You're Not Bad

The deacon of Tianque Peak specifically picked up the file to re-examine all the records concerning Yu Xiu.

The reason they knew Yu Xiu would enter Dragon-Slaying Peak was not because they had prior knowledge, but because Yu Xiu had already begun practicing the Dragon-Slaying Evil-Purging Sword, a technique exclusive to Dragon-Slaying Peak.

It was not just the deacon of Tianque Peak who was watching; the deacons of Wen Dao Peak, Jinding Peak, and Powang Peak were doing the same.

Hmm? Upon this look, the deacon of Tianque Peak immediately noticed something different.

He had entered the Outer Court at the same time as Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, and Zhang Yundu, and all of them had completed the first of the Four Great Passes in three years.

Yet, the records in Yu Xiu's file were far more startling.

It took nearly three years to promote from the Outer Court to the Inner Court, completing the third pass of the Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea.

Two months after entering the Inner Court, he broke through the Qi Sea and Life Spring, heading straight into the first of the Four Great Passes?!

Two months to break through the third and fourth passes of the Ascending Dragon?

What kind of hellish speed was this?

In an instant, every deacon except for the one from Dragon-Slaying Peak looked up and exchanged glances!

Has he had an epiphany?

They looked back at the file, noting the final entry.

In Donghe Prefecture, Guiping County, at Tantan Lake, he slew three Water Demons: one at the first three levels of the first pass of the Four Great Passes, one at the middle three levels of the first pass, and one at the...

Second pass!

Seeing this, the four deacons could not help but look up once more.

But this time, they were looking at Yu Xiu—not just at the person, but at his strength!

The first pass of the Four Great Passes, the second level of the Five Viscera!

To counter-slay a demon of the second pass, the Five Elements Realm, while only at the second level of the Five Viscera?

How did he manage that?

Could it be that someone from Dragon-Slaying Peak had been helping him in secret?

Though shocked, they remained composed and turned their attention to the Bronze Mirror in front of Yu Xiu.

They might not be able to discern his exact realm, as they could only judge a person's cultivation level roughly based on their aura.

Furthermore, his true combat strength could not be seen either, as that required real-world combat to fully reveal.

As it happened, the first test of the Bronze Mirror was to measure one's true qi and swordsmanship.

They wanted to see exactly how many demons of the same realm Yu Xiu could slay.

If he could truly counter-slay a Water Demon of the second pass, the Five Elements Realm, then when Yu Xiu faced demons of his own level...

"This Bronze Mirror is quite interesting." As Yu Xiu stood before the mirror, he clearly felt a wisp of consciousness actively project into it.

His original consciousness was cut off, and by the time he regained his senses, he was already inside the world of the Bronze Mirror!

Before him lay mountains, rivers, and an endless tide of demons charging toward him.

Too weak. Yu Xiu turned the blade in his hand and charged into the fray, slaying one demon with every strike. Though the demons were numerous, they couldn't even touch him.

However, Yu Xiu held back significantly, choosing not to use the second realm of his Sword Heart.

If he had, he would have killed more than one with every strike!

"So strong!" Zhu Wenjiu, stubble growing on his chin, felt his heart skip a beat.

Those demons possessed strength and cultivation levels identical to his own; if they swarmed him, he would be lucky to kill even one.

His own swordsmanship was highly accomplished, yet he could only hold out for a short while under the demons' assault before being torn to shreds by the encroaching horde.

"How is his swordsmanship..." Zhang Yundu, who had previously harbored a desire to compete, found it inconceivable.

"Impressive. No wonder he was pre-selected by Dragon-Slaying Peak!" Feng Zhiyuan exclaimed in wonder.

Others, like Meng Ruizhu, watched with hearts pounding like war drums.

This was too powerful; if it were them in his place, they wouldn't even be able to withstand a single strike from Yu Xiu.

One had to remember that they were all just beginning the first of the Four Great Passes—how could the gap be so vast?

It wasn't just the disciples; even the deacons above had changed their expressions.

The deacon of Tianque Peak had been sitting perfectly still at first, but once Yu Xiu began to strike, he couldn't help but lean forward, eventually rising to his feet.

"What sword technique is this?" the deacon of Tianque Peak asked, his expression grave.

The deacon of Wen Dao Peak stood up and took a step forward. "Every strike of his is different. In that first strike alone, I saw the shadows of at least eight different sword techniques!"

