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"Since both parties have decided to compete, the Spirit Hall has no reason to refuse. Let them proceed," Bibi Dong said casually.
How could she not know that in this match, Chen Xin would be guiding Ning Tianchen?
A teaching battle—what was there to watch?
However, the audience couldn't see through this. With two sects possessing Title Douluos about to compete, how could they miss it?
In no time, word spread among the spectators, and most who had already left began returning to the venue.
Chen Xin and Ning Tianchen simultaneously stepped onto the stage.
Ning Tianchen bowed deeply to the other. "Grandpa, congratulations on finding yourself again. For the upcoming match, please guide me."
Chen Xin nodded, the Seven Kill Sword appearing in his hand. In a calm tone, he said, "Come, let's fight in the air. You strike first—let me see the results of your training."
To evaluate the results of his training, there was no need to use soul skills provided by soul rings.
But for Ning Tianchen, a Soul Douluo, staying airborne without relying on sword wings posed a significant challenge.
He could indeed ride the Seven Kill Sword to stay aloft, but without it, how could he execute his sword techniques?
Chen Xin flew into the air first, not forgetting to remind him, "I've told you before—a true master doesn't rely solely on the sword. A sword can be a fine wooden stick or even anything in the world."
Ning Tianchen suddenly understood.
In his previous life, he had read descriptions of many great swordsmen in novels.
The sword resides in the heart; all things can become the sword. Achieving unity of intent, spirit, and sword, infusing spirit, intent, energy, and strength into one's swordplay—this was the Sword Heart Realm.
Anyone could grasp the concept from a mantra at a glance, but applying it in actual combat was another matter entirely.
Standing on the Seven Kill Sword, Ning Tianchen flew to the same height as the other.
With his right hand forming a sword gesture, sword energy condensed at his fingertips.
"Seven Kill Sword Technique, Swift Sword Form."
The sword moved like the wind, swift as thunder.
Using only his fingers as a sword greatly diminished the power. However, in terms of form, spirit, energy, and strength, Ning Tianchen had reached the pinnacle.
Chen Xin also formed a sword gesture with his right hand, parrying each of the opponent's attacks.
He commented, "Lacking sword intent. Don't rush—recall the intent you infused into your strikes when wielding the Seven Kill Sword."
Ning Tianchen ceased his attack, suspending himself mid-air, slowly closing his eyes, and focusing on recalling the sword intent he had used with the Seven Kill Sword.
---
In the audience, seeing Ning Tianchen in such a state of enlightenment, Dugu Bo couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems that after Sword Douluo's guidance, the young man's strength will undergo a transformation after today."
"I'm truly looking forward to seeing how far he can go in the future."
Ning Rongrong held her head high with pride, declaring boldly, "Big Brother Tianchen will surely become the number one figure in the world of soul masters."
Yang Wudi and the others exchanged knowing smiles.
From the bottom of their hearts, they felt they had chosen the right leader to follow.
The stronger Ning Tianchen became, the greater the influence of their sect would grow. As members of the sect, they would naturally benefit more.
However, the audience was deeply dissatisfied with the grandfather-grandson duo's performance.
"What's going on? Are these two treating the conference arena like a child's game?"
"Exactly! Sword Douluo just standing there doing nothing, while Sect Leader Ning Tianchen is meditating with his eyes closed—are they here to make fun of us?"
Most of the audience knew the relationship between Ning Tianchen and Chen Xin. But when it came to the honor of their respective sects, even grandfather and grandson should fight their hardest for their sects, not play house here.
As a sect that inherited sword-type martial souls, the Wind Sword Sect's attending experts were intently focused on every detail of the aerial battlefield.
Chen Xin didn't rush to attack but instead allowed Ning Tianchen to engage him in this manner, clearly probing Ning Tianchen's capabilities to provide appropriate guidance.
The Wind Sword Sect lacked a powerful sword technique inheritance. If they could glean some insight into sword intent from Chen Xin's teachings, it would be a gain for them.
Not long after, Ning Tianchen slowly opened his eyes.
Infusing sword intent into his sword gesture, he slashed down abruptly.
Chen Xin easily countered his move and offered his critique: "You have the sword intent this time, but it lacks a bit of spirit. The movements are too rigid."
To achieve intent, spirit, and sword as one—only then could Ning Tianchen directly step into the Sword Heart Realm.
For now, he still fell short.
Chen Xin swung his sword gesture, releasing a stream of sword energy that passed by Ning Tianchen.
"Carefully feel my sword energy."
Ning Tianchen emptied his mind, his gaze sharp as he stared at Chen Xin's sword energy.
He could clearly sense that the other's sword energy had undergone significant changes compared to before.
Overflowing with killing intent, clean and decisive!
With newfound understanding, he began attempting to integrate and apply it.
After unleashing several streams of sword energy, though still flawed, his progress was substantial compared to before.
