17: Chapter 17, Level 20 Trial

For Jiang Ling, who had read plenty of Xuanhuan novels, he naturally knew what Saber Intent was.

Saber Intent is profound and mysterious, yet it is the prerequisite for a Blade Technique to truly ascend to the Dao of the blade.

It is a kind of realization about the blade, a recognition of the blade!

With Saber Intent, one's strikes are naturally divine!

Jiang Ling swung his blade towards one of the Martial Artists.

Pfft!

With one precise strike, he severed the head of one of the Martial Artists. The timing, the force, the angle, and the feel of his strike were all at the pinnacle of perfection!

This was the effect of Saber Intent!

Jiang Ling was incredibly excited and continued to hack and slash. He felt as if the blade had become a part of himself, no longer just a weapon, but a living thing.

His own Soul was completely bound to the blade.

Pfft!

Jiang Ling severed another Martial Artist's head.

There was no need to use Wind Thunder Slash; Jiang Ling could defeat these seven Martial Artists relying solely on his Basic Saber Technique.

Pfft, pfft, pfft...

A few minutes later, all seven Martial Artists had been slain by Jiang Ling.

A profound and mysterious feeling welled up in his heart. At this moment, Jiang Ling felt that he was no longer a novice at Blade Technique, but had truly entered the threshold!

He truly understood what Blade Technique was!

"Congratulations, you have passed the nineteenth level!"

"You have a thirty-minute rest period, or you may proceed directly to the twentieth level!"

"Rest for thirty minutes!"

Jiang Ling chose to rest this time, as the three-plus hours of fighting had left him somewhat exhausted.

At the same time, he wanted to contemplate this Saber Intent a bit more.

Outside the trial tower, many people had already left.

Jiang Ling's points had not changed for over three hours, so in the eyes of many, he must have failed the challenge of the nineteenth level.

However, even if he failed the challenge, Jiang Ling's glory was already dazzling enough!

Being first on the trial leaderboard meant that Jiang Ling was currently the number one Genius in all of Yue City!

However, suddenly, the points on the trial tower leaderboard changed once again.

Jiang Ling's original 8900 points had become 10300.

His progression status also changed to having cleared the nineteenth level.

"What? Jiang Ling passed the nineteenth level!"

Someone shouted loudly.

This shout immediately attracted the attention of many people, who ran over one after another, clicking their tongues in admiration.

"Damn, this Jiang Ling is truly too much of a Prodigy, right?"

"He actually managed to clear even the nineteenth level!"

"With these results, he's probably ranked among the top in our entire Xiangnan Province!"

"It's said that in a few days, our Yue City leaderboard will be connected with all other cities in the entire Xiangnan Province!"

"At that time, we will be able to see where Jiang Ling ranks in Xiangnan Province!"

"I hope he can take first place!"

"Then our Yue City would truly have Face!"

"Is he going to challenge the twentieth level now?"

"It is said that upon reaching the twentieth level, the difficulty reaches a completely new stage. Can he clear it?"

"I think it's doubtful!"

"In the history of Xiangnan Province, it seems no one has ever been able to clear the twentieth level during high school!"

...

After Jiang Ling rested for thirty minutes, the surrounding scenery changed once again.

This time, he was inside a martial arts gym.

In the spacious hall, a Martial Artist dressed in a martial arts uniform stood with his back to Jiang Ling.

Seemingly sensing Jiang Ling's arrival, this Martial Artist slowly turned around.

"To think you could appear here, not bad!"

"Let me see just how strong your talent really is!"

Everything felt as if it were real.

Jiang Ling took a deep breath, wondering if the figure before him had ever truly existed in reality.

"Please, enlighten me!"

He took out his horizontal saber and prepared for battle.

"You don't have to use a weapon right now!"

The Martial Artist said indifferently, "You can test your skills against me with your fists and feet first; if you lose, then use a weapon!"

"Is that allowed?" Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow.

The figure before him seemed like a teacher testing a student; he wasn't looking to defeat the student who came to challenge him, but rather wanted to instruct the student through the process of combat.

"This must be the purpose of the trial tower!"

Jiang Ling realized.

Thus, he put away the horizontal saber, set his fists into a stance, and prepared to spar with this Martial Artist.

"Come!"

The Martial Artist did not take the initiative to attack, but stood in place, waiting for Jiang Ling to strike first.

"He really is like a teacher!"

Thinking this, Jiang Ling moved his feet quickly, arriving in front of the Martial Artist in the blink of an eye, and threw a punch.

"Hmm! Good foundations!"

The Martial Artist casually extended an arm and blocked Jiang Ling's attack, his eyes revealing a look of approval.

"Continue... use your strongest attack on me; let me see where your limits lie!"

Jiang Ling was suddenly taken aback.

The opponent had blocked his punch so easily, without even exerting any force; it was just like an adult playing with a child.

This made Jiang Ling feel the other's unfathomable martial arts cultivation; a sense of insurmountable powerlessness welled up in his heart.

"It seems I'm afraid it will be very difficult to pass this level!"

"However... whether I pass or not is no longer that important!"

"By sparring with this Martial Artist, I can receive his guidance and will gain a great deal."

Thus, Jiang Ling set aside the thought of clearing the level. Like a student asking a teacher for instruction in martial arts, he unleashed all his fist techniques, using the opponent's responses to improve his own mastery of fist techniques.

"Hmm, not bad... but it is too rigid!"

"You only treat the fist technique as a fist technique; how can it become your own?"

"You must forget the fist technique, forget the Moves you have learned, forget the techniques you have mastered, and throw your punches completely naturally!"

"Do not let the fist technique limit you!"

"Remember, true power comes from your heart!"

"When your heart has power, it is unleashed naturally—no Moves, no forms, no techniques, no fist techniques..."

"Having no Move is better than having a Move..."

...

The Martial Artist chattered on, constantly explaining as he fought.

If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't be able to learn much in such a short time, but Jiang Ling had Heaven-Defying Comprehension Ability.

After being instructed by this Martial Artist, he immediately had a flash of inspiration, as if enlightened, feeling as though he had grasped something.

He kept fighting and fighting, being knocked away by the Martial Artist time and time again, but he did not get discouraged, constantly changing his fist techniques and striking out in all sorts of ways.

Slowly, Jiang Ling's fist techniques were no longer the Basic Fist Technique taught in school, but had transformed into an attack that he unleashed naturally.

This kind of attack originated from the heart; wherever his interest led, it had absolutely no set patterns, absolutely no format, and was bizarre and unpredictable.