Chapter 1946: Zhang Xuan Tests

"It seems I've only learned the teacher's sword techniques, with almost no understanding of the sword intent..."

After the shock, Shan Xiaotian finally understood, smiling bitterly.

Having honed his swordsmanship at home for ten years, he thought becoming a miscellaneous disciple of the Sword Pavilion would be easy, but now it seemed he had been overly optimistic.

The gap was enormous!

No wonder Xue Qin, who never lacked resources in the City Lord's Mansion and had Xue Chen as a sword instructor constantly teaching her, only barely became a miscellaneous disciple. He, studying behind closed doors, couldn't even use true qi...

One-third of a meter was probably the increase from these past few days; in reality, he had none at all.

"If merely learning the teacher's sword techniques, knowing the how but not the why, can extend sword intent this far, how powerful would he be if he fully understood?"

Now Shan Xiaotian was like a child who could only recite texts. He had memorized the teacher's sword moves and could perform them, but why they were performed that way and what mysteries they contained—he was completely ignorant!

Memorizing 'The Knight-errant' and reciting it beautifully doesn't make one a poet capable of writing timeless verses like Li Bai.

If merely reciting could bring sword intent close to five hundred meters, how extraordinary would it be to fully comprehend?

That would mean the teacher could easily surpass five hundred meters, perhaps even reach farther!

"Let him try..."

Excited, he hurried out.

If casually learning swordsmanship for a day or two made him so formidable, the teacher's personal demonstration would surely be earth-shattering.

"How was it? Did you exceed thirty meters?"

Seeing him come out, Elder Lu Yun looked over nervously.

Although he guessed the other would definitely pass, he still felt uneasy without confirmation.

"I did..."

Shan Xiaotian nodded, blushing.

According to his understanding of the sword, it was only one-third of a meter, but if he told the truth, he'd probably be thrown out immediately... After much thought, he decided to brazenly admit it!

"How much exactly?"

Hearing that he passed, Elder Lu relaxed and looked at him curiously.

He had seen Shan Xiaotian's swordsmanship firsthand—like a divine dragon, visible only in glimpses, even the outer sect senior disciple Huo Jianghe couldn't withstand it!

To understand such swordsmanship and execute it smoothly would surely rank high among inner disciples!

"This is... the result!"

Shan Xiaotian took out a jade token from his bosom and handed it over.

The result that had just appeared was recorded on it.

"It's fine, no matter how much. You're still young. As long as you exceed thirty meters, you can improve with diligent cultivation and study..."

Seeing him embarrassed and reluctant to speak directly, Elder Lu Yun comforted him with a smile. But before he finished, his eyes fell on the token, and his eyeballs nearly popped out. "Four, four hundred ninety-nine meters?"

"Mm," Shan Xiaotian said, his face burning.

Lying to someone's face was truly embarrassing...

"..."

Seeing his expression, Elder Lu Yun looked down at the token again and grabbed his hair in exasperation.

Are you sick?!

With that shy, ashamed look, I thought you barely made thirty meters, or maybe thirty-one...

But no, four hundred ninety-nine meters... Even many core disciples can't achieve that!

This is practically becoming a Sword God!

Being so strong... and yet blushing with embarrassment, too embarrassed to say it... Blush my ass, embarrassed my foot!

Elder Lu Yun felt as if his face was being hung up and slapped repeatedly, thoroughly humiliated.

He had seen people ashamed of poor results, but this was the first time he saw someone with such excellent results wearing that expression.

It was like when exam results are announced, seeing a classmate wailing uncontrollably, going over to comfort him, only to hear after a long time the sad truth... he scored ninety-nine out of a hundred.

While the comforter himself only got nine...

At that moment, he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Taking a couple of quick breaths, he asked, "You feel... very embarrassed?"

"Yes... it's so awkward..." Shan Xiaotian covered his face.

Clutching his chest, Elder Lu Yun's heart spasmed as if about to stop. He no longer wanted to talk to this guy. "Brother Zhang Xuan, how about you go test? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll start hitting someone!"

"Well... alright!"

Nodding, Zhang Xuan stepped inside.

As he walked, he silently marveled.

This newly accepted student hadn't learned much swordsmanship, but his humility and low-key demeanor somewhat resembled his own—very good.

The child is teachable.

Closing the door, he arrived at the Sword God Platform.

"Where are the swords?"

He looked around; the room was empty, not a single sword in sight.

Could it be that testing sword intent didn't require a sword?

"Without a sword, he still managed four hundred ninety-nine meters. Not bad, this kid..."

No wonder everyone outside carried swords on their backs—they weren't provided here. Under these circumstances, his disciple could still extend sword intent nearly half a kilometer, showing his understanding of the sword didn't disgrace him.

No sword, no matter. Though it might affect him somewhat, since his disciple could do it, as the teacher, he couldn't fail!

