Night had barely faded when Lin Xuan stepped into the Sword Hall's main courtyard, the early light barely brushing the polished stone. A faint morning chill lingered, but the courtyard swarmed with movement—disciples whispering, staring, and parting as if instinctively drawn to, or repelled by, the quiet pressure around him.
Lin Xuan walked forward as if none of them existed.
No arrogance.
No excitement.
Just steady steps.
The events of the last two nights—the traps, Lin Feng's collapse, the silent eliminations—were known to no one. Yet the atmosphere around him had shifted entirely. Conversations hushed as he passed, the echoes of his footsteps falling like a quiet drumbeat.
But the biggest change was not from the disciples.
It was from the sky above.
Because three figures descended at once, robes sweeping through the air like falling clouds. Their arrival crushed the courtyard into silence. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. Lin Xuan looked up slightly—not in respect, but in acknowledgment.
Three Inner Hall Elders.
All here for him.
The first elder, an old man with a hawk-like gaze, let his voice carry across the courtyard. "Lin Xuan. Step forward."
He obeyed calmly.
The elder studied him in silence. Lin Xuan didn't shift, blink, or bow excessively—he simply stood, quietly unshaken. The elder's brow twitched, something like interest rising behind his stern expression.
"We received reports," the elder said, "that your sword comprehension surpassed Instructor Zhao's expectations."
A stir ran through the crowd.
Another elder spoke, his voice deeper and colder. "And that your Sword Intent reacted in your presence. A rare phenomenon… especially for someone at your realm."
Lin Xuan kept his tone respectful. "This disciple simply follows the sword path."
The first elder's eyes narrowed. "No. You see more than you reveal. And it is precisely because of that… we will not waste time."
He raised a hand.
A scroll materialized in a burst of white light, unrolling midair. The elegant silver characters seemed to tremble with suppressed power.
"This is the summons of the Inner Hall," the elder announced, voice cutting across the courtyard. "You, Lin Xuan, are hereby chosen to undergo the First Trial of Entry."
The entire Sword Hall erupted in noise.
"What?!"
"He hasn't even been here long!"
"That's imposs— the Inner Hall doesn't choose outer disciples—"
"Even core disciples wait years!"
Instructor Zhao stood in the distance, his expression frozen in a mixture of shock and secret vindication.
But for Lin Xuan… nothing changed. No ripple. No widening of the eyes. He simply lowered his gaze to the scroll, the light reflecting in his calm, sharpened pupils.
System text flickered into existence behind the elders, unseen by all but him.
[System Notification]
Inner Hall Trial Detected
New Mission: Prove the Dao Within the Sword Hall
Reward: +30% Dao Comprehension Speed, 1 Dao Fragment, ??? Hidden Reward
The blue panels dissolved silently.
Lin Xuan raised his head. "I accept."
The elders exchanged glances. The second elder whispered, "His heart… is this steady at his age?"
"Not heart," the third elder corrected. "Mind."
They descended from the air and formed a half circle around him.
"Very well," the first elder said. "Your first trial begins today. Now. You will follow us."
The elders didn't lead him to the Inner Hall grounds directly.
Instead, they walked toward the mountain path behind the Sword Hall. The trail climbed sharply, growing narrower until the forest swallowed them. Disciples followed at a respectful distance, whispering furiously.
Lin Xuan felt none of their excitement. His attention sharpened, drawn by something deeper. A pulsing resonance. A hidden layer of the mountain's Qi.
Step by step, breath by breath, the world grew heavier.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
The moment they passed a towering ancient archway, a wave of pressure suffused the air like condensed lightning. It crashed against Lin Xuan's body—and his mind.
But he endured it effortlessly.
The elders noticed.
The hawk-eyed elder lifted a brow. "He didn't even flinch."
"Most core disciples tremble the first time," the cold elder murmured. "And he…"
"…walks as if it is nothing."
Lin Xuan internally activated Silent Sword Step—not physically, but through intent. It allowed his presence to flow like a blade's shadow—thin, flexible, slipping through pressure instead of resisting it.
The mountain opened into a circular stone platform carved into the cliffside. Ancient sword scars covered the stone—marks of previous trials.
The first elder gestured at the center.
"Step into the formation."
The formation etched into the stone began to glow faintly, sharp lines of light forming sword-shaped arcs around its perimeter.
"This is the Trial of Clarity," the elder explained. "You will be struck by the illusory intent of a single ancient sword mark. If your spirit collapses, you fail. If your mind wavers, you fail. If you break the illusion…" He paused. "…you earn the right to walk into the Inner Hall."
Lin Xuan stepped forward without hesitation.
Gasps broke out from the disciples behind them.
The moment he crossed the boundary—
The world shattered.
Darkness surged up around him like a tidal wave, swallowing light. A single sword intent condensed in front of him. It wasn't a blade. It wasn't a slash. It was simply will—pure, absolute, demanding.
It pressed against his mind like a mountain of invisible steel.
Lin Xuan closed his eyes.
His Dao Comprehension System pulsed.
[Analyzing Sword Intent…]
[Intent Resonance Achieved]
[Mind Stability +15%]
[Begin Mind-Illusion Breakthrough]
A faint spark ignited behind his eyelids.
He stepped forward.
The sword will pushed harder, ripping into his consciousness, slicing through illusions of death, regret, pain, loss—every obstacle a mortal's heart could break upon.
Lin Xuan didn't break.
He didn't tremble.
He simply observed.
Each illusion dissolved before it could reach him—splintering like fragile glass.
The system chimed again.
[Breaking Illusion: 72%… 83%… 91%…]
Then, in the physical world, the glowing formation stilled.
The elders stared.
Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
The sword intent vanished.
The formation ceased glowing.
He walked out.
Silently.
Calmly.
Untouched.
The hawk-eyed elder breathed out slowly. "He… broke it in one attempt."
The cold elder shook his head in disbelief. "No. He erased it."
The third elder's expression deepened into something rare—respect. "This boy… is walking the Dao of the Silent Sword. Without being taught. Without guidance."
Lin Xuan stopped three steps away from them, waiting for their judgment.
The first elder smiled for the first time.
"Lin Xuan… welcome to the Inner Hall."
The forest wind swept through the cliff, carrying the weight of history with it. And for the first time, the Inner Sword Hall itself seemed to acknowledge him.
Hidden.
Silent.
A blade waiting to unsheathe.
But one day—
It would shake the continent.