu looked up in realization. His gaze instinctively swept across the great hall, and he found that out of over a thousand people, only 122 passed the first round of tests.

After the bell, that starry figure spoke again:

"The first round of the test is over; you may choose a Sword Formula or a Flying Sword to leave, or continue to accept the assessment."

A 60-second countdown appeared at the corner of everyone’s eyes. Without explanations, everyone naturally understood this was the time given for their consideration. If no choice is made by the end of the countdown, they will automatically continued to the next round of tests.

People looked at each other, but no one moved.

The 60 seconds quickly ended, and all 122 people remained.

"The second round of tests is about to begin!"

The starry figure waved a hand, the starry river in the sky rotated slowly, and beams of star power fell down to cover them. Su Yu only had time to wave at Luo Qingchan before disappearing.

With a swirl of the heavens and the earth, darkness and then brightness, he found himself in a separate space.

It was a perfectly square area about a kilometer in diameter, surrounded by a starry light curtain, beyond the semi-transparent light curtain was a vast starry sky.

However, Su Yu had no time to understand the surrounding circumstances, he stretched out both hands and virtually grasped them, feeling an unprecedented sense of powerlessness enveloping his entire body, he immediately thought to himself and called lightly:

"Attribute panel."

A light curtain popped open in front of him, displaying attributes....

Character: Su Yu.

Race: Human Race.

Bloodline: None.

Innate attributes: Constitution 18, Comprehension 16, Six Senses 15, Fortune 11, Lifespan 18/86.

Qi and Blood: 100

Mana: 100

Physique: 10

Strength: 10

Magic Damage Bonus: 0

Sword Control Bonus: 0

Daoist Sword Formulas: None.

"As expected."

The panel was empty, just like when he first awoke to the digitized Law body.

However, he wasn’t flustered because he remembered his second brother had said the first two rounds of the Sword Palace assessment were fixed.

The first round first tests aptitude, then actual combat, to sift out real elites.

The second round, screens off all cultivation, including all Daoist Sword Formulas, Flying Swords, Magical Treasures, enhancements from Spirit Root, and the innate attributes increased by various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, even the Swordsmanship realm they mastered are cleanly screened off, returning to the initial state for the test.

In this state, everyone is on the same starting line, unaffected by family background, unaffected by innate attributes and Spirit Roots, purely examining cultivation talent.

And because this is the Sword Palace assessment, the focus is solely on Sword Dao talent.

This situation was also the first Su Yu had ever encountered, filling his heart with anticipation, as well as apprehension.