Chapter 1293: Strength Allows One to Do Whatever One Wants

Everyone who entered here was worried about being eliminated or eliminating others. Yet, this fellow simply sat here cultivating, and by the looks of it, had been here for a long time. No wonder he was perplexed.

"He's a genius from the Qianchong Empire, and he's also skilled in swordsmanship... I only understood this place after grasping the Twilight Cloud Sword, so he likely realized it the moment he entered!"

He quickly realized.

As the other party was from the Qianchong Empire, he must have visited this Sword Pond before, so finding this place wouldn't have been difficult for him.

*Boom!*

As he thought, he saw the surrounding sword intent and sword qi continuously converging towards the other party. In the blink of an eye, the man's aura grew increasingly powerful. The Twilight Cloud Sword beside him could no longer hold on; it lay prostrate on the ground, trembling incessantly, seemingly suppressed by the sword qi within him, not daring to resist.

"It's... the Sword Dao True Understanding! Seven hundred years have passed; I never expected to see another one!" said an old man, his voice filled with excitement as he watched the sword qi fill the air and the long sword in his hand submit.

"No, it's not the true Sword Dao True Understanding. The real Sword Dao True Understanding is when myriad swords return to one. This is merely submission; it must be... a Half-step True Understanding!" said an elder beside him.

"Precisely, it's a Half-step True Understanding! People only know that swordsmanship is divided into Sword Intent and Sword Heart realms, but they don't realize there's a Sword Dao True Understanding above that! Upon comprehending this realm, all swords return to one; as long as a sword's power doesn't exceed your own, it will unconditionally obey..."

Another elder sighed, "This one only makes swords with cultivation lower than his surrender; he hasn't reached the point of unconditional obedience... it must still be a half-step!"

"Even a half-step is incredibly powerful. Haven't we been studying for so long precisely for this?"

"Indeed!"

"Seven hundred years ago, when Ji Lingzhen of the Light Chirping Sword broke through to this realm, I was right there and personally witnessed that miracle... I never thought I'd see a second one with my lifespan nearing its end!"

"Ji Lingzhen, after breaking through, didn't seem to leave the Sword Pond, did he?"

"No, he went to the center of the Sword Pond, hoping to obtain the Sword Elder's legacy... Unfortunately, he never succeeded. We haven't seen him in so many years, so we don't even know if he's still alive!"

Everyone began to discuss amongst themselves.

"A Half-step True Understanding?"

Hearing their conversation, Zhang Xuan nodded.

With a sweep of his palm, the Twilight Cloud Sword, which was prostrated on the ground, immediately felt the pressure vanish. It struggled to fly up again, seemingly filled with shock and fear.

The Sword Dao True Understanding involves a comprehension of the sword that surpasses the Sword Heart realm, naturally imposing suppression on sword spirits. For Ma Minghai to comprehend this at such a young age, he truly lives up to his reputation as someone with the potential to enter the Sage Son Hall; his talent is unparalleled! Compared to him, Zhang Jiuxiao lagged far behind.

*Whoosh!*

After all the sword qi in the air was absorbed into his body, Ma Minghai slowly opened his eyes.

*Swish!*

Sword qi seemed to surge in his eyes, ready to burst forth at any moment. Although his cultivation was still at the Pseudo-Leaving Aperture stage, having not yet undergone the Thunder Tribulation, it was immeasurably more profound than before. It seemed as though even a genuine Thunder Tribulation could be pierced through with a single sword stroke.

"Zhang Xuan?"

Standing up and stretching, Ma Minghai was feeling immensely satisfied when he suddenly spotted Zhang Xuan not far away, his eyes narrowing instantly. He had fought this fellow before; at that time, even his Thousand Peak Sword Sea had been swallowed whole, proving the opponent's immense strength. He had intended to use a finishing move to defeat him, but Hall Master Yue had intervened, leaving the matter unresolved. Later, the other party challenged Hall Master Yue and used a puppet... Although he achieved a resounding victory, that didn't necessarily reflect his true strength.

If he hadn't suppressed his cultivation, coupled with his newly breakthrough in the Sword Dao... not to mention defeating the other party, even killing him shouldn't be too difficult!

His eyes flashed as he sneered, "Consider yourself unlucky. I've just had a breakthrough, and I run into you. It seems I'll have to eliminate you first..."

With a slight sway, he appeared before Zhang Xuan and looked at him, "Hello, Master Zhang. We meet again!"

"Yes, we meet again."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"While I'm impressed by your strength, I'm afraid we are in the midst of a re-test, which concerns a spot in the Sage Son Hall. So... will you hand over your jade token yourself, or shall I personally intervene?" Raising an eyelid, Ma Minghai looked at him indifferently, his tone leaving no room for refusal: "Hand it over yourself, and I won't have to act, sparing you some pain. If I *do* act... even if the rules prevent killing, causing some superficial injuries or rendering you immobile for a short period is certainly achievable! If you can't move here... whether you'll be killed by a sacred beast is something I can't guarantee!"

"Are you threatening me?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"You can take it as a threat, or you can take it as... the oppression of someone with superior strength!" Ma Minghai sneered coldly.

Zhang Xuan frowned. "So... strong individuals can just do whatever they want?"

"Precisely. If you're strong, you can do whatever you want!" Ma Minghai's lips curved into a smirk. Having been defeated by the other party before, he had long harbored resentment. Now, with no one else watching and no need to abide by Master Teacher rules, he could easily crush his opponent and exact his revenge. He could also help Hall Master Yue vent some frustration!

