One Sword to Cut Down the Sun, Moon, and Stars!

[Your swordsmanship isn't bad, but you still have a long way to go!]

[After I ascended to the Divine Realm in my previous life, I happened upon a divine sword. From then on, I devoted myself to studying the way of the sword.]

[Though I began late, my talent was peerless. Nothing could withstand my sword. With one strike, I could cut down the sun, moon, and stars!]

[Even the Sword God admitted he was no match for me!]

[Three million Sword Immortals filled the heavens, and all had to bow their heads before me!]

Ning Wen: "..."

That Voice Pack never missed a chance to show off.

Listen to it long enough, and he could almost believe he really was that incredible.

Fortunately, Ning Wen knew his own limits. No matter how much the Voice Pack boasted, he kept his feet on the ground.

In his previous life, getting carried away had taken him from millionaire to a million in debt in just a few years.

Just then, a reward notification sounded in Ning Wen's mind for the first time in a while.

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received a Critical Hit Reward: Basic Swordsmanship Mastery.]

Bzz!

Vast, exquisite insights into swordsmanship surged into Ning Wen's mind like a tidal wave.

Swings, chops, thrusts, parries, deflections... Countless refined fundamentals of swordsmanship were seared into the depths of his mind.

It felt as though someone else had spent centuries training with the sword day and night, honing their craft through countless battles, only for all that hard-won skill to become his in an instant!

A strange look crossed Ning Wen's face.

The timing of this Critical Hit Reward was almost too perfect!

He had barely finished listening to the Voice Pack boast about its supreme swordsmanship when Basic Swordsmanship Mastery arrived!

Ning Wen would never believe there was no connection.

"Little Wen, come here!"

Chen Xin called softly. His face remained calm and impassive, though his heart stirred.

As the Titled Douluo widely acknowledged to have the strongest attack power on the continent, he had spent his life pursuing the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

His mastery of the sword was so complete that almost no one could surpass him, earning him the customary title of "Chen Xin of the Sword."

But the level of swordsmanship described in Ning Wen's thoughts surpassed anything he had imagined.

One sword strike to cut down the sun, moon, and stars!

The mere thought shook him to his core.

Three million Sword Immortals in the heavens, all bowing their heads!

He did not know what a Sword Immortal was, but he imagined they were experts who had traveled far along the path of the sword—perhaps even deities.

At his call, Ning Wen strode forward without hesitation, drew his dagger, and drove it straight into the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's throat.

Slash!

Precise, clean, decisive.

Chen Xin raised an eyebrow at the sight, a thoughtful look flickering in his eyes.

Ning Wen's movements had changed.

When Ning Wen killed the Bloodflame Tiger, his movements had still been somewhat stiff and hesitant.

Now his attack flowed effortlessly. Every motion showed the ease and precision of countless hours of practice.

Pfft—

The blade pierced a vital spot.

The Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's massive body shuddered. The light rapidly faded from its scarlet eyes as its formidable life force ebbed away.

A purple Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse, its dense, radiant glow drawing the eye.

[Finally done. That wasted far too much of my time.]

[Obtaining Soul Rings this way is too much trouble. I'll have to find a way to talk Asura into giving me a few God-given Spirit Rings.]

Ning Wen: "..."

He had to admit the Voice Pack had a point.

Compared with hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings,

God-given Spirit Rings were clearly the better choice.

After all, each Soul Skill from a God-given Spirit Ring was tailored to the Soul Master's own Martial Soul.

That made it more suitable than any Soul Beast's ring could be.

Its age could also reach the very limit of what he could withstand without exceeding it.

But God-given Spirit Rings were hardly easy to obtain.

Only divine trials offered a chance to acquire them.

True, the Asura God had taken an interest in Ning Wen. The problem was that he had not even seen a sign of the Asura God's Nine Trials yet.

Besides, the difficulty of the Asura God's Nine Trials was clearly beyond him for now.

And by the rules of the Divine Realm, deities were forbidden from interfering with the lower world.

If the Asura God bestowed a God-given Spirit Ring without a divine trial, that would surely count as interference.

Then Ning Wen remembered the Asura God's double standards and shook his head to himself.

Maybe it would not be such a big deal.

After all, compared with resurrecting Tang San and reshaping the entire continent, handing out a few God-given Spirit Rings would be child's play.

Assuming the Asura God was willing, of course.

And Ning Wen had no way to contact him at present.

Ning Wen suspected he would have to visit Slaughter City before he could truly begin the Asura God's Nine Trials.

That was still a long way off.

"Little Wen, this Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's Soul Ring may be just under two thousand years old, but absorbing it could be every bit as difficult as absorbing a three-thousand-year Soul Ring."

Ning Fengzhi walked over slowly. Looking at the purple Soul Ring floating in midair, he warned Ning Wen gravely, "If anything feels wrong, call for our help at once."

[Quit nagging. When have I ever needed someone else to bear the consequences of my actions?]

[Hmph. Don't think I'll owe you anything for meddling.]

At those thoughts, a vein throbbed on Ning Fengzhi's forehead.

Meddling?!!

He had meant well, yet somehow that had become meddling.

Even the mild-mannered Ning Fengzhi could not help feeling aggrieved.

"I understand, Uncle Ning."

Ning Wen took a deep breath, held back his excitement, and walked up to the Soul Ring before sitting cross-legged.

The moment the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's energy entered his body, it went berserk, as though intent on tearing him apart.

A faint, profound, supremely powerful crimson light quietly bloomed and instantly pinned the bear's energy down.

This was the Asura God's power. Even the tiniest trace of it was far beyond what a mere Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear could challenge.

The pressure on Ning Wen vanished at once, leaving his whole body feeling light.

The rest of the absorption went much as before, with little pain.

Time passed, minute by minute.

The surroundings were quiet. Only the breeze rustled through the trees, broken now and then by the distant roar of a Soul Beast.

This time, absorption took longer than before.

Only after two full incense sticks had burned did Ning Wen slowly open his eyes.

A purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.

The aura around him surged, breaking through one barrier after another!

Level twenty-three, level twenty-four, level twenty-five!

Finally, it settled firmly at level twenty-six.

His Soul Power had risen four levels in one go!

That alone showed how formidable the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear was.

"Level twenty-six?!"

Sensing the fluctuation in his Soul Power, all three were stunned.

After absorbing two Soul Rings, Ning Wen had jumped straight from level twenty to level twenty-six—a gain of six whole levels.

Before long, a Titled Douluo even younger than Tang Hao might emerge, and he would belong to their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.