Chapter 1340: Unless You Are the Hall Master

"You..." Struggling, Senior Sister Shui pulled herself up from the ground, her mouth twitching. She looked at the young man again, her expression completely changed. "Your comprehension of the sword has reached... the level of True Understanding?"

As a sword genius, she naturally understood the classifications of sword arts. The longsword in her hand, before she could even thrust it, had fallen to the ground, trembling in fear. Such a situation had only ever occurred when she was with her teacher. This meant that the young man before her, who looked barely twenty, had already achieved a mastery of the sword comparable to her teacher's!

"How did he do it?" she wondered. True Understanding of the Sword required not only profound comprehension of swordsmanship but, more importantly, sufficient life experience and insight. Her teacher had only reached that realm after walking thousands of miles and experiencing the hardships of ordinary people, which allowed him to achieve a breakthrough.

This person, at most, had been cultivating for only twenty years since birth. How could he possibly comprehend this?

Zhang Xuan didn't deny it. He flicked a finger, and the longsword, which had been prostrate on the ground, hummed as it flew into his palm. He lightly flicked it, and it resonated with a long, clear note.

"This sword is good; it suits you quite well!" He casually handed it back to her. The sword was light, nimble, and slender, well-suited for a woman to wield her strength.

"My teacher chose it for me!" Senior Sister Shui nodded, put away her longsword, and looked at him. "Do you want to see books on swordsmanship?"

Having comprehended True Understanding of the Sword, she had already lost the confidence to compete. The gap between them was simply too vast; even if she made a move, it would only be embarrassing.

"My teacher has copied many sword art books; I can take you there..." Senior Sister Shui said after a moment of hesitation.

"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

"However, I must warn you," Senior Sister Shui said, "since you've already comprehended True Understanding and found your own path, don't hold out too much hope! I'm afraid you might be turned away before you even see the books..."

"Why?" Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled. To comprehend True Understanding at his age, he was surely a true sword genius. Any renowned master of the sword would undoubtedly appreciate such a person, so why should he not hold out much hope?

"Well... my teacher is Jian Qinsheng, the Saint Son Hall's foremost Grandmaster of the Sword. His cultivation is profound, and his status is highly respected, but..." She paused, then lowered her voice. "He's... a bit too particular about rules in his conduct..."

"Particular about rules?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly understood. As a student, it wasn't appropriate for her to speak ill of her teacher. So, she probably meant that her teacher was somewhat old-fashioned, a pedant. Such individuals are very straightforward in their words and actions. If he favored someone, nothing could change his mind; but if they didn't get along, no matter how high their status or powerful their background, it would be useless.

"Yes," Senior Sister Shui confirmed, "he was once an elder of the Hall of Rites and greatly values etiquette and rules! If you wish to see the books he collected or receive his guidance, you must first pass a test and gain his approval... Zhang Xu, the sword genius from the Zhang clan, is a renowned talent in the inner court, considered the foremost swordsman of the younger generation. His comprehension of swordsmanship had also reached the level of True Understanding, yet when he wanted to see the books, he was likewise turned away. That's why I cautioned you..."

"He was turned away despite comprehending True Understanding? Why?" Zhang Xuan asked, finding it strange. To reach True Understanding of the Sword meant his comprehension was no weaker than his own. Such a person would not be considered weak, even in the Saint Son Hall! Simply throwing him out seemed completely unreasonable!

"As I just said, my teacher places the greatest importance on ritual," Senior Sister Shui explained. "The person he most admires is the Saint Son Hall's third Hall Master! This Hall Master entered the Dao through swordsmanship, possessed mighty cultivation, roamed the world with his sword, and brought peace to the realm with a single strike. Even the noble families of Saints would defer to him, and no one at the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters dared to directly challenge him! He pushed the prestige of the Saint Son Hall to its peak in one fell swoop... However, despite the Hall Master's formidable strength, he was unfortunately lacking in teaching students. After his passing, his legacy was cut short, and the entire Saint Son Hall's swordsmanship began to decline!"

"My teacher is his descendant and guards a sword intent that Hall Master left behind," she continued. "To become my teacher's student or to learn anything here, you must first gain the sword intent's approval. I was able to stand out from the assessments of dozens of sword geniuses because my water-attribute cultivation art, which emphasizes the fusion of all things, gave me an advantage. Zhang Xu, however, had comprehended his own unique sword path, which clashed with the sword intent, and so... he was turned away!"

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded. When one's comprehension of the sword reaches True Understanding, the sword intent displayed is as if it has a soul, and it truly chooses its practitioners. Just like the Spirit Void Sword, it had directly submitted to him because he had comprehended the 'sword' character and reached True Understanding. A clash of sword intents was indeed akin to conflicting philosophies.

Senior Sister Shui cultivated a water-attribute technique, and her gentle nature made it easy for her to gain the sword intent's approval. However, for those with profound sword comprehension and their own established path, the difficulty would undoubtedly increase significantly.

"Could it be," a thought stirred in his mind, "that the books he collected were all left by this third Hall Master? And their content follows the same lineage?" Gaining the sword intent's approval could also be understood as having a cultivation path that aligned with it. Only such people could read his books and receive his guidance. To put it plainly, Jian Qinsheng wanted to cultivate a lineage of sword masters akin to his own.

"Everyone has a unique understanding of swordsmanship. I don't know which type he comprehended, but... it should be different from Sword Sage's!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. His own understanding of swordsmanship was derived from Sword Sage. Sword Sage, this Grandmaster of the Sword, had traversed the alliance for so many years, and Zhang Xuan had never heard of him being related to this third Hall Master; they likely did not follow the same path. This meant that if he truly went, he would very likely be turned away, just like Zhang Xu.

"If I just glance at the books, without copying them, without using my spiritual sense to scan them, or even opening them... would that still not be allowed?" After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask. His method of reading was unlike others'; as long as his gaze could fall upon a book, it would be instantly recorded in the Library of Heaven's Path. He didn't need guidance, nor did he need to copy them; he just needed a single glance to know if he could complete the Spirit Void Three Swords... That should be very simple, right?

"Just a glance?" Senior Sister Shui shook her head with a bitter smile. "My teacher treats those books like treasures. He's set up a special room for them; without his personal order, you can't even enter. Unless... you're the Hall Master, otherwise, don't even dream about it!"

"The Hall Master can enter?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. It seemed... he was the sole candidate for Hall Master. Although he wasn't currently the Hall Master, it shouldn't be long before he succeeded...

"Of course!" Senior Sister Shui said, shaking her head. "The Hall Master is the supreme leader of the Saint Son Hall. Even if my teacher refused anyone else, he wouldn't dare refuse the Hall Master! However, the Saint Son Hall hasn't had a true Hall Master for over three hundred years; the one handling affairs now is merely an acting Hall Master... Alright, I've said too much. The Hall Master is not someone small figures like us should discuss. After explaining all this, do you still want to go? If so, let's leave now; if you think there's no hope, then don't bother!"

"Go? Of course I'll go!" Zhang Xuan replied with a faint smile.