Chapter 35: Crossing Blades

"I haven't finished speaking!" the burly man said, somewhat angrily.

The green-armored figure and the white-robed man exchanged a glance. The green-armored figure quickly said, "Big brother, what do you mean by this? Weren't you indifferent to this Bei Ming? Are you really going to compete with us brothers over him?"

"Big brother, I remember every word you said just now," the white-robed man also hurriedly added.

How long had it been?

They had followed their master's orders and waited for far too long. Ji Ning was the first to ignite their fervor. Although there had been one before who perfectly combined offense and defense, he had only comprehended two Daos, which didn't align well with their master's path. Ji Ning, however, encompassed all directions of the Sword Dao.

Whether it was the path of slaughter, like the green-armored figure's master,

or the path of ethereal unpredictability, like the white-robed man's master,

or the great Giant Sword Dominator, the burly man's master—

Ji Ning was compatible with all! He could learn from any of them!

"I only said not to regard him too highly," the burly man said coldly. "And whether he can become my master's personal disciple is not for me to decide. It depends on whether that giant sword is willing to acknowledge him as its master."

The green-armored figure and the white-robed man were taken aback.

That giant sword... possessed an inconceivably miraculous power; it was a treasure of the universe! Even Eternal Emperors dreamed of obtaining it, but a treasure of the universe chooses its owner. If it doesn't acknowledge someone, there's no way to forcibly refine it.

"I can only determine whether he can become my master's nominal disciple," the burly man said. "The confirmation of a personal disciple must be decided by the giant sword."

"What, you want him to be a nominal disciple?" The green-armored figure and the white-robed man were both gnashing their teeth.

"Big brother, weren't you always dismissive?" the green-armored figure muttered.

"Whether he can become a nominal disciple depends on whether he can survive my sword." As the burly man's words fell, with a rumble, he manifested six arms, all gripping the dark blue giant sword in his hands! This giant sword was not a true treasure of the universe; it was merely a replica at the level of a 'Dao Divine Weapon.'

Swish!

His entire form transformed into a sword light, tearing through the void, his speed instantly reaching a terrifying five times the speed of light. This was a speed normally achievable only by a 'four-step Daolord.' Of course, different levels of Dao meant different specialties. Ji Ning's 'Blooddrop Sword Art' was a relentless forward charge, using his body as a sword to unleash the Blooddrop Sword Intent, which was the Blooddrop Escape Art.

The Blooddrop Escape Art was Ji Ning's fastest escape technique. The Shadowless Escape Art was more elusive but slightly slower. Since Ji Ning perfectly combined all five supreme Daos, the 'Blooddrop Escape Art' had undergone a qualitative change, becoming more violent and explosive, and faster, rising from about three times the speed of light to four times.

"With my five Sword Dao sword intents perfectly combined, my escape art still can't match his." Ji Ning easily toyed with the three volcano giants, watching the distant burly man fly over. He dared not be careless and quickly used a rope treasure to bind the three volcano giants separately so they wouldn't interfere.

"First, take a sword strike." The burly man's voice was vast and mighty.

The sword light flying from afar was grand and imposing.

It transformed into a straight line, directly slashing down at Ji Ning. At that moment, the entire world seemed to darken, leaving only this most terrifying sword strike descending upon him, making it impossible for Ji Ning to dodge—only to block.

"Whoosh~~~"

The black hole sword light spun like a lotus in the darkness.

Layer upon layer spun, sometimes violent and explosive like the Heaven-Collapsing Style, sometimes gentle and ethereal like the Shadowless Style...

"Puff puff puff puff puff puff..." The dark blue great sword directly struck the black hole sword light, which twisted layer by layer, attempting to alter its trajectory while also weakening the opponent.

"A formidable defensive sword technique." The burly man also sensed that his dark blue great sword was trapped in those layers of twisting and weakening, as if in a cycle from which there was no escape.

"Break, break, break."

The burly man remained calm, steadfast in his master's Sword Dao.

No matter how resilient, all yield to overwhelming force!

Forcibly break through!

"Boom~~~"

Ji Ning flew backward, then took five steps back on the ground, staring warily at the distant burly man.

...

