Trump card

"Divine Intent?"

Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui both froze slightly.

Immediately afterward, a piercing light shot from both their eyes.

"Divine Intent!? You've really cultivated Divine Intent and reached Second Grade!?"

Mu Xingchui could not help asking in delighted surprise.

Song Huangting was more direct. "Watch out!"

The next moment, a sun seemed about to rise behind the Supreme Elder, bearing a blazing, brilliant, supreme pressure as it bore straight down on Qin Lian.

This pressure...

"It's an illusion."

Qin Lian saw through it at a glance.

Great Void Divine Intent circulated.

A transcendence that stood above all illusions, extraordinary visions, and phenomena surged from him, effortlessly puncturing the illusory scene of the rising sun hanging high in the sky.

Of course, that was because Song Huangting had not driven this phenomenon with his full strength. Otherwise, Qin Lian would never have escaped the scene so easily.

Even so, the clash between phenomenon and Divine Intent instantly confirmed to Song Huangting that Qin Lian had indeed cultivated Divine Intent.

For a moment, irrepressible joy welled up in his eyes. "Good! Good! Good! Qin Lian, you've truly given us an enormous surprise!"

"You've attained Second Grade Divine Intent!"

Mu Xingchui's face also lit up with joy. "With the mountain rain looming and the wind already filling the tower, another Second Grade expert has joined our Pure Yang ranks. This is truly a blessing for us! Grandmaster Qin's breakthrough has further strengthened our foundations!"

As he spoke, he could not resist adding, "Especially since Grandmaster Qin already possessed combat strength equal to a Second Grade Divine Intent expert while still at Third Grade. Now that you've formed Divine Intent... once you've consolidated your gains and made up for your shortcomings, you may find few worthy opponents among Second Grade experts!"

"Hahaha, never mind few worthy opponents! He could be called invincible at Second Grade! Given time, it may even be possible for him to rival First Grade while at Second Grade, just as he has done this time."

Song Huangting laughed heartily.

Ye Yingxiong had delivered the Heavenly Extreme Sword, and Qin Lian had cultivated Divine Intent, having already possessed combat strength comparable to Second Grade before reaching it.

With one joy piled atop another, his mood was naturally more buoyant than ever.

Hearing their assessments, Qin Lian also steadied himself a little.

Few worthy opponents among Second Grade experts...

After learning that the mysterious Second Grade expert with whom he had desperately exchanged thirty-seven sword strikes not long ago was not Jiang Heng but Ye Yingxiong, a Second Grade Peak expert, he had felt a shiver of belated fear, then let out a long breath of relief.

After all, since that battle, he had condensed Divine Intent.

His cultivation had undergone a tremendous breakthrough.

With the absolute control and keen perception of the outside world that Divine Intent brought...

He reckoned that if he faced Ye Yingxiong again, he would never have to fight to such desperate lengths.

Leaving aside killing him, he already had considerable confidence in merely defeating him.

And Ye Yingxiong ranked among the very best Second Grade experts. If he could defeat even a Second Grade expert of that caliber...

It could be said that, so long as he did not encounter a First Grade Grandmaster on Song Huangting's level or one of those exceedingly few Nation-Guarding Martial Saints, he could more or less swagger unchallenged through the world's nineteen provinces.

At last, I've gained a little sense of security...

He murmured inwardly.

Ever since transmigrating here, he had stayed behind closed doors and cultivated diligently, never daring to slack off in the slightest. It had not been in vain.

He had not even dared venture out to experience many of this era's local customs.

Still, it's not time to relax completely. Even if I really want to rest for a while, that can wait until I've activated the [Wind Riding] trait. With that trait, the vast world... at least everywhere within Great Shang will truly be open to me.

Qin Lian reminded himself to guard against arrogance and impatience.

Just then, Mu Xingchui, who had been smiling for quite some time, thought of something.

He glanced at Song Huangting, then at Qin Lian...

"Grandmaster Qin, Supreme Elder... Grandmaster Qin cultivating Divine Intent and attaining Second Grade is certainly something our entire Pure Yang Sword Sect should celebrate lavishly. But... given the current situation..."

The Merit Hall's master paused. "Perhaps we shouldn't make too much of a spectacle of it..."

Song Huangting froze at Mu Xingchui's words, then quickly guessed what he meant.

"You mean..."

"The key is whether Grandmaster Qin is willing."

Mu Xingchui turned his gaze toward Qin Lian. "If Grandmaster Qin is willing, he might become our Pure Yang Sword Sect's secret weapon, even a trump card capable of turning the tide at a critical moment!"

Hearing this, Qin Lian also guessed something. "Hall Master Mu, you mean..."

"From the disasters that befell Overlord Blade and Ten Thousand Swords in succession, and the fact that even nearby Penglai couldn't escape calamity, it's easy to see that the Heavenly Martial Bureau has begun moving against regional powers like us. And the speed of their actions this time is nothing like their approach to the Azure Blood Sect and other factions, where they planned for a decade or several decades..."

Mu Xingchui said gravely, "I'm afraid they intend to uproot sects like ours in a short time. And if that is their plan, they must already have prepared measures against Second Grade experts like us, and even First Grade Supreme Elders..."

He looked at Qin Lian. "So, Grandmaster Qin advancing to Second Grade at this time, and becoming someone who could be called invincible within Second Grade at that, makes you our Pure Yang Sword Sect's greatest variable and trump card. Used properly, you could enable our sect to reverse its passive position in one stroke."

