129: Chapter 129 Absolute Focus, Second Transformation of the Smoke Ring

Every minute variation of the mural's Blade Technique, the underlying principle, the trajectory of movement, the circulation of energy, and the driving force of Intent were as clear as reading lines on one's own palm.

And at the same moment, the instant Li Wen activated Absolute Focus,

The smoke ring above his head underwent a second transformation.

It changed from a single ring into two.

Li Wen, completely immersed in the world of the mural, noticed nothing, but the crowd in the plaza outside quickly noticed this change.

"This—this is—could this be the legendary Jade Smoke Ring Second Transformation?" an upperclassman exclaimed in shock.

"Second Transformation? This thing has a second transformation?"

"I've only heard about it. They say that when a person can achieve complete meditative stillness, this phenomenon will occur."

What the upperclassmen knew, the Marquis-level Experts and Kings on the main platform knew even better what this signified, and their eyes immediately lit up.

The originally calm gaze in King Chu He's eyes gradually brightened again.

— —

An hour passed almost without notice while Li Wen's mind was completely immersed in this incomparably profound torrent of information.

"Clang!"

A clear, distant bell chime, as if cleansing the Soul, suddenly echoed within the Enlightenment Chamber, announcing the end of the comprehension time for this batch of Geniuses.

The light flowing on the mural instantly receded, returning to its seemingly ordinary carved stone appearance.

The smoke ring enveloping Li Wen's body, as if disturbed by the bell sound, began to unravel and dissipate thread by thread, re-merging into the dense mist permeating the Enlightenment Chamber.

The profound gaze, deep as an ancient well, quietly faded.

Li Wen subconsciously closed his eyes, quickly restraining the residual Intent that was almost ready to erupt from him.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air carrying the scent of green smoke, deactivating the Absolute Focus state.

The surroundings gradually became clear again, revealing the contemporary Geniuses being awakened from their respective states of immersion, their faces showing satisfaction, regret, or confusion.

Immediately after, the two hundred participants were guided by attendants to sequentially exit the intoxicating yet exhausting Enlightenment Chamber and return to the vast plaza paved with white jade, which was now filled with a strange quietness.

In the plaza, all eyes—whether those of the giants like King Chu He and Marquis Qingyuan on the high platform, the dense crowd of Kindling University students below, or the other peers who had completed their assessments or were waiting—were firmly locked onto the figure who had just walked out of the door—Li Wen.

The secondary transformation of the Jade Smoke Ring was too astonishing; it had become an indelible mark in everyone's mind.

Now, they urgently wanted to know what terrifying results this anomaly had brought? Had he truly surpassed that other monstrously talented freak?

According to the rules, all comprehenders had to take turns in the open space in the center of the plaza, using the standard weapons provided on-site to display the mural's Moves they had comprehended.

Each display represented successfully comprehending one Move.

Those who went before took the stage sequentially, displaying two Moves, three Moves, or five Moves—eliciting sporadic or widespread gasps of amazement and regret.

However, the true focus remained entirely on Li Wen.

When the attendant responsible for calling names took a deep breath and called out, "Li Wen, step forward!" the entire White Jade Plaza instantly dropped from noisiness into a breathless, dead silence.

All sounds seemed to be severed by a sharp blade, and even breathing became faint.

Thousands of gazes converged into invisible pressure, focusing on the youth whose expression was still calm and whose eyes had regained their composure.

Feeling the countless gazes filled with expectation, curiosity, doubt, and scrutiny, Li Wen's expression showed no change, as calm as the cold water in an ancient pool.

He walked steadily to the center of the area and casually picked up a standard fast saber from the weapon rack.

There were no superfluous movements, nor did he need to build up his Aura.

He simply held the saber in one hand and stood in place. Then, he moved.

His wrist flicked slightly. The fast saber was not swung with earth-shattering force, nor did it follow a tricky or bizarre trajectory.

On the contrary, his first strike appeared extremely basic—a straight chop.

But the moment the saber light fell, an indescribable rhythm spontaneously arose. The saber's trajectory seemed to momentarily freeze space, carrying an essence of returning to simplicity and perfect harmony. The air emitted a low hum.

Immediately following was a diagonal upward slash, then a horizontal cut—the movements were still simple and direct, as if merely practicing the thirteen most fundamental Blade Technique Moves.

However, with the execution of every strike, strands of solidified, grayish-white Saber Qi afterimages mysteriously appeared before him.

The saber shadows intertwined, circulated, were born and extinguished. After each strike, the afterimages did not immediately disappear but instead acted like imprints possessing a certain vitality, tightly connected to the next strike.

