Maybe some sect has a Sword Dao genius of the Supreme Way of the Sword

Taiyue Sword Sect.

At the foot of Sword Comprehension Cliff.

As a clap of thunder rang out, countless disciples turned their gazes in that direction in an instant.

At the foot of Sword Comprehension Cliff sat five young disciples.

These five disciples were the inner sect elites of Taiyue Sword Sect, possessing extraordinary talent in the path of the sword.

It was precisely because of these five disciples that Taiyue Sect Leader had pulled strings to invite Daoist Siji, who carved a single sword mark for them to deeply comprehend its sword intent.

Now, a full month had passed, and finally, someone had grasped the sword intent of Daoist Siji.

That someone was a young man, seemingly no older than twenty, clad in a white robe, seated cross-legged on the ground. Before him lay a longsword that hummed and vibrated.

Not only that, but behind him, sword shadows began to manifest one after another.

"He's comprehended it, he's comprehended it."

"Senior Brother Xu Heng has truly comprehended it."

"Hiss, is this enlightenment?"

"Heavens, Senior Brother Xu Heng truly lives up to his reputation as a famous sword dao genius of Qingzhou. In just one year, through a single sword mark, he has comprehended the Spring Thunder Sword Technique within the Four Thunder Sword Technique to Great Perfection."

"So envious, so envious."

"When Daoist Siji left this sword mark, he said that even a sword dao genius would need ten years to comprehend any one of the Four Thunder Sword Techniques to Peak Attainment. Senior Brother Xu Heng took only a year to reach Great Perfection in Spring Thunder Sword Technique. The remaining three probably won't take more than three years."

"Senior Brother Xu Heng is already hailed as one of the Top Ten Sword Dao Geniuses of Qingzhou. With talent like this, we can only look up to him."

"Stop talking, or I'll turn sour."

"Looks like at this Qingzhou Sword Dao Convention, Senior Brother Xu will aim for the top ten."

"Top ten? I'll give you another chance to rephrase that—at least the top three."

"One year to comprehend Spring Thunder Sword Technique to Great Perfection—is this what a sword dao genius looks like?"

Within Taiyue Sword Sect, disciples buzzed with discussion, their eyes filled with envy.

On Sword Comprehension Cliff stood seven or eight elders.

These were the elders of Taiyue Sword Sect.

Among them, one elder wore a smile so wide it was impossible to hide.

"Senior Brother Mingjian's judgment was spot on. In just one month, your disciple has already gained insight into Senior Siji's sword intent. Truly cause for celebration," said an elder, offering congratulations to Elder Mingjian—the one with the brightest smile in the group.

"Haha, not at all, not at all. It's merely comprehending it to Great Perfection—nothing special. Senior Siji's sword mark contains his sword intent, and he's only grasped Spring Thunder Sword Technique to Great Perfection. It's nothing, nothing at all."

Elder Mingjian spoke with apparent modesty, but the grin on his face betrayed no hint of humility.

"Senior Brother Mingjian is too modest."

"Indeed, Senior Brother Mingjian is too modest. Your disciple's sword dao skill is formidable, surpassing even the inner sect's number one. I think at this Qingzhou Sword Dao Convention, Xu Heng might just have a shot at first place."

Another elder stroked his beard in praise.

But soon, a cold snort cut through the air.

"Qingzhou territory hides crouching tigers and coiled dragons. Setting aside the Four Thunder Sword Sect and Baiyun Daoist Gate, there are tens of thousands of sects large and small within Qingzhou. To speak of first place now is far too premature, wouldn't you say?"

The speaker was an elder, his tone and expression tinged with disdain.

In an instant, Elder Mingjian's face darkened.

This man was his rival—in youth, and still now. They had clashed their entire lives.

And his own disciple had yet to comprehend the sword intent, so naturally, he felt a bit sour.

Elder Mingjian glanced at the other man.

But instead of getting angry, he smiled.

"Elder Chen Yu speaks sense. Qingzhou territory may indeed hide crouching tigers and coiled dragons. Perhaps some minor sect harbors an unparalleled sword dao genius who, with a casual glance at a sword mark, could comprehend it to Peak Attainment in a mere ten-odd days. My unworthy disciple certainly isn't qualified to claim the top sword dao spot in Qingzhou."

Elder Mingjian's tone dripped with sarcasm.

The elders' expressions shifted slightly.

They caught on instantly—Elder Mingjian was mocking him with veiled barbs.

A casual sword mark comprehended to Peak Attainment?

Not in Qingzhou. Not even in the Jin Kingdom, if you stretched it. And if you stretched further, not in all the Ten Kingdoms could such a genius be found.

What kind of person would that be? Even a Sword Immortal reincarnated couldn't manage it.

Daoist Siji was the foremost Sword Dao expert of Qingzhou, his cultivation already at the Nascent Soul Realm, with condensed Supreme Sword Intent. The sword mark he carved would take even a true sword dao genius years to fully comprehend all its sword techniques.

A casually drawn sword mark, comprehended to Peak Attainment?

If that wasn't sarcasm, what was?

Elder Chen Yu's face flushed with anger upon hearing this.

But with so many juniors present, he held back his temper to avoid losing face.

"Elder brothers, let's not bicker. Whichever disciple has higher talent is a good thing for our Taiyue Sword Sect."

"However, claiming first place at the Qingzhou Sword Dao Convention is a bit of an exaggeration. The Four Thunder Sword Sect has indeed produced a genius, but this time the Sect Leader has ordered that we must strive for the Top Ten no matter what."

"Do you all know why?"

Just then, another elder spoke up, saying this.

In an instant, the elders grew curious—they truly did not know the reason.

In past Qingzhou Sword Dao Conventions, Taiyue Sword Sect had always achieved decent results, but this time the Sect Leader seemed to place extraordinary importance on it, even inviting Daoist Siji to carve sword marks. That was rather unusual.

Sensing their curiosity.

The latter slowly continued.

"Those who secure a place in the Top Ten this time will receive a Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda Token. Do you all understand now?"

He said this.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

"A Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda Token?"

"Hiss! Is the Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda open again?"

"So it's the Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda Token. No wonder the Sect Leader went through so much trouble to invite Senior Siji. So that's the reason."

The elders were shaken.

They knew what the Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda represented.

It was an ancient treasure of the Ten Kingdoms of the Southern Domain.

Legend said it was forged by a Sword Immortal.

Within lay the Sword Immortal's inheritance and insights. Any disciple of the sword dao who entered the Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda was sure to gain something.

The pagoda had Eighty-One Layers, each with a Gatekeeper. The higher one climbed, the greater the rewards.

To enter the pagoda, one needed a Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda Token.

Naturally, the token was extremely precious.

Yet they never expected that the Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda Token would be awarded to the Top Ten of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Convention. This was truly a huge surprise.

"That's right. The Tai Xuan Sword Pagoda has been reactivated, and this time it has issued Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Ancient Tokens. Our Qingzhou region received ten, and it was finally decided to grant these ten tokens to the Top Ten of the Sword Dao Convention. So, fellow elders, during this period, you must teach your disciples well."

"Don't let it happen that a disciple from some small sect snatches one away. If that comes to pass, it would be quite embarrassing."

He said with a chuckle.

Everyone smiled lightly in response.

But they all understood that such a thing was nearly impossible.

What made a great sect great was not just its strong heritage, but more importantly, its abundant resources.

Even if a small sect stumbled upon a peerless genius, what then?

Did they really think that with a single sword mark, he could comprehend hundreds of sword intents?

Come on, come on—did they really believe there was such a thing as a peerless Sword Dao genius in this world?