Chapter 1300: Sword Dao True Understanding

"Five minutes?"

The long sword on the stone platform was taken aback. The True Understanding of Swordsmanship is the pinnacle of sword comprehension, not something easily attained. It's virtually impossible to achieve without decades, even centuries, of accumulation. Even Sword Elder, in his time, required no less than a hundred years of effort to succeed! This individual before it, who appeared to be only twenty, already possessed a formidable Sword Heart comprehension... Yet he claimed he could break through to the True Understanding of Swordsmanship in just five minutes... How could that be?

"Senior, don't listen to his nonsense. He's definitely stalling for time. If you don't act, I'm afraid something unexpected might happen..." Seeing the situation begin to spiral out of control, Ji Lingzhen grew anxious. He had summoned the sword to deal with the enemy, not to engage in idle conversation. He wished the weapon would be a little more professional.

"Silence!" the long sword roared. Before Ji Lingzhen could even react, he felt a sharp sword qi shoot directly towards him. His face flushed, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, a ghastly bloody mark appearing across his chest. Struggling to his feet, his body rigid, Ji Lingzhen's face was ashen. He had always known this long sword was a high-grade Saint artifact, but he had never grasped its exact power level. Now, feeling the force of the sword qi, he realized its strength was far more terrifying than he could have imagined! A mere wisp of its sword intent had rendered him utterly powerless. If it truly intended to kill, he would stand no chance!

"Dare to utter another word, and I'll kill you right now, do you believe me?" the long sword sneered. Its anger was understandable. After Sword Elder's demise, it had been left here, with two conditions required for its release. First, it needed to fully comprehend the meaning of the "Sword" character inscribed outside. Second, its understanding of swordsmanship had to reach the realm of True Understanding. Only by fulfilling both could it break free from the stone platform and soar like a fish in the ocean. Over the years, it had witnessed countless geniuses, yet none had met the requirements. Ji Lingzhen, standing nearby, was arguably the closest in thousands of years, but he still couldn't achieve True Understanding. If Master Zhang could accomplish this, the sword wouldn't have to wait any longer, and it certainly didn't want anyone else to interfere or ruin this opportunity!

"Senior..." Considering that centuries of their relationship now seemed less significant than a few words from this newcomer, Ji Lingzhen trembled with indignation and couldn't help but say, "He used Heavenly Impartation of Teacher's Will and Demonic Sound on you, deliberately alluring you with malicious intent..." "Alluring?" "Yes, Senior, just think, how difficult is the True Understanding of Swordsmanship? So many geniuses have been stuck at that stage, unable to achieve it. Even Sword Elder didn't break through so easily, did he?" Ji Lingzhen pleaded earnestly, "He's merely at the Sword Heart level, not even half-step True Understanding. How could he possibly break through to True Understanding in mere minutes? He's clearly stalling, trying to deceive you and refine you using some special method..." "This..." The long sword hesitated. What Ji Lingzhen said was true. If the True Understanding of Swordsmanship were so easily attained, it wouldn't be hailed as the ultimate pinnacle of swordsmanship! Back then, Sword Elder had dominated the Imperial Alliance, defeating countless sword masters because his comprehension of the sword had reached the True Understanding realm. This level of insight was beyond even countless 8-star master teachers. Could a mere twenty-year-old truly achieve such a breakthrough?

"This fellow is full of schemes; he must be plotting something malicious. Why not just kill him now..." Seeing the sword hesitate, Ji Lingzhen, realizing it was swayed, hurriedly urged. Before he could finish his words, a sudden chill ran through his body, followed by an incredibly majestic sword qi that shot directly into the sky. *Boom!* The entire Sword Pond seemed to boil. In the blink of an eye, countless sword intents converged from afar, flowing towards them like a surging hurricane. "This is..." Feeling his own comprehended sword intent suppressed and unable to move, his entire body stiffened. Ji Lingzhen's face turned pale. He forced his slightly rigid body to turn and look in the direction from which the sword intent emanated. There, he saw the young man who had just spoken. Though his eyes were tightly closed, his entire being seemed to have transformed into a sharp, lethal sword, ready to pierce through the air and annihilate anyone at any moment!

*Buzz, buzz, buzz!* Countless long swords flew through the air from beyond the formation, hovering around them before prostrating themselves on the ground, as if in the presence of a monarch. "Ten Thousand Swords Paying Homage to the Sovereign... Is this the True Understanding of Swordsmanship?" His face drained of color, Ji Lingzhen swayed. He had just declared that the other party was scheming and surely couldn't achieve a breakthrough, and then this happened. He felt utterly bewildered. Seven hundred years ago, he had reached half-step True Understanding, and despite centuries of continuous study, he had been unable to progress. Yet, this individual achieved it by simply closing his eyes and cultivating for a few minutes... The sheer magnitude of the difference left him on the verge of collapse. Even witnessing it firsthand, he found it incredible.

"He... he comprehended the True Understanding of Swordsmanship? This is bad..." Ji Lingfeng's pupils contracted, his eyes wide with panic. He had assumed Sword Elder's personal sword would immediately eliminate Zhang Xuan. Instead, its attitude was ambiguous, and now Zhang Xuan had directly achieved a breakthrough... Worse still, it might not kill him; it might even acknowledge him as its master! This meant they would be in grave danger! "Escape!" Realizing this, he dared not tarry. Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain in his body, he turned and dashed towards the edge of the mist. Though Ji Lingzhen had guided him on the way in, he had committed the specific route to memory. With the formation now shattered, escaping wouldn't be too difficult.

