Swordsman Old Yang

The aged man stepped into the Sword Sea. Under everyone's watchful eyes, his entire body began to grow younger in an instant. His full head of white hair turned black, his wrinkled skin regained its luster, and flesh filled out his sunken cheeks.

Within the Sword Sea, each step shed ten years from his age, and he continued growing younger.

Until he returned to around fifty years old.

His once-hunched spine straightened as well. His gaze shone brightly, sharp glints flickering within it. The muscles across his body looked as though they had been cast from cold iron, brimming with strength.

The other elders' expressions changed at this sight, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"He has burned away the last of his lifespan in exchange for a fleeting return to his prime. It is no more than an epiphyllum blooming for a single night."

"What is Old Yang doing? There is no need for this. Who knows whether the Sword Sea even contains a way to break through to the Ninth Restriction? He has burned away the rest of his life for one moment at his peak. If he gains nothing, that will be far too great a loss."

"Exactly. And even if there is a method to break through to the Ninth Restriction, he has no time left. A single moment at his peak cannot last long."

"Too impulsive. He was like this when he was young, and he is still like this now. If you ask me, practicing the saber has made him stupid."

Several people immediately began discussing the matter, none of them optimistic about Old Yang.

Yet others retorted, "Old Yang is a proud man. If he gains nothing in the Sword Sea, then even without burning his lifespan, he would only have a few years left to live. For someone who has practiced the saber his entire life, that would be worse than dying at the very height of his power."

"That's right. How could you vermin who cling to life understand Old Yang? He became famous in his youth, his Saber Technique unmatched. Even peerless Ninth Restriction experts from the Supreme Dao Sect called his ultimate Saber Technique astonishing. Would he really hesitate and cower just to eke out another two or three years?"

"Old Yang is doing the right thing. This time, he is making a desperate gamble. If it were me, I would do the same."

Quite a few Eighth Restriction Peak experts, old in years but still young at heart, spoke up one after another to refute those remarks.

The clamor at the edge of the Sword Sea could not disturb Old Yang. He had burned everything away and cut off all retreat. Now, standing within the Sword Sea and sensing the flowing sword qi, the chilling killing intent, and the piercing sword qi, Old Yang smiled faintly and drew from within himself the treasured saber that had accompanied him his entire life.

The Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber was a weapon left behind by an ancient predecessor, which he had obtained after falling off a cliff in his childhood. It had accompanied him across north and south. In the blink of an eye, several centuries of life had passed. Old Yang had grown old, and the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber had also dimmed its radiance.

Old Yang reached out and stroked the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber, murmuring, "Old friend, it has been a long time since we fought together."

It truly had been a long time.

Old Yang sank into thought. Since when had he stopped daring to strike with all his strength?

From the moment he had grown old.

From the moment white hair had appeared.

From the moment he had felt that he was no longer powerful.

For one who wielded the saber, nothing was more taboo than doubting oneself.

The moment Old Yang had begun to doubt himself, he had stored the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber within his body, and it had not seen the light of day for several centuries.

Gently stroking the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber and feeling its trembling, excited response, his eyes brightened. He stared at the Sword Sea and shouted, "Today, let me see just how terrifying the Ninth Restriction truly is."

Boom!!!

As his words fell, Old Yang's aura surged. Behind him, energy gathered into a treasured saber of magnificent size. Looking closely, the saber was shaped like a colossal dragon.

Dragging the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber behind him, he strode forward through the Sword Sea.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The next moment, the Sword Sea answered. Waves rose without wind, sweeping toward him with crashing force. Every drop of seawater was sword qi, carrying a frosty aura as it rushed straight at him.

The waves rose dozens of meters high, blocking Old Yang's path like a heavenly curtain. They were soul-shaking, suffocatingly oppressive.

Old Yang threw back his head and laughed. Casting aside every burden, he faced it calmly. Both hands gripping the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber, he unleashed the Saber Technique he had comprehended through a lifetime of Cultivation with all his strength.

Boom!!!

With one slash, he cleaved open the towering waves of the Sword Sea. His savage saber technique collided with the surging Sword Sea, producing a clash of immense power that left the people around them holding their breath, not daring to blink.

Rumble!

The massive waves continued pressing down, as merciless as the way of heaven.

Old Yang fought with all his might against the Sword Sea's giant waves, clenching his teeth as veins bulged across his forehead. Seeing that he had blocked the Sword Sea's dragon-like waves, he saw hope and shouted once more, "Great Saber Rolls On!"

Immediately afterward, the enormous dragon-shaped totem behind him transformed into a saber and came crashing down.

Boom!!!

At that instant, the Sword Sea's massive waves collapsed completely. Countless streams of sword qi scattered everywhere before returning to the Sword Sea.

Old Yang panted heavily. His hair, once completely black, now became streaked with black and white.

Holding the Dragon Slaying Treasure Saber, he looked at the Sword Sea as it returned to calm, confusion in his eyes. "Did I succeed?"

The others watched nervously as well, wanting to know whether Old Yang had succeeded.

Had he obtained a method to break through to the Ninth Restriction?

At the same time, in the Feather Transformation Sect's Scripture Pavilion, Lin Jiufeng opened his eyes in surprise within the study and looked toward the Sword Sea. "He completed the Sword Sea's trial so quickly?"

He had thought he would need to wait a while.

He had not expected the first person to enter the Sword Sea to be so resolute, burning away his lifespan and severing his own path of retreat, all to seek life amid death and gamble for a sliver of hope.

"He really did win himself that sliver of hope," Lin Jiufeng murmured.

He had cut down the Sword Sea and placed several hundred methods for breaking through to the Ninth Restriction within it, precisely to offer a sliver of hope to these cultivators who had reached the end of their lifespans in an age scarce in spiritual energy.

Thus, so long as one displayed strength beyond the Eighth Restriction and could exchange a move with the Ninth Restriction, one could obtain a breakthrough method.

Old Yang had exhausted all his strength and struck twice, blocking one attack from the Sword Sea. That was enough for him to obtain a breakthrough method.

The Sword Sea returned to tranquility, its rippling surface reflecting Old Yang's face.

The next second, beneath the gazes of countless Eighth Restriction experts, a streak of spiritual light burst forth and entered Old Yang's brow.

His body shook, then he was overjoyed. Tears streamed down his aged face as he knelt directly within the Sword Sea and called out in gratitude, "Thank you, Senior, for bestowing this method."

The moment these words were spoken, the people at the Sword Sea's edge were stunned. They stared at Old Yang excitedly, wanting to know what sort of breakthrough method he had received.

But Old Yang paid them no attention. He simply sat down cross-legged and began absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, following the breakthrough method as he began his final breakthrough.

He had burned his lifespan and had little time left. He could not waste even a moment, so he simply chose to break through within the Sword Sea.

Rumble!

Before a crowd of Eighth Restriction Peak elders, Old Yang devoted himself wholly to his breakthrough. His aura rose steadily as spiritual energy surged into his body like a tide, propelling his life to a new level.

Before everyone's eyes, Old Yang successfully broke through to the Ninth Restriction.

He found rebirth from death and succeeded.

The instant he succeeded in breaking through, Old Yang sensed Lin Jiufeng's aura.

Without another word, he rushed straight toward the Feather Transformation Sect's Scripture Pavilion.

Arriving before the Scripture Pavilion, Old Yang stood respectfully outside its doors and called out, "Thank you, Senior, for bestowing this method. Might I be fortunate enough to meet you?"