I Have Unlimited Dantians

Though he had lived two lives, Nie Yun’s current soul was far weaker than it had been in his past life. But his keen eye was as sharp as ever; there was no way he would miss a flaw in this painting if one existed!

Nie Yun scanned the entire painting again and found that both the oil paints used and the artistic technique were impeccable. He simply couldn’t see anything out of place or amiss.

’Celestial Eye Talent, take a closer look!’

Finding nothing unusual after a normal look, Nie Yun activated his Celestial Eye Dantian. A light shot from his eyes as he stared straight at the painting.

WHOOSH!

With his Celestial Eye Talent active, the scene before him instantly transformed. It was as if Nie Yun were watching two colossal, supreme powerhouses locked in battle.

SWOOSH!

The Three-Eyed Daoist thrust his sword, and his Sword Qi instantly became a rain of ten thousand blades, carrying a bleak aura as it enveloped the entire Flood Dragon.

"ROAR!"

Not to be outdone, the Flood Dragon opened its mouth. A frenzied power formed a rainbow that swept up the rain of swords. The two were locked in a stalemate, perfectly matched.

Under the gaze of his Celestial Eye, Spiritual Qi permeated the entire mural. The two combatants were locked in a desperate struggle, and the image depicted the battle between the peerless powerhouses flawlessly. There were no weaknesses to be found.

’It seems even the Celestial Eye Talent can’t reveal the flaw. That makes sense. Anyone who could get past the layers of the Hell Cold Stream to enter this place would surely possess the Celestial Eye Talent. If the flaw were that easy to spot, the Copper Armor Puppet wouldn’t have warned me that this trial was a test of wisdom and insight!’

Deactivating his Celestial Eye Talent, Nie Yun narrowed his eyes.

If even his Celestial Eye couldn’t discern the situation, finding the flaw in this painting would be extremely difficult.

’If only I had a Painter’s talent...’

Thinking of that particular special talent, Nie Yun shook his head in resignation.

A Painter’s talent was a type of special talent, much like that of a Celestial Eye Master. Those who had it could easily discern the quality of a painting and created art as if divinely inspired. Without exception, anyone possessing this talent became a renowned master painter.

If he possessed such a talent and had a deep understanding of art, he might have been able to spot the flaw at a glance.

’Unfortunately, I never even met a Painter in my past life, let alone understood their artistic aura. Since I never encountered one, I couldn’t have formed a Painter’s talent... Hm? No, that’s not right. I bet even a Painter wouldn’t be able to find the flaw here. The painting itself must be perfect. The flaw must be in the inscription!’

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Nie Yun as a new possibility occurred to him.

’Since Zihua Daoist called this a trial, he must be selecting an heir to his treasures. An ordeal to select an heir surely wouldn’t be designed to kill every candidate. A Painter’s talent might not appear in even one out of hundreds of millions of people. If that talent alone was the key to finding the flaw, it would be impossible for him to ever find a successor!’

’Besides, Painters aren’t known for their combat strength; they would have never made it past the first trial!’

’Even if a Painter managed to pass the first trial, what are the odds they would also coincidentally obtain all nine Jade Seals to successfully reach this place?’

’Thinking it through, there is only one possibility!’

’The painting itself is flawless. The so-called "flaw" must be in the inscription!’

At this thought, Nie Yun hurriedly looked toward the inscription on the far right.

"Zihua Daoist battles the Flood Dragon at Tiantu Mountain. A painting left behind!"

’"A painting left behind"... The character for "painting" seems to be missing a horizontal stroke!’

Focusing his Spiritual Power on the inscription, Nie Yun confirmed that something was wrong. The character for "painting" in the phrase "a painting left behind" was indeed missing a horizontal stroke!

The inscribed characters weren’t very large, making the mistake impossible to notice without close inspection.

’Celestial Eye, activate! Investigate again!’

Suppressing his excitement, Nie Yun activated his Celestial Eye and focused on the characters of the inscription.

