'Enlightenment Card: Activation of this card increases the cultivation inspiration of the host by 100-fold. Card can be used along with binding partners' cultivation mode.
'Ding! Enlightenment Card activated. Duration of effect is 30 minutes.
'Happy cultivating!'
The System's notifications appeared.
A moment later, Fang Lang felt as if he was surrounded by countless beams of white light. His mind felt clearer than ever. The sword intent coming at him suddenly appeared organized and easily decipherable.
Suddenly, the overwhelming sword intent emitted by the legendary sword was turned into a gentle breeze.
Whoosh.
His green robe fluttered in the wind. The loose strands of his hair caressed his forehead.
Fang Lang stood between the silhouettes of Ni Wen and Jiang Linglong. When he opened his eyes, the silhouettes seemed to be emitting light from their eyes!
The pressure around him dropped significantly!
Fang Lang extended his hand and grabbed at the sword intent coming his way. He felt the sword intent flow through his fingers like a stream of water.
He heard a buzzing sound.
Then, a scene unfolded before his eyes.
…
At the Great Barrier.
In the demon world that lied behind the portal, the gigantic head of a beast appeared. Its size could be compared to that of a mountain!
It spat and roared, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Its demonic energy filled the air!
Before the gigantic beast…
The silhouette of a man stood with a longsword in hand. He made an elegant strike.
His movements were calm and effortless.
The demonic beast retreated.
The world in front of the man was cut in half as if it was merely a painting!
Mountains were shattered and rivers were terminated!
Tens of thousands of purple and gold lotuses bloomed on the beast's head. The beast swayed. It clearly did not belong in the human realm.
The giant beast head was swallowed by the flowers and it vanished into thin air.
A thick drop of blood stained the man's sword.
…
That was the sword intent of the Sword Guild's leader, Xuanyuan Taihua!
The Blooming Lotus Blade.
The blade that made lotus flowers blossom.
With the aid of the Enlightenment Card, Fang Lang experienced clarity like never before.
He felt as if the gigantic sword floating above his head was slowly approaching him.
No!
He was the one approaching the blade!
He sprinted forward. The pulses of sword intent danced around him.
Beneath his feet, blossoms of purple blade energy formed.
As his foot touched the ground, his blade energy bloomed into a spiralling lotus blossom.
Every step he took spawned a flower!
He felt as if the blossoms were lifting him up toward the sword!
The essence of a sword mastery skill began to take form within Fang Lang's mind—it was the skill incorporated within Taihua's sword intent.
Tens of thousands of lotus flowers bloomed.
Fang Lang leaped onto the lotuses, using them as stairs.
The legendary sword was within Fang Lang's reach. He could already feel the sharpness of the sword that hung in the air!
Fang Lang reached out his hand; it looked as if he could reach the stars.
He extended his finger gently.
His finger touched the blade.
Fang Lang appeared as if he was communicating with the sword, asking for permission from the gods above.
A crisp ringing sound reverberated through the air, causing the blade energy below to gurgle and boil.
…
At the Great Barrier.
Outside the tunnel, there was pindrop silence.
The atmosphere felt particularly strange. Everyone stared at the boy within the tunnel who was swaying left and right as if plodding through a storm.
They watched as Fang Lang stumbled through 800 meters of the tunnel.
The sword suspended at the end of the tunnel sent out a blast of sword intent.
The sword intent surged outward.
Everyone thought Fang Lang was at his limit.
The next second, everyone was dumbfounded…
Fang Lang's body shook. He seemed to have used the sword intent to power forward!
He not only withstood the wave of sword intent, he even sped up as he continued further into the tunnel!
800 meters, 900 meters…
910, 920, 930…
He did not stop for a second!
Like a ghost, the boy floated further and further into the tunnel!
He looked as if he was taking a stroll in the park!
Shocked beyond belief, chatter erupted among the crowd.
"What's going on?"
"Is the tunnel broken?"
The old scarred sword master widened his eyes. The prominent scar on his face twitched. Even his breathing became ragged!
He stared at Fang Lang as the boy traveled more than 900 meters up the tunnel by embracing the sword intent!
The distance between Fang Lang and the floating blade became shorter and shorter!
"Impossible! That's impossible!"
Lu Ze and Lin Yun exclaimed simultaneously—they were trembling.
"Shut up!
"Why are you two being so loud? Do you have a death wish?"
The old scarred sword master gave Lu Ze and Lin Yun a death glare. The two boys suddenly felt an enormous wave of energy rushing toward them. They were flung meters backward!
The surrounding students quieted down.
They were all brimming with anticipation, yet no one dared to make a single sound or even breathe heavily. Their eyes were fixed on the tunnel.
Jiang Linglong clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes tracked Fang Lang.
Standing beside her, Liu Bubai was preoccupied with his own thoughts. Pale-faced, he kept muttering to himself, 'It can't be… It can't be, right?'
…
In the tunnel.
The boy's footsteps were steady.
He moved confidently toward the hovering blade.
The distance between the boy and the sword became shorter and shorter.
Until they became one…
The boy's hand grasped the sword.
It was as if he was holding the world in his hand.
The next moment, the entire realm fell silent. Not a sound was heard in the tunnel or the Great Barrier.
