128: Chapter 128 is a pity.

"Indeed worthy of cultivation," the Marquis-level Expert beside the green-browed elder nodded in agreement. "On the path of martial arts, innate constitution is the raft, resources are the oars. Yet without astonishing Comprehension Ability to pierce through the fog, one will ultimately be stranded on the shoals. This boy—he has the potential to become a Marquis."

King Chu He, seated at the head position, also watched the youth finish his demonstration with a deep gaze, finally giving a slight nod.

Du Yun held a wooden spear, his expression as calm and still as water.

He was demonstrating the very same sky-piercing strike from the mural.

The first two Moves were clean and crisp. Starting from the third Move, a faint sound of wind and thunder began to accompany the thrusting motion.

When the final three Moves unfolded, the spear shaft vibrated at high speed, as if the air itself was being punctured with a slight tearing sound. His entire essence, energy, and spirit were highly concentrated into the single point of the spear tip.

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"Spear Dao, seven Moves. Recording complete." The attendant in charge of his group announced clearly, his voice carrying undeniable certainty.

Seven Moves.

This result, in previous years, would also have been a dazzling existence.

The crowd's gaze naturally shifted from the boy with nine Moves to this subsequent spear Dao Genius, Du Yun.

But when Du Yun stopped moving, wiping the slight sweat from his temple, his gaze did not turn to the attendant recording the results, nor did he pay attention to the gasps of amazement or probing looks from his surroundings.

Time flowed quietly. In the square, the records of demonstrations and the dejected departures of the eliminated were mixed together, gradually quieting down.

"Next batch—enter!"

Li Wen took a deep breath, his face a placid, unrippled ancient well.

He adjusted the lapels of his clothes, then stepped forward. His feet landed on the slightly cool stone surface of the square, emitting steady, even sounds, like the beating of his heart at this moment.

Without a hint of panic, his steps were as heavy and firm as a mountain, walking straight into the once-again opened door of the Enlightenment Chamber.

He chose a spot towards the front.

A meditation cushion where the light happened to illuminate most of the mural.

Unlike others who immediately widened their eyes to capture the intricate patterns, he simply sat down quietly.

His eyes slowly closed. The rise and fall of his chest gradually became long, deep, and even.

Instantly, countless gazes from outside focused intensely upon him, piercing through the barrier of the virtual space, almost enough to burn him through.

"It's starting, it's starting! That Li Wen, the one with the 'peerless' spiritual sense rating!"

"Let's see how his Comprehension Ability is."

"The dark horse from Jiangnan Province—don't let us down."

Invisible pressure, like tangible mercury, spread heavily in the air above the area where Li Wen was.

Even King Chu He on the main platform couldn't help but lean forward slightly, his gaze intently fixed on the youth clad in black.

In the incense burner, a new stick of enlightenment incense was lit. A wisp of more refined, condensed, ancient Dao-infused green smoke curled upward, quickly diffusing, refreshing the heart and mind.

The cold, mechanical countdown voice resounded in everyone's ears: "Ten seconds to prepare————"

7

"7,"

When the countdown word "one" fell, Li Wen's closed eyes abruptly snapped open.

The moment his gaze opened, it was as if two small lamps had been lit.

The crisscrossing lines and weapon diagrams on the mural instantly flooded into his view.

Blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks—the transitions and connections of countless weapons, their exquisite details, surged towards him like a rushing river.

Li Wen's heart gave a slight jolt.

This torrent of information was far more vast and complex than he had anticipated.

He didn't rush to activate Absolute Focus. He was afraid that if he activated Absolute Focus and instantly entered a 'meditative state,' it would be troublesome later. How would he explain it? He couldn't very well say he had a cheat.

Besides, the length of time spent in meditation was only a reference. The final result ultimately depended on the number of Moves comprehended.

At the same time, he also wanted to try using his own innate Comprehension Ability to gain insight. If it really didn't work, he could always activate Absolute Focus later.

And so, time passed, minute by minute, second by second.

Time ticked away in the enclosed space.

In the blink of an eye, three minutes passed.

In Li Wen's batch, no one had managed to enter meditation within such a short time.

Three and a half minutes. No one.

Four minutes. Still no one had entered meditation.

Four minutes and ten seconds. Still no one.

Four minutes and twenty seconds. Finally, someone succeeded in entering meditation. It was a female student.

However, there was still no movement from Li Wen.

When the time reached four and a half minutes.

"Li Wen still hasn't entered meditation?" The people outside were even more anxious than Li Wen himself.

Seeing Li Wen still not entering meditation, the onlookers outside now showed expressions of pity.

Even King Chu He and the others, who had held great expectations for him, saw the hope in their eyes diminish somewhat.

According to Kindling Hall's records over many years, any Marquis-level Expert had, at the very least, entered meditation before four minutes and ten seconds. Now, with Li Wen still unable to enter meditation past four and a half minutes, in their eyes, his Comprehension Ability was indeed somewhat lacking.

Time would not stop just because Li Wen failed to enter meditation. It continued to flow, second by second.

In the second batch, people also successively succeeded in entering meditation.

When the time reached four minutes and forty seconds, a smoke ring finally formed above Li Wen's head.

A somewhat stiff, bluish-green smoke ring, its edges seemingly still carrying a hint of burrs, finally took shape with difficulty above his head.

"Four minutes—forty seconds—" Someone in the viewing crowd let out a long sigh. It was hard to say whether there was more relief or more regret for Li Wen.

