Chapter 14: The Sword Physique Soars — Someone Wants to Steal the Prize

Enlightenment.

It was something every cultivator dreamed of throughout their entire life.

Enlightenment could shatter shackles and break through bottlenecks.

It could also allow someone to instantly grasp profound mysteries, causing their cultivation and strength to surge dramatically.

Those with high comprehension might experience several such moments of enlightenment in a single lifetime.

Those with low comprehension might never encounter it at all, no matter how long they lived.

Elder Chen stared at Lin Xiao with wide, eager eyes — both shocked and envious.

He had cultivated for decades without ever experiencing a single moment of enlightenment.

And yet this little brat, who had only been cultivating for half a year, had actually achieved it.

The other Outer Sect Disciples also stared at Lin Xiao in astonishment.

Shen Gao and Gu Shi in particular.

Both of them clenched their fists tightly.

Damn it!!

Why could he achieve enlightenment?

Was it because of the sword-testing stone?

They had come into contact with that thing no fewer than a hundred times. They knew it was extraordinary, but no matter what they tried, they had never managed to glean anything useful from it.

This person… was a formidable rival!

The two exchanged a glance.

Each saw the same expression reflected in the other's eyes.

Still, what gave them some comfort was that this person's cultivation was only at the first stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

With such a low realm, what could enlightenment even do for him?

He couldn't possibly comprehend anything of real value.

However, in the very next moment —

Every sword across the entire Outer Sect Plaza began to tremble.

With Lin Xiao at the center, countless strands of Sword Qi materialized out of thin air around him, then swept across the entire plaza in every direction.

Then a world-shaking aura surged upward, climbing higher and higher.

Even the clouds in the sky seemed to be split in two by some invisible force, the sea of clouds churning as a white light flickered in and out of existence.

The Outer Sect Disciples who witnessed this heavenly phenomenon were all left dumbstruck.

They didn't know what was happening, nor did they understand what it meant.

Only Elder Chen — whose eyes had already been wide — now looked as though they might actually pop out of his head.

"This is… a Sword Intent embryo!! He actually comprehended a Sword Intent embryo???" Elder Chen was utterly stupefied.

First stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm? Comprehending a Sword Intent embryo??

Was this some kind of joke?!

Some of the Outer Sect Disciples who didn't understand what was happening instinctively began drifting toward Lin Xiao, as though drawn by some invisible force emanating from him.

Elder Chen saw this and was about to call out to stop them.

The worst thing you could do during enlightenment was disturb the person experiencing it.

If the sect's upper echelons found out that this little brat's enlightenment had been interrupted, he would be implicated as well.

But before he could open his mouth —

An aged figure appeared in an instant, standing directly before the young man.

It was a white-haired old man.

The moment Elder Chen recognized who it was, he straightened his back immediately, a look of deep respect appearing in his eyes.

"I — I pay my respects to Elder Mu!" he called out reverently.

The Outer Sect Disciples were all startled by this person's sudden appearance.

Huh?!

Wasn't this the old gatekeeper of the Technique Depository?

What was he doing here?

And moreover — Elder Chen was showing him such deference? Could it be that this old man who guarded the Technique Depository was someone of extraordinary standing?

After all, Elder Chen was the chief Elder of the Outer Sect. His status within Sword Demon Sect was already far from low.

Within Sword Demon Sect, the number of people who could command such an attitude from Elder Chen could be counted on one hand.

The old man addressed as Elder Mu glanced at Elder Chen, then turned his full attention to the young man before him.

His eyes, too, revealed an expression of shock and disbelief.

Then, he formed a complex Hand Seal directed at the sky.

The heavenly phenomenon vanished in an instant.

Yet Lin Xiao remained with his eyes closed, still immersed in his state of comprehension, completely unaffected.

"Elder Mu, this disciple has comprehended a Sword Intent embryo while only at the first stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm. It seems our sect is about to produce another genius." Elder Chen stepped up beside Elder Mu and spoke respectfully.

"A genius?! Then you're truly underestimating this little fellow." Elder Mu said mildly.

Elder Chen froze at those words.

It seemed Elder Mu held this disciple in even higher regard than he did. Was there something about this brat that he had failed to notice?

Elder Chen looked Lin Xiao over once more, carefully and thoroughly.

But he found nothing further.

Seeing Elder Chen's puzzled expression, Elder Mu smiled faintly and offered no explanation.

Yet the gaze he directed at the young man still deep in enlightenment grew brighter and brighter.

That old fossil Old Geng — his eye for talent was as sharp as ever.

Even he himself had been fooled by this little fellow.

He had originally thought the boy was merely a genius with a Nameless Sword Physique.

But in just three or four short months, this little fellow had grown to this level.

Fourth stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm in cultivation.

And what he was condensing through this enlightenment was not a Sword Intent embryo — it was true Sword Intent.

At this level, it was already… twenty percent Sword Intent.

What did twenty percent Sword Intent represent?

It meant he could already sit as an equal and discuss the Dao with a Revolving Pill Realm expert.

Such world-shaking comprehension — Elder Mu had not merely never witnessed it; he had never even heard of it.

This was… a peerless genius of the highest order.

With Elder Chen and Elder Mu present, who else would dare step forward?

Everyone waited for Lin Xiao to finish his comprehension.

Approximately one hour passed.

Lin Xiao finally opened his eyes.

Although he had been in a state of enlightenment, he had been aware of everything happening around him.

The gains from this session were even greater than he had imagined.

He had absorbed a remarkable, ownerless strand of Sword Intent from within the sword-testing stone.

Although his cultivation realm itself had not changed at all —

After preliminarily refining that Sword Intent, his comprehension of the sword dao had deepened considerably, and his own Sword Intent had risen by a significant degree.

If he later fully refined all the Sword Intent within the sword-testing stone, the effect would improve even further.

It was safe to say that his combat power had directly doubled compared to before he absorbed the sword-testing stone's Sword Intent.

A single sword-testing stone had given him such a massive boost.

If there were a few more of them, wouldn't he be able to comprehend a complete Sword Intent grand path?

What kind of power would that be?

Lin Xiao's heart trembled with excitement and anticipation.

At the same time, he felt a deep sense of awe toward the sword mark on the sword-testing stone.

Someone who could leave such a mark — what level had they reached on the path of the sword?

Did such a person still exist in this world?

"Thank you, Elder Chen, and to this senior as well." Lin Xiao said politely to the two people beside him.

These two had stood by his side and kept others from disturbing him.

Expressing his gratitude was only natural.

"Little fellow, you've been hiding quite deeply, haven't you." Elder Mu looked at Lin Xiao deeply and remarked with a sigh.

"Senior is joking. In front of a senior like you, I imagine I've already been seen through completely." Lin Xiao said with a smile.

Now that his Sword Intent had grown, he could just barely sense it.

The cultivation of this old gatekeeper of the Technique Depository was absolutely above the Revolving Pill Realm.

How many Revolving Pill Realm experts did Sword Demon Sect even have in total?

This old man was certainly a figure of extraordinary standing.

"Little fellow, how about taking me as your master? I'll go speak to Old Geng on your behalf!" Elder Mu said with a broad smile.

Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't expected this old man to directly try to take him on as a disciple.

Beside him, Elder Chen had already gone slack-jawed.

El — Elder Mu actually wanted to take on a disciple?

Hiss—

This was truly extraordinary news.

But why had Elder Mu mentioned Old Geng?

Could it be…

A wild thought surfaced in Elder Chen's mind — could it be that this little brat had already been taken notice of by Old Geng?

If that were truly the case —

Then this news was even more outrageous, even more unbelievable.