Chapter 2002: The Divine Sword Art of Lingyun

He was telling the truth.

Originally, he had followed to protect Zhang Xuan's safety, but as a result, among the three peak True Immortal realm black-robed men, the other party had killed one alone, stabbed one to death while fighting him, and the remaining one was also hacked to death by his longsword.

As for the Immortal Lord realm powerhouse, he was even smashed to death by a book from this guy in front of him.

To be precise, he really hadn't helped much.

At most, he had pulled aggro and attracted some hatred.

Of course, he hadn't gotten any equipment either; it was all taken by the other party.

He had been shocked all along—the other party's progress was too fast. How... in the blink of an eye, had he gone from early stage to peak?

"On the way here, feeling my strength was too low, I ate some Immortal Origin Pills and broke through!"

Seeing that revealing his true cultivation had scared the other party like this, Zhang Xuan explained.

If he had already reached the peak of True Immortal realm earlier, those three Temple warriors, even together, might not have been his match, and he wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble.

So, for self-protection, on the way here, he kept swallowing Immortal Origin Pills. With the Heavenly Dao technique and the tempering from the recent battle, he went from early stage to peak in no time.

He hadn't shown it before, but now that he had arrived at the Elder Hall and was safe, he felt there was no need to keep hiding it. He hadn't expected it to surprise the other party so much.

"Ate some... Immortal Origin Pills, and broke through?"

Not only was Elder Qiu Huo going crazy, but Han Jianqiu, Elder He Tian, and the others also staggered, almost spitting blood.

Earlier, they had thought he wasn't training properly and were somewhat displeased. Then they learned he had advanced nearly two major realms in a single day, shocking them nearly to death. And it didn't end there... How long had he been out? Two hours? Three hours?

He had even broken through to True Immortal, and reached the peak?

The key was his attitude...

Ate some Immortal Origin Pills, and broke through!

Come, come, I have a basin here too. I ate them, why is there no reaction at all?

"No, you just said... Elder Zhang Xuan, using the Tongshang Sword... he has refined this sword?"

After the shock, recalling something even more incredible, Sect Leader Han looked over again.

The Tongshang Sword was a treasure he had obtained, and he knew best how unruly its nature was.

Even he would need to put in great effort to refine it, and he hadn't bothered because it was too troublesome. The other party had succeeded when he got it, and he was only a Void Immortal?

And the key... how long had it been?

"Mm, when I saw it, it was already refined..." Elder Qiu Huo nodded bitterly.

Following behind this guy, all confidence would be shattered beyond recovery.

Soon, he recounted in detail what he had personally experienced.

Hearing that the Temple's Immortal Lord powerhouse had defeated Elder Qiu Huo with a single finger, everyone was shocked beyond measure. Then hearing that he had been smashed to death by a book from this guy, they were all speechless.

"This... book is a protective artifact given to me by my teacher, and it's used up now..."

Zhang Xuan said.

He couldn't explain the Library of Heaven's Path, so he had to fabricate a nonexistent "teacher" again.

Anyway, the Lingyun Sword Pavilion didn't investigate disciples learning techniques from other sects.

Everyone showed a serious expression.

Earlier, they had wondered why this young man, only in his twenties, possessed such cultivation and understanding of the sword. Hearing that he had a teacher, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

He must have been nurtured by a super powerhouse to have such abilities.

Without a teacher, no one would believe it.

"The Temple is always domineering, but... usually they wait until a cultivator reaches the Immortal Lord realm before coming. Sending Immortal Lords and True Immortals for a Void Immortal, and even sealing the space... Even I have never heard of such a thing!"

After explaining, Zhang Xuan asked the questions he had pondered on the way to Sect Leader Han, who also frowned, full of confusion.

"More importantly, those who know your identity are all in this hall, and no one has left. How did the other party find out? Even if the Temple is exalted, it is not omniscient!"

After discussing further, unable to figure it out, they had to drop it.

"If... the Temple sends people, can the Sword Pavilion withstand them?"

Zhang Xuan asked.

He was more concerned about this now. If the Sword Pavilion couldn't hold, and he had no more life-saving Heavenly Dao tome, he wouldn't even know how he died.

"Probably not!" Sect Leader Han shook his head. "We are a clan exiled by the Temple, the so-called God-forsaken clan. The Temple is lofty and mighty; if they act secretly, that's one thing, but if they openly storm the sect, it will inevitably cause backlash from everyone. Even if the Temple is powerful, it won't be able to control it!"

"Besides... the Lingyun Sword Pavilion is empowered by countless ancestors. Even if a Temple Immortal Lord enters, they can only cause trouble and will end up dead!"

Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Safety was good.

Thinking about it, if the other party wanted to act openly, they wouldn't have pulled him into a special space first before making a move.

"I wonder... besides the Elder Hall, are there any Immortal Lord realm cultivation techniques here? The more, the better. I still have some unresolved questions about cultivation and want to look into them..."