"He blocked it! Haha, big brother's sword strike was blocked head-on. Impressive! That poor fellow last time, though he also perfectly combined, was knocked down by big brother's sword." The green-armored figure at the distant temple watched in amazement.

The white-robed man said, "Bei Ming has comprehended a full five Sword Daos, and his sword Daos cycle among themselves. His sword has no flaws, and every aspect reaches the extreme... In terms of resilience, Bei Ming's Sword Dao is definitely the toughest."

"If he were to fight other prodigies who also perfectly combine their Sword Daos, those prodigies would still have weaknesses in their sword techniques. But Bei Ming excels in every aspect. He can use his strengths to attack their weaknesses." The green-armored figure also praised, "Impressive, impressive! Comprehending five supreme Sword Daos, if he can become a Daolord on the verge of merging, he might become the strongest Daolord."

Even among heaven-defying Daolords, there were rankings.

For example, 'Li Xing Palace Master' of the Mangya Kingdom in the Endless Territories. The great powers of Mangya Kingdom believed that if Betaileu reached the verge of merging, he might rival Li Xing Palace Master. Li Xing Palace Master had once slain an Eternal Emperor with three strikes. Yet even so, he was ranked second among Daolords in the Endless Territories!

Because the most heaven-defying Daolords could combine supreme Daos.

Even among those who combined, there were still differences in level!

"Mm." The white-robed man also sighed in admiration, "Yes, it's a pity we won't live to see that day."

The green-armored figure suddenly fell silent.

Strictly speaking, they weren't living beings, and they had to stay here forever, selecting disciples for their master. Though they did so willingly, they still yearned for the magnificent outside world.

...

The burly man, with six hands, held only a single giant sword.

In attack, his might was overwhelming.

In defense, he was as immovable as a mountain.

Fighting him felt like facing a boulder rolling continuously; as it rolled, its threat grew... This terrifying momentum had to be severed! Fortunately, Ji Ning had more tricks up his sleeve. The elusive and unpredictable 'Shadowless Style' repeatedly affected the burly man.

"Enough." The burly man suddenly stopped.

Ji Ning paused as well.

After a long and fierce battle, he had gained much. Under such tremendous pressure, he had truly become more adept at using his sword techniques.

The pressure the burly man exerted on Ji Ning was indeed immense. Both in speed and the power of his giant sword, he surpassed Ji Ning by a large margin. Although Ji Ning's Sword Dao had many techniques, he could barely manage a draw.

"When my master was at the World level, he was probably slightly weaker than you." The burly man looked at Ji Ning and nodded slightly. "You are qualified to become my master's nominal disciple."

"Shut up!"

"Big brother!"

Two angry voices rang out.

The one shouting 'shut up' was the more irritable green-armored figure; the one shouting 'big brother' was the always calm white-robed man. They both immediately turned into streaks of light and flew over. They had been constantly observing the battlefield, sensing all fluctuations, and the moment their big brother spoke, they became furious.

"Big brother, you've gone too far." The white-robed man, faster, landed and said angrily, "Weren't you dismissive of Bei Ming?"

"Bei Ming." The green-armored figure landed and directly stared at Ji Ning. "Don't become a nominal disciple. What's so good about being a nominal disciple? The nine divine swords left by my master each possess immense power, and combined, they are even more extraordinary. These nine swords and many other treasures were prepared by my master for his personal disciple. I think you are fully qualified to become my master's personal disciple."

"In terms of treasures, my master has a bit more than yours," the white-robed man also said. "Bei Ming, you should become my master's personal disciple! Back then, the three masters called each other brothers. My master ranked second because his strength was second only to the Dominator."

"You..." The green-armored figure was furious. He hadn't expected that at the critical moment, the white-robed man, who had been on his side, would stab him in the back.

"Don't blame Second Brother. It's just that I've waited too long for a good disciple for my master." The white-robed man said innocently.

"Shut up!" The burly man, with a cold face, finally couldn't help but roar.

Then he looked at Ji Ning. "In the end, it's up to Bei Ming himself to choose."

The Dominator's nominal disciple, or the personal disciple of the other two Sword Dao great powers? Pick one?

...