Heaven Sword Peak.
At the Mountain Gate.
Before the giant stele, Jiang Li stood quietly in place, his focused gaze fixed on the sword scar upon the stone tablet without moving an inch.
As though he had been petrified.
And he stood there for an entire day.
Jiang Li was dumbfounded.
He had never imagined that the Dragon Slaying Sword technique would pull something like this.
On his very first day after joining Heaven Sword Peak, it had turned him into a celebrity.
More and more Heaven Sword Peak disciples learned that a newly joined disciple stood before the giant stele at the Mountain Gate, comprehending its sword scar.
His talent in the Sword Dao was astonishing.
As soon as the news spread, a crowd of disciples gathering to watch formed at the Mountain Gate.
"Is that him? His name seems to be Jiang Li. Back at the Sermon Hall, he exposed three Yin Puppet Sect spies in one stroke. Elder Zhang took a liking to him and accepted him as a personal disciple."
A disciple pointed out Jiang Li's background.
His eyes brimmed with envy.
A previously obscure Outer Sect Disciple in the Holy Land had become a personal disciple just because he happened to suit an elder's tastes. He had even joined Heaven Sword Peak without any tests. Calling it a single step to the heavens would not be an exaggeration.
"Speaking of which, does that giant stele really have some kind of sword scar? Isn't it just a defective item? We pass by it every day, yet none of us has comprehended anything from it."
Another disciple voiced his doubts.
He suspected Jiang Li was putting on airs and directing this whole performance himself.
After all.
That stone stele truly was ordinary.
There was not the slightest hint of anything mystical about it.
After being erected at the Mountain Gate, no one had ever paid it any attention. Even Heaven Sword Peak disciples merely regarded it as a decoration.
If Jiang Li had truly comprehended something from it, would that not mean his talent in the Sword Dao had left them far behind?
They refused to accept it.
Some even imitated Jiang Li, staring fixedly at the cracks on the giant stele in an attempt to discover something.
However...
They could not comprehend anything at all.
No matter how they looked, all they could see was a crack.
Nothing else was mixed into it.
In the end, they reached a conclusion: Jiang Li was playing tricks and pretending to be mysterious.
"Ignorant."
At that moment.
A man in blue robes carrying a sword case spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"It's Gu Qingshan. He's the eighth-ranked genius among our Heaven Sword Peak Outer Sect Disciples. I heard he is already on the verge of comprehending Sword Qi Manifestation."
Someone whispered.
Gu Qingshan did not care.
The foxtail grass clenched between his lips swayed as he spoke. "The sword scar on that stele was casually cut by the peak master. It was placed at the Mountain Gate to select true Sword Dao geniuses."
At those words, the crowd began to stir.
They understood Gu Qingshan's underlying meaning.
The stone stele truly was special; they simply lacked the talent to comprehend it.
In other words.
Jiang Li truly was comprehending the sword scar.
They simply could not glimpse the scenery seen by a genuine genius.
For a time.
Every disciple's attention shifted to Jiang Li, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and longing.
Elsewhere.
Jiang Li felt like crying without tears.
Stop talking, stop talking. If this goes on, I really won't be able to keep a low profile.
He recognized the blue-robed man.
He was precisely the Law Enforcement Hall member Jiang Li had encountered while wiping out the spies in Frostfeather City.
The other man had stepped forward to clear his name, and Jiang Li appreciated the goodwill.
But...
He did not need it.
Right now, he only wanted to slip away as quickly as possible, not continue expanding his fame.
The greater his fame, the easier it was for him to stand beneath the spotlight.
For a spy, that was an extremely dangerous signal.
As if it had heard Jiang Li's inner thoughts, the cold mechanical electronic voice finally rang out.
Ding. The Dragon Slaying Sword technique has thoroughly comprehended the sword scar upon the stele, broadening its narrow path of the Sword Dao and gaining greatly. New trait acquired: Fire Intent. Fire Intent: You can skillfully attach fire-attributed power to your sword, creating a sword of blazing flames. Option Mission completed. Completion reward: Technique Mastery (Sword Aura Manifestation).
As the system notification fell silent.
Jiang Li regained control of his body.
He could clearly sense that a peculiar new power had inexplicably appeared within him.
Warm.
It sank into his dantian.
Jiang Li knew that this was the new trait, Fire Intent, mastered by the Dragon Slaying Sword technique.
Besides that.
The Dragon Slaying Sword, having completed its enlightenment, had also smoothly entered the mastery stage.
He could now wield a Foundation Establishment Realm spell at the mastery stage.
