Chapter 2007: Meeting the Sect Leader

“Really, I truly want to learn the saber,” Zhang Xuan said, nodding quickly, “saber techniques are expansive, their power ferocious, and they suit my personality and temperament.” He thought the other party believed him.

Sword techniques are nimble and agile, while saber techniques are heavy and profound; normally, one cannot master both.

Since the other party had always wanted him to learn swordsmanship from them, saying he wasn't good at it and preferred saber techniques would be fine. After all, he wasn't a disciple of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, so there was no breach of principle.

As long as he demonstrated his proficiency in saber techniques, the other party would surely abandon the idea of taking him as a disciple!

“Cough, cough... I wonder what your saber techniques are like? Could you show us?” Elder Bai Ye asked, suppressing his irritation, feeling as if ten thousand mythical beasts were galloping through his mind.

“With such powerful swordsmanship, it's understandable that you wouldn't want to become my disciple, but to say you want to learn the saber... I'd like to see how you demonstrate that!”

“If you can't perform it, or if your saber techniques contain sword intent, let's see how you'll get out of this!”

Being refused like this, as one of the three great elders, he was naturally a bit displeased deep down.

“I don't have a saber...” Zhang Xuan waved his hand, but before he could finish speaking, Elder Bai Ye handed him a long saber. “I have one here!”

Although he was an elder of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, he also carried weapons other than swords.

Stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade. To make swordsmanship more profound, one must understand the strengths and weaknesses of other weapons.

Just like in the Nine Solitary Swords, there were styles to break sabers, whips, arrows, and palms.

To break them, one naturally needed a deeper understanding.

“Alright!” With no retreat, he took the long saber. Zhang Xuan lightly flicked it, and a powerful saber intent immediately spread from his body. His entire being then seemed to transform into an incomparably sharp long saber, capable of cleaving a hole in the heavens at any moment.

Elder Bai Ye and Bai Feng exchanged glances, their pupils contracting. “This... how is this even possible?”

In an instant, they felt the sword intent within their bodies being suppressed by this person's saber intent, unable to rise!

In other words... this person's understanding of saber intent was, to some extent, purer and stronger than their own sword intent!

This person, who had comprehended the “Divine Sword Intent” and had the potential to become a Sword God, was a super-figure...

Yet he possessed such a profound understanding of saber intent... They felt as if all their years of arduous cultivation had been for naught!

“Am I perhaps more skilled in saber techniques...” Zhang Xuan said, flicking the saber again, then gently swaying and withdrawing the power within him.

Judging by their shocked expressions, they must have believed him... He had truly gone all out just to avoid becoming their disciple...

“Indeed, you are skilled in saber techniques...” Swallowing, Elder Bai Ye suppressed the shock in his heart and decided to hide nothing further. “Actually, I didn't come here to take you as my disciple! Instead... I confirmed your identity and want to take you to the Elder Hall!”

“Identity?” Zhang Xuan stiffened. “What identity?”

“If I'm not mistaken, you must be 'I Am Low-Key' and 'I Am Handsome', correct?” Elder Bai Ye said.

“What 'I Am Low-Key' and 'I Am Handsome'?” Zhang Xuan's scalp tingled, but his face remained expressionless. He quickly waved his hand. “I don't know what you're talking about...”

“There's no need to deny it!” Elder Bai Ye said. “Don't I know my own granddaughter's situation? She's careless and never serious about learning swordsmanship... otherwise, she wouldn't be at her current level! Following you, in just half an hour, she gained the ability to challenge the top core disciple. Besides 'I Am Low-Key', the super genius who comprehended Divine Sword Intent, I can't think of anyone else!”

“I...” Zhang Xuan was furious. What the heck! Since they had already confirmed it, why didn't they just say so when they arrived? Making him demonstrate saber techniques, act, and break into a sweat... Was he a monkey performing tricks?

“I have no ill intentions. If I did, I would have acted already,” Elder Bai Ye said. “Although you've comprehended Divine Sword Intent... unless I'm mistaken, you're only at the early stage of the Virtual Immortal realm, and you're far from my match!”

Although the other party didn't know what secret technique he used to suppress his cultivation, appearing only at the peak of the Void-Shattering realm, his ability to enter the core disciples' Hall of Comprehension indicated that his strength had already reached the Virtual Immortal realm.

“Alright... I admit it!” Seeing that the other party hadn't seen through his true cultivation, Zhang Xuan didn't explain and simply nodded.

Since he had been seen through, there was no point in continuing to hide. It was better to be straightforward.

The other party was right. Regardless of whether he was at the early or peak stage of the Virtual Immortal realm, before a Celestial Monarch expert, he had no ability to resist. If they truly wanted to act, he wouldn't be able to escape!

“Indeed...” Seeing him admit it, Elder Bai Ye clenched his fist.

Although he had already confirmed it in his heart, hearing him admit it still filled him with excitement.

Divine Sword Intent... The second person in the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion's thousands of years of history, besides the founder!

“Since it's you, would you be willing to come with me to the Elder Hall...” Elder Bai Ye clasped his fist. “Comprehending Divine Sword Intent is extremely important for the Sword Pavilion... Unless something unforeseen happens, you will become our Sect Leader in the future!”

The Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion's method for selecting its Sect Leader was very simple: it was decided based on the mastery of swordsmanship.

