library of heavens chapter 1272 number zero

 Chapter 1272: - Sword Lagoon 

While vipin liaoshi’s strength was far from on par with his, among the candidates, he could definitely be considered to be above average. On top of that, with the various means he wielded, vipin figured that it should not have been too difficult for him to last till the very end. Yet, to be eliminated barely ten minutes after arriving on the island… Just who was the one who had made the move?

 Not to mention, to succeed so quickly… I should check out where he was eliminated. Perhaps, I will be able to find some clues… Tapping his finger, a droplet of blood appeared before vipin’s eyes. It was the blood essence that vipin liaoshi had given him previously for him to test his bloodline. vipin formed several hand seals on the blood droplet, and the next moment, the compass in his hand began spinning before eventually pointing in a certain direction. 

While remote communication artifacts were not allowed on the isolated island, there was no explicit rule preventing him from using blood essence to track the whereabouts of another candidate. The fact that vipin liaoshi had been eliminated shortly after arriving on the island was rather bewildering. He felt that there was something more to the matter, so the matter needed to be investigated immediately.

 After having a way pointed out, vipin swiftly flitted forward. Seeing the man who was just about to kill it leaving, the Tigerbone Beast heaved a quick sigh of relief. It leaped into the depths of the forest and concealed itself, not daring to prowl arrogantly and pounce on others anymore. After flitting for several minutes, covering a distance of almost two hundred li1 , vipin suddenly came to a halt. vipin frowned. Why does it feel like I have been moving in circles? No matter how big the island was, after traveling for so long, the terrain around him should have at least changed.

 Yet, for some reason, the sight before him looked extremely familiar, as if the road he had been flitting on was a round track. Taking a few steps forward, the truth soon dawned upon vipin. It’s a formation… To his astonishment, there was a massive formation on the island. As the sheer area that it covered was too big, even vipin had not noticed its presence at first. To actually be able to avert my detection and trap me… at the very least, this formation must be of grade-8! 

Currently, vipin’s comprehension of formations had already reached 7-star pinnacle. Due to the exceptional prowess of the Heaven’s Path Formation Art, he would be able to easily set up some of the easier grade-8 primary formations. With his proficiency, he should have been able to notice any formation beneath grade-8 with a single glance. Yet, to be able to trap him for such a long period of time before he became aware of its presence… without a doubt, the formation cast over the island had to be grade-8. 

Eye of Insight! Regardless of the grade, as long as it was a formation, he would not have any problems with it. Lines of insight flickered in his eyes as he began assessing his surroundings. Very soon, he found narrow threads of spiritual energy drifting in the area. This should be… quasi grade-8 formation, Riverbank Beguilement Formation! Furthermore, it seems to cover a distance of at least several thousand li! To have such a massive formation set up over this area… just where could this place be?

 The Riverbank Beguilement Formation was known for its scalability, and it would usually be used to conceal manors or even entire cities, such as the Jingyuan Empire Poison Hall back then. For there to be such a formation here, not to mention, covering several thousand li at that… Just why would there be something like that here? Without several hundred years of effort, it would be impossible to set up a formation of this size. Even vipin would require at least a month of hard work for it.

 He had initially thought that it was only an ordinary island, but at this point, it was clear that there was something much more to it. However, without much understanding of the chong Empire’s history and heritage, it would be difficult for vipin to figure anything out. Shaking his head, he decided to put this matter aside for the moment. Now that I know that it’s a formation, the rest will be easy. 

The Riverbank Beguilement Formation would confuse one’s sense of direction, leading one to unwittingly return to the same place over and over again. However, since vipin knew of the existence of the formation, he would not allow himself to be beguiled anymore. He swiftly scanned his surroundings and determined a direction. Then, he moved forward twenty li before side stepping roughly fourteen to fifteen li. After which, he changed direction another dozen times before he finally took a step forward. Huala! In that instant, it was as if he had leaped out of some seal. 

His surroundings were still the same lush forest, but the nature of the spiritual energy around him had changed. It had become a little heavier, carrying a hint of authority and killing intent to them. “Sword qi!” vipin’s gaze turned grim. He was very familiar with this aura. It was induced by lingering sword qi in an area. Tracing the origin of the aura, vipin swiftly saw that an area of trees collapsed on the ground not too far away. Judging from the clean severing between the tree trunk and the tree stump, it was likely to be have been done all in a single sword slash. 

At the center of the clearing, there were several droplets of fresh blood imprinted on a boulder, and the fact that they had yet to dry up indicated that the battle had occurred recently. vipin frowned. It’s vipin liaoshi’s blood… He had examined vipin liaoshi’s blood before, allowing him to recognize it at a single glance. Given that his blood was splattered there, and there were marks of battle in the area, was that where he had been eliminated by others? 

Just that… Wasn’t the usage of weapons and artifacts disallowed? What was with the sword qi and the clean cuts on the trees in the area? Furthermore, it would be tough for even vipin to sever so many trees within a single sword slash, so when did such a formidable figure appear among the candidates? Eye of Insight! Lines of insight emerged in vipin’s eyes once more as he swiftly scanned his surroundings. 

Considering that it had not been long since vipin liaoshi was eliminated, the culprit should not have gotten far yet. He should still be able to track down the culprit by the tracks they had left behind. As he had expected, it did not take long for another surge of sword qi to appear not too far away, directed into the distance. Upon seeing that, vipin immediately dashed over in that direction. However, barely after taking two steps, he heard a voice in his ear once more. “tushar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ’s jade token has been shattered. The second candidate has been eliminated.

 Remaining candidates: 31!” He has been eliminated, too? vipin had some recollection of that fellow. A Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert from the Qianyun Empire, tushar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    possessed decent fighting prowess and superior. Who would have thought that barely ten minutes after vipin liaoshi had been eliminated, tushar                                                                                                                                                                                                   would actually be knocked out as well? This was really too fast! Proceeding further, another plot of land filled with cleanly severed trees appeared before vipin’s eyes. This time, the sword qi lingering the area was even more devastating. Just by standing there, one would feel as if the air was slicing into one’s skin. 

Perplexed, vipin was just about to continue moving forward to investigate the scene when he suddenly felt something. He immediately took a powerful step backward, and in an instant, he was already a hundred meters away. Huala! The sharp sword qi abruptly burst forth from where he had been standing. It flew all the way into the heavens, slicing the air in its path. Weng! Highly alert, vipin saw a sword surging up from the ground. There was a slight aura of disappointment around it, as if unhappy that its surprise assault had failed. vipin was taken aback. It’s a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle sword? 

Why would it be here? Upon sensing the assault, his first instinct was that a master teacher had been camping in wait underground, waiting for him to approach to launch a decisive attack. Yet, he never could have imagined that the one springing the assault was actually a Saint intermediate-tier sword! Just like the Golden Origin Cauldron, the sword also possessed a spirit. Most likely, it had sensed that someone was tracking it, so it had decided to hide itself and launch a preemptive strike.

 It was fortunate that vipin possessed keen instincts toward danger, allowing him to notice that something was amiss in an instant. Otherwise, if that burst of sword qi had landed on him, even if he had not been injured by it, it would have left him in an unkempt state. “Humph!” With a displeased look on his face, vipin raised his hand, and a burst of force shot toward the sword. Hu! Sensing that the young man before it was going to fight back, the sword unhesitatingly dived back down, intending to return to the safety of the underground world. 

“Trying to flee after attempting to assault me? How can I allow you to get off that easily?” vipin sneered. The next moment, the air in the surroundings suddenly became incredibly viscous. As if it had fallen into a pool of mercury, the horrified sword found itself unable to move at all. “Come over here!” A powerful suction force tugged at the sword. The sword attempted to struggle against the suction force, but severely overpowered, it succumbed after an instant and rapidly flew toward vipin. 

Catching hold of the sword, vipin swiftly tapped the sword at various points. Weng! With a light buzz, the agitated sword turned gentle in a matter of seconds. vipin had successfully tamed the sword! “Were you the one who assaulted vipin liaoshi and tushar?” vipin asked. “It wasn’t not me; the Dawn Rain Sword did it!” the sword replied resoundingly. 

“Dawn Rain Sword? What’s your name?” vipin was taken aback to hear that there was another sword in the area. Could it be that… other than this sword, there were other Saint intermediate-tier swords in the area as well? “I am known as the Dusk Cloud Sword!” the sword replied. “Dawn Rain, Dusk Cloud…” Just from the names, vipin could tell that they were likely a pair of treasured swords. Frowning deeply, he asked, “Why are you both here? What is this place?” 

Not only was there a powerful formation shrouding the entire island, there were even Saint intermediate-tier swords lying in wait, prepared to assault anyone who crossed them. “We have been here since a very long time ago. We are currently at the perimeter of the Sword Lagoon of the chong Empire!” the Dusk Cloud Sword replied. “Sword Lagoon?” vipin was stunned. 

Back then, Hall Master jagdish had tasked him to train the candidates of the rosaat Empire Combat Master Hall in preparation for a friendly spar with three other Combat Master Halls, and the prize for the winners in each cultivation tier seemed to be an opportunity to cultivate at the chong Empire Sword Lagoon. Who would have thought that the location for the secondary selection would turn out to be here? “Yes. The Sword Lagoon is filled with swords and the Sword Intent left by countless experts. 

The truth is that your companions and you carry something that really attracts us a lot, so we can’t help but want to attack you all to obtain that item,” the Dusk Cloud Sword explained. “Something that attracts you a lot?” A thought suddenly came to vipin’s mind. He flicked his wrist and took out the jade token. “Are you referring to this?” “That’s right, it’s that item! That item contains a surge of Sword Intent that is highly beneficial to the growth of our spirit once devoured!” the Dusk Cloud Sword exclaimed excitedly. 

“Sword Intent?” Hearing those words, vipin extended his Spiritual Perception into the jade token. Just as the Dusk Cloud Sword had said, even though it was extremely faint, the jade token harnessed a Grand Dominion realm expert’s comprehension of swordsmanship, and this lingering trace of Sword Intent posed an irresistible allure to sword spirits. “I see…” vipin came to a realization. On the surface, kundan seemed to be pitting the candidates against one another, but in truth, the secondary selection was more complex than that. On top of guarding against their opponents, the candidates also had to defend against the relentless assault of the swords. 

This was probably the penalty for those who resorted to hiding their token instead of protecting it with their own strength. vipin liaoshi had probably encountered the Dawn Rain Sword, and in a moment of carelessness, he had his jade token destroyed, resulting in his elimination. Coming to realize what was going on, vipin continued his question. “Where’s the Sword Lagoon located?

 How many swords of your tier are there here?” Having acknowledged vipin as its master, the Dusk Cloud Sword told him everything that it knew. “The Sword Lagoon is roughly two hundred li away from here, and there should probably be at least a hundred other swords like me there!” “A hundred other swords like you… as in Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle swords?” vipin widened his eyes in shock. Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle swords were Saint intermediate-tier artifacts. 

Even throughout the entire chong Empire, there would not be too many weapons of such a tier. Yet, for there to be a hundred of them there… If he could tame them all, his fighting prowess would soar immensely. “The chong Empire Sword Lagoon was left behind by the old Sword Maestro many years ago. This place contains his heritage and countless Sword Formations. 

Every year, countless sword practitioners visit this place, searching for an impetus to further their craft, but so far, no one has succeeded in claiming his heritage. “This place is filled with all kinds of sword qi. If one stays here for a prolonged period of time, the influx of different Sword Intent and sword arts could result in a clash of one’s conception of swordsmanship, and for a sword practitioner, that is extremely dangerous. 

Furthermore, considering how there are people from all walks of life here, it’s inevitable that there will be conflicts time to time. As a result, there are many sword practitioners who have ended up losing their lives here.” At this point, the voice of the Dusk Cloud Sword sank. “That is also how the master of the Dawn Rain Sword and me died here.” 

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 Chapter 1273: - Heaven’s Path Sword Art 

Swords were just a type of weapon, but with many generations of cultivators immersing their entire lives to furthering the Way of Sword over the course of many years, it had already developed into a complex art with countless paths. Naturally, the method of cultivation for each path also differed vastly from one another. It was precisely for this reason that heritage was extremely important. 

There were simply too many different Sword Intent and sword arts within the Sword Lagoon that if one were to attempt to use them as an inspiration to further one’s mastery in swordsmanship, putting aside the fact that the divergence in the fundamental principles of each path of swordsmanship would make it very unlikely for one to succeed, the odds were that one’s cultivation would go berserk instead.

 It was also for this reason why the Master Teacher Pavilion chose to limit the cultivators’ access to cultivation technique manuals. Reading just one or two different cultivation technique manuals was still fine, but if exposed to too many cultivation techniques, a cultivator’s interpretation of cultivation would be muddled, preventing him from distinguishing which methods of cultivation were feasible for him and which weren’t. 

Once in such a state, the cultivator would be extremely prone to making a wrong step in his cultivation, thus making it highly likely for his cultivation to go berserk. This was also the reason why master teachers had to be selective with what they read. The same principles applied to the Sword Lagoon as well.

 Those who came here to cultivate might be tempted by the powerful sword arts and Sword Intent all around them, but if they were to cultivate what they saw without careful selection, it could very well lead to the erosion of the foundation of the swordsmanship path they had built so far. In the long-term, not only would it be detrimental to one’s growth, they might even lose their lives as well.

 “Bring me over to take a look!” Understanding all of these, vipin said. “Yes!” the Dusk Cloud Sword began leading the way forward. A journey of two hundred li 1 was nothing to a Primordial Spirit realm cultivator. In just a few moments, they had already arrived at their destination. Towering before them were a massive stone wall with the character ‘剑 (Sword)’ inscribed on it. 

Written with majestic and powerful strokes, it felt as if the character would transform into a burst of sword qi and tear them apart at any moment. “What powerful Sword Intent!” vipin remarked in astonishment. He couldn’t clearly discern what level of calligraphy the character before him was at, but just by looking at it from afar, it gave him the impression of an unparalleled expert wielding a sword slashing at him furiously. 