Five strikes!

There were already five distinct afterimages, guarding him like five sharp gates.

Some observers couldn't help but utter a low cry of, "As expected, extraordinary," as five Moves already represented an excellent level.

Six strikes!

The sixth afterimage merged into the net of light and shadow, and the Aura increased by another layer, drawing the attention of many Geniuses. Especially those from Jiangnan Province who were familiar with Li Wen or paying attention to his assessment performance, like Chu Feng and Nangong Xue, their eyes became extremely focused.

Seven strikes!

When the seventh saber shadow formed, the range of the light net suddenly expanded, faintly carrying a trace of spatial confinement.

The scene erupted in an uproar again!

Seven Moves! He had already caught up with Du Yun.

"The seventh strike! He still doesn't seem to intend to stop," someone exclaimed.

But Li Wen's movements showed no hesitation.

His arm was steady as bedrock, causing the airflow to emit a sharp whistle as he moved.

The eighth strike! A highly condensed gray band suddenly exploded outward.

Whoosh—!

The scene completely boiled over.

"The eighth strike! The eighth strike!! He hasn't stopped!" This completely surpassed their previous expectations.

The ninth strike! The saber light appeared like a startled swan, so fast it only left a faint shadow on the retina.

Before the saber arrived, the sharpness that tore the air and severed the Intent rushed forward, causing the nearby observing Geniuses to instinctively step back half a pace.

"My heavens! The ninth strike!!"

"Another Genius with nine Moves!"

"This year is too outrageous. Not only did one monstrous talent with nine Moves appear, but there's also this one who caused an anomaly—wait, he—he hasn't stopped his saber?"

Sharp-eyed individuals instantly captured Li Wen's Aura, which showed no intention of stopping, but was instead becoming more condensed.

The tenth strike! This strike was completely different from the previous nine.

No afterimages, no sound, not even the saber light seemed particularly bright.

Li Wen merely extended the fast saber forward in an almost slow posture.

In the plaza, the mountain-like roaring cheers were completely dispersed by this silent yet profoundly shocking strike.

Dead silence! Like the thickest ink splashing down, the entire White Jade Plaza fell into an absolute, suffocating silence.

It was as if everyone's Soul had been frozen by this silent tenth strike, their throats tightly gripped by an invisible large hand, even their heartbeats skipping a beat.

After a few seconds, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath sounded, clear as bellows pumping air.

"Hiss..."

"Ten—ten strikes..." someone whispered tremulously in a dreamlike voice.

"The tenth strike—he actually comprehended ten Moves." A senior student of Kindling University, his face pale, murmured in disbelief.

The Genius who had previously shocked everyone with nine Moves was now completely stunned, looking at Li Wen, who had withdrawn his saber and stood with a steady Aura, only disbelief remaining in his eyes.

"Hoo—" Li Wen slowly sheathed his saber and exhaled lightly.

He seemed to have only done something trivial, placing the fast saber back on the weapon rack with a calm expression.

The attendant responsible for counting moved his mouth several times before mustering all his strength to maintain stability, but his voice still echoed across the silent plaza, carrying the shock of a broken tone:

"Li Wen! Comprehended Blade Technique—Ten! Moves!"

Boom—!

When this number was officially announced and confirmed, the solidified air instantly exploded.

The uproar instantly broke through the clouds, resounding across Wudao Peak, the sound wave rolling, making people's eardrums ache.

On the high platform of the Marquis-level Experts,

Marquis Qingyuan, Lu Jingming, whose eyes had carried a trace of doubt and contemplation, were now replaced by unprecedented shock and undisguised ecstasy.

He even leaned slightly forward, staring intently at Li Wen's figure, as if trying to see through him completely.

"Ten Moves—no, more than ten Moves—the rhythm of that final strike..." Marquis Qingyuan's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity and excitement, "I feel he is not far from comprehending the eleventh Move, perhaps he has even comprehended it."

He abruptly turned his head to look at King Chu He, who was seated in the center, his tone filled with sincere admiration: "Senior Brother Zhou, just now—"

Did you already foresee this?"

King Chu He, Zhou Yan, the deeply hidden, indescribable look of pleasant surprise on his face finally bloomed completely.

He did not directly answer Marquis Qingyuan, but locked his gaze onto Li Wen with eyes like torches, as if admiring a rare treasure finally radiating the brilliant light it was meant to possess.

"Good! Good! Good!" King Chu He said 'Good' three times. His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the clamor of the crowd, containing the genuine delight and praise of an ultimate Expert.

