The space on the fifth floor of the Sword Tower was even more cramped than the first four: a circular stone chamber less than ten zhang in diameter. The stone walls were carved with densely packed ancient seal-script sword patterns, from which pale violet Wood Element Sword Intent slowly seeped out, flooding the entire chamber like a tide. The moment Ling Yun stepped inside, he felt an invisible weight press down on his shoulders, making his footsteps sink slightly—this weight did not come from anything physical, but acted directly upon his sword intent and meridians, as though countless fine needles were squeezing the Sword Qi within him.
"The core of Sword Intent Overload is to temper the purity of a cultivator's sword intent under extreme pressure." Sword Elder's voice was grave. "This Wood Element Sword Intent may look gentle, but it can seep into your meridians. If you do not guide it proactively, it will gradually stagnate your Sword Qi until you cannot even hold a sword. Ordinary cultivators would resist it with their own sword intent, but you can use the Chaos Sword Body to absorb it and turn this pressure into an opportunity for a breakthrough."
Ling Yun nodded and sat cross-legged in the center of the stone chamber. The instant he sat down, pale violet sword intent poured into his body through his pores. His meridians immediately felt sore and swollen, and the green, brown, and golden Sword Qi that had once flowed smoothly began to show signs of stagnation. At once, he circulated the Momentum Absorption technique of the Qiankun Sword Canon. Chaos Sword Qi spun at high speed within his dantian, creating a suction force that actively drew in the invading Wood Element Sword Intent.
Buzz—
The moment the pale violet sword intent touched the Chaos Sword Qi, it melted like ice and snow beneath the warm sun, merging into the three-colored Sword Qi. His stagnant meridians instantly cleared, and the crushing weight on his shoulders lessened somewhat. Yet at that moment, the sword patterns on the stone walls suddenly lit up. The Wood Element Sword Intent seeping from them abruptly tripled, violet radiance enveloping the entire chamber. The Sword Qi barrier around Ling Yun's body was instantly pressed inward, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't rush to absorb it! First use Clear Sword Heart to steady your mind!" Sword Elder urgently warned. "The pressure will intensify in three waves. This is only the first wave. If your mind falls into disorder, the later waves will be even harder to withstand!"
Ling Yun took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pushing Clear Sword Heart to its limit. The violet sword intent before him was no longer chaotic pressure, but transformed into countless tiny threads. Every thread carried the Wood Element's trait of endless vitality—they were not seeking to destroy Ling Yun's Sword Qi, but to intertwine with his sword intent. What they tested was the precision of his control over sword intent.
So that was it. Ling Yun understood. He no longer forcibly absorbed everything with Chaos Sword Qi. Instead, he slowed its rotation and allowed the three-colored Sword Qi to entwine thread by thread with the Wood Element Sword Intent, slowly merging together. Like weaving threads into cloth, the pale violet sword intent interlaced with the green, brown, and golden hues, forming a four-colored ring of Sword Qi within him. Gentle light flowed along its surface, and his formerly sore, swollen meridians actually grew broader under the nourishment of the Wood Element Sword Intent.
Time passed bit by bit, and the second wave of pressure arrived as expected. This time, the Wood Element Sword Intent no longer took the form of threads. Instead, it transformed into violet needles that stabbed directly toward Ling Yun's dantian. He did not panic. The four-colored Sword Qi ring spun rapidly, forming a vortex that swept the needles in one by one. Each time it took in a needle, the ring's colors deepened—the life force of the Wood Element was actually repairing the minute damage left in his meridians from previous battles, making the foundation of his sword intent increasingly stable.
"Almost there! Absorb one more wave, and you'll be able to break through to the Swordsman Realm!" Sword Elder's voice was filled with excitement. "The four-colored sword intent within you is already sufficiently refined. Together with the Sword Intent Refining Pill from before, all you lack now is an opportunity!"
Ling Yun could clearly feel that the four-colored Sword Qi ring in his dantian had expanded to its limit, as though it might explode at any moment. Then, the third wave of pressure came crashing down—the sword patterns on the stone walls all lit up, and the pale violet sword intent transformed into the phantom of a massive vine. Carrying an ancient, desolate aura, it charged fiercely toward his dantian.
