Chapter 11: One Sword of Heaven and Earth, the Wangquan Sword Intent

«Boom!»

The sword light did not slow, surging straight toward the distance, carving a trench several meters deep into the ground before slamming into the fence at the edge of the playground.

With a violent explosion, the fence collapsed instantly, dust rising and stones flying everywhere.

When the dust cleared, everyone finally saw that the sword light had split the fence open along a gap dozens of meters long, and even distant trees had been shaken askew by the residual force.

The playground fell into absolute silence.

All eyes fixed on Ye Xuan, as if he were the only existence in this world.

Ye Xuan stood where he was, the Wangquan Sword already sheathed, his face calm, his gaze serene.

«One sword of heaven and earth—named Wangquan.»

His voice was casual, yet carried an invisible pressure, clearly reaching every ear—soft, yet seeming to pierce the soul, making everyone involuntarily hold their breath.

The air still lingered with the afterglow of the sword light; golden radiance slowly faded under the sun, yet still stirred a deep unease.

Zhang Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he could not speak; the image of that sword strike replayed endlessly in his mind, as if his very thoughts had been severed by the blade.

Chen Hao stood nearby, his phone having fallen to the ground unnoticed, the screen shattered; compared to others, he with his «Eagle Eye» ability saw far more clearly.

In his gaze, that sword strike had truly cleaved heaven and earth apart.

Even the students who had been frantically fleeing now stopped in their tracks, staring dumbly at Ye Xuan as if he were a god.

Ye Xuan paid no heed to the surrounding stares, merely sheathing his sword.

«Perhaps I was a bit too showy.»

«But it’s not entirely bad.»

Meanwhile, at the other end of the city.

Inside a grand building, the spacious command center displayed on a massive screen everything that had just transpired at Hangcheng No. 3 High School.

Several young people stood before the screen, men and women alike, all in their early twenties, dressed in uniform dark blue outfits adorned with the «Tianshu Bureau» emblem, looking sharp and full of vigor.

«Will using such an obvious method to force hidden students to reveal their abilities actually work?»

Lin Mo adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his tone laced with clear skepticism.

«It should, right? Didn’t we always want to show off in front of everyone—the kind where everyone runs for their lives, but we walk straight into danger?»

«And wasn’t this plan agreed upon by all of us? Why are you doubting it now?»

Zhou Yao replied, though inwardly she also thought the plan was dubious—yet since it was already done, what use was complaining now?

«The plan itself isn’t flawed. After all, these are students—we had to consider safety. A level-three earthquake drew them to the playground; the Windchaser Rats gave them a sense of danger, then exposed the hidden cultivators.»

«But Zhou Yao, your Windchaser Rats are terribly fake.»

Zhao Feng pointed at the screen, where the rats were pretending to attack but never actually bit, and scoffed.

Ye Xuan was right—these rats weren’t mutated creatures, but summonings from Zhou Yao’s ability. Since she could manipulate wind elements to some degree, they named them Windchaser Rats; their strength was neither impressive nor weak, just slightly above ordinary humans.

An ordinary person, if not panicked, could kill one even without an ability; someone with an ability could dispatch them easily. Considering students might never have seen such large rats, fear was understandable—but this level of panic was beyond their expectations.

«How is it bad? Where’s it bad?»

«You can’t seriously have them bite, can you?»

«I’d like to, but I need higher approval.»

Zhou Yao rolled her eyes—these were all the flowers of Greater Xia; if any got hurt, someone would be held accountable.

«Besides, we already found two.»

«Thunder ability—though average in strength, still decent.»

«The other one’s hard to tell—looks like strength enhancement, but other abilities can’t be ruled out.»

«Only two students with abilities in one school? Who believes that?»

Lin Mo shook his head.

«Only ten thousand registered cultivators in all of Hangcheng. Do you believe that?»

«In the end, there’s no incentive. You expect people to report themselves with no benefit? Impossible.»

Zhao Feng shrugged, his tone resigned.

«Cultivators are secondary—we’re mainly looking for holders of Celestial Treasures.»

«After all, students have a higher chance of obtaining Celestial Treasures than adults already in society.»

«Adults are drained just trying to survive their jobs; few have the energy to pursue anything else.»

As the three spoke, the screen suddenly switched to the scene of Ye Xuan’s sword strike.

Golden sword light sliced through the sky, as if cleaving heaven and earth in two; where it passed, air tore open, the ground split into a trench several meters deep, stones flew, and dust billowed.

At the moment the sword light struck the fence, the wall shattered like paper, a gaping gap of dozens of meters starkly visible amid the dust; distant trees trembled violently, branches and leaves falling like rain, as if struck by a storm.

Though silent, the destructive power on screen left viewers breathless.

«Holy shit!»

«What the hell is that?!»

Lin Mo’s eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

«Is this a cultivator? Can any cultivator now possess such power?»

«The Qi Tide hasn’t even begun yet.»

«Could he be a holder of a Celestial Treasure?»

Zhou Yao’s expression glowed with excitement—if he was a Celestial Treasure holder, this was extremely significant.

Lin Mo’s fingers flew across the keyboard.

«Energy signature far exceeds that of a normal cultivator. Preliminary assessment: holder of a Celestial Treasure or Celestial Character Template. And from his expression, this attack imposed zero strain.»

«A basic attack—or at most, a half-hearted ultimate.»

«His true power must be far greater!»

Zhao Feng’s expression turned electric at Lin Mo’s data; his fists clenched tightly, unable to remain calm.

«This is the person we’ve been searching for! This power—this power!»

«Report it immediately!»

Zhao Feng took a deep breath and spoke to Lin Mo and Zhou Yao.

«Whether Celestial Treasure or Celestial Character Template, he’s beyond our capacity to handle.»

«Anyone who obtains a Celestial Treasure or Celestial Character Template is an incarnation of this era’s destiny. Special personnel will be assigned to contact them and, if possible, invite them to join Tianshu Bureau to prepare for future threats.»

«Understood!»

Zhou Yao and Lin Mo nodded simultaneously, their voices heavy with unprecedented gravity.

(End of Chapter)