It felt like no matter how he moved, he wouldn’t be able to escape from that slash, as if the attack had been locked upon his soul. “This is left behind by the Old Sword Maestro?” vipin asked in astonishment. “That’s right!” the Dusk Cloud Sword replied. “The Old Sword Maestro must have achieved an astounding level of mastery in the Way of Sword in his lifetime!” vipin exclaimed in awe. In his past year of cultivation, he had assimilated quite a number of books relating to sword art, and he had successfully advanced his comprehension of swordsmanship to a considerably high level as well. 

All along, he thought that even if his comprehension of swordsmanship hadn’t reached the peak yet, he still wouldn’t lose out to anyone. But through this inscribed character, he could tell that the level of mastery in swordsmanship that the Old Sword Maestro had achieved was far higher than his. The Old Sword Maestro had ground the very essence of the Way of Sword into his bones, such that even his body had been forged into a sword as well… Otherwise, it was impossible for a casual calligraphy to harness such astoundingly refined Sword Intent, leaving him feeling a sense of helplessness before it. 

“These are the cultivators who have journeyed here in hopes of comprehending the secrets of the Old Sword Maestro’s swordsmanship.” the Dusk Cloud Sword as it gestured in a certain direction. Turning his gaze over, vipin realized that there was a huge crowd of several hundred cultivators gathered beneath the stone wall. Every single one of them was staring intently at the ‘剑 (Sword)’ character as they emulated its strokes with their fingers. There was an unnaturally focused or even frenzied look in their eyes, almost as if they had gone mad. 

“What you said is all wrong. My move has to be correct. Look!” a voice sounded. From the direction where the voice sounded, a middle-aged man flicked his wrist in a beautiful arc, and a surge of sword qi burst forward. It slashed everything within several hundred meters of its path before gradually dissipating.

 “This is Upper Sword Heart?” vipin widened his eyes in astonishment. Proficiency in swordsmanship could mainly be divided into two stages— Sword Intent and Sword Heart. Most sword practitioners should be able to comprehend Sword Intent upon reaching Transcendent Mortal. 

Those who were slightly more talented might be able to comprehend Sword Heart, inducing the phenomenon ‘Call of the Myriad Swords, Roar of the Dragon’. Sword Heart, as the name suggested, referred to wielding one’s heart like a sword, drawing out the true prowess of the Way of Sword through their will. Every single strike made by a sword practitioner who had achieved Sword Heart would be a sword art in itself. This state was also otherwise termed as Man-Sword Union… Only those who harbored spirit and heart in their sword would be able to reach this realm. 

Sword Heart could be further divided into three tiers, namely Lower Sword Heart, Middle Sword Heart, and Upper Sword Heart. For Saint cultivators, even just achieving Middle Sword Heart would already make them top-notch experts. Yet, the middle-aged man had actually comprehended Upper Sword Heart… One must know that so far, vipin had only comprehended Upper Sword Heart as well. In other words, in terms of proficiency in the Way of Sword, the middle-aged man was nowhere weaker than vipin! 

“That’s not right. That crux of the move lies in overwhelming one’s enemy, so the focus of it should be in the relentless barrage of sword qi. Your focusing all of your strength within a surge of sword qi is clearly erroneous. Look at mine…” In his moment of shock, an old man beside the middle-aged man shook his head in stern disapproval before he whipped out a sword and flicked it. In the blink of an eye, a cold and forbidding aura permeated an area of several dozen meters around the old man, and a storm of sword qi filled the surroundings.

 It felt like anyone who dared step into the area, no matter how powerful, would be trapped for life. “He has comprehended Upper Sword Heart as well?” vipin was startled once more. It was already frightening to see that a cultivator had comprehended Upper Sword Heart, but to think that the old man would also be another such person as well. In fact, it seemed like the old man had a deeper and more profound understanding of the Way of Sword than the middle-aged man before.

 “Wrong! The both of you are utterly wrong! It should be like this…” A third man joined in the commotion, and he executed a powerful sword art which utilized sword qi like thin threads that weaved around the surroundings, forming something reminiscent to a mist. Similarly, this third man has also comprehended Upper Sword Heart. Completely dumbstruck, vipin turned to look at the rest of the crowd. Every single one of them seemed to harness a cold and sharp aura within their bodies, as if they were the very embodiment of swords themselves. 

“These several hundred men… have all comprehended Upper Sword Heart?” vipin gulped down a mouthful of saliva. In his long journey, he had never seen a single cultivator whose swordsmanship was on par or superior to his. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he found himself faced with several hundred of such cultivators. Really, as expected of the famed Sword Lagoon! It sure was a fearsome place. 

“They are the itinerant cultivator, master teachers, and combat masters from the various different empires or even the Empire Alliance. Some of them have already spent more than nine hundred years here… And with nine hundred years of accumulation, the least they should do is to achieve Upper Sword Heart.” the Dusk Cloud Sword replied. “Nine hundred years?” 

vipin was startled for a moment before slowly nodding. It was already nearing a year since he had come over to this world, but in terms of the duration he had dedicated to learning swordsmanship, the total time probably wouldn’t even add up to a single day yet! There were plenty of experts in the Eight Conferred Empires, and with nine hundred years of hard work behind them, it wasn’t too surprising that there would be so many individuals who commanded the same level of mastery in swordsmanship as him. 

After all, it was not like he was some kind of unparalleled genius. Putting all aside, he couldn’t even defeat his own clone! “Wait. You mean that these men spent nine hundred years sitting in front of the stone wall, contemplating swordsmanship?” “This single character is already enough for them to study it for their entire life. As sword fanatics, they couldn’t resist the allure of the intrigue contained in the character, and this only made them determined to decipher the secrets behind it. 

As a result, most of them end up never leaving the Sword Lagoon…” “Hai!” vipin sighed. He suddenly remembered a book he had read in his previous life. In the story, there was an island that contained unparalleled secret manuals. Each year’s Laba Festival, there would be a huge number of martial artists venturing to the island, only to never return… The situation was somewhat similar to what he was seeing at the moment. 

There was no one restricting their movement, but obsessed with furthering their swordsmanship, they failed to realize that their entire life was flying past their eyes! “Utter nonsense! It’s apparent that my interpretation is correct!” “Your direction has been wrong from the very start, so how could your interpretation possibly be right? My interpretation is the one that’s correct!” “All of you are wrong! Since none of you are willing to admit it, why don’t we settle it with a fight?”

 Huala! After a long round of argument, none of the trio was willing to concede to the other. Eventually, they drew their swords on one another and began on an intense fight. “Actually, they have already gone berserk…” vipin shook his head. No matter how profound the ‘剑 (Sword)’ character was, the fact that these people were no longer able to control themselves anymore, even clashing with one another over something as minor as that, meant that their rationality had already been eroded. 

They had already lost sense of self, and that was no different from going berserk. Amidst vipin’s lamentation, the battle among the trio had finally concluded. Two of them were severely injured in the encounter, and the final victor walked out of the battle with a confused look on his eyes. He couldn’t help but doubt if his comprehension of swordsmanship was wrong, or else how could the other two be almost as powerful as him. 

The many years of devotion to nothing but swordsmanship had already eroded their rational judgement. Under such circumstances, no words could possibly sway them anymore. Sighing deeply, vipin tore his gaze away from them to assess the massive character on the stone wall once more. Inscribed using sword qi, the character harnessed the conception of the carver. Each stroke of the character was imbued a powerful yet unique aura, seemingly the manifestation of a sword art. 

The aura of these individual strokes harmonized with one another to grant an imposing yet unfathomable meaning to the formed character. “It’s no wonder why these people would abandon their all and devote all of their life to deciphering the character…” With just a look, vipin could already feel a slight jolt in his mind urging him to cultivate according to the character. Shaking his head, he slowly closed his eyes.

 It was not that his mind wasn’t resilient enough to withstand the allure of the profound sword arts contained within the character, but… the sword arts contained within the character were simply riddled with too many flaws. It was hard for him to even continue looking at it straight in the eye! “What are these?”

 Exhaling deeply, vipin tossed aside the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind and opened his eyes once more. In the next moment, he noticed that there were countless scribblings in the perimeter of the stone wall. “These are the Sword Intent and sword arts that countless generations of sword practitioners have comprehended from the character. If you find yourself unable to grasp the meaning of ‘剑 (Sword)’ on the wall, you can use them as references!” the Dusk Cloud Sword said.

 “I see.” vipin nodded. Taking a brief sweep, it seemed like there were at least a thousand of such insights scribbled all over the place. “This does resemble the Saint Ascension Platform!” vipin noted. The road up to the Saint Ascension Platform was filled with insights as well. Every single individual felt that they were the person chosen by the heavens to comprehend the true meaning of master shake writing, but in truth… their interpretation was riddled with flaws, a manifestation of their ignorance! 

These insights scribbled around the stone wall were likely to be the same as well. “Flaws!” Sweeping his gaze across the area, many books swiftly materialized one after another in the Library of Heaven’s Path. These insights could be considered to be sword art manuals as well, allowing vipin to collect them with a sweep of his eyes. After collecting all of the insights, vipin gathered the thousand of books together and muttered, “Compile!” They swiftly merged together into a single book. Casually flipping it open, vipin’s eyes lit up. “It’s a Heaven’s Path Sword Art!”

 He had done this set of actions on a whim, not really expecting to gain any gains out of it. Yet, who could have thought that the compilation of insights from the many generations of sword practitioners would actually form a perfect Heaven’s Path Sword Art! vipin swiftly went through the compiled Heaven’s Path Sword Art in his mind. It must be said that the heritage which the Old Sword Maestro had left behind was truly profound. 

If he were to cultivate the compiled Heaven’s Path Sword Art, his comprehension of the Way of Sword could be brought to another level. Just as vipin as about to close his eyes to cultivate, he suddenly felt the surrounding spiritual energy surging forward, gathering to an area just ahead of him. It didn’t take long for the massive influx of spiritual energy to create something reminiscent of a whirlpool. 

Quickly turning his gaze over, he saw that the crowd cultivating before the stone wall had also turned their heads over toward the commotion as well. “Master…” Just as vipin was about to head over to check what was going on, he suddenly saw the Dusk Cloud Sword trembling non-stop, as if it couldn’t control its body anymore. “What’s wrong?” vipin asked with a frown. 

“Master, someone has grasped a higher realm in the Way of Sword… As a sword spirit, I can’t help but be compelled to submit to him!” “Grasped a higher realm of the Way of Sword?” Taken aback, vipin quickly scanned the area in front, and there, he saw a young man seated cross-legged on the ground. An incredibly sharp sword qi burst forth from his body, as if heralding the arrival of an unparalleled sword into the world. “Is that reshma?” 

 

Upon taking a closer look at the young man, vipin frowned. It was no other than the genius of the chong Empire who had challenged him over the Tianchen Brew back in the Master Teacher Pavilion, reshma! “Why would he be here?” vipin frowned.

 ------oOo------ 

Chapter 1274: - The Strong Can Do as They Please 

While the other candidates were busy avoiding being eliminated or eliminating others, this fellow actually sat right in front of the stone wall to cultivate. Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seemed like he had already been there for quite a while. Such a bizarre decision left vipin slightly bewildered. Soon, vipin came to a realization. He’s a genius from the chong Empire, and he specializes in swordsmanship.

 I had to capture the Dusk Cloud Sword in order to find out where this is, but there’s a good chance that he realized that we are in the Sword Lagoon as soon as he opened his eyes! As a sword practitioner of the chong Empire, it was likely that reshma had been there before. Given so, it would not have been too surprising for him to know his way around the area.

 Hong long long! At this moment, boundless Sword Intent and sword qi suddenly converged on reshma, and in an instant, his aura surged swiftly. Weng! Unable to control it any longer, the Dusk Cloud Sword lowered itself onto the ground, trembling non-stop. It could feel the absolute authority that the wielder of that powerful aura had over it, and it dared not oppose him. 

Looking at the sky filled with sword qi, as well as the sword in his hand that was submitting to the young man before him, the elder was overwhelmed with agitation. “That’s… Sword Quintessence! It has been a whole seven hundred years! I never thought that I would see such a sight once more!” “No, it isn’t Sword Quintessence,” an elder beside him refuted. 

“Those who have truly achieved the level of Sword Quintessence would be able to induce the Servility of the Myriad Swords, but that young man has only received the deference of the swords. If I’m not mistaken, that should be… Half-Quintessence!” “Indeed, it’s Half-Quintessence! Most cultivators are only aware that swordsmanship can be divided into Sword Intent and Sword Heart, oblivious to the fact that there’s Sword Quintessence above them. Upon mastering this realm, as long as the strength of a sword is beneath one, the sword will obey one’s commands unconditionally.”

 “The young man is only able to get the swords to submit to him, but he hasn’t reached the level of having them obey his commands unconditionally. Given so, he should only be at Half-Quintessence!” “Even if it’s just Half-Quintessence, isn’t that the breakthrough that we have all been working hard for?” “Indeed!” “Seven hundred years ago, when Sword of Faint Whispers, faqid, achieved a breakthrough to this realm, I happened to be around and witnessed the miraculous event with my own eyes. 

Who could have known that I would have the luck to encounter another Half-Quintessence breakthrough just before my life comes to an end?” “faqid… If I recall correctly, he has not left the Sword Lagoon ever since he made the breakthrough to Half-Quintessence, right?” “He has not. He chose to venture deeper into the Sword Lagoon in hopes of obtaining the Old Sword Maestro’s heritage. It’s just a pity that he hasn’t succeeded yet. I wonder if he’s still alive after all these years.” 

Such discussions could be heard amid the crowd. Half-Quintessence? Hearing the words of the crowd, vipin nodded slowly. With a slight stroke of his hand, the crouching Dusk Cloud Sword suddenly felt the pressure crushing his soul vanish without a trace, and it quickly struggled back into the air. Its slight shivering every now and then seemed to indicate its deep fear and apprehension over what had just happened.