"Now!" Ling Yun's eyes flew open. Forming seals with both hands, he caused the four-colored Sword Qi ring in his body to instantly collapse, transforming into a pillar of interwoven four-colored Sword Qi that shot straight out from his dantian and collided with the vine phantom. This time, he neither defended nor absorbed. Instead, he allowed the two forces to collide and merge within his body—the advantage of the Chaos Sword Body erupted completely. The four-colored Sword Qi and Wood Element Sword Intent no longer merely intertwined; they truly "assimilated." The vine phantom's life force was fully integrated into his Sword Qi, and the pillar's color shifted from four hues to five, blazing with dazzling brilliance.
Boom!
The pillar of light burst through the ceiling of the stone chamber. The sword patterns on the walls instantly dimmed, and the crushing pressure of the Wood Element Sword Intent completely dissipated. A crisp crack sounded within Ling Yun's body—the sound of the realm barrier between the Sword Apprentice Realm and the Swordsman Realm shattering. He had finally broken through and formally entered the Swordsman Realm!
At this moment, the Sword Qi within his body had condensed into a five-colored sword intent pearl, floating at the center of his dantian. Golden, wood, water, fire, and earth light flowed across its surface (the previous earth element and the newly added wood element, together with the wind element, were adjusted here into the five basic attributes, which better fit the setting). Though faint, it was already the initial form of a perfect Five Elements balance, a state ordinary sword cultivators could never attain.
"The Swordsman Realm! You actually broke through directly on the fifth floor!" Sword Elder's voice was full of astonishment. "The Chaos Sword Body combined with the Qiankun Sword Canon truly can create miracles!"
A cold mechanical voice rang through the stone chamber. "Sword Intent Overload trial passed! Reward: one Wood Element Sword Intent Crystal and one Fragment of the Five Elements Sword Manual!"
A deep violet diamond-shaped crystal and a yellowed fragment of paper fell from the air. Ling Yun reached out and caught them. The crystal felt warm and smooth in his hand, then instantly merged into his dantian, making the five-colored sword intent pearl more solid. The fragment was inscribed with ancient seal script: "Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal." Beside it was a simplified diagram of the circulation of Five Elements Sword Qi. It was precisely the foundational chapter of the Five Elements Sword Manual, and would be of immense help in his future fusion of Five Elements Sword Intent.
He raised his head toward the corner of the stone chamber. Sure enough, there was a sword mark left behind by Murong Shuang on the wall there—this mark was deeper than those on the previous floors, and faint Wind Element and Wood Element Sword Intent lingered around it. Clearly, Murong Shuang had also absorbed Wood Element Sword Intent here and had even attempted to fuse two attributes. Beside the sword mark was a line of small characters: "Heavy pressure is not an enemy, but a whetstone for the sword; sword intent is not solitary, but the path of symbiosis."
"The path of symbiosis..." Ling Yun murmured softly, tightening his grip on the Sky-Rending Sword. At this moment, the coarse cloth around the scabbard had completely fallen away, revealing its dark cyan body. The ancient patterns on the sword were clearly visible, flowing with a faint five-colored glow—the Sky-Rending Sword seemed to have awakened a new power because of his breakthrough into the Swordsman Realm. A tiny groove had even appeared near the hilt, just large enough to hold the three Sword Intent Crystals of metal, earth, and wood that he had obtained earlier.
"The test on the sixth floor should be Sword Intent Clone." Sword Elder's voice rang out once more. "That floor will produce clones that imitate your sword moves. It will test your understanding of your own techniques and your ability to break the situation. You have just broken through, so you can use those clones to familiarize yourself with the newly condensed five-colored sword intent."
Ling Yun rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. The five-colored sword intent within him flowed smoothly, and every gesture carried a faint trace of Sword Qi. Compared with the Sword Apprentice Realm, his strength was now as far apart as heaven and earth. He looked toward the staircase leading to the sixth floor. The sword intent lingering there was even more complex, and he could vaguely sense the aura of clones, yet he felt no fear whatsoever—the Sword Tower Trial was not merely a test of strength, but a tempering of the Will of the Sword Dao. With every floor he passed, he drew one step closer to his goal of revenge, and one step closer to the vast Spirit Realm and Immortal Realm.
"Sixth floor, here I come." Ling Yun gripped the Sky-Rending Sword tightly. The ancient patterns on its blade lit up, and five-colored Sword Qi gathered at its tip, forming a faint blade of light. He stepped onto the staircase, his figure vanishing into the violet sword intent. All that remained in the stone chamber was the aura of a newly advanced swordsman, shining in mutual radiance with Murong Shuang's sword mark, bearing witness to the path of growth of two genius sword cultivators.
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