In the distance.
A large ship traveling upstream along the river.
Lu Chen and the other two were indeed aboard it.
To shake off their pursuers, Lu Chen and the others had abandoned their horses and boarded a ship two days ago, deciding to travel by water to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
At this moment, inside the room.
Lu Chen was looking at the panel before him.
Merit Points: 2914.
"Merit Points, upgrade the Nine Heavens Cultivation Method!"
[ Ding! ] [ You consumed 1000 Merit Points. The Nine Heavens Cultivation Method has advanced to the Fourth Layer! ] [ Your cultivation has reached Seventh Rank (93%) ] [ You consumed 1500 Merit Points. The Nine Heavens Cultivation Method has advanced to the Fifth Layer! ] [ Your cultivation has reached Eighth Rank (3%) ] [ The next upgrade of the Nine Heavens Cultivation Method requires 2200 Merit Points! ]
Boom!
Energy surged through his body, vast and mighty like rolling waves. Powerful inner force intertwined with lightning, crackling and snapping as his aura roiled and strength thundered forth.
Lu Chen gently exhaled a breath of stale air and gradually reined in his aura.
Eighth Rank!
414 Merit Points remained. "Merit Points, upgrade the Sun Sword Technique!"
[ Ding! ] [ You consumed 140 Merit Points. The Sun Sword Technique has advanced to the minor mastery realm! ] [ You consumed 200 Merit Points. The Sun Sword Technique has advanced to the major mastery realm! ] [ The next upgrade requires 270 Merit Points! ] [ Ding! It has been detected that your reputation has risen once more, reaching the third stage: Widely Praised. Reward obtained: Imperial Sword Body! ] [ Imperial Sword Body: Your physique has become a supreme sword body, impervious to blades and spears, immune to water and fire. Any sword technique in your hands will automatically advance, possessing the power to turn decay into magic. A third-rate sword technique becomes second-rate, second-rate becomes first-rate, first-rate becomes a Peak Sword Technique, and a Peak Sword Technique becomes a divine art! ]
A crisp voice rang out in his mind.
"Hmm? Imperial Sword Body?" A glint flashed through Lu Chen's eyes.
What an unexpected delight!
It could actually make sword techniques advance automatically!
Boom!
His body began to undergo rapid transformation.
An invisible and mighty force instantly poured into his body, as though a radiant sword intent rose from within him. Every bone and every scrap of flesh changed, crackling and popping as waves of pain swept through him. Powerful Sword Qi and sword intent hissed from his pores.
His entire body seemed to transform into that of a supreme Sword Sovereign, the terrifying origin and aura of the sword constantly emanating from him.
Even the entire ship underwent a strange phenomenon.
The Martial World wanderers aboard the ship were all startled. They felt the treasured swords in their hands tremble on their own, then with a sudden clang, they all flew from their sheaths beyond control, shooting toward the room where Lu Chen was in seclusion. Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several dozen treasured swords, without exception, all nailed themselves outside Lu Chen's room.
They pierced into the floor, humming and trembling.
As though paying homage to an emperor of the sword.
This was entirely due to Lu Chen's unconscious actions.
As his physique transformed, his body naturally drew the worship of every sword.
"My sword!"
"What's going on?!"
"Why did my treasured sword fly up by itself?"
The many sword-wielding Martial World wanderers aboard the ship were all aghast. They rushed out and charged forward, intending to retrieve their swords. Yet just as they neared them, waves of invisible sword intent rushed at them, making their entire bodies feel as if they were being cut apart. They cried out in alarm and staggered back again. "There's an expert here!"
"What terrifying Sword Qi!"
"Which senior is here? Please show mercy!"
"What is Senior trying to do? My sword..."
Even Liu Jinglan and Cui Qingqing in the neighboring room emerged with startled expressions.
Liu Jinglan's sword, like everyone else's,
had flown directly out of its sword case.
"Could it be Young Hero Lu... could he have cultivated the legendary sword intent?"
Liu Jinglan was deeply shocked.
As the descendant of an influential family, he was widely knowledgeable.
He knew of a legendary sword intent that, once cultivated, made one comparable to an imperial weapon of the sword path, capable of drawing the worship of all swords under heaven. But this was far too fantastical, wasn't it?
How old was Lu Chen?
How could he have suddenly cultivated sword intent?
Suddenly, Lu Chen's voice transmission reached his mind. His heart tightened, and he immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Everyone, forgive the offense and inconvenience. You may retrieve your swords now!"
