A silver-white thread, like a line dividing the world, drifted toward Qian Daoliu. It carried no earth-shaking force, yet erased everything in its path.
Anything that touched the sword light vanished outright, as though it had never existed.
The sword light slowly faded, stopping just before Qian Daoliu and turning back into a crisscrossing array of swords.
Qian Daoliu stared at the sight of ten thousand swords poised to strike and swallowed.
He could tell Chen Ling had held back at the last moment. Otherwise, caught off guard, he might not have been able to withstand it.
Qian Daoliu's feelings were a mess. He had truly drawn the short straw on this trip. His reputation as invincible in the skies was finished. So much for preserving his dignity in old age.
"Was that... a breakthrough just now?"
He had felt the sudden shift in Chen Ling's aura. That was why he asked.
"Yes. I gained a little insight."
Chen Ling calmly sheathed his sword. As though receiving an order, the countless Qingming Swords became a silver torrent and flew toward him.
Though there were too many swords to count, a modest-sized sword case held every last one.
The Divine Artifact's effect was simply to add damage, but its display was so overwhelming that it had almost eclipsed the Qingming Sword itself.
Once the swords had withdrawn, the case hovered beside Chen Ling like a loyal guard.
He really had gained an insight from this fight. His Sword Intent was no reward triggered by the system; he had grasped it himself.
He had finally experienced that legendary power born of sheer will.
He had now fully mastered the fourth level of Sword Intent, though its ability had nothing whatsoever to do with his sword Martial Soul.
He really had become a