Chapter 1328: Time to Show True Skill

"Continue!"

Feeling the power that the sword intent could unleash, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Without further thought, he continued sitting cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating the first sword of the Lingxu Three Swords: One Sword Splits the Sea.

This sword technique required one hundred and eight weapons to coordinate. Having visited the Sword Pool, he had enough subdued middle-grade saint artifacts to fully execute it.

He continuously deduced in his mind, letting every sword and every move flow through his thoughts, analyzing carefully to ensure no mistakes.

Another hour passed, and he rose again.

Through effort, One Sword Splits the Sea was also fully mastered.

Of course, both sword techniques had only been deduced in his mind; he had not actually performed them.

Their specific power was merely speculation.

"One Sword Splits the Sea: sword aura like the sea. Without using the Lingxu Sword or many weapons, relying solely on one's own sword aura, one can fight on par with a Domain Realm late-stage expert. With full force, even a peak powerhouse could be defeated or slain!"

His eyes shone.

Truly worthy of being a true interpretation focused on offensive combat within the sword path—it was terrifyingly powerful!

Without weapons, he could defeat a Domain Realm late-stage expert. If he actually used them, even a Saint Domain Seventh Layer initial-stage opponent would be no match and could be easily slaughtered!

With such strength, even if the Holy Son Hall was filled with talented newcomers, he could at least protect himself.

Having cultivated the two top-tier sword techniques, Zhang Xuan exhaled and suppressed his excitement.

With this ability, challenging the Jiazi Alley should be very easy.

"Let's go out!"

Seeing it was getting late, Zhang Xuan rose and walked out of the room. He saw Jian Qinsheng still standing in the hall, while Shui Qianrou, Senior Brother Xie, and the others sat cross-legged on the ground, staring intently at the "sword" character on the wall, their brows furrowed as if in deep thought.

"Master Zhang, you're out..."

Jian Qinsheng smiled slightly.

Although the one before him was just a new student, having comprehended the true interpretation of the sword, his status in Jian Qinsheng's heart was now equal, and he no longer spoke with the tone reserved for a junior.

"What are they..."

Zhang Xuan pointed in confusion.

"Oh, after seeing you comprehend the true interpretation after just a short look, they were greatly inspired and wanted to observe and learn here, hoping to soar like you..."

Jian Qinsheng explained with a smile, his eyes full of gratified joy.

Before, when he asked these people to study, they all thought, what was there to observe about a single 'sword' character?

Now, spurred by the stimulus, they were working hard to cultivate, which pleased him greatly.

"Greatly inspired?" Zhang Xuan's eyes widened.

The reason he had broken through was because he had gathered the Heavenly Dao techniques. Just looking here and breaking through... that would truly be a ghostly affair.

However, these were the other's students. As an outsider, it was not appropriate to say too much. After thinking it over, he held back and smiled slightly: "You guys have fun... cultivating happily!"

"Did you gain anything from reading the books just now?"

Unaware of his thoughts, Jian Qinsheng thought that prolonged observation could indeed be beneficial, so he smiled and looked over.

"Thank you, senior, for letting me read the books. I gained a lot!" Zhang Xuan bowed deeply.

Without these books, he could not have learned the Flowing Water Sword Art and cultivated it to the Heavenly Dao level.

Nor could he have learned the first form of the Lingxu Three Swords, which had caused his strength to skyrocket.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Jian Qinsheng's eyes lit up: "In that case, would you mind sparring with me for a few moves? Let me see how the first sword master in history to comprehend two true interpretations can use his swordsmanship to such a miraculous degree!"

"It is my honor to receive guidance from you, senior!" Zhang Xuan's eyes immediately brightened.

Having just cultivated two sword techniques, he had not yet put them into practice. The person before him was a rare sword grandmaster on the continent. Using him as a sparring partner would greatly benefit his understanding of the sword.

"Good, then let's not disturb their cultivation. Let's go to another place."

Stroking his beard, Jian Qinsheng smiled.

"Alright!"

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Shui Qianrou and the others were cultivating. Although in his view, the possibility of fully comprehending the true interpretation simply by staring at the character was almost zero, it was still easy to improve their swordsmanship.

Prolonged observation was indeed beneficial and harmless.

Since that was the case, there was no need to say more.

Following Jian Qinsheng, they soon arrived at a room that appeared to be a dedicated training ground, its surroundings densely covered with stabilizing seals.

These seals were all at level eight. Even with his current strength, breaking them with full force would require considerable effort.

"Let's do it here!"

With a light smile, Jian Qinsheng walked to the center of the room, raised his index and middle fingers, and a sword aura shot out from his fingertips.

"Senior, aren't you suppressing your cultivation?" Seeing his action, Zhang Xuan was startled.

The other's strength was at least Saint Domain Eighth Layer, while he was only at the initial stage of the Fifth Layer—the gap was too great.

Without suppressing his cultivation, how could they compete?

"If I suppress my cultivation, I'm afraid this old bones won't last a single move before being defeated by you!"

Jian Qinsheng said with a wry smile.