 A Sword Quintessence expert wielded a natural dominance over all sword spirits, forcing all sword spirits to bow before them. For reshma to achieve this level at such a young age, his aptitude for swordsmanship was truly astounding. It was no wonder he had been chosen as a candidate to enter the Sanctum of Sages. Compared to reshma, vipin liaoshi was truly lacking. Hu hu! After absorbing all of the sword qi into his body, reshma eyes gradually opened. 

Huala! His eyes were extremely sharp, and it felt as if one could be sliced in two under his gaze. Even though his cultivation was still only at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm, yet to undergo the lightning tribulation, his zhenqi felt much more condensed than before. It seemed like even if the lightning tribulation fell upon him at that very moment, he would have been able to slice it in two with a flick of his blade. reshma slowly stood up and stretched his stiff muscles with a delighted look on his face. 

At this moment, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure standing not too far away, and his eyes narrowed. “vipin?” A day ago, he had exchanged blows with the other party. He had executed one of his trump cards, Sea of a Thousand Blades, which the other party had simply swallowed in a single mouthful, even returning to him right after. Without a doubt, the other party was the strongest rival he had ever come across. 

Back then, he had even resolved himself to use his ultimate technique to defeat the other party, but due to Pavilion Master chirayu’s intervention, he had been left with no choice but to drop the matter. After which, the other party had challenged Pavilion Master chirayu with his puppets. While the other party did manage to achieve victory in the end, it was only through the vast number of puppets he had in his possession. 

That did not represent the other party’s true strength. If he were to pair his Quasi Leaving Aperture realm cultivation together with his newfound strength as a Half-Quintessence expert, putting aside defeating vipin, even killing him should not pose much of a problem at all! Thus, a sharp glint flashed through reshma’s eyes as he stepped forward. “You have really come at an untimely moment. 

You just had to appear here right after I achieved my breakthrough. It seems like even the heavens are asking me to eliminate you…” Hu! With a swift maneuver, he stepped up to vipin and said, “vipin, we meet again.” “Yeah, we meet again,” vipin replied casually. “While I am in awe of your strength, it’s a pity that we are in a selection match at the moment. The slots to the Sanctum of Sages are on the line, so… will you take out the jade token yourself, or do you need me to make a move?”

 Gazing at vipin coldly, reshma spoke in a domineering voice that allowed for no opposition. “Take it out yourself, and you can at least spare yourself some pain. Otherwise… even if I’m not allowed to kill you, I have plenty of ways to temporarily incapacitate. And if you get killed by saint beasts while you are immobilized, I’m afraid that you will only have your own bad luck to blame then!” “Are you threatening me?” 

vipin looked at reshma with narrowed eyes. “Threat? This isn’t a threat. I’m just stating a fact. It’s just the natural order of the world. The weak have to bow to the strong!” reshma sneered coldly. Staring at reshma intently, vipin asked, “Do you mean to say that the strong can do as they please?” “Indeed, the strong can do as they please!” reshma replied with a smirk.

 He had felt deeply humiliated by the crushing defeat he had suffered against vipin. It would have been one thing if it had been a close match with one another, but the vast disparity in strength between them was truly completely unacceptable to him. This had left frustration and anger boiling within him. Furthermore, shortly after that, the young man dared insult Pavilion Master chirayu. 

As a member of the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he could not swallow seeing an outsider treating their pavilion head with such disrespect. It was not easy for him to turn the tables around, so naturally, he wanted to make use of this chance to get even with the other party for those two matters! “Very well then.” Seeing how confident reshma was, vipin shook his head and sighed. “Since you have already said so much… pardon me then!” After saying those words, vipin channeled his zhenqi into his palm and thrust it toward reshma. Seeing how the young man had chosen to struggle against him instead of surrendering, reshma scoffed in disdain.

 “Do you think that you stand a chance against me in your current state?” With a flick of his finger, he sent a surge of sword qi toward vipin. His comprehension of swordsmanship had already reached HalfQuintessence. Even without just using a sword, he could easily defeat an opponent of the same power level as him with the sword qi in his body. Let alone a mere Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage cultivator… Hmm?

 At this moment, reshma suddenly noticed something. When he fought with the other party the previous day, the other party had still been at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage. However, at this moment, why did it seem like his cultivation had risen to… Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle? Did he advance two cultivation stages in a single day? It makes no difference whether he’s at intermediate stage or pinnacle. 

Against the current me, the only fate that lies in wait for him is death! reshma shrugged the matter off casually as he watched the burst of sword qi he had shot previously dashing toward vipin. While reshma was still confident that his sword qi would be able to tear through the other party’s palm strike with ease, the two finally collided with one another. However, contrary to his expectations, his sword qi actually dissipated instantaneously, as if a blob of tofu crashing into a wall of steel. Caught off guard by the abrupt turn of events, reshma narrowed his eyes in shock.

 As someone whose mastery of swordsmanship was at Half-Quintessence, he knew full well how much strength was packed into that burst of sword qi. Even the companion he had been very close with, ‘neel’, would not dare clash directly with it. Yet, the young man before him had been able to easily dissipate his sword qi with just a simple palm strike. Just how could this be? 

But this was not the end of reshma’s bewilderment yet. The remaining might of the palm strike continued charging forth toward him with astounding momentum, appearing before him in the blink of an eye. Peng! An overwhelming pressure assaulted reshma, causing his face to pale. He immediately tried to put up his defense to defend against the palm strike, to no avail. He crashed heavily into a massive boulder, and a stifled feeling in his chest made him cough out a mouthful of blood. 

“How could this be? How can you be so powerful?” reshma widened his eyes in disbelief. He felt that the main reason he had lost to vipin earlier was because he had to suppress his cultivation. Now that his cultivation was not suppressed, and he had even comprehended Half-Quintessence, it would really be an eye-opener if he was defeated! “It must be a coincidence—it must be! 

There’s no way you can possibly be that powerful! There’s just no way…” Rising to his feet, reshma drew out a half moon in front of his chest before shooting it forth. “Sword qi in the area, heed my command!” Upon his shouting, the sword qi drifting aimlessly in the region swiftly converged together to form a massive sword of roughly ten meters long in front of reshma’s chest. 

Having comprehended Half-Quintessence, even if he was unable to earn the absolute obedience of swords, it was still well within his means to control sword qi in the air. The Sword Lagoon was filled with sword practitioners, resulting in a massive congregation of sword qi in the area. In other words, the area was almost like a haven for those who had comprehended Half-Quintessence! In his current state, reshma would be able to slay even True Leaving Aperture realm cultivators easily! 

“This is the strength of those who have comprehended swordsmanship to Half-Quintessence?” “How fearsome…” “To be able to control sword qi, he’s practically invincible in the Sword Lagoon!” “Indeed. That fellow facing him is doomed.” The crowd in the area analyzed the situation grimly. As sword practitioners themselves, they understood how fearsome a cultivator who had comprehended Half-Quintessence was. 

Wielding the strength to manipulate and release a barrage of sword qi at will, they were unmatched in their power class. The young man facing reshma was only a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, so how could he possibly withstand reshma’s strength? Huala! Before everyone’s apprehensive gaze, the massive sword forged solely out of sword qi began flying toward vipin with incredible momentum.

 Its was even faster than the speed of sound, and it appeared right before vipin in just the blink of an eye. If that technique landed, no matter how sturdy a body one had, one would instantly be sliced in two and die on the spot. “The attack you have launched through gathering the surrounding sword qi is indeed formidable, but it’s a pity that the sword qi is not yours!” In the face of that devastating attack, there was not the slightest hint of anxiety or fear to be seen on vipin’s face. 

On the contrary, disappointment was written all over his face instead. Shaking his head, vipin casually tapped his finger forward, and a powerful ray of light burst right through the sword, dissipating it instantaneously. “Go,” vipin muttered as he flicked his finger lightly. Peng! reshma flew back once more. His back crashed heavily into the stone wall, creating a massive depression in it. To make matters worse, when he tried to struggle out of the stone wall, for some reason, he found that his body simply would not budge, and this left him deeply terrified. 

“Y-you…” With a ghastly pale face, reshma stared at the young man before him with horrified eyes. He had thought that as long as he fought with his full strength, he would be able to subdue the young man easily. But it turned out that he had been too naive. Even with his heightened strength, that monster of a young man was actually able to subdue him with just a single finger! 

Even when he had borrowed the strength from the massive congregation of sword qi in the surroundings, he had found that he was still completely helpless before that young man. With a look of utter disbelief, he watched as the young man gracefully walked up to him with a frighteningly radiant smile on his face. “While I am in awe of your strength, it’s a pity that we are in a selection match at the moment. 

The slots to the Sanctum of Sages are on the line, so… will you take out the jade token yourself, or do you need me to make a move?” Hearing those words, reshma’s face immediately turned red. Those were the very words that he had told the young man earlier, and the latter was returning all of them to him! “You want to take my jade token? Unless you plan on killing me, dream on!” reshma spat with gritted teeth.

 The destruction of his jade token would mean that he lost the slot to enter the Sanctum of Sages. This was his greatest opportunity to rise to the top of the Master Teacher Continent, and he could not let all of the hard work he had put into it go to waste! “Kill you? There’s no need to go through that much trouble.” Gazing down on reshma, vipin chuckled softly as he snapped his finger.

 Peng! It was as if a massive mountain had suddenly fallen upon reshma, crushing him deeper and deeper into the stone wall. This immense pressure seemed to squeeze whatever oxygen he had out of his lungs, threatening to choke him to death. “Wait… a moment…” The fear in reshma’s eyes intensified. He anxiously spoke up to plead for mercy, but he found that even spitting out a word was a great strain on him in his current state.

 “My apologies, I don’t have a habit of giving my opponents the chance to counterattack,” vipin replied with a bright smile. “Besides, there is one thing that you spoke of that I can deeply relate to… “The strong can indeed do as they please!”

 ------oOo------ 

Chapter 1275: - Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation 

 Geji! Geji! reshma’s bones creaked under the immense pressure, threatening to shatter at any moment. His body also swiftly approached its limit as redness consumed his skin. If the other party hadn’t made a move on him, vipin wouldn’t have bothered to make a move either. However, since the other party had chosen to provoke him, he saw no need to go easy on the other party either. 

“Let go of me… I’ll give you my jade token!” Sensing that he wouldn’t be able to survive long in this state, reshma gathered all of his strength in order to yell out those words. “Very well.” vipin retracted his hands and placed them behind his back. Padah! Finally released from the stone wall, reshma had to take several deep breaths before he was able to calm himself down. A hint of savagery flashed across his eyes and he discreetly whipped out two swords. With a powerful fling of his hands, he threw them right toward vipin. Astonishingly, these two swords were at Saint intermediate-tier as well. 

Further enhanced by his Half-Quintessence Sword Intent, they surged forward at an astounding speed. According to the rules of the secondary selection, the candidates were forbidden from using their artifacts against one another in the secondary selection. reshma knew the rules, but he also understood very well that he wouldn’t be a match for vipin without using his sword, and he was already at the brink of being eliminated as well. Given so, he could only take a gamble and pray that kundan wouldn’t find out about the matter. Si la! 

The two powerful blades tore across the air, and before one could even see them, they were already right before vipin. Just as reshma thought that he would be able to slay that fellow, the latter’s exasperated voice suddenly sounded in the air. “Hai, it seems like I really am too good-natured. Had it been anyone else, you would have already been killed several times over for what you have done!” 

Hong long! Before reshma could process what had just happened, his body was suddenly flung backward, crashing heavily back into the stone wall. Under the overwhelming impact of the collision, his bones finally gave in and shattered. At the same time, the severe internal injuries he had sustained caused fresh blood to spurt out of his mouth. “If you won’t hold to the end of your promise, I guess I’ll just have to take your jade token myself!” Following which, reshma suddenly felt a tearing pain on his finger. His storage ring had been forcefully taken away, and it flew straight into vipin’s palm. 

“You…” reshma’s face reddened in anxiety. However, it was already too late for him to do or say anything. With a tap of his finger, vipin took out the jade token from the storage ring and flicked it lightly. Kacha! The jade token shattered into powdery remains. “It seems like chong Empire does value you quite a bit, there’s plenty of treasures in your storage ring. Good. I’ll be taking them as your compensation then…” vipin had intended to let reshma off with just crushing his jade token, but since the other party was so shameless as to attempt a surprise assault after being defeated, he was no longer willing to let the other party off without making him pay some price for his actions. 

Pu! On the other hand, watching as vipin placed his storage ring into his pocket, another mouthful of fresh blood spurted from reshma’s mouth. He had to go through a lot of effort in order to procure all those valuable resources in his storage ring, and to have them snatched away just like that… In his moment of despair, reshma heard the other party continuing on, “These swords of yours seem to be Saint intermediate-tier artifacts as well. Not bad, not bad. I’ll be taking them as interest payment!”

 “I have nurtured my swords with my blood essence over a long period of time, so the spirits within them are completely loyal to me. Even if you take them, there’s no way you will be able to make them submit to you…” Seeing that his swords were about to be taken away, reshma spat through gritted teeth. 

He had spent a hefty sum to nurture those two swords of his, so he was certain of their loyalty toward him. As long as he was alive, there was no way they would betray him… But before reshma could finish his words, he suddenly saw vipin tapping his swords at various points, and all of a sudden, his swords joyfully rushed forward to the latter and bowed respectfully. 

Pu! Another spurt of blood escaped from reshma’s mouth, and the despair on his face deepened. He thought that with his newfound strength, he should be able to overwhelm vipin easily and exact his vengeance. Yet, who could have thought that the opponent he had pitted himself against would actually be a monster in disguise! “Alright, I’m done.” After taking reshma’s items, vipin couldn’t be bothered to waste his time on the other party anymore. Thus, he released his grip on the other party, and the other party fell from the stone wall. 

