Chapter 142 Sword Intent

Qing Xi had no inkling of Xia Dang's thoughts.

At this moment, his eyes held only these three grandmaster-level ultimate arts.

Although they were standard grandmaster arts whose power could not match the top-tier grandmaster art, "Mountain Collapse and Earth Splitting," their immense value was such that even among the three two-star factions, they would be sufficient to serve as foundational, sect-defining techniques.

Grandmaster-level arts were already the absolute pinnacle within the Yunchuan Prefecture.

Qing Xi skillfully opened the system interface.

[Name: Starry Sky Illusion]
[Grade: Standard Grandmaster-Level Ultimate Art (Special)]
[Note: Divided into four stages: Initial Mastery, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection. Can cast a starry sky illusion within a specific area, causing targets to become deeply immersed. Wherever the gaze reaches, the sky is filled with countless stars, making it impossible to discern directions. When cultivated to perfection, it can theoretically trap even a Sky Profound Realm expert for over ten minutes.]

After browsing the details of this ultimate art, Qing Xi rubbed his chin and murmured, "It doesn't seem all that powerful, only capable of trapping someone in the Sky Profound Realm... What if it were used against a mighty figure of Lei Xiaoga's caliber?"

Assistant immediately provided the answer: "Lei Xiaoga has already condensed her primordial spirit, and the illusion cast by the host will not be able to trap her at all. Unless you possess a higher-grade illusion-type ultimate art capable of deceiving even divine sense, but to unleash an illusion of that level, the host must also possess a primordial spirit."

"Beyond the grandmaster realm... that would be a supreme-level ultimate art. What a pity that such arts cost millions of origin points each; I can only look upon them with envy for now." Qing Xi shook his head.

Initially, he was not entirely satisfied with the effects of the "Starry Sky Illusion," but upon second thought, an ultimate art that could trap a Sky Profound Realm cultivator for over ten minutes was still quite formidable.

He continued reading downwards.

[Name: Sword Will Annihilation]
[Grade: Standard Grandmaster-Level Ultimate Art (Offensive)]
[Note: Divided into three tiers: Gathering Intent, Shattering, and Annihilation. Features an enormous span and extreme cultivation difficulty, requiring the qi refiner to possess sword intent before it can be unleashed. Belongs to the group-offensive ultimate arts; the energy consumption is astronomical, but on the battlefield, it is peerless and of terrifying might.]

Qing Xi's expression gradually stiffened.

He lacked sword intent. Even if he relied on the system to comprehend this ultimate art, what use would it be? He still wouldn't be able to execute it.

"The host is now at least a Profound-grade Spiritual Root holder, and coupled with the passive 'Epiphany' feature, wouldn't comprehending sword intent be a simple matter?"

Assistant's reminder made Qing Xi's eyes light up.

Indeed!

Had the system not reminded him, he almost forgot about the passive "Epiphany" function. At present, if the passive was triggered, his comprehension ability could be temporarily boosted fortyfold.

If he still couldn't comprehend sword intent under such conditions, he figured he might as well just bang his head against a brick wall and be done with it.

His gaze fell upon the description of the final ultimate art.

[Name: Water Stealth Art]
[Grade: Standard Grandmaster-Level Ultimate Art (Movement)]
[Note: This ultimate art has no tiers. If one's comprehension is sufficient, it can be directly understood to the stage of perfection; if comprehension is lacking, one will never gain any insight even after a lifetime of cultivation. Once mastered, one can perfectly merge into water, gaining extreme speed in water, stealth, and other effects. It can be utilized anywhere water exists.]

"This is the ultimate art I've been looking for!"

Qing Xi's eyes shone brightly.

Compared to "Sword Will Annihilation" and "Starry Sky Illusion," the practical utility of this movement-type grandmaster art was far more pronounced.

"Where there is water... doesn't the air contain moisture?"

Qing Xi chuckled quietly, as if he had stumbled upon some extraordinary secret.

After reviewing the descriptions of the three grandmaster arts once more, Qing Xi sighed, "These three ultimate arts are all tremendously powerful, but they are far too difficult to comprehend. Even a prodigy with a Profound-grade Spiritual Root like myself might not fully grasp them all easily."

Pausing for a moment, he asked, "So, if I want to fully comprehend all of these ultimate arts, how many origin points will it take in total?"

