Chapter 101
The ordinary masses of people are the true absolute majority.
After sighing, Xiao Minghuang channeled her spiritual power, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the clouds without alerting anyone, leaving the capital city.
Half a day later.
Five hundred miles from the capital, in a valley, a woman dressed in light red descended from the sky, like Banished Immortal Descends, ethereal and noble.
Xiao Minghuang landed on the ground, looking around as if searching for something.
Half a day ago, out of apology, she gave Xu Xiuer some spirit stones and pills, which unexpectedly met the system's update requirements.
The Treasure Seeking Compass, which could originally only detect areas within a radius of 100 li, suddenly increased to a radius of 500 li!
The system update revealed many opportunities she had never discovered before.
The most eye-catching feature is its dazzling blue light.
This means that the quality of this opportunity is far superior to those opportunities of the white or cyan colors!
[In a valley five hundred li from the capital, beneath a lake, lies a Sword Dao Stone Tablet inscribed with the True Meaning of Sword Dao, imprinted by ancient swordsmen.]
Following the guidance of the Treasure Seeking Compass, Xiao Minghuang arrived at the valley lake without a moment's rest.
She looked out at the small lake and could feel a cool breeze blowing by.
"There should be Sword Dao Stone Tablet hidden beneath this lake..."
With a thought, Golden Starlight emanated from Xiao Minghuang's body, enveloping her entirely.
Immediately, she stepped into the water.
Under the protection of the starlight, she walked underwater as if on flat ground, her clothes neat and tidy, without any hindrance.
As she descended, the surroundings gradually darkened.
However, with Xiao Minghuang's cultivation level, she could still see the things around her clearly.
Fifteen minutes later.
Xiao Minghuang arrived in front of an ancient and weathered boulder.
This giant rock is three zhang tall, its surface covered with moss and coral, and it looks like it has been weathered by countless years, without any mystery about it.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Minghuang extended her slender hand and placed it on the stone tablet.
Just then, a sword's cry rang in their ears, followed by an extremely sharp aura emanating from the boulder, as if it were about to cut everything around them in two.
If anyone were here, they would surely feel terrified and their scalp would tingle.
Fortunately, this was at the bottom of a deserted lake, and the surface was covered by hilly valleys that few people ventured into, so no one noticed this horrifying scene.
Xiao Minghuang focused his mind and carefully sensed the wisps of sword intent emanating from the Sword Dao Stone Tablet.
From within the stone tablet, the sounds of swords rang out continuously, and wisps of sharp Sword Qi emanated, cutting and shattering the lake water within a radius of more than ten feet. The entire lake surged and churned, as if a storm was about to break out.
I don't know how much time has passed.
Suddenly, a deep sword cry rang out, and the next moment a beam of sword light, several meters long, suddenly condensed above the stone tablet, instantly slashing down towards Xiao Minghuang!
This sword light was powerful and swift as lightning. It was formed in an instant, and if caught off guard, an ordinary martial artist would definitely not be able to dodge it and would die on the spot.
But Xiao Minghuang seemed to have anticipated this, and with a swift movement, he dodged the deadly sword light.
But in the very next moment...
When the sword light missed its target, two more sword lights materialized on the stone tablet and slashed down at Xiao Minghuang from the left and right.
Xiao Minghuang narrowed her beautiful eyes and stopped dodging. With a thought, Golden Starlight emanated from her body, bursting out with endless Rosy Clouds, as if the stars were shining. The spiritual spring in her Dantian surged, and her blood and qi erupted like a volcano. She held her breath and concentrated her spiritual power into one, and threw a punch hard at the sword light!
"Break!"
A dull thud echoed from beneath the lake.
The sharp sword light slashed down from the sky and slammed into the dazzling starlight fist. The moment the two collided, a terrifying roar erupted.
Buzz!!!
The entire lake rippled outwards in concentric circles, actually shattering the water within a radius of nearly a hundred feet, demonstrating its immense power!
Under the immense impact, even Xiao Minghuang's expression changed slightly, but not out of worry; instead, a hint of joy appeared on her face.
She blocked both beams of incomparably sharp sword light!
She could sense that this simultaneous use of two swords was already the limit of the Sword Dao Stone Tablet.
If she can survive this test, she will gain the recognition of the stone tablet and receive the swordsmanship inheritance contained within it.
The sword light gradually faded, eventually dissipating into the surging lake water.
A smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Minghuang's eyes. He withdrew his fist and exhaled a deep breath.
The test of the Sword Dao Stone Tablet cannot be performed with the help of external objects. Neither magical treasures nor secret techniques can be used. Otherwise, even if the stone tablet is shattered, the inheritance within cannot be obtained.
After the sword light dissipated, the stone tablet was covered with dense cracks, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly. The stone tablet had endured countless years; could it have reached its limit after this attack?
At least let her inherit it before it crumbles!
Staring at the stone tablet crumbling inch by inch, Xiao Minghuang stood still, making no move.
The Sword Dao Stone Tablet is a spiritual object; when its time comes, no one can stop it.
A moment later.
The scene before Xiao Minghuang was beyond her expectations.
The stone tablet did not collapse; rather, its surface disguise was removed.
Then, the coral moss on the surface of the stone tablet was completely peeled off, revealing its true nature hidden inside.
What comes into view is a small stone tablet, only about the height of a person.