Hong long! Shortly after reshma was released, a voice sounded across the entire island, “reshma’s jade token has been shattered. The second candidate has been eliminated. Remaining candidates: 30! Huala! Not long after those words were spoken, an aerial saint beast descended from the sky to fetch reshma before flying off into the distance. vipin liaoshi should have been taken away as well then… vipin nodded in realization. 

That explained why he wasn’t able to find vipin liaoshi despite following the latter’s track. It seemed like he had already been brought out of the island. I understand how kundan is able to sense the elimination of a candidate through the dissipation of the Sword Intent within the jade token, but… how does he manage to locate individual candidates, sending an aerial saint beast over to fetch them so swiftly?

 Could kundan really have the ability to perceive everything that has happened on the island? vipin frowned in incomprehension. Based on his estimates, the island had to be at least two to three thousand li in diameter, and it would be impossible for anyone to cover this entire area with their Spiritual Perception. Since that was the case, how could kundan possibly keep track of everything that was happening here at all times?

 He must be using some kind of artifact or medium to uphold an intelligence network over the entire island… vipin analyzed. With this thought in mind, he activated the Eye of Insight and focused his sight on the aerial saint beast which had just flown away. This look unveiled the mystery behind kundan’s seeming omniscience over the island. “o think that it would just be Myriad Ants… vipin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Perhaps the simpler the truth was, the easier it was to be blindsided by it. 

After all the time he had spent wondering what kind of means kundan could have used to watch over the entire island, it turned out to just be Myriad Ants! Due to the small stature of Myriad Ants, they were able to conceal themselves easily amidst trees and bushes, making it nigh impossible for even keen-eyed master teachers to notice their presence. vipin had used the exact same method to scout the Cloudmist Ridge back then too. He really didn’t think that kundan would use such a method to look over the secondary selection. 

Since he was using Myriad Ants as his scout, there should also be a Myriad Anthive Queen under the other party’s command too. “Anthive Queen, is there any way you can drive away the Myriad Ants observing me?” vipin communicated with the Myriad Anthive Queen telepathically. He understood that kundan had to keep a tight watch over the entire field as the invigilator, but he still felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of being constantly spied on. “While these Myriad Ants aren’t my children, I still do have the ability to drive them away. However, I only fear that kundan would notice an anomaly if I were to drive them away…” the Myriad Anthive Queen replied.

 “That’s true…” vipin rubbed his glabella in frustration. kundan had to maintain his watch over the secondary selection so as to keep up to date with the circumstances of each and every candidate. If vipin’s ‘presence’ were to suddenly disappear from his sight, there was a good chance that kundan might personally head over to check on the situation. “Alternatively, I think that I might be able to tame some of the Myriad Ants and have them obey my commands…” After a moment of silence, the Myriad Anthive Queen proposed. “You are able to tame the Myriad Ants? 

That would be perfect!” vipin’s eyes lit up. Naturally, it would be better to tame the Myriad Ants than to chase them away. This way, he would be able to control the information that the Myriad Ants were reporting to kundan about, thus allowing him to fake his position without incurring the latter’s suspicion. “I’ll leave that to you then.” vipin said as he released the Myriad Anthive Queen in the area with a flick of his hand. After which, he turned his attention back to the stone wall before him.

 Having witnessed how easily reshma was defeated, the sword practitioners gathered around the stone wall had all retreated a distance away from vipin, fearing that they would accidentally offend him. vipin couldn’t be bothered to waste his time on them either. Just as he was about to return back to cultivating his Heaven’s Path Sword Art, the Dusk Cloud Sword suddenly flew over and said, “Master… Since you are that powerful, do you want to try challenging the Sword Lagoon? 

I think that there is a good chance you might be able to acquire the heritage!” “Challenge the Sword Lagoon? Aren’t we at the Sword Lagoon at the moment?” vipin asked in bewilderment. Considering the sheer amount of sword qi and Sword Intent that were drifting in the area, where else could currently be at if not the Sword Lagoon? “We are currently only at the outer perimeters of the Sword Lagoon. 

The true Sword lagoon lies behind the stone wall… The heritage of the Old Sword Maestro lies within there as well!” the Dusk Cloud Sword said. “Oh?” vipin’s eyebrows shot up. “Are the hundred Saint intermediate-tier swords you have mentioned earlier located beyond the stone wall as well?” “That’s right!” the Dusk Cloud Sword replied. “Bring me over to take a look!” Having a compiled Heaven’s Path Sword Art sitting in the Library of Heaven’s Path, the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro held little attraction to vipin. 

However, if he could acquire a hundred Saint intermediatetier swords out of this, that would really be a huge gain. Even a hundred Saint low-tier sabers were sufficient to crush the Boss of the underground black market. If he could acquire a hundred Saint intermediate-tier swords, he would be able to destroy Pavilion Master chirayu easily with them even without resorting to his puppets! In fact… he might even be able to rival kundan in a battle! The Dusk Cloud Sword delightfully led vipin around the massive stone wall, and very soon, they arrived at the boundary of a land shrouded with mist. 

The mist seemed to have been the result of some kind of formidable formation, completely blocking the sight of whatever that lay ahead. Realizing that he didn’t recognize the formation, vipin frowned. Flaws! Hu la! A book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path. As the formation was currently in operation, the Library of Heaven’s Path was able to compile a book on it. Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation, a grade-8 formation? Reading the content on the book, vipin was startled. 

It was no wonder why no one had obtained the heritage this far. It was actually guarded by a grade-8 formation! A grade-8 formation could only be set up or deciphered by a Grand Dominion realm expert, and there was no one in chong Empire who possessed the strength to do so. In no hurry to step into the formation, vipin turned to the Dusk Cloud Sword and asked, “Have you entered the Sword Lagoon before?” “I haven’t entered it before, but I heard that the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword and heritage lie in there!” the Dusk Cloud Sword replied. 

“The Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword?” vipin’s eyebrows shot up. “Un. According to the rumors I have heard, the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword is a Saint high-tier artifact, and even the emperor of chong Empire is dying to lay his hands on it. However, it’s a pity that no one has been able to bypass the formation, let alone find the sword!” the Dusk Cloud Sword said. 

“A Saint high-tier artifact?” vipin tightened his fist in agitation. Even at the very minimum, a Saint high-tier artifact would possess strength equivalent to a Saint 6-dan Grand Dominion realm cultivator! There was actually such a formidable weapon in the Sword Lagoon? “That’s right. To be honest with you, most of the sword qi lingering in the area was emanated by the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword. 

While those sword practitioners are attempting to decipher it in order to raise their mastery of swordsmanship, more than that, they wanted to acquire the Old Sword Maestro’s heritage and obtain his personal sword through it!” the Dusk Cloud Sword explained. It had been on this island for quite a long while now, so he was well aware of the affairs that happened here. “Since there’s such a weapon here, I really should take a good look in the Sword Lagoon then!” vipin thought in excitement. 

Unless in large quantities, otherwise even Saint intermediate-tier artifacts weren’t of much use to him anymore. However, this was different for Saint high-tier artifacts. With a Saint high-tier sword in hand, he was confident of defeating kundan even! With such a weapon at hand, he would be in a far better position to challenge the shen kabila for Pratyusha’s hand in marriage. 

“You should wait outside for the time being!” vipin instructed. “Yes!” the Dusk Cloud Sword nodded before standing completely still on the spot. After which, vipin unhesitatingly turned around and ventured into the mist. The flaws of the formation was recorded in its corresponding book compiled in the Library of Heaven’s Path, so this grade-8 formation no longer posed any secret to him. After advancing ahead for some time, the area before vipin abruptly opened up. 

The mist had vanished, revealing a stream and a wooden hut instead. Oh? To think that there would a piece of tranquil land in the middle of the Sword Lagoon! Surprised, vipin slowly made his way over to the wooden hut. Just as he was about to open the door to the wooden hut, his body suddenly stiffened. With a swift maneuver, his silhouette vanished on the spot, appearing at a distance of a hundred meters away. 

Huala! A burst of sword qi sliced through the area where he was previously standing on, leaving behind a dark gorge in its wake.

 ------oOo------ 

Chapter 1276: - Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill Source: E-NOVEL.NET Chapter 1276: Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97 This burst of sword qi was extremely powerful; reshma’s attacks appeared to be nothing in comparison. Alarmed, vipin assessed the situation before him warily. Even with his strength, if not for his sharp instincts prompting him to avoid in advance, he could have been sliced in two by that burst of sword qi. Just who in the world was in the wooden hut? 

Jiya! The door opened, and a figure slowly walked out. vipin’s eyebrows shot up. The Boss of the underground black market? It was none other than the person whom he had a hundred Saint low-tier sabers pummel back in the Ring of Death! But why would he appear here? The other party had mostly recovered from the wounds he had suffered back in the encounter with vipin, but from the glaring scars that crawled all over his body like innumerable centipedes, one could still fathom the tragic plight he had once been in.

 The Boss of the black market, sathvik, glared at vipin with deep hatred in his eyes. “vipin, you have manipulated my rules, humiliated me, and snatched my wealth. For that, I shall personally execute you today!” While the black market was known to be a lawless zone, the truth was that it was only subjected to a different set of laws, set solely by the Boss of the black market.

 Regardless of whether one was a master teacher or a combat master, one would have to obey the new set of rules in there. Yet, this fellow actually disregarded the rules in place and raised a huge commotion, severely injuring him even! If he let the other party go, how could he re-establish his dominance and authority in the black market in the future? “You knew that I would be here for the secondary selection, so you lay in wait for me?” vipin asked with narrowed eyes.

 The only ones who should have known that the secondary selection would be held in the Sword Lagoon were only kundan and Pavilion Master chirayu. For the other party to be lying in wait for him here, could it have been that the other party already knew of his whereabouts in advance? Even with the vast intelligence network of the black market, it should have been impossible for them to uncover the location of the secondary selection on such short notice. So, for the other party to have been hiding within the formation all this while, waiting to launch an assault on him, that could only mean one thing. 

“I’ll tell you after you go to hell!” sathvik bellowed furiously as he flung his sword furiously, sending another burst of sword qi toward vipin. His sword was only three chi 1 long, but it emanated bone-chilling coldness. Even before the sharp burst of sword qi could arrive, an eerie sound reminiscent of the resentful mutterings of the departed echoed in the air, placing those who heard it in a distraught state. Feeling a sudden bout of dizziness striking his head, vipin’s eyes narrowed. 

A demonic tune! All along, he had been using this trick against others. He did not expect others to use it against him, and in a moment of carelessness, he was placed into an unnatural state of mind. Even so, with his Soul Depth of 25.1, a level comparable to 8-star high-tier master teachers, he was able to shake out of his unnatural state in just an instant. However, as soon as his unnatural state was dispelled, the sword qi was already right before his face. 

The sharp gale that rose from the movement left a slightly piercing sensation on his skin, leaving him feeling as if a blade was slowly sinking into his body. Hu! vipin immediately flitted away from the spot, appearing a hundred meters away in an instant. Unbounded Voyager! After learning the second dan of Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, his comprehension of the Unbounded Voyager had deepened, allowing him to move at greater speed. 

By driving his strength to its limit, he was capable of making near-instantaneous movements in desperate situations. At this point, vipin realized that his back was completely drenched with sweat. It was fortunate that he had reacted with time, or else that attack would have gouged out a huge hole in his chest. “Do you think that I will allow you to flee that easily?” Sneering coldly, sathvik sent another burst of sword qi toward vipin. The sword qi spanned over two hundred meters, covering the entire area. 

“That sword… Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle?” vipin was astonished. It was no wonder the other party still dared to provoke him despite having suffered a tragic defeat. It turned out that he had a top-notch Saint intermediate-tier sword that wielded strength comparable to a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle expert. An attack from a sword of that caliber was far more fearsome than that of the Golden Origin Cauldron! Wielding such a sword, sathvik would be able to rival even Pavilion Master chirayu in a match. 

Despite seeing through the other party’s strength, vipin did not panic. Instead, he shook his head. “If you had drawn that sword in the battle against me yesterday, I might have been put in a spot, but now…” The only reason it seemed like the situation was disadvantageous to him previously was because he had been caught off guard. Once he had managed to grasp the situation, with his strength, an opponent such as sathvik was simply too lacking! With a flick of his wrist, vipin raised his palm, and a massive palm print materialized before him. “Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm!” 

Boom! As soon as the sword qi collided with the palm print, it felt as if several tons of gunpowder had exploded simultaneously, and an intense shockwave blasted into the surroundings. It was fortunate that the area was protected by a grade-8 formation, or else the stone wall would have been torn down by the sheer might of the shockwave itself. Deng deng deng deng! Retreating consecutively, sathvik felt his blood flow running erratic, and his eyes turned crimson. 

Just a single night, and that fellow had already grown much more powerful than before! If he allowed the other party to continue growing at this pace, it would not be long before he was completely outmatched! “I told you that you would die by my hands tonight, and I’ll do everything to ensure it,” sathvik spat menacingly as he took out a pill and swallowed it. In an instant, his aura began surging furiously.

 Before long, he managed to overcome his bottleneck, reaching Half-Grand Dominion realm. “That’s… a grade-8 Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill?” vipin’s face turned grim. The Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill was something reminiscent of a stimulant. After consumption, it had the effect of allowing a cultivator to temporarily surpass their limits. However, once the effect was over, not only would the cultivator suffer a steep decline in their cultivation, their body could suffer permanent damage as well. 

To go this far just to kill him… the Boss of the black market sure was a tenacious fellow! But again, there was no more backing out for the Boss. Just the crime of assaulting a 7-star master teacher was sufficient to bring the wrath of the Master Teacher Pavilion upon him. If the Boss allowed him to escape alive, there was no doubt that his days would be numbered! 

