Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Inside the Sword Tomb.

Light from the Sword Tower in front of Ling Fei shot toward the heavens.

This beam of light grew longer and longer as his comprehension of Sword Intent deepened, and it showed no signs of dispersing.

This process took a long time, as the condensation of Sword Intent requires a period of consolidation.

Watching the soaring sword light, the people outside the Sword Tomb were utterly stunned.

"To think Ling Fei would be the first to comprehend Sword Intent!" Even Director Pang wore a look of astonishment.

"With such talent, he far surpasses last year's Liu Fei and Han Jiuliang!" an instructor exclaimed.

One must remember, Liu Fei and Han Jiuliang were the top two on the Earth List!

The students in the distance were also dumbfounded.

They had originally thought it would take at least a day before anyone comprehended Sword Intent.

But Ling Fei had actually managed it in less than four hours.

At such a speed, he was already comparable to Shangguan Wan'Er's two hours.

Even the great Liu Rulong had taken six hours to comprehend Sword Intent!

"Only little sister Wan'Er can compare to him!" Shangguan Qingmu murmured from nearby.

"But big sister Wan'Er has cultivated the Sword Dao since she was a child and comprehended Sword Momentum at a young age. It's perfectly normal for her to grasp the Celestial River Sword Intent in under two hours. Ling Fei, though, is from a Humble Family and has never cultivated the Sword Dao before. For him to comprehend Sword Intent in three hours is just heaven-defying." Shangguan Piaoyu said, her lively eyes shimmering with a light that bordered on worship.

"Indeed. If Young Master Ling had grown up in our Shangguan Clan and practiced the Sword Dao, comprehending the Celestial River Sword Intent would have surely been even easier for him." Shangguan Moyu nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with respect. He now clearly ranked Ling Fei among geniuses of Shangguan Wan'Er's caliber.

Such a figure was a rare sight, even across the entire Empire!

"That Ling Fei was actually the first to comprehend Sword Intent!" Liu Yuan's pupils shrank. At this moment, he felt a profound sense of crisis.

'If Ling Fei is allowed to keep growing, I'm afraid he'll one day reach a height I can never hope to attain.'

'This is something I absolutely cannot allow to happen.'

"I must find a chance to get rid of this Ling Fei!" A vicious glint flashed in Qin Rong's eyes.

By now, he had developed an inexplicable fear of the young man.

'If I don't eliminate him, he will become the nightmare of my entire life.'

"Brother Fei is amazing!" Wu Dapang and the others, on the other hand, were overjoyed.

"This kid just keeps giving people more and more to look forward to!" Zhou Xiaoyu's long eyelashes fluttered, her eyes filled with an expectant smile.

At this moment, Ling Fei had truly become the center of everyone's attention.

The waves he created this time were far more intense than when he had defeated Liu Ming.

Liu Ming was, after all, just a genius among the new students.

This time, however, Ling Fei's talent was being compared directly to Shangguan Wan'Er's.

This was the prelude to him contending with the number one person in Celestial River Academy!

It was truly hard to imagine what it would be like if Ling Fei and Shangguan Wan'Er were to clash at the same Realm.

It would surely create dazzling sparks.

...

Inside the Sword Tomb, Ling Fei was still in a state of enlightenment. The Sword Intent emanating from him grew denser, and the sword light blooming from the Sword Tower became ever more brilliant.

Time passed quietly.

Finally, after nine hours, the second level of Liu Ming's Sword Tower lit up. He too had comprehended Sword Intent.

After twelve hours, the second level of Shangguan Yurou's Sword Tower also lit up.

Pang Fei took a full eighteen hours to comprehend Sword Intent.

As for Zhou Feng, it took him nearly three days to comprehend the Celestial River Sword Intent.

"Not bad. They all comprehended Sword Intent!" Seeing this, Dean Han nodded slightly and stroked his beard with a smile.

Since they were all able to comprehend Sword Intent, this trip was not in vain. Celestial River Academy would now have several more young masters.

...

Inside the Sword Tomb.

Ling Fei's Heart Spirit was still immersed in the Sword Wall.