After asking a few more questions, Zhang Xuan said.

Strength was best kept in one's own hands.

If he reached Immortal Lord, no matter how many Temple powerhouses came, he wouldn't need to worry.

So the top priority was still to find a way to break through.

"Immortal Lord realm cultivation techniques are all in the Elder Hall..."

Sect Leader Han Jianqiu shook his head.

Immortal Lord was already the peak of the Abandoned Continent. Each technique was extremely rare; how could there be many?

"Only a dozen or so?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He had been to the Elder Hall's library and had specifically looked at the Immortal Lord realm cultivation methods. There were only a little over ten, not enough to form a Heavenly Dao technique... How could he cultivate then?

"Mm!" Han Jianqiu nodded. "Except for the Divine Sword Art of Lingyun, which only the sect leader is qualified to cultivate, the rest are in the library!"

"Divine Sword Art of Lingyun?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. "Do I... have the qualifications to learn it?"

Sect Leader Han said, "You have comprehended the Divine Sword Intent, so you are the future sect leader of the Sword Pavilion. Naturally, you are qualified! However, this technique is not in the form of a manual... To learn it, you must experience it personally. Come with me!"

Following behind, they walked out of the hall.

Now, improving strength was the only way; everything else was false.

Soon, they arrived at a sealed room. Taking out the token only the sect leader possessed, he opened the seal and entered.

Inside the room were a row of statues. Counting, there were twelve, each holding a long sword and performing different sword moves.

"This is the Divine Sword Art of Lingyun?"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes. This Divine Sword Art is the key to comprehending the Divine Sword Intent, and the technique is also contained within!" Han Jianqiu said.

Zhang Xuan looked. The statues before him had different forms and entirely different movements, with no indication of immortal power circulation or force direction. They seemed unrelated to any technique.

"These twelve are all sword moves, but each move is very strange, defying the structure of human anatomy. As long as you practice strictly according to these movements, the body will naturally form paths for immortal power circulation... And this is not only the highest Immortal Lord breakthrough technique of the Sword Pavilion but also the key to breaking through to Pseudo-God!"

Han Jianqiu explained.

Zhang Xuan looked closely and indeed saw that the movements of these sword moves were very odd.

Each one seemed to defy the body's natural bends, presenting an unimaginable curvature.

"You can start experimenting with this first move. Each move is harder than the last. When I first completed the first move, it took me a full three days!" Sect Leader Han Jianqiu said with a wry smile.

"Three days?"

Zhang Xuan looked at the first movement. The back bent backward, the long sword thrust out from above the head, very awkward.

"Yes, and this is the simplest. The second move took me ten days, the third a month... I spent a full fifteen years learning all twelve statues!"

Sect Leader Han Jianqiu explained.

The highest technique of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, the profound martial art left by the founding ancestor. Being able to learn it in fifteen years was considered extremely fast and highly talented.

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

"Don't underestimate this speed. Among the successive sect leaders of the Sword Pavilion, I definitely rank in the top ten for completing it in fifteen years..."

Seeing his expression, Han Jianqiu said seriously.

Being able to become a sect leader, one's talent was naturally not weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have surpassed others to get here.

Fifteen years sounded slow, but for cultivating the Divine Sword Art of Lingyun, it was considered extremely fast.

"Is that so?"

Full of doubt, Zhang Xuan turned his wrist, and the Tongshang Sword appeared in his palm. He bent his back, and a sword aura extended from the tip, the movement exactly matching the first statue before him.

"..."

Han Jianqiu's eyebrows twitched.

He had just said it took him three days to learn, and the other party executed it instantly... giving him a bad feeling.

"The first move is relatively simple... Having comprehended the Divine Sword Intent, it shouldn't be hard for you to perform. The later ones probably won't be so easy..."

Full of embarrassment, he quickly said.

"Let me try..."

Zhang Xuan turned his body, twisting it into an unimaginable curvature again, completing the second move!

Then, the third move!

The fourth move!

The fifth move!

...

In the blink of an eye, he reached the tenth move.

"..."

Han Jianqiu felt he was really going crazy.

The other party completing the first move could be attributed to its simplicity, but doing the remaining moves in one go—what the hell?

Had he practiced them before?

That was absolutely impossible!

No one other than the sect leader had ever been to this place.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as he was too shocked to speak, he saw the young man finish the remaining two moves as well and look over with full confusion: "This is very simple... Did you really train for fifteen years?"

"I..."

Han Jianqiu wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

He had spent fifteen years, boasting and feeling proud, thinking he ranked in the top ten... and the other party had taken less than fifteen breaths...

Comparing people drives you crazy!

Just as he was at a loss, he heard the young man's puzzled voice continue.

"But... you trained for fifteen years, didn't you notice that the order of these sword moves is wrong?"

"Wrong?"

Han Jianqiu stood frozen on the spot.