Chapter 460: Ten Thousand Great Strength

"What?" His pupils contracted, and then he saw the dust slowly disperse as a figure gradually emerged. It was Zhang Xuan!

At this moment, Zhang Xuan showed no signs of discomposure; he was spotless, as if he hadn't been the one attacked. More importantly, his presence was like a rising cloud, and violent power surged from every acupuncture point, making him many times stronger than before.

"You... you..." Ding Hong's body went rigid. His full-power attack had landed squarely on the opponent, yet not only did it fail to kill him, but it also caused him to break through, truly reaching Half-Step Mortal Transcension. This... this simply couldn't be real!

"Young Master" and the others, who had previously thought Zhang Xuan was doomed, were all frozen in place. "Is he a cockroach?" they wondered. "He's fine even after taking a hit like that?"

"So what if he's Half-Step Mortal Transcension? Die!" Ding Hong's eyes turned bloodshot. He gritted his teeth, flipped his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm, thrusting straight forward. He hadn't used a weapon before, not out of mercy, but because he felt it was unnecessary against a Transcendent Pinnacle expert. Now, this guy was so formidable that if he didn't use his weapon, he truly might die here. He could no longer hold back.

*Whoosh!* The sword glinted like water, and a chilling aura spread like frost. Having reached the Mortal Transcension realm and immersed himself in the Way of the Sword for over a century, his mastery was already exquisite. With a single move, sword qi crisscrossed, and white sword light enveloped a radius of several dozen meters, making it impossible to approach him.

"It's Sword Intent!" Everyone's expressions hardened. To comprehend the true essence of a weapon indicated an extremely profound understanding, allowing one to wield it as if it were an extension of their own arm. This profound realization, a deep insight and experience with the weapon, was incredibly difficult to achieve without countless years of painstaking effort. Once mastered, it was almost impossible to defeat someone at the same level.

"Not only has he comprehended Sword Intent, but he's also advanced significantly!" Jin Conghai's eyebrows furrowed. "It seems Teacher Zhang has almost no chance of winning now!"

Before Zhang Xuan's breakthrough, while the opponent could injure him with martial arts alone, killing him would have required considerable effort. However, with the display of Sword Intent, the situation was entirely different. Sword Intent represented the essence of a sword's sharpness and speed. Among experts of the same level, those who comprehended this level were distinctly superior. And Teacher Zhang, not even twenty years old and a spear user, likely had a far inferior understanding of Sword Intent. Winning now would be an even greater challenge.

Although "Young Master" and Wei Yuqing remained silent, their expressions were grave, clearly acknowledging this reality. A Mortal Transcension expert who comprehended Sword Intent was extraordinarily formidable; it could be said that even Jin Conghai would need to exert considerable effort to defeat him.

*Whoosh!* The sword qi swept straight past, carving a deep gash in the ground.

"Bring it on!" Unlike the tension gripping the onlookers, Zhang Xuan showed no hint of anxiety. Instead, he smiled faintly and stepped forward. His figure seemed to blur, advancing four or five meters in the blink of an eye. As if anticipating the opponent's moves and sword glints, his body swayed left and right, and the sharp sword qi flew past, barely grazing his skin without causing the slightest harm. At this moment, Zhang Xuan was like an agile fish, effortlessly finding and slipping through every gap, even when faced with a dense net of sword qi.

"Half-Step Mortal Transcension... truly powerful!" Zhang Xuan mused as he advanced, feeling the transformative power within him. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to break through to Half-Step Mortal Transcension. While Dean Xie Jiuchen had collected numerous Transcendent secret manuals, very few detailed the path to Half-Step Mortal Transcension. Even with scattered records, they weren't comprehensive enough to form a complete Heaven's Path manual.

This was precisely why he had stopped after successfully breaking through to Transcendent Pinnacle. However, the power within the Scarlet Flame Lotus Seed was simply too volatile. Although he wished to stop, the power had not been fully consumed and would not halt, leading to the situation where he continued to assault the Half-Step Mortal Transcension realm. Logically, attempting a forced breakthrough without a corresponding Heaven's Path cultivation technique could easily lead to qi deviation, and potentially even injury. It was an extremely perilous situation; he had nearly lost control of the turbulent power within him.

It was at this very moment that Ding Hong made his move. The overwhelming force surged towards Zhang Xuan, instantly suppressing the power that was on the verge of exploding within him. When the two forces collided, not only was Zhang Xuan unharmed, but he also seized the opportunity to break through his limitations and successfully advance. Indeed, had Ding Hong not attacked, Zhang Xuan might have suffered qi deviation and injury from the volatile power of the Scarlet Flame Lotus Seed, even without a fight.

Ding Hong had intended to kill him, but unintentionally helped him achieve a smooth breakthrough. This was why Zhang Xuan's earlier "Thank you" was utterly sincere. Of course, if Ding Hong were to learn this, he would surely cough up blood and die of sheer rage on the spot. What an ironic turn of events! If only he had known, he wouldn't have been so hasty, wouldn't have attacked...

The thought flashed through his mind as Zhang Xuan entered the opponent's sword light zone and threw a punch. At this moment, patterns flowed within his eyes; his Eye of Insight was active once more. His Eye of Insight allowed him to discern the weaknesses of experts one minor realm above his own. Ding Hong, an early-stage Mortal Transcension First Realm, Longevity Augmentation expert, had all his flaws and techniques laid bare before Zhang Xuan under the flow of these patterns.

*Boom!* The Heaven's Path Fist, combined with his brilliant zhenqi, formed a fist-rainbow that shot straight through the center of the sword light.