When he viewed the inscription with his Celestial Eye, Sword Qi crisscrossed through the air. The characters themselves transformed into a series of Swordsmanship moves, but the sequence stopped abruptly at the character for "painting," leaving a sense of incompletion.

’So, the task isn’t to fix a flaw in the painting, but to complete this set of Swordsmanship!’

Nie Yun finally understood.

No wonder Zihua Daoist had said that altering the painting incorrectly—insulting it—would result in being shredded by Sword Qi. It was now clear the test wasn’t about artistic ability, but about understanding Sword Intent.

If a person couldn’t uncover the secret of the Sword Intent and grasp the meaning of his Sword Technique within an hour, how could they possibly be worthy of inheriting his Supreme Sword Technique?

’The Sword Technique embedded in these characters contains five Mental Realms: Heaven, Earth, Man, Absolute, and Slaughter. The Sword Qi is rampant; it has clearly pushed Swordsmanship to its absolute limit. Completing it will be incredibly difficult!’

As he watched for a while longer, Nie Yun’s brow furrowed ever more tightly.

The Swordsmanship left by the mural’s creator was so powerful that even his own Sky-Breaking Silence Supreme Sword Technique couldn’t compare. This was a testament to its formidable nature. The task of completing such an advanced Swordsmanship technique immediately felt overwhelming.

Countless potential moves surfaced in his mind, but none of them seemed to be a perfect fit.

’My Swordsmanship may not have been the strongest in my past life, but after two lifetimes, my understanding of Sword Techniques is something even an Ultimate Venerable, let alone a Secret Realm Powerhouse, could hardly match. If someone truly had to deduce and complete such a profound Swordsmanship technique from scratch, then it would be an impossible task for any successor, no matter how many came. There must be a trick to it.’

Nie Yun thought to himself again.

It was hard enough just to pass the first trial and enter this place. Spotting the flaw in the painting was even harder. Even if someone managed to do both, it was absolutely impossible for them to complete such a powerful Swordsmanship technique within a single hour.

’Could it be that Zihua Daoist’s talk of passing the trial was just empty words? Maybe he never intended to find an heir at all?’

’No, that can’t be it. Since it’s a test of wisdom and insight, it must be related to what I’ve already been through! That’s right! When I first entered the Outer Hall, I saw two longswords, one Yin and one Yang. The inscriptions on those Yin Yang Swords also seemed to contain a set of Swordsmanship!’

The scene from when he entered the Outer Hall replayed in his mind. He hadn’t observed the swords closely at the time, so he didn’t know what kind of Swordsmanship was hidden within their inscriptions.

However, this was no challenge for Nie Yun, who possessed the Celestial Eye Divine Power. He smiled faintly as his eyes flew open.

’Celestial Eye X-ray Vision, observe the Yin Yang Sword Skill on the twin swords in the Outer Hall!’

In an instant, the twin swords at the entrance to the Outer Hall appeared before his eyes. Under the projection of his Celestial Eye, their Yin and Yang energies combined, converging into a perfect Taiji Diagram that demonstrated a Supreme Swordsmanship technique.

’Excellent. It’s perfectly complementary to the Swordsmanship here...’

Although Nie Yun couldn’t create such a powerful Swordsmanship technique himself on short notice, his insight was sharp enough. He could tell at a glance that this technique from the swords was the perfect complement to the one on the mural. When combined, they formed a perfect whole, free of any constraints.

’This is it...’

As the full understanding of the technique clicked into place, Nie Yun acted. He reached out and grabbed a nearby writing brush. With the profound meaning of the Yin Yang Sword Skill flashing through his mind, he pointed the brush forward and drew a single horizontal stroke.

He flawlessly painted the Sword Intent into the missing part of the character for "painting." Yin Yang Interdependence took form, and Sword Qi surged wildly.

RUMBLE!

With a tremendous rumble, the wall with the mural slowly slid to one side. Trial passed. Challenge cleared! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)