Chapter 205: Inverse Element Stone Sword

The others waited another hour or so. Finally, accompanied by a sound of footsteps from within the hall, the short, stout figure of Xiong Shan slowly emerged, his face solemn.

Seeing the hall packed with people, a hint of satisfaction finally appeared in his eyes.

"Greetings, Vice Dao Lord Xiong!" The crowd in the hall rose simultaneously and bowed to Xiong Shan.

"No need for formalities. Follow me." Xiong Shan waved a hand slightly, then turned and walked toward a side door in the great hall.

The crowd quickly followed, walking in silence through the side door and along a corridor until they reached a place resembling a training ground.

This place was about a thousand zhang in size, but aside from ten enormous stone swords laid flat on the ground, it appeared empty, with nothing else.

Each of these stone swords was seven or eight zhang tall, with extremely thick blades. They were engraved with intricate patterns and exuded a strange aura, like sword qi, yet completely different from sword qi.

Han Li's gaze swept over these stone swords, a hint of surprise in his eyes, then he seemed to understand something.

"You all know the content of this mission. I need ten people proficient in the way of the sword to assist me in refining a magical treasure. Since there are over forty of you here, I have arranged this test to assess your cultivation in the way of the sword." Xiong Shan stated directly.

Most of those present had already guessed this, so few showed surprise. However, when the native elders and non-native elders like Qi Liang looked at each other, their hostility deepened.

"Vice Dao Lord Xiong, as the foremost sword cultivator among the thirty-six vice dao lords of our sect, I believe that even just participating in this test will greatly benefit our future cultivation and enlightenment. Truly thoughtful." Zhu Feng suddenly stepped forward and said with a loud laugh.

He had appeared arrogant toward others, but now his face was full of smiles, showing a very humble demeanor.

At these words, many turned their heads to look at Zhu Feng.

Xiong Shan's gaze also swept toward Zhu Feng. Though his expression did not change much, his originally cold eyes unconsciously softened a little. Then he said indifferently, "The test I have arranged is actually very simple. You must have seen those stone swords beside you. They are 'Inverse Element Stone Swords' refined by my unique method, with special restrictions set inside. Only those who truly master the art of sword control can manipulate them. Step forward one by one and try. The result of the test will be determined by the number of stone swords you can control."

Han Li, like the others, turned his gaze back to the stone swords.

This testing method was indeed novel.

However, the name 'Inverse Element Stone Sword' was heard for the first time by everyone present. Although there were only ten swords, Xiong Shan spoke so solemnly that the crowd looked at each other, hesitating for a moment. No one stepped forward to try, and even Zhu Feng showed a hint of hesitation.

"Brother Li, what do you think?" Qi Liang, looking somewhat uneasy, approached Han Li and transmitted his voice.

"I can't tell yet. But these Inverse Element Stone Swords are definitely not as simple as they appear. It might not be easy to activate them." Han Li pondered for a moment and replied via voice transmission.

Others were also communicating with their divine sense, discussing among themselves.

"I only need ten people who meet my expectations. When the ten are chosen, the test will end." Seeing the crowd's hesitation, Xiong Shan became somewhat displeased and snorted coldly.

At these words, everyone's expression changed. No longer daring to hesitate, a bald inner sect elder immediately flew to the front of the stone swords.

"I'll go first!"

Seeing this, Xiong Shan slowly nodded.

"Brother Li, when do you plan to try?" Qi Liang glanced at the eager crowd and transmitted to Han Li.

"No rush. Although Xiong Shan said that, the word 'expectations' is entirely up to him. Since so many have come, he will definitely choose the best and will surely watch until the end. Let these people test the stone swords first; it's a good opportunity to observe more." Han Li replied via voice transmission.

"Brother Li is wise!" Qi Liang was startled, then immediately understood.

A few others seemed to share Han Li's view, looking relaxed and not in a hurry to step forward.

At this moment, the bald elder in the field took a light breath. A faint white light radiated from his body, and a piercing chill emerged around him.

Buzz!

A dazzling white light burst forth from the man, condensing into the shadow of a huge snow-white sword.

A chilling icy sword intent spread out, and countless crystal snowflakes immediately appeared in the nearby void, dancing in the air, beautiful and magnificent.

Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly. This bald elder's sword cultivation was not weak.

These snowflakes seemed ordinary, but they were not formed by cold air condensing moisture in the void; rather, they were illusions created by releasing sword qi. Such a technique required extremely precise control over the way of the sword and was not simple.

"Rise!"

The bald elder shouted softly, forming a sword seal with his hand and pointing a finger.

The giant sword shadow above his head immediately split apart, and a snow-white sword shadow shot out, merging into one of the stone swords.

The giant sword shadow flickered and immediately shrank slightly.

A layer of snow-white light immediately appeared on the stone sword. At that moment, the runic patterns on the sword body suddenly lit up with streaks of black light, flickering rapidly like dancing flames.

The snow-white light on the sword body, as if encountering its nemesis, was immediately dispersed by more than half.

