Chapter 386: Hall Master, Save Me

Zhang Xuan had no sword, nor any weapon. The only longsword, a gift from an elder of the Beast Hall, had been given to Zhao Ya.

Now that his opponent had drawn a weapon and forced him to use one, his eyes fell on the girl, and he immediately called out.

"Sword?"

Zhao Ya hesitated for a moment, but still flicked her jade hand, sending the longsword flying straight toward Teacher Liu before her.

She didn't know why this Teacher Liu would borrow a sword from her, but since she had come to help him, it didn't matter.

Swish!

The longsword left its sheath, radiating cold light. Zhang Xuan's entire demeanor changed instantly, as if he had merged with the sword. His aura soared into the sky, as if to tear the blue heavens apart.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

All the martial artists carrying swords felt their weapons ring out crisply, as if meeting their king, converging into a resounding chorus.

"Ten thousand swords singing in unison... This is the Sword Heart Realm, a level higher than Sword Intent?"

"President Liu, barely over twenty, has comprehended the Sword Heart?"

"How... did he do it?"

...

Everyone trembled violently, staring at him as if he were a monster.

In weapon cultivation, comprehending the true intent of the weapon was only the first step. Reaching a higher realm was the Weapon Heart!

The Sword Heart signified an appalling level of understanding of the sword. It was said that even some experts beyond the Sovereign realm could not achieve it. To see it displayed by a young man at the peak of Grandmaster was astonishing.

The Sword Heart: using the heart as the sword, guided by intent; wherever it reaches, every move is a sword technique.

To comprehend such an intent at this age meant he was invincible among his peers in swordsmanship.

"No, it's not the Sword Heart!"

Hall Master Jiang, who had just arrived at the back of the crowd, slowly shook his head.

Others might not know President Liu's identity, but he knew it well. He was a prodigy of the Master Teacher Hall. If he fell in the Lin Family, the headquarters would surely have him killed.

Thus, upon hearing the news, he had rushed over immediately.

However, Zhang Xuan was currently in the upper hand, not at all passive, so there was no need for him to intervene.

"No?" Elder Zhu looked over in confusion.

Ten thousand swords singing in unison, like a dragon's roar to the sky—these were signs of comprehending the Sword Heart. If not, what was it?

"The Sword Heart is divided into three levels: Upper, Middle, and Lower, arranged according to the depth of comprehension. A normal Lower Sword Heart can imbue a sword with spirituality, making it resonate with its wielder like an extension of the arm. Although Teacher Zhang has triggered the unison of ten thousand swords, he has only mobilized the sword's aura; he has not fully grasped this spirituality..."

Hall Master Jiang explained.

The Sword Heart was a realm, signifying that the sword had spirit, that the sword had a heart.

Though Zhang Xuan had a profound understanding of the sword, even triggering the unison of ten thousand swords, he had little grasp of 'spirit,' not even touching its edges. Naturally, he had not fully attained the so-called Sword Heart Realm.

"Then what is this..."

Understanding dawned, and Elder Zhu couldn't help but look up.

If it wasn't the Sword Heart Realm, what was it?

"It's the Half-Heart Realm!"

Hall Master Jiang's expression turned grave. "He has actually comprehended the Sword Heart, but his cultivation hasn't broken through, so he hasn't fully mastered the spirituality. Once his strength improves, he will likely truly master it, becoming invincible in the way of the sword!"

"He doesn't even know what 'spirit' is, yet he has grasped the Half-Heart... How did he do it?"

As he spoke, he was also stunned beyond measure.

Many super experts beyond the Sovereign realm, observing day and night, studying tirelessly, could not comprehend the Sword Heart. This guy didn't even know what spirit was, and... didn't even have a sword, yet he had reached this level...

The thought alone was maddening.

If this news reached those who studied swordsmanship their whole lives without ever entering the door, they might die of depression on the spot.

"Such intense Sword Intent..."

Zhao Ya didn't know about the Sword Heart, but the Sword Intent emanating from Teacher Liu before her made her delicate body tremble. She felt completely suppressed, unable to muster the courage to draw her sword in his presence.

Sword Intent suppression!

Among those who had comprehended Sword Intent, those with deeper understanding could easily suppress those with shallower comprehension.

"Using a weapon was probably the worst decision you could make!"

With the longsword in hand, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly and looked over.

The Heaven's Path Fist Art and Heaven's Path Movement Art each had only one move and required close combat to attack. The Heaven's Path Sword Art was different; having comprehended Sword Intent, one move could break ten thousand moves, and any casual gesture was a technique!

Earlier, when fighting his opponent, he had been forced back by his true qi, unable to attack, only to dodge. With a sword in hand, everything was different.

He could now confront him head-on!

Swish!

He flicked the longsword, and a sword hum resounded. A brilliant sword beam shot from the tip, slashing toward Lin Ruotian.

"What?"

Lin Ruotian felt like crying.

Earlier, his opponent had been dodging, making it impossible for him to land a hit. He had thought that by using a weapon, with concentrated power and a wider attack range, he could gain an advantage and force him to flee no more. He never dreamed... the guy had comprehended the Weapon Heart!

Damn it!

How was he supposed to fight this?

Although his cultivation had reached Half-Step Sovereign, his understanding of the sword hadn't even reached Sword Intent, let alone the Sword Heart!

His face darkened. He shrank back sharply, dodging the opponent's sword beam, and was about to counterattack when he saw a white flash streaking toward his scalp.

"Damn!"

Sensing the killing intent attached to it, he knew that if it hit, his scalp would be torn open. Lin Ruotian, throwing caution to the wind, rolled on the ground.

Swish!

The sword beam struck the ground, carving a deep trench, sending rocks and dirt flying.

"Damn it!"

A dignified Half-Step Sovereign forced to dodge attacks by rolling like a lazy donkey—Lin Ruotian was furious enough to explode. As he rolled, he slapped the ground with his palm, intending to leap up, but his hairs stood on end again, and he involuntarily rolled forward.

Sizzle!

The moment he left his spot, another deep trench appeared where he had been.

Having comprehended Sword Intent, he could unleash sword beams. Sword beams were formed by combining true qi with the sword, extremely sharp and capable of cutting through anything. Although he was a Half-Step Sovereign expert, against such a thing, he could only be slaughtered; he couldn't withstand it.

Earlier, his abundant qi had kept the opponent at bay, preventing him from closing in. But under the sharp sword beams, that power was useless. If he tried to use it, he might be cut apart and severely injured.

"Liu Cheng, you..."

After rolling twice more, anxious and furious, Lin Ruotian roared again. But before the sound ended, another sword beam shot straight at him.

Rip!

This time, he couldn't dodge in time. A chill ran over him, and his wide sleeve was torn apart, along with several strands of hair.

Feeling the bone-piercing cold of the sword beam, he knew that if he had been a step slower, his guts would have been spilled. No longer bothering with words, he kept rolling.

...

"How strange! With fists, President Liu kept dodging, unable to resist, helpless... With a sword, President Lin can't even get up, only rolling on the ground..."

"The Lin family is famous for swordsmanship, and the family head is a renowned sword master in the kingdom... President Liu is a physician, an ordinary teacher, without even a sword! Now the sword master is strong in fist techniques, while the swordless physician excels in swordsmanship..."

"What is this world coming to..."

...

Everyone exchanged glances, dumbfounded.

The Lin family was a sword-wielding clan, with a swordsmanship tradition spanning hundreds of years. In swordsmanship, even the entire Tianwu Kingdom revered them as supreme.

Everyone had thought that when he drew his longsword, President Liu would surely lose. They never dreamed such a situation would arise.

The dignified sword master, Family Head Lin, after dozens of moves, couldn't even counterattack, only rolling on the ground...

How pathetic!

"It's not that Family Head Lin is too pathetic, but... President Liu is too strong!"

Dean Xie's expression was solemn. "Logically, even if he has comprehended Sword Intent and Sword Heart, with only peak Grandmaster strength, he shouldn't be able to continuously unleash sword beam attacks. Moreover, sword beam attacks have a certain range; the farther the attack, the greater the consumption of true qi!"

Several teachers from Tianwu Academy nodded in agreement.

Sword beams were an external release of true qi. The farther the attack range, the faster the dispersion, not only reducing power but also increasing consumption.

"Look, after so many consecutive attacks, the sword beams are still brilliant and powerful, forcing Family Head Lin to dare not resist... This shows that his internal true qi is either extremely abundant or extremely pure!"

Dean Xie said slowly. "Only when true qi is abundant to a certain level can one use it so recklessly without fear of depletion. And only when it is pure to a certain level can the sword beam maintain its cohesion and full power over such a distance from the body!"

"Indeed!"

Everyone nodded.

...

While everyone here was stunned into silence, Zhang Xuan wielded his longsword like the wind.

"Family Head Lin, weren't you just now saying we should compete with weapons? What do you mean by rolling on the ground..."

He shouted loudly, righteous and stern. "Can you fight me face to face?"

"Pfft!"

Hearing this, Lin Ruotian was so frustrated that he was accidentally grazed by a sword beam and spat out a mouthful of blood.

This was madness!

These were exactly the words he had said to the other party, now thrown back at him.

Fight face to face?

Oh my god!

Your sword beams were everywhere, leaving me unable to even defend. How could I fight face to face?

Earlier, with fists, he had forced the opponent to dodge everywhere, avoiding direct contact. It was going well. Why did he have to show off and insist on using a weapon? Now, instead of showing off, he was left dumbfounded.

The number one expert of Tianwu Kingdom, a Half-Step Sovereign...

Who had ever seen an expert beaten so badly he rolled on the ground?

"Hall Master Liao, Great Alchemist, make your move quickly... As long as you poison this guy to death, I'll agree to any conditions you name, and I'll double them!"

After rolling a few more times, knowing that if this continued, he would eventually be killed by the opponent's sword beams, Lin Ruotian could no longer hold back and let out a long howl.

All the family elders were practically crippled, unable to deal with this young man. His only hope was Hall Master Liao and the Great Alchemist behind him.

As the Hall Master of the Poison Hall, he could kill enemies above his level. As long as he used poison, even the strongest sword beams would be useless!

"Good, remember your words. I'll take care of this person for you!" Hearing the promise, Liao Xun nodded with satisfaction and stepped forward.

"Hall Master Liao? Great Alchemist? Poison? Could it be... the Great Alchemist of Honglian City, Hall Master Liao Xun of the Poison Hall?"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone's face turned pale at once, causing an uproar.