53: You ask me how I know, then I ask you

After an unknown number of chess games, Qin Wangchuan learned the name of this Senior—

Shuyu,

An ancient deity.

She lightly brushed the chessboard with her slender hand, her starry eyes slightly turning: “You can just call me Yu Niang.”

The two had once gambled with a chess game; if Qin Wangchuan won, Yu Niang would acknowledge him as her master.

In the end, he won.

But this bet, in Qin Wangchuan’s eyes, didn't count.

She had gone easy on him.

And it was a significant amount of leniency.

Even as a sword from beyond the heavens, at its core, it was merely an artifact.

A masterless artifact could not exert its full power, nor could it escape this crack of the myriad Realms.

Yu Niang claimed she had been trapped here for countless years, so long that the divine sword had grown dim and developed rust.

Initially, she would clean it from time to time, but the rust would fade and then reappear, appearing and fading, like an inescapable loneliness. Later, she grew weary and simply let it cling to the sword’s spine, like a scab formed by time.

Occasionally, it would tremble, and the sword’s cry would be hoarse, leaving only an endless sigh of loneliness in its throat.

She had originally thought she would forever sit atop the Sword Tomb, coldly observing countless Cultivators falter on their path to the Dao, eventually having her spiritual light dissipate in eternal solitude.

However, Qin Wangchuan’s appearance was like a dawn’s sword light, piercing through the long night of Yu Niang’s waiting.

Though it came a bit earlier than expected, it was good.

He achieved it.

At the Peak of the Sword Tomb, golden heavenly radiance cascaded like a waterfall.

Next was the preparation for comprehending the sword.

Yu Niang pointed her fingers like a blade, and with a single gesture, she broke open the jade sword that sealed the ancestral blood essence of the Ji Family.

The moment the blood essence left the sword, it transformed into a small blood-colored sword, slowly floating in the air, held by Qin Wangchuan in his palm.

Immediately, he sat cross-legged and began to close his eyes to comprehend the sword.

It was both comprehending the sword and comprehending the Dao.

Above the firmament, Yu Niang condensed drops of golden essence from the Shuyu Heavenly Sword, pouring down like a galaxy, resonating and trembling with the immortal bone within his body.

With every wisp of heavenly radiance that fell, it ignited a cool sword glow around him, with layers of cold light intertwining, until his entire being gradually transformed into an ancient sword in its sheath, sinking into a state of no-self.

In a blink of an eye, five years had passed.

......

Five years later.

The Sword Tomb trembled as usual on this day.

The Ji Family people looked at the clan-guarding Heavenly Sword—its body had shrunk to seven-tenths of its original size, and it was about to detach from the myriad layers of the Void Realm.

Its sharpness was restrained, no longer possessing the awe-inspiring power that once pierced the heavens and earth.

“It’s almost time…” an Elder muttered, watching this scene.

“Indeed, it’s almost time,” another Elder stroked his beard and nodded, “The pressure has sharply decreased these past few days, and even the barrier has thinned considerably.” He looked complex, “It also proves that the Young Master… is about to come out.”

“Who would have thought that the three-day comprehension of the sword would turn into five years?”

They were discussing here.

Over on the training ground, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound—

The battle between two Prodigies of the Ji Family had already begun.

“Li Xuan versus Li Yue! Ninth Realm versus Tenth Realm—activate the formation!”

With the steward’s command, the bronze ancient pillars around the training ground lit up with a roar, enveloping the entire arena in a defensive formation.

Li Xuan took a step, and the bluestone beneath his feet silently turned to dust. Within ten feet of him, Spiritual Qi instantly condensed into a [Sword Domain of Annihilation]—within the Domain, all laws were silent, and only the sword reigned supreme!

The Ninth Realm, Heaven and Earth Realm, declares its Breakthrough to Heaven and Earth. For people in the Lower Thousand Provinces, reaching this Realm means they can consider Ascension to the Middle Thousand Province.

During battle, one can extensively draw in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to empower oneself, even achieving the effect of disturbing the opponent.

As for the Tenth Realm, the Heavenly Palace Realm; one uses their body as a temple to forge an internal Heavenly Palace, which can greatly enhance one’s own power.

During battles at this stage, one can materialize their Domain to assist in combat.

It was originally a battle with a huge disparity, but Li Xuan’s expression was very calm.

“Open!”

As soon as Li Yue’s [Nine Mountains Suppressing Domain] unfolded, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged into his body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

His Aura continuously climbed, and under the enhancement of his internal Heavenly Palace, nine mountain projections solidified, so much so that even the air emitted an unbearable cracking sound under this pressure.

The air trembled, and a blinding light erupted in the center of the training ground.

