Chapter 489 - 499: Sword Dao Divine Rhyme

"Wen Qingye?" Lu Shaoyou couldn’t help but exclaim when he saw who had arrived.

Most of the people around didn’t recognize Wen Qingye, but they all subconsciously looked over when they heard Lu Shaoyou’s exclamation.

"Is that Wen Qingye? How does he have a Cloud Mist Order?"

"A Cloud Mist Order lets you cultivate in the Sword Forest? But wasn’t he supposed to be sent to the Ancestral Hall?"

"I think he practices Swordsmanship too. I heard that back on the Three Pristine Platform, the Peak Master even considered taking him as a disciple."

"No way. How could his talent possibly compare to Senior Brother Lu’s? When it comes to the Sword Dao, he’s more than a little lacking."

Wen Qingye acted as if he hadn’t heard the crowd’s chatter. He nodded at Lu Shaoyou, then turned to Jian Chunqiu and said, "I’ll be in your care."

Jian Chunqiu didn’t understand everyone’s reaction. He had guarded this Sword Forest his entire life, focusing solely on cultivating the Sword Dao and paying little mind to the outside world. As such, the name Wen Qingye was completely foreign to him.

CREAK!

The gate to the Sword Forest opened once more.

Wen Qingye slowly walked into the Sword Forest ahead, disappearing from view.

Lu Shaoyou muttered, "Wen Qingye... he actually has the leisure to come to our Cloud Conceal Peak’s Sword Forest to cultivate his Swordsmanship?"

"Who is he?" Jian Chunqiu asked casually.

Lu Shaoyou immediately snapped out of it and replied respectfully, "He’s a disciple from Life Peak. His Sword Technique Cultivation is quite good, and his overall cultivation isn’t low either. Back on the Three Pristine Platform, the Peak Master even intended to take him as a disciple, but gave up on the idea because of a problem with his meridians."

None of the Cloud Conceal Peak disciples present were quite sure of Jian Chunqiu’s identity. However, none of them dared to offend him, because one disciple had personally witnessed even Peak Master Qi Yue acting with extreme humility and respect in his presence.

The mystery and power of Jian Chunqiu were thus deeply etched into everyone’s minds.

"A problem with his meridians? That’s a shame." Jian Chunqiu asked no more questions.

....

Wen Qingye stepped into the Sword Forest. His surroundings were pitch-black, and then, everything suddenly changed.

A vast, gray sky stretched over a boundless wilderness. A wild wind swept across his face. Before him was an endless sea of green, stretching all the way to the horizon.

Ahead, a man holding a long, black sword stood tall upon the vast expanse. He faced the wind, his eyes filled with a lofty disdain for all.

The man’s eyes were fixed on Wen Qingye, his gaze serene and calm. He spoke slowly, "I am Zhong Yu, the seventeenth-generation Great Elder of Cloud Conceal Peak."

After speaking, Zhong Yu’s body rose slightly before he charged toward Wen Qingye. His cultivation was, shockingly, at the peak of the Destruction Realm Fifth Layer Heaven.

"This is the Eight-step Cicada Sword, which I cultivated when I first entered the Celestial Profound Sect."

CLANG!

The flash of the sword was light and graceful, floating like an arc of light. The surrounding Primordial Qi rippled outward, as if the Sword Dao Divine Rhyme within it was being fully unleashed.

SHING!

Wen Qingye casually drew his One Thought Sword and deflected Zhong Yu’s blade with a single strike. But Zhong Yu quickly unleashed another Sword Technique.

"This is the Cross Rapid Sword, which I practiced for three years after I joined the sect."

Zhong Yu then unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one containing the essence of his lifelong learning.

"This is the Amber Sword Technique, which I learned in the Refining Spirit Realm."

"This is the Holy Elephant Sky-breaking Sword, an Emperor-grade High-level Martial Art I acquired on my own at the age of thirty-seven."

"Next is the seventeen-form Demon Vibration Sword Skill, which I cultivated after breaking through to the Life and Death Realm."

....