This was a stage that even the vast majority of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could not comprehend.
Yet he, a mere Qi Refining Fifth Level cultivator, had accomplished it.
It had to be said.
Although the system had disrupted his plan to follow the Dao of Survival at the most inappropriate time, from a certain perspective, it was truly awesome.
If he had been a genuine Holy Land disciple, then with the system's assistance, he could absolutely have become the most dazzling genius.
Unfortunately...
He was a spy.
He had no feelings, and no desire for fame.
At that thought.
Jiang Li's eyes rolled.
After slightly nodding to greet Gu Qingshan, he took out his Spirit Boat and flew straight toward the seventh level of Heaven Sword Peak.
Before long.
Jiang Li's Spirit Boat arrived at the Sword Palace on the seventh level.
At this level, the residences had already risen above the clouds. The buildings were no longer limited to cave residences, but were instead luxurious palaces.
Looking out from the window, all of Heaven Sword Peak lay within one's sight.
Following the address, Jiang Li arrived at the hall where his teacher resided.
"Teacher."
Jiang Li called out.
Zhang Song walked out from inside.
His gaze was bright as a torch.
He nodded repeatedly.
"Not bad. Judging by your appearance, you must have gained greatly. Remember this insight and make it your own. That way, you will be able to thoroughly grasp the first realm of a Sword Cultivator."
Jiang Li's expression shifted slightly.
He recalled that the system reward for technique mastery had Sword Aura Manifestation written after it.
If he had not guessed wrong, that should also be the name of a Sword Dao realm.
He just did not know how many realms there were in total.
"Teacher, exactly how many realms does a Sword Cultivator have?"
Jiang Li asked.
Zhang Song explained with a smile, "Five."
"Sword Qi Manifestation, Sword Aura Manifestation, Sword Form Like Rainbow, Sword Rainbow Dividing Light, and Sword Light Congealing Evil."
"Generally speaking, to achieve Sword Qi Manifestation, one must at least possess Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, using True Essence to condense sword aura. A small number of exceptionally gifted Qi Refining Realm cultivators can also rely on their talent to cultivate sword aura."
"Once this realm is mastered, a Sword Cultivator can be considered to have officially entered the path, possessing formidable combat strength beyond cultivators of the same realm."
Jiang Li was secretly startled.
Sword Aura Manifestation truly was the realm following Sword Qi Manifestation.
How long had it been since he learned the Foundation Establishment Realm spell, Dragon Slaying Sword?
At most, it had not even been fifteen days.
Yet under the system's comprehension that defied the heavens, his Sword Dao realm had directly reached the second stage.
Jiang Li did not even dare imagine what level his strength could reach with Sword Aura Manifestation.
He only knew that he was incredibly awesome.
After leaving his teacher's hall, Jiang Li received the identity token marking him as a Heaven Sword Peak disciple.
Following the token's guidance, he flew all the way back to the third level.
He found Cave Residence number 330.
Inside was a small Spirit Gathering Array, which could better draw in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.
The density of spiritual energy was at least three times greater than in his previous initial Cave Residence.
It could satisfy the daily breathing exercises of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
Jiang Li relaxed.
Although his start had been unfavorable and the system had still caused quite a stir, it remained within a controllable range. His fame was limited to Heaven Sword Peak, with few channels through which it could spread.
As long as he kept a low profile from here on, this small amount of impact would soon fade away.
After a few months, he would become an inconspicuous nobody again.
Jiang Li thought to himself.
He prepared to properly sort through his gains this time.
The first thing he tried was the mastered Dragon Slaying Sword.
Mana surged around Jiang Li, and a pale golden tangible sword aura condensed in his palm.
Immediately after.
The sword aura began to change.
It was no longer constrained by form.
In the end, it transformed into a half-illusory, half-solid dragon-shaped phantom.
"Sword aura transforming into dragon form—this is the characteristic of the mastered Dragon Slaying Sword."
Jiang Li recalled the original Dragon Slaying Sword's explanation of the mastery stage.
When the Dragon Slaying Sword reached mastery, its sword radiance transformed into tangible sword aura, its speed surged dramatically, and its slashes left distinct scorched sword scars.
Clearly.
In the original Dragon Slaying Sword technique manual, a cultivator needed to reach the mastery stage before comprehending the realm of Sword Qi Transformation.
But in the version comprehended by the system, Sword Qi Transformation could be grasped at the minor mastery stage, while the mastery stage brought comprehension of Sword Aura Manifestation.
Comparing the two.
The system version was still superior.
Loved it, loved it.
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