Chapter 570: The Surprise Within the Sword Scar!

When his sword intent broke through to the Sixth Stage, Chen Mu could clearly sense the transformation of his sword Dao.

With a flick of his thought, a thread of invisible sword intent pierced through his body, causing the air ahead to emit a faint, cloth-tearing "chichi" sound that lingered long after.

The condensation and sharpness of his sword intent far surpassed what it had been at the Fifth Stage; his perception and manipulation of cosmic rules—especially those related to "sharpness," "destruction," and "speed"—had also increased dramatically.

His overall strength had risen by at least thirty percent.

Yet Chen Mu's goal was not merely the Sixth Stage.

Because to subdue the strange fire "Jianming Tianyan," he needed Seventh Stage sword intent!

"Seventh Stage sword intent…" Chen Mu's gaze returned to the massive sword scar before him on the cliff face.

Zixiao Sword Ancestor, the peerless sword ancestor of the Ten Thousand Forms Realm from three thousand years ago, had left behind this sword scar—its contained sword Dao realm was certainly not merely Sixth Stage, but at least Seventh Stage, perhaps even higher.

Otherwise, it could not have retained such vast, overwhelming pressure and Dao resonance after three thousand years of erosion and corruption by malevolent energy.

"Opportunity lies before me—how could I leave empty-handed?"

Chen Mu's will was firm; he had no intention of leaving.

He sat cross-legged once more three zhang from the sword scar, closed his eyes, and unleashed his newly broken-through and stabilized Sixth Stage sword intent without reservation, like the most devoted disciple, attempting once again deeper communication, resonance, and comprehension with the dormant Zixiao thunder sword intent buried within the scar for three millennia.

This time, he used his Sixth Stage sword intent as a bridge, trying to reach into the sword scar's depths—to touch the more profound, more mysterious fragments of sword Dao rules belonging to the Seventh or even higher stages.

Yet the path of intent grows ever harder with each ascending stage.

Crossing each stage demands deeper understanding of the sword's essence, finer control over cosmic rules, and a fleeting, unrepeatable moment of sudden enlightenment.

Even with the Zixiao sword scar as his "master," Chen Mu spent several days utterly immersed within it.

He continuously analyzed, simulated, and internalized every thread of sword intent's Dao resonance, yet his own sword intent seemed trapped in a bottleneck—though constantly polished and condensed, becoming more refined and pure.

But he remained just one critical thread away from breaking through the invisible barrier to the Seventh Stage.

It felt like gazing at a peerless treasure through a thin veil—close enough to feel its radiance and Dao resonance, yet forever unable to truly touch or comprehend its core mystery.

"Indeed, relying solely on slow, grinding effort and personal insight, breaking through to the Seventh Stage in a short time is too difficult."

Several days later, Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes; a hint of helplessness flashed in his gaze, but more prominent was a resolute determination.

He had not come unprepared.

With a flick of his thought, a card appeared in his palm—the Insight Card!

"Use!"

Hum—

A cool, mysterious force, as if directly acting upon the soul's origin, surged instantly into Chen Mu's consciousness.

In an instant, Chen Mu felt his mental processing speed increase tenfold, a hundredfold!

The previously vague, incomprehensible Dao resonance of the sword scar now became crystal clear, logically structured.

The complex, arcane trajectories and rule patterns of the sword intent seemed dismantled into the most fundamental symbols and rhythms, laid bare for him to observe, analyze, and absorb.

The entire world seemed to slow down, while his comprehension of the sword Dao soared at an unimaginable rate.

Chen Mu closed his eyes once more, his mind sinking entirely into the sword scar.

Under the enlightenment state granted by the Insight Card, his perception became infinitely sharp; his understanding of the Zixiao sword intent began advancing with astonishing speed toward deeper, more fundamental layers.

Within the sword scar, chains of true sword Dao principles—each link's composition, interweaving, and resonance—seemed to expound the highest mysteries of the sword.

Chen Mu's Sixth Stage sword intent, under this intense stimulation and insight, sprouted like a seedling after a long drought, frantically absorbing nourishment.

Signs of a qualitative leap emerged—the barrier to the Seventh Stage grew thinner, clearer…

Just as Chen Mu's sword intent neared that barrier and his consciousness delved deeper into the scar's core, his awareness suddenly brushed against a hidden stream of information buried deep within the vast sword Dao resonance.

No—not mere information, but a martial art embedded within the sword intent!

Chen Mu's consciousness jolted; under the Insight Card's enhancement, he focused all his attention, guiding his sword intent like the most precise key to unlock this stream of information.

Fragments of text, diagrams, meridian pathways, and sword technique intent surged into his consciousness like a tide.

Though incomplete and disordered, their core essence was unmistakably continuous with the surrounding Zixiao thunder sword intent.

"Is this a sword technique? A fragmented sword technique hidden within the scar?"

Chen Mu was astonished.

He never imagined that this sword scar, left behind by Zixiao Sword Ancestor during his final clash with a formidable foe, concealed a supreme art.

The Zixiao Thunder Sword!

Though only a fragment remained, its value was incalculable.

This was no accident—it was clearly the residue left when Zixiao Sword Ancestor's sword intent merged with his cultivation art during his final outburst.

For Chen Mu, this was a greater opportunity than breaking through the sword intent stage!

A supreme sword technique from a Ten Thousand Forms Realm sword ancestor—even incomplete—contained sword Dao concepts, force manipulation methods, and rule applications far surpassing any art he currently possessed.

