Breaking the Record Once Again

Breaking the Record Once Again

"He comprehended the eighth sword strike!"

Countless eyes fixated on the stranger who had just become their junior apprentice brother. His brilliance overshadowed even Li Hanyou.

Li Hanyou had mastered the ninth sword, which was already an extraordinary achievement.

Yet, this newcomer had broken records. He had not only comprehended seven sword strikes at an unprecedented speed but also grasped the eighth strike in an incredibly short time. It was nothing short of astounding.

Ye Lingshuang's beautiful eyes blinked in astonishment. She had dismissed the idea of him comprehending the eighth strike so easily, but now she was dumbfounded. She muttered under her breath, "Comprehension doesn't depend on cultivation level. Who would have thought that this seemingly lecherous fellow had such extraordinary capabilities? Who else could comprehend the eighth sword strike so quickly? Senior, did you secretly share the secret of understanding it with him?"

"The progress on this mountain path depends solely on one's own efforts. Even if I shared the knowledge, it's meaningless if he couldn't grasp it himself," Lin Shuai explained. "Junior Sister, you shouldn't judge Junior Brother Qin so quickly."

He smiled wryly, shaking his head. No matter how he looked at it, Qin Wentian didn't appear to be a lecher. His reputation had been tarnished entirely by his pet.

After the seventh sword strike, the path became increasingly challenging. From the eighth to the fourteenth sword strikes, each presented a distinct and formidable challenge.

"He might have just been lucky with the eighth strike. If he can comprehend one more, then I'll believe his comprehension level is extraordinary," someone suggested. Several nodded in agreement, saying, "If he comprehends the ninth sword strike, he'll have caught up to Junior Sister Li."

Qin Wentian was now only one step behind Li Hanyou. Ahead of him, another picture emerged on a mountain rampart. It mirrored the previous one, with a great roc soaring through the skies, the birth of a sword strike, and the great roc's demise. However, Qin Wentian furrowed his brows, sensing subtle differences.

"This... it appears similar to the previous strike," Qin Wentian muttered to himself. Yet, he understood that it was only superficially similar. The essence of this strike was entirely distinct, representing a different sword path that achieved a similar result.

Looking ahead at the distant grass hut, Qin Wentian pondered, "Who was the founder of the Battle Sword Sect? This is just the ninth sword strike, and it's already incredibly profound. It encompasses the fusion of Mandates, creating a new, original path of the sword for future generations to glean insights from. Each sword strike represents a unique path of the sword, and this entire mountain path is essentially a vast tome of sword-cultivation techniques. The founder of the Battle Sword Sect must have been an extraordinary figure. No one in the current generation or even the nine Sword Sovereigns have reached the end of this path. Only one senior from thousands of years ago achieved it, entering the grass hut at the end. That marked the rise of the Battle Sword Sect to unrivaled prominence. It's a testament to how formidable the founder must have been, and the rumors of him being a Sword Immortal might just be true."

Deep in thought, Qin Wentian concentrated once more, determined to understand this ninth sword strike. After two hours of intense contemplation, he began to discern the subtle differences between this strike and the previous one.

In the previous sword strike, the wind had acted like razor-thin threads, slicing the great roc's body into numerous pieces before dissipating. Qin Wentian recalled the fusion of Wind and Rain Mandates he had witnessed earlier. The cold wind, accompanied by raindrops, striking a target. When magnified on a larger scale, it resembled the effect created when the roc had perished. This realization helped him comprehend the previous sword strike.

However, the ninth sword strike was different. Although it appeared similar, Qin Wentian sensed a burst of destructive force when the sword landed, causing the great roc's body to explode.

"Could all types of Mandates in this world be capable of fusion?" Qin Wentian speculated. The founder had left behind the grass hut to guide future generations on their cultivation paths.

If all Mandates could be fused, the resulting effects could be incredibly powerful, potentially erasing any traces of the individual Mandates used before the fusion.

"What is a Celestial Phenomenon? How does one condense a constellation? Is it achieved through the evolution of one's Mandates?" Qin Wentian pondered. Celestial Phenomenon Ascendants would find this mountain path easier due to their deeper understanding of their Mandates.

Placing his palms on the mountain rampart, Qin Wentian fired a beam of sword light into the sky, causing the rampart to vanish. He muttered, "This sword strike was a fusion of the Wind and Thunder Mandates."

With that, he comprehended the ninth sword strike and took another step forward.

Qin Wentian marveled at the terrifying power unleashed through the fusion of Wind and Thunder Mandates. The sword was merely the tool to channel this formidable force, as the founder had been a sword user. However, fused Mandates could also be infused into other types of weapons.

"My halberd strikes can shatter mountains, thanks to the partial fusion of the Force and Great Earth Mandates. This mountain path is a true marvel, and I'm certain of my future path now."

Qin Wentian realized that the pathway to the grass hut left by the founder was not a cultivation art or innate technique but a guiding light for younger generations on their cultivation journeys. For a sword user like him, the fusion of Mandates through the sword was the path to becoming a Sword Immortal.

The founder had put immense effort into creating this pathway to the grass hut, a supreme and unparalleled treasure. Disciples had to rely on their own efforts rather than external teachings to gain insights, leaving a deeper imprint in their minds.

Having completed the ninth step, Qin Wentian noticed another silhouette standing beside him. It was none other than Li Hanyou, the genius everyone had been talking about earlier.

As Li Hanyou turned to look, her eyes revealed a hint of surprise and curiosity as she observed the young man standing beside her. Someone else had comprehended the ninth sword strike? Moreover, he appeared to be quite young.

