185: Chapter 185 Comprehending the True Meaning Before the Heavenly Sword Stele, A Single Sword Move Startles the Sword Inquiry Peak

The first round, the Sword Heart Illusion Array, eliminated nearly half of the participants.

Those who could walk out of the illusion array within one hour relying on their own Dao Heart were all individuals with firm will and stable Dao Hearts.

Ye Qing mixed into the crowd that had passed the assessment, his expression calm, as if what he had just experienced was merely a trivial matter.

Elder Jian Wuxin, who was responsible for presiding over the first round of the assessment, swept his gaze across everyone who had passed and nodded slightly.

His voice, still calm yet clear, spread throughout the entire venue: "Congratulations to everyone for passing the first round. Rest for a while, and in one hour, the second round of the assessment will begin—the Sword Dao Talent Test. The test location will be at the 'heavenly sword stele Forest' at the foot of Wenjian Peak."

Upon hearing the four words "heavenly sword stele Forest," many of the Cultivators who had passed the assessment revealed expressions intertwined with anticipation and gravity in their eyes.

Clearly, they had all heard of the illustrious reputation of the heavenly sword stele Forest.

The one-hour rest period passed in the blink of an eye.

Under the guidance of several Inner Sect Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the two hundred or so Cultivators who had passed the first round of the assessment arrived at a quieter and more solemn area located at the foot of Wenjian Peak—the heavenly sword stele Forest.

This stele forest was less of a forest and more of a stone formation composed of countless ancient stone steles of varying heights, sizes, and shapes.

These stone steles were cyan-gray in color, as if they had weathered endless years of wind and rain, their surfaces covered in mottled marks, yet they still exuded a sharp and ancient Sword Intent.

Each stone stele seemed like a silent Sword Dao Grandmaster, quietly recounting some profound truth of the Sword Dao.

The figure of Elder Jian Wuxin appeared before the stele forest once again.

He pointed to a stone stele in the center of the forest—the tallest one, pitch-black, as if carved from a single piece of obsidian, and emitting a faint, eerie light—and said: "That stone stele is one of the treasures of my Heavenly Sword Sect—the 'heavenly sword stele.' This stele contains the insights and understanding of the Sword Dao from the ancestors of my Heavenly Sword Sect throughout the ages.

You must come forward one by one, touch the surface of the stele with your palm, and meditate to comprehend. The stele will react accordingly based on your Sword Dao talent and Comprehension Ability.

The deeper your comprehension and the stronger the resonance you induce from the stele, the better your results.

Remember, act according to your ability; do not forcefully mobilize your Divine Soul power, lest you suffer a backlash."

His gaze swept across everyone's faces, his tone becoming a bit more serious: "There is no fixed standard for the second round of the assessment. Anyone who can induce the heavenly sword stele to emit a sword hum is considered qualified.

The louder the sword hum and the longer it lasts, the higher your Sword Dao talent and Comprehension Ability. Do you all understand?"

"Understood!"

The Cultivators replied in unison, their voices filled with a fighting spirit eager to try.

The test began very quickly.

One by one, the Cultivators stepped forward, harboring feelings of nervousness or anticipation, and placed their palms on the pitch-black heavenly sword stele.

For most of the Cultivators, after placing their palms on it, the heavenly sword stele showed no reaction, like an ordinary stone.

These people could only retreat in despondency, knowing they were not fated for the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Occasionally, the heavenly sword stele would emit a slight humming sound, like that of a mosquito, which would draw envious gazes from those around.

This meant that their Sword Dao talent had received initial recognition from the heavenly sword stele, granting them the qualification to participate in the third round of arena combat.

The test proceeded quickly.

By the time it was Ye Qing's turn, dozens of people had already passed the assessment, inducing sword hums of varying strength.

He took a deep breath and, under the gaze of many, walked calmly to the pitch-black heavenly sword stele.

He slowly extended his right hand and gently pressed it onto the cold and smooth surface of the stele.

The moment his palm touched the surface of the stele—

Hum—!!!

A sword hum, far louder and clearer than any before, roared from the heavenly sword stele like a Dragon's cry!

That sound did not seem to come from the stone stele, but rather from the Nine Heavens, from the primordial ancient era, traversing time and space to descend here!

Immediately after, the pitch-black body of the heavenly sword stele began to bloom with a blinding, Chaos-colored light that seemed capable of illuminating the entire world!

That light shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds, and tore a huge hole in the clouds and mist that never dispersed above Wenjian Peak!

A vast, profound, and terrifying Sword Intent that seemed to encompass all phenomena and yet could sever everything began to spread from the heavenly sword stele, enveloping the entire stele forest!

Everyone present, including Elder Jian Wuxin of the Dao Integration Realm, felt a tremor from the depths of their Soul!

The gazes they directed at Ye Qing were filled with incredulous shock and astonishment!

This... what level of Sword Dao talent is this?!

To be able to induce the heavenly sword stele to erupt with such a terrifying phenomenon?!

Even Elder Jian Wuxin, on his face that was as calm as an ancient well, revealed a look of being moved for the first time!

He stared fixedly at Ye Qing, as if trying to see right through him!

Meanwhile, Ye Qing was completely unaware of everything in the outside world at this moment.

His palm seemed to have merged with the heavenly sword stele.

A massive, complex stream of information, containing the insights and Sword Intent of countless Sword Dao sages, surged into his mind like a breached flood!

He seemed to see countless Sword Dao experts practicing their respective sword techniques; he seemed to hear countless divine swords emitting joyful sword hums; he seemed to touch the Origin of the Sword Dao, the true meaning that could sever everything and destroy all laws!

He was immersed in this profound comprehension, unaware of the passage of time.

It was not until the stream of information flooding his mind gradually subsided, and the Chaos-colored light on the heavenly sword stele slowly dimmed, that he pulled his hand back as if waking from a dream.

He opened his eyes and discovered that everyone around him was looking at him with eyes as if looking at a monster.

And on the high platform, Elder Jian Wuxin was nowhere to be seen.

Only one Inner Sect Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect walked quickly to him, bowed respectfully, and said: "Senior Brother Ye, Elder Jian Wuxin requests your presence. Please move to Wenjian Peak; the Elder has something to say to you."