Chapter 689

Now, after a gap of several months, to have already mastered a Perfect Sword Heart is an utterly inconceivable matter!

Yet, facing Nie Wushuang's question, the Heavenly Sword Sect Elder shook his head: "Perfect Sword Heart? Little Martial Uncle-Grandmaster has been in the sect less than a month, yet has already stepped into this realm."

"Now that three months have passed, she has further condensed a Sword Spirit, mastered Attribute Sword Intent, and reached the Sword King realm!"

"And not many people within the sect know of this news. If it weren't for seeing that you know Little Martial Uncle-Grandmaster, this old man couldn't be bothered to spell it all out for you."

"It's just that, not long ago, the Sect Master received a piece of news from the Ancestor. In one month, His Excellency will personally bring Little Martial Uncle-Grandmaster to visit every sword-path sect within the Moonlight Dynasty's territory, preparing to have her challenge each sect in turn, defeat every prodigy, and thereby forge an invincible Dao Heart!"

At this point, the Heavenly Sword Sect Elder paused, then sighed with emotion: "Currently, Little Martial Uncle-Grandmaster's great name circulates only within the sect and has yet to spread to the outside world."

"But in one month, the great name of the Bai Hong Sword King will surely resound throughout the entire dynasty!"

"And she will, at an age not yet twenty, become a great mountain pressing down upon the hearts of all the younger generation!"

"That mountain cannot be surpassed, cannot be surpassed—can only be looked up to!!"

"And this era will ultimately belong to Little Martial Uncle-Grandmaster, leaving other sword cultivators to face only their darkest hour......."

"Originally, given your own talent, with a bit of opportunity and fortune, you would have been qualified to take part in this—to vie for the chance to become the one who leads the era. But now, alas, born at the wrong time......"

At this moment, the Heavenly Sword Sect Elder's tone rang out forceful and resonant, every word weighing a thousand pounds!

Every sentence, falling by Nie Wushuang's ear, was deafening to the soul!

He stood dumbly in place, his eyes unfocused, the old brilliance gone from them.

"Bai Hong Sword King?"

Nie Wushuang murmured in disbelief.

If these words had not come from the Heavenly Sword Sect Elder, he would surely have taken the speaker for a raving fool!

After all, one must know—that is the Sword King realm!

Condensing a Sword Spirit—how could that possibly be so easy to achieve?

Has one not seen how many sword cultivators, their entire lives through, can scarcely glimpse the gates of the Sword Marquis realm, let alone Sword King!

Even for those Sword Marquis powerhouses who have mastered a Perfect Sword Heart, to take that final step and reach Sword King is a thousand hardships piled upon hardship!

Between Sword King and Sword Marquis lies the difference of cloud and mud—two entirely different concepts.

The difficulty of breaking through to Sword King can be glimpsed from the fact that, looking across all of Great Qin, there is only one's own Master as a Sword King!

And looking at the other eight nations, there is not a single powerhouse who has reached the Sword King realm!

Of course, this does not mean the sword-path prodigies of the nine nations are necessarily inferior to those of the Moonlight Dynasty.

It is simply because the vast majority of prodigies with hope of achieving Sword King were long ago spotted and recruited by the sword-path sects of the Moonlight Dynasty.

Hence the nine nations' sword-path circles have been left withered and bereft of talent.

Coupled with the lack of Sword King inheritances and the many profound sword-path knowledges—

For nine-nation sword cultivators, breaking through to the Sword King realm is all the harder!

Precisely because of this, even he himself, wanting to condense a Sword Spirit and step into the Sword King realm, has no confidence in his heart.

He does not know when he will be able to take that final step.

This process could be a few years, or several decades, or even a century!

It is also possible that, before reaching the Sword King realm, one might already perish midway.

And this is the true portrait of most sword cultivators' lives!

Yet now, there is such a person who, at a speed defying all reason, in the span of mere months, has stepped into the Sword King realm.

If this person were then to return to Great Qin, she would be enough to become the foremost of Great Qin's sword-path circles, even the foremost of the nine nations' sword-path circles!

And after achieving all this, this Bai Hong Sword King Jiang Zhiwei is still not yet twenty years old!

If given a few more years, or several decades—

Nie Wushuang truly found it hard to imagine what realm she would grow to.

Perhaps by then, this Bai Hong Sword King would already have become the Bai Hong Sword Saint—perhaps indeed!

He increasingly felt that he seemed to be witnessing, with his own eyes, the birth of a legend!

Thinking of this, Nie Wushuang raised his head and looked ahead.

He gazed at the palace halls and pavilions behind the Shanmen.

In his eyes, light flickered anew, as if he saw once more that sword-wielding girl.

"Meeting a sword-path monster like you is indeed the misfortune of countless sword cultivators under heaven. But in a certain sense, you have also become the goal everyone must chase, the path forward for everyone."

"Even if I am destined never to surpass you, I will still follow this road, striving with all my might, seeking the sword path that belongs to me alone!!"

Thinking of this, Nie Wushuang turned and looked at the stone stele before him.

Two fingers pressed together into a sword finger, and he slashed sharply!

In an instant, light blazed forth across the surface of the Stair-Stepping Stone Stele!

Soon, it condensed into a line of large characters.

Tenth place, Nie Wushuang, ascended one hundred and twenty-three steps!

At the same time, Ning Zhengqi's name likewise shifted down by one line.

Eleventh place, Ning Zhengqi, ascended one hundred and twenty-two steps!

Seven days later.

Moonlight Dynasty.

Somewhere within a massive ancient city.

The streets were a sea of people, powerhouses gathered in throngs!

Even more Alchemists threaded their way through the crowds.

They had all come for the Alchemy Grand Competition hosted by the Mystic Pill Sect!

It was still early; there were still three hours until the Alchemy Grand Competition began.

Many alchemists who knew each other gathered together, chatting amongst themselves.

They exchanged alchemical experience and discussed various matters concerning this Alchemy Grand Meeting.

"The name of the Mystic Pill Sect resounds throughout the Imperial Dynasty. Now they are about to hold an Alchemy Grand Meeting, the grandest in scale in the past ten years. Those who come drawn by its fame are countless. If one could claim first place in this Grand Meeting, once the news spread, one would surely become renowned across the realm........"

"Hahaha, becoming renowned across the realm is secondary—who under heaven does not already know? If one could perform outstandingly in this Alchemy Grand Meeting, one would receive an invitation from the Mystic Pill Sect!"

"Precisely. This Mystic Pill Sect is not only one of the most powerful pill Dao factions in the Moon Radiance Imperial Dynasty, but behind it sits the Grand Alchemy Master Yun Yangzi, one of the Four Grand Alchemy Masters!"

"If one could take this opportunity to enter the Mystic Pill Sect and receive Yun Yangzi's guidance, the benefits would naturally be considerable. No wonder so many alchemists have come to participate this time."