"Peerless Spiritual Sense, Comprehension Ability is equally supreme!"

His eyes shone brightly, profound as if containing the rotation of galaxies, "This child is not a pearl covered in dust, but a golden scale—already riding the momentum of the azure clouds! My Dao—can be anticipated!"

A trace of unnoticeable fervor flashed deep within his profound eyes. It was the joy of meeting a worthy opponent, the relief that the path of the Dao was not lonely.

The evaluation of 'Dao Path Not Lonely' from a King-level Expert carried a weight heavier than a thousand mountains.

The upperclassmen of Kindling University watching the battle on the edge of the noisy plaza were no longer whispering; the place had exploded.

Every face was filled with disbelief and a strong desire to investigate.

"I knew that anomaly with the green ring was not simple; it turned out to be the Dao guiding the transformation of the green ring."

"If I recall correctly, Senior Brother Ling Feng from three years ago also comprehended ten Blade Technique Moves. Is another Blade Fiend about to emerge?"

In the crowd, an upperclassman mentioned Ling Feng.

On the other side, the nearly thousand Geniuses of the same batch as Li Wen, who were participating or waiting for the assessment, now had varied mindsets and completely different reactions.

In the Jiangnan Province camp, Chu Feng's eyes no longer held their former sharp brilliance; he was completely subdued.

Nangong Xue's eyes remained cool, but a trace of complex, hard-to-decipher fluctuation crossed the depths of her eyes, eventually turning into a sigh so faint it was almost inaudible.

Wang Shuo and the others were completely dumbfounded, their mouths open wide enough to stuff an egg in.

The ordinary Geniuses felt mostly awe and reverence, as if they were looking at a myth they couldn't understand, towering in the clouds.

But those top Prodigies who had previously achieved excellent results and held high self-esteem felt the most complex emotions.

Envy, jealousy, unwillingness, shock—various emotions intertwined.

Especially those who had questioned Li Wen's background and potential, or even those who had shown a hint of schadenfreude when Li Wen was slow to enter a meditative state—their faces felt burning hot, as if slapped hard by an invisible palm.

In the crowd, Du Yun's expression was also complex.

Although he comprehended seven Moves in his Comprehension Ability assessment, which was top-tier, compared to this earth-shattering achievement of ten Moves, the gap was like the difference between clouds and mud.

Yesterday, he had lost to Li Wen in both Heart-Nature and Spiritual Sense. He had hoped to completely widen the gap today through Comprehension Ability and actual combat, but unexpectedly, it was Li Wen who pulled away.

He firmly pressed his lips together, but his gaze became sharper, like a blade, and he subconsciously gripped his weapon tighter.

Only one thought remained in his mind: in the upcoming practical combat assessment, he must go all out!

This Li Wen had completely shattered everyone's perception.

Ron Zaka, the first on the blue star youth platinum ranking, also had his sharp-featured face filled with shock and a sense of defeat.

His proud first place on the blue star youth ranking seemed somewhat thin in the face of Li Wen, who had comprehended ten Blade Technique Moves and possessed the evaluation of 'Peerless Spiritual Sense.'

King Chu He, Zhou Yan, took in everyone's reactions, and the appreciative smile in his eyes deepened.

He slowly raised his hand, and a gentle yet vast power rippled out like water waves, instantly smoothing the clamor in the plaza.

"Silence."

The majestic voice was not loud, but it resonated directly in the heart of every Genius, like a great bell.

"The second batch of Comprehension Ability assessment is complete. The third batch, prepare."

King Chu He's gaze swept over the group that had just finished their demonstration in the center of the field, finally pausing for a brief moment on Li Wen.

After withdrawing his gaze, he continued to preside over the entry of the third batch into the Enlightenment Chamber.

A morning passed in the blink of an eye.

All one thousand Geniuses completed the Enlightenment Assessment.

In the subsequent three batches, although there were many Geniuses, there were no longer any monstrous talents as shocking as Li Wen.

Fang Chenghong from Crimson Flame Star displayed top-tier talent, completely comprehending seven Moves of the mural martial arts, once again proving his profound foundation.

Ron Zaka, ranked first on the blue star youth platinum ranking, followed closely, completely comprehending six Moves, and barely managing to display the majority of the seventh Move, barely managing to save face for himself.

As for the top talents from Jiangnan Province like Chu Feng and Nangong Xue, and the Prodigies from other continents, most hovered around five Moves. Although they were not weak, their spotlight was temporarily overshadowed by the few who shone brighter.

Thus, the Comprehension Ability assessment, which determined the future path, had concluded.