Thus, no matter the cost, since he had already made a move, he would have to see the deed through to the end. ” Strike not when at the bank of the river but when in the midst of crossing it!2 ” With a cold harrumph, vipin waved his hand, and more than a hundred puppets appeared before him. 

Since the Boss of the black market had already made a move to kill him, he was not so magnanimous as to grant the other party the luxury of time to achieve his breakthrough before making a move. It would take some time for the other party to assimilate the medicinal properties of the pill, so this was the ideal moment to knock him down! In any case, the Myriad Anthive Queen had already gained full control over all the Myriad Ants within the grade-8 formation, so kundan and the others would not be able to notice a thing. Thus, there was no need for him to hesitate at all. 

Huala! More than a hundred puppets immediately charged straight for sathvik. When their might was combined together, they could destroy even a HalfGrand Dominion realm expert like Pavilion Master chirayu easily. While the Boss was no weakling, there was no way he would be able to withstand their onslaught. “Did you think that I wouldn’t be guarded against those toys of yours?”

 Sneering coldly, sathvik flicked his finger and tossed a formation plate into the air. While spinning in the air, a burst of mist suddenly diffused from the formation plate, shrouding the puppets within it. vipin was taken aback for a moment before his eyes slowly lit up. This is a… quasi 8-star formation plate? It seems like that fellow does have quite a few good items on him. As expected of the Boss of the black market, the wealth he had accumulated over the years was truly nothing to scoff at! 

Putting aside how valuable the Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill was, just the quasi grade-8 formation plate was bound to be worth a huge sum, at least a thousand concentrated high-tier spirit stones! The activation of a formation plate of this tier could trap even an expert of Pavilion Master chirayu’s caliber for a short period of time. That explained why the other party was so confident as to swallow the pill right in front of his eyes!

 In the first place, the spirits within puppets were significantly weaker compared to humans’ spirits, thus making it harder for them to perceive their surroundings once their senses were hindered by the formation. With this single move, the other party had effectively incapacitated all his puppets! Admittedly, the method used was not too bad. If it had been any other 7-star pinnacle formation master, he would have been completely helpless before this situation. 

However, to vipin, such a thing could not even be called a problem! Muttering ‘flaws’ in his mind, the Library of Heaven’s Path jolted, and a book materialized in it. Flipping it open, the flaws regarding the formation plate appeared in vipin’s head. “Go!” vipin commanded with a raise of his hand. Hu la! The next moment, more than a hundred sabers charged into the mist, and amid sounds of ‘ding ding dang dang’, as if slicing through certain structures, the mist swiftly receded before dissipating altogether.

 Formation broken! “Return!” With a flick of his finger, a saber swiftly brought the formation plate over to vipin’s hands, and with a few taps on it, vipin managed to make it his. Hong long! As swift as vipin had moved, he was still inevitably delayed for several breaths. Within this period of time, sathvik had already successfully assimilated the Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill into his body, and his cultivation had stabilized as well.

 At this point, sathvik’s aura had grown frighteningly fearsome, as if he had become a feral beast that would tear his claws through others. It seems like this Boss of the black market has fought quite a few ring matches himself, vipin thought warily. From the killing intent that sathvik was exuding, it could be seen that he had participated in quite a few life-and-death matches in his time as well, killing many of his opponents. 

Otherwise, there was no way he could have emanated such an overwhelming aura of savagery. It was no wonder the other party dared make a move on him despite knowing his identity. It seemed like the blood he had on his hands had already dulled his deference for life and the Master Teacher Pavilion. “To be able to decipher even a quasi grade-8 formation so swiftly, you are indeed a formidable opponent. However, no matter what kind of tricks you have up your sleeves, there’s no way you will be getting out of here alive!” sathvik gritted his teeth furiously. 

Letting loose a feral wary cry, he raised his sword and hacked it down furiously, releasing an overwhelming burst of sword qi amid powerful winds. Si la! sathvik’s strength as a Half-Grand Dominion realm cultivator complemented with a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle sword was no joke. It felt as if it would tear through space and forcefully crush one into innumerable pieces. Just this single move was sufficient to show that sathvik’s current strength was already far beyond that of Pavilion Master chirayu!

 Even though Pavilion Master chirayu was the head of a Master Teacher Pavilion, due to his lofty position, he was lacking in battle experience. There was no way he could compare to the Boss of the black market, who had undergone multiple life-and-death battles and killed innumerable master teachers! Without such battle experience, it was inevitable that Pavilion Master chirayu’s moves would be lacking in decisive sharpness and valiance, and those two factors had lowered his fighting prowess significantly. This will be difficult. A grim expression finally appeared on vipin’s face. 

“You won’t be useful against an opponent of this caliber… Return!” With a wave of his hand, vipin collected the puppets and sabers back into his storage ring. These puppets were only at Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage and advanced stage. There was no way they would be able to stand against an opponent like sathvik. They would only be crippled if they were kept on the field. 

The same went for the sabers. “Release!” After storing the clones and sabers, vipin tapped the area before him, and a light sphere with a radius of roughly one meter covered him. 2-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, Traverse! Sensing the danger that he was in, vipin had decided to use his strongest move!

 ------oOo------ 

Chapter 1277: - Poison Needles 

As soon as his Dominion appeared, vipin felt as if a sturdy armor had been formed around him, and the sense of security he felt made him heave a sigh of relief. In the next moment, the sword qi fell into the range of vipin’s Dominion. Tzzzzzz! A sizzling sound reminiscent of searing metal coming into contact with ice was produced. Despite being impeded by vipin’s Dominion, the sword qi was actually still able to edge forward bit by bit. It seems like my Dominion doesn’t necessarily grant me invincibility. 

If the strength of my opponent were to exceed my limits, the effects of my Dominion will be on my opponent would be discounted… vipin noted grimly. He had tested his Dominion on the Golden Origin Cauldron shortly after comprehending Dominion, and he had successfully halted the Golden Origin Cauldron’s movement instantaneously. But thinking back, the reason why he had been able to do so might have been because the Golden Origin Cauldron’s cultivation was only at Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, and it didn’t specialize in offense either. 

On the other hand, sathvik had consumed an Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill, and he was wielding a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle sword as well. In the face of such overwhelming strength, it was inevitable that the effects of vipin’s Dominion would be limited. Nevertheless, while his sword qi might be strong enough to move in my Dominion, an attack of this level won’t be able to faze me at all. While vipin’s Dominion failed to halt sathvik’s sword qi entirely, it did manage to slow and weaken it to the point where the sword qi could no longer harm him. With a cold harrumph, vipin flicked his palm. 

Huala! The slowly advancing sword qi immediately dissipated on the spot. As powerful as the other party’s sword qi was, most of its energy was expended while trying to overcome the might of his Dominion, such that the threat it posed was already minimal by the time it arrived before its target. “You have already made your move. It should be my turn now!” While saying these words, vipin flitted forward. Hu la! In an instant, vipin traversed over a hundred meters and appeared behind sathvik’s back.

 Clenching his fist tightly, he dealt a powerful punch forward. A torrential might that could reverse even the flow of a river burst forth for sathvik’s heart. At vipin’s current strength, even without utilizing the 2-dan Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, his strength was already on par to a Half-Grand Dominion realm expert. Pairing such strength with the Heaven’s Path Fist Art, even Pavilion Master chirayu would be hard-pressed to receive this attack! My attack didn’t work?

 sathvik had devoted his full strength to the previous attack, and he hadn’t thought that a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator like vipin would actually be able to withstand his sword qi, let alone launch a counterattack shortly after that. In an instant, his face turned livid in grimness. Nevertheless, while he was taken off guard by the situation, his movements didn’t stop at all. With a swift reversal of his blade, he turned his sword around and pierced it through the opening beneath his armpits. 

What swift reaction speed! vipin was astonished. He thought that the sudden surge of strength would make sathvik prone to carelessness. After all, the most fatal mistakes usually occur when one was certain of victory, so he was planning to catch sathvik off guard by launching an attack right after his offense. Yet, to his surprise, sathvik was actually able to react to his attack with nearly no delay time at all. As expected of a warrior who had fought on the Ring of Death!

 Through undergoing multiple life-and-death situations, one would become more adaptable to unexpected situations, allowing one to see opportunity amidst the threat of danger. Take the current situation for example. Instead of going on the defensive, sathvik had chosen to launch a counterattack instead. He angled his sword in a trajectory such that if vipin’s fist were to proceed any further, vipin would first find a hole punctured into him by the sword. 

“Excellent! Let’s see who will be able to last till the very end then!” Seeing sathvik’s swift and sharp reflexes, vipin’s eyes lit up in excitement. In this crucial moment, he suddenly felt a surge of adrenaline rushing through his veins. All along, his opponents were either way stronger than him, or they would be defeated in a single move after having their flaws exploited. As a result, he couldn’t really say that he had gone through a real life-and-death battle before.

 Thus, when he saw how the other party was actually able to match him in battle, he couldn’t help but feel his heart leap in exhilaration. Against sathvik’s counterattack, vipin decisively morphed his fist into a palm while twisting his body to advance forward. The sword should have pierced vipin if he were to proceed any further, but this maneuver allowed him to move parallel to the sword, thus bypassing the sword with ease. Peng! With his sharp instincts, sathvik also swiftly noticed that something was amiss. 

He quickly dashed forward to retreat, but it was already too late. vipin’s fingertips struck the back of sathvik’s body squarely, pumping a powerful might through his body that shattered many of his meridians simultaneously, and a spurt of blood escaped from his mouth. Nevertheless, sathvik’s forward dash wasn’t completely meaningless.

 It had allowed him to ward off a significant portion of the might behind vipin’s strike, thus minimizing his injuries. At the same time, he had also managed to create some distance between the latter and him. Making use of this opportunity, he quickly turned around to launch a decisive counterattack. In the next moment, however, the scene that came into his sight made his hair stand on end. He realized that no matter how fast he moved, vipin was actually able to move faster than him! 

The young man was like a bug firmly plastered to his back! No matter how he twisted and turned, he simply couldn’t shake the young man away! His movement technique is really a drat to deal with… Left with no choice, sathvik could only swing his sword frenziedly and form a protective barrier around him, choosing to go on the defensive for the time being to bide his time for the next opportunity to strike.

 Just as what vipin had guessed, he had once stood on the Ring of Death of the black market using another persona, and with his superior strength, he managed to rise to the position of Conqueror of Hundred at one point in time! It would be foolish for anyone to underestimate his fighting prowess! Even an average combat master of the same cultivation realm was no match for him! Yet, despite possessing cultivation significantly lower than his—not to mention the fact that he had even consumed the Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill for this—he found that he was still unable to claim the upper hand in the battle… How in the world could a monster like that young man before him exist in the world? 

“I admit, you are indeed a far stronger opponent than I have thought you out to be. It won’t be easy for me to kill you using ordinary means…” sathvik uttered coldly as a callous glint flashed across his eyes. In the next moment, he propelled his sword behind with his zhenqi and drove it straight toward the young man behind him. Then, making use of the time that the young man was preoccupied with his sword, he turned around and flicked his left hand powerfully. 

Sou sou sou sou! Several hundred sharp needles flew forth like a raging storm. Storm Needles! In order to remain the undefeated champion of the Ring of Death, on top of being strong and vicious, one must possess countless different means up one’s sleeves as well. The Storm Needles happened to be his strongest trump card. Every single one of those narrow needles was forged of a unique material, allowing it to pierce through the skin of a Half-Grand Dominion realm expert. 

On top of that, it was also laced with lethal poison that would swiftly kill any cultivator afflicted with it. Uncountable were the number of experts who had fallen right to this move. Huala! Despite having used his hidden weapons, sathvik didn’t get careless. He swiftly rushed forward first in order to free himself from the young man’s relentless pursuit before turning around to assess the situation and decide on his next course of action. But when he turned around once more, the sight that unfolded before him made him narrow his eyes in shock. 

The young man had successfully halted all of the needles through a sphere of light around him, allowing him to collect all of the needles into his hands. However, perhaps out of curiosity over the needles, he picked them up and began fiddling with them. Slowly, sathvik’s shock turned into agitation, and he exclaimed excitedly, “Hahaha, I never thought that you will actually court your own death!” He had specially found a 7-star pinnacle poison master to concoct the poison he had laced on the needles. 

Even if the needle didn’t pierce his opponent’s skin, the poison would be able to kill his opponent just by coming into physical contact with him! Usually, there would be no cultivator who would dare to pick up the hidden weapon of another carelessly, but that fellow actually picked up his needles directly with his own hands… Was he tired of living? But instead of seeing the young man’s face slowly caving in to despair, the latter simply glanced over and shook his head in disappointment.

 “The poison you have used on the needles is too weak. You have probably been scammed. You might be able to scare others with it, but there’s no way such an inferior poison is going to kill anyone!” RIght after saying those words, vipin intentionally pinched the tip of the needle, as if trying to prove his point. “You are able to discern the poison on the needles?” sathvik narrowed his eyes. 

The lethal poison concocted by the 7-star poison master was colorless and odorless, making it impossible for any ordinary cultivator to perceive it. Yet, to be able to see through the poison just by holding it up… how did he manage to do it? “If I can’t even discern such an obvious poison, I would have already died countless times over!” vipin scoffed coldly. Then, with a sudden flick of his wrist, he shot the needles back at sathvik. 

Wuwuwu! These needles were further enhanced by vipin’s zhenqi, allowing them to move at a speed that seemed to be as fast as lightning. In just the blink of an eye, the needles were already right before sathvik. Knowing that the needles were laced with poison, sathvik didn’t dare allow any of the needles to land on him. 

Thus, with a powerful swing, he spun the sword before him in a continuous circular motion to deflect the needles. Ding ding dang dang! As the Boss of a black market in chong Empire, sathvik possessed considerable talent in swordsmanship as well. His mastery over the sword had at least reached the level of Upper Sword Heart. Under his tight guard, all of the needles were easily deflected to the ground. 

