Chapter 1348: Heartbroken Jian Qin Sheng

“Try the true One-Sword Shatters the Sea!”

His eyes gleaming, Zhang Xuan let out a roar, his large hand grasping at the air.

What he had just used was merely the sword intent from the Three Swords of Lingxu, not his full power. Seeing that the opponent was defending with such ease, he no longer hesitated.

Crackle! A sound of tearing space filled the air as over a hundred mid-grade Saint artifact longswords whistled forth, quietly suspending themselves in mid-air.

"Go!" Intricate patterns flickered in his eyes, and a complex, elaborate sword art thrust straight forward.

Although One-Sword Shatters the Sea was a single sword technique, it was actually a massive sword formation composed of 108 longswords. Each sword contained a set of moves, and together, they resembled an army of thousands.

Boom! The sword diagram transformed into an ocean, sweeping down. Countless sword qi surged forth in all directions, instantly enveloping the entire room.

"This is... Sword Elder's ultimate move? You..." Sword Qinsheng, who had been easily fending off the opponent's sword qi, suddenly saw the sword diagram descend. His pupils constricted, and he nearly fainted.

Although he had never met Sword Elder, as a former master swordsman, he had long heard of his name and ultimate techniques. In fact, when he was traveling, he had even gone to the Sword Pool to study for a period, only to give up after realizing their philosophies diverged.

He had thought this legacy was long lost, and never in his wildest dreams did he expect this young man before him to display it—and to do so even more powerfully than legend described, sharper and more formidable.

The most crucial point was... just when he thought the other party didn't have a suitable weapon and offered one, he never imagined that in a blink of an eye, the young man would pull out such a vast array. If you had so many, why did you use the high-grade one?

His face twitched. He could no longer bother with anything else. Spreading his hands, sword qi shot from his fingertips, and the flowing barrier before him instantly became even denser.

No sooner had he finished than over a hundred longswords pierced forward. The immense impact struck the barrier, producing a series of sharp "crack" sounds. Cracks appeared on the barrier, and then it shattered like glass.

"How did these sword qi know the flaws in my Flowing Water Sword Art?" His body trembled.

The sword art he had just displayed was like flowing water, impossible to sever with a drawn sword. Yet, the opponent had shattered it in an instant, indicating that they had found its weaknesses and flaws, preventing it from maintaining its flowing state. Even when he competed against that master swordsman from the Zhang Clan, he, with his profound strength, couldn't achieve this. How had this person before him done it?

Filled with shock, he tried to stop it from happening but found it was too late. The sword diagram, formed by hundreds of longswords, surged in from all directions like a storm, converging into a torrent. It pierced violently into his body through the flaws in his techniques.

"Puff!" A sweetness rose in his throat, and he flew backward, slamming against the wall with a "bang."

Whoosh! The seals arrayed around the room emitted crisp sounds under the immense impact, seemingly on the verge of exploding at any moment.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Pinned against the wall, the attacks weren't over. Numerous sword shadows, followed by hundreds of continuous forces, struck one after another, like waves, each stronger than the last.

The entire room seemed to light up with a seven-colored rainbow, blurring his vision. Sword Qinsheng's figure was completely enveloped by the sword light.

The seals could no longer withstand it and exploded with a crash. Without the formation's support, the room groaned and then collapsed with a roar.

Rubble scattered, and dust swirled. Sword Qinsheng, suspended in the air, didn't even have time to escape. Sword shadows continuously descended, each striking the flaws in his techniques, making defense impossible.

Boom, boom, boom! His figure was pushed back, successively smashing through seven or eight houses before finally stopping.

"Phew!" Zhang Xuan exhaled, his face pale as he retracted his palm. Only then did he feel pain throughout his body, even lacking the strength to lift a finger.

He had only theorized this technique in his mind, never actually applying it. Only by truly executing it did he realize how terrifying its power was. Moreover, towards the end of the attack, he found he couldn't control it with his current strength until the very last bit of zhenqi in his body was completely depleted.

"This is too terrifying. I couldn't control myself. It's better to use it less often in the future..." Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

By the end, this technique was beyond his control. It wasn't that the move itself had any flaws, but rather that his strength was still too low to execute it perfectly. It was like a child wielding a heavy hammer: it could strike with great force, but once swung, it would be difficult to stop.

He was currently like that child with the hammer; once One-Sword Shatters the Sea was unleashed with full power, he couldn't recall it until all the zhenqi in his body was completely exhausted.

His zhenqi, cultivated from the Heaven's Path zhenqi, was enough to reach the Saint realm and had almost never been depleted. Now, not a single drop remained, demonstrating just how terrifying this move truly was! In combat, running out of zhenqi would be extremely dangerous; one might even die without knowing how.

"Right, Senior Sword Qinsheng isn't injured, is he?" He had been so engrossed in enjoying the fight that he hadn't paid attention to the opponent's condition. Looking at the ruins before him, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.

