Was this the towering figure at the pinnacle of the Great Thousand World who stood as an equal to the Great Desolation Divine Lord and the Martial Ancestor of the Martial Realm, who had sliced open a galaxy spanning hundreds of millions of miles with one finger?
Yet the Green-Robed Sword Saint paid no attention to the disciple kneeling on the ground.
His calm gaze rested on Chen Xin nearby, who had already fallen into an illusion and was covered in blood.
Then he slowly extended a finger and lightly touched Chen Xin between the brows.
"Ding."
A clear sound like a mountain spring dripping onto a jade platter rippled leisurely through the canyon.
The sound seemed to carry some supreme power that could cleanse the divine soul, making the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in Chen Xin's mind instantly recede like an ebbing tide.
Then Chen Xin abruptly woke, gasping for breath.
Still shaken, he released his grip on the sword and collapsed to the ground as though all his strength had drained away.
The Green-Robed Sword Saint withdrew his finger and lowered his gaze to the rusty iron sword, which was still trembling slightly.
He fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"You from the lower realm certainly have some nerve."
The Sword Saint's voice was gentle, without the slightest hint of lofty superiority.
With that, he bent down and casually grasped the rust-covered hilt with the hand he had just used to awaken Chen Xin.
In that instant, the vicious sword that had just been overflowing with fiendish energy and acting utterly imperious...
The moment it touched the man's palm, it became as docile as a kitten being stroked, all its red light withdrawing within.
"This sword has lain in the Sword Tomb for a full three thousand years."
Looking at Chen Xin slumped on the ground, the Green-Robed Sword Saint turned his head and said,
"When I placed it here back then, I established a rule."
"Whoever could draw it out..."
The Green-Robed Sword Saint's voice was soft, scattering lightly on the canyon breeze.
"Whoever could grasp its hilt and hold firm to their sanity without flinching under the backlash of its fiendish energy."
"This sword would belong to them."
As the man's words fell,
His slender finger lightly flicked the rusty blade.
"Crack."
A crisp cracking sound rang out in the quiet canyon.
Immediately afterward, the thick rust began peeling away in large patches like withered tree bark, falling onto the red earth.
The instant the last piece of rust fell away, a dark red glow flowed out from within the blade.
Without the rust concealing it, the sword finally revealed its true appearance.
Its blade was long and slender, its entire body a sinister dark red, with even a row of fine serrations along its cutting edge.
An aura of ferocity that made the scalp prickle instantly surged into the sky, its fiendish energy even scattering the clouds overhead.
Sitting slumped on the ground, Chen Xin stared at the vicious sword reborn before him and found even breathing becoming difficult.
That pressure was too powerful.
Had this Sword Saint not awakened him just now, he had no doubt that he would already have perished, his path extinguished.
Meanwhile, the Green-Robed Sword Saint casually played with the vicious sword in his hand as though it were an ordinary twig.
"A cultivator who ascended from a Lower Plane has a somewhat thin foundation."
"But that stubborn streak in your bones barely meets the threshold for my Sword Domain to accept you as a disciple."
With that, the Green-Robed Sword Saint turned his wrist.
The longsword radiating overwhelming ferocity instantly drew in its glow, once again becoming an ordinary-looking iron sword.
With a clang, he casually tossed the longsword beside Chen Xin's feet, its blade sinking into the soil.
"This sword is named Asura."
"Back then, while slaying demons on the frontier, I killed an Outer Realm Devil Emperor in passing."
"I thought that Devil Emperor's spine was reasonably sturdy, so I pulled it out and ground it down a little to make this sword."
At those words, the air within and beyond the Sky Screen instantly froze.
On the Douluo Continent, inside the majestic divine temple of the God Realm Committee.
Hearing this, the Asura God, seated in the place of honor, nearly slid off the God Throne.
Asura?
A sword casually ground from a Devil Emperor's spine?
He was one of the Divine Realm's five great God Kings of Law Enforcement, yet his title was actually the same as a weapon someone had casually forged!
And from that Sword Saint's tone, killing a Devil Emperor and tearing out his tendons and bones was as easy as slaughtering chickens and sheep.
This intangible crushing defeat in both name and accomplishments made the Asura God's aged face flush crimson, yet he did not dare utter so much as a word of rebuttal.
Meanwhile, within the Sky Screen, the Green-Robed Sword Saint paid no attention to Chen Xin's dazed expression.
He clasped his hands behind his back and looked toward the endless stretches of the Sword Tomb deep within the canyon.
"Your cultivation is too weak now. You are merely mortal flesh."
"Even if I seal the Asura Sword's fiendish energy, you cannot unleash even one ten-thousandth of its power."
"Practice your swordsmanship diligently in the Sword Domain Outer Sect and temper your spiritual energy."
"When the day comes that you shed this mortal frame, condense your spiritual energy source, and truly step into the Supreme Realm."
