The Five Elements Sect.
Beneath a towering mountain, before a massive waterfall somewhere in the Wind Lineage's outer disciple grounds.
A young woman dressed in blue-green robes, holding a longsword, stood motionless before a waterfall hundreds of yards wide that seemed to pour down like the Milky Way, her almond-shaped eyes gently closed.
Her raven hair cascaded to her waist like a waterfall. Her features were exquisite yet cold as frost, and her lightly pursed lips radiated a chill that kept others a thousand miles away.
Her blue-green robes outlined her slender, upright figure. The longsword cradled in her arms had an ancient, unadorned scabbard, yet it could not conceal the faint, razor-sharp aura seeping from within.
Suddenly, the blue-robed woman snapped her eyes open, drew her sword with a swish, and slashed at the waterfall before her.
Whoosh!
With a resonant hum, invisible sword qi surged outward, swelling in the wind and transforming into a massive blade of energy dozens of yards long in the blink of an eye.
The energy blade was blue-green throughout, almost solid, and carried the momentum to cleave heaven and split earth as it struck the waterfall hundreds of yards wide.
With a muffled boom, the ceaselessly surging curtain of water was cut clean across the middle, its upper and lower halves separated by an empty gap.
Only after several breaths did the waterfall thunderously reconnect and continue pouring down.
Watching the waterfall resume its descent after several breaths of stillness, the blue-robed woman's eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction, and she murmured:
"I've finally grasped a trace of Roc Sword Intent. Barring any surprises, I should truly reach core condensation in another month or two..."
"Unfortunately, I've only held third place on the Earth Ranking for five months. I'm still far short of