The eyes of the deacon of Jinding Peak flashed with brilliance. "He has integrated numerous techniques into one, refining them all to perfection. It has reached the realm of the divine!"

The deacon of Powang Peak sighed in admiration. "Remarkable, truly remarkable!"

Even the deacon of Dragon-Slaying Peak watched with eyes full of wonder. "Yu Xiu, what a Yu Xiu!"

He was pleasantly surprised; though he had heard that Yu Xiu was formidable, he had not expected him to be this extraordinary.

This was no mere freak of nature comparable to the Ten True Seeds—he was someone who could even contend for a spot among the Ten True Disciples!

"Now, do you few believe that my Junior Brother Yu Xiu can slay the Water Demon of the second of the Four Great Passes?" The deacon of Dragon-Slaying Peak curled his lips, though he feigned a calm demeanor.

The other four deacons snapped back to reality, exchanging subtle glances with one another.

The deacon of Tianque Peak gave a light cough: "We must observe a bit longer."

The deacon of Wen Dao Peak chimed in: "Let us watch some more."

The deacons of Jinding Peak and Powang Peak immediately followed suit: "No rush, no rush."

The deacon of Dragon-Slaying Peak felt a stir in his heart, suddenly struck by an ominous premonition: What kind of scheme are these fellows cooking up?

A quarter of an hour later, Yu Xiu, within the Bronze Mirror, felt his consciousness return to his physical body. When he looked again, the surface of the Bronze Mirror had already displayed a written evaluation.

'Slain nine hundred demons of the Five Viscera realm'

'True Qi (Grade A-Superior)'

'Swordsmanship (Grade A-Superior)'

'Sword Intent (Grade A-Superior)'

Upon seeing the evaluation on the Bronze Mirror, Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, and Zhang Yundu all felt their hearts leap violently.

"He has already comprehended Sword Intent?!" Zhang Yundu exclaimed in shock.

"And it's Grade A-Superior!" Feng Zhiyuan marveled.

"He is already on the verge of manifesting a Sword Heart!" Zhu Wenjiu whispered.

"Where did this fierce dragon emerge from? Why have we never heard of him before?"

"He is stronger than the three of them—much, much stronger!"

"Grade A-Superior, all Grade A-Superior, he has maxed out everything!"

"Looking at Senior Brother Yu's posture, I fear he still has strength to spare!"

"Grade A-Superior is merely the highest evaluation the Bronze Mirror can give; it is by no means Senior Brother Yu's limit!"

The Inner Court disciples were even more astounded, and the scene had already begun to boil over.

Before the Bronze Mirror, Yu Xiu once again felt his consciousness drift away, re-entering the world of the mirror.

Only this time, what appeared before his eyes was a strange, massive rock.

Sword-Worshiping Stone! As he gazed at this giant boulder, he seemed to see, in a trance, a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance but a gentle, refined aura sitting before a massive stone. He held a wooden sword, carving into the rock as if he were merely passing the time.

It was clearly a wooden sword, and he did not appear to be using any force, yet stone chips flew everywhere with every stroke.

Furthermore, there was no discernible pattern to his strikes; it seemed as if he were just idly carving, turning an irregular piece of stubborn rock into an even more irregular one.

If an ordinary person were to see this, they would only think the middle-aged man possessed profound strength to be able to carve stubborn rock with a wooden sword.

But in Yu Xiu's eyes, every strike of the middle-aged man seemed to contain the principles of swordsmanship, holding countless possibilities for transformation into sword techniques.

So, this is the swordsmanship that Zhu Wenjiu and the others comprehended? Yu Xiu watched with intense focus, sparks of inspiration constantly erupting in his mind and colliding with one another.

In just a brief moment, he had already deduced four or five complete sword techniques in his mind, each more brilliant than any he had ever learned before.

The more he watched, the more absorbed he became; the inspirations in his mind grew more frequent, and his deduction of sword techniques accelerated.

But at this very moment, a gentle voice suddenly echoed in Yu Xiu's mind: "Youngster, can you see me?"

Hm? The surging tide of inspiration in Yu Xiu's mind came to an abrupt halt. He looked up in astonishment, only to see the gentle, middle-aged man carving the stone with his wooden sword looking back at him with a calm expression.

"I have seen you twice now." The gentle middle-aged man flicked his wooden sword and said, "You are not bad!"