Chapter 158: Chapter 151: Qi Sect

On the back of the Celestial Spirit Sword Box, there was a line of cryptic message engraved: Using Qi as a sword, one can control the heavens and earth.

The cryptic message wasn’t truly words; it could express many complex meanings.

With Gao Xuan’s knowledge of cryptic messages, he could only understand the shallowest layer. Moreover, it was entirely his personal interpretation.

If someone else were to interpret it, they might come up with a completely different understanding.

Gao Xuan roughly understood the meaning: the Celestial Spirit Sword Box believed Source Power was the most formidable, and one should use power to wield the sword, implying that as long as one’s strength was great enough, any enemy could be defeated.

If unable to resolve it, it meant the strength was still insufficient.

Gao Xuan, despite his experiences from two lifetimes, had never heard of the Celestial Spirit Sword Box. However, this object seemed far from ordinary.

Generally speaking, the rank of Marvels depends on the energy level of its rules.

The higher the energy level of the rules, the higher the rank of the Marvel.

It’s important to note that the energy level of the rules is different from the Marvel’s Source Power Level.

Take the Godslaying Sword, for example; in Gao Xuan’s hands, its Source Power Level was very low, merely at the Black Iron Level.

This was because the Godslaying Sword’s Source Power was continuously fading, becoming very weak.

People usually judge Marvels by measuring the Source Power level, as the energy level of the rules can’t be directly measured or observed.

Yet, Gao Xuan’s Six-winged Celestial Cicada was a Marvel with the top-level spiritual nature.

The moment he acquired the Celestial Spirit Sword Box, he discovered its rule energy level was very high, actually a golden-level Marvel.

However, due to its Source Power dwindling, the Sword Box now only showed a Bronze-level Source Power response.

That’s also why Fang Yumei was so generous.

If she knew the Celestial Spirit Sword Box was a golden-level Marvel, she would never part with it, even if it wasn’t useful to her.

Gao Xuan didn’t say much about it, savoring the blessings in secret since he didn’t need to share with Fang Yumei.

Gao Xuan held the Sword Box in his hands, immersing his spirit within it.

Under the stimulation of his spiritual power, the Celestial Spirit Sword Box gradually emitted a faint silver glow.

Opposite him, Fang Yumei quickly closed her eyes, as the spiritual illusion realm triggered by the Celestial Spirit Sword Box was powerful, and focusing too much could easily draw one in.

Gao Xuan didn’t mind Fang Yumei’s reaction. His current spiritual power was at a golden-level tier. Although still far from a Golden Powerhouse, on a spiritual level, he was already comparable.

Given Fang Yumei’s spiritual tier, if she dared make a move, Gao Xuan could easily extinguish her consciousness with a stroke of sword intent. Even if he couldn’t kill her, he could render her unconscious for days.

Gao Xuan quickly established a stable connection with the Celestial Spirit Sword Box.

A massive silver room was rapidly constructed.

This room resembled a palace, grand and imposing in style.

On a towering throne sat a white-robed elder, looking down upon Gao Xuan with a cold, indifferent gaze.

Gao Xuan glanced at himself, seeing only his spirit projection, without carrying the Godslaying Sword.

He attempted to summon the Godslaying Sword but was blocked by an overwhelming power.

As expected of a golden-level Marvel, easily countering the Godslaying Sword.

Gao Xuan was merely testing; he had no intention of taking a shortcut.

He wasn’t truly a Sword Dao genius, but he was a genuine Sword Dao powerhouse.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, even in his past life, he was comfortably within the top ten among humans.

Since his rebirth, he amended his cultivation path. Though his cultivation level remained at Bronze, his swordsmanship surpassed his previous life.

Gao Xuan was confident that as long as the Celestial Spirit Sword Box’s test remained within human swordsmanship bounds, he could conquer it.

The white-robed elder waved his hand, and a swordsman suddenly emerged.

The swordsman was dignified, wielding a longsword, exuding a valiant aura.

The swordsman’s attire appeared Chinese, somewhat resembling a Daoist robe, yet more exquisite, with a half-body leather armor on top.

Gao Xuan wasn’t versed in history and couldn’t determine which era this swordsman’s attire represented.

However, spiritual surroundings often adjust based on one’s mental imagery.

For someone else, the image of a samurai might vary.

Marvels like this cannot be conjectured by common sense. Examining clothing details is almost pointless.

The samurai unsheathed his sword, pointing at Gao Xuan, signaling him to engage in battle.

Gao Xuan selected a fitting longsword from the nearby sword rack, quickly stepping forward and piercing the samurai through with one strike.

The samurai disintegrated into a white light, leaving no trace behind.

The white-robed elder seemed indifferent, shaking his finger as another samurai appeared.

This new samurai looked almost identical to the prior, only taller, wielding a longer sword.

Gao Xuan moved forward and dispatched him with one strike.

Another samurai emerged, even taller, measuring around two meters three. His build was slender, with especially long arms. He wielded an unusually thin and elongated longsword.

Clearly, to counter Gao Xuan’s quick sword style, the samurai kept adjusting.

Gao Xuan’s strength was limited, while the samurai could, through adjusting physique and sword artifact, achieve a quicker speed and a longer attack range.

If both sides’ data were laid out, it was clear the samurai’s stats were about 20% higher than Gao Xuan’s in all aspects.

Gao Xuan was accustomed to this mode, which was similar to the Sage’s assessments in the Mo Sect’s Holy Hall.

The Sage’s assessments were far more challenging than this.

Gao Xuan attacked decisively without hesitation, and the opposing samurai, deceived by his feint, made the first strike.