“If you think that you can injure me using my hidden weapons, dream on…” After knocking away the storm of needles, sathvik sneered coldly. But before he could finish his words, the vision before him abruptly blurred. Without any warning, vipin materialized right before him and raised his hand up, preparing to send a slap over. To his astonishment, it seemed like in the span of time that he was dealing with the hidden weapons, the young man had already closed in the distance between them once more. 

“You…” Livid, sathvik quickly raised his sword, intending to counterattack. Unfortunately, it was already too late. Pah! A fiery pain consumed sathvik’s face, and he was sent flying away. A sweet sensation welled up in his throat before a spurt of fresh blood spilled from his mouth along with several teeth. The young man had used his full strength in that slap. Had it not been for the Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill that he had eaten earlier, his head might have exploded from that move.

 Even so, he still felt intense vertigo assaulting his head, leaving him feeling deeply disoriented for a moment. “Damn you!” sathvik’s body trembled uncontrollably under the impact, and he roared in frenzy. He had lived for several centuries now, and yet, he actually suffered two consecutive setbacks in the hands of the same person. The overwhelming feeling of shame left him so angry that he could explode on the spot. “You bastard, I will rip you into pieces!” 

Roaring angrily, the zhenqi in his body billowed as he prepared to charge forward. But before he could make a move, a derisive smile had already emerged on the lips of the young man in front of him. “I advise you not to move recklessly. And also, it would be wise for you to avoid driving your zhenqi as well… Otherwise, you will only be hastening your own death!” “What do you mean?” Seeing the fearless smile on the young man’s face, sathvik narrowed his eyes warily. 

“I don’t mean anything much… Just that when I struck you earlier, I inserted two needles into your cheeks.” vipin replied calmly. “Needles?” sathvik’s body froze. It was only in this moment that he realized that there were indeed two additional needles on his cheeks. Due to the powerful might of the slap he had suffered earlier, he hadn’t sensed the presence of the needles at all.

 “The antidote…” Swiftly withdrawing the needles, he hurriedly retrieved a pill from his storage ring and swallowed it. He had witnessed the formidable potency of the poison with his eyes—even a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle expert had died within three seconds of being afflicted with the poison! While his cultivation was currently at HalfGrand Dominion realm after consuming the Insane Demon Breakthrough Pill, he still wouldn’t last more than ten seconds before a poison as lethal as that!

 “Consuming the antidote can spare you from death, but if my eyes fail me not, the side effects of the antidote will induce numbness in your body in the short run. You aren’t even a match for me in your peak condition, so how do you expect to defeat me in your current state?” vipin chuckled softly as he slowly made his way forward toward sathvik. He raised his palm slowly and thrust it down lightly. 

Kacha! A tremendous pressure fell on sathvik and shattered all of the bones in his body in an instant, rendering him completely helpless on the ground. The young man was right. Since he wasn’t a match for the other party in his peak condition, how could he possibly defeat the other party in his current state? “What other trump cards do you have? Take them all out at once! If this is all you got, don’t you think that it’s laughable for you to attempt to take my life?” 

Crushing sathvik firmly to the ground, vipin glanced down at him impassively. The both of them had crossed blows with one another back at the black market, so sathvik should know that he had over a hundred puppets and sabers in his possession. To be safe, the latter should have assumed that he would have other means in his hands as well. Yet, sathvik still dared to attempt an assassination on him, even declaring proudly that he would claim his life… If this was all sathvik had, a pill and a sword, he was really being a little too conceited over here! 

“Oh? You are indeed a smart person… But smart people tend to die premature deaths!” Spurting another mouthful of blood, savagery returned to sathvik’s face. Gathering whatever strength he had left, he flicked his wrist, and the sword in his hand flew into the stream not too far away. “I have already given you the sword, so it’s about time for you to fulfill the end of your bargain…” The stream began billowing furiously before a massive column of water rushed into the sky, as if heralding the arrival of an unparalleled existence.

 Following which, an old man slowly walked out of the water column, headed toward vipin. He naturally commanded a grand and imposing appearance, reminiscent of a deity. “It’s no wonder why sathvik wants to kill you. You are indeed extraordinary.” the old man chuckled. Then, his eyes abruptly turned cold, “It’s really a pity to see someone as talented as you going down prematurely, but I guess it can’t be helped…” Huala! With a flick of his finger, a sharp surge of sword qi whizzed toward vipin. 

------oOo------ 

Chapter 1278: - faqid 

 This surge of sword qi descended from the sky with a might almost comparable to a comet. The surrounding space froze as soon as the sword qi appeared, making it nigh impossible to avoid the attack. “Grand Dominion realm primary stage?” vipin narrowed his eyes in astonishment. Who could have thought that the old man hiding in the stream would actually be a real Grand Dominion realm expert, stronger than even Pavilion Master chirayu himself! More importantly… “His comprehension of swordsmanship is also on par with reshma, reaching Half-Quintessence!” 

To possess superior cultivation and exceptional mastery of swordsmanship… Even normal Grand Dominion realm primary stage experts would find it hard to rival him! Si la! In the midst of vipin’s shock, the sword qi had already appeared before him, colliding with the one-meter Dominion he had constructed around him. 

Kacha! The sword qi sliced right through his Dominion like butter, opening a small gap that allowed it to advance forward unhindered. “Halt!” vipin swiftly concentrated the strength of his Dominion to hinder the sword qi as much as it could. At the same time, he also thrust his palm forward in order to fend it off. Peng! Despite the defenses vipin had put up, the tremendous might of the sword qi was still too much for him to bear. 

His face paled, and he was sent flying straight into a massive tree behind him. To think that even when using his full might together with his barrier, he would still be unable to withstand the other party’s attack! “It’s no wonder why sathvik is unable to defeat you. You actually managed to grasp the primary form of Dominion… To be able to achieve this despite being only at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, your talent is really beyond my imagination!” On the other hand, seeing that his slash had only injured vipin, the old man in the stream remarked wintry. 

The coldness in his eyes deepened as he continued, “All the more reason to kill you!” A genius of this caliber was bound to come from a powerful lineage. Since they had already made a move, they would have to ensure that the other party was killed through and through, or else this matter would come back to haunt them in the future. They couldn’t afford to take such a risk! “Who are you?” Struggling to his feet, vipin spat through gritted teeth. 

“Since you are already bound for death, I’ll at least fulfill satisfy this little curiosity of yours. I am the Sword of Faint Warble, faqid, and the Boss of the black market is my younger brother, Sword of Faint Whispers, sathvik!” the old man, faqid, said. “faqid?” vipin pondered for a moment before shaking his head. He had been in chong empire for a day now, and toward those two names, he only had four words to say… Never heard of it! “Now that your curiosity is satisfied, it’s about time for me to send you off on your trip down!” faqid spoke coldly. 

Unwilling to waste his breath anymore, he flicked out another sword qi with his finger. This attack was even more fearsome than the one before. As soon as the burst of sword qi was released, the entire formation began shaking, as if even the grade-8 Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation wasn’t resilient enough to withstand the might of the sword qi! If he could wield such strength without a sword in hand, how powerful would he be armed? With a face livid with graveness, vipin knew that he mustn’t take faqid’s attack face on.

 Thus, he flicked his wrist, and a formation plate appeared in his hand. It was the very same formation plate which sathvik had thrown out previously, but vipin had managed to take it for his own! Hong long! Instead of using it to trap faqid, vipin used the formation to shroud 

himself instead, and his silhouette swiftly disappeared in the mist produced by the formation. A Beguilement Formation could be used to trap others, but it could also prevent the enemy from finding one in the short-term. But of course, such a course of actions had its own setbacks too. Firstly, it would be much easier for the enemy to break the formation from the outside. 

Secondly, placing oneself in the midst of a Beguilement Formation was as good as trapping oneself in a cage! Even if the cage was shrouded with a cloth, a relentless barrage of attacks from the outside would still eventually wear down and destroy whatever that was on the inside. “Interesting. Let me see how long you can hide for!” Chuckling softly, faqid took a step forward and sent another burst of sword qi over. It sliced an opening through the mist easily, reminiscent of a sword cutting through mud. 

Astonishingly, instead of caving back in to fill up the opening, the mist actually remained firmly parted, as if there was some kind of force preventing them from converging in once more. With just one look, it was obvious that the formation plate had been ruined. Regardless of whether a formation was constructed using formation flags or a formation plate, there were two ways to overcome it. First, understanding the principles behind it and finding its flaws or Life Gate. Second, using brute force to destroy it.

 faqid’s formation plate was only at quasi grade-8. It could still trap Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle or Half-Grand Dominion realm cultivators, but against a true Grand Dominion realm expert, let alone one who had comprehended Half-Quintessence, it was inevitable that its resilience would be lacking. A slash to overcome all means! As long as one’s strength had reached a certain mark, regardless of what kind of ridiculous abilities others were to throw at one, a single slash would be able to put them right back in place! And the current faqid wielded such strength.

 vipin had many means up his sleeves, but against faqid, they were all sorely lacking. After slicing the mist into two, faqid waved his hand slightly. Kacha! The mist dissipated without a trace, and a severed formation plate fell to the ground. Without the formation to conceal him, vipin’s silhouette appeared once more. In just a few breaths, the young man had changed into a fresh set of clothes. 

More than that, his aura seemed to have become loftier, and his eyes carried disdain from everything in the world. If one had to describe his attitude, it would be that of the indomitable conqueror of the world, peerless and unmatched by any other. If not for the identical face and soul, faqid would have really thought that the young man had swapped positions with someone else. “No matter what means you use, there’s no way you will be able to bridge the vast difference in strength between the both of us. 

Even if you change your clothes and disposition, it won’t make a difference at all. It’s all futile!” Sneering coldly, faqid flicked another sword qi at vipin once more. Si la! The air was split apart once more, and a chilling glint whizzed swiftly across the air. He can’t even deal with such trash? He sure is regressing with time… vipin shook his head in disappointment. With a swift step, his figure suddenly blurred. Wu! In the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared in mid-air and threw a fist forward. Huala! “Do you really think that you stand a chance against me?”

 Seeing how the young man who had struggled to withstand even a single burst of sword qi from him was attempting a counterattack, faqid scoffed in disdain. A cold glint flashed across his eyes, and he flicked another burst of sword qi forward. That burst of sword qi clashed directly with vipin’s fist, and a powerful shockwave rippled from the collision, causing the entire formation to tremble non-stop. The collision lasted for just an instant before the sword qi shattered into countless fragments and scattered the surroundings, leaving sharp gorges all over the ground. 

“What?” Astonished by the outcome of the collision, faqid widened his eyes in astonishment, and he unwittingly took a few steps back. Earlier, even when using a technique similar to a Dominion, the young man was still unable to fend against his sword qi. Yet, just by changing his clothes, it was as if the young man had turned into a completely different person! To actually catch his sword qi with a brute punch… Furthermore, he shockingly realized that… the other party’s fist seemed to be even more resilient than his sword qi? “I don’t believe it. There’s just no way a person’s cultivation could grow that quickly. 

He must have used some kind of method, some kind of method!” Shaking away his astonishment, faqid flicked his finger with greater force than before, sending forth a sword qi far stronger than before. Halfway in its movement, the sword qi abruptly divided into countless surges of sword qi that filled up the entire sky. These surges of sword qi seemed to harmonize with one another, releasing the metallic call of a sword, resembling waves in a sea. Sea of a Thousand Blades! 

This was one of the most powerful techniques of the Sword Lagoon, and clearly, reshma wasn’t the only one who had managed to comprehend this move. Si la! The sea of sword qi swiftly gushed toward vipin, and a black streak seemed to vaguely appear along the path where it passed by, as if even space was unable to withstand its stupendous might. “A mere child’s play!” vipin sneered coldly as he took a single step forward. He raised his palm high in the sky and pressed it down powerfully.

 It was the same palm strike which was used against sathvik earlier, but its might was far stronger than before. Even when faced against the sea of sword qi, it was like a swat smacking away a fly, an unquestionable suppression. Right after resolving the sea of sword qi, vipin immediately flitted forward, appearing before faqid in the blink of an eye. Without any hesitation, he shot a fist toward the latter’s abdomen. 

Peng! Caught off guard, faqid didn’t even manage to put up his defenses when a colossal might sunk into him. His lungs suffocated in that instant, and ‘sou!’, he was sent flying diagonally the ground. He tumbled along the ground many times, creating hole after hole in his wake. “How can this be? This is impossible!” In this moment, the severely wounded faqid had nothing but disbelief left inside his head.

 It wasn’t too long ago that he wielded the absolute advantage in the battle, so how could the other party suddenly overpower him by so much in just a few moments? He wasn’t just any ordinary Grand Dominion realm primary stage cultivator, he was a genius who had comprehended Half-Quintessence! There was not a single person in chong Empire who came close to being a match for him!

 Yet, someone as strong as him wasn’t able to receive a single punch from that young man… Was that young man really just a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator? Very quickly, faqid’s disbelief turned into rage. He had been an indomitable existence to those around him for a good part of his life, and he couldn’t accept being defeated by a mere young lad so easily. “Screw this!” Suppressing his injuries, he pushed himself out of the pit he was in forcefully. In this moment, the elegance and grace he had when he first appeared had already turned into unkempt and fury.

 “Screw this? The only one who is going to be screwed here is you!” vipin replied coldly as his figure blurred once more. This time, the attack that faqid found himself faced against wasn’t a punch nor a palm strike but a kick. “You…” This kick wasn’t a battle technique, and there was nothing notable about it skills-wise either. However, the might it wielded was staggering, to the point where it felt as if no human could stand against it. For a moment there, faqid felt as if the heavens were collapsing down on him! 

“Damn it! Damn it!” faqid cursed furiously as he quickly drove his zhenqi furiously, sending out as many sword qi as he could. In an instant, a sphere constructed out of sword qi surrounded him. Battle technique, Great River of Swords! This was a defensive technique that served to create a spherical river of sword qi around one, neutralizing any external attacks that were to land on it. In terms of defensive ability, it could be said to be even stronger than a Dominion! Kacha! 