The [Sword Domain of Annihilation] was like a frosty ocean; wherever it passed, Spiritual Qi froze, and all laws fell silent. The [Nine Mountains Suppressing Domain], on the other hand, was like mountains crushing down, heavy and vast, attempting to crush everything with absolute power.

“Be careful!”

Li Yue warned, then took a step forward.

—And Li Xuan’s sword unsheathed at this very moment!

“Clang—!”

A frosty white sword light, like a cascading silver river, instantly tore apart the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi vortex stirred by Li Yue.

Li Yue’s pupils contracted sharply, and he hastily activated his Nine Mountains Domain to suppress it, but the sword light passed through as if entering an uninhabited land, directly splitting three mountains!

“What?!”

Li Yue retreated ten feet, but Li Xuan’s figure followed like a shadow, his sword edge terrifying.

What astonished him even more was that ordinarily, Domains do not distinguish between strong and weak, only restraint.

But just now…

“My Domain… was broken?!”

Li Yue stumbled back, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by Battle Intent.

He dared not be overconfident, suddenly stopped and stood, forming an ancient hand seal with both palms in front of his chest—

“Six Mountains Unite, Suppress!”

The remaining six mountain projections suddenly merged into one, forming a colossal Peak that pressed down on Li Xuan!

This strike was a full-power attack from a Tenth Realm Peak; an ordinary Ninth Realm Cultivator would likely not even conceive of resisting, instantly being crushed into a pulp!

But Li Xuan merely raised his gaze, his sword edge lightly trembling.

“Break.”

With that single word, the frosty white sword Domain suddenly contracted, transforming into a line of cold light, cutting upwards, against the firmament!

“Boom—!”

The giant Peak projection was split by a single sword, and Li Yue’s Domain completely shattered. He himself was struck as if by lightning, flying backward and heavily crashing onto the defensive formation’s light barrier, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood!

And Li Xuan’s sword, at some unknown point, had returned to its sheath.

Instant kill!

The entire venue was silent.

“Thank you for the concession.”

After the steward beside him announced the winner, Li Xuan immediately sheathed his sword and helped up the fallen Li Yue.

A wisp of gentle Spiritual Qi passed through his fingertips, helping the other party calm his surging Qi and blood.

Li Yue pressed his numb right arm, but suddenly burst into laughter:

“What a Ninth Realm defeating a Tenth Realm!” He heavily patted Li Xuan’s shoulder, his eyes gleaming, “Your opening sword seemed reckless, but in reality, you didn’t use your full strength. My hasty counterattack disrupted my Qi, which was a clever strategy.”

“This defeat—is not unjust!”

“But next time, I won’t be so careless.”

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the surrounding crowd also applauded.

“Li Xuan is indeed formidable! Defeating an enemy across Realms is as easy as picking something from a pocket!”

“Isn’t that right? He should be able to rank among the top ten in our Ji Family, right?”

“Who do you think is stronger, him or the Young Master in the Sword Tomb?” someone nearby suddenly asked.

“Does that even need asking? My brother, of course!” Li Han, who had been watching for a long time, said without hesitation, “That Qin Wangchuan has been comprehending the sword for five years, his cultivation stagnated, I’m afraid his sword has even rusted in its sheath!”

“And my Elder brother, not only is he much older than him, he can even instantly kill across Realms. Dealing with a Sixth Realm would be effortless, wouldn’t it?”

The crowd laughed and agreed, but at that moment—

“Ignorant.”

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

The crowd quieted, all turning their heads. They saw a black-clad man wearing a bamboo hat standing with his arms crossed, his voice hoarse but every word like a knife: “Qin Wangchuan is the strongest.”

“Nonsense!” Someone immediately shouted in anger, “What are you? How dare you speak such wild words!”

Li Han stepped out from the crowd, staring coldly at the black-clad man: “Who can’t talk big? If it’s about verbal skills, I could even call myself the best in the world!”

The black-clad man sneered.

“Five years ago, Ji Wuchen was also hailed as a Prodigy of the world, but when he truly stood before Qin Wangchuan, he almost lost his Battle Intent!”

“For a Prodigy like Qin Wangchuan, let alone one Li Xuan…” He sneered, “Even a thousand, ten thousand of them wouldn’t compare to a single strand of his hair!”

“Fellow Daoist,” Li Xuan had appeared ten feet away at some point, his sleeves moving without wind, “isn’t what you’re saying in front of me a bit too harsh?”

He would normally not bother with such disputes, but as for that Ji Wuchen, he had indeed fought him.

“Brother Ji Family is a Prodigy of the Ji Family. At the age of five, he could win across Realms. How could he lose his Battle Intent when facing someone younger than himself?”

“To slander him like this, may I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?”

The black-clad man sneered, then raised his hand to remove his bamboo hat—

Revealing the sharp and prominent face of a young man.

“Ji Wuchen, of course,” he said softly, “Otherwise… how would I know?”