The scene of this young man sparring with his disciple was still vivid in his mind. If he suppressed himself to the same level, he wasn't sure he could defeat him.

This Zhang Xuan had reached an incredible level in both his understanding of the sword and his grasp of combat, making him invincible at the same level.

Over the years, he had seen countless geniuses, but only two or three, like the little princess of the Luo family, could match such strength.

"But... with your strength, I can't contend either..."

Zhang Xuan frowned.

He knew his own strength well. The person before him was not only at Saint Domain Eighth Layer but also a sword grandmaster. If he didn't suppress his cultivation, Zhang Xuan would only be on the receiving end.

"How about this: I won't suppress my cultivation, but I'll control my power to about one percent. This strength is roughly equivalent to the initial stage of Saint Domain Seventh Layer. Don't worry, I won't let you get hurt. Moreover, by not suppressing my cultivation, you can unleash your power without restraint, better showcasing your true skill, and I can observe more thoroughly."

Jian Qinsheng said with a light smile.

"Alright!"

Hearing this, Zhang Xuan relaxed and felt an inexplicable excitement rising within him.

To be honest, he had never fought against a Saint Domain Eighth Layer powerhouse. Having the chance to gauge their strength would greatly aid his future growth.

"I'm starting!"

With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in his palm, its cold light bursting forth with an icy intent.

The Lingxu Sword.

This sword was too powerful; since obtaining it, he had never used it, fearing that his opponent couldn't withstand it.

Now that this sword grandmaster wasn't suppressing his cultivation, there were no more concerns.

Boom!

As the sword appeared, sword aura crisscrossed, and a majestic force shot out from the blade, seeming to freeze space itself.

"This is... a top-grade peak saint artifact?"

Jian Qinsheng's mouth twitched, and his pupils contracted.

Top-grade saint artifacts were rare even in the Holy Son Hall. That a wandering cultivator student could casually produce one was hard for him to believe.

A saint artifact of this level alone possessed power exceeding Saint Domain Seventh Layer; even if it couldn't match him, it wasn't far off.

"Ahem, this sword is too powerful. Using it would rely on the weapon's strength. How about this: I have a sword here; I'll give it to you to use."

His face reddening slightly, Jian Qinsheng handed over a long sword.

"Alright."

After thinking it over, Zhang Xuan nodded, accepting the sword. The Lingxu Sword's power was indeed too great; using it in combat would be unfair.

He lightly tapped the blade a few times, and with a sharp ring, the sword submitted.

Seeing him refine it so quickly, Jian Qinsheng's mouth twitched again.

Truly a super genius who had comprehended two true interpretations—he tamed swords much faster than others.

"It's a middle-grade saint artifact..."

Holding the sword, Zhang Xuan felt its quality and nodded to himself. Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly remembered something and looked over again.

"By the way, senior, does your meaning that in our spar, I can use any long sword not exceeding the middle-grade saint artifact level?"

"Of course!"

Jian Qinsheng nodded: "With your current strength, you can fully control a middle-grade saint artifact. A top-grade saint artifact is too powerful; once used, it would no longer be you leading it."

The most ordinary top-grade saint artifact had combat power equivalent to Saint Domain Sixth Layer Domain Realm. This young man was only at the initial stage of the Out-of-Body Realm. Using a weapon with greater combat power would not only fail to bring out his own strength but would also cause him to be led astray by the weapon.

Ultimately, the weapon would dominate.

It was like the Golden Source Cauldron in its early days when fighting—it basically just sat down on opponents, with no technique whatsoever.

"That's good!"

Hearing that he could use any weapon not exceeding the middle-grade saint artifact level, Zhang Xuan relaxed and his eyes lit up.

One Sword Splits the Sea—since mastering it, he hadn't used it yet. This was a perfect chance to practice.

After all, his opponent was strong and wouldn't get hurt.

With that thought, he flicked the long sword in his hand, tracing a sword flower. A brilliant sword aura burst forth, shooting straight toward his opponent.

"Nice sword technique!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan's attack, Jian Qinsheng smiled lightly.

His fingers tapped rapidly in the air, and in the blink of an eye, streams of sword aura formed a massive barrier like flowing water before him.

Flowing Water Sword Art!

As he had said, he used only one percent of his power.

But even so, it was formidable. The entire barrier was wreathed in sword aura, impenetrable, like a massive domain that could not be broken.

Ding ding ding ding!

The sword wind howled as streams of sword aura shot forth continuously, striking the flowing light and stirring up ripples. The room's formation shook violently under the fierce assault, and cracks appeared on the ground.

Although the surrounding formation was extremely strong, Zhang Xuan had used his full power from the start, combined with the might of One Sword Splits the Sea. The seals seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

"So strong!"

Feeling the increasing power from the sword aura, Jian Qinsheng's initial contempt vanished, and his expression grew more serious.

Truly a super genius who had mastered two true interpretations of the sword—his attack was indeed extraordinary.

While he was shocked, Zhang Xuan was so excited he could jump for joy.

A Saint Domain Eighth Layer sword grandmaster—even with all his strength, he couldn't harm him in the slightest.

In that case, it was time to show true skill!