At the opening of the tunnel, before the starting line.
Fang Lang's green robe fluttered as he held his steel sword in his hand. Unlike Jiang Linglong and the others, he did not have a special weapon.
Lu Ze strolled to his side, dressed in a humble robe. The boy reeked of alcohol. With a loud gulp, he downed the wine in his bottle gourd, glancing at Fang Lang from the corner of his eye.
Coincidentally, Lu Ze was also in the fifth batch.
Lu Ze did not say a word. He continued to down his wine. His injuries had already healed but the psychological impact of his defeat still lingered.
In truth, Lu Ze did not expect to end up in the same batch as Fang Lang.
The surprise encounter fueled Lu Ze's resolve to win—he wanted to duel Fang Lang once more.
Nevertheless, Lu Ze had come to accept his defeat in the team event. Fang Lang's mastery of the Four Season Form had caught him off guard but that was not a valid excuse for losing.
"Let's see who can travel the furthest?"
Lu Ze turned to Fang Lang and raised his bottle gourd.
Fang Lang merely glanced at him and said nothing.
The old scarred sword master studied the batch of 100 students with his eagle eyes. Then, he announced in an aloof manner, "Begin!"
At his command, the 100 students in the fifth batch entered the tunnel.
Lu Ze grinned. He lowered his bottle gourd and unsheathed the sword on his back. With confident strides, he entered the tunnel.
Fang Lang took a deep breath. He drew out his sword and followed suit.
…
The moment Fang Lang entered the tunnel, he felt as if the world was instantly warping before his eyes. The sky and the ground spun, the stars seemed to have shifted positions and even the mountains and rivers were unrecognizable!
All that was left was the ever-expanding tunnel and the enormous sword suspended at the end of it. The sword glowed in the tunnel. The single drop of blood that clung to it was as mysterious as the blood moon.
'Am I dreaming?' Fang Lang wondered.
Overwhelmed by the strangeness of it all, Fang Lang froze on the spot.
Boom!
Suddenly, the giant sword hanging high above their heads trembled slightly, sending out a powerful pulse of blade energy. The ground shook—the pulse of energy felt as if it could annihilate the rivers and mountains within ten thousand miles.
The air turned heavier than steel.
Fang Lang found it hard to even lift his feet.
He tilted his head up and glanced at the gigantic sword floating in the air. The blade was the ultimate goal of this test.
The sword exuded peculiar waves of energy—according to Jiang Linglong, that was its sword intent.
'So to continue forward through this tunnel, all we have to do is overcome the sword intent?'
Fang Lang pondered for a while. He had his guesses but the sword intent was something too complicated and unfamiliar to him.
According to the textbooks, sword intent could only be unlocked after becoming a fourth-class sword master. Only then would they begin to develop their own sword intent.
Fang Lang was still miles away from achieving that.
Nonetheless, it did not stop Fang Lang from trying. Firstly, he had to figure out a way to overcome the sword intent. From his observation of the previous four batches, he noticed that everyone, including Lin Yun and Jiang Linglong, had chosen to proceed by conquest.
That was because conquering the sword intent was less risky than trying to embrace it—there was a smaller margin for error when it came to conquering it. If he hit a dead end in trying to understand the sword intent, he would be rooted on the spot.
Even so, the benefits of understanding and appreciating the sword intent were enormous!
Fang Lang took some time to process his thoughts. Then, he came to a final decision.
'System, activate Dual Binding Mode and the 3X Amplification Card!'
Fang Lang ordered. He felt the spiritual energy pulse in his body.
'Switching complete. Under Dual Binding Mode, the duration of 3X Amplification Card's effect is reduced to two hours.
'Please take care of your body. Happy cultivating!'
The System's notification popped up then faded away.
Fang Lang felt the presence of two figures beside him—they were silhouettes of Jiang Linglong and Ni Wen. They walked through the tunnel with Fang Lang, shoulder to shoulder.
Fang Lang's mind became clearer than ever.
With the 3X Amplification Card and ten percent of Ni Wen's cultivating abilities, Fang Lang's core strength exceeded that of even Old Jiang!
Whoosh!
The countless waves of sword intent took form in front of Fang Lang's eyes. He could see clearly with his eyes—they were like pulses of air currents travelling through the tunnel.
He could even decipher the direction and rate at which the pulses were emitted.
Fang Lang continued forward, clutching his steel blade. He analyzed the sword intent as he continued on like a fish swimming against the currents.
…
Outside the tunnel.
Some participants of the fifth batch were beginning to exit the tunnel.
The number of students inside the tunnel gradually decreased.
Lu Ze continued on at an impressive pace. He harbored a strong will to compete and win against Fang Lang.
He rushed through the tunnel as if riding on a wave.
Of course, Fang Lang was not his only opponent—he aimed to break both Lin Yun and Jiang Linglong's records too.
His competitive streak made his heart beat wildly.
Moments later, Lu Ze reached the 700-meter mark and drank another gulp of wine. With unsteady steps, he fought through the sword intent with his Drunken Sword Style and made it to the 800-meter mark.
'Keep going… Keep going…' Lu Ze told himself.
With his wine as his companion, Lu Ze powered through the tunnel.
Boom!
Lu Ze's bottle gourd exploded with a deafening sound! The wine was evaporated into vapor that dissipated.
Lu Ze's body trembled. He let out a muffled grunt.
Finally, he stopped at the 890-meter mark.
It was a brilliant result—a stone's throw away from Jiang Linglong.
Lu Ze was quite satisfied with his results.He knew Jiang Linglong's true identity and the strength of her core. He could accept the defeat.