Chen Xin continued, "Remember this feeling, then use the Seven Kill Domain to perform it again."
Activating the Seven Kill Domain could compensate for Ning Tianchen's shortcomings in the Sword Heart Realm. In other words, the sword energy Ning Tianchen would unleash next would count as being executed within the Sword Heart Realm.
Words alone were meaningless; experiencing it firsthand was everything.
The contrast between his earlier and current attempts made it easy for Ning Tianchen to identify the gaps and gradually refine and improve.
The instructional battle lasted a long time, and most of the audience grew impatient and left once again.
Ning Tianchen and Chen Xin paid no heed to the comings and goings of the audience, continuing their session until dusk fell.
---
In the subsequent elder battles, the Sky Sword Sect chose not to fight and forfeited directly.
Tomorrow, in the match against the Snow Mountain Sect, Ning Tianchen only arranged for Yang Wudi to face Tian Guozhen, with everyone else forfeiting.
There was no suspense in the match, so there was no need for tactics.
After returning to the hotel, Ning Tianchen locked himself in his room, continuously reflecting on Chen Xin's teachings.
"The final step toward victory is also the easiest to falter on. I must not rush—I absolutely cannot rush."
With this self-admonishment, Ning Tianchen emptied his mind and entered seclusion.
Time passed, and Ning Tianchen did not attend the following day's match.
After the match against the Snow Mountain Sect concluded, the re-selection conference of the seven great sects officially came to an end.
The upper three sects, ranked in order, were: the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Snow Mountain Sect, and the Sky Sword Sect.
The lower four sects, ranked in order, were: the Elephant Armor Sect, the Holy Dragon Sect, the Black Tiger Sect, and the Wind Sword Sect.
Though Tuoba Xi's strength was indeed superior to Huyan Zhen's, the gap in the elder battles between the two sects was simply too vast.
Once the Holy Dragon Sect's elder faced off against the Elephant Armor Sect's Grand Elder Huyan Qi, the outcome of the elder battles was no longer in doubt.
Although the Elephant Armor Sect lost the sect leader battle, their flawless victories in the elder battles allowed them to rank above the Holy Dragon Sect.
After announcing the rankings of the new seven great sects, Bibi Dong personally awarded certificates to the major sects.
Since Ning Tianchen was absent, Dugu Bo accepted the award on his behalf.
At the same time, the Spirit Hall would announce the rankings of the seven great sects to the entire continent.
---
Two days after the conference ended, the experts from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Snow Mountain Sect, and the Sky Sword Sect did not leave Spirit City but remained to await Ning Tianchen's emergence from seclusion.
On this day, everyone gathered at the hotel where the Sky Sword Sect was staying.
Gu Rong couldn't help but say, "Fengzhi, after the conference ended, the Spirit Hall withdrew its protection of the various sects. We must return quickly to take charge of the situation."
It wasn't that Gu Rong was anxious, but the situation on the continent was dire.
Immediately after the conference ended, the two empires stationed a million troops at the border, and war could break out at any moment.
As the protective sect of the Tian Dou Empire, if the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect didn't return promptly to manage affairs, unforeseen changes might arise.
Chen Xin calmly remarked, "Old Bones, you and Fengzhi return to the sect first. I'll wait here a little longer."
Inside Spirit City, danger was ever-present. If he weren't here to guard Ning Tianchen, the latter might face grave threats.
Ning Rongrong said, "Grandpa Sword, you all should return. Elder Yang, Elder Huo, and Elder Zhao, you should also go back. I'll stay here with Elder Dugu to protect Big Brother Tianchen."
"Rongrong, Spirit City is a den of wolves. You absolutely cannot stay here," Ning Fengzhi urged anxiously.
If Ning Rongrong were to fall into the Spirit Hall's hands, they could force the Sky Sword Sect and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to submit.
Given Bibi Dong's unpredictable nature, Ning Fengzhi dared not take any chances. The best course of action was to leave no vulnerabilities behind.
"But Big Brother Tianchen…" Ning Rongrong hesitated, her gaze shifting toward Ning Tianchen's room, filled with worry.
Inside the room, Ning Tianchen had recalled and practiced countless times in his mind but still hadn't taken that final step.
Listening to the commotion outside, he felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.
But at this moment, he absolutely couldn't leave with everyone else.
On the road, not only would there be no suitable cultivation environment, but this precious state of enlightenment might also dissipate.
"What part of this process is going wrong!"
He was so anxious that he began scratching his head and tugging at his ears.
Chen Xin seemed to sense his state and transmitted a message using sound transmission: "Tianchen, what I taught you earlier was the path of swordsmanship I walked. You can use it as a reference, but you must not imitate or follow it directly."
"Previously, I encountered a similar mental state. To forge your own path, you must firmly believe in yourself and not be swayed by other paths."
