Sudden Enlightenment, Sword Intent

At first, Lin Lin had not thought much of this Morning Martial Arts Practice.

After learning the Hundred Flowers in Disarray sword technique, he had taken part in quite a few Morning Martial Arts Practices. He had never found them particularly useful; their cultivation benefits were far inferior to the month he had spent cultivating alone.

But at this moment, his mind was immersed in the unique atmosphere of the Martial Arts Practice Square.

He felt his thoughts sharpen, and his understanding of swordsmanship began to rise at an astonishing pace. Only then did he understand the benefits of Morning Martial Arts Practice.

"This atmosphere for practicing swordsmanship is incredible. It makes it much easier to enter the right state."

In a flash, a trace of enlightenment arose in Lin Lin's heart.

At this moment, every stray thought vanished from his mind. His consciousness became clear and empty, his senses seeming to merge into the sword momentum that filled the entire Martial Arts Arena.

Memories of practicing swordsmanship over and over during the past month flashed rapidly through his mind. From those memories, Lin Lin continuously gained entirely new insights.

His body moved on instinct, inner breath coursing swiftly through his meridians, while the sword moves he unleashed underwent subtle adjustments.

The Hundred Flowers in Disarray sword technique, already practiced to the point of miraculous mastery, became even more elusive and unpredictable. His longsword seemed to meld into the surrounding air; as he swung it, even the Sword Shadows seemed to vanish.

In this state, the passage of time felt faint and distant. Lin Lin only felt that he wanted to remain immersed in this sensation forever.

Time passed, and the sun gradually climbed higher.

Before long, the hour-long Morning Martial Arts Practice neared its end.

Many Hundred Flowers Valley disciples seemed to have gained some insight. Some looked reluctantly at Senior Brother and the Elite Disciples as they prepared to sheathe their swords, wishing to practice a little longer.

Unfortunately, today's Morning Martial Arts Practice was about to end. If they wanted to experience this level of efficiency in sword practice again, they could only wait until tomorrow.

At that moment, Senior Brother Cui Hao suddenly raised a hand, stopping a disciple who had been about to strike the bell to signal the end of the Morning Martial Arts Practice.

His gaze fell not far ahead. A faint smile appeared on his usually cold face, and there seemed to be a hint of gratification in his eyes.

Many nearby Official Disciples, Elite Disciples, and some Outer Sect Disciples instinctively followed Senior Brother's gaze.

Then they saw that, while everyone else had already stopped practicing their swords, one Official Disciple in a Sky Blue Robe was still practicing.

At this moment, the disciple's body twisted and darted across the spot at extreme speed, already turning into an afterimage. The longsword in his hand had become so fast that it vanished from the vision of ordinary disciples, yet there was not the slightest sound of the sword cutting through the wind.

This showed that the disciple's attainments in swordsmanship had reached the level of miraculous mastery.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the disciple's movements and the speed at which he swung his sword continued to increase.

After watching for a while, many disciples even felt that what appeared before their eyes was not a person, but a Divine Weapon with peerless sharpness.

"Is this Sudden Enlightenment?"

An experienced Elite Disciple murmured in a low voice, somewhat uncertain.

Senior Brother Cui Hao's nod confirmed his guess. Cui Hao spoke softly, "Yes. Keep practicing your swords. Don't disturb him."

Experiencing Sudden Enlightenment during Morning Martial Arts Practice and rapidly advancing one's martial arts realm was not unheard of. It had happened many times throughout the cultivation history of Hundred Flowers Valley.

But Sudden Enlightenment was not something just anyone could achieve. Those capable of it had all accumulated deeply before bursting forth, and possessed exceptional talent and comprehension.

Such people could already be called martial arts prodigies.

Among this generation of Official Disciples, this was the first time someone had experienced Sudden Enlightenment during Morning Martial Arts Practice.

Although this junior brother in Sudden Enlightenment was not one of the geniuses Cui Hao knew well, his face looked familiar. He was presumably a disciple who had entered the sect long ago.

After such a long period of accumulation, he had finally attained Sudden Enlightenment on the path of martial arts.

"Sudden Enlightenment... one moment of it is worth who knows how many days of bitter cultivation. I really envy him."

An Elite Disciple looked in Lin Lin's direction, his eyes full of envy.

Yet the sword technique in his hands did not stop. He continued practicing, using the sword momentum formed by thousands of people practicing together to help this unfamiliar junior brother maintain his state of Sudden Enlightenment.

The atmosphere among fellow disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley was fairly good. Though there was no shortage of conflicts and sordid matters in private, at least on the surface they maintained the custom of fellow disciples helping one another.

Besides, Senior Brother had already spoken.

"Settle your minds. Focus on practicing your swords."

Using Voice Transmission, Senior Brother lightly rebuked the fellow disciples around him who had begun to lose focus. His longsword continued to move as he practiced.

Under everyone's attention, Lin Lin's movements became faster and faster.

Gradually, he completely vanished from everyone's sight like a clear breeze.

"This sword technique is nearly at the level of transcendent mastery. Just before, it had only reached miraculous mastery."

At this point, only a few Elite Disciples with formidable martial arts could still rely on their extraordinary realms to see the figure of this junior brother who had entered Sudden Enlightenment.

Those Elite Disciples, along with Senior Brother, felt only a slight amount of envy toward Lin Lin's Sudden Enlightenment.

But the Official Disciples of Lin Lin's generation, who were gradually realizing what had happened and learning that the one who had entered Sudden Enlightenment was Lin Lin, were filled with disbelief.

They felt as though their entire worldview was about to collapse.

"That Lin Lin, who had always lacked ambition, practiced martial arts three days fishing and two days drying nets, and only barely reached the third level of Body Refinement through his talent and the resources his parents gave him—the Lin Lin whom Elder of Teaching Skills punished by sending him to Yin Wind Gorge to reflect on his mistakes—had actually practiced his swordsmanship to such a miraculous level in just one month?"

"And now he had even experienced Sudden Enlightenment???"

The fellow disciples who knew Lin Lin all felt as though a jar of vinegar had been overturned in their hearts.

Especially the outstanding few whose martial arts progress ranked among the best of their peers—their emotions were exceptionally complicated at this moment.

Being surpassed by a fellow disciple from the bottom ranks truly left a sour and exhilarating feeling.

Unfortunately, no matter how sour and exhilarating it felt, what stood before their eyes was reality.

While everyone was caught in their complicated emotions, another quarter-hour passed. Lin Lin's figure, which had merged into the breeze, finally reappeared.

He stood where he was, eyes closed, savoring the changes that had just occurred within him.

"Entered a state of Sudden Enlightenment. All accumulated foundations burst forth. The Hundred Flowers in Disarray sword technique achieved a leap in progress. Vitality -500, Mental Strength -600, Swordsmanship Proficiency +3400. Current progress: transcendent mastery 570/5000."

"Entered a state of Sudden Enlightenment. The Hundred Flowers True Qi internal art made a small amount of progress. Vitality -400, Constitution +10, Inner Breath +5, Strength +2, Endurance +2, Agility +15. Internal Art Proficiency +800. Current progress: miraculous mastery 220/3000."

"Inner Breath attribute has broken through the critical threshold. Meridian nurturing has reached minor accomplishment. The Attribute Panel has added a meridian level display."

"Comprehended Sword Intent. Maximum Mental Strength +500. Sword Intent can be activated by consuming Mental Strength, greatly increasing sword attack speed, sword attack power, and movement speed. Current progress: beginner's first practice 10/50."

The Quest Log on the Attribute Panel clearly recorded the changes that had occurred to Lin Lin.