Taking a deep breath, he raised his brows, and a surge of sword intent immediately emanated from his body.

The true insights of the sword he had comprehended in the Master Teacher Continent swirled in his mind. He pointed forward.

A sword qi condensed at his fingertip.

As the sword qi appeared, white sword intent gathered and began to extend forward, but soon merged with the sword light at his fingertip, refusing to shoot out.

It seemed this so-called sword intent had submitted to the sword light, not daring to advance.

Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

What's going on?

At this rate, he wouldn't even reach one meter...

He couldn't possibly be worse than his own student!

If that happened, it would be embarrassing.

"I need to gather more sword intent to break through the shackles of the sword light..."

Raising his brows, he carefully recalled the swordsmanship he had comprehended in the Sword Pond, the swordsmanship from the Zhang Clan, and even the sword intent he felt upon first entering the sect...

Countless true insights of the sword swirled in his mind. An invincible aura burst forth from his body. For a moment, he seemed to be the sword itself—a longsword piercing heaven and earth, unyielding and indomitable.

Boom!

As his sword intent continuously intensified, the surrounding white mist gathered more and more. In the blink of an eye, the entire room was filled with mist. The dense sword intent began to condense, even forming liquid.

"Still less than a meter? Impossible..."

Feeling that his sword intent had reached its peak, he looked forward again. His mouth twitched once more, and he nearly fainted.

After all this effort, all this exertion, the sword intent before him... still hadn't reached one meter!

Could it be that such formidable swordsmanship was inferior to that of a miscellaneous disciple here?

If so... how did Shan Xiaotian's third-rate swordsmanship manage 499 meters?

"I don't believe it! All sword intents, serve me!"

Frustrated, he let out a low roar. His true qi and soul transformed into longswords, continuously absorbing the scattered sword intent around him, pushing it toward the sword qi at his fingertip!

His disciple, without a sword, could achieve such distance. If the teacher couldn't do it, he would die of shame!

He must not lose!

For his reputation, and for the dignity of a teacher!

...

Sword God Hall.

A young man with a longsword on his back stood proudly among the crowd.

Seeing him, no one dared approach, as if a natural aura pushed the crowded masses away.

"Junior Brother Ye Lian, testing again today? Care for a competition?"

A hearty laugh rang out. The crowd parted, and another young man with a sword on his back walked over.

This young man was robust, standing out like a crane among chickens, clearly a head taller.

"If Senior Brother He Yan wishes to compete, I'll gladly oblige!"

The young man named Ye Lian nodded.

"Please!" He Yan led the way into a room.

Ye Lian followed closely, entering the adjacent room.

Although walls separated them, with their strength and the direction of sword intent extension, they could easily see each other's sword intent distance, allowing for better comparison.

"Are they the famous Senior Brother Ye and Senior Brother He among the core disciples?" Seeing their bearing, a new inner disciple couldn't help asking.

"Yes, it's them. I heard they're both striving to become Sword Gods and have been competing for five years now!"

A knowledgeable disciple nodded.

Ye Lian and He Yan were both well-known among core disciples with high prestige. However, they had been rivals for years, both only one step away from becoming Sword Gods.

Thus, they secretly competed to see who could take that step first.

"Senior Brother He, you go first!"

Ignoring the crowd's chatter, Ye Lian entered the room, stood on the Sword God Platform, drew his longsword, and casually greeted.

The test could only use the swords on the Sword God Platform. They always carried swords on their backs to better merge with the sword, achieving true unity of man and sword.

"Let's start together..."

He Yan laughed heartily from the next room, gripped his longsword, and shook it fiercely.

Boom!

Endless sword intent shot out from his acupoints, spreading along the sword tip into the distance.

Swoosh!

In an instant, it rushed out of the room, reaching dozens of meters away.

Seeing his senior brother's sword intent shoot out, Ye Lian did not retreat. His sword intent immediately followed, and in the air, the misty sword intents were like two white ribbons racing forward.

"Not slow, Junior Brother. It seems you've put in a lot of effort this half year!"

Seeing the other catching up and threatening to surpass him, He Yan smiled lightly.

"Senior Brother seems to have been busy too. Your sword intent spreads much faster than last time!"

Ye Lian retorted.

"Tit for tat. Let's see who reaches five hundred meters first and becomes a Sword God!"

With a long howl, He Yan's sword intent erupted. The white ribbon rushed forward at even greater speed. But before it could go far, it suddenly trembled, like a small snake encountering a divine dragon, overwhelmed by a tremendous pressure that prevented it from advancing.

His pupils contracted. He quickly looked toward Ye Lian's direction and saw that his sword intent had also stopped, trembling as if under pressure.

This was like a low-level sacred beast encountering an immortal beast.

"What's happening?"

He Yan was stunned. Bang!

At that moment, the extended sword intent exploded with a roar, instantly turning to powder.

Pfft!

Spitting blood, the powerful core disciple collapsed to the ground.