"Whew—at least he squeezed into the five-minute threshold."

But more voices were filled with disappointment: "Tsk, what a pity. He's a full several dozen seconds behind the top-tier batch—"

"I thought he would be of the top-three caliber. A peerless spiritual sense paired with this level of Comprehension Ability seems a bit mismatched—"

"It seems his shortcoming lies here. His spiritual sense is strong enough to dodge the ninth round of bullets, but this brain—why does it seem not so sharp at the critical moment?"

The faint, will-o'-the-wisp-like glimmer of hope deep in King Chu He's eyes finally flickered weakly, nearly extinguished.

He leaned back into his chair without a sound. His majestic face showed no expression, but the eyes watching Li Wen on the light screen lowered slightly, concealing the subtle sigh deep within that seemed to say, 'After all, not flawless.'

Beside him, the Marquis-level Expert with an elegant demeanor, who had greatly praised Li Wen's spiritual sense earlier, frowned tightly and couldn't help but speak softly again: "Senior Brother, this—it doesn't make sense? A Heart-Nature as firm as bedrock, a spiritual sense as acute as the finest hair—these two are fertile ground for Comprehension Ability—how could he fall short precisely in this most crucial aspect?"

He was utterly perplexed. "Could it be—his spiritual sense is too sharp, and he's overwhelmed by the complex and chaotic information from the mural? Disturbing his mind?"

Another Marquis-level Expert beside him, with a short beard and a sharper countenance, spoke not loudly, but his words were clear and distinct: "For a Technique Awakened, entering meditation at four minutes and forty seconds is already an upper-mid level aptitude. Paired with his peerless spiritual sense talent—"

"Growing into a Marquis-level Expert would be more than sufficient."

His gaze swept over the still somewhat raw smoke ring above Li Wen's head on the light screen and delivered his conclusion: "The path to becoming a King—is ultimately too distant. Human capability has its limits."

For a moment, glances were exchanged among the Marquis-level Experts. Murmurs of discussion arose, some disappointed, others finding it acceptable.

...

Among the other contestants.

The moment the smoke ring, representing Li Wen's barely making it into the "five-minute threshold," finally took shape, the numerous gazes projected onto his figure on the light screen, as if stained with invisible ink, subtly and quietly changed.

Outside, in a corner, several young Geniuses dressed luxuriously, clearly from prominent backgrounds, exchanged glances.

One of them curled the corner of his mouth into an almost imperceptible arc and said to his companion in a voice so low it was almost lip-reading: "So what if he has a peerless spiritual sense? With poor Comprehension Ability, his ceiling is ultimately not high."

Another lowered his voice, a hint of barely concealed relief in his tone: "It's just as well. One less formidable rival means our positions are a bit more secure."

Those taking pleasure in his misfortune were in the extreme minority. More common were sighs and regrets that were difficult to suppress: "Sigh—I thought we might witness another legend."

"A pity about that spiritual sense talent—"

"After all, he fell just short of Perfection."

The previously roaring, boiling wave of anticipation completely dissipated, leaving behind only a complex, hard-to-describe emotion churning beneath the surface.

Inside the Enlightenment Chamber.

The sounds, gazes, and all the noise from outside could not affect the inside in the slightest.

As for the earth-shattering shock and the various incredulous discussions on the white jade square outside, Li Wen, currently inside the Enlightenment Chamber enveloped by the dense green jade smoke ring, was completely unaware.

Even if he knew, he would certainly pay it no mind.

From the moment he activated [Absolute Focus Lv9], his mind had severed all external disturbances, completely immersing itself in the ancient and mysterious mural before him.

The moment his mind immersed, the originally blurry and obscure Blade Technique mural, as if wiped clean of dust and mist by an invisible force, suddenly became incredibly clear and vivid.

The figures on the mural were no longer stiff, discontinuous lines, but transformed into living, breathing peerless blade masters.

They held no blades in their hands, yet blades were everywhere.

Every gesture, every movement, every twist of their form, every flow of their intent, seemed to be interpreting the supreme principles of the blade Dao.

The blade light was no longer a rigid pattern, but transformed into flowing, radiant trajectories, full of an ineffable spirituality and rhythm.

Every single slash was clearly decomposed into its basic components: starting posture, exertion of force, trajectory, change of direction, dispersion of force, application of force, movement of intent, convergence—countless details refined to the extreme were imprinted into Li Wen's Sea of Consciousness in an unprecedented manner.

The obscure movements became fluid and natural, even carrying a kind of heart-stirring beauty.

The transitions that originally required intense contemplation to grasp a sliver of their meaning now flowed naturally, as if the true intent of the Blade Technique was inherently contained within his Bloodline, now merely being awakened and verified.

The principles of the Blade Technique, from the most basic force application structure, to the mysterious operation of drawing upon the energy of heaven and earth.

To the transformation of condensing will to stir 'potential' and even touch upon 'intent,' layer upon layer, progressing step by step, peeling away the cocoon and drawing out the silk, were deduced, reconstructed, understood, and absorbed at the level of Li Wen's Primordial Spirit.

He was no longer using his eyes to see or his brain to think. His entire Primordial Spirit had become a mirror, a sharp blade, greedily reflecting, analyzing, and simulating the endless Blade Technique Profound Truths contained within the mural.

[Absolute Focus] brought him to a Peak state, nearly allowing him to enter a Realm of perceiving all things.