The eastern sky turned white as the dawn gradually emerged with the glow of twilight.
After the evening darkness, dawn was about to break. A hint of morning light, akin to the sword light in Zhou Yan's eyes at this moment.
Having comprehended the Sword Dao throughout the night, Zhou Yan's spirit was concentrated, thoroughly cleansing his marrow and bones, and refining a cluster of Breaking Void Internal Power into his body.
His body remained thin but felt as if it were cast from steel, filled with explosive Blood Qi strength.
His gaze was profound, black as the stars, shedding the previous immaturity of a fifteen-year-old, as if he had an epiphany overnight and suddenly understood the true Tao.
After that strand of morning light appeared, his statue-like body gradually began to move. Initially, it was slight, but then the frequency gradually increased.
Finally, his hand moved in a unique pose, forming a peculiar shape—resembling a beast's motion, now displayed on him.
"Dragon Form, Rising Dragon Sword!"
Zhou Yan lightly called out, and his hand holding the sword suddenly trembled. With a sharp "whoosh," the sword in his hand emitted a clear whistling sound, like a melodious musical note.
Ahead, with a swishing sound, a scattering of fluttering dried leaves flew from nowhere, instantly pierced through, like beads on this silver-gray iron sword.
However, with this strike, containing immense strength, the long sword that had accompanied him for three years emitted a dull sound, snapped, and fell from the air, breaking into two pieces.
Zhou Yan furrowed his brows into a '川' shape, seemingly unable to meet his own expectations with this sword.
"Dragon Form, only an entry-level comprehension, with much insight, yet even basic control is lacking. Could it be, I can't change my foolish nature?"
Zhou Yan murmured to himself. After speaking, he stretched out his hand. The broken sword that fell to the ground flew up again with a "whoosh," landing in his hand!
He stopped pondering and temporarily gave up the Dragon Form, forgetting the Nine Yin Nine Yang Mental Method, and instead practiced the Zhou Family's basic swordsmanship—the Bi Shui Connecting Heavens Sword Technique.
Despite spending an entire night not comprehending the Dragon Form Sword Dao, Zhou Yan refused to believe that his family-deemed first comprehension talent would be useless!
Especially after receiving the inheritance, having experienced the soul-deep feeling of cleansing marrow and bones, he felt like a shackle had been broken through, which made him increasingly trust in his comprehension, not as poor as Zhou Lingyi and others imagined!
With an inexplicable faith, he began to practice the family's fundamental swordsmanship again.
This swordsmanship had nine forms in total.
Each form was quite complex.
Previously, Zhou Yan felt that the first three forms were relatively easy, but after the third form, each form became unfathomable, making practice challenging.
Hence, with his prior Swordman Triple Heaven realm, he could only comprehend the first three forms of the Bi Shui Connecting Heavens Sword Technique. By the fourth form, he struggled. By the fifth form, it was like reading a Heavenly Book, beyond understanding.
Now, having undergone the torrent-like information inheritance and understood the first form of Xingyi Swordsmanship—the Dragon Form, practicing the family swordsmanship was like a natural progression.
First form, second form.
Third form, fourth form.
After repeating the fourth form once, he directly executed the fifth form, then the sixth…
Seventh…
After repeating it four or five times, Zhou Yan then comprehended the eighth form.
At this time, Zhou Yan forgot about his faith and was completely immersed in this cultivation, until the broken silver-gray iron sword reflected a red sword light under the red sun, occasionally flashing into his eyes, suddenly awakening him.
At this time, streams of energy in his body flowed like water, rustling, circulating with clusters of Sword Energy resembling small silver swords created by Breaking Void Internal Power and the Nine Yin Nine Yang Mental Method.
When he awoke, he sensed this scene.
For a moment, on Zhou Yan's cold and determined face, there was a look of astonishment—joy, surprise, and disbelief.
"Sword Qi… having Sword Qi within the body is the sign of a clear Sword Qi Realm! But now I am only in the Sword Beginning First Layer Heaven realm… all of this..."
Zhou Yan took a deep breath, stabilizing his somewhat excited heart, striving to calm himself down.
The Sword Dao Realm was divided into Swordman, Sword Beginning, and Sword Qi realms, only after the Sword Qi could one know and reach subsequent realms!
But after one night, it seemed like he qualified to step into the Sword Qi Realm!
This was an unimaginable excitement. From the Sword Beginning Realm to the Sword Qi Realm, this leap still had three realms of distance. But from Sword Beginning Three Heavens to Sword Qi First Layer Heaven, this gap was like an abyss.
In Canglan City, uncountable geniuses were stuck at this pass!
This difficulty was something Zhou Yan, a relatively ordinary family member, could not imagine. Now, he had the nascent form of Sword Qi within him. How could he not be delighted?
Understanding this situation, even with Zhou Yan's partially Grandmaster temperament, he couldn't help but have his heart race.
In this world of the Sword Dao, for a cultivator, the most important thing was defined by two aspects: one was physical quality, known as root bone; the other was comprehension, or the ability to understand.
In his earlier assessments, while his root bone was extremely poor, his comprehension was outstanding, far beyond ordinary imagination!
Thus, even though his mother's "lowly status" was that of a "mysterious" courtesan, he still held a core direct descendant position in the family.
But, time and again, when he disappointed his grandfather, his grandfather's sad and disappointed gaze cut his heart like a knife, making him feel deep shame.
Now, with his body cleansed, his root bone was undoubtedly strong and invincible, and his comprehension seemed extraordinarily remarkable since a bodily shackle had been unlocked!
He was no longer the grandson who disappointed his grandfather! No longer the son who embarrassed his father, no longer the "vain" "genius" looked upon with strange and mocking eyes by those around him!
No longer would he let his grandfather show such disappointment! No longer would he see the heartbreakingly sad look in his grandfather's and father's eyes!
He would become a true genius, a peerless genius that would astonish everyone!
Zhou Yan retrieved the broken sword, slung it diagonally across his waist, and took steps toward the rising sun.
Bathed in the glow of the morning, he seemed to walk from ancient times, journeying toward the immortality of the Sword Dao!
…
"Zhou Yan, do you know you are already late? The Family Head Grandfather knows about you pushing your limits! Do you know you've become the family's disobedient example and have been criticized by the Preaching Elder?"
Before reaching the training field, Zhou Yan heard a voice that was somewhat sharp with a hint of hoarseness.
It was the voice of a juvenile boy undergoing a voice change.
He was Zhou Yan's cousin, Zhou Xian. Zhou Xian had excellent physical qualities, his comprehension used to be eclipsed by Zhou Yan. Thus, he once humbly sought advice from Zhou Yan. Once he found Zhou Yan seemingly "dull," his attitude changed.
Now, he even considered his skills superior to Zhou Yan's and was unwilling to call him "senior brother" or "cousin"!
Moreover, he even saw Zhou Yan as his shame, never wanting to be compared with him, believing it was an insult!