Demonic Fetus Transforms into Sword God

Time passed, and soon, the sword trial for the Kendo class drew to a close.

The final bout featured the second-ranked Qin Tailai challenging the top-ranked Li Qingmeng.

In the eyes of many, Li Qingmeng was undoubtedly someone cast in the mold of a protagonist.

Not only was she the top student in her grade, but she was also the student council president; on top of that, her swordsmanship was ranked first.

Of course, this top ranking in swordsmanship was a development of only the last year.

For several years prior, the top swordsman at Qingyuan had been Qin Tailai.

Beyond Qin Tailai's own innate talent for the sword, this was also partly due to his family background.

Given his family's status, while they could not hire a Sword Master, hiring a Swordsman to instruct Qin Tailai was naturally a simple matter.

Coupled with the fact that Qin Tailai was sufficiently diligent, his swordsmanship had remained at the top for years.

It wasn't until Li Qingmeng appeared; when she first enrolled, she was too young, so her swordsmanship was not yet formidable.

By the second semester of eighth grade, Li Qingmeng's swordsmanship had become proficient, and she joined the Kendo class; after that, she spent a year challenging her way up until she reached second place.

Then, after a summer break, by the time the ninth grade started, she had defeated Qin Tailai and seized the throne of first place.

For a full year since then, through more than a dozen trials, Li Qingmeng had remained firmly in first place.

Thus, for the previous two years, there had been talk at Qingyuan of the "Twin Stars of Kendo," referring to Li Qingmeng and Qin Tailai.

However, after Qin Tailai failed to reclaim the top spot even once over the course of a full year, this title gradually faded into obscurity.

Yet, even though he was defeated time and again, Qin Tailai never once gave up on challenging her.

This was a matter of attitude.

If this were a life-or-death duel, it would be perfectly normal to concede if he couldn't win.

But in a routine sword trial, if one lacked the courage to challenge, one might as well abandon the path of the sword entirely.

The path of the sword is sought only within one's own grasp; even when facing the cruelest adversity, one must never give up.

Throughout the millennia of history, there have never been a shortage of examples of those who forged a Sword Heart through a hundred defeats, just as there have been many who saw their Sword Heart shatter after a single loss following a hundred victories.

The sword must be unyielding; even in defeat, one must be defeated with dignity.

In a sense, the trials at Qingyuan were also intended to cultivate this unyielding spirit, which is why the rules mandated that the weaker challenge the stronger.

Those who cannot endure failure should abandon the path of the sword as early as possible.

Thud!

Soon, the swords of the two in the arena clashed together.

Qin Tailai's physique was far taller and more robust than Li Qingmeng's, yet in the collision of sword force, he did not gain the slightest advantage.

Normally, according to the physiological structures of men and women, men are naturally at an advantage in terms of raw strength.

But this can only be used to measure ordinary people, not those on the path of the sword.

At the start of Kendo cultivation, one constantly purifies the spirit and refines the flesh; this refinement is not primarily reflected in muscle mass, but in the level of development of the nervous system.

As for strength, while common sense dictates that larger muscles mean greater power, that only applies when the nervous system is equally developed.

With the same muscle size, some people have more strength while others have less; what determines this is the development of the nervous system.

The legendary Li Yuanba from ancient times was born with a highly developed nervous system, which is why he was thin and small, yet possessed the strength to lift a cauldron.

However, as a price, his temperament suffered defects, and his mental maturity remained stunted.

If one were to say that the explosive power gained from a certain level of muscle growth is 1, then the explosive power gained from the same level of nervous system growth is 10!

Of course, the most formidable state is when muscle mass and the nervous system grow in tandem.

This is because the calculation for explosive power is not additive, but multiplicative.

In the arena, the clashing sounds rang out incessantly, but for a time, relying on his physical advantage, Qin Tailai managed to stabilize the situation despite his swordsmanship being clearly a level lower.

If the gap in this weight class were merely the difference between lv5 and lv6, Qin Tailai might truly have had a chance at victory.

But the reality was that Qin Tailai's swordsmanship was lv6, while Li Qingmeng's had already reached lv7.

Do not be fooled by the single-level difference; lv6 is merely "proficient," while lv7 is "mastery."

To be "proficient" and to be "subtle and thorough" are two completely different concepts; it is not just about explosive power, but also the immense gap in the refinement of how force is applied.

Thus, although Zhao Cheng did not have much practical experience, he could see at a glance that while Qin Tailai could gain a certain advantage early on through strength and speed, as time passed, Qin Tailai would only grow weaker while Li Qingmeng would remain steady and consistent. The former's defeat was merely a matter of time.

Qin Tailai perhaps knew this as well, but it did not change the decisiveness of his strikes; defeat was a matter for later, but for now, he would exhaust everything he had learned.

To him, victory or defeat was not important; what mattered was the process. To be defeated a hundred times and never change one's heart—this, too, was a form of Kendo.

It was precisely because of this that even though Qin Tailai hadn't won in over a year, it did not affect the high regard the instructors held for him.

Such a temperament was undoubtedly the mark of a promising seed for the path of the sword.

The path of the sword is rarely smooth sailing; even the invincible figures of today did not necessarily win every step of the way.

"A hundred defeats to forge a demonic embryo, the demonic embryo transforms into a Sword God"—such examples were not unheard of.

Finally, after seventeen moves, Qin Tailai was struck by Li Qingmeng's blade, a clean cut across his throat.

Li Qingmeng's swordsmanship was fierce and sharp; she would not strike unless necessary, but once she did, it was fatal. Clearly, she had been guided by a master.

"Seventeen strikes. Last time, it was eighteen."

"Your swordsmanship has become even more formidable!"

In the arena, Qin Tailai spoke with a calm tone, though his inner state was not as tranquil as he appeared.

No one enjoys defeat; people naturally pursue victory. However, his will was firm, and he knew that a momentary failure meant little. Yet, being a youth, he could not help but feel a ripple of emotion.

This, in itself, was a process of tempering his spirit. When the day came that he could truly remain as still as stagnant water after a loss, he would be formidable indeed.

That kind of mental fortitude is so powerful that few things in this world could ever shatter it.

"A momentary victory means nothing."

Li Qingmeng replied, showing no pride in her win.

It was not that she looked down on Qin Tailai or thought little of defeating him; rather, her upbringing had taught her that only by remaining humble could one achieve greatness.

But did victory truly leave her heart as still as water? Not quite. She, too, could not fully avoid pride; deep down, a flicker of joy remained. After all, she was still young.

After this match, it was finally Zhao Cheng's turn to step onto the stage. Long before the final match had even begun, Zhao Cheng had already started adjusting his breathing and his focus.

With the experience from his simulations and a swordsmanship level that had reached lv8 in his consciousness, even though his current body lacked the talent to enter a state of flow with a single breath, he managed to fully center himself within mere seconds.

Once the two previous combatants stepped down, Zhao Cheng announced the rank he intended to challenge, then proceeded to put on his protective gear at a measured, unhurried pace.

His opponent, however, had not expected Zhao Cheng to challenge him directly, nor had he anticipated that Zhao Cheng would not need time to adjust his state beforehand.

No one rushed him, letting him prepare at his own pace, though he would undoubtedly face a stern lecture from his instructor afterward.

Two minutes later, the man was finally ready and slowly stepped onto the stage.

"Please!"

Zhao Cheng held his sword horizontally. His mind was like a calm, still lake, and his voice became quiet and serene, reminiscent of cold spring water drawn from an ancient well.