Chapter 1949: Zhang Xuan Falls into Demonic Possession

"Of course I have a sword. How could I display sword intent without a sword and take the test?"

Before he finished speaking, Shan Xiaotian's eyes suddenly bulged, and his mouth twitched: "After I entered the room, I threw away my sword... Could it be that the teacher tested me without a sword?"

Because he was using ordinary swordsmanship and couldn't unleash powerful sword intent, he... soon after entering the room, threw away his longsword. Since there was no wall ahead, the sword flew off somewhere and couldn't be retrieved.

He hadn't thought much about it at the time, but the teacher's sudden question left him completely stunned...

How could he display sword intent without a sword?

It was like milking a bull—if there's no milk, how can you milk it?

Yet... despite this, the teacher still obtained a result, coming up with two-thirds of a meter...

It was as if the bull had been forced to squeeze out half a bucket of milk...

How did he do it...

Shan Xiaotian felt he was going crazy.

"Ahem..."

Seeing his confirmation, Zhang Xuan's chest ached.

Damn it, others have disappointing children, but you're disappointing your teacher!

How did I end up with such an unreliable student!

No wonder he couldn't surpass one meter no matter what—so that's how it was...

"Don't spread this matter... I need to go into seclusion to cultivate!"

Knowing that if he continued, his dignity as a teacher would be completely lost, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, ignored the other, and turned back to his own room.

After adjusting for a while and suppressing the frustration in his heart, he tapped his finger, and the Book of Heaven's Path reappeared in his palm.

He had wasted a book to seal a sword intent—let's see what was really going on!

Gently opening the book, he saw the sword intent swimming inside again, and tapped it lightly.

Whoosh!

A surge of understanding of the sword path flowed through his fingertip into his brow, instantly invading his sea of consciousness, seeming to burst his head, while a voice like a great bell or bronze cauldron resounded in his mind.

"The sword path, the way of the sword, does not belong to the category of the great Dao of heaven and earth, but is a path created by humans..."

As the voice sounded, Zhang Xuan listened for a while and immediately became immersed in it.

Compared to this sword path, the Heaven's Path swordsmanship he had cultivated before was mere child's play, a pale comparison.

Although it was not wrong, what he practiced was at most the error-free version recognized by the Heaven's Path of the Master Teacher Continent. Before this swordsmanship, it was riddled with flaws.

It was like the knowledge you learn in elementary school—no matter how accurate, is it necessarily correct in university?

Not necessarily!

Newtonian mechanics, which people believed in for three hundred years, was also questioned, leading to the emergence of relativity.

In ancient times, the idea of a round sky and square earth was considered truth by everyone, but after the heliocentric theory, it became laughable, and people thought the sun was the center.

Then... it was discovered that saying the sun was the center was equally laughable.

Knowledge progresses, and so does the Heavenly Dao.

So-called truths might become jokes a hundred years later.

Hundreds of years ago, everyone believed that nothing could travel faster than sound. What about now?

The swordsmanship recognized as error-free by the Heaven's Path of the Master Teacher Continent is not so in the Upper Firmament.

"No wonder... even though I cultivated the Heaven's Path technique, I couldn't adapt to the spiritual energy of the Upper Firmament. It turns out... for the Heavenly Dao of the Upper Firmament, the technique I cultivated is not so correct, even riddled with flaws!"

"Speaking of which, each Heavenly Dao has its own right and wrong. In that case... what is true and what is false?"

His body trembled, and Zhang Xuan felt somewhat lost.

Each country has its own laws. In one country, something might be illegal and punishable by death, but in another country, doing the same thing might not only be fine but even praised.

Could the Heavenly Dao be the same?

What the Heaven's Path of the Master Teacher Continent considers correct might not be recognized by the Heavenly Dao of the Upper Firmament?

"Could it be that everything I have cultivated... is wrong?"

A sharp pain shot through his head, and Zhang Xuan was at a loss.

Since he started cultivating two years ago, he had always believed deeply in the Heaven's Path technique, firmly convinced it was absolutely correct. But now he suddenly discovered that it was only considered correct by the Heaven's Path of the Master Teacher Continent, not truly correct...

He fell into panic.

As soon as he tried to circulate the technique within his body, he felt dazed, as if a voice was constantly reminding him: This is wrong!

When he tried to execute martial techniques, a voice also sounded: Wrong, wrong, all wrong!

His eyes immediately turned red, steam rose from his head, and the true energy in his body trembled incessantly, as if about to explode, on the verge of collapse.

If anyone saw this scene, they would surely understand...

Demonic possession!

Zhang Xuan, who had always cultivated the Heaven's Path technique, had actually fallen into a state of demonic possession less than half a month after arriving in the Upper Firmament!

And it seemed he could collapse at any moment.

Rumble!

Along with his mental confusion, the entire Library of Heaven's Path also shook incessantly, as if experiencing an earthquake, on the verge of collapse.

His questioning of the true energy within his body was equivalent to questioning the Library of Heaven's Path and everything before.

Pfft!

The library shook, and his body could no longer bear it. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Hum!

