The Sword Heart Shines

Ji Ning's sword had been unstoppable. A single, unified strike from over a thousand flying swords—a manifestation of utter will—had shattered Beishan Xuantang's Dao-heart in an instant.

Among the observers, the most senior disciples, including Flamesaint, the slovenly fat youth, and the black-robed girl, had all risen to their feet, shock written plainly on their faces as they stared at the leather-clad youth standing atop his stone pillar.

On another pillar within the sealing formation, Beishan Xuantang's face had gone deathly pale.

"I… I lost?"

"I… how could I lose? How could this be possible?"

His eyes brimmed with disbelief.

He was a man of immense pride. Even direct descendants of the Beishan clan like Beishan Baiwei had never earned his respect, precisely because he had absolute confidence in himself. Yet this junior apprentice-brother, who had just joined the school and was a close friend of Beishan Baiwei, had defeated him in the field he was most confident in—the Dao debate.

"That sword… that single sword…"

Beishan Xuantang's mind was still replaying the terrifying blow: a single, unified slash executed simultaneously by over a thousand flying swords. It had carved a fissure even into his Dao-heart.

"What a terrifying sword. Only by facing it directly can one truly comprehend its horror. A single strike, no regrets, impossible to block." Inwardly, he was a storm of confusion and denial, but every time he recalled that sword, he felt powerless.

"Ji Ning, wins!" the white-haired elder announced loudly, and the sealing formation began to dissolve.

"Senior apprentice-brother Xuantang, thank you for yielding," Ji Ning called out clearly, his voice echoing through the hall.

Only then did Beishan Xuantang shake himself awake. Suppressing his turbulent thoughts, he clasped his hands and said, "Junior apprentice-brother, your skill is truly remarkable. I concede defeat." With that, he unbound the puppet, flashed out of the arena, handed two jade bottles to the white-haired elder, and silently merged into the crowd of senior disciples.

"What a fearsome sword," the slovenly fat youth murmured to himself.

"In a few decades, the Black-White College will have another formidable figure," Flamesaint said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he watched Ji Ning.

In the entire hall, only the two Immortals truly understood the nature of that sword.

"Sword Heart Illumination! What a profound Sword Heart Illumination!" the short old man said, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Ji Ning from afar. "A heart as strong as this, as resolute as this… the Black-White College has truly found a treasure this time."

"A treasure indeed," the Diancai Immortal agreed, his gaze fixed on Ji Ning, burning with intensity. "I wonder how this disciple of mine managed to forge such a Dao-heart in just over a decade. The experiences he's had—a few partings of life and death—and yet his sword-heart has become so formidable. It's truly beyond belief."

"Haha, just wait. Those fellows are probably already on their way," the short old man chuckled.

The Diancai Immortal smiled as well. "They'll regret not coming to the Dao Debate Hall to see it with their own eyes," the short old man cackled.

The College Lord Bihai was seated cross-legged on a jade dais. Before him, a water mirror displayed the entire Dao debate scene with perfect clarity.

"That sword!"

The College Lord's face, handsome enough to drive women to madness, was etched with shock. "Could it be that he has entered the path of the Sword Immortal?"

"Alas!" He sighed in frustration. The water mirror could only show the scene; it could not convey the aura, the power, or the fluctuations of Heaven and Earth.

"I must go."

Without further hesitation, he waved his hand, dispelling the water mirror, and vanished with a flicker.

Throughout the Black-White College, many Primal Daoists who had been watching the battle through water mirrors were terrified when they saw that sword. But since they hadn't been present in the hall to feel it directly, they were uncertain. One after another, they rushed toward the Dao Debate Hall. Even two Immortals hurried over.

The third-generation disciples inside the hall were still unaware of the commotion outside. They were deep in discussion. Beishan Xuantang had lost. Who would step up next? Among those who had reached multiple Domains of the Dao, Xuantang had been one of the top ten.

"Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, no need to be shy. A set of flying swords is nothing," Bloodshadow said, handing the Heavenly Fiend and Earthly Fiend Sword Formation to Ji Ning.

Ji Ning smiled. "Then I'll gratefully accept, senior apprentice-brother."

In just a few exchanges, Ji Ning had taken a strong liking to Bloodshadow. Accepting the sword formation was a clear sign that he considered Bloodshadow a friend.

"Excellent." Bloodshadow nodded. "Your talent is astonishing, junior apprentice-brother, but on the path of cultivation, burying your head in training alone won't bring success. You need to travel widely and experience much. I imagine it won't be long before you venture out. You'll probably join the Yinglong Guard as well. When that time comes, feel free to come to me—I know the Yinglong Guard inside and out."

"I'll be sure to trouble you then, senior apprentice-brother," Ji Ning replied with a smile.

"Hm?" Bloodshadow turned his head.

Ji Ning followed his gaze.

A figure was emerging from the crowd of third-generation disciples.

"It's her?" Ji Ning's pupils contracted. It was the black-robed girl who had been sitting at the center of a cluster, surrounded even by Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus. Her status was clearly supreme.

"Junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning," the black-robed girl said coldly as she stepped forward. "Among those who have reached multiple Domains of the Dao, I am considered the strongest. If you defeat me, then Senior Apprentice-Brother Tiansheng and the others will fight you."