"Damn it!" He hadn't expected that even with his sword light activated, the opponent would still penetrate it and land a punch. Ding Hong's face turned ashen. With a roar, he spun his long sword halfway and thrust it forward to block. The fist-rainbow struck the sword, and the powerful attack produced a crisp clang of metal. Ding Hong couldn't help but retreat two steps.

"One hundred thousand ding of strength? The power of a Longevity Augmentation expert?" His face went pale. The Transcendent realm was also known as the Ten Thousand Ding Realm, signifying strength exceeding ten thousand ding – a measure of raw power capable of overwhelming the world with sheer, unparalleled might. At this level, each minor realm advancement granted an additional ten thousand ding of strength. A typical late-stage Transcendent expert possessed exactly forty thousand ding of strength. As for the Mortal Transcension realm, transcending the mortal body, while it allowed one to unleash extraordinary combat power by drawing upon the energies of heaven and earth, it still had limitations. For a First Realm Longevity Augmentation expert, under normal circumstances, one hundred thousand ding was the absolute peak of their full power. This was why it was also referred to as "One Hundred Thousand Ding of Strength." If ten thousand ding symbolized the Transcension realm, then one hundred thousand ding represented the Mortal Transcension realm. Yet, this individual, merely at Half-Step Mortal Transcension, could unleash one hundred thousand ding of strength... how was that even possible?

Originally, Ding Hong had believed that even if the opponent broke through, he would still be superior in terms of raw power. Now, having received that punch, he instantly realized that any such advantage had vanished completely.

"So what if his strength reaches one hundred thousand ding? He thinks he can break through my Sword Intent with mere fist techniques? Not a chance!" He gritted his teeth once more.

*Whoosh!* The long sword danced, its glint like a shuttle, and streaks of Sword Intent instantly enveloped his entire body like flowing water, forming a defensive halo.

"Shameless!" Observing the move, "Young Master" snorted. "Indeed, quite shameless!" Jin Conghai nodded. "Using Sword Intent to envelop himself is essentially adopting a defensive posture—not seeking victory, but simply avoiding defeat! For a dignified Mortal Transcension expert to be forced into mere defense by a Half-Step Mortal Transcension expert... it's truly bizarre and unprecedented!"

Ding Hong's current move was not intended to kill Zhang Xuan, but rather to defend himself. The sharp sword glints enveloped his entire body impenetrably; no matter how powerful a punch, it couldn't penetrate to inflict harm. In other words, this man was now thoroughly intimidated by the young man's relentless tactics. Realizing that killing his opponent was no longer feasible, he immediately adopted a defensive stance. For a Mortal Transcension expert, a towering figure even in the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, to be pushed to such a defensive extreme by a Half-Step Mortal Transcension expert was a sight so astounding it would make one's head spin, even witnessed firsthand.

"Actively defending... does that mean Teacher Zhang has no way to proceed?" Wei Yuqing couldn't help but ask. "Indeed, there's no easy solution," Jin Conghai replied. "Sword Intent covers his entire body, constantly flowing, leaving no discernible gaps. Unless one also comprehends the Sword Intent realm, it's exceedingly difficult to break through this defensive posture." With such a defensive posture, where Sword Intent flowed and his entire body was shrouded in sharp sword qi, no matter how hard a fist was, it was still mortal flesh; how could it possibly withstand sword qi renowned for its piercing sharpness?

"Zhang Xuan, you are indeed formidable, but now you cannot harm me, and I cannot harm you! Since Ding Mu is already dead, why don't we call a truce here? Let's go our separate ways, what do you say?" Having successfully defended against the opponent's attack, Ding Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the young man not far away and proposed. The other party had slain his most beloved great-grandson, and he had originally intended to kill Zhang Xuan to reassert his authority. Now, however, he realized that not only could he not kill him, but he might even perish himself. After much internal deliberation, he had no choice but to concede. Ding Mu was dead, so be it. He had many other descendants; a new heir to the throne could always be chosen. But if he himself were killed, he would truly lose everything.

"Can't harm you?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You're overthinking it." "What? My Sword Intent is hovering, enveloping my entire body. Do you still believe you can break through with just your fists?" Ding Hong sneered. "Unless, of course, you've also comprehended Sword Intent, to use Sword Intent against Sword Intent... but is that even possible?"

This was a joke! To comprehend Sword Intent, he had ventured into desolate lands and remained there for a full thirty years before finally achieving a breakthrough. This young man, not even twenty, how much could he possibly have comprehended, even if he had started practicing the sword from birth? Furthermore, Ding Hong had witnessed Zhang Xuan's spear techniques earlier; they were pure and potent, clearly demonstrating profound mastery. While there were no restrictions on weapons, and one could cultivate several, pushing a single weapon art to its limit demanded countless hours of dedication. It was already impressive to have cultivated spear techniques to such a high level; to also have comprehended Sword Intent... was that truly possible?

"Make me display Sword Intent? That's indeed quite unlikely!" Knowing Ding Hong's thoughts, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. He flipped his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm. "Because... this thing is too low-grade!" As he spoke, he grasped the hilt and slowly drew the sword. *Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!* Even before the long sword was fully unsheathed, all the swords carried by the onlookers at their waists began to hum and vibrate involuntarily, as if prostrating before an emperor, trembling with awe.

"Ten Thousand Swords Resonate, Dragon's Roar Shakes the Heavens... This, this is... a more profound level than Sword Intent... the Sword Heart Realm?" His scalp prickled, and Ding Hong's vision went black.