Just as his internal energy was in chaos, his true energy running wild, and he was about to collapse, a red pendant hanging around his neck suddenly emitted a warm glow, enveloping him.

Enveloped by this light, his chaotic mind immediately calmed down, and Zhang Xuan's bloodshot eyes slowly returned to normal.

The shaking library also seemed to be soothed by some great force, stabilizing completely.

His consciousness cleared, as if he had gained some enlightenment, and his previous doubts became clearer.

"So that's it. It's not wrong, but... with a reference point, it becomes more macroscopic, and I see problems more comprehensively..."

Blind men touching an elephant: one touches the leg and says the elephant is a pillar, another touches the belly and says it's a wall, another touches the tail and says it's a snake...

Were they wrong?

For the individual, they were not wrong, but the true answer was wrong.

This is the inability to view problems more macroscopically.

If we compare the Heaven's Path of the Master Teacher Continent to Newtonian mechanics, then the Heavenly Dao of the Upper Firmament is relativity, applicable to a larger scope, better explaining the paradoxes of mechanics in the macroscopic and microscopic universe.

For example, according to Newtonian mechanics, if a train moves forward at one-third the speed of light, and someone outside the train turns on a light source, someone inside the train would see the light speed increase to four-thirds of the original.

But in reality, the speed of light is constant; no matter how fast the train goes, the measured result is exactly the same.

Previously correct laws become unusable at this point, but strictly speaking, neither is wrong; it's just... that it involves a more magnificent world and more profound knowledge.

Like this sword intent.

It was far more profound than what he had comprehended before. It wasn't that his previous swordsmanship was wrong, but... this sword intent stood at a higher position! Thus, it saw more clearly.

"So that's it..."

With this enlightenment, this sword intent completely merged with his entire being, and his understanding of the sword path became even stronger.

The previous so-called True Interpretation of Speed, True Interpretation of Offense, True Interpretation of Defense... merged like flowing water in his mind, becoming indistinguishable.

"No wonder no one on the Master Teacher Continent could fuse so many True Interpretations together, because many attributes were completely different... It turns out it's not about talent, but the height at which one stands is too low!"

With a further step in understanding the sword path, Zhang Xuan suddenly realized.

Previously on the Master Teacher Continent, his father Zhang Zhenxing had specifically said that very few people comprehended two True Interpretations, and almost none comprehended three, let alone fuse them.

He had always thought it was impossible due to talent or lack of corresponding books...

Now it seemed that on the Master Teacher Continent, it was indeed impossible, but it had nothing to do with talent—it was a matter of insufficient height!

Did Newton discover the law of universal gravitation because an apple fell on his head?

No, it was because he stood on the shoulders of giants. Countless scientists before him had already accumulated knowledge to that point, leaving only the door for him to push open.

Hum!

The many True Interpretations he had comprehended perfectly fused within his body, and his entire aura rapidly improved, as if he had become a sharp longsword. His physical body, true energy, and soul all underwent great tempering and refinement.

"Excellent! Having comprehended this sword path, I will truly be invincible at the same level!"

Previously, no one in the Divine Communication Hall could stop him because a place like Star Radiance City was too remote.

Only after entering the Lingyun Sword Pavilion and sensing the intent of the giant sword on the mountain gate did he realize that his strength was not as strong as he had imagined... But now, having completely fused the True Interpretations of the sword path, even if that Ten Li Sword God appeared, at the same level, he might not be a match!

Hum!

The sword intent completely merged with him, fully comprehended by him. The sealed Book of Heaven's Path burned like thin smoke and vanished the next moment.

"Not only did I not lose out, but I gained..."

Smiling lightly, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.

He had felt that the Book of Heaven's Path was wasted and was extremely frustrated, but after truly comprehending this sword intent, it was as if he had jumped onto the shoulders of giants... Only then did he realize that not only was it not wasted, but he had gained immensely!

Otherwise, relying solely on his own comprehension, such a level of sword intent would take ten or even a hundred years to achieve, if at all.

"Ruoxi, thank you..."

Holding the pendant in his palm, Zhang Xuan smiled gently.

Just now, when he fell into demonic possession and his consciousness was chaotic, the library almost couldn't withstand it. At the critical moment, the pendant given by Ruoxi saved his life.

Could it be that she had already guessed this situation would occur when she placed the Spring and Autumn Canon in the library?

Had she made a prediction in advance?

Looking down, the crystal-like pendant inside was as bright red as blood, still dazzling, but for some reason, it seemed slightly dimmer than before.

"Who exactly are you?"

Knowing about the library and predicting this situation—who was Ruoxi?

"I can't delay any longer. I must challenge the sect master or elders and quickly inquire about the Spirit God Palace..."

After studying for a while, even the Library of Heaven's Path with its Insight Eye could do nothing about this pendant. Zhang Xuan could no longer restrain himself and stood up, walking out the door.

"Cao Chengli, I give you your first task: find out how to obtain the Divine Communication Token of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, and if convenient, get a few of them..."

Returning to the courtyard, he found this subordinate who had voluntarily pledged loyalty, and Zhang Xuan gave him his first task.