Chapter 118: An Epiphany Under the Watchful Eyes of the Masses?

First came the fire-rain spell talisman, hurtling toward Cao Xuan, followed immediately by several other spells he cast in quick succession. Then, wielding his war-hammer magic treasure and bolstered by four offensive talismans and two protective artifacts orbiting his body, he charged at Cao Xuan.

If one were to slow down the footage, the layering of these techniques would be apparent. But in the heat of combat, these actions unfolded in the blink of an eye. Any late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator caught in such a sneak attack would likely perish; even a peak-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, lacking proper countermeasures, would be left severely wounded at the very least.

Yet, he had not anticipated encountering a sword cultivator who defied all reason. "One sword breaks ten thousand spells" was no mere figure of speech. While a sword cultivator who had grasped the "Sword Momentum" might still need to use that single blade to parry and dismantle various spells and talismans to achieve such a feat, a cultivator who had mastered "Sword Intent"—like Cao Xuan at this moment—was different.

A sword intent, shifting from intangible to tangible, emerged around him. In the eyes of his opponent, he was no longer a mere cultivator, but a flying sword piercing the heavens. Every move his opponent made was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage, shattering the instant it collided with him.

The familiar, soaring sword intent caused cultivators on other stages to instinctively cease their movements. It had to be said that the cultivators from the Central Plains were truly formidable; the mid-stage and peak-stage Foundation Establishment fighters were trading blows evenly—though, of course, that was partly because the mid-stage cultivator was giving their all while the peak-stage opponent was holding back.

Xing Mengfan had been the first to strike, wielding a massive demon-slaying blade with ferocious power. Yet, she was currently being toyed with by a small flying sword controlled by Meng Weizhi. It was not that Xing Mengfan’s techniques were lacking; rather, Meng Weizhi’s unreasonable true essence intensity, shifting between heavy and light, was simply mocking her.

"Hmm? The Azure Cloud Sword Immortal?"

Meng Weizhi instinctively halted her assault. Xing Mengfan’s eyes lit up—a perfect opportunity! As a member of the Demon-Slaying Peak, she had long since cleared her mind of all distractions once combat began. Seeing Xing Mengfan’s persistence, Meng Weizhi grew angry. With a wave of her hands, her small flying sword instantly multiplied into a thousand.

"Boom!" Countless blades descended upon her, and she lifted her demon-slaying blade to parry. If Cao Xuan was the one who could break ten thousand spells with a single sword, her ambition to break them with a single blade was noble, but her strength simply did not allow for it.

"Pfft!" Xing Mengfan spat blood as she was sent flying backward. Given the intervention of the six great sacred lands, it had already been no small feat for a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like her to reach the top one hundred. Still, to fall in the very first round left her with a faint sense of lingering disappointment.

As she flew back, Peak Master Li Zhiyun cried out in distress, "Little Meng!" She rode her treasure, stepping onto a demon-slaying blade to catch Xing Mengfan. Only then did she notice the sword intent piercing the sky.

Xing Mengfan’s eyes sparkled. Her own tournament run was over, but she longed to see the true bearing of this Azure Cloud Sword Immortal. It was not just Xing Mengfan; Ye Caixuan, Li Yao, the entire audience, the elders of the six great sacred lands, and even the Azure Wood Ancestor all turned their gaze toward Cao Xuan’s stage.

He stood with the Azure Cloud Sword on his back, steady as a pine, his right palm gently extended, surrounded by his sword intent. Compared to Cao Xuan, the countless small blades hovering around Meng Weizhi now looked like a child playing with toys. Consequently, the urge Meng Weizhi had felt to pose after defeating Xing Mengfan vanished instantly. She even felt her ears flush red and hurriedly retracted her spells and flying sword, fearing she would make a fool of herself.

Xing Mengfan had been the first to take the stage, trading blows with Meng Weizhi. The burly cultivator, meanwhile, had only taken the stage after a fierce struggle, and his execution of every technique had been a beat too slow. But now, he had been sent flying instantly, almost at the same time as Xing Mengfan, with no difference in the outcome.

The countless lines of the magical array activated, enveloping his body to ensure he survived the raging sword energy. "Bam!" He slammed onto the floor of the venue below the Azure Cloud Dharma Assembly, sprawled out in the shape of a cross.

"Hah... hah... hah..." He gasped for air like a fish out of water, his body twitching. The sword intent within him had granted him a "bone-deep" realization regarding the Dao of the sword.

Cao Xuan remained calm, not having moved a single step. Compared to the back-and-forth battles on the other stages, his match had been decidedly dull. Yet, the reality was the exact opposite. While the other stages were filled with flashy displays of spells, talismans, and artifacts, Cao Xuan’s mere rising of sword intent—which had blasted his opponent away—caused the entire venue to erupt in a frenzy.

"The Azure Cloud Sword Immortal! It’s the Azure Cloud Sword Immortal, a genius who has mastered sword intent at the Foundation Establishment stage!"
"So he is the Azure Cloud Sword Immortal. Truly a man of remarkable talent!"

"Look at the expressions of the six great sacred lands; his place is surely secured!"
"Heh, isn't that a given? A Foundation Establishment sword cultivator who has grasped sword intent—who wouldn't be tempted to recruit him?"

The surrounding disciples whispered among themselves, while the Golden Core cultivators who had come specifically for this were stunned. "This sword intent... how is it possible? I heard rumors that someone had mastered sword intent at this Azure Cloud Dharma Assembly, but I thought it was just gossip."
"I came thinking it was merely someone mistaking Sword Momentum for Sword Intent, or perhaps someone who had just touched the threshold. What a waste of a trip if this is all there is to see!"

They had come hoping to catch a glimpse of the transition from Sword Momentum to Sword Intent, hoping to learn something from the process. But Cao Xuan’s perfected sword intent was seamless and natural. They could see no cracks to analyze; they only saw a divine sword!

Cao Xuan was the center of attention, with countless female cultivators swooning over him. He likely did not realize how captivating he appeared. Cao Xuan merely frowned, thinking to himself, "Was I being too cautious? Or is the level of cultivation in this world actually not that high?"

Previously, he had assumed the Central Plains cultivators would be stronger and that his three perfected arts—the "Heavenly Steel Wandering Step," the "Azure Heaven Dao Sword," and the "Golden Body Barrier"—might not be enough, requiring his "Aphorism Domain" as a fallback. It seemed now that the sword intent accompanying the perfected "Azure Heaven Dao Sword" was already enough to sweep the board.

Beneath the stage, Li Yao gazed at her frowning junior brother, her beautiful eyes shimmering. She murmured, "Junior brother has had another epiphany!"
"Is this the power of a seventh-grade cultivation talent?"

Beside her, Ru Hanhan heard Li Yao’s words, her face filled with confusion. She possessed an eighth-grade cultivation talent, only one rank lower than Cao Xuan’s. "Is the gap really that wide?" She whispered to herself, beginning to lose her own confidence.
Ru Hanhan asked doubtfully, "Junior Sister Li, are you certain Senior Brother Cao is having an epiphany?"