Chapter 104 The Shadow Painting Sword Technique

Inside the State Religion command center, the Divided Soul that Supervisor Zhou Shengtai had tasked with monitoring the movements of the Black Tower sent back the latest update.

"Yun Bai has cleared the first stage of the second level," Supervisor Zhou Shengtai transmitted his Divine Sense to Elder Yin Xin.

Elder Yin Xin did not offer much commentary.

In their view, while clearing the first stage of the Heavenly Soldier battle formation was not easy, it was within reason. However, they estimated that Yun Bai was already at the end of his rope, lacking the strength to deal with the more powerful Giant Spirit God and the true difficulty ahead—the Incarnation of Guardian Deity Wang Shan.

As expected, just as they had anticipated, Yun Bai's aura fell into a prolonged war of attrition with the Giant Spirit God in the second chamber of the second level; his aura fluctuated violently, clearly showing he was in dire straits.

"Huh?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai suddenly let out a soft exclamation, his tone tinged with surprise. "He's actually still fighting after holding out for so long? This kid's resilience... is truly unexpected."

"It seems Yun Bai's Divine Sense strength, comparable to the Second Realm, truly has a solid Foundation," Elder Yin Xin replied via Divine Sense. "Being able to hold on for so long under the Giant Spirit God's Wood-Binding Domain and violent attacks shows that his control over the Divine Sense body granted by the Black Tower far exceeds that of other Cultivators of the same rank."

After a long while, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai received another fluctuation from within the tower, his expression shifting slightly: "He has cleared the second stage of the second level."

The two remained silent for a moment, engaging in a brief exchange of Divine Sense.

Elder Yin Xin initiated the thought transmission, his tone carrying a hint of regret: "Although his speed has improved slightly compared to the first stage, clearly indicating a Breakthrough during the battle, his aura is fluctuating violently, meaning his consumption must be immense. He is likely at the end of his rope."

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai responded: "Indeed. Being able to reach the third stage of the second level and face the Incarnation of Guardian Deity Wang Shan is likely his limit. It seems... there isn't much hope left."

A sigh of helplessness rose in both their hearts simultaneously.

"What a pity," Elder Yin Xin's Divine Thought fluctuated with regret. "Although he broke through his Divine Sense to the Second Realm early on, his spiritual power cultivation is simply too low, and his Foundation is still shallow. It is like a burning flame; without enough firewood to support it, how can it burn vigorously for long with only a fierce blaze?"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai agreed: "Precisely. His Divine Sense has just entered the Second Realm, and he lacks deep understanding and systematic Cultivation of this Realm. Moreover, he has never practiced any Divine Sense offensive or defensive Spells. Relying solely on brute force and insights gained in the heat of battle to cope with the Domain power of these battle-hardened Heavenly Soldiers and Divine Generals in the Black Tower, who possess endless tricks, is truly as difficult as ascending to heaven."

After a moment of silence, their conversation turned to more practical matters.

Elder Yin Xin asked: "Old Zhou, is there really no way for us to save his younger sister? Even just delaying it for a while would be better?"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai shook his head with a bitter smile: "Over ten million Spirit Stones—where could you or I possibly scrape that together on such short notice? Unless we use emergency public funds, but that requires layer upon layer of reporting and approval, and there simply isn't enough time. The only shortcut would be to contact Grand Elder Xu Antong; perhaps he has a way... but as luck would have it, the Grand Elder is currently attending a supreme war conference and cannot be reached at all!"

"Oh, right! What about if you ask the old master? Does he have a way?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai had a sudden inspiration.

Elder Yin Xin said: "Are you referring to the old Mr. Huang?"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai said: "Yes, the old master is highly respected and has extensive connections; perhaps he could obtain a soul-stabilizing pill?"

Elder Yin Xin said: "You didn't know? The old Mr. Huang is also attending the conference."

After ruling out various options, both fell into silence.

They themselves could not come up with such a huge sum either.

