Slay every last person before him?
Though there were many of them, none had any cultivation.
They were merely mortals.
Ye Qiubai did not understand why the man would set such a trial.
Still, Ye Qiubai would not sit and await death. Wooden sword in hand, he charged into the crowd!
The wooden sword in his hand swung again and again!
Streams of Sword Qi spread wantonly in every direction!
The slightest touch of Sword Qi shredded those mortals to death!
In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere!
However, Spiritual Qi protected Ye Qiubai's body, keeping even a speck of flesh or blood from touching him.
Yet.
Every time Ye Qiubai slew those faceless people.
Other faceless people immediately filled the gaps!
Seemingly fearless, they surged forward like moths to a flame!
The wooden sword in Ye Qiubai's hand danced without pause!
Sword Qi became a river, reaping one life after another amid the faceless crowd!
At that moment, Ye Qiubai seemed to have become the god of death!
Soon.
Half a day had passed in the outside world.
Ye Qiubai's expression had grown grave.
For he discovered that the crowd had not diminished in the slightest.
They still formed a sea of people, a dense, dark mass stretching beyond sight!
Seeing this.
Ye Qiubai could not help wondering, Could this be a test of whether I'll be worn down to death?
With this thought, Ye Qiubai began consciously controlling his Spiritual Qi to keep it from leaking out.
At the same time, he withdrew the Spiritual Qi protecting his body, allowing the flesh and blood to stain him.
This would conserve the Spiritual Qi within him as much as possible.
And somewhere unknown.
Watching this scene, the white-robed man could not help twitching the corner of his mouth.
Unfortunately, he had guessed wrong...
A day later...
Ye Qiubai was covered entirely in blood.
Beneath that fresh blood, a layer of congealed scabs had even formed a suit of armor.
Even wielding the wooden sword in his hand gradually became a numb routine.
Swing.
Kill.
Swing again...
Kill again...
The cycle repeated without pause.
Like a slaughtering machine...
Yet the faceless crowd remained a dense, dark mass, showing no sign of dwindling.
They still surged toward Ye Qiubai like moths to a flame.
Ye Qiubai could only swing the wooden sword in his hand once more.
Two days later.
It was still the same.
Ye Qiubai's gaze had begun to turn numb.
The crowd still had no end.
Four days later...
It was still the same.
By now.
Ye Qiubai no longer knew how many days had passed.
But now, the Sword Qi surrounding Ye Qiubai was filled with Sha Qi!
His numb gaze had also changed.
Traces of frenzy had actually appeared within it, along with a hint of bloodlust!
An unknown amount of time passed again!
Ye Qiubai's movements changed.
They were no longer as mechanical as before.
Instead, he began swinging with all his might!
His Sword Qi went utterly berserk, relentlessly tearing through the surrounding crowd!
If one looked closely.
They would see that a smile had actually appeared at the corners of Ye Qiubai's mouth!
Indeed.
Ye Qiubai was now laughing wildly in silence!
"Kill! Kill! Die, all of you!"
Somewhere unknown.
Watching this scene, the white-robed man sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "The third person to reach this place still can't pass the trial? So be it. I'll wait a little longer."
The man was proud.
He had created a sword art such as the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon.
In ancient times, he had been a renowned powerhouse.
People had called him the Heavenly Demon Sword Saint!
Thus, he would not casually pass his legacy on to someone whose resolve was unsteady.
Moreover.
Someone without sufficiently firm resolve could not inherit his legacy either.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, the white-robed man looked toward Ye Qiubai and said thoughtfully, "This seems rather interesting."
At that moment.
The berserk Sword Qi around Ye Qiubai had not diminished.
But the bloodlust in his eyes had actually begun to fade!
In its place, his gaze began to grow clear.
It was the Clear Sword Heart!
A swordsman should press forward without hesitation!
Avenge grudges and repay grievances.
But he must not become a machine that only kills and takes revenge!
Ye Qiubai recalled his own sword path.
He recalled his master's teachings.
He also recalled the insights into the sword path he had gained along his journey!
At the same time!
The Primordial Sword Scripture also began circulating at full speed!
Streams of Sword Qi surged into his meridians, washing away those traces of bloodlust!
Rumble!
His presence suddenly soared!
Ye Qiubai broke through to the Middle Stage of the Violet Palace Realm!
"The Clear Sword Heart, and that unknown cultivation method..."
Watching this scene, the white-robed man could not help curling his lips into a smile. "Not bad. It seems he's a promising seedling."
Ye Qiubai's gaze grew increasingly clear.
The sword in his hand was no longer as heavy as before, becoming lighter and swifter.
Gradually, Ye Qiubai also understood the true meaning of this trial.
The Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon.
It was inherently a sword art filled with demonic nature, one of great slaughter!
If its practitioner lacked sufficiently firm resolve.
Then sooner or later, its demonic nature would take control.
They would become a machine that knew only how to kill.
"All right, you've passed."
As soon as those words fell.
The faceless people around Ye Qiubai vanished in an instant.
The enormous cage wrapped in golden chains also reappeared before Ye Qiubai.
The white-robed man looked at Ye Qiubai and said with satisfaction, "I never expected you to possess the Clear Sword Heart at such a young age. And that cultivation method is incomparably profound as well."
The Primordial Sword Scripture.
Even now, Ye Qiubai could not fully comprehend it.
Yet all his strength had come from this Primordial Sword Scripture.
Just who was Master?
How could he produce such a cultivation method?
At this thought, his admiration for Lu Changsheng could not help deepening.
The white-robed man continued, "Since you've attained the Clear Sword Heart, that means you can unleash the power of the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon to its utmost. I can entrust the final five swords to you as well."
Hearing this, Ye Qiubai froze, then scratched his head. "Um... Senior, I've already learned the final five swords..."
"Huh?"
The white-robed man was dumbfounded.
"The manual for these final five swords has always been in my possession and has never been divulged. How could you possibly have learned them?"
Reverence appeared on Ye Qiubai's face as he said, "It was my master. He demonstrated the final five swords, then passed them on to me."
"Impossible!"
The white-robed man exclaimed, "Then hurry and demonstrate the final five swords!"
"Senior, I'm not strong enough to unleash the final five swords yet..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white-robed man turned straight into a wisp of black mist and darted into the space between Ye Qiubai's brows!
Ye Qiubai's expression jolted, and his eyes turned pitch-black.
Then he raised his wooden sword and performed the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon!
For a moment.
Black Sword Qi swept in every direction!
As though it would destroy heaven and earth!
Before long.
The white-robed man emerged from between Ye Qiubai's brows.
Shock covered his face.
"This... how is this possible?"
"It's more complete than my Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon, and more powerful too. Even the side effects are completely gone..."
"You could say that the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon your master perfected has completely transcended the original. Its grade is higher than my Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon!"
"But how could such a figure appear in this world again after the Heavenly Dao collapsed?"
"Could your master be someone from ancient times?"
Ye Qiubai scratched his head and thought for a moment. "Probably not. My master seems quite young, and... he still needs to eat every day. He's terribly lazy."