"A total of one hundred and fifty-eight thousand origin points will allow the host to comprehend all of them to the highest realm. However, because the host has not yet comprehended sword intent and your cultivation is insufficient, certain ultimate arts may not be executed to absolute perfection."

"Never mind all that! While I have sufficient origin points right now, I'll comprehend them first and worry about the rest later!"

"Understood!"

System Assistant immediately mobilized the origin points. A long-absent, refreshing sensation instantly swept through his entire body, giving Qing Xi the blissful feeling of an enlightening head-piscine.

...

Central Region, City of Honored Gathering.

With a muffled "bang," the medicinal powders inside an alchemy furnace exploded completely.

A sky full of furnace ash drifted and scattered everywhere throughout the alchemy chamber.

Shen Qianzhong maintained a poker face as he gazed at the Profound-grade alchemy furnace reduced to a heap of scrap metal, his fists hidden within his long sleeves clenching abruptly.

Frowning slightly, he inquired, "Elder Wan, has it failed again?"

An elder whose face was covered in furnace ash let out a sigh and replied, "Indeed, it failed. This is already the tenth time. It appears that relying solely on the medicinal formula makes it truly impossible to refine the Profound-grade Breakthrough Pill."

"In that case, if we wish to obtain Profound-grade Breakthrough Pills, we have no choice but to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship with Qing Xi."

Calmly brushing away the furnace ash that had fallen onto his robes, Shen Qianzhong walked out of the alchemy chamber.

"Young Master, the one hundred portions of medicinal herbs have been packed."

A peak Xiantian expert knelt respectfully on one hand, holding a medium-grade storage bracelet in both palms.

Shen Qianzhong nodded and commanded, "You must deliver this item safely to Daoist Qing Xi of the Liyuan Sect. If he is not currently within the sect, you are to wait until he returns. The moment the pills are successfully refined, bring them back immediately."

"As you command!"

This peak Xiantian expert immediately led eight late-stage Xiantian experts and set off at full speed toward the Liyuan Sect located in the Eastern Region.

...

Liyuan Sect, Back Mountain Courtyard.

Qing Xi was surrounded by a towering stack of ancient texts concerning sword intent.

These ancient texts were not kept within the scripture pavilion; rather, when Lin Feng heard that Qing Xi wished to cultivate sword intent, he had fetched them personally from the small library in the back courtyard.

Recorded within these pages were the sect master Qiu Mingzi's own cultivation methods and insights regarding sword intent.

Qing Xi smiled as he looked at Lin Feng, who immediately understood and gently stroked the top of Qing Xi's head with his Hand of Good Fortune.

Instantly, Qing Xi's eyes lit up as he immersed himself in the vast ocean of knowledge concerning sword intent.

"Sword intent... what is it?"
"Or rather, what is 'intent'?"

Qing Xi murmured softly, his expression growing increasingly focused. Combined with the fortune brought by the Hand of Good Fortune, he rapidly entered a state of epiphany.

"I understand now. The so-called 'intent' is formed from 'heart' and 'sound'—it is the voice originating from the depths of the soul."
"Therefore, if one wishes to comprehend sword intent, one must listen to the inner voice of the sword."
"A sword is sharp, keen, and meant for breaking defenses!"
"Thus, my sword intent shall be sharpness and penetration—a single sword strike to split the heavens!"

A piercing brilliance ignited within Qing Xi's eyes, and the Profound-grade lower-tier Cold Light Sword materialized in his hand. He could clearly sense the fierce excitement pulsing from deep within the blade.

"So, this is sword intent!"

He tightened his grip fiercely on the sword hilt and pointed it toward the heavens.

A crisp, resounding clang of a sword hum instantly echoed across the heavens and earth, and a ring-shaped shockwave rapidly swept outward in all directions.

The mountain forest rustled as if brushed by a gale, and ancient trees bent low one after another.

The Eighteenth Elder, who was jogging toward the back courtyard, felt this oppressive aura and was so startled that he sat flat on the ground.

"Sword... sword intent!"

Even the middle-aged man in light armor who followed closely behind him felt his pupils contract as he perceived that pure, unadulterated sword intent.

The longsword at his waist was trembling violently.

"Such pure sword intent... This person is truly formidable!"