Finally, Elder Yin Xin sighed, and his transmitted Divine Thought became heavy: "If his younger sister truly... we need to prepare early. Such a Genius, while strong-willed, is also a person who values relationships and righteousness; they are often easily destroyed in spirit by such devastating blows. How many Geniuses have you and I seen who, after such a setback, never recovered and faded into the crowd?"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's Divine Thought was equally grave: "Yun Bai is the hope of our Chu Prefecture and even the Human Race; he must not sink into despair. We must find a way to guide him out of this shadow as soon as possible after he... Should we..."

Their Divine Sense exchange was filled with pessimism.

Just as Yun Bai was catching his breath, the Legacy information from the huaying sword continued to pour into his Sea of Consciousness, vast and profound.

"This is actually... the complete Huaying Sword Manual?"

Yun Bai's eyes widened, and for a moment, he could hardly believe everything his Divine Sense was receiving.

No wonder the Black Tower trial held such a special status within the State Religion, hailed as the touchstone and cradle for Geniuses.

He had never imagined that in the midst of this life-or-death struggle, he could trigger the resonance of a Divine Artifact and obtain its deeply hidden Legacy secret techniques.

Did this not mean that every challenger, provided they had sufficient talent, Heart-Nature, and Opportunity, could potentially obtain unimaginable ancient Legacies within this Black Tower?

The State Religion had actually "made public" these incomparably precious secret techniques in this way—they were not in the Jade Slips of the Scripture Pavilion, nor on the sales lists of the markets, but were placed so nakedly and grandly within the cruelest of trials, waiting for those destined to take them for themselves!

Quiet, yet upright and honorable!

Only the strong can obtain them!

Yun Bai's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood much.

"It seems, 'nine' is a key threshold. When I previously split the sword into three, the huaying sword itself had no reaction, but the moment I successfully achieved the division and unification of nine swords, I reached the minimum standard to trigger the Legacy, and this Huaying Sword Manual automatically appeared!"

He suppressed his excitement and quickly flipped through the massive amount of information flooding into his Divine Sense.

The sword manual was divided into two volumes: upper and lower.

The "Upper Volume: Division" detailed the techniques and mental formulas for how to split sword light from one into three, three into nine, nine into twenty-seven... all the way to the Myriad Swords Returning to the Ancestor.

The "Lower Volume: Huaying" was even more astonishing—it explained how to use countless sword lights as a Foundation to Cultivate and lay down one's own unique "Sword Domain"! It was followed by detailed Cultivation methods and descriptions of the Realm...

The Legacy was concise and direct, yet contained supreme power.

When Yun Bai read the two words "Domain," he froze, and his breath hitched!

"Domain?!"

"Is it really a method to Cultivate a Domain?!"

From the moment he encountered the Spirit Official Guardian Deity Wang Shan, to the Heavenly Soldier battle formation, and then to this Giant Spirit God, various strange and powerful Domains had emerged one after another.

Every time, Yun Bai had suffered greatly, forced to rely on the peculiar black hole structure in his Sea of Consciousness to forcibly devour the interference and struggle to resist, all while remaining ignorant of their Cultivation principles and methods.

In the first floor of the State Religion Scripture Pavilion, records regarding Domains were almost non-existent, as if they were unreachable, high-level secrets.

"If I can also Cultivate my own Domain... even if it is just the most Elementary Sword Domain..." Yun Bai's heart pounded wildly, and his blood seemed to be boiling. "Then I will no longer be passively enduring! I will be able to confront them head-on, or even contend against a Domain with a Domain!"

An unprecedented, intense desire and confidence erupted from his chest like a volcano!

The anxiety and heaviness previously caused by the massive amount of Spirit Stones and the powerful gatekeepers were now largely washed away by this sudden, immense Opportunity.

Although the road ahead remained difficult, roaring flames had ignited in his eyes!

He possessed a stronger offensive means—the nine-fold explosive power of the huaying sword!

And he even possessed the key to a stronger Realm—the Domain Cultivation method of the Huaying Sword Manual.

Looking at the sword manual in his mind, a new line of thought emerged in Yun Bai's heart.