A youth like this was truly something to behold!
The city lord, Shen Wuya, clapped his hands and sighed, unable to hide the shock in his voice.
The powerful man who ruled Skywind City now had a complex glint in his eyes.
There was admiration for the prodigy, along with a touch of wistfulness over how time spared no one.
Lu Yue gave a slight nod, his eyes filled with undisguised approval.
"Good! Good! Good!" Su Tianheng cried three times, each louder than the last.
The usually composed head of the Su Family had lost some of his composure, the corners of his eyes faintly moist.
He thought of his younger brother's instructions before he went missing, and of how he had neglected Su Yu all these years. His heart was a tangle of emotions.
But now, all his guilt had turned into boundless pride.
Shen Wuya straightened his robes and rose solemnly.
His deep voice rang across the venue, amplified by spiritual power. "This battle has decided the outcome. I hereby announce—the champion of this year's Skywind City Grand Tournament is Su Yu of the Su Family!"
The entire venue erupted at once, cheers surging like waves.
Shen Wuya turned to Lu Yue with a smile. "As is customary, Elder Lu, please present the champion with his reward."
Lu Yue had been eager to do so for some time. He strode to the front of the stage, holding the prize for this Grand Tournament: a first-grade Storage Bag.
"Su Yu, come forward."
Su Yu stepped forward steadily and respectfully accepted the Storage Bag embroidered with Cloud Patterns in both hands.
As his fingertips touched the bag, he could sense the wondrous spatial power contained within.
He bowed deeply toward Lu Yue and the city lord, neither servile nor arrogant.
"The Outer Sect Disciples selected in this year's tournament—" Lu Yue's voice rang out as he swept his sleeve, sending ten streaks of light flying in different directions.
"Su Yu, Lin Tian, Su Yun, Chu Feng, Su Mei, Lin Mo, Lin Yan, Su Yan, Xu Chuan, Han Sui!"
With each name, a Cloud Patterns jade pendant fell into the hands of the person called.
Su Yu caught his pendant. It felt warm to the touch, and two characters were engraved on the back, faint spiritual power flowing through them.
"New disciples must remember this." Lu Yue's gaze swept over them.
"You may not return home during your first year after joining the sect. Yunlan Sect is two thousand li from here. On a swift horse, the journey should take no more than five days. You have one month to arrive. Be sure to reach the sect before the deadline."
Before leaving, Lu Yue gave Su Yu a meaningful look, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He could already imagine the shock this young man would bring to those conceited little upstarts in Yunlan Sect.
With the Grand Tournament's conclusion, Su Yu's name spread through Skywind City like wildfire.
From the streets and alleyways to the teahouses and taverns, everyone was talking about that earth-shaking showdown.
"I heard Young Master Su broke Lin Tian's Blood-Burning Secret Art with a single sword strike!"
"You bet! That Sword Light nearly blinded me!"
After returning to the Su Family, Su Yu could clearly feel how people's attitudes toward him had changed.
The clansmen who once treated him as if he were invisible now stopped and bowed from afar whenever they saw him.
Even Su Hao, who had once strutted around with his nose in the air, now greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Cousin!" Su Mei came every day, clutching her sword manual and asking him for advice, her eyes shining like stars.
"I can never get this move right..."
What left Su Yu at a loss for laughter was that even the Third Elder sent someone to deliver his treasured spiritual tea.
The elder, who had always been at odds with the family head, now praised Su Yu without end.
After dealing with a steady stream of visitors, Su Yu finally managed to return to his small courtyard.
He gazed at the Azure Edge Sword in his hand and exhaled a breath of stale air.
Su Yan needed time to recover from his injuries, so everyone agreed to set out in twenty days.
At daybreak, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds, Su Yu's sword was already drawn.
In the courtyard paved with blue stone, Gale Sword Momentum swept up, Sword Qi coiling like a dragon as it ground the fallen leaves into dust.
Every strike was precise to the slightest fraction; every move was fierce enough to chill the heart.
Yet Su Yu's brows knitted tighter and tighter.
His swordsmanship still seemed to be missing something.
Night fell, and the bright moon hung high.
His sword momentum shifted, and the Flowing Cloud Sword Style unfolded like Flowing Clouds and Water.
Wherever the blade passed, wisps of cloud seemed to swirl, ethereal and elusive.
But when he sheathed his sword, a trace of confusion flashed through Su Yu's eyes.
He repeated the same routine for three days, without sleep or rest.
On his three hundred and twenty-fourth practice, a sudden change occurred.
Su Yu's sword faltered slightly. Where its tip pointed, the air rippled faintly.
In that instant, he seemed to touch something.
It was like glimpsing a brilliant starry river on the other side of a veil thin as a cicada's wing, yet never quite being able to reach it.
What was this...?
He lowered his sword and stood still, letting sweat drip from his chin.
His sword moves had clearly reached perfection, so why did he still feel something so profound and elusive?
Was there still room for the Gale Sword Style and the Flowing Cloud Sword Style to advance further?
Was there a realm beyond sword momentum?
Su Yu murmured the question to himself, his voice fading into the morning breeze.
He stared at the long sword in his hand, its blade reflecting his perplexed gaze.
The feeling was so subtle.
It was like standing atop a mountain, yet catching sight of an even loftier peak amid the sea of clouds above.
With his questions in mind, Su Yu went to the family head's study.
After hearing his account, Su Tianheng's teacup trembled slightly in his hand.
"Sword Intent..." The well-traveled family head gazed into the past.
"That is the highest realm of the Sword Dao. They say that when Sword Intent is unleashed, it can cleave mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon, and shatter all evil arts."
"However..." Su Tianheng shook his head gently.
"Sword Intent is exceedingly difficult to comprehend. Ordinary martial artists must reach the Sea Breaking Realm and undergo their first transformation of the soul before they have a chance to glimpse its threshold."
As he spoke, something suddenly came to mind, and a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes. "Of course, there have indeed been peerless talents who comprehended Sword Intent in the Essence Transformation Realm."
At that, Su Tianheng suddenly chuckled and patted Su Yu on the shoulder. "But you're only in the Qi Refining Realm. It's far too early for you to be thinking about such things."
Even so, his gaze was full of relief as he looked at Su Yu.
After leaving the study, Su Yu strolled through the courtyard.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the ground.
Was that profound, elusive feeling really just his imagination?
Three days of quiet cultivation had taught him that forcing a breakthrough would only backfire.
Perhaps, as his uncle had said, the time was not yet right.
It was time to make a trip to the Monster Forest.
Su Yu gazed at the evening glow on the horizon and murmured to himself.
Before you continue