True Disciple!

Inside Su Bai's private cultivation room at the Sword Academy.

Su Bai slowly opened his eyes. A glint flowed deep within them, then vanished.

After several hours of deep meditation, the nearly parched meridians throughout his body were once again filled with gentle spiritual power.

The sensation of having his spiritual power utterly drained and then slowly replenished was like sweet rain after a long drought, bringing an indescribable satisfaction.

His mental exhaustion had long since been swept away, leaving his spiritual platform clear and serene.

Every heart-stopping moment on the arena that day, even the trajectory of every strand of Sword Qi and the subtle changes in his opponent's divine abilities, now replayed clearly in his mind, yielding fresh insights.

Outside the window, the night had deepened, and all was silent.

Compared with the uproar outside his door over the previous several hours, which had nearly lifted the roof, this stillness seemed particularly precious.

That commotion had begun as soon as the dust settled on the tournament.

Su Bai's final, heaven-shaking sword strike that reversed the battle had not merely shattered the Ice Court chief's invincible record.

Like a boulder cast into a tranquil lake, it had also stirred towering waves in the hearts of thousands of inner disciples.

So sword cultivators could be this fierce and versatile, equally adept at attack and defense-the freedom of riding a sword through the blue heavens, the dominance of Sword Qi sweeping unhindered, and especially the calm tactics and endlessly emerging methods Su Bai had displayed.

It had set the hearts of many disciples who had originally regarded the Sword Dao with apprehensive reverence surging, showing them another path bristling with sharp edges.

Thus, the Sword Academy's gates, which had seen few visitors year after year, were nearly burst open by the