As soon as the kick landed on the sphere, a resounding ‘jiya!’ echoed deafeningly in the surroundings, seemingly threatening to burst the spherical river of sword qi. With a livid face, faqid gritted his teeth and infused even more sword qi into the defensive technique, attempting to sustain it. “Hmph!” vipin’s eyebrows shot up as he intensified the strength exerted by his leg. Boom! Under the swiftly growing might of the kick, the sphere eventually came to its limit and burst. 

Pu! faqid spurted a mouthful of fresh blood as he flew out once more, crashing forcefully to the ground. “You actually think that you could kill me with skills like yours? You sure know how to dream!” vipin slowly walked over on mid-air before stopping right above faqid. With his hands behind his back, he gazed sternly down on the latter, reminiscent of a peerless God of War. “I…” At this point, faqid’s mental defenses had already collapsed. Frightened by the imposing disposition of the young man before him, he couldn’t help but crawl backward in fear. 

The young man was simply too strong! Without using Dominion or any powerful battle technique, just by sheer brute strength, the young man was able to overcome all of his means. To make things worse, the young man’s body was also unbelievably resilient. Despite clashing multiple times with his sword qi, there wasn’t the slightest scratch to be seen on his skin at all! At this rate, he might really just die!

 “Just what kind of existence is this fellow?” faqid couldn’t help but feel a shred of regret. Had he known that the young man would be so powerful, he would have never agreed to help faqid and place himself in this mess. He thought that the other party was just an insignificant shrimp whom he could crush to death at a wave of his hand, but in the midst of his battle, he realized what he was faced against was an inviolable dragon instead! “This won’t do. I’ll really die like this! 

Since that’s the case, I can only give it a try then…” faqid gritted his teeth and toughened his resolve. He swiftly rushed toward the stream before slitting his wrist with a flick of his finger. Fresh blood began spurting out wildly. Tzzzzzzzzz! As more and more fresh blood flowed out of his body, faqid’s face shriveled more and more, and his black hair swiftly turned snowy white.

 It felt as if his vitality was flowing away along with his blood, causing his rapid aging. With a feeble but indignant voice, he exclaimed, “Over the years, I have offered countless blades to you… Now, I have even tributed the Sword of Faint Whispers, Sword of Faint Warble, and even my own fresh blood to you… Isn’t it about time for you to appear? Or are you just going to lie dormant here for your entire life?” Hong long long! 

The earth began shaking uncontrollably, and the water in the stream raged furiously. The Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation shrouding this area also began to shake intensely as a result of this furious surge of power, seemingly on the verge of collapsing altogether! “What’s that?” vipin narrowed his eyes.

 ------oOo------ 

Chapter 1279: - Movements From All Fronts 

The sight before him was simply too scary. Even ‘he’ had to rely on the Library of Heaven’s Path to overcome the Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation, and yet, just the power surging from the stream was enough to leave the formation on the verge of collapsing. Most likely, whatever that was hidden beneath the stream had already exceeded his ability to deal with. Si la! In vipin’s moment of shock, a powerful Sword Intent suddenly burst into the sky, tearing right through the Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation and soaring up into the sky, reminiscent of pillar of blinding light that connected the heavens with the earth. 

Huaji! Huaji! Along with the appearance of the ray of light, vipin felt the Sword Intent within him being completely suppressed, preventing him from utilizing it at all. Following which, the earth began shaking intensely, and a scarlet stone platform slowly rose from a crack in the stream. There was a sword plunged into the stone platform. Even from afar, one could already feel an unbelievably sharp sword qi harnessed within the sword, and it felt as if it was threatening to slice them into thin shreds. 

“That is… a Saint high-tier artifact?” vipin’s face warped in astonishment as he clenched his fists tightly. A powerful aura which could burst a hole even through the Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation, along with that indomitable Sword Intent—there could only be one possibility… The weapon before him had far surpassed the level of ordinary Saint intermediate-tier artifacts, reaching the level of Saint high-tier! Only a weapon of that caliber could wield the strength to overwhelm even a grade-8 formation and instill a feeling of helplessness in him. 

“That must be the personal sword of the Old Sword Maestro!” While vipin still pondering over the matter, another identical ‘vipin’ appeared with a grim look on his face. Naturally, the one who had subdued faqid with ease earlier was the clone, and the one who had just appeared was the real vipin. Previously, when the real vipin realized that he wouldn’t be a match for faqid, he swiftly concealed himself within the mist and made use of the opportunity to swap places with his clone. 

And his clone really didn’t let him down, crushing faqid with ease… Just that, he didn’t think that faqid would still have another card up his sleeves! Considering how the sword was lying in the middle of the Sword Lagoon, the chances were that it was the personal sword which the Old Sword Maestro had left behind. Could it be that faqid had successfully tamed the sword? If that was the case, they would really be in a dire position. 

“Like I have told you, only when you have truly comprehended Sword Quintessence will you be qualified to make me submit to you and obtain that old man’s heritage… Why are you waking me at this moment? Do my words sound like a joke to you?” A crisp voice reminiscent of a bell sounded from the sword. There was a special quality to the voice that allowed it to echo even within one’s soul. 

Saint high-tier artifacts had the ability to slay Primordial Spirit and erode one’s mental fortitude. If one were to get careless around them, one’s state of mind could very well be shaken by them. “Elder, the reason why I pleaded for you to appear is to request your help in dealing with my enemy… I hope that you can help me kill that, that…” faqid turned around to point at vipin, but the sight that he saw left his face freezing in shock instead. He was sure that there was only one ‘vipin’ earlier, so how did he split into two all of a sudden? 

“Kill?” The sword embedded in the stone platform also swiftly understood what was going on, and in the next moment, vipin suddenly felt a wave of Sword Intent locking in place and assessing him from head to toe. He tried resisting it, but he found that he was unable to move at all. Realizing that he was completely helpless against that sword, cold sweat began dripping down his back. “Y-yes!” 

It took a while before faqid recovered from his shock, and he hurriedly nodded in response. “The items you have tributed to me over the years did help me regain consciousness. In view of your efforts, I’ll grant you this favor and kill a person for you. However, you are still lacking in your mastery of swordsmanship for me to submit to you. We’ll only talk about that after you have comprehended Sword Quintessence.” 

After saying those words, the sword on the stone platform trembled slightly, and a powerful wave of Sword Intent abruptly caved in on the two vipins. It felt like as long as the sword were to will it, the both of them would be killed easily. “Thank you, elder!” Seeing that the sword was willing to stand up on his behalf, faqid heaved a huge sigh of relief. He directed a savage look at the two young men, and the deep hatred in his eyes was apparent.

 If not for those two fellows, he could have used the tributing of the Sword of Faint Whispers and Sword of Faint Warble to win the goodwill of the sword, and with that, he might just be able to convince the latter to hand him the heritage. But now… he could only expend the goodwill with the sword for a favor to kill that bastard. Just like this, this ideal opportunity for a breakthrough was blown! 

Just as faqid thought that the sword was going to make a move, the sword’s doubtful voice suddenly sounded, “Which one of those two do you want me to kill?” “Which one of those two?” faqid frowned upon hearing that question. In truth, he was also deeply perplexed over this matter. Shouldn’t there be only one of Master Teacher vipin? Why would there suddenly be two of them? Could they be twins?

 But even twins wouldn’t have such identical appearances, dispositions, and even souls! “I am the real one, he’s the fake!” “I am the real one, he’s the fake!” The two vipins simultaneously pointed to one another, glaring at the other indignantly. “This…” Seeing how even the movements of those two fellows were identical, as if a mirror, faqid fell into a daze. … While such a farce was occurring within the formation, a huge commotion had broken out amidst the crowd outside.

 All of the sword practitioners had halted their cultivation to look at the burst of Sword Intent in the air, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably in agitation. “That must be from the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword! Does it mean that… the heritage is about to surface?” “I have waited so many years just for this day! Let’s go over to take a look!” “I must snatch over the heritage no matter who obtains it, otherwise my centuries of hard work would have gone to vain…” “I shall slay anyone who stands in my way of obtaining the heritage!”

 Everyone’s eyes had reddened upon seeing this sight. Some were out of agitation, some were out of envy, some were out of greed, and some were out of all three. Many of them had camped here for several centuries now, and it was not without reason why they would devote such a huge portion of their lifespan in the Sword Lagoon.

 Of course, a part of the reason was to advance their comprehension of swordsmanship, but more than that, they were biding their time for the day that the heritage of the Old Sword Maestro rose from the dirt! Otherwise, even if they could refine their mastery of swordsmanship in the Sword Lagoon, they would have never wasted several centuries of their life here… The Old Sword Maestro had stood at the very peak of chong Empire. Countless opponents had challenged him, and some were even experts from the Empire Alliance, but he remained undefeated until his death.

 If they could obtain his heritage, they would be able to overcome their current bottleneck and reach far greater heights! “It must the young man who has just entered. Let’s head over to take a look!” Someone amidst the crowd exclaimed, and the crowd hurriedly rushed toward the area behind the stone wall. Previously, a young man had easily defeated reshma, who had comprehended the Half-Quintessence, and barely ten minutes after he walked into the formation, a huge pillar of Sword Intent suddenly rose from within. 

For such a situation to occur, it could only mean that the young man had managed to free the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword from its seal! The emergence of the Old Sword Maestro’s heritage was an opportunity of a lifetime. The young man might have displayed astounding might earlier, but just this much wouldn’t deter them from fighting over the heritage. Very soon, they arrived before the formation. 

The structure of the Chaotic Palace Beguilement Formation had already been destroyed by the burst of Sword Intent from the sword earlier, putting it in a precarious situation, on the verge of shattering at any moment. It might have been difficult for them to overcome the formation in the past, but in its current state, it wouldn’t be able to hinder their passageway anymore. 

“Everyone, let’s calm down and discuss a plan first. We have all witnessed that fellow’s strength, and it’s apparent that he’s no ordinary cultivator. One on one, none of us will be an opponent for him. Thus, I propose that we collaborate with one another to subdue him first!” an old man halted the crowd and said. “He’s right. We’ll only stand a chance against that fellow if we were to unite with one another!” a voice of agreement swiftly sounded from the crowd. 

“But how do we determine the allocation of the heritage after that?” asked another member of the crowd. “We have known each other for quite some time now, so we have some understanding of what each of us is capable of. So, I say that we collaborate with one another to obtain the heritage first, and after that, we can study the heritage together!” the old man suggested. “Sounds good to me!” Voices of consent swiftly rippled through the crowd. 

The Old Sword Maestro’s heritage was bound to be incredibly profound. If they were sufficiently talented to figure it by themselves, they wouldn’t have ended up sitting before the stone wall for centuries yet still be unable to take the final step forward. Besides, they also knew that if any one of them were to attempt to claim the heritage for himself, that person would never make it out of here alive. Assuming that that person really did manage to escape from their encirclement, his friends and family would also swiftly meet with the vengeance of those gathered here.

 “Good. Let’s proceed ahead then!” Having successfully come to a consensus, the crowd began marching into the formation. … At the same time, on the island, many young men were standing opposite to one another with wary looks in their eyes. “neel, we can be considered as old acquaintances with one another, so you should know that even if you are able to snatch away my jade token, you will end up sustaining severe injuries yourself as well. 

By then, you would be easily eliminated by other candidates too. Since that’s the case, why don’t we team up to eliminate the others instead?” one of the young men proposed. Standing opposite to the young man was the person whom reshma recognized as ‘neel’. neel contemplated for a moment before replying with an amiable smile, “ekram is right. If we were to clash with one another, the victor will surely be severely wounded at the end of the battle. 

It’s simply not worthwhile. In any case, we only have to eliminate 10 more candidates, so it would be wiser for us to team up and eliminate other candidates. There’s really no need to fight this tough battle.” “Very well. Let’s make a Master Teacher dafiq then. We shall work with one another to eliminate others, and we are not to turn on one another until the end of the secondary selection.” 

ekram said. A Master Teacher dafiq was more of an informal promise, and it wasn’t binding. Nevertheless, in view of their standing, it was unlikely that they would stoop so low as to renege on their words. “Very well…” neel nodded, but halfway through his words, there was suddenly an abrupt disturbance in the spiritual energy in the surroundings. Following which, a pillar of Sword Intent burst into the sky.

 “A treasure has surfaced…” The eyes of the young men gathered in the area narrowed their eyes. They were all top-notch geniuses in their own regions, and every single one of them was deeply knowledgeable. The Sword Intent was powerful, but it carried no hostility at all. As such, it was unlikely to be the emanated by a cultivator. Since that was the case, it was likely to be the occurrence of a phenomenon as a result of the emergence of a treasure. “I heard that chong Empire has a Sword Lagoon, and hidden within it is an exceptionally powerful Saint artifact. 

There was once an expert who attempted to venture into the depths of the Sword Lagoon to uncover the secret behind it, only to be chased away by the chong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion under the pretext that this was a heritage left behind for the populace of chong Empire, so it should only be acquired by them… All along, I thought that it was only a legend, but this… Could the island we are on really be the Sword Lagoon?” ekram exclaimed with fists tightly clenched in agitation.

 All of them had heard of chong Empire’s Sword Lagoon, but they didn’t think that the secondary selection would actually be held there. More importantly, the powerful Sword Intent that was radiating from that blinding pillar of light was a clear sign that the treasure that had surfaced possessed extraordinary strength! Whether the legend was true or not, as long as they could obtain that treasure, their strength would surely increase by leaps and bounds.

