Testing You Today

Lin Dong's shout instantly jolted the others awake. The next moment, everyone in the Stone Hall rushed outside as if by prior agreement.

In a battle of this level, let alone intervening, their group was not even qualified to watch from nearby. Any stray aftershock from the battle would be enough to annihilate them.

In the blink of an eye, the previously bustling Stone Hall became empty. Even Ling Qingzhu did not remain.

Neither Lin Xuan nor Mu Shi paid any attention to the others, allowing them to leave.

"Clang!"

The long sword gave a soft cry. As the sword intent within Lin Xuan surged, the front half of the originally pitch-black blade, including its tip, transformed into the color of frost and snow.

"Ten years to hone a sword; its frosty edge has never been tested!"

Lin Xuan slightly raised his eyes, slowly lifting his gaze from the frost-white blade in his hand to Mu Shi, whose aura was still steadily rising. He spoke softly.

As Lin Xuan spoke, an air of solitary pride swept outward alongside the cold Sword Qi. His upright figure was like a lone pine upon a sheer cliff, standing proudly and piercing the azure sky.

"Since Lin Xuan began practicing the sword, more than ten years have passed. You are the only person who has made Lin Xuan go all out. To test my sword against you today is truly Lin Xuan's fortune. Please enlighten me!"

His calm voice echoed through the Stone Hall, causing Mu Shi's expression to change slightly. Even he, a Life and Death Profound Realm expert who had once witnessed far grander scenes, felt his heart tremble at the destructive aura concealed within that proud, solitary figure.

The instant Lin Xuan finished speaking, an even sharper aura completely sealed off the entire Stone Hall, making Mu Shi's eyes narrow.

The next moment, Mu Shi's figure retreated explosively. Yet just as his figure vanished, a frost-white blade cut through the air and pierced straight through his afterimage.

After his strike missed, Lin Xuan raised his eyes and glanced at Mu Shi, whose aura was still rising. The other man's Soul Burning Secret Technique still had room to improve.

At this moment, more than half of Mu Shi's primordial spirit had already burned away. His aura had completely reached the Five Yuan Nirvana Realm, yet Mu Shi did not stop there.

Though this level of strength should seemingly have been enough to deal with Lin Xuan, who was merely at the One Yuan Nirvana Realm and a One Seal Heavenly Symbol Master, Mu Shi did not feel assured.

But then Mu Shi's gaze suddenly sharpened, because he saw Lin Xuan, standing opposite him, slowly close his eyes.

In the next instant, a peculiar fluctuation emanated from Lin Xuan's body. Mu Shi's expression changed slightly as he once again retreated explosively.

"Sword One · Sky Piercer!"

Mu Shi had only just steadied himself and had not even had time to sigh in relief when his eyes abruptly narrowed. Lin Xuan had vanished from where he stood, and in the next instant, that frost-white blade appeared directly before him. It had not been dodged as Mu Shi had expected.

Faced with this unavoidable sword strike, Mu Shi had no choice but to interrupt his secret technique. Terrifying energy then erupted from both of his palms as he struck out fiercely.

"Boom!"

This time, violent energy swept recklessly in every direction. In the blink of an eye, countless cracks had appeared across the entire Stone Hall.

"Clang!"

A Sword Cry rang from the long sword as Lin Xuan drifted down with the divine sword in hand. Guided by his Sword Heart, Origin Power poured into the blade.

Then Lin Xuan vanished from his original spot once more. The moment Mu Shi sensed something, he hurriedly turned around.

"Whoosh!"

The instant he turned, a brilliant sword light suddenly flared. Carrying an incomparably fierce sword force, it slashed toward Mu Shi's primordial spirit. Beneath that sword, the faint Qi of Death made Mu Shi feel a stabbing pain even in his primordial spirit.

"Sword Two · Life Extinguisher!"

Mu Shi's pupils shrank instantly. Before he could even consider why Lin Xuan had grasped this trace of Qi of Death, his overwhelming desire to survive drove him to wield the power gained from burning his primordial spirit and strike at Lin Xuan.

"Otherworldly Demon Soul Shattering Palm!"

"Bang!"

One sword and one palm collided in an instant. The violent, razor-sharp energy ripples they produced swept toward the already shattered stone walls in all directions like a force that could crush dead wood and pull rotten trees apart.

Outside the Ancient Tomb Mansion, perhaps driven by the urging of death—or perhaps by the Sword Saint's reputation—the explorers fled outward like madmen.

Before long, a great number of experts had gathered outside the Ancient Tomb Mansion. Many stood atop treetops, gazing from afar at the enormous Ancient Tomb Mansion.

Naturally, some bolder people stood directly atop buildings around the outer perimeter of the Ancient Tomb Mansion, watching the Bottom Hall at its deepest point from a distance, as though waiting for something.

Just then, an extremely powerful energy fluctuation erupted from the Bottom Hall deep within. Immediately afterward, beneath countless watching eyes, the enormous Bottom Hall exploded apart.

"Boom!"

As the Bottom Hall shattered, two streaks of light—one black and one white—shot into the sky!

"Clang!"

The moment the white streak rose into the air, a clear Sword Cry echoed between heaven and earth. Then it transformed into a white-robed figure standing suspended in the air.

As the night wind blew, his white robes snapped in the breeze. In the white-robed young man's hand was an incomparably peculiar long sword.

The sword was more than three feet long and otherwise looked no different from an ordinary longsword. Yet the sword in the young man's hand was divided into black and white. The front half, including the tip, was frost-white, cold light flickering along its edge with a bone-piercing chill. The rear half, where the hilt was located, was pitch-black and without an edge, carrying an unfathomably mysterious aura.

"Lin Xuan's strength is meager, far inferior to yours. Therefore, I can only use the strongest sword strike among all the sword arts I have learned in my life to face you!"

"This sword was bestowed by a respected master of the sword, a Sword Saint of his generation. Please offer your guidance!"

As Lin Xuan spoke, he raised the longsword in his hand before him, his face carrying a trace of solemnity. Then Origin Power within his body continuously surged into the divine sword.

"Hum!"

As Origin Power flowed into it without pause, Sword Qi continuously emerged around the divine sword, while Lin Xuan's aura steadily climbed.

More and more frost-white Sword Qi gathered, circling around Lin Xuan's body. Gradually, it actually formed into a white divine dragon.

The instant the Sword Qi divine dragon appeared, an incomparably terrifying pressure swept across the entire world. Everyone felt an immense weight descend upon their shoulders.