The Green-Robed Sword Saint turned, the breeze stirring the hem of his robes.
"I shall make an exception and grant you permission to enter the Inner Sect's Sword Pavilion."
"When that time comes, I shall personally teach you a Supreme Dharma Body."
"That Dharma Body ranks among the top thirty on the Dharma Body Ranking of ninety-nine grades."
A Supreme Dharma Body ranked among the top thirty!
Those casually spoken words were like a meteor falling from the heavens, slamming viciously into the hearts of everyone on the Douluo Continent.
On the training grounds of Shrek Academy.
Yu Xiaogang's legs gave way, and he fell straight to the ground, his face filled with envy.
A top-thirty Dharma Body!
The Punishment Elder at great perfection earthly sovereign had previously displayed only the seventy-second-ranked Dharma Body.
Yet its enormous figure, tens of thousands of feet tall, had already been enough to flatten the entire Heaven Dou Empire with one step.
What sort of heaven-destroying, earth-shattering existence would a top-thirty Dharma Body be?
Could it shatter stars with a punch? Trample the void apart with a step?
And this Sword Saint had actually promised such a supreme treasure to an outer sect disciple so casually?
Just because Chen Xin had drawn that sword?
"Why? Why is he so lucky..."
Even Tang San clenched his teeth tightly, his fists cracking as he squeezed them.
Watching the Sword Douluo in the image receive a personal promise from a towering figure at the pinnacle of the Great Thousand World, he was consumed with envy.
Why had such an immense opportunity not fallen to a genius like him, who had lived two lives?
If he were given a chance to enter the Great Thousand World, if he were allowed to face that Asura Sword.
He believed that with his Mysterious Heaven Skill and the temperament of two lifetimes, he would absolutely do better than Chen Xin!
Meanwhile, inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Main Hall, the atmosphere was feverish.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Ning Fengzhi exclaimed three times in excitement, flung the expensive cane in his hand to the floor, and burst into laughter.
"The cultivation method for a top-thirty Dharma Body!"
"As long as Uncle Jian can step into the Supreme Realm, this tremendous opportunity will belong to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
For a moment, Chen Xin seemed already able to see the near future, when Chen Xin returned to the Douluo Continent with that Supreme Dharma Body vast enough to blot out the sky and sun.
When that time came, what did Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire matter?
Before power of that level, they would all have to kneel at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's feet and bow in submission!
Gu Rong was so excited that tears streamed down his aged face, and he nodded repeatedly as he watched his old friend in the Sky Screen.
"That old bastard has been obsessed with swords his whole life. This time, he's truly stumbled into extraordinary luck."
"As long as he can survive in that Sword Domain, his future will be limitless."
The entire Douluo Continent was in an uproar over the Green-Robed Sword Saint's promise.
After finishing these instructions within the Sky Screen, the Green-Robed Sword Saint did not linger.
He did not even spare Chen Xin another glance; his figure merely flickered.
The next second, his entire body became a breeze and vanished into thin air, as though he had never appeared.
Only Chen Xin, seated on the ground, and the young woman dressed in fitted black clothes with a massive sword case on her back remained in the canyon.
Only now did Senior Brother Guide dare rise from the ground. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his gaze toward the woman still filled with deep reverence.
Chewing the emerald-green spirit herb in her mouth, Qingyuan strolled up to Chen Xin.
She crouched down, her wild eyes looking this old man from the lower realm up and down.
"Old man, you just snatched your life back."
Qingyuan extended a finger and poked the Asura Sword embedded in the soil.
"Though Master has sealed this scrap metal's fiendish energy."
"Do you think you can sleep without a care just because you have Master's promise?"
Chen Xin took a deep breath, suppressed the injuries within his body, and slowly stood.
Though injured, his straight spine remained unbent.
"Please enlighten me, senior sister," Chen Xin said, respectfully cupping his hands.
Qingyuan stood and dusted off her hands.
She turned toward the endless outer sect peaks beyond the canyon, the corners of her mouth curling as though she were anticipating a good show.
"Master just promised you a top-thirty Dharma Body in front of a guiding disciple."
"That news will probably spread throughout the entire outer sect in less than an hour."
At this point, Qingyuan turned back, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery as she said,
"You're a newcomer from the lower realm who hasn't even entered the Supreme Realm, holding such a huge piece of fat meat."
"Take a guess, tonight in the outer sect dormitories..."
Qingyuan did not finish, but her unspoken meaning made Chen Xin's heart sink.
Hearing Qingyuan's words, everyone on the Douluo Continent outside the Sky Screen instantly realized it too.
Indeed, an innocent man's jade could itself become his crime.
In this world where the strong devoured the weak, a newcomer who had just ascended from the lower realm and had not even touched the threshold of the Supreme Realm.
Not only held an Asura Sword that could casually trample even a God King's title.