Seeing this, the bald elder quickly formed sword seals again. The giant sword shadow around him brightened, and another sword shadow split off, several times larger than before, and vanished into the stone sword in a flash.

The giant sword shadow trembled violently and immediately shrank significantly.

A rich snow-white light emerged on the stone sword, with countless runes like tiny white swords appearing within the light.

Although the black light on the stone sword's surface flickered again, impacting the snow-white light, the snow-white light was now much tougher and was not immediately dispersed, seemingly resisting tenaciously.

"Rise!" The bald elder's eyes widened slightly as he shouted again.

The enormous stone sword trembled and slowly rose into the air.

Though it had flown up, the faint glow on the stone sword's blade did not cease; instead, it flickered even more violently, causing the sword to shake unsteadily.

The bald elder's face tightened. He rapidly formed hand seals, repeatedly performing secret techniques, and only with great difficulty managed to stabilize the stone sword.

He let out a breath, sweat beading on his forehead, and turned his gaze to the other stone sword.

The people behind, seeing the bald elder's condition, all wore grave expressions.

A faint blue light emerged in Han Li's eyes as he stared intently at the stone sword suspended in midair, as if pondering something.

The bald elder did not pause for long. He once again formed hand seals and cast a spell. A white sword shadow sank into the second stone sword. His hands moved like a wheel as he formed seals, his face gradually turning from red to pale.

White light wildly flickered on the surface of the second stone sword. After a while, it too slowly rose into the air.

Beads of sweat as large as beans appeared on the bald elder's forehead, and his face had become as pale as paper, as if bearing an immense burden.

He panted slightly, gritted his teeth, and abruptly turned his head to look at the third stone sword, his hands forming seals.

Driving two stone swords had already neared the bald elder's limit. As he diverted his mind to cast the spell, the two swords in midair immediately began to tremble.

He let out a low shout, his eyes wide open, struggling with all his might to stabilize the two stone swords in the air while using the last shred of his concentration to perform the sword-controlling technique.

Hum!

The giant sword phantom above the bald elder's head, which had already shrunk considerably, trembled and shot out entirely, sinking into the third stone sword.

White light wildly flickered on the sword's surface, and it seemed about to rise.

At that moment, the black light on the surfaces of all three stone swords suddenly trembled simultaneously, as if resonating with each other, and the light blazed brightly at the same time.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The white light on the surfaces of the three stone swords shattered completely. With a dull thud, they fell heavily to the ground, smashing two deep pits into the floor.

The bald elder gasped for breath, a deep sense of loss appearing in his eyes.

"Two stone swords." Xiong Shan said flatly, shaking his head slightly.

The people behind were silent, each wearing a heavy expression.

Seeing Xiong Shan shake his head, the bald elder's heart sank. Knowing that he likely had no hope of being selected, he let out a soft sigh and walked to the side.

"Let me try!"

As soon as he stepped down, a young man with thick eyebrows and red hair let out a light shout and flew into the arena, dazzling red light instantly bursting forth from his body.

Chi chi chi!

Streams of sword qi shot out, coalescing around him into a huge red lotus, each petal composed of countless red sword qi, engulfing his figure.

Hum!

The lotus suddenly brightened, and a red ripple shot out from its stamen, plunging into a stone sword.

A layer of red light immediately appeared on the stone sword.

At that moment, the patterns on the stone sword's surface flashed, revealing a layer of black dark light, but now the black light took on a flowing form, fiercely impacting the red light.

"So that's it... that's why it's called the Inverse Element Stone Sword." Han Li's eyes flickered with blue light as he nodded slightly.

"Brother Li, this stone sword is indeed strange. Have you noticed anything unusual?" Qi Liang transmitted his voice to ask.

"The patterns on the stone sword, if I'm not mistaken, are not a simple kind of restriction, but will react differently depending on the person driving it, interfering with the spellcasting." Han Li slowly transmitted his voice.

Upon hearing this, Qi Liang nodded thoughtfully.

While the two were conversing, the red-haired youth had already activated two stone swords in succession, but at this point, he seemed to have reached his limit, and the red lotus light around him had begun to waver.

Hum!

Another crimson ripple shot out from the lotus and vanished into the third stone sword.

The third stone sword trembled violently, as if about to levitate at once.

The black light on the surface of the three stone swords resonated again, blazing brightly.

Bang! Bang!

The two stone swords in midair immediately lost control and fell to the ground.

"Two stone swords. Next one," Xiong Shan said expressionlessly.

The lotus flickered and vanished, revealing the figure of the red-haired youth. A helpless look appeared on his face as he stepped aside.

"It seems that driving three stone swords simultaneously is a bottleneck..." Han Li mused.

Immediately, a third person stepped forward. His sword path cultivation was quite weak at the moment; he reached his limit after driving only one stone sword and stepped aside with a look of shame.

Then came the fourth, the fifth...

Soon, a full eight people had participated in the test, but unfortunately, all of them could only activate at most two stone swords. The third stone sword was like an invisible wall, blocking everyone.