Chapter 513: You Don’t Understand the Sword

In the woods, Ye Xuan and Lin Yuan clashed with lightning speed.

An aura of death suddenly rose from Ye Xuan’s Sword of Dictatorship. Its piercing Sword Intent tore straight through Lin Yuan’s Sword Qi, surging toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan’s expression was grave. He was a Tier Six Second Layer Martial Venerable, a full two layers higher than Ye Xuan, yet at this moment, a single strike from Ye Xuan made him feel the threat of death.

The Profound Power in his body erupted, resisting the might of Ye Xuan’s Sword of Dictatorship. Lin Yuan retreated, dodging Ye Xuan’s powerful strike.

SWISH!

The sharp Sword Qi sliced off a corner of his robes.

"What terrifying Sword Intent. I was right about you."

Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up. Far from making him afraid, Ye Xuan’s last strike instead made the fighting spirit within him burn even hotter.

"I, Lin Yuan, have dominated the outer court, challenging countless Swordsmen. Among the younger generation, you are the only one with such attainment in the Sword Dao."

His gaze was cold. Sword Intent erupted from the longsword in his right hand.

"Unfortunately, before me, Lin Yuan, this bit of Sword Intent is not enough to intimidate me."

As his cold voice fell, Lin Yuan himself seemed to transform into a longsword. An aura that silenced all creation shot toward the heavens, and a brilliant sword rainbow flickered between heaven and earth.

"Is that so? Then let me show you an even more terrifying Sword Intent."

Ye Xuan was noncommittal. His lips moved as he spoke indifferently, and the Sword of Dictatorship moved in concert.

As his voice fell, a wave of Sword Qi like a vast ocean swept across the world. That endless sensation seemed to transform heaven and earth into an ocean of Sword Qi. In that instant, all Lin Yuan could see was the sky filled with the surging light of swords, and nothing else.

"How is that possible?"

Seeing this strike, Lin Yuan’s face twisted in absolute horror. This sword strike was too terrifying. Its boundless conception completely surpassed the Sword Intent he had unleashed. He had never imagined that someone from the younger generation could display such a frightening Sword Intent.

In that moment, Lin Yuan felt as if he were trapped in surging waves, beset on all sides with nowhere to hide. The endless conception of the attack completely submerged his consciousness.

But the most terrifying part was the ancient, weathered conception within it. It was as if the strike came not from a young student, but from a lonely, peerless Swordsman who stood proudly between heaven and earth, witnessing the endless changes of time.

Before him, everything else became insignificant, like ants.

’Dodge!’

At this moment, Lin Yuan didn’t even have the courage to resist. He retreated explosively, knowing he stood no chance of blocking this strike.

’This strike...’

In the distance, the youth’s attention was fixed on the two combatants. Upon seeing Ye Xuan’s terrifying strike, his body trembled in horror.

The feeling of endless, weathered antiquity drew him in so deeply he was unable to pull himself free.

’Such terrifying Swordsmanship actually exists in this world? Is that Xuan Ye even human? No wonder the Profound Mystery Sect is trying everything to kill him. A young man not even twenty years old can display such Swordsmanship... A genius like that is simply too frightening.’

An unconcealable look of horror filled his eyes.

But even more horrified was Lin Yuan.

PSHH!

Amid the crisp sound of tearing cloth, he spat out a mouthful of blood. A long gash appeared on his chest, tearing through his robes. Beneath it, his flesh was mangled and blood flowed freely.

"I lost. I actually lost."

He muttered to himself, looking down at the Sword of Dictatorship resting against his chest, overcome with an indescribable feeling.

It was part regret, part shock, and part bewilderment.

Ever since he was young, he had displayed talent in the way of the sword that far surpassed ordinary people.

He began practicing the sword at five, awakened his Sword Martial Soul at six, and grasped Sword Intent at sixteen.

One could say Lin Yuan’s entire life had been a journey of growing with the sword. From a young age, he had constantly challenged others, fighting in thousands, if not tens of thousands, of battles.

But among his peers, he had never met a genius who could surpass him in the Sword Dao.

In fact, though he hadn’t joined the inner court, he believed that even among its disciples, very few had deeper attainments in the Sword Dao than he did.

But now, this one strike from Ye Xuan had completely shattered his beliefs.

"You lost."

Ye Xuan spoke faintly. He sheathed his sword, collected the two Crystal Stones, and turned to leave without hesitation.

"Why?"

Lin Yuan’s body trembled as he snapped out of his shock and asked bitterly.

He didn’t understand why he, a possessor of a Sword Martial Soul, couldn’t compare to the much younger Ye Xuan in his understanding of Sword Intent.

Ye Xuan paused and said lightly, "A Swordsman is a champion."

"The heavens, the earth, and the vast seas are the sword!

"The grass, trees, flowers, and leaves are the sword!

"The scattered stones and white clouds are the sword!

"In truth, all things between heaven and earth can be the sword. You possess a Sword Martial Soul, so your understanding of the Sword Dao far surpasses that of ordinary people. But for that very reason, your understanding of the sword has become limited."

