The arena had become strangely quiet.
Only fifty people remained.
A few moments ago, the entire arena had been filled with the sound of swords clashing and cultivators shouting.
Now, most of the weaker participants had already been eliminated.
Yi Feng stood among the remaining cultivators, his sword hanging loosely at his side.
He looked around.
Only fifty left.
His eyes moved across the arena.
Some participants were breathing heavily. Others had already suffered injuries, but none of them seemed willing to give up.
At the edge of the arena, the purple-robed elder stood with his hands behind his back.
His expression remained calm.
"All of you have passed the first round."
The remaining participants immediately became attentive.
"However..."
The elder paused.
"There are only thirty places."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Twenty people would still be eliminated.
A young man holding a long silver sword stepped forward.
"Senior, what is the next test?"
The purple-robed elder smiled faintly.
"The second round will test your sword comprehension."
Several participants looked surprised.
"Sword comprehension?"
"How are we supposed to test that?"
The elder didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he raised one hand.
A strange pressure suddenly descended upon the arena.
BOOM!
Everyone felt an invisible force pressing against their bodies.
Some cultivators immediately took a step backward.
Yi Feng narrowed his eyes.
This pressure...
It wasn't ordinary essence.
It carried something sharper.
Something that seemed to be cutting directly into his mind.
The elder pointed toward a massive stone tablet standing behind him.
The tablet was several meters tall and covered in ancient marks.
"That is the Sword Intent Tablet."
"If you wish to enter the Firmament Sword Sect, you must leave your sword mark upon it."
The participants stared at the tablet.
One of them frowned.
"How?"
"Use your sword."
The elder's voice was calm.
"Your strength doesn't matter. Your cultivation doesn't matter."
"What matters is how much you understand about the sword."
Yi Feng's eyes narrowed.
So this isn't a normal battle.
He slowly tightened his grip around his sword.
The elder continued.
"Those who cannot leave a mark will be eliminated."
"Those who leave a mark will be ranked according to the depth of their sword intent."
A murmur spread through the arena.
Suddenly, a muscular young man stepped forward.
"I'll go first!"
He walked toward the tablet.
His cultivation erupted.
BOOM!
A powerful aura spread throughout the arena.
"Peak Level 2!"
Several participants exclaimed.
The young man raised his sword above his head.
"Mountain Splitting Sword!"
He swung downward.
CLANG!
His sword struck the tablet.
Sparks flew.
A shallow mark appeared.
The young man smiled proudly.
"I passed!"
The purple-robed elder looked at the mark.
"Next."
The young man's smile froze.
"Wait... that's it?"
The elder didn't respond.
Another participant walked forward.
Then another.
One after another, they struck the tablet.
Some left deeper marks.
Some left only scratches.
And some couldn't leave anything at all.
Those people were immediately eliminated.
Yi Feng watched silently.
He wasn't paying attention to their cultivation.
He was watching their swords.
They're relying too much on strength.
He remembered the first page of the Life and Death Art.
Myriad Sword Technique.
The first sword technique had seemed extremely simple when he first read it.
At that time, he had thought it was merely a basic sword technique.
But after practicing with the ancient sword for so long, he had begun to realize something.
The technique wasn't teaching him how to swing a sword.
It was teaching him how to understand the sword.
"Yi Feng."
A voice suddenly called his name.
He looked up.
The purple-robed elder was staring at him.
"You're next."
The arena became quiet.
Yi Feng slowly walked toward the Sword Intent Tablet.
His footsteps echoed through the arena.
A young man among the participants sneered.
"He's only Level 2."
"He's probably going to make the shallowest mark."
Another participant laughed.
"Maybe he won't even leave one."
Yi Feng ignored them.
He stood in front of the massive tablet.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a strange sensation coming from his ancient sword.
Hum...
The sword trembled slightly.
Yi Feng's expression changed.
What's happening?
The ancient sword had never reacted like this before.
He slowly drew it from its sheath.
SHING!
The moment the sword appeared, an ancient aura spread throughout the arena.
Everyone froze.
Even the purple-robed elder's expression changed.
His eyes locked onto the sword.
That sword...
For the first time, there was shock in his eyes.
Yi Feng didn't notice.
His attention was completely focused on the Sword Intent Tablet.
He remembered the first technique of the Life and Death Art.
Myriad Sword Technique.
He raised the ancient sword.
Instead of pouring all his essence into it, he allowed his breathing to become slower.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
The noise of the arena gradually disappeared from his mind.
He could only feel the sword in his hand.
Then he moved.
Slash!
There was no terrifying explosion.
No massive sword light.
Just a simple slash.
The sword touched the tablet.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave erupted.
The entire arena trembled.
A crack appeared on the surface of the Sword Intent Tablet.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
The purple-robed elder's pupils contracted.
"Impossible..."
The crack continued spreading.
CRACK!
CRACK!
A deep sword mark suddenly appeared across the tablet.
The arena fell completely silent.
Yi Feng stared at his sword.
He hadn't expected this either.
I barely used any essence.
The purple-robed elder immediately appeared beside the tablet.
He placed his hand on the sword mark and examined it carefully.
His expression became increasingly serious.
"This isn't ordinary sword intent."
One of the disciples asked nervously:
"Senior... what is it?"
The elder didn't answer.
His gaze shifted toward Yi Feng.
"Where did you obtain this sword?"
Yi Feng's heart tightened.
He immediately became cautious.
"I bought it from a blacksmith."
The elder stared at him.
"You bought it?"
"Yes."
The elder remained silent for several seconds.
Then he turned toward the other participants.
"The second round is over."
Everyone became nervous.
The elder announced:
"Those who left a sword mark have passed."
He paused.
"However, the ranking will be determined in the third round."
The participants immediately began discussing among themselves.
Yi Feng sheathed his sword.
But just as he turned around, he heard a voice behind him.
"Wait."
He stopped.
The purple-robed elder looked at him.
"Come with me."
Yi Feng frowned.
"Where?"
The elder's expression was unreadable.
"To meet the Sect Master."
Yi Feng's heart skipped a beat.
The Sect Master?
He looked at the ancient sword hanging from his waist.
For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
He followed the elder away from the arena.
Neither of them noticed the strange symbol slowly appearing on the surface of the ancient sword.
A symbol that had not existed before.
And far away...
Inside the forbidden grounds of the Firmament Sword Sect, an ancient stone door suddenly trembled.
BOOM!
Dust fell from its surface.
A pair of ancient eyes slowly opened behind the door.
"...The sword has appeared again."
The voice was ancient and cold.
"After all these years..."
A faint killing intent filled the forbidden grounds.
"Who brought it back?"
To be continued...