With that, she walked directly into a side hall to select a puppet.

"You're in trouble," Bloodshadow said, drawing a sharp breath.

"Who is she?" Ji Ning asked, though he already had a guess.

"Fire Rainbow Immortal, Yu Wei!" Bloodshadow said in a low voice. "A reincarnated Immortal. Her talent is terrifying. When she first joined, even the veteran disciples didn't dare to 'debate' her. Her cultivation speed is incredible. She's in her early twenties now, but her strength is already astonishing."

Ji Ning was inwardly shocked.

A reincarnated Immortal? His master had told him that among the third-generation disciples, there were only three reincarnated Immortals. Two had been cultivating for over eighty years, and one for just over twenty years. That one must be the black-robed girl, Yu Wei.

"So she claims to be the strongest in the multiple Domains of the Dao," Ji Ning mused, feeling a surge of wariness but no fear. "A reincarnated Immortal is still just a cultivator who's had ten more years of training than me."

But just moments later.

Inside the sealing formation, Ji Ning stood on a stone pillar, staring in shock at the scene before him.

The over a thousand flying swords he had released, executing the first stance of the Three-Foot Sword in perfect unison, had indeed unleashed tremendous power. But the Fire Rainbow Immortal, Yu Wei, had chosen a thousand-sword puppet as well. Her thousand flying swords transformed into a blazing tide of fiery sword-light.

Scorching, sharp, unstoppable flame!

A head-on collision. A clash of equals.

Ji Ning's sword-light was fierce and dominant, but the all-consuming flames were even more savage. They ground down his swords and pierced through his puppet's protective barrier.

"Yu Wei, wins!" the white-haired elder announced loudly.

The victory was clean and decisive.

"I lost." Ji Ning rose, smiling. "Senior apprentice-sister is formidable. I admit defeat wholeheartedly."

"When I was sixteen, I wasn't as good as you," the Fire Rainbow Immortal said, glancing at him. "By the way, don't forget to give me the hundred Black-White Pearls and ten jin of Primordial Liquid."

Ji Ning's eyes widened, and his mouth opened but no words came out.

A reincarnated Immortal, and she cared about the stakes? Did she think he was going to renege?

By then, a stream of Primal Daoists had arrived at the Dao Debate Hall. They had barely caught the tail end of Ji Ning's battle with the Fire Rainbow Immortal. They all nodded to themselves. "A Sword Immortal indeed. And with such a powerful sword-heart. In a few hundred years, our Black-White College will produce another Sword Immortal to rival the Diancai Daoist."

In a corner of the hall.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Two more Immortals had materialized beside Wufeng and the Diancai Immortal: a long-bearded old man in a tall crown, and a child radiating boundless cold. Their arrival went unnoticed by the Primal Daoists and third-generation disciples.

"A Sword Immortal," said the long-bearded old man, nodding. "He has indeed stepped onto the path of the Sword Immortal. Our Black-White College finally has a disciple starting to comprehend the Grand Dao of the Sword."

Daos have their hierarchies.

The Dao of Rainwater, the Dao of Ice, and the like are merely common Daos of Heaven and Earth.

But the Sword Dao is a higher-tier Grand Dao.

Even entering its threshold is far more difficult. A Zifu Disciple can easily grasp a fragment of the True Meaning of Rainwater, and even reaching the Domain of the Dao of Rainwater is nothing special.

But the Sword Dao, as a Grand Dao, requires a level of difficulty that borders on the miraculous just to gain entry.

"What a powerful sword-heart, what talent, what comprehension." The child's voice was youthful, but his words carried the weight of age. "Truly a piece of unpolished jade that can be carved into a mighty Sword Immortal."

"Mm, mm, mm," the short old man bobbed his head. "Our Black-White College has only the Diancai Daoist as a Sword Immortal. Now we have another. A Sword Immortal—even if he fails his tribulation and becomes a Loose Immortal, he'll still be a terrifyingly powerful Loose Immortal."

The long-bearded old man frowned and scolded, "Elder Brother Wufeng, Junior Apprentice-Brother Diancai is still an Earth Immortal. There's a great chance he can become a Celestial Immortal. Do not speak such disheartening words."

The short old man immediately looked at the Diancai Immortal. "Junior apprentice-brother..."

"It's fine. As long as I have no regrets, that is enough." The Diancai Immortal smiled faintly. "As Senior Beixing said, 'A single day of living freely is worth more than a hundred years of living in constraint.' I will simply walk my path. Whether or not I become a Celestial Immortal is secondary."

"Very well said," the short old man nodded.

The child Immortal looked at the Diancai Immortal. "Junior Apprentice-Brother Diancai, Ji Ning is another Sword Immortal of our Black-White College. You must teach him well."

The Diancai Immortal turned his gaze to Ji Ning, who was handing two jade bottles to Yu Wei, and a look of expectation appeared in his eyes. He said slowly, "Naturally. He is my disciple."

"Senior apprentice-sister, here are the hundred Black-White Pearls and ten jin of Primordial Liquid." Ji Ning offered the two jade bottles to the Fire Rainbow Immortal.

The black-robed girl glanced at him, then a faint smile appeared on her face. She reached out, took the bottles from his hand, and turned away without another word.