"Your Sword Martial Soul is your greatest asset, but also your greatest crutch. If you cannot truly understand what the sword is, then your so-called Sword Martial Soul is nothing but a burden."

"Because when it comes down to it, you don’t understand the sword at all!"

Lin Yuan’s talent for the Sword Dao was the greatest Ye Xuan had seen since his rebirth. Even he couldn’t bear to watch such a genius stagnate.

That was why he had pointed out the dilemma Lin Yuan faced.

After saying all this, his figure flickered and vanished in an instant.

As for how much Lin Yuan would understand, he couldn’t be bothered to care.

In the middle of the woods, Lin Yuan stood silently.

Ye Xuan’s words were like a giant hammer, smashing violently into his heart.

’...you don’t understand the sword at all!’

If anyone else had said such a thing, Lin Yuan would have simply scoffed. But these words came from Xuan Ye, the man who had defeated him.

Ye Xuan’s understanding of the Sword Dao had shaken him to his core.

Every word Ye Xuan had spoken now echoed endlessly in his mind.

It was a deafening revelation!

He replayed every detail of the battle in his mind, over and over again.

After a long time, Lin Yuan’s eyes suddenly brightened, a sharp glint bursting forth from them.

"HAHAHA!"

A peal of thunderous laughter echoed through the mountain forest, rumbling loudly.

"So that’s how it is."

His face shone with the radiance of the rising sun.

"I understand."

Facing the direction where Ye Xuan had left, Lin Yuan bowed deeply.

His eyes were filled with immense gratitude.

"The next time we fight, I will surely surpass you."

He spoke with confidence, his eyes shining. Then, he vanished into the mountain forest.

The youth watching from afar finally came back to his senses.

’Even Senior Brother Lin Yuan was no match for Xuan Ye... Doesn’t that mean Xuan Ye is the strongest among all us new students?’

He muttered to himself with a wry smile, "Forget it. What’s the point of thinking so much? I’d better go find some Crystal Stones. I don’t have a single one on me right now."

After saying this, his figure flickered and quickly vanished.

Not long after Ye Xuan and the others had left, two figures suddenly landed in the area.

One of them was none other than the student who had previously sent a message with the Jade Pendant: Lv Feng, ranked seventh in the inner court.

"Senior Brother Lv, the fluctuations from before should have come from here."

The outer court student said respectfully after carefully surveying the surroundings.

"I know." Lv Feng clasped his hands behind his back, nodded, and then surveyed the area.

"Hm?"

When he saw the site of Lin Yuan and Ye Xuan’s battle, a look of surprise crossed his face.

"Judging from the traces, two people must have fought here earlier, and neither of them was weak. Based on the level of destruction, they were around the level of a Tier Six Third Layer Martial Venerable," Lv Feng said, his eyes glinting.

"Tier Six Third Layer?" the outer court student said with a shocked frown. "Could it be traces left by Xuan Ye and Wu Zhan? That’s impossible, isn’t it? Xuan Ye is only a Tier Five Third Layer Martial Sect, and Wu Zhan is just at the Tier Six First Layer."

Lv Feng shook his head. "Judging from the lingering aura, the two who fought here were Swordsmen. Moreover, their comprehension of Sword Intent was extraordinary."

With Lv Feng’s keen perception, even though there was only a trace of Sword Intent left behind by Ye Xuan and his opponent, he could still discern clues from it.

’Swordsmen?’

The outer court student said in a low voice, "That Xuan Ye does use a sword. Considering his strength when he defeated Chu Jian in the elimination round, it’s possible he really does have the combat power of a Tier Six Third Layer. As for Wu Zhan, that waste is out of the question. In that case, Xuan Ye must have been fighting someone else."

"Perhaps," Lv Feng nodded.

Just then—

"Chen Jin, what are you doing here?"

The young man who’d had his two Crystal Stones stolen, Wu Zhan, had returned at some point and was now staring in bewilderment at Chen Jin and Lv Feng.

After leaving earlier, the more he thought about the strength of Ye Xuan and Lin Yuan, the more shocked he became. Ye Xuan’s Sword Intent in particular had left a huge impact on him. After much thought, he decided to return to experience the lingering Sword Intent for himself.

He never expected to run into his former subordinate, Chen Jin, along with another student he had never seen before.

"And this is...?"

Wu Zhan frowned. He could feel an aura emanating from Lv Feng that made his heart tremble.

"Senior Brother Wu Zhan."

Seeing Wu Zhan, Chen Jin was startled. His eyes darted around before he said in a panic, "Senior Brother Wu Zhan! Xuan Ye was chasing you just now, and I was worried something might happen to you, so I followed from a distance. But I never expected to be caught by this man as soon as I got here! He started questioning me about what happened. He’s a senior student from the inner court, so I didn’t dare refuse to answer!"

Chen Jin put on a fearful and panicked expression.

"Is that so?"

Wu Zhan gave him a doubtful look. Although he hadn’t heard their conversation, their previous expressions and attitudes didn’t seem to match what Chen Jin was saying.

In fact, Chen Jin and the senior student looked more like two people who already knew each other.

But back in the outer court, Chen Jin had always been with him, and he’d never heard anything about Chen Jin knowing a senior from the inner court.