Chapter 88

Lu Xuan did not put on a look of facing a formidable enemy; he simply stood naturally with his sword, the tip slightly drooping, appearing casual but perfectly formed, with almost no flaws.

He had not even made a move, but just by taking this stance, he instantly caught the attention of all the elders present.

The disciples present were of low strength and lacked the discernment to see the profundity of Lu Xuan's move, but the elders were different. The weakest among them had already reached the Spirit Refinement Realm. Lu Xuan's seemingly simple stance was actually far from simple!

Elder Cheng's eyes were wide open, filled with shock, looking somewhat doubtful and almost disbelieving.

"This is... this is... the Way of Heart Sword? Sword in heart, heart in sword. Could it be that Lu Xuan has actually comprehended Sword Intent?!" he could not help but exclaim.

He was unaware of what had happened in the Sword Forest earlier. Although Lu Xuan did not make any moves for a long time after entering the Sword Forest, Elder Cheng guessed he might have been sensing Sword Intent. However, sensing Sword Intent and comprehending Sword Intent are two entirely different things.

Not only was Elder Cheng shocked, but even Deputy Sect Master Jin could no longer remain calm. He stared straight at Lu Xuan, muttering, "Sword Intent? Could it really be Sword Intent? This boy's talent is simply too astonishing! He is only sixteen years old! He has only reached the Fifth Level of Body Tempering!"

As if recalling something, Elder Jin could not help but slap his head. "I should have realized this earlier. No wonder he could kill eight Seventh Level Body Tempering warriors in the Sword Forest and rank in the top three hundred with only Fifth Level Body Tempering strength. It turns out he has comprehended Sword Intent."

All of Elder Jin's doubts were now resolved with just this one stance of Lu Xuan's, giving him a sense of sudden clarity. However, this only made him value Lu Xuan even more. To comprehend Sword Intent at the Fifth Level of Body Tempering, such talent was simply beyond description, even the term 'prodigy' was insufficient.

For a moment, Elder Jin was as excited as a child. What is most important for a sect? It is talent! Talent is the core competitiveness of a sect. If a sect cannot produce sufficiently outstanding talents for a long time, its decline is inevitable.

Why does the Wind Sword Sect have outer sect, inner sect, and core disciples? It is to gradually select out the talents.

"That's right. Lu Xuan stayed in the Sword Forest for a while before starting the test, clearly sensing Sword Intent. Could he have comprehended Sword Intent in that short time? Such talent is something even core disciples do not possess!" Elder Jin muttered to himself again.

Almost all the elders present saw that Lu Xuan had a high possibility of comprehending Sword Intent. As long as Lu Xuan made a move, they would instantly confirm it.

Elder Zheng, the father of Zheng Gang, was already ashen-faced. He did not expect that Lu Xuan still had such a powerful trump card. Although Zheng Gang was one level higher than Lu Xuan, for a warrior with Sword Intent, fighting across levels was a common occurrence. Unless Zheng Gang could comprehend Blade Intent, he would have no chance of winning.

Defeated, defeated, Elder Zheng had already decided the outcome for Zheng Gang in his heart. He was about to send a message to Zheng Gang to cancel the duel to avoid disgracing the Blade Sect, but at that moment, he felt a sharp gaze shooting at him.

Affected by this gaze, Elder Zheng could not help but shiver. Looking up, he saw that the sharp gaze came from Elder Jin, the warning in his eyes was clear.

The Blade Sect was the one who was dissatisfied, the one who proposed the duel, and now the one who wanted to cancel it. This was clearly not respecting him, the deputy sect master. Even a clay figure would have a bit of anger.

Receiving Elder Jin's warning, Elder Zheng immediately dared not make any more moves and could only watch helplessly as Zheng Gang disgraced himself in front of everyone.

Although many elders saw that Lu Xuan had Sword Intent, Zheng Gang did not have the discernment to see it. However, he also felt that there was something unusual about Lu Xuan's stance.

At first glance, he could not see any flaws, and he had a sense of not knowing where to start. For a moment, he hesitated, but at that moment, Lu Xuan's calm voice came.

"Make your move. You only have one chance to attack."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Gang's anger flared up. You are clearly at a lower level than me. Do you really think you can defeat me with one move? I'll see how much you are really worth!

With this anger, Zheng Gang's momentum greatly increased, and his hesitation disappeared.

Since there are no flaws, I will create them. Strength overcomes ten wisdoms. Even if your martial skills are excellent, I will use my level to overpower you!

With a low roar, Zheng Gang's single saber swung instantly, his full yuan force erupted without reservation, creating a strong wind that made their clothes flutter.

This time, he decided to go all out. He would use his powerful strength to directly crush Lu Xuan!

With a loud shout, Zheng Gang's body was like a fully drawn bow, suddenly bursting forth, leaping into the air, and delivering a powerful slash directly at Lu Xuan. The overwhelming blade aura tightly enveloped the saber. If Lu Xuan were hit by this slash, everyone had no doubt that he would be cut in half!

As Zheng Gang's slash was unleashed, the disciples could not help but show a hint of surprise in their eyes. Previously, because of Lu Xuan's outstanding achievements, they did not think Zheng Gang was that strong.

But now, with this slash, they realized that Zheng Gang was indeed incredibly powerful, living up to his reputation as a genius. If it were not for Lu Xuan, Zheng Gang would undoubtedly be the top of this batch.

"I didn't expect Senior Brother Zheng to be so strong. The final result might be a victory for Senior Brother Zheng!"

"That's what Lu Xuan deserves for boasting that he could defeat Senior Brother Zheng with only one-tenth of his yuan force. Does he really think he is that powerful?"

"That's not entirely true. Even if Zheng Gang wins this time, it will be because of a trick. Knowing that Lu Xuan's yuan force is weak, he specifically uses yuan force to bully him, which is not a fair victory."

"Ha, a win is a win, a loss is a loss. There are no such principles."

...

As Zheng Gang's slash was unleashed, the disciples could not help but discuss again. The outcome of this battle was now in doubt. After all, Lu Xuan's biggest weakness was his lack of yuan force. Now that Zheng Gang specifically targeted this weakness, it would be extremely difficult for Lu Xuan to block it!

"Sever—Rock—Slash!"

As he delivered the slash, Zheng Gang, who was high in the air, enunciated the name of this move word by word.

This move was a mid-grade Yellow Rank martial skill! Even though Zheng Gang had only mastered it to fifty percent, it was still his most powerful move, the one with the most force!

If Lu Xuan chose to block, Zheng Gang had a hundred percent confidence in crushing him!

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Lu Xuan, wanting to see how he, with only one-tenth of his yuan force, would block Zheng Gang's overwhelming attack.