I've become the Pure Yang Sword Sect's trump card?

Qin Lian was slightly taken aback.

He had come to the Pure Yang Sword Sect to find a powerful backer so that he could cultivate in peace. Yet...

He had become the trump card?

This had turned the natural order upside down.

"That really is an excellent suggestion."

Song Huangting, standing beside them, nodded in strong agreement.

The deterrence offered by one more Second Grade expert would not make the Heavenly Martial Bureau abandon its long-planned scheme against the Pure Yang Sword Sect.

But a hidden expert who was invincible at Second Grade...

Had a considerable chance of bringing the Heavenly Martial Bureau's calculations to ruin at the last hurdle.

"It's just that this would mean shortchanging Grandmaster Qin..."

Song Huangting turned his gaze toward Qin Lian.

"I wouldn't call it shortchanging me."

Qin Lian shook his head. "I've never liked drawing attention to myself. If the sect wants me to remain hidden and wait for an opportunity to act, that's fine. However..."

He paused. "I feel that my strength is still growing rapidly, so I'd prefer to focus on cultivating in peace for the time being."

"Growing rapidly?"

Those words jolted both Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui.

Song Huangting, an elderly Supreme Elder who could only maintain his peak condition for a few more years, could not help pressing him. "You mean... you want to..."

"I want to try and see whether I can push further toward First Grade."

Qin Lian nodded slightly.

The instant he said this, Song Huangting clapped his hands and laughed. "First Grade is good! First Grade would be wonderful!"

His voice even gained a touch of excitement. "I'd almost forgotten that you're not yet thirty-five, Qin Lian. You still have more than twenty years in which you can maintain your peak. With such a determined drive to advance, you may well be able to evolve a phenomenon from your Divine Intent, turn that Divine Intent from illusory to real, and enter the first grade realm."

"First Grade!"

Though Mu Xingchui was not as optimistic as Song Huangting, he naturally would not sound a discordant note now. "If Grandmaster Qin intends to strive for First Grade, the sect certainly won't trouble you with trivial matters. Our Merit Hall will also spare no effort in supporting you. Whatever you need, we will do our utmost to provide."

"The Merit Hall..."

Qin Lian murmured, then said, "It would be ideal if you could provide resources that improve comprehension, temper true qi, and enhance visualization."

"Certainly."

Mu Xingchui nodded at once.

He looked toward the Heavenly Splendor Treasure Tree. "The fruit on this treasure tree goes without saying. Even if we have to withdraw from Sword Province's six commanderies, we'll take these things with us and leave them at your disposal. As for anything else you might find useful, make a list."

"Thank you."

A smile appeared on Qin Lian's face.

My choice of supplies?

Was I getting a Supreme Elder's treatment now?

"Stones from other mountains can polish jade. I've found that studying different methods helps my cultivation significantly, so I'd like to visit the Merit Transmission Hall and borrow the Great Sun Visualization Diagram to study."

"The Great Sun Visualization Diagram?"

Although Song Huangting did not know what Qin Lian, who primarily cultivated the Great Void Visualization Diagram, could comprehend from the Great Sun Visualization Diagram, there was no shortage of people who drew on other top-tier methods to supplement their strengths, remedy their weaknesses, and refine their own cultivation paths.

Thus, he agreed to Qin Lian's request without hesitation. "Leave that to me."

"Sorry for the trouble, Supreme Elder."

Qin Lian cupped his hands.

"You're already being shortchanged by not enjoying the glory due a Second Grade Divine Intent Grandmaster. What's one visualization diagram? If you need anything else, just say so. It doesn't matter if you can't think of anything now. You can bring it up later."

"The Great Sun Visualization Diagram will keep me cultivating for a long time."

Qin Lian said.

Without Supreme Elder Shanhui's help, the Great Void Visualization Diagram alone would have taken him at least three to five years of work.

And that was with the "Never Regress" enhancement.

Song Huangting pondered, then spoke again. "Since you feel you can gain insights from other methods..."

He paused briefly. "We need to conceal your attainment of Second Grade from others, but Sect Master Li must still be informed! Once I return, I'll discuss giving you access to every text in the sect with him. Consider it compensation for how you've been shortchanged."

"That would be excellent."

Qin Lian smiled.

He was on the verge of perfecting both the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and the Chasing the Wind and Pursuing the Sun movement technique.

Next, if he could not activate the [Wind Riding] trait, he would have to choose another movement technique.

If he could activate that trait...

The focus of his cultivation would shift to Great Void Sword Qi.

Only by perfecting Great Void Sword Qi as soon as possible would he possess a genuine Divine Intent killing move.

However, when it came to striving for First Grade, this was merely a beginning.

A first grade phenomenon was not a breakthrough in true qi, astral qi, or will, but a kind of momentum.

A momentum nurtured through a hundred battles and sweeping all before it.

A rounded, harmonious momentum with no further heights to ascend and no further barriers to break.

It was also a momentum of perfection from within to without.

With one's essence, qi, and spirit polished to complete perfection as the core, one let them overflow outward, joining intent with momentum and momentum with qi. Only then could one successfully evolve a phenomenon and interfere with reality as illusions and external visions did.

To some extent, this already counted as a domain.

Under the suppression of this "domain" that could be called "momentum," every imperfect, incomplete flaw in those below First Grade would be magnified without limit, allowing a First Grade Grandmaster to readily seize upon it and crush them in a single stroke.

This was what made First Grade Grandmasters so powerful!