I Became a Peak Master With No Disciples?!

Earlier that day, after crushing Su Ming's final strike with his bare hand, Ancestor Sky Sovereign looked at him.

"Truly impressive," he nodded.

Su Ming stood exactly thirty paces away, but he could no longer keep his balance. The Dragon Emperor Sword slipped from his fingers. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground. He had exhausted every drop of his Nascent Soul power, Void Dragon Will, and soul energy. His meridians throbbed with a dull ache.

The Saint chuckled, walking forward with silent steps. The white hair of the elderly man drifted over his shoulders, completely unaffected after crushing Su Ming's final move.

"That is more like it," the Saint said, stopping ten paces from him. "Now I am certain I did not make a mistake, hahaha."

He looked down at Su Ming with a calm gaze, his eyes reflecting a deep interest. "What do you call this sword technique? How did you achieve it?"

Su Ming supported himself on one hand as he stood up shakily, his voice hoarse. "I named it the Cloud Dragon Sword Technique."

It took a moment before he could speak again. "After mastering the Cloud Chasing Sword Technique to the tenth perfection, I felt a bottleneck and could not progress further. So I studied other sword manuals in the sect library and a Saint-rank forbidden sword technique that I found in the past. By combining their principles, I was able to reach this."

Nearby, Jian Wushen stood with his eyes wide, his lips parted in disbelief. He had remained silent throughout the demonstration, but his mind was in turmoil.

'He created a Saint-rank sword technique?'

Jian Wushen's jaw tightened. He had spent his entire life being called a genius, a monster born with a Sword Physique. He knew how hard it was to truly comprehend even a single move of a Saint-rank technique, let alone create one from scratch. Yet Su Ming had achieved this while still in the Nascent Soul realm.

Calling him junior brother suddenly felt improper.

'From now on, I will call him Brother Su,' Jian Wushen decided.

"Good, good," the Saint nodded slowly, his eyes shining with a visible admiration.

"When I created the Sky Sovereign Sword Technique, it was simply to forge a path of my own. That should be the way of a sword cultivator. Creating a Saint-rank technique while still in the lower realms is indeed a grand feat. But this technique depends heavily on the dragon will you displayed, right? I assume you learned that first."

"Yes," Su Ming said, his voice low. He did not have the energy or willingness to explain it further.

"Alright. Still, it is no small feat. Be proud."

The Saint turned his gaze toward the sky, his hands clasped behind his back. "You must understand the principles behind these techniques. The Sky Sovereign represents the descent of heaven. It is the sovereign looking down upon the world, commanding the laws of reality. The Cloud Chasing technique represents the ascent. It represents a mortal climbing the steps, striving to reach the heavens where the sovereign resides. I left a simplified version in the Scripture Hall to search for potential disciples who could climb those steps."

The Saint looked back at Su Ming, his expression serious. "But you did not only chase. You took that ladder and flipped it. You forced the dragon to ascend and conquer the sky. You made the path your own. But..."

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "There are several flaws in your creation."

"First," the Saint said, raising a finger. "Your path is incomplete. It is truly impressive that you have reached the final stage of the Sword Will, but the path is not complete. A path that only rises must eventually run out of sky. You will never step into the realm of true Sword Intent until you discover what is missing to complete your path."

Su Ming kept a blank expression, though his mind was processing the words. He was too tired to show any emotion.

"Second," the Saint continued, "you called your technique destruction. You are wrong. It is not destruction. It leans more towards annihilation. There is a vast difference between the two concepts."

The Saint turned around, gesturing to a mountain peak in the distance. "Let me show you the difference."

He raised his hand and flicked his finger toward a distant peak on the opposite side of the valley.

A faint ripple passed through the air. The opposite mountain peak shattered instantly with a deafening roar. Boulders exploded, and a massive cloud of dust swallowed it as the ground trembled.

"That is destruction," the Saint said, his hand dropping back to his side. "Your path of annihilation should unmake and erase. There should be no dust. There should be no rubble. You are not destroying it. You are simply erasing it. Keep that in mind when you refine your moves."

Su Ming stared at the falling rocks, his chest tightening. The Saint had shattered a mountain peak with a flick of his finger. Against such power, even running was a joke.

"Third," the Ancestor continued, "this technique relies heavily on your soul. Without a strong soul, you could never have driven the sword this far. Keep tempering it, or the path will collapse."

He looked at the Dragon Emperor Sword in Su Ming's hand. "Your dragon roar is decent, but it is too scattered. A true dragon's cry shakes the heavens. Yours is a warning from a fledgling. It needs time to grow."

"The second move is solid in concept but weak in execution. The force is simply too weak. You must refine it more."

"As for the third move, the singularity, it is the closest to your true path of annihilation. Yet it lacks refinement."

"Now, let me show you what you must strive for," the Saint said softly.

He did not raise a weapon, nor did he perform any sword form. He simply stood there, releasing a mere wisp of his Sword Intent.