If he could grasp its essence and integrate it into his own martial path, his strength would rise comprehensively.

"The Zixiao Thunder Sword… What a magnificent name."

Chen Mu suppressed his excitement and immediately realized he must seize the remaining enlightenment time of the Insight Card to record and comprehend these fragmented sword technique details.

Simultaneously, a bolder thought arose in his mind.

He had the Combat Simulation Card!

He could simulate and reconstruct the incomplete martial art until it was complete!

Without hesitation, Chen Mu immediately pulled out two accumulated Combat Simulation Cards.

He used one first, locking his thought onto the newly acquired, incomplete Zixiao Thunder Sword technique information within his consciousness.

Hum!

The Combat Simulation Card dissolved into shimmering light and merged into Chen Mu's consciousness.

A mysterious force—capable of perceiving the essence of martial arts and simulating all transformations—began acting upon the fragmented sword technique.

The disordered scriptures automatically reordered and connected; the missing diagrams and meridian pathways were gradually simulated, restored, and optimized under the power of some supreme rule.

Throughout the entire process, it was as if a Grand Master of Martial Dao had personally explained, demonstrated, and refined this peerless sword art within Chen Mu's consciousness.

But the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art was, after all, a supreme technique of the Ten Thousand Forms realm; even its fragmented portions were profoundly obscure.

The power of one Practice Card was quickly exhausted, and the deduction progress reached only about thirty percent before it stalled.

"Another one!"

Chen Mu, unmoved by the cost, immediately used his second Practice Card.

The deduction continued; more fragments were filled in, and the outline of the sword art grew clearer and more complete.

But it was still not enough.

When the power of the second Practice Card was spent, the deduction progress reached roughly sixty percent—then halted again, facing an even more central and difficult bottleneck.

"Two aren't enough—then two more!"

Chen Mu pulled out another pair of Practice Cards and used them in succession.

He knew well: if he missed this moment of enlightenment under the "Intelligence Card"'s boost, the difficulty of completing this sword art later would increase geometrically.

For this, no amount of accumulated resources was too great a cost.

The power of the third and fourth Practice Cards merged in turn.

Under the combined, immense force of all four Practice Cards, the fragmented portions of the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art were forcibly fused, reshaped, and interconnected by an invisible giant hand.

More and more blanks were filled, broken meridians were linked, and obscure truths were elucidated.

Deduction progress surged to ninety percent, then ninety-five percent…

And at this most critical moment, Chen Mu felt the enlightenment state granted by the "Intelligence Card" beginning to weaken.

His mental speed and comprehension were slipping from their peak.

"Intelligence Card—another one!"

Chen Mu activated another Intelligence Card, sustaining the mysterious state of enlightenment.

The power of the fifth "Intelligence Card" erupted violently, merging with the residual might of the four Practice Cards.

Within Chen Mu's consciousness, it was as if thunder cracked open primordial chaos.

Boom—

Accompanied by a piercing sword shriek that seemed capable of tearing through infinite void, it roared to life at the deepest depths of Chen Mu's consciousness.

The final fragment, the last wisp of fog—under the combined force of the five cards—was utterly connected, completed, and illuminated.

A complete sword art, the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art, unfurled like a scroll within Chen Mu's spirit, every detail visible, not a single omission left.

Simultaneously, the sword intent swirling around Chen Mu—already boiling from his contemplation of the sword marks—now, under the impact and nourishment of the complete sword art's Dao resonance, was injected with a final, potent elixir: it collapsed inward violently, condensed, then erupted.

Sword intent surged to the heavens, shaking the four directions!

A sword-shaped phantom, refined to perfection and seemingly woven from countless tiny purple lightning filaments, flashed above Chen Mu's crown and pierced straight into the sky, briefly tearing open the thick malevolent energy above the gorge!

Terrifying sword momentum, like a raging tide, exploded outward from Chen Mu in all directions.

"Huh?"

The giant ape, dozing nearby, was jolted awake by this sudden, terrifying sword momentum—its golden fur bristled in fright.

Like a cat with its tail stepped on, it leapt from the ground with a low growl, instinctively retreating dozens of zhang backward, its crimson eyes filled with shock and confusion as it stared at Chen Mu, as if facing some monstrous thing.

It did not understand: how had this human, who just days ago had merely exerted pressure on it with his aura, suddenly unleashed a sword intent so terrifying it made even its heart tremble—as if confronting divine wrath?

Before the sword marks, Chen Mu's cross-legged figure stood as immovable as a rock amid the surging, thunderous torrent of sword momentum.

From every pore of his body, faint sword glimmers flickered in and out; his hair stirred without wind, each strand transformed into a blade capable of piercing the heavens.

After a long while, the natural celestial phenomenon and surge of power triggered by the completion of the sword art and the breakthrough in sword intent gradually subsided.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes.

His pupils no longer held piercing sword light—only depth like starry void, stillness like an ancient well.

Seventh Level Sword Intent!

Under the ultimate impact and nourishment of the complete Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art's Dao resonance, he finally shattered the barrier and stepped across.

The condensation, sharpness, speed, and dominance of his sword intent, along with its affinity and mastery over the principles of Thunder, Exorcism, and Judgment, reached an entirely new height.

It was more than a hundredfold stronger than at the Sixth Level.

"Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art… Seventh Level Sword Intent…"

Chen Mu felt the new sword intent surging and roaring