Having comprehended Divine Sword Intent, as long as one's cultivation was sufficient, becoming the Sect Leader was set in stone, with no objections.

“Become Sect Leader?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He had thought that once the other party recognized him, he would be punished for the inner and core disciple matters. He never expected them to want him to become the Sect Leader...

If he truly held this identity, not only would he be much safer, but more importantly, he would stand at the true pinnacle of the Firmament, making it easier to find Luo Ruoxi's whereabouts!

“Indeed!” Elder Bai Ye nodded.

“Very well, I'll go with you to the Elder Hall...” Zhang Xuan paused, then said, “However, I don't wish for too many people to know!”

Although he trusted the old man before him, he still needed to be cautious.

He understood the principle that a tree taller than the forest will be toppled by the wind.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have always been so low-key.

“Rest assured on that point, we will absolutely not spread this news!”

Elder Bai Ye also nodded. Without him needing to say it, as powerful figures at the pinnacle of the continent, they understood this point.

“Ruan Qing, don't spread what happened today. Brother Zhang and I will be back soon!” After instructing Bai Ruanqing, Elder Bai Ye looked at Zhang Xuan again. “Let's go!”

After speaking, he gently grasped, and power enveloped Zhang Xuan. In the blink of an eye, they soared into the sky and vanished into the horizon.

“Teacher (Young Master)... might become the Sect Leader of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion?” Watching this scene, Shan Xiaotian and Cao Chengli were both dumbfounded.

Although they had always highly estimated this young man in their hearts, believing his talent was exceptional and his strength formidable, they never dreamed he had actually comprehended Divine Sword Intent!

At such a young age, he had the chance to become the leader of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, one of the Six Great Sects!

Especially the latter, his body trembled, and he involuntarily collapsed to the ground.

No wonder the Young Master's "rules" were so strange, not allowing entry with the left foot or the right foot...

He had called 'I Am Low-Key' an idiot twice... wasn't that just openly insulting him?

Not being beaten to death on the spot meant he had an extremely high level of self-restraint.

At the Sword Pavilion Hall, the Sect Leader, Elder He, and others were sitting before a wall, eagerly waiting.

Thump-thump-thump! A hurried set of footsteps sounded.

“Has that... 'I Am Low-Key' appeared?” Elder He, who was cultivating, quickly opened his eyes and looked at the old man approaching.

“No... someone challenged all the core disciples alone...” the old man hurriedly said.

This was the elder who had previously sought out Bai Ye.

“Challenged all core disciples? Is it... 'I Am Low-Key'?” Elder He suddenly stood up, his pupils contracting. “No, wait, isn't he only at the peak of the Void-Shattering realm?”

“That person is called... 'I Am Handsome'!” the old man said, his face flushing. “He challenged dozens of core disciples in one go, killing all of them on the spot. Elder Bai Ye and I quietly went over... and also had our heads 'cut off'...”

“Killed dozens of core disciples, and also 'killed' you and Bai Ye...” Sect Leader Han said, “It must be that genius who comprehended Divine Sword Intent. Find out where 'I Am Handsome' is...”

Simply killing dozens of core disciples, he could easily do that. But easily 'killing' Elder Bai Ye and this elder here, even for him, wouldn't be so easy!

No need to guess, 'I Am Handsome' and 'I Am Low-Key' must be the same person!

Hearing the command, the wall shook but displayed no content.

“Reporting to the Sect Leader, he... left the Hall of Comprehension after 'killing' all the core disciples!” the old man quickly explained. “However... Elder Bai Ye said he has already confirmed who it is and went to find him. He asked you to return to the Elder Hall and wait; if nothing unexpected happens, he'll bring him back soon!”

“Bai Ye confirmed it?” The others exchanged glances, full of disbelief.

Elder Bai Ye had been severely injured and hadn't even attended the elder's council. How could he have confirmed it before them?

“It's like this...” The old man quickly explained.

He didn't know about Bai Ruanqing buying medicine, but he did know about her challenging the core disciples with just two moves.

Perhaps Elder Bai Ye had determined the person's identity based on this.

“Bai Ruanqing, only learning two moves, went from seventeenth among the core disciples straight to first, even drawing with my grandson?”

If there had been any doubts before, they were now basically confirmed.

“Let's hurry back...” Knowing this, the group said no more and hurried back to the Elder Hall.

No sooner had they settled down than they saw Elder Bai Ye flying over with a young man.

“Sect Leader, you're back...” Seeing the person seated in the main seat, Elder Bai Ye's eyes lit up. He greeted him and hurriedly introduced, “This is... the super genius who comprehended Divine Sword Intent, Zhang Xuan!”

“Zhang Xuan?” Everyone looked over, full of curiosity.

Only then did they realize that the person before them was only around twenty years old, impossibly young.

“Zhang Xuan, this is our current Sect Leader of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, Han Jianqiu!” Elder Bai Ye introduced.

“Sect Leader?” Zhang Xuan looked over.

Han Jianqiu was an old man in his sixties, clad in green robes. His sword intent was rich, and his aura was as robust as a pillar, making it impossible to gauge his depth at a glance.

Though he didn't know his cultivation level, he knew it far surpassed Elder Bai Ye and Elder He, who was nearby!

“Could he... be an expert beyond the Celestial Monarch realm?” His heart stirred.