First, he was merging the Sword Intent he had comprehended.

Then, with a thought, his consciousness formed a tangible figure and appeared above the Celestial River.

With a flicker of his will, a Long Sword appeared in his hand.

He stood in the Void above the great river.

The river below surged with menacing momentum. As massive waves churned, it seemed as if they might swallow Ling Fei at any moment.

This was clearly an illusory space of the Sword River, yet to Ling Fei, it felt completely real.

This was the mystical quality of the Celestial River Sword Wall.

"Sword River Reversal!" Ling Fei moved the Long Sword in his hand, executing an upward slash.

SWISH!

With a single movement of the Long Sword, his True Qi transformed into a river, truly like a river flowing in reverse. Its momentum was as tumultuous as the Celestial River below.

Sword Qi Silk!

Then, with a flicker of his will, his Sword Qi became like silk, piercing through the Void and penetrating the mountain wall.

SWISH, SWISH!

Sword Qi Rain!

Sword Qi Transformation Curtain!

...

Ling Fei continuously executed his sword moves. Wherever his intent reached, a Sword Form was born.

He had now reached the Realm where the sword had no fixed moves—the sword moved with the heart, and wherever intent reached, a Sword Form was born.

Only a Sword Dao master who had comprehended Sword Intent could achieve such a feat.

Ling Fei was completely immersed in the world of the Sword Dao, his mind filled with the image of the man who had brandished his sword earlier.

'My Sword Momentum still lacks a certain flavor; it's not natural enough.' After a long while, Ling Fei sheathed his sword, sensing his own shortcomings.

'The sword should follow the heart, follow one's will—one's own will, not another's. I must break free from the Sword Intent demonstrated by that senior.' With a thought, Ling Fei focused his mind and calmed his qi, determined to forget everything and return to the beginning, to truly condense his own Sword Intent and brand it upon his Heart Spirit.

Only then could he achieve a state where his intent could go anywhere, and his sword could take ten thousand forms.

And so, Ling Fei gazed at the surging river, thinking of nothing else.

Time continued to pass.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yurou was also comprehending Sword Intent.

However, with a turn of her thoughts, she began to study the subsequent Mystical aspects of the Celestial River Sword Technique.

She only had one chance; if she missed it, it would be difficult to return here for enlightenment in the future.

Therefore, she had to observe the complete Celestial River Sword Technique as quickly as possible, commit it to memory, and then comprehend it slowly over time.

Zhou Feng was doing the same.

Liu Ming and Pang Fei, however, were like Ling Fei, consolidating the Sword Intent they had just comprehended.

'The Celestial River flows with tumultuous momentum, its waves rising and falling. Sometimes they are violent, other times calm. They come one after another, each stronger than the last. Who could possibly withstand such power? If my Sword Momentum were like those waves, one after another, how sharp would it be?' Above the great river, Ling Fei had an epiphany.

'Sword like the waves!'

With that thought, Ling Fei immediately struck with his sword.

One slash, and Sword Qi surged forth like a sweeping wave.

Then, he struck again in quick succession.

Three slashes in a row, one after the other.

But on the fourth slash, Ling Fei felt his strength failing, unable to continue the sequence.

The momentum of the third slash wasn't even as strong as the second.

"Something's not right!" Ling Fei frowned in contemplation. "Where did I go wrong?"

With a thought, his mind sank into the great river, seeking to comprehend the patterns in its rising and falling waves.

'The waves in the river rise one after another, but there's a gap between them. Furthermore, after one wave rises, the next has already been gathering power. That's how each wave becomes stronger than the last. It's a matter of accumulating force. I was ignoring the management of my True Qi and momentum, which is why I couldn't sustain the attack.' After this period of comprehension, a look of sudden realization appeared in Ling Fei's eyes.

Then, he attacked again.

This time, he managed his True Qi and Sword Momentum well.

First, on the first slash, he used thirty percent of his strength; on the second, forty percent; and on the third, seventy percent.

In this way, each slash was stronger than the last, and the momentum grew more and more powerful.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

This time, Ling Fei executed three slashes in an instant.

