World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 123: Unstoppable Momentum

"Why hasn't there been any movement for so long?"

"There! A fluctuation! He's heading to the third floor!"

"And he's still only taking a few seconds each time... Fei Yu's sword intent is really something!"

At the entrance to the Seventy-Two Swords, the group of the Shu Sword Sect disciples looked up blankly, watching the six elderly grandmasters still scaling the face of the cliff as if they were doing extreme rock climbing. The disciples were completely speechless...

The young disciples naturally looked forward to the sect's Sword-Controlling Art. The grandmasters, who had waited for it their whole lives, had even deeper attachments and emotional investment. After all, hope had finally appeared—there was finally a chance to get their hands on the complete Sword-Controlling Art.

Although they managed to hold back their excitement for a while, as Wang Sheng steadily advanced through the stages, their hearts began to stir. Clinging to the cliff wall, they chatted with enthusiasm.

Cultivating a Dao heart wasn't just about staying detached from worldly affairs. Some cultivators also pursued this kind of genuine nature and true self.

***

Wang Sheng had already stepped into the third floor. Just as before, he used his sword to break through, dispersing all the phantasms that emerged from the stone doors. Only then did he turn back to study the sword techniques engraved on the stone wall, which could truly be called exquisite.

Wang Sheng didn't intend to steal techniques from others. However, the sword techniques complemented his Seven-Star Sword Formation and Dual-Polarity Sword Intent, giving him plenty of insights and comprehension.

Aside from the Sword-Controlling Art, Wang Sheng had no plans to learn other sword techniques. He had always believed that trying to learn too much would leave him unable to master anything.

Without a mind as brilliant as his master's, he decided it was best to focus on refining the Seven-Star Sword Formation and his Dual-Polarity Sword Intent.

Of course, if all went smoothly, Wang Sheng planned to dedicate some attention to the Sword-Controlling Art in the future. After all, it allowed one to kill from a thousand miles away and take an enemy's head amid a chaotic battlefield. It also lets one command ten thousand swords with a single gesture and tread upon a flying sword to roam freely between heaven and earth.

What sword cultivator wouldn't want to glimpse its true form? What cultivator wouldn't want to master it?

Although Wang Sheng's heart was filled with great anticipation, his Dao heart remained steady. To him, the Sword-Controlling Art was something to be grateful for if obtained and something to accept if lost.

He spent more than two hours carefully studying the sword techniques on the third floor. Afterward, he took out his water bottle, drank a mouthful of water, and finally pushed open the door to the next floor.

Even before his breakthrough in the Seven-Star Sword Intent, he would have found no real obstacles in the first thirty-six stages. Now that he had perfected his sword intent, he advanced with overwhelming force. He even felt that the difficulty of the first half of the Seventy-Two Swords was set a bit too low.

If he hadn't stopped each time to study the sword techniques on the stone walls, and if the time spent comprehending them hadn't increased with each floor, he probably could have broken the trial record in just half an hour.

***

Outside the cave, the Daoist elders clinging to the stone wall of the sword sect naturally understood why Wang Sheng spent more and more time on each floor. Nevertheless, an outsider studying their sect's techniques did not anger them. On the contrary, they found the young sword cultivator increasingly reliable and placed even more hope on him.

Eventually, Wang Sheng pushed open the stone door leading to the fifth level. Two minutes later, the ripple of clashing sword intents once again spread faintly through the stone wall, making the Daoist elders hold their breath and focus intently.

Because of the barrier created by the stone walls and the grand formation, the fluctuations they could detect were extremely faint, no more than simple tremors. For the Daoist elders and Daoist masters outside the trial grounds, the duration of those fluctuations was the only way to judge whether Wang Sheng had fallen into a difficult battle.

In the thirty-eighth stage, the clash lasted just over ten seconds. In the thirty-ninth stage, it lasted half a minute. The fortieth stage was about the same.

However, by the time he completed the fifth floor, the combat alone took over ten minutes. It was a huge difference from how he had easily swept through the thirty-six stages of the first four floors.

Although Wang Sheng's pace was still considered extremely fast compared to other challengers, and he never had to retreat or repeat a challenge, the Daoist elders on the stone wall began to show signs of concern.

"Fei Yu must be feeling the pressure now. It took him a minute to clear the forty-second stage, and three full minutes for the forty-fifth."

"It's not a big problem. As long as he makes it to the seventh floor, he should be able to copy down the Sword-Controlling Art carved into the stone wall."

"It won't be that easy. I've seen a fragment of an ancient text that mentioned that the last eighteen stages are arranged differently from the earlier ones. Considering the Sword-Controlling Art is the sect's most important treasure, there's no way it would be directly carved on the wall."

"Trust in Fei Yu."

"Judging by his fate, it seems he's already endured a great catastrophe. Afterward, though, his fortune turned. We're riding on his luck now. I believe he can succeed."

"Fortune-telling and face-reading are not absolute. In our sword sect, the sword reigns supreme. Fei Yu has already perfected his sword intent. If even he cannot retrieve the Sword-Controlling Art, then perhaps the heavens truly mean for our sword sect to waste the most crucial decade of initial cultivation."

The Daoist elders sighed and continued waiting on the cliff.

The closer Wang Sheng was to their sect's art, the more anxious they became. However, whatever they were worrying about at that moment... was not quite the real problem.