Ning Tianchen took several deep breaths in succession and once again entered a state of seclusion.
He cast aside all distracting thoughts and devoted himself entirely to deducing his own path of swordsmanship.
This time, it was as if divine assistance had been granted—he quickly grasped the threshold of the Sword Heart Realm.
Possessing the Killing God Domain, he hadn't focused much on cultivating killing intent, which was the aspect he had overlooked.
Identifying the gap, he corrected it.
Within an hour, he fully comprehended the Sword Heart Realm.
This was his own path of swordsmanship—a long and arduous journey, but the outcome was ultimately rewarding.
When he opened his eyes again, he formed a sword gesture with his right hand, clearly perceiving the flow of sword energy around him.
His fingers "brushed" against some sword energy, and with a gentle flick, he achieved heights that were previously unattainable.
---
When he opened the door to his room, Ning Fengzhi and his daughter stopped their argument.
Ning Rongrong anxiously asked, "Big Brother Tianchen, how did it go?"
Before Ning Tianchen could respond, Chen Xin smiled and said, "Rongrong, there's no need to argue anymore. Let's all return together."
He could sense the change in Ning Tianchen. Having stepped into the Sword Heart Realm meant his body and sword were united, and his sword and spirit were one. His entire demeanor was now incomparable to before.
On the way back, Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong received news that the godly trial had been completed.
"Third Trial of the Asura: Completed. Reward: 15% increase in Asura Affinity, 20,000 years added to soul ring duration, and one divine-bestowed soul ring."
"Current total affinity: 30%."
With a combined 40,000 years added to his soul ring duration, Ning Tianchen's sixth soul ring had now reached 80,000 years.
Further increases from subsequent trials would elevate his sixth soul ring to the 100,000-year level.
However, a soul ring elevated to 100,000 years through divine trials wouldn't possess a second soul skill—a minor regret.
The completion of the third trial didn't leave them waiting long before the content of the fourth trial was immediately issued.
"Fourth Trial of the Asura: Collaborative extermination of the wolf bandits in Xingnan City, time limit: one year. Objective: Eliminate more than 80% of the wolf bandits, preventing them from regrouping. Upon completion, reward: 15% increase in Asura Affinity, 20,000 years added to soul ring duration, and one divine-bestowed soul ring."
"Failure to complete will result in the deduction of all affinity, and subsequent trials will double in difficulty!"
Upon hearing the content of the trial, Ning Tianchen couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
Completing this trial would push his sixth soul ring beyond the 100,000-year mark.
However, the requirement for collaboration raised a question.
In the third trial, the collaborator was explicitly mentioned, but this time, there was no such indication.
Ning Rongrong analyzed, "Big Brother Tianchen, is it possible that this time there are multiple collaborators, and they're not fixed?"
After a brief moment of thought, Ning Tianchen smiled and said, "I think it's possible that Xiaotian and the others also received the trial. Their trial content overlaps with ours, which is why it's phrased this way in the divine trial."
Whether or not this was true would be confirmed once they returned.
Feng Xiaotian's talent wasn't weak, and he was suited to the wind god attribute. Ning Tianchen didn't think the wind god would pass up such a promising successor.
---
The names of the new upper three sects were announced by the Spirit Hall to the entire continent.
Far away in Annan City, Tang San and his group quickly learned the news through Governor Waltz.
They had originally planned to attend the re-selection conference of the seven great sects, but because they were wanted by both the Spirit Hall and the Tian Dou Empire for their appearances, they reluctantly gave up on attending in person.
However, every detail of the matches was reported to them in real-time by disciples of the Strength Clan.
"Damn it, Ning Tianchen has become so strong, and I've just barely broken through to Soul Sage!" Tang San's expression darkened, and he unconsciously clenched his fists tightly.
During this period of intensive training under Tang Xiao's guidance, the five monsters of Shrek Academy had rapidly increased in strength, yet they never expected Ning Tianchen's progress to be even more terrifying.
During the Soul Master Tournament, he had been suppressed by Ning Tianchen, and after the tournament, the gap between them had only widened. How could Tang San accept this!
Yu Xiaogang noticed his abnormal demeanor and quickly grabbed his arms, shouting loudly, "Xiao San, you must calm down!"
Tang San was their hope for revenge. If he were to give up, everything they had done so far would be in vain.
Tang Xiao consoled him, saying, "Xiao San, when you reach the Sea God Island, your breakthroughs in strength will also come swiftly."
"Our enemies are always watching us. If we give up first, our enemies will laugh in their sleep."
"Now, you must pull yourself together. Don't forget, Xiao San, you're still a twin martial soul soul master. After breaking through to Title Douluo, you can add soul rings to the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul, allowing you to quickly break through to Super Douluo status."
"I can tell you clearly—after breaking through to Title Douluo, each level becomes extremely difficult to advance. But you—you can easily surpass this stage!"
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