"Show us what you've comprehended, kid," the bearded elder said, his voice trembling with excitement.
Li Yun nodded and closed his eyes for a moment.
'It took me the full time of an incense stick to comprehend the technique to the 6th layer, but I did it regardless,' he thought.
He realized that if he had had any less time, he might not have reached the 6th layer and would have likely stopped at the 5th, even if he had given his all.
'This technique is indeed difficult to master, but the strength is also high,' he reflected, taking a deep breath to calm his excitement before opening his eyes.
He then began performing the movements, but this time, it was different from the shadow movements he had practiced before. This time, he infused his Qi into every action.
One movement, two movements, three movements… each was executed with impeccable precision and perfection, leaving the bearded elder and Elder Zhao stunned.
But it was when Li Yun reached the 3rd layer that they were truly shocked. The bearded elder and Elder Zhao watched with wide eyes as Li Yun performed the eight movements of the 3rd layer smoothly. They were still reeling from that shock when Li Yun reached the 4th layer and began performing the sixteen movements within it.
At that moment, only astonishment was visible on their faces.
It wasn't just them—every disciple, whether participating in the assessment, outer disciples, or even the inner disciples—wore expressions of utter shock.
They couldn't fathom how Li Yun could have comprehended the Thunderclap Dragon Sword so perfectly. Even top disciples like Lie Hua and Gao Zhu were mesmerized by his sword movements, for they were too flawless to be executed by just anyone.
In their shock, Li Yun effortlessly completed the 4th layer and reached the 5th layer, once again alarming everyone.
They recalled his bold words when he mentioned he would master the technique to the 6th layer—to perfection. At that time, all the elders and disciples laughed at him. But now, that seemingly impossible boundary, which no outer disciple had ever crossed in the history of the Mystic Cloud Sect, seemed like it might actually be within his reach.
A crazed expression appeared on the bearded elder's face as he watched Li Yun perform each movement of the 5th layer perfectly.
'If he continues at this pace, he might create a legend in the outer sect,' the elder thought.
The pace at which Li Yun performed these movements was what one would call perfection, and the bearded elder believed that if Li Yun maintained this pace through the 6th layer or even touched it, he would have already created history.
Everyone's eyes were glued to Li Yun as he soon reached the 30th movement of the 5th layer. They held their breaths as he slowly moved to the 31st movement.
"This kid!" Elder Zhao uttered in astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. It all felt like a dream, seeing the same kid he had allowed into the sect now creating miracles—achieving things that everyone else had thought were impossible.
"He really did give me a heart attack," he muttered, smiling as he watched history being made before his eyes.
It didn't take Li Yun long to reach the 32nd movement, resulting in audible gasps from all around the platform. But before these gasps could even reach everyone's ears, Li Yun did the impossible—he created a miracle and stepped onto the 6th layer of the Thunderclap Dragon Sword—a feat that had once seemed impossible for an outer sect disciple.
But he didn't stop there; he continued to perform every movement in the 6th layer as if it were a child's play.
At this moment, all the elders and disciples watching the assessment became numb with shock. Though some still hoped, or perhaps thought, that since Li Yun didn't even have a bone frame, he might not be able to achieve perfection—that is, the 64th movement of the 6th layer.
However, they were destined to be disappointed. Not long after reaching the 6th layer, Li Yun swiftly performed every movement, reaching the 60th movement in just ten breaths, shocking everyone once again. Instead of slowing down, Li Yun's speed in executing the movements in the final layer soared to an all-time high, causing the crowd of disciples to boil with excitement.
And then came the moment of truth.
Everyone held their breaths once again as Li Yun executed the 61st movement, the 62nd movement, the 63rd movement, and finally, the 64th movement.
All the elders watching from above the platform were shocked to their core, and the disciples weren't left behind either. They were also astonished by Li Yun's comprehension.
"This kid! He did it!" The bearded elder grinned in excitement. "He achieved the impossible." He laughed without restraint.
Elder Zhao nodded, his face alight with joy.
"Li Yun mastered the Thunderclap Dragon Sword—200 points," he announced loudly, his voice carrying far and wide through the entire outer sect.
As Elder Zhao announced the points, every disciple participating in the assessment was once again shocked as they calculated the total points Li Yun would receive—225 points—catapulting his rank sky-high and placing him just below Li Hua in the assessment, at the second rank.
Li Yun didn't care about their shock. He stepped down from the platform, his face radiating joy. He was happy that he had achieved what he had set out to do, and he thanked his system for arriving at the right time.
Without the system, he might still have been practicing in his hut, hoping to enter the martial path... for eternity.