***

Wang Sheng had just shattered the thirty-eighth phantasm ten minutes ago. Staring at the fifth stone door before him, a thought crossed his mind.

Until now, he had been relying on his Seven-Star Sword Intent to sweep through the floors. Hence, the challenges posed little difficulty and offered limited improvement to him. Taking that into consideration, he considered using this as an opportunity to temper his Dual-Polarity Sword Intent instead.

Right now, his understanding of it was still limited to the idea that it excelled at defense. It was far from profound. If he could make any progress here, it would naturally be a tremendous benefit. Hence, upon taking his next step, he deliberately suppressed his Seven-Star Sword Intent. His attacks now had seemingly lesser power, but in exchange, they became relentless.

He had smoothly unleashed his Dual-Polarity Sword Intent.

This time, when he fought the phantasm that shot out from the stone door, Wang Sheng took half a minute to defeat it. As he progressed, the duration of each battle grew longer, but the constant clashes of sword intents improved his understanding of the Dual-Polarity Sword Intent by leaps and bounds.

After clearing the level, Wang Sheng didn't try to comprehend the sword intent engraved on the stone wall or push open the door leading to the sixth floor. Instead, he slowly sat down and spent half the night quietly reflecting on what he had gained.

***

Outside, the Daoist elders thought Wang Sheng had been injured. Worry consumed them, preventing them from calming their hearts. The Daoist masters were more pragmatic; they had already begun discussing how to scientifically dismantle the mountain and retrieve the Sword-Controlling Art hidden within.

Most of the younger disciples had already dispersed. While the matter still required attention, their masters had scolded them into returning to their sword practice.

It was not until noon of the second day that a new fluctuation of sword intent finally rippled out. The battle lasted a full six minutes.

Half an hour of silence then followed.

To the Daoist elders and Daoist masters of the sword sect, it was obvious: Wang Sheng had been injured.

They had no idea that Wang Sheng, relying solely on the Dual-Polarity Sword Intent, had indeed fallen into a tough battle. It was precisely this kind of hardship that could stimulate a cultivator's comprehension most effectively...

***

A suite in a seaside hotel of a coastal city.

Qing Yanzi watched the tranquil sea. As the warm sunlight glistened on the water's surface, the ocean waves grew noticeably gentler.

The door was slightly ajar, beyond which came deliberately light footsteps. The Golden Core Realm cultivator breathed out softly and, in a calm and graceful tone, recited, "Watching the sea and its glistening waves stretch far and wide stirs serene thoughts. From here, one glimpses an immortal isle, as if cranes cry among the clouds."

A light cough came from the other side of the door. It was then pushed open, and the weary-looking Chi Ling stepped inside.

Qing Yanzi immediately greeted her with a gentle smile. "Finished with work?"

Chi Ling shrugged. "Mm. I can rest for four hours."

She was just about to sit down on the sofa when she felt a warm current of qi envelop her, gently lifting her and placing her onto the bed.

In a serious tone, Qing Yanzi said, "Lie down. I'll help relieve your fatigue."

"You..."

The investigation unit captain had planned to protest until she felt a pair of strong hands press down on her ankles. A warm current surged up from them and spread through her entire body. It was so comforting that she couldn't bring herself to resist.

Chi Ling hummed softly, making no further objections.

Qing Yanzi gently tapped specific pressure points along Chi Ling's legs and feet, swiftly easing her fatigue. At some point, the door closed, and the safety lock floated up by itself, fastening securely in place.

Chi Ling pulled the blanket over herself and asked softly, "Is Bu Yu unable to speak coherently because of a psychological issue?"

"No," Qing Yanzi replied. "She was born with certain deficiencies... It's not so easy to explain. To my understanding, she was supposed to die young. I spent over a decade helping her survive that fate. Now, her life has stabilized. The issue with her speech is simply a lingering side effect.

"Another way of seeing it is perhaps that in her past life, she was an immortal maiden from the heavens. Heaven won't allow her to speak freely in this life, lest she reveal heavenly secrets to the mortal world."

"Utter superstition." Chi Ling rolled her eyes. "I was thinking of helping Bu Yu consult a psychologist."

Qing Yanzi sighed. "Bu Yu doesn't have any psychological issues. She's quite pure. Rather than worry about Bu Yu, you should be concerned about Fei Yu."

Chi Ling blinked. "What's wrong with him? Isn't he doing just fine?"

Qing Yanzi said, "Well, Ziwei governs the nine stars and, coincidentally, he practices the sword. Yesterday, I spent the whole day divining Little Sheng's fate. When I finally observed the stars that night, I saw that his destiny had already changed."

Chi Ling immediately frowned. "Could you explain that more concisely?"

"Alright, let's not talk about my two disciples right now. You're always so busy. We finally have a little time to spend together."

"Hmph."

Looking at her with affection, Qing Yanzi softly called, "Ah-Ling..."

"Go sit over there. If you stop pressing, I'm going to sleep."

"Aye, sleep, sleep."

Qing Yanzi rolled off the bed and sat cross-legged on the sofa nearby. Chi Ling turned her back to him, pulling the blanket up and, under her breath, mumbled something along the lines of, "You were never this obedient before."

Qing Yanzi chuckled to himself, simply staring at her back warmly. He didn't entertain any improper thoughts. After all, she only had four hours to rest. He knew he shouldn't tire her out even more.

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