Chapter 1656: Skyless Sword Intent
"Senior, you flatter me." Lin Feng smiled and nodded at the Sword Mountain Grand Elder. Then, his gaze fell upon the iron sword youth who had obtained the second seat in the Sword Trial Ceremony. "Would you be willing to test swords with me?"
The iron sword youth swept his gaze over Lin Feng, a sharp intent blooming. With a leap, he descended onto the Sword Valley Battle Platform. "I was just thinking the same."
Lin Feng had dealt with Lu Yao using only a single sword strike. That strike contained terrifying explosive power, as swift as thunder, as if all his strength erupted the moment he drew his sword. This was no easy feat, and the iron sword youth wanted to see just how profound Lin Feng's swordsmanship truly was.
Beside them, Lu Yao's arm was still dripping blood. His face was dark and ugly. Everyone seemed to have ignored him entirely. The so-called fifth place in the sword trial had been humiliated by having his arm severed with a single blow. He could only slink off the Sword Valley Battle Platform in disgrace.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura radiated from the iron sword youth, exuding an intensely heavy, crushing pressure. Lin Feng felt as if a great mountain were weighing down on him.
"Rip!" The Sword Valley Battle Platform tore apart as the iron sword youth stepped toward Lin Feng. His massive iron sword dragged across the ground, leaving sword marks in its wake. A burst of air exploded as his body suddenly leaped into the air, bringing his sword down in a single, sweeping strike. Lin Feng felt as if a sword-shaped peak were crashing down upon him, crushing everything in its path.
"He has also comprehended the power of Earth Essence, merging it seamlessly with his sword technique, indistinguishable from each other." Sensing this terrifying weight, Lin Feng gathered an Earth Sword in both palms. With a stomp of his foot, his body shot upward, his great sword sweeping out wildly to clash with the incoming iron sword. A thunderous boom erupted, and Lin Feng felt a tremendous force surge through his arm, as heavy as a mountain, numbing his tiger's mouth slightly.
The iron sword youth raised his iron sword and swept out again. The void trembled several times in succession, as if ancient peaks were descending from the sky. Above Lin Feng's head, the sky was filled with the shadows of immensely heavy iron swords, like a canopy of iron blades, covering the entire void.
"Impressive." The onlookers felt a tremor in their hearts. Such a ferocious attack.
"The Sword King Scripture is one of the strongest ancient scriptures of our Sword Mountain. The Sect Leader personally ordered half of it to be taught to him to test his abilities. He has not disappointed the Sect Leader." The Grand Elder's expression was solemn. The iron sword youth's swordsmanship was indeed formidable, and this was not even his strongest state.
"This attack is somewhat similar to Yuan Fei's—extremely violent and unrestrained, but far more powerful than Yuan Fei's attacks back then. It's hard to dodge; one can only counter force with force." Lin Feng looked at the iron sword canopy in the void, his heart stirring. This second-place finisher in the Sword Trial Ceremony was far stronger than the fifth-place Lu Yao.
Looking up, Lin Feng's Sword Dao Will seemed to change. It became indestructible and all-penetrating, an extreme sharpness that could destroy everything, unstoppable. His body turned into a streak of light, breaking into the void along with his sword. Sword beams shot out from Lin Feng's hand—Wind-Thunder Slash, Silent Void Kill, Instant Desolation. Each strike contained terrifying power, cleaving through everything. The iron sword canopy in the void was swept apart, revealing a massive gap.
But at that moment, above the gap, a heavy sword shadow appeared. Countless iron sword storms converged, and a kingly aura of the sword erupted, capable of crushing all power. Above Lin Feng, even blinding rays of light appeared, as if a heavenly pillar were pressing down from the sky.
"What heavy pressure. This is the ultimate essence of Earth, nearly approaching Law. And there's also a kingly aura of the sword. The attack power is terrifying." Lin Feng's sword intent gathered wildly. He chose not to dodge but to clash head-on with this strike, to see just how domineering and fierce the sword's power truly was.
The great sword appeared again—a dark, heavy sword, as weighty as a demonic mountain, radiating a terrifying demonic aura. It struck out against the descending attack. The two forces collided, and the resulting explosion shook the very void, causing it to tremble. Air currents spread outward like a curtain of light, hard to believe that this was an attack from two Venerable Martial cultivators who had not yet entered the Martial Emperor Realm.
The iron sword youth's body was sent flying into the void, while Lin Feng was blasted down near the ground. Both felt their palms go numb.
At that moment, the iron sword youth stepped forward, looking down at Lin Feng below. "Your swordsmanship is indeed following your heart, acting as you please. Because you contain multiple powers and can blend them together—that is your talent. You can use the fusion of various powers to unleash different sword techniques. I am no match for you. But this kind of swordsmanship also has its flaw: it lacks purity. You cannot, like me, merge sword and technique into one, where the sword is everything, unleashing the strongest power. Of course, perhaps even you cannot pinpoint where your greatest strength lies."