Seizing the opportunity in the opponent’s opening, Gao Xuan swiftly eliminated the samurai.

Then, another samurai emerged. This samurai was slender, about the same height as Gao Xuan, and wielded a lighter sword, almost like a thrusting sword.

When taking action, this samurai’s speed was noticeably faster, and their explosive power was more terrifying.

However, Gao Xuan still dispatched the opponent with two swords.

The opponent’s sword was faster than his, but he could predict all the opponent’s changes before the opponent made a move.

There was no suspense in this fight.

The samurai seemed endless; Gao Xuan consecutively killed thirty-six samurai and finally stood before an elder in white.

The elder in white stood up and drew a treasure sword from the sword rack beside him.

As the sword emerged from its sheath, the cold gleam from the treasure sword illuminated the great hall.

Gao Xuan was a bit surprised that the opponent used a special treasure sword, which was somewhat unscrupulous.

The elder in white clearly had no intention of reasoning; he took a few steps forward towards Gao Xuan, raising his sword to strike.

When the treasure sword slashed down, a curtain of cold light fell like a screen.

This cold light had no substantial killing power but confused one’s perception. It could be said to be quite shameless.

“Good thing I have the Six-winged Celestial Cicada…”

Gao Xuan muttered to himself, raising his sword and engaging the elder in a fierce battle.

The elder in white had watched Gao Xuan’s thirty-six battles and was quite familiar with his swordsmanship. His longsword slashed repeatedly, with an offensive like the great rivers Yangtze, ceaseless and endless.

Gao Xuan saw many flaws, but the opponent’s treasure sword was too sharp, and he was unwilling to take risks. Moreover, he wanted to see the elder’s swordsmanship discussed.

Fang Yumei stated clearly that this old man was good at copying and pasting.

With both sides at the same power level, Gao Xuan could always anticipate the enemy’s actions in advance, and his swordsmanship was already invincible.

Swordsmanship may seem complex, but the real changes in actual combat are limited.

In this kind of fair duel environment, neither side could harness Source Power, nor were there other marvels or weapons, eliminating all variables.

In a pure swordsmanship duel, Gao Xuan could not lose.

It’s like two people playing rock-paper-scissors; Gao Xuan could always know in advance what the opponent would choose, making it fundamentally impossible to lose.

After exchanging blows with the elder in white for quite a while, when the elder repeated a sword technique for the fourth time, Gao Xuan severed his arm with a single slash, slicing off the hand holding the sword.

He did not rush to kill the elder but instead snatched the elder’s sword.

With an extra treasure sword in hand, Gao Xuan felt a bit more assured. Only then did he finish off the elder with a single stroke.

After the elder’s death, the treasure sword did not disappear.

Gao Xuan nodded, clearly understanding this was the Celestial Spirit Sword Box’s default rule.

Although it was just a sword, its influence was significant.

As expected, two identical elders in white appeared next. Two elders pulled out treasure swords from the sword rack again.

Gao Xuan, holding dual swords, advanced without hesitation, first severing the two elders’ arms and snatching both swords.

After the two elders were killed, the two swords remained. Gao Xuan switched one treasure sword and planted the other into the ground.

Now he realized, the treasure sword used by the elders was meant for challengers to use.

Of course, very few people would think of this on their first challenge. Even if they thought of it, they might not be able to snatch the sword.

After experiencing failure, challengers would not have another chance to challenge and could not verify new ideas.

Gao Xuan, having played the Sage trials of the Mo Sect’s Hall, knew that the first test was swordsmanship, and the second test was wisdom.

With no other variables, anything that could be utilized was essentially a variable.

For instance, terrain, or the surrounding furniture, or even the characteristics of the opponent’s swordsmanship, etc.

Gao Xuan’s experience from two lifetimes combined with an assassin’s mindset allowed him to utilize any available force.

The subsequent battles had no suspense.

With dual swords in hand, Gao Xuan unleashed a frenzied slashing mode. As more and more elders in white appeared, Gao Xuan became more adept at killing them.

The elders in white kept copying Gao Xuan’s sword techniques, but Gao Xuan’s techniques were nothing special–just fast, accurate, and ruthless.

Gao Xuan’s left and right hands were extraordinarily balanced, with no weaknesses. His dual swords slashed continuously, always able to predict the opponent’s sword techniques.

He cleverly maneuvered using the terrain, splitting the elders in white and defeating them one by one.

The elders in white also learned from Gao Xuan and began using dual swords. However, the battle rhythm was still firmly controlled by Gao Xuan.

In the end, the elders split into thirty-six individuals, each wielding dual swords.

This time, thirty-six elders encircled Gao Xuan in a ring.

The elders formed groups of six, creating a semi-circular sword formation.

Coordinating with each other, the thirty-six formed a complete, giant sword array.

This arrangement truly leveraged their numerical advantage. Even if Gao Xuan tried to maneuver, he had to face a complete group of six in the sword formation.

The elders, their faces cold and emotionless, formed a meticulous sword array.

Gao Xuan instantly judged that this time, all the tricks could not be used.

The most terrifying aspect was that each elder had copied his quick sword. He could rely on judgment to fight against three or four.

But when the sword array formed, and six gathered, his preempts became useless.

Moreover, if the opponent sacrificed up to three groups of sword formations, they could trap him in a dead corner.

This was all a calculated change. If Gao Xuan had no other way to respond, reaching this point would be a dead end.

But Gao Xuan smiled, “I knew you had this move. Brother has prepared a feast for you long ago…”