Although the man had claimed he wouldn't suppress his cultivation, he had indeed lowered his strength. What if he couldn't bear it and was beaten to death? Wouldn't Zhang Xuan then become a murderer?

Before this worry could fully take root, a figure flew up from the ruins.

It was indeed Sword Qinsheng. At this moment, he no longer resembled a master; his clothes were torn in many places, his body covered in sword punctures, presenting an utterly disheveled appearance.

"Senior..." Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched, and he hurriedly asked.

"I'm fine! Pfft!" He gave an awkward laugh, but before he could finish speaking, he spewed another mouthful of fresh blood. Immediately after, with a "thud!", Sword Qinsheng fell from the air, plunging headfirst into the dirt, covered in dust.

His current state of mind was shattered. Under normal circumstances, with his strength, no matter how powerful the opponent's sword technique was, it shouldn't have harmed him in the slightest. But he had only used one percent of his power, and his Flowing Water Sword Art had been directly shattered at its flaws. Without any defense, it was already a miracle that he hadn't died on the spot.

Lying in the ruins, he consumed a pill and slowly recovered after a long while.

Standing up, he looked around, a wave of depression washing over him.

He had originally intended to observe the opponent's true strength and comprehension of sword arts. Instead, he had been reduced to this state by a single move... Thankfully, no one had witnessed it, or he would have been utterly humiliated.

"Teacher, are you alright?" "Master, what happened?" "Who did this? Don't let the culprit escape..."

Just as he was secretly relieved, he heard noisy voices from all around. Turning to look, he saw Shui Qianrou, Senior Brother Xie, and other disciples, along with a group of housekeepers and guards, standing eagerly nearby, all looking over with expressions of deep concern.

"Why are you all here?" His vision blurred, and Sword Qinsheng nearly stumbled.

He had just thought no one had seen him, only to see nearly a hundred people densely packed together. Had everyone from the entire mansion come? What was going on?

"Teacher Zhang said that you were injured, Teacher, and asked us to come check on you. Senior Brother Xie thought something had happened and was worried, so he called everyone over..." Shui Qianrou explained.

"..." Clasping his chest, Sword Qinsheng felt a heartache so intense he couldn't breathe.

Not only had he been beaten so miserably, but his students and servants had been called to witness it... This was truly too much!

"I'm not injured. I just accidentally collapsed the house while practicing sword arts earlier..." His old face flushed, and he waved his hand awkwardly.

"Not injured?" Senior Brother Xie and Shui Qianrou exchanged glances. Covered in sword punctures, bruised and swollen, and looking so disheveled... Was this merely practicing sword arts?

"Cough, cough! Where is Teacher Zhang?" Knowing what his students were thinking, Sword Qinsheng coughed, changing the subject. He had just stood up and realized the other person was gone. Where had he disappeared from?

"Teacher Zhang said he was very grateful after reading your books, Teacher, and had gained some insights, so he went back to cultivate..." Shui Qianrou replied.

"Went back to cultivate?" Sword Qinsheng felt even more heartbroken.

He had turned the place into a mess, severely injured him, and then secretly ran off... And he was grateful? Was that how gratitude worked?

"Oh, right, Teacher, Teacher Zhang gave me this before he left, asking me to personally hand it to you..." Just as he was feeling utterly depressed, wishing he could drag that fellow back for a good scolding, Shui Qianrou stepped forward and offered him a book.

Frowning, he took the book into his palm with a grab. He casually flipped it open, and with just one glance, his entire body trembled, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

"This... this..." He trembled violently.

The ink on the book before him was still fresh, clearly indicating it had just been written. It meticulously pointed out the errors in his cultivation and misunderstandings in his comprehension of sword arts. Many of these were difficult problems that had puzzled him for years without a solution...

In other words, by cultivating according to what was written, his strength could definitely advance further...

"He fought me with just one move, and I barely even made a move... and he saw so many problems?" Clenching the book in his hand, Sword Qinsheng found it hard to believe.

As a grandmaster of the sword and a teacher at the Saint Son Hall, he often lectured others on swordsmanship and guided their cultivation. Because of this, his discerning eye was exceptionally sharp, far surpassing many other renowned teachers of the same rank. Even so, he was helpless regarding his own issues. Yet, this person before him had found all of them with just a glance and even provided solutions... This insight and comprehension of the Way of the Sword were truly terrifying!

"No wonder he could comprehend two True Meanings at such a young age. My understanding of the Way of the Sword is far inferior to his..." Only at this moment did he finally understand why the other party had been able to gain his ancestor's sword intent recognition so quickly and create such a formidable sword art.

Merely this level of understanding and comprehension of the sword was far beyond his reach. They were simply not on the same level.

"Perhaps... this is what a true genius looks like!" He sighed, a touch of melancholy in his heart. Just as he was about to put the book away, he suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up: "That's right!"

"With such profound comprehension of the Way of the Sword, if I take him to the Zhang Clan... perhaps I can avenge myself for what happened before!"