Since she had recently joined the sect, there were many Battle Sword Sect disciples she didn't recognize, and she hadn't been eager to get to know them either. As a result, she was unaware that Qin Wentian was a newly recruited disciple.

"Have you unraveled the mystery of this sword strike before?" Her voice, though gentle, carried a sense of authority.

In that moment, Qin Wentian couldn't help but steal glances at Li Hanyou standing beside him. While he had encountered a few other disciples during his previous contemplation of the sword strikes, they had all chosen to ignore him, engrossed in deciphering the enigmatic images. Li Hanyou, on the other hand, possessed striking beauty, even impressing Qin Wentian. He couldn't help but admire her attractiveness, although he was accustomed to the company of beautiful girls like Mo Qingcheng and Qing'er. Had it not been for them, he might have been quite taken with her.

"Hmph," Li Hanyou huffed upon noticing Qin Wentian's lingering gaze. Disdain flickered across her face, a reaction she had seen from countless young men before.

"Nope, I haven't," Qin Wentian replied nonchalantly, shifting his gaze away as though her beauty had left him unfazed. Li Hanyou couldn't help but smirk at his apparent indifference. She thought this man was quite the actor. Despite his initial interest, he quickly returned to his usual self. However, Li Hanyou had seen through her share of tricks and wasn't easily fooled by Qin Wentian's feeble attempt to alleviate the tension.

"The difficulty of this sword strike is extraordinary, and I doubt you can comprehend it," Li Hanyou declared arrogantly.

Qin Wentian furrowed his brow but chose not to respond to her provocation. He turned his attention back to the depiction on the mountain rampart.

The image featured a great roc soaring in the skies as a sword descended upon it. Surprisingly, it mirrored the scene from the first step, resembling the initial sword strike more than the eighth. It transported him back to when he had unraveled the mystery of the first sword strike.

A sword infused with the power of the wind. Yet, how could it be identical?

Qin Wentian remained at this step for four hours, still unable to grasp its meaning. Onlookers sighed in acknowledgment. Indeed, the tenth sword strike posed a far greater challenge.

While Qin Wentian's comprehension of the ninth strike had garnered admiration from many, tackling the tenth proved an even more formidable task. Even if Li Hanyou had failed to decipher it, it would undoubtedly present a challenge to Qin Wentian as well.

He made several attempts but ultimately faltered. The essence of this sword strike remained elusive.

As day turned into night, dawn broke once more, marking the passing of a full day. Qin Wentian and Li Hanyou remained unmoved in their respective positions, still struggling to unravel the mysteries of the tenth sword strike.

Finally, a glimmer of understanding lit up Qin Wentian's eyes. "I've got it now."

Li Hanyou, standing beside him, initially trembled in shock but quickly regained her composure, scoffing, "Quit your shameless boasting."

The complexity of this sword strike was something she knew all too well. It couldn't be unraveled so easily, or so she thought.

Qin Wentian cast a casual glance at her, a serene smile on his face. With that, he placed his palms on the mountain rampart and channeled his thoughts. Instantaneously, a radiant burst of light pierced through the heavens like a soaring sword beam.

The tenth sword strike had been comprehended.

With a single step, Qin Wentian vanished from Li Hanyou's view.

"How is this possible?" A look of utter astonishment crossed her face. She hadn't even come close to solving the riddle of the tenth sword strike, yet someone had already fully comprehended it.

Considering the smile on Qin Wentian's face, Li Hanyou wondered, "Could that guy be a cunning schemer? Had he already mastered the tenth sword strike beforehand and deliberately did it in front of me to gain my attention?"

Li Hanyou didn't dwell on these thoughts any longer. Regardless of his intentions, the fact remained that Qin Wentian had indeed grasped the tenth sword strike. She couldn't afford to waste any more time here.

Witnessing Qin Wentian's feat, the onlookers couldn't help but sigh in admiration. No one doubted his comprehension abilities now. He had arrived at this challenge after Li Hanyou, yet he managed to decipher the tenth sword strike much faster than she did.

Inwardly, Qin Wentian expressed gratitude for his good fortune. The tenth sword strike had proven extremely challenging, mirroring the eighth sword strike in its fusion of Wind and Rain Mandates. It had almost deceived him.

"Every Mandate holds numerous variations. For the Mandate of Wind, the initial insight could be Windspeed, and the second-level insight might be Wind Laceration. When Wind Laceration reaches perfection, it could evolve further, creating even more variations. When Mandates fuse, their results differ based on the variations they encompass. The eighth and tenth sword strikes exemplify the complexity of Mandate variations."

Qin Wentian pondered these thoughts. Even if two people comprehended the same Mandates, their martial paths could diverge significantly based on the variations they had mastered. Moreover, in the future, there might be fusions involving multiple Mandates, not just two. The possibilities seemed endless and unpredictable.

Having unlocked the insight from the tenth sword strike, Qin Wentian proceeded to grasp the final four sword strikes in a span of just three days. This achievement unleashed a devastating storm of sword qi, a testament to his record-breaking feat.

Countless torrents of sword energy erupted from the tempest, shrouding the sky and earth. Onlookers gazed in awe at the young man bathed in radiant swordlight. His brilliance even caught the attention of the lofty Sword Sovereigns concealed high above the clouds, who observed the commotion he had stirred.

In the span of five short days, Qin Wentian had successfully comprehended a total of fourteen sword strikes!