"No swordsmanship is perfect. Mine certainly has its flaws. Thank you for pointing them out. Though you have lost, you still deserve pride." Lin Feng looked at the iron sword youth with appreciation. He used his sword freely, fusing Essence power to achieve extraordinary swordsmanship. But as the iron sword youth said, he truly did not know where his greatest strength lay. After this battle, he should indeed think carefully and create the strongest sword technique he could currently achieve, merging sword and technique as the iron sword youth did—to the point where even his Essence power was imperceptible because it was perfectly integrated into the sword art.
"I understand what you mean. You are different from many people. This is your talent, one I cannot attain. Therefore, I will strive forward on my own sword path. Fighting you has been a good experience." The iron sword youth continued speaking, then his figure drifted backward.
"Same here. I have gained much." Lin Feng replied with a smile. It wasn't necessary to fight only those stronger than oneself to benefit one's martial path. Even sparring with someone truly accomplished in martial arts, even if they were weaker, could yield insights. One person's power was ultimately limited; you couldn't possess everyone's strengths. A martial artist must be able to absorb all rivers like the sea, yet steadfastly walk their own path, drawing from others' strengths to perfect themselves.
At that moment, a figure flickered and appeared before Lin Feng in an instant. He wore a feathered crown, like a graceful, worldly young master. But the crowd knew that when he fought, he was far from so refined, filled with terrifying power—nine suns blazing in the sky, sword energy crisscrossing.
"It seems the first-place finisher of the Sword Trial Ceremony can no longer hold back." The onlookers thought to themselves. Some of Sword Mountain's elders wore faint smiles. No matter how strong Lin Feng was, a sword cultivator must have the spirit of a sword cultivator. Even if you were stronger, you still had to fight. This was, after all, just a sword trial ceremony, not a life-or-death battle. One must have the courage to accept defeat. Moreover, battles of this level were certainly beneficial. For instance, the fight between the iron sword youth and Lin Feng had left both with insights.
But Lin Feng was indeed formidable. They had heard that he had killed a Martial Emperor while at the Venerable Martial Realm. He probably hadn't even unleashed his full strength yet, only his sword power. Such an all-rounder had terrifying talent.
"I wish to test your swordsmanship." The youth with the feathered crown said to Lin Feng. The sword in his hand was a Flame Sword, still not an Imperial Artifact. In such a battle, winning with an Imperial Artifact would be meaningless. Although Imperial Artifacts could boost combat power, true martial artists knew when to use them—only in times of crisis. In a spar like this, it was naturally best to rely on one's own strength.
Lin Feng had initially only wanted to fight the iron sword youth, to see the shadow of the former Iron Sword Martial Emperor's swordsmanship. But after the battle, he didn't mind testing swords with the first-place finisher. This man's Nine Suns Sword Technique was also extremely powerful; otherwise, he couldn't have defeated the iron sword youth to claim first place.
"Draw your sword." Lin Feng said calmly, accepting the challenge.
The youth nodded. His figure flickered, and his sword soared into the air. Instantly, nine suns appeared in the void, shining straight down, piercing Lin Feng's eyes. Lin Feng felt a sharp pain in his eyes, unable to open them, as if the sunlight could blind a person.
A terrifying Flame Sword suddenly descended before Lin Feng, bringing a sense of deadly crisis. His heart trembled. Using the Wind's Chant, his figure drifted back, incredibly fast.
"Nine Suns Slay!" The youth's palm sword flashed, and the nine suns converged, slashing forward as a fiery dragon.
"Break!" Lin Feng's eyes were half-closed. The sword in his palm suddenly bloomed. The Sword of Death cleaved the fiery dragon open, continuing to slash forward.
But at that moment, the youth was already above Lin Feng. The tip of his sword pointed down, and the nine suns reappeared, just as dazzling.
"Nine Suns Light Slash." A cold sound emerged from the youth's mouth. The nine suns' light transformed into flaming swords—nine swords, as fast as light, slashing down.
"Desolate Explosion!" Lin Feng's long sword spun furiously, ringing and trembling continuously. A destructive force coalesced, merging with explosive power, causing the light curtain to burst apart.
"Nine Suns Escape." The youth's figure vanished like a flash of nine suns' light, appearing directly before Lin Feng. His sword thrust out, as fast as sunlight.
"Impressive. It seems he wants to defeat Lin Feng with lightning speed, to salvage some face for Sword Mountain." The onlookers' hearts trembled. This man's swordsmanship was extraordinary, his power terrifying. The second-place iron sword youth had been easily defeated. If he too lost to Lin Feng, then Sword Mountain's Sword Trial Ceremony would seem somewhat undeserving of its reputation.
"Slash, slash!" This time, Lin Feng directly abandoned his sword, using his hand as a sword, his body as a sword. A surge of overwhelming sword light erupted from his entire being—lawless, skyless. Both hands slashed out simultaneously, striking the opponent's Flame Sword.
"Hmm?" The Sword Mountain Grand Elder felt the lawless, skyless aura from that moment and his gaze suddenly sharpened. This seemed like... Skyless Sword Intent!