"Alright," Seeing the other party speak so directly, Zhang Xuan sighed. He flipped his palm, and true qi flowed, pushing forward. "Since you've decided this way, then I won't hold back!"

"What? You still want to attack me?"

Seeing that this fellow wasn't taking out his jade token and was still struggling desperately, Ma Minghai scoffed. He pointed a finger, and a streak of sword qi flew to meet the attack. His comprehension of the sword had reached the Half-step True Understanding, meaning even without a physical sword, the sword qi within his body could easily defeat cultivators of the same level! Let alone a mere insignificant figure at the Nascent Spirit realm's intermediate stage...

A wave of doubt filled his heart. When he fought Zhang Xuan yesterday, the latter was only at the intermediate stage of the Nascent Spirit realm. How did he now appear to be at the peak? Had he advanced two levels overnight?

"Whether it's intermediate or peak, it doesn't matter! Meeting me now... there's only one path: utter defeat!" His eyebrows shot up, and the magnificent sword qi from his fingertip tore through the air. Just as he believed it would easily pierce through the opponent's palm, the sword qi collided with the palm strike. It was like tofu meeting steel; it instantly dissipated.

His pupils contracted. Having comprehended the Half-step True Understanding of the Sword Dao, he knew the power of that single finger-strike. Even the previous "Brother Sun" wouldn't have dared to confront it directly. Yet, this fellow had effortlessly shattered its power with a casual palm strike... How was this possible?

However, before his doubts could subside, the palm strike that had shattered his sword qi continued its advance, reaching him in the blink of an eye. A colossal pressure assailed him, his face flushed red. Ma Minghai tried to resist but found himself utterly helpless. He slammed directly into a massive rock, his chest feeling constricted, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out.

"How... how could this be? How can your strength be so immense?" he stammered, gritting his teeth in disbelief. "It must be a coincidence. I don't believe it..."

He suddenly stood up, joined his fingers to form a sword, and drew a semicircle in front of his chest. True qi erupted, forming a circle.

"Myriad sword qi, heed my command!"

Amidst his roar, the surrounding wandering sword qi converged, forming a massive, ten-meter-long true qi sword in front of his chest. Having comprehended the Half-step True Understanding of the Sword Dao, even if he couldn't yet make physical swords obey his command, he could certainly control the sword qi in the air. The Sword Pond was teeming with sword cultivators, and sword qi was condensed and pervasive. Being able to mobilize this sword qi was akin to having numerous experts assist him, boosting his combat power by more than double! At this moment, he could easily slay even a genuine Leaving Aperture realm expert if they confronted him!

"Is this the power of the Half-step Sword Dao True Understanding?"

"How terrifying..."

"Controlling sword qi, he's practically invincible within the Sword Pond..."

"Indeed. That fellow opposite him is probably going to be defeated..."

The faces of the surrounding people were all solemn. As sword cultivators themselves, they understood the terrifying power of the Half-step True Understanding. With sword qi crisscrossing and myriad phenomena, it was an absolutely invincible existence at the same level. How could the young man opposite, who was merely at the peak of the Nascent Spirit realm, possibly withstand it?

*Swish!*

Under their astonished gazes, the long sword, entirely formed by converging sword qi, thrust towards Zhang Xuan. It seemed to break the sound barrier, appearing before him in the blink of an eye. Judging by its power, if struck, even the most resilient body would likely be instantly cleaved in two, resulting in immediate death.

"While converging sword qi can be powerful, it's ultimately... not your own!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head, showing no signs of tension; instead, he revealed a hint of disappointment. He then similarly pointed a finger. A peculiar light shimmered from his fingertip. The moment the thrusting long sword made contact with it, it instantly disintegrated.

"Go!"

With a gentle flick.

Ma Minghai was sent flying backward once more, his back slamming into the rock wall, creating a large indentation. He seemed to be nailed there, unable to move no matter how much he struggled.

"You, you..." His face turned ashen. Looking at the young man not far away, Ma Minghai's eyes were filled with panic. He had thought that without suppressing his cultivation, crushing the opponent would be effortless. He never dreamed that the other party would defeat him with just a single finger, rendering him utterly incapable of retaliating! Not even with the aid of myriad sword qi!

While still reeling in disbelief, he saw the young man elegantly walk over, raise an eyebrow, and smile.

"While I'm impressed by your strength, I'm afraid we are in the midst of a re-test, which concerns a spot in the Sage Son Hall. So... will you hand over your jade token yourself, or shall I personally intervene?"

Ma Minghai's entire body tensed, and his face flushed crimson from suppressed anger. These were the exact words he had used moments ago, and he never expected them to be returned to him, word for word.

"You want my jade token? Over my dead body..." he gritted out. Losing the jade token meant losing all qualification to enter the Sage Son Hall, rendering all his efforts useless.

"Kill you? No, it won't come to that..." Zhang Xuan chuckled softly and flicked a finger.

Ma Minghai immediately felt as if a massive mountain was pressing down on him, crushing him against the rock wall, threatening to cut off his breath at any moment.

"Stop..." His body contorted from the pressure, Ma Minghai tried to speak but couldn't utter a sound.

Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "My apologies, but I don't have a habit of stopping until my opponent yields! Oh, right. What you said earlier was perfectly accurate..."

"If you're strong, you can... do whatever you want!"