He had even received a personal promise of a top-thirty Supreme Dharma Body from a towering figure at the pinnacle of the Great Thousand World!
It was like a three-year-old carrying a gold brick into a bandit den filled with hungry wolves.
Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Main Hall.
The feverish smile on Ning Fengzhi's face instantly froze.
His grip slipped on the expensive teacup in his hand, and it fell to the floor and shattered, spilling tea everywhere.
"Sect master..."
Gu Rong swallowed too, his aged face filled with worry.
"The Sword Domain's outer sect disciples are all geniuses who fought their way out of various Lower Planes, or cultivators native to the Great Thousand World."
"That old bastard is injured now, and he isn't proficient in using the Great Thousand World's spiritual energy either."
"If someone really comes to rob him tonight, how can he hold them off alone?"
The two men, who had just been dreaming of dominating the continent, now felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over them, chilling them from head to toe.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
On Shrek Academy's training grounds, Yu Xiaogang could not help laughing aloud.
"Heh, I told you. When do meat pies ever just fall from the sky?"
Yu Xiaogang stroked his chin, putting on the air of someone who had seen through everything.
"An opportunity like this, pulling up seedlings to make them grow, often comes with a fatal disaster."
"Just watch. No matter how formidable that Sword Douluo used to be here, tonight the Sword Domain's veteran disciples will beat him until he's searching the ground for his teeth."
Tang San, standing beside him, silently nodded as well.
If he encountered such a situation, he would never foolishly stay in the dormitory waiting to die.
He would certainly set up Silent Sleeve Arrows around the room in advance, sprinkle deadly poison that sealed the throat upon contact with blood into the door's gaps, then find somewhere concealed to hide.
Unfortunately, this Chen Xin was a brute who only knew how to wield a sword and understood nothing of these hidden weapon methods.
At that moment, within the Sky Screen.
Qingyuan seemed very satisfied with the way Chen Xin's expression had instantly darkened.
She stretched lazily and patted the enormous dark-gold sword case on her back, producing a series of dull metallic clangs.
"Good luck, old man."
With that, Qingyuan lingered no longer.
She lightly tapped the ground with her toes, and like a nimble bird, became a streak of sword light that shot toward the Inner Sect's Sword Pavilion.
At the canyon entrance, only Senior Brother Guide and Chen Xin remained.
Senior Brother Guide looked at the dark red Asura Sword in Chen Xin's hand, his gaze somewhat complicated.
"Let's go, Junior Brother Chen Xin."
"I'll take you to the outer sect disciples' quarters first."
The two retraced their steps, following the steep mountain path all the way down.
Along the way, Senior Brother Guide offered a rare note of warning compared with before.
"Senior Sister Qingyuan was right."
"Here in the Sword Domain, we favor the sword's unconventional edge, comprehending sword intent through life-and-death combat."
"So the sect has always turned a blind eye to private fights between outer sect disciples. As long as no one dies, the elders won't intervene at all."
At this, Senior Brother Guide paused and glanced back at Chen Xin.
"You received the Sword Saint's promise today. There's no keeping that a secret."
"There are plenty of old hands in the outer sect stuck at the late stage of the Spirit Movement Realm or in the Divine Soul Realm."
"They'll do anything for a spot in the Inner Sect."
Chen Xin listened in silence, merely tightening his grip on the Asura Sword.
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother," Chen Xin replied hoarsely.
As someone who had practiced the sword all his life on the Douluo Continent, he had never feared battle.
Now that he had come to this wider world, if he could not even withstand this little trial, what was the point of cultivating the Sword Dao?
Before long, the sky gradually darkened.
The Sword Domain's outer sect was built along a stretch of mountainside.
Most of the buildings here were constructed from a hard, blue-gray mountain stone and looked rather rough-hewn.
That sharp aura that stung the skin still permeated the air. The mountain wind blew through the gaps in the stone houses, making a whimpering sound like wailing ghosts and howling wolves.
Senior Brother Guide led Chen Xin to a secluded, freestanding stone house.
"This is where you'll be living from now on."
"Tonight... you'd best look out for yourself."
With those words, Senior Brother Guide hurried away, seemingly afraid of getting caught up in any trouble.
Chen Xin pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked inside.
The stone house was simply furnished, with only a stone bed, a wooden table, and a rush cushion for meditation.
He walked over to the stone bed and sat down, laying the dark-red Asura Sword across his knees.
Although the Sword Saint had sealed the sword's fiendish energy.
Chen Xin could still sense what seemed like a sleeping ferocious beast within the blade, rising and falling slightly with his breathing.
He closed his eyes and began circulating the power within his body, trying to absorb the violent spiritual energy in the surrounding air to heal the internal injuries he had suffered in the Sword Tomb.
And through this, prepare for the challenges that could come at any moment!
Before you continue