Its entire body was bluish-gray, and it exuded a sharp sword aura. Sharp sword Sword Qi burst forth and flew, so sharp that Xiao Minghuang felt a stinging pain in her eyes and her eyes sting with tears after just one glance.
There are many ways to pass down martial arts in the world. Some are engraved on gold books Jade Slip, some are written on silk scrolls, and some are passed down orally.
Imprinting the martial arts tradition on a stone tablet is one way to pass it on.
Furthermore, those who can imprint their enlightenment on stone tablets are all martial artists of a high level.
As far as Xiao Minghuang knew, only Nascent Soul True Person could brand the stone tablet.
"The powerful figure who branded the stone tablet, I wonder what level of martial artist they are..."
Xiao Minghuang concealed his aura, focused his mind, and activated his spiritual power to protect himself before walking to the stone tablet.
122. The Budding Form of Sword Intent! The First Prince's Secret
Xiao Minghuang examined the stone tablet for a few moments, sensing the strong sword aura contained within it, and murmured:
"The swordsmanship realm contained within the stone tablet far surpasses that of the Sixth Prince, like an insurmountable chasm!"
The levels of swordsmanship are divided into: rudimentary stage, beginner stage, minor mastery stage, Major Accomplishment, and perfection stage.
Strictly speaking, the rudimentary form cannot be considered within the realm of swordsmanship, but because it possesses a certain degree of power, it is usually included.
The stone tablet before us possesses a power far exceeding that of Sword Intent Embryo, and there is a qualitative difference between them. Therefore, it is possible that it has already surpassed the realm of sword intent.
It has reached the level of sword intent that transcends mere sword momentum!
"Within the stone tablet lies at least the introductory level of sword intent."
Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath, her expression growing increasingly serious.
The powerful figure who branded this stone tablet was very likely a Primal Embryo Realm expert in his lifetime!
Xiao Minghuang's eyes shone brightly. Receiving the inheritance from the stone tablet meant that she could inherit the legacy of a Primal Embryo Realm expert!
Such an opportunity truly lives up to the name of Cyan!
Thus, Xiao Minghuang couldn't help but imagine how terrifying the blue opportunities must be if they were already so powerful. How terrifying would the purple, red, or even gold opportunities be?
Xiao Minghuang suppressed the distracting thoughts in her mind and refocused her attention on the stone tablet in front of her.
She took a deep breath and placed her palm on the stone tablet.
The instant her palm touched the stone tablet.
The sword patterns on the stone tablet instantly became clear, and countless runes emerged from the stone tablet, turning into beams of light that converged into a single beam, finally forming a sword shadow that streaked through the air and landed on Xiao Minghuang.
A mysterious aura flowed across the lake, creating patches of Rosy Clouds.
In an instant.
Xiao Minghuang felt dizzy and her vision went black.
When she came to her senses, it was as if she had entered another world.
Before her eyes were countless phantoms of swords, thousands upon thousands, innumerable.
Each sword seemed capable of cleaving mountains and cutting off rivers and seas.
But these incredibly powerful sword shadows showed no hostility towards Xiao Minghuang; instead, they flew towards her as if swallows were returning to their nests.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless sword shadows flew in and entered her body.
Xiao Minghuang had already gained the stone tablet's approval; these sword shadows posed no threat to her, but rather felt extremely intimate with her. As each sword shadow merged into her body, boundless insights into the Dao of Sword flooded her mind.
In her mind, it was as if hundreds of figures appeared, practicing sword moves incessantly in her sea of consciousness.
These sword techniques are not obscure at all; they are as natural as eating, requiring no deep understanding to master.
Soon, insights into swordsmanship filled her mind, and Xiao Minghuang became completely immersed in them.
Over time.
Xiao Minghuang's understanding of swordsmanship also continued to improve.
From having a basic understanding of swordsmanship to grasping the Sword Intent Embryo.
It took her three days.
However, it only took him half a day to go from the Sword Intent Embryo to the basics.
The subsequent stages of mastering swordsmanship (minor, Major Accomplishment, and final) were all completed in just one day.
As Xiao Minghuang's understanding of swordsmanship deepened, he discovered that swordsmanship is different from martial arts.
The deeper one goes in comprehending martial arts techniques, the more difficult it becomes.
After achieving a minor level of mastery in martial arts, reaching the Major Accomplishment level is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
However, once you've mastered the basics of swordsmanship, there are almost no bottlenecks, and improving your skill level becomes a natural progression.
Between the two, the former becomes more difficult the deeper it goes, because martial arts techniques are often complex. As one's cultivation deepens, the knowledge required increases exponentially, and the difficulty of comprehension also rises dramatically.
The more refined and specialized one becomes in swordsmanship, the easier it becomes. Once one has mastered the basics, the most difficult hurdle has been overcome, and all that remains is to follow the path. The knowledge required is limited to swordsmanship itself, so she can simply stride forward without encountering any bottlenecks.
Final.
A clear, resounding sword cry suddenly emanated from within Xiao Minghuang's body.
At this moment, Xiao Minghuang was like a peerless sword that had been honed for decades, its dust cleared and its light shining forth, ready to be drawn and reveal its unparalleled sharpness!
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
She exuded an extremely sharp aura, and a powerful sword energy burst forth.
Immediately.
The sword light was like a disc, resembling a full moon, rippling across the lake.