Zhong Yu executed one sword strike after another, connecting with the vast momentum of the world around him. Wen Qingye merely deflected Zhong Yu’s attacks, making no move to defeat him.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. Wen Qingye watched Zhong Yu’s sword. Here in the Sword Forest, the Sword Dao Divine Rhyme Zhong Yu released seemed to be completely amplified. As he watched Zhong Yu slowly narrate his life while continuously demonstrating his Swordsmanship, a sense of enlightenment dawned in Wen Qingye’s heart.

’Gentle within, deadly without. A lifetime in the mortal world, finally forged into yielding softness.’

"This next move... I comprehended it at the very end of my life. I encountered an ancient variant of Demon Beast and was ultimately defeated. My Divine Soul was then drawn back here, leaving behind this wisp of Divine Thought to display this final technique."

Zhong Yu thrust his sword, but the Sword Aura seemed to surge from all directions at once. It wasn’t that there were many auras; rather, it was their bizarre nature. They were like venomous snakes that had sprung to life.

A sharp glint appeared in Wen Qingye’s eyes as he watched the drifting sword strike.

Without realizing it, by absorbing the essence of Zhong Yu’s lifelong enlightenment—which the Sword Forest continuously amplified—Wen Qingye’s Spiritual Softness Law within his Lifeless Sword Dao broke through to the second layer of the Earth Dao.

’This Zhong Yu was truly a Sword Dao prodigy,’ Wen Qingye thought. ’To have grasped even a fraction of the Spiritual Softness Law.’

SHHIIINK!

The One Thought Sword glided forward, its Sword Qi cutting horizontally. The two Sword Auras met in mid-air and dissipated into nothingness.

The next moment!

Wen Qingye leaped into the air and thrust his sword at Zhong Yu’s throat. The strike was fast, ruthless, vicious, and sharp. Zhong Yu’s body dissolved into specks of white light and vanished into nothingness.

「Outside the Sword Forest.」

"Isn’t Wen Qingye supposed to be brilliant at Swordsmanship? Why is he having such a hard time with the very first trial?"

"Half an incense stick’s worth of time has already passed. Is he all bark and no bite?"

WHOOSH—

The crowd’s discussion came to an abrupt halt. A crimson Sword Aura shot into the sky, followed by a resonant tone that echoed in all directions, stirring the hearts of everyone present.

"Half an incense stick... that’s pretty slow. Wen Qingye will probably stop at the third layer."

"I wouldn’t be so sure. I doubt he’ll even make it past the second layer."

"I agree. If it took him half an incense stick for the first layer, he has no chance of reaching the third."

Jian Chunqiu’s expression was indifferent as he watched on with detached composure. Right now, his interest lay with Lu Wushuang. He wondered if the boy could pass the 4th Layer.

If he did, his future would be immeasurable.

’He’ll definitely make it,’ Lu Shaoyou thought, clenching his fists as he stared at the Sword Forest.

.......

Wen Qingye’s body stood motionless. The scene before him once again turned pitch-black and began to shift and change.

’This Sword Forest is quite remarkable. It can actually amplify Sword Dao Laws. It’s a fine treasure indeed,’ Wen Qingye thought to himself as he watched the scenery change around him.

SWISH!

Suddenly, a cold glint of light flashed ahead, moving with incredible speed.

Wen Qingye didn’t sense overwhelming killing intent, but rather strands of divine rhyme. Though it was just a single wisp of cold light, it contained a multitude of pure Sword Dao Divine Rhymes.

He submerged his Heart Spirit, slowly sensing the divine rhyme within.

The Laws were originally Formless and Shadowless, but this wisp of cold light seemed to solidify them, as if Wen Qingye could actually touch them.

Boundless, endless, swaying with the wind.

Wen Qingye twisted his body slightly, dodging the wisp of cold light. But immediately after, another one shot toward him.

’This second layer is truly impressive. To think this cold light contains so many strands of pure divine rhyme.’

His surroundings remained pitch-black. Wen Qingye continuously dodged the glints of cold light, sensing the Sword Dao Divine Rhyme that pulsed from within them.

His comprehension of the Laws within his body gradually deepened.

’Good. I’ll use this pure Sword Dao Divine Rhyme to see if I can break through with my Overlord Law.’