The power of the three stacked slashes far exceeded that of a single, all-out strike.

'Good, this is how it should be.' Ling Fei rejoiced inwardly and continued his Sword Enlightenment.

As Ling Fei pursued his Sword Enlightenment, the light from the Sword Tower before him grew brighter and brighter, finally reaching a height of ninety feet.

This left the people outside with faces full of astonishment.

"Ling Fei's Sword Intent is constantly strengthening! He's already far surpassed the others!" a Cultivator outside exclaimed, his face filled with amazement.

"A ninety-foot sword light! He's already approaching Shangguan Wan'Er's record of ninety-nine feet!" Director Pang glanced at Shangguan Hong and said with a laugh, "Lord Shangguan, your precious daughter is in danger of being surpassed!" He had a teasing look on his face, as if he greatly enjoyed bantering with Shangguan Hong.

"Haha, young people should have rivals. Only then will they feel a sense of urgency. Otherwise, how can they improve?" Shangguan Hong, however, wasn't worried in the slightest.

In his view, having someone challenge his daughter in the Sword Dao was actually a good thing.

"Indeed," Dean Han also nodded repeatedly.

"So Ling Fei truly possesses such profound Sword Intent!"

By now, many geniuses had heard the news and come to see for themselves.

Ling Fei's name was becoming more and more renowned within Celestial River Academy.

All sorts of discussions broke out, with many people comparing him to Shangguan Wan'Er.

It was for this reason that he had attracted the attention of many senior students.

Otherwise, those seniors wouldn't have the time to pay attention to a new student.

After all, for people like them, the strength or weakness of others was not as important as their own cultivation time.

However, the sudden appearance of someone who could contend with Shangguan Wan'Er made them feel compelled to pay attention.

However, because the Sword Enlightenment was taking too long, those people took a look and then went their separate ways.

After all, staying here every day was a waste of time.

Only Vice Dean Zhou and a few others remained, taking turns to stand watch.

...

「Half a month finally passed.」

Within the River of Sword Wall, Ling Fei continuously brandished his sword.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

One slash after another, he executed nine consecutive slashes.

However, after the nine slashes, he was temporarily unable to strike again.

This was due to insufficient True Qi.

Moreover, there was a time limit for executing the slashes.

These nine slashes had to be executed in an instant.

If there was any delay, the momentum would falter, and the Sword Momentum would naturally weaken.

In that case, adding even one more slash would be meaningless.

"Nine waves of the sword, each stronger than the last... I'll call it the Celestial River Nine Swords for now!" Ling Fei sheathed his sword, a satisfied look on his face.

At that moment, the Light Patterns on the Sword Tower before him flickered, and the soaring sword light suddenly shot up, reaching a height of one hundred and two feet.

"He surpassed it! The light from the Sword Tower triggered by Ling Fei has actually surpassed Shangguan Wan'Er's!" As the sword light shot up again, a clamor immediately erupted. Even Vice Dean Zhou, at the edge of the long bridge, couldn't help but blink, half-suspecting he was seeing things.

One must remember that Shangguan Wan'Er was hailed as a once-in-a-millennium Sword Dao genius of the Empire.

Yet, the record left by such a figure had just been broken by Ling Fei.

How could this not leave Vice Dean Zhou stunned?

"Th-this... This can't be right, can it?" Master Pang's eyes widened as he stared ahead and murmured.

But in front of the Sword Wall stood a Sword Pillar with measurement marks carved into it.

The light emanating from the Sword Tower in front of Ling Fei had indeed reached that height.

"One hundred and two feet?" Even Shangguan Hong was stunned.

"Could it be that our Celestial River Academy has produced another Sword Dao prodigy?"

'I never thought a genius of this level would emerge under my tutelage.' Instructor Ruo Huan was incredibly excited, her eyes fixed on the scene projected by the Mirror Disc. They were filled with emotion. Although she had always felt that Ling Fei's talent was good, she had never placed him on the same level as Shangguan Wan'Er.

'It seems I've truly underestimated this young man!'

At this moment, the expression of everyone present changed.

They looked at each other, their faces filled with utter disbelief.