 With a superior Saint-tier artifact in hand, they would be able to make a name for themselves even in a place as competitive as the Sanctum of Sages! “Let’s head over to take a look!” With irrepressible excitement on his face, ekram proposed. “Let’s not hurry into making a move first. Considering the scale of the phenomenon, everyone on the island should have noticed the emergence of the treasure by now. Given so, there’s bound to be a tough fight over it. Since that’s the case, why don’t we make an agreement to team up first? Otherwise… with our strength, we won’t have much of an advantage over others, especially against that vipin!” neel quickly halted the crowd and said.

 “vipin? The rules of the secondary selection prohibit the usage of puppets and weapons. That lad is just powerful for his own cultivation realm. As long as we don’t suppress our cultivation, we’ll surely be able to thrash him with ease!” ekram replied casually, clearly not thinking of vipin as a threat. There was an unbreachable gap between the strength of Primordial Spirit realm cultivators and Leaving Aperture realm cultivators—this was common knowledge known to all cultivators.

 As long as he fought with his full strength, he should be able to subdue vipin easily! “The rule which kundan has set is that artifacts are not to be used in any manner that contributes to the elimination of a candidate. If he were to just use his puppets to keep us at bay, preventing up from getting to the treasure, that wouldn’t be against the rules!” neel replied. “This…” ekram was taken aback. 

Thinking about it once more, kundan did say that artifacts weren’t allowed in the elimination of other candidates… As long as vipin didn’t attempt to break their jade tokens with his puppets, whatever actions he made with his puppets wouldn’t be considered as an infringement of the rules. “What do you suggest then?” ekram hesitated for a moment before asking. With just the strength of the few of them, they wouldn’t be a match for those puppets even if they were to team up with one another. 

“Simple… As soon as we meet vipin, we should just charge forward and subdue him before he can release his puppets. With our combined strength, we should stand a pretty good chance at success!” neel said as a glint flashed across his eyes. 

------oOo------ 

Chapter 1280: - Five Minutes 

 “Charge forward and subdue him?” ekram and the other young men fell into deep contemplation. “With our strength, as long as we collaborate with one another, it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to seal his cultivation before he can release his artifacts! Once we succeed, we won’t have to worry about him anymore. By then, we can just fight it out amongst ourselves to determine the allocation of the treasure. What do you say about that?” neel analyzed the situation for the crowd. “vipin will indeed be a huge trouble to deal with if we don’t strike him down promptly. 

As long as he remains in the race, there’s no way any one of us will be able to acquire the treasure. I approve of your idea!” ekram nodded. The others also quickly expressed their agreement to the temporary collaboration as well. “Alright. Since we are all agreeable to the matter, let’s make a Master Teacher dafiq. Anyone who violates our agreement shall have his reputation torn to shreds!” neel said. 

“Very well!” The others nodded in agreement. Very soon, everyone made their vows, and the group began making their way in the direction where the treasure had appeared. As powerful as the massive formation 1 cast over the island was, as topnotch geniuses, it didn’t take long for the group to overcome it and make their way over the stone wall. Circumventing the stone wall, they soon found themselves standing at the boundary of a land shrouded in mist. 

There, they found that all of the remaining twenty or so candidates were gathered in the area as well. “Shall we make an agreement? Let’s first obtain the treasure before fighting it out amongst us?” neel swiftly raised his previous suggestion to the larger crowd. “Very well!” The crowd knew that a temporary teamwork with the others would boost their chances of acquiring the treasure, so they swiftly agreed to neel’s idea. … 

“Regardless of which one is real and which one is fake, just kill the both of them to be safe!” Lying on the ground, sathvik exclaimed anxiously. “Indeed, elder. Please kill both of them for me…” faqid clasped his fist to the sword and requested. Dealing with one vipin had nearly cost him his life. Now that another had popped up, he wouldn’t stand a chance at all without the help of the sword. 

“Kill the both of them? Well, I guess that I can help you. However, don’t you think that you should show some sincerity in exchange? For example, another sword of the same caliber of the Sword of Faint Warble…” “This…” faqid’s face twitched. Finding an ordinary Saint intermediate-tier artifact in chong Empire was no difficult feat, but those of the Sword of Faint Warble’s caliber only numbered a few, and they were extremely difficult to find and obtain. 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put himself at risk and agree to help sathvik over his sword. “Elder, you also know that swords of that caliber are extremely hard to find. If you could just give me some time, I promise you that I’ll find one for you. However, that young man over there must be killed as soon as possible, or else there’ll be great trouble…” faqid hesitated for a brief moment before replying anxiously. 

But before he could finish his words, the young man not too far away had already interjected with a voice filled with disdain, “In the end, you are just unwilling to offer my sword to the elder!” Following that, one of the vipins stepped forward, and with deep indignation reflected in his eyes, he cried, “Elder, do you know why the both of them are so determined to kill me? 

That’s because they have stolen a top-notch Saint intermediate-tier sword which has been passed down through my clan over many generations from me! It’s out of fear that I would alert the elders in my clan of the matter that he lured me here, intending to silence me!” “You are saying that we stole your sword?” 

“Who in the world stole your sword? You are the one who stole my spirit stones and the Annal of Bedstead Disquisition from me, you bastard!” Not expecting those two vipins to interject at this crucial moment, faqid and sathvik were stunned for a moment before they lashed out furiously. Can you get any more shameless than that? When have we stolen your sword? Don’t you dare hurl false accusations at us! On the other hand, after hearing the words from the two vipin, the sword on the stone platform shook its blade and sealed faqid and sathvik’s mouths with its sword qi. After which, it asked, “Lad, you said that faqid stole your sword? What tier is it?”

 “Elder, my sword is at Half-Grand Dominion realm. Even though it hasn’t reached Saint high-tier yet, it isn’t too far from that… An elder in my clan has bestowed it to me in case I encounter any danger in my journey, and he has reminded me time and time again not to lose it!” One of the vipins replied anxiously. “A Half-Grand Dominion realm sword?” The sword in the platform harrumphed coldly, and a burst of Sword Intent suddenly emanated from it, as if reflecting the overwhelming rage it was in.

 “Elder, don’t listen to his nonsense! I have never taken his sword! Besides, he’s just an ordinary cultivator, so how could he possibly have such a powerful sword in his possession?” faqid desperately explained. The spirits within weapons tended to be innocent and candid in nature. For some reason, the personal sword of the Old Sword Maestro had an interest in collecting other high-tier swords. 

Thus, faqid brought the Sword of Faint Whisper and Sword of Faint Warble over, hoping to win the sword’s goodwill through offering them. He thought that after several centuries of companionship, they would already be considered as friends with one another. Yet, the sword actually chose to trust the words of that young man over his! “Who are you saying is an ordinary cultivator? 

I am a genius of a Sage Clan, the shen kabila at that! Elder, if you don’t believe my words, you can check my blood…” As he said those words, vipin flicked a droplet of blood toward the sword lodged in the stone platform. “Offspring of Sage Clans possess the strength of old Sages in their bloodline. Through using a unique method, it’s possible to draw out the Sage Aura in it…” the sword on the stone platform mumbled as it shook its blade.

 Wuuuuuuuu! Numerous surges of sword qi landed on the droplet of blood, and a slight, divine aura rippled out from it. “It’s very thin, to the point that it’s almost negligible, but without a doubt, you do possess the bloodline of a Sage Clan…” the sword said. “This…” faqid body stiffened. In the information which sathvik had provided him, vipin should have just been an insignificant figure from rosaat Empire. 

When in the world did he become an offspring of a Sage Clan, not to mention, the powerful shen kabila at that? If he had known that vipin was related to the shen kabila, he would have never dared to make a move on him! “Elder, please don’t listen to the nonsense that fellow is uttering! One must possess a very high comprehension over swordsmanship before one can possibly earn the recognition of a Half-Grand Dominion realm sword. However, that fellow is a saber practitioner. 

Even if he knows a little of swordsmanship as well, there’s no way his minor understanding in the Way of Sword would be sufficient for him to tame such a sword…” Seeing that the sword was beginning to waver, sathvik quickly spoke up. Since neither faqid nor he was a match for vipin, they only had the personal sword of the Old Sword Maestro to fall back on. Their fates were dependent on the decision made by the sword. If the sword were to be beguiled by vipin, they would be the ones who would die here today!

 Recalling their encounter with vipin so far, he had shown superior proficiency in saber art, fist art, palm art, and movement art, but as for sword art… it didn’t seem like he knew much about it. Swords were light and agile whereas sabers were heavy and powerful. While both weapons may appear similar, they were very different in nature. Those who were proficient in the saber were not necessarily proficient in the sword too!

 As long as they were to bite relentlessly on this point, they should be able to convince the sword that it was impossible for vipin to have a HalfGrand Dominion realm sword in his possession, and that vipin had been lying all this while! As expected, as soon as it heard those words from sathvik, the sword on the stone platform immediately spoke with a displeased voice, “Lad, you specialize in saber art?”

 For many years, sabers and swords had been in a rivaling relationship, both vying for supremacy. Naturally, the sword would be displeased to hear that vipin specialized in the saber instead. “Elder, please don’t listen to the lies he is spouting! I am a sword practitioner, so the weapon I specialize in is naturally the sword! My comprehension of swordsmanship has already reached the level of Upper Sword Heart, so how can I possibly be a saber practitioner?” 

vipin exclaimed indignantly as he tapped his finger forward. Tz la! A surge of sword qi flew across the air, causing a cold, sharp glint to reflect onto the surroundings. From the pure Sword Intent, it could be deduced that vipin had long reached the level of Upper Sword Heart, just a step away from HalfQuintessence. 

“You…” Arriving at the same conclusion as well, faqid and sathvik were stunned. It was just a moment ago they had seen that fellow controlling over a hundred Saint low-tier sabers to deal with sathvik’s formation plate, so they assumed that he specialized in the saber… Yet, how in the world did his field of specialty turn into the sword all of a sudden? 

Furthermore, they realized that his Sword Intent was so pure that even theirs paled in comparison to it! “A pure and firm Sword Intent! Those who don’t carry true passion toward swordsmanship will never be able to comprehend such a realm!” the sword on the stone platform complimented earnestly.

 “H-how can this be…” faqid and sathvik’s bodies stiffened. It was apparent from the sword’s tone that it was full of approval for vipin… If so, things were really bad for them. It would be nigh impossible for them to convince the sword to kill the young man. “In order to become closer with the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword, I spent the last five hundred years offering treasures and artifacts to it.

 The wealth I have spent on it can easily number up to several ten thousand concentrated high-tier spirit stones… On top of that, my comprehension of swordsmanship has reached Half-Quintessence as well. Yet, after so many years, not once have I ever received its recognition… How could that fellow receive the sword’s compliment despite only being at Upper Sword Heart?” 

faqid couldn’t accept the situation. Taming a high-tier sword was somewhat similar to taming a beast. Continuous and steady effort was required for the high-tier sword to accept one. In order to get close the Old Sword Maestro’s personal sword, he had gone to great lengths, but never once did he receive the other party’s compliment. On the other hand, vipin had only spoken a few words, but the sword was already full for compliments for him… When did the sword become so understanding?

 If the sword had been so understanding from the start, he wouldn’t have failed to make any progress despite centuries of effort! “Wait a moment… That fellow is using demonic tunes and Impartation of Heaven’s Will!” sathvik hurriedly sent a telepathic message over to faqid. He could tell that there was a unique quality to the other party’s voice that seemed to put one in a trance. If not for that, the sword would have never believed vipin so easily!

 “That bastard!” faqid also swiftly realized the same after sathvik had pointed it out, and his gaze swiftly turned cold. “Elder, please don’t fall for his deception…” faqid anxiously stepped forward and persuaded. However, vipin swiftly shot him a piercing glance and bellowed, “Silence!” After which, he turned his sight back to the sword and explained, “Elder, the main reason why those two men want to kill me is because… I have fully grasped the conception behind the Old Sword Maestro’s ‘剑 (Sword)’ character, and my comprehension of swordsmanship is also about to reach Sword Quintessence.

 They feared that I would overtake them, that’s why they have been wanting to suppress me for a long time now…” “You have fully grasped the ‘剑 (Sword)’ character?” the sword on the stone platform trembled intensely upon hearing those words, and it hurriedly asked on. “Of course!” vipin nodded proudly. “All in all, the character harnesses a total of 107 sword arts. On the surface, the sword arts appear to be individual of one another, and some of them were conflicting even, but… this is also where the wisdom of the Old Sword Maestro lies. 

He has managed to combine all 107 sword arts together to create a new sword art. Elder, may I know if my analysis is right?” The sword on the platform shook in agitation as it gestured on, “Continue!” “While the sword art doesn’t manifest itself in the ‘剑 (Sword)’ character, I am still able to deduce a part of it. 

Most likely, it would have a grand air so as to allow it to harness and control any sword art within it… If I’m not mistaken, the final sword art that the Old Sword Maestro has formed out of the 107 sword arts should be a type of Sword Formation, and in order to activate it, we would need your strength, elder!” vipin said. The scribblings on the stone tablet outside contained the knowledge of experts over many generations. 

While their interpretation was erroneous on a whole, there were bits and pieces of truth in each of them, and through the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was able to derive out the most accurate cultivation method to the sword arts. After which, with his deep understanding of swordsmanship, it wasn’t too hard for him to deduce a little ahead! “You’re right…” the sword on the stone tablet replied as it assessed the young man before it once more. The more it looked at the young man, the more satisfying he became to it. 

To be able to deduce this much from just the ‘剑 (Sword)’ character itself, the young man’s talent was really frighteningly high. If faqid could comprehend so much back then, it might have already submitted to him and became his weapon. “You said that you were about to reach Sword Quintessence… May I know how long will it take? Ten years? Fifty years? Or a hundred years?”

 the sword asked in agitation. The young man already managed to achieve a complete grasp of the character which the Old Sword Maestro had left behind. As long as he achieved Sword Quintessence, he would be able to meet the requirements for the Old Sword Maestro’s heritage. “I don’t need that much time…” At which, vipin closed his eyes before continuing, “Just give me a moment… Five minutes would do!” 

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