Except the roar of the mighty blade.
…
Crunch!
The blue and white porcelain cup in Chao Xiaojian's hand was shattered!
The wine in his cup was completely vaporized!
"He… He grabbed the sword?
"Did the sword choose him? Did he subdue the blade?"
Confusion and disbelief was evident in Chao Xiaojian's eyes.
'Impossible…' he thought.
From his observations, Fang Lang never stood a chance at touching the sword. In fact, 800 meters should have been his limit.
'But… Fang Lang is holding the blade. It had to be true!'
"Hahahaha… amazing! As expected of a student that I, Chao Xiaojian, saw potential in!
"But what a shame… I can't overrule the Emperor. Otherwise, this boy would be in the inner sect this instant! Ah, what a shame…"
Chao Xiaojian laughed merrily. He grabbed his wine pot and brought it to his mouth. He drank the wine right from the pot!
As he downed the pot of wine, his expressions suddenly froze.
'Anyone who touches the sword can have it.'
That was what he said when he was riling up the students.
'That means…
'F*ck.
'We lost the blade.'
…
Fang Lang gently tapped the giant sword suspended in the air.
The moment he touched the blade, a gust of sword intent encapsulated him!
It all happened in an instant!
A loud roar sounded beside him.
The single drop of blood on the sword was slowly dripping down. The bead sped up as it fell!
Finally…
The single drop of blood turned into a bloody figure. The terrifying figure flew above the sword with its mouth wide open. It dived straight toward Fang Lang!
The incredible pressure made Fang Lang gasp for air!
The color drained from his face!
The drop of blood on the blade…
It came to life!
Fang Lang snapped out of his daze. In an instant, everything in the tunnel became clear to him.
He could clearly see the legendary sword in his hand!
The single drop of blood on the blade had morphed into a beast that was pouncing straight at Fang Lang!
It was a test!
Fang Lang knew immediately.
If he could not subdue the physical embodiment of the sword's demonic energy, he was incapable of wielding it. He would be unworthy of the sword!
The beast roared!
The students felt a shiver run down their spines!
The old scarred sword master had his hand on his sword's hilt. His eyes were incredibly sharp and focused.
A gust of wind blew.
A moment later, Chao Xiaojian appeared above the tunnel in his white robe. His gaze was fixed on the tunnel.
If Fang Lang failed to conquer the demonic energy of the blood mist, Chao Xiaojian would step in immediately.
He could also use this opportunity to retrieve the legendary sword.
Boom!
The blood mist came at Fang Lang.
Fang Lang kept a tight grip on the Blooming Lotus Sword while his other hand held his steel sword. He swung both blades at the blood mist.
His powers were enhanced by the Dual Binding Mode, a 3X Amplification Card and an Enlightenment Card!
His combat power at that moment was greater than when he fought Lu Ze in the team competition!
Sword Draw Technique!
His blade roared!
His spiritual energy poured out of his body. As he struck his steel blade out, the air warped around it! He aimed straight for the blood mist!
His blade collided with the mist!
The steel sword shattered into pieces! The fragments shot out at high speeds, spiralling as they bounced against the walls of the tunnel.
The blood mist morphed into a beast's head. Its sharp-toothed maw chomped at Fang Lang's direction.
The moment his blade shattered, Fang Lang's heart sank.
Terrified shrieks could be heard.
The students watched anxiously.
Jiang Linglong tightened her grip on her White Frost Blade. Her eyebrows were knitted together—she could not help but worry.
Above the tunnel.
Chao Xiaojian's fingereds twitched. He let out a sigh and got ready to interrupt.
'The boy has done enough.
'Unfortunately…
'Huh?'
Chao Xiaojian staggered.
Within the tunnel, a wild look appeared in Fang Lang's eyes. He threw away the hilt of his steel sword and raised his hand, pressing his middle finger against his thumb.
He aimed his fingers at the approaching blood mist!
Fang Lang flicked his finger.
Finger Flick Energy Wave!
Waves of blade energy shot out like the ripples formed when a stone was dropped into a stagnant pond.
The invisible blade energy spread out.
Explosions filled the air.
The beast froze as if time had stopped. A second later, the beast warped and distorted. Then, it exploded with a loud bang!
However, the demonic energy did not disappear. It coalesced and charged at Fang Lang again!
Fang Lang wore a wild and determined expression. He flicked his fingers again. Air currents formed between his fingers.
Boom!
A piercing sound!
The Blooming Lotus Sword vibrated as if deeming Fang Lang worthy of its powers. It no longer hovered in the air. The blade fell onto the ground.
The crowd was hypnotized by the scene. All they saw was a field of blade energy lotus flowers forming around Fang Lang.
The blossoms swallowed the blood mist. With an ear-piercing shriek, the demonic energy vanished.
The flowers filled the tunnel, growing between the cracks on the walls and ground left by other swords.
The tunnel was gone…
A deadly silence filled the venue.
Liu Bubai, who was watching from outside the tunnel, let out an ill-timed whimper.
His intuition for being carried was correct!
The tunnel had collapsed because Fang Lang had claimed the sword.
How would the participants of the sixth batch compete?
This time, he was not carried to victory…
He was carried to defeat!
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