Holy Sword: Heaven's Mandate

A clear sword chime rang out, and brilliant light element burst from the blade. In that instant, Jiang Feng suddenly felt as though the sword had come alive.

The moment he raised it, the sword spirit slumbering within the greatsword awakened. Jiang Feng could even feel a connection forming between them.

The rust fell away completely, revealing the original platinum-colored blade. Intricate patterns covered its surface, giving it an imposing presence.

At the same time, he learned the sword's name.

Sword name: Holy Sword: Heaven's Mandate.

"Whoa, this thing is heavy! Wouldn't a single swing crush someone to death?" Jiang Feng exclaimed in surprise.

With over three thousand external spiritual power, he could easily lift even Wang Ming's thousand-jin Ming King Shield.

Yet this sword was clearly heavier than the Ming King Shield, weighing at least five thousand jin.

Jiang Feng looked at Yang Haoyu and said delightedly, "Master, I think it's acknowledged me."

"Try putting it away," Yang Haoyu said, pleased.

"Okay." With a slight shift of Jiang Feng's will, the five-thousand-jin greatsword vanished from his hands.

Jiang Feng raised his right hand and rolled up his sleeve. A greatsword-shaped marking had appeared on his wrist.

Intrigued, he willed it to move, and the greatsword instantly reappeared in his hand. Caught unprepared, however, he failed to hold it steady. The sword dropped to the ground and plunged deep into the earth.

"Uh, my mistake, my mistake." A little embarrassed, Jiang Feng pulled the sword out again with both hands.

It still felt terribly heavy.

He therefore withdrew the greatsword into his body.

"Congratulations, Feng. You've earned its acknowledgment." Yang Haoyu smiled.

"Thank you, Master." Jiang Feng was deeply grateful.

"No need to thank me. You earned its acknowledgment through your own strength," Yang Haoyu said. "Tell me, exactly how much external spiritual power do you have now?"

"Three thousand one hundred." Jiang Feng held nothing back and answered honestly.

After all, he had spent the year and a half since obtaining the undying body training under Yang Haoyu. His external spiritual power was no secret to his master.

"How did you manage that?" Even Yang Haoyu could not help feeling a little envious. With over three thousand one hundred external spiritual power at the fifth order, who at the same order could possibly rival him?

"Uh, it just increased a little every day. I never even felt a bottleneck in my external spiritual power," Jiang Feng said.

"A little every day! Ah, forget it. Everyone has their secrets."

Of course, Yang Haoyu did not believe that explanation, but he had no intention of forcing Jiang Feng to tell him.

The bond between master and disciple was like that of father and son. Over the years, Yang Haoyu had devoted himself entirely to cultivation and had never married or had children. He therefore regarded Jiang Feng as his own son.

"You have a weapon now. All you're missing is a Spirit Furnace, so don't let anything go wrong in the Demon Hunt Squad finals. I paid out of my own pocket to prepare the champion's Spirit Furnace especially for you. If you don't win, you'll drive me to an early grave." Yang Haoyu glanced at Jiang Feng.

"Don't worry, Master. The championship is as good as mine." Jiang Feng was brimming with confidence.

"You're very talented, but you must never become arrogant. Remember, there's always someone better out there. Someone can always surpass you in talent. Only by keeping your feet on the ground can you truly grow," Yang Haoyu warned him earnestly.

"I know, but there are no geniuses in front of me. They're all out of my league," Jiang Feng said with a smile.

Thinking Jiang Feng had brushed off his warning, Yang Haoyu said coldly, "Hmph. Do you still remember Long Haochen and Sheng Cai'er of the Assassin Temple?"

"I do. Sheng Cai'er is quite strong, a serious contender for second place. Long Haochen's cultivation is a little lower, but he could still compete for second." Jiang Feng no longer regarded anyone as his rival. The gap in strength was simply too vast.

In his eyes, every opponent he was about to face was nothing more than system coins.

"Then do you know their ages and innate spiritual power?" Yang Haoyu asked again.

"What difference would it make whether I knew or not? Master, have faith in your disciple. Even if their innate spiritual power is over ninety, or even at the maximum, the champion of this Demon Hunt Squad tournament will still be me," Jiang Feng reassured him.

"And what about the future? Long Haochen and Sheng Cai'er are both under fifteen, while you're almost sixteen," Yang Haoyu said.

During the incident when Saint Moon had injured Jiang Feng, Yang Haoyu had learned Sheng Cai'er's innate spiritual power from Yang Haohan. It was actually at the legendary maximum.

Then, just yesterday, he had learned that Long Haochen's innate spiritual power reached ninety-seven. He was the Child of Light, a figure without equal in the Knight Temple.

Even Yang Haoyu, whose disciple Jiang Feng possessed eighty innate spiritual power, had been deeply shocked.

Once innate spiritual power surpassed eighty, every additional point created a noticeable difference. And one of them was at the maximum, while the other had ninety-seven points.

In terms of cultivation talent, Jiang Feng fell far short of those two. There would also be a clear difference in how quickly they grew in the future.

Of course, Yang Haoyu was not jealous that Long Haochen and Sheng Cai'er had higher innate spiritual power than his disciple. On the contrary, he was excited.

The simultaneous appearance of the Child of Light and the Reincarnation Saintess might well mean that light would soon pierce the darkness that had shrouded humanity for six thousand years.

But who would not want his own disciple to be the finest of them all?

"Master, don't worry. I've fought Sheng Cai'er. She's very strong, and she even had trump cards she didn't use, but I don't think she can beat me as she is now. The same goes for Long Haochen.

"So what if I'm a year older than them? The Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament will be the closest they ever get to me. In the future, I'll leave them so far behind they won't even be able to see my back."

Jiang Feng smiled faintly. His calm voice held unparalleled confidence.

Even faced with two children of destiny, he did not feel he would be the weaker one.

On the contrary, the thought of consistently defeating those two prodigies and leaving them behind excited him and gave him a profound sense of achievement.

Of course, Jiang Feng felt no hostility toward either of them.

As members of the Temple Alliance's younger generation and future mainstays of the war against the Demon Race, Jiang Feng, Long Haochen, and Sheng Cai'er shared only a healthy rivalry. Defeating the Demon Race was their ultimate goal.

Looking at the tall, straight-backed, strikingly handsome Jiang Feng, Yang Haoyu could not help freezing for a moment.

He had intended to use Long Haochen and Sheng Cai'er to temper his disciple's pride. Instead, his warning had only stirred Jiang Feng's confidence and pride even further.

Still, a competitive spirit was a good thing too.

To Yang Haoyu, innate spiritual power did not determine everything. His own innate spiritual power was not particularly high, either. Yet after obtaining his mount, the Starry Sky Divine Beast, he had advanced all the way to the fifth level of the ninth order, his strength unrivaled throughout the Temple Alliance.

Collecting himself, Yang Haoyu said calmly, "It's good that you have that confidence. You've already collected your preliminary round reward. Now, as your master, I have a gift for you as well."