*Whoosh!* He had barely taken two steps, not yet far from his starting point, when a sudden chill coursed through his body. Then, he saw his lower half separate and dart away before his very eyes. Turning his head, he saw Ji Lingzhen retracting his finger; the sword qi that had pierced him had indeed originated from Ji Lingzhen's fingertip. Having done this, Ji Lingzhen hurriedly turned to face the stone platform: "Senior, I was misled by this scoundrel, which is why I acted against Master Zhang. In truth, as you know, I haven't left this place for many years and have never even met him..."

"You..." *Thud!* His upper body fell to the ground, blood gushing furiously. Ji Lingfeng's eyes were wide with disbelief; even in his dying moments, he couldn't comprehend that his own elder brother had personally struck him down.

"Silence! Do not disturb Master Zhang's breakthrough!" The long sword, seemingly accustomed to bloodshed, let out a cold roar without the slightest emotional tremor. "Yes!" Not daring to speak, Ji Lingzhen remained quietly in place. Even Ji Lingfeng, who had just arrived, could perceive the sword's attitude. Having accompanied it for centuries, how could Ji Lingzhen not understand? The requirement to refine this sword was to comprehend the True Understanding of Swordsmanship. The other party had already achieved this and had just articulated the meaning of Sword Elder's written message. Refining the sword was now merely a matter of time. Once that was accomplished, Ji Lingzhen's life would be forfeit. Therefore, he acted decisively, striking down Ji Lingfeng to sever all ties. In the face of life and death, he was capable of killing even a Master Teacher, let alone his own brother!

Zhang Xuan paid no attention to the events unfolding around him. Protected by his clone, he was now fully immersed in the Heavenly Dao Sword Art he had previously acquired. This sword art was essentially the culmination of the wisdom of all master swordsmen within the Conferred Empire and even the Imperial Alliance. Upon learning it, his entire spirit seemed to transform into a long sword, incomparably sharp, capable of cleaving through heaven and earth at any moment, unleashing power that would astound the world. Once the spiritual sword formed, he appeared to gain extremely potent control over sword-type weapons weaker than himself. With a mere thought, he could command them. Naturally, this was only the most superficial level of control, compelling their spirits to submit and preventing them from harming him. To gain complete mastery, he would still need to refine them. Even at this basic level, it was already formidable! Possessing this ability, a sword cultivator of equal strength would find it impossible to defeat him.

"My comprehension of the sword has deepened; any casual move is now imbued with sword intent... If I use a sword, my combat power is nearly twice as strong as with fist or palm techniques!" His eyes still closed, Zhang Xuan felt the sword intent flowing within him and made a clear assessment of his own strength. "As expected of the True Understanding of Swordsmanship, it's formidable... Wait, with this power, can I finally defeat my clone?" A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"Forget it... I'm not going to invite another beating!" He shook his head. Although he and his clone were of the same origin, the clone, empowered by the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, far surpassed him in strength. Every time he felt he had made progress and considered a challenge, he found the clone had grown even more formidable... This time was no different. Since he had comprehended the True Understanding of Swordsmanship, a mental connection meant his clone would effectively understand it too. How could he possibly win? If he actually engaged, he could easily imagine being thrashed into a pulp once more, utterly miserable.

He slowly opened his eyes. Immediately, he saw over a hundred mid-grade Saint artifact long swords prostrating themselves nearby, each one trembling visibly. "No wonder Mùyún Sword was so utterly deferential to Ma Minghai before; now it makes sense..." Only after comprehending the True Understanding of Swordsmanship did he fully grasp why Mùyún Sword had trembled. With this newfound ability, he could effortlessly obliterate the spirit of any sword. How could they not be afraid?

"Master Zhang, congratulations on your breakthrough... I was also misled by that treacherous scoundrel, Ji Lingfeng, which led me to make a wrong decision. I humbly hope for your forgiveness!" Immediately, he heard a voice. Turning his head, he saw Ji Lingzhen kneeling not far away, his eyes filled with panic. He was already no match for them before, and now the long sword on the stone platform was clearly biased. Coupled with Zhang Xuan's control over so many Saint artifacts, if he truly wished to kill Ji Lingzhen, it would merely take a single thought.

"Forgiveness?" Frowning, Zhang Xuan then noticed that Ji Lingfeng had already been killed. He glanced at his clone, communicated through their shared soul, and instantly understood what had transpired. His brows furrowed further. To ruthlessly kill one's own brother demonstrated a complete abandonment of humanity and moral principles. After giving an instruction to his clone, Zhang Xuan no longer paid attention to Ji Lingzhen and turned his gaze towards the stone platform nearby.

"Master Zhang!" The long sword was filled with excitement. After Sword Elder's death, it had been sealed here for ten thousand years. Despite spending most of that time in slumber, it certainly yearned to leave now that the opportunity arose.

"Master Zhang," a thought was transmitted, "I bear Sword Elder's legacy. You must pull me from the stone platform for it to manifest..." "Pull out?" Only then did Zhang Xuan notice that the long sword was tightly embedded in the very center of the stone platform, as if bound by some force, utterly immobile. Even with its immense power, it could not break free.

"If you cannot break free yourself, how... how can I pull you out?" he wondered, unable to resist asking.