In terms of core, Jiang Linglong's was far more superior than his.
Lu Ze only had a yellow core of 88.
After exiting the tunnel, the first thing the sweat-soaked Lu Ze did was look back. When he saw that Fang Lang was only at the 400-meter mark, his heart bloomed with joy!
'That's the best he can do?
'400 meters?
'After so long, he only traveled 400 meters?'
He thought Fang Lang would be his greatest rival and their results would be within meters of each other. To his surprise, he had travelled twice the distance Fang Lang did.
'Guess this is the end.'
A victorious smile appeared on Lu Ze's face. 'Even though I lost in our previous match, I won this time.'
"What are you smiling about? Get to the back! Don't be an eyesore, loitering here in front of the tunnel," the old scarred sword master chided.
After that, the old man turned his attention away from Lu Ze and stared curiously into the tunnel.
His gaze was fixed on the boy who had his steel sword lowered. The boy was slowly moving through the tunnel with his eyes closed. The green robe fluttered and the scar on the sword master's face twitched.
"Is he… embracing the sword intent?
"The boy's got guts! I can't believe he chose to embrace the sword intent instead of conquering it! Understanding the sword intent is much more challenging than conquering it!
"The fact that he reached the 400-meter mark by embracing the sword intent is commendable."
A peculiar look appeared in the old scar-faced sword master's eyes. He noticed Fang Lang's strategy and was impressed.
After being scolded by the scarred old sword master, Lu Ze instantly felt something was off.
He had traveled almost 900 meters up the tunnel, yet in the eyes of the old sword master, his achievement was less significant than Fang Lang's 400 meters?
Among the crowd, Jiang Linglong kept her disappointment hidden and fixed her eyes on Fang Lang.
She had also noticed that Fang Lang chose to embrace the sword intent to advance.
In truth, Jiang Linglong had contemplated using that method too, but she lacked the confidence. The sword intent left behind by Sect Leader Taihua was much too complicated for her to comprehend. If she had chosen to understand the sword intent, she was sure she would not make it far.
Fang Lang had done what she feared to do.
At that moment, Jiang Linglong was filled with anticipation and curiosity.
'Fang Lang… How far can he go?'
…
Outside the Great Barrier.
The mentors who arrived on their flight swords were all flabbergasted.
"Fang Lang of Luojiang Academy… Instead of conquering the sword intent, he chose to embrace it?"
"Sect Leader Taihua's sword intent is incredibly complex. He willingly chose a difficult route for himself."
"What a shame… Judging from his performance in the team event, Fang Lang might stand a chance to reach the 800-meter mark and gain additional points for the Imperial Examination. If only he had chosen to conquer it…"
The mentors chattered among themselves.
Mentor Wen's brows were knitted tightly together. Fang Lang's choice was a surprise to him too.
He sighed inaudibly.
'This boy… just doing things as he pleases…
'The sword intent was left behind by Sect Leader Taihua. It can't be easy to unravel.'
…
Chao Xiaojian laid sideways on the roof of a building, a lock of white hair draped in front of his face. Before him was a blue and white porcelain wine set. Ripples formed on the surface of the wine in his cup.
Dressed in his white robe, Chao Xiaojian held his wine cup in his hand. The ongoing event within the tunnel was reflected in his eyes.
His lips curled up with interest.
"Oh? Would you look at that…
"Throughout the centuries, you are the third person who dares to overcome the sword intent by embracing it.
"The two before you made it all the way to the 910-meter and 900-meter marks. Today, one is known as the Drunken Blade Lord, while the other, the God of Blades…"
"How far will you reach, boy?"
…
Inside the tunnel.
Tiny beads of sweat rolled down Fang Lang's forehead.
With Dual Binding Mode and 3X Amplification Card activated, Fang Lang analyzed every pulse of sword intent that came his way.
Fang Lang's appreciation for the sword intent caused the pulses to diffract around him, like the tide of the river diffracting around a boulder. Bit by bit, Fang Lang inched forward.
However, every 100 meters he passed, the pressure of the sword intent would redouble.
The mind-bendingly complex sword intent would once again send Fang Lang into a state of confusion.
…
Outside the tunnel.
The atmosphere was silent.
Everyone started intently into the tunnel. They did not even dare to breathe loudly.
Every participant of the fifth batch had retreated from the tunnel—only a lonesome figure remained within.
The crowd watched as Fang Lang continued on alone toward the levitating sword at the end of the tunnel.
500 meter, 600 meters, 700 meters…
Swaying left and right, Fang Lang looked as if he would topple over any second!
Slowly but surely, he advanced!
Even Lu Ze was speechless. He stared at Fang Lang intently. At that moment, he finally realized Fang Lang had chosen a completely different approach to the tunnel test.
…
'This is hard!
'Really hard!'
The difficulty would give anyone who tried a sense of hopelessness.
Fang Lang staggered forward. His green robe was thoroughly drenched.
He did not know how far he had traveled but the path before him felt endless.
Nonetheless, he gritted his teeth and continued on.
At long last, Fang Lang reached the 800-meter mark!
The suspended sword at the end of the tunnel trembled again. It emitted strong pulses of sword intent that crashed into Fang Lang like a tsunami.
Fang Lang felt as if he was being crushed by the waves of sword intent!
'Too hard…'
Fang Lang gasped for air.
Initially, he wanted to put in the effort…
Unfortunately, he only had one chance to reach an epiphany. It would be a shame if he missed the chance.
'Forget it,' he thought.
"System, activate the Enlightenment Card…"