"We can't retrieve them. The moment we get close, sword intent strikes our bodies, and even our pores ache... This senior is far too terrifying. Little brother, do you know who the senior inside the room is?"
A young man around thirty wore a face full of shock, his body still racked with pain.
"His identity... well, it wouldn't be convenient for me to reveal it. But it's fine now. You may step forward and retrieve your swords."
Liu Jinglan answered vaguely.
The crowd was half-convinced and half-skeptical as they stepped forward to retrieve their swords once more. This time, they truly managed to take back their weapons.
Their hearts filled with awe, they each cupped their fists toward the room before them in worship.
Only after seeing that there was no movement within the room did they withdraw again.
After returning to the ship's hall, they immediately began whispering among themselves.
"What kind of senior is that? Such terrifying strength."
"With that senior in the cabin, we won't need to worry about water ghosts attacking us on this journey."
"Exactly. With such a senior here, what petty scoundrels would dare show themselves?"
"Could this senior be some sword grandmaster? If we could receive a few pointers from him, we'd strike it rich..."
"Unbelievable."
Liu Jinglan's heart churned. The river waters stretched vast and boundless.
The ship sailed onward.
Inside the cabin, Lu Chen repeatedly consolidated his Imperial Sword Body.
Once the transformation was complete, his physical body became even stronger and denser than before, like a precious body, with crystalline radiance flowing across his skin.
More importantly, there was his comprehension of the sword path.
At this moment, he held the soft sword in his hand and felt that the entire blade looked different in his eyes.
Countless insights and understandings of the sword path had directly appeared in his mind...
It was as though he could sense the life of this sword.
Swords possessed spirituality as well.
By communicating with that spirituality, one could make a sword stronger.
A fine personal sword could even grow alongside its master! Clang!
The soft sword quivered, and in an instant, bloody shadows flickered as an eerie radiance flared.
It was as though nine hundred and ninety-nine blood-red suns had appeared in a single instant.
Wherever the light reached, everything turned to ash.
Pfft!
The soft sword returned to its sheath.
The Imperial Sword Body will be another of my trump cards. The outside world only knows that my saber technique is formidable, but they would never imagine that my swordsmanship is even more terrifying...
This was only the major mastery realm of the Sun Sword Technique.
If he raised the Sun Sword Technique to perfection, it would be even more unimaginable.
Then, even a Ninth Rank expert would be someone he could fight!
Just then, Lu Chen sensed something and turned to look out the window.
An enormous tower ship was traveling downstream, carrying with it an invisible pressure upon the mind. It created an illusion, as if a vast dark cloud were bearing down upon them.
It was not only him.
Even the others on deck were greatly alarmed.
They all felt as though an illusion had appeared before their eyes.
The large ship opposite them seemed to grow taller and larger, like a terrifying mountain crushing toward them.
The shipmaster and the group of deckhands on the deck were especially frightened, their faces turning pale as their bodies trembled.
Their legs suddenly went weak and they collapsed to the ground, struggling to breathe, as though that enormous "mountain" were about to crush them to death.
Clang!
Suddenly, an ear-splitting saber cry rang out, echoing clearly through the surroundings. Boom!
In an instant, the illusion before everyone's eyes shattered with a thunderous crash.
All pressure vanished completely.
The tower ship was still the same tower ship as before.
It had not grown larger or taller.
Nor had it come crushing toward them.
However, on the deck of that ship stood a burly figure dressed in black robes. He stood straight as a towering spear, his gaze icy and his bearing unmatched.
Everyone on deck was startled and began whispering among themselves.
Even Liu Jinglan and Cui Qingqing revealed tense expressions.
Another powerful enemy had arrived?
But soon, Liu Jinglan's expression changed slightly as he looked in another direction.
In the area ahead to the right, another broad tower ship was also traveling downstream, heading in their direction.
That ship did not create the same mental illusion as before.
Yet it gave off an equally strange feeling.
It was as though someone had deliberately controlled its speed. It traveled downstream at a constant pace, while even the surging river seemed unable to buffet its hull...
Upon its deck.
A man and a woman stood smiling as they looked in this direction.
"See? I told you they'd travel by water. What do you say?"
The man was in his early twenties, smiling broadly, with a black longsword hanging at his waist.
"Fine, you're capable. Happy now?"
The young woman looked displeased, her hair a complete mess.
"Sixty-fifth on the Kirin Ranking... [Autumn Water Sword] Luo Changqing..." Liu Jinglan was inwardly shocked.
They had actually drawn the attention of a highly ranked expert on the Kirin Ranking.
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