Chapter 267: A Dragon Among Men

"Simulated artistic conception? What's that?" Luo Chengfeng was taken aback.

"My moves look exactly like yours, but in essence, they are vastly different. Those moves of mine were all simulated using sword intent—they only seem similar, not truly the same." Ye Yuan said.

"This... artistic conception can be used in such a way?"

Luo Chengfeng had felt something was off, but he couldn't figure out why. Now, hearing Ye Yuan's explanation, he realized that the other party had been using sword intent to spar with him all along?

But even if it was sword intent, how could it be so similar?

No matter how hard Luo Chengfeng thought, he couldn't understand how one could use sword intent to simulate calligraphy intent so vividly!

Luo Chengfeng believed that the people below the stage couldn't tell that Ye Yuan was using sword intent! Only someone like him, who had immersed himself in the way of calligraphy for years, could discern that subtle difference!

Not to mention anything else, just how profound was Ye Yuan's attainment in the way of the sword!

This defeat was not unjust!

"The myriad paths of the Dao lead to the same destination! Artistic conceptions differ vastly, yet they share many commonalities. Although I haven't delved deeply into the way of calligraphy, I have seen an extremely skilled calligraphy master and am quite familiar with the art, so I could simulate calligraphy intent with sword intent." Ye Yuan said.

The "extremely skilled master" Ye Yuan referred to was none other than the Heavenly Book Divine King.

But no matter how wild Luo Chengfeng's or anyone else's imagination was, they couldn't fathom what kind of existence this so-called "extremely skilled master" was.

Ji Qingyun and his son held a very high status in the Divine Realm and had dealings with most Divine Kings.

Although the Heavenly Book Divine King was one of the more unconventional among the Ten Supreme Divine Kings, he had once shared a good friendship with Ye Yuan.

And Ye Yuan had witnessed battles between the Heavenly Book Divine King and other Divine Kings—truly earth-shattering and heaven-defying!

Compared to the Heavenly Book Divine King, Luo Chengfeng's "Imperial Dharma True Scripture" was pathetically weak.

Ye Yuan was naturally highly perceptive, had comprehended the supreme true meaning in the sword, and had witnessed the Heavenly Book Divine King's calligraphy path. Simulating Luo Chengfeng's move artistic conception was not a difficult task.

Ye Yuan's conditions were far better than Luo Chengfeng's. If he couldn't even simulate such a low-level artistic conception, he would be utterly useless.

"Well said: 'The myriad paths of the Dao lead to the same destination'! Junior Brother, your perception is extraordinary. Although you merely simulated my artistic conception, if your own artistic conception weren't so high, you wouldn't have achieved such a result. I, Luo, admit defeat wholeheartedly!" With that, Luo Chengfeng clasped his hands and left.

In the distance, Xiao Jian and Mo Yuntian stood with their hands behind their backs, having just watched the duel between Ye Yuan and Luo Chengfeng.

"Yuntian, you were right. A prodigy like Ye Yuan—our Nethercloud Sect may not have the fortune to contain him. What do you think of his strength?" Xiao Jian suddenly asked.

Mo Yuntian said, "Junior Brother Ye's sword intent has probably already surpassed mine by far, and even... well, if I'm not mistaken, Junior Brother Ye has likely fully comprehended the 'Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Art' on the Nine Heavens Path!"

Xiao Jian turned to look at Mo Yuntian and laughed, "Surpassing me is surpassing me—why be evasive? I wonder which crack in the stone this kid popped out from, with such monstrous talent! In the thousands of years since our Nethercloud Sect was founded, only a handful have fully comprehended the Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent! This kid is only fifteen and has already grasped such profound sword intent—truly remarkable!"

Mo Yuntian said with slight embarrassment, "Junior Brother Ye is a dragon among men. As long as he doesn't fall, he will surely ascend to the Divine Realm in the future! And I think his talent might even surpass that of Patriarch You Wuyan. Even in the Divine Realm, he could become a formidable powerhouse!"

Xiao Jian nodded, clearly agreeing with Mo Yuntian's view.

A prodigy who could fully comprehend a true meaning at the age of fifteen should not appear in the Boundless Realm.

"Yuntian, did you notice anything different about Ye Yuan's sword intent?"

Mo Yuntian was somewhat surprised. Although he had also comprehended some Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent, he was far inferior to Xiao Jian and naturally not as sensitive.

If it came down to it, Tianyu's comprehension of Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent was even stronger than Mo Yuntian's!

Mo Yuntian shook his head. Xiao Jian said with a grave expression, "Ye Yuan's sword intent is not purely Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent! If I'm not mistaken, he has also comprehended another sword intent!"

"Another sword intent?" Mo Yuntian looked bewildered, not knowing what this implied.

Xiao Jian nodded and said, "Ye Yuan's sword intent clearly bears the shadow of Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent, but it also has a hint of lightness and ethereality. In my opinion, Ye Yuan had probably comprehended one sword intent before embarking on the Nine Heavens Path. While traversing the path, he also comprehended the Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent. The most terrifying part is that he has already fused these two sword intents into one!"

Mo Yuntian was stunned. He knew Ye Yuan's sword intent was extremely strong, but he hadn't expected it to have reached such a level!

As a sword cultivator, Mo Yuntian deeply understood that fusing artistic conceptions was even more difficult than comprehending two separate ones!

"Ye Yuan has comprehended the Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent, which means he has mastered one true meaning. If he has also fused another artistic conception, what realm is he in now?" Mo Yuntian felt his mind couldn't keep up.

Xiao Jian shook his head and said, "I don't know either! But beyond true meaning, there must be a higher realm—one belonging to the powerhouses of the Divine Realm! I wonder what kind of sword intent Ye Yuan has fused. If it is also a true meaning, that would be terrifying!"

Limited by his horizons, Xiao Jian didn't know what realm lay beyond true meaning; he hadn't even fully comprehended one true meaning himself. But he knew that there must be a higher realm beyond true meaning, otherwise what would the powerhouses in the Divine Realm cultivate?

What realm would be achieved by fusing two true meanings, Xiao Jian didn't know either. In the Boundless Realm, possessing one true meaning already made one an extremely strong expert!

It was said that in the Northern Domain, there were great cultivators who had fused two true meanings, but Xiao Jian had no concept of what realm such great cultivators were in.

In fact, in most cases, fusing two true meanings would not produce a supreme true meaning.

In the Divine Realm, there were many experts who had fused two artistic conceptions, but very few of them could cultivate to the Divine King realm, precisely because they couldn't comprehend the supreme true meaning!

Mo Yuntian took a deep breath and said, "That shouldn't be possible, right? Although Ye Yuan's talent is astonishing, fusing two true meanings at his age..."

Mo Yuntian felt this was beyond his understanding and instinctively thought it impossible.

Xiao Jian shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Haha, I also think it's unlikely. True meanings aren't cabbages that can be comprehended casually. Ye Yuan's comprehension of the Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent was mainly due to his fortuitous traversal of the Nine Heavens Path. I suspect he merely added the light and ethereal artistic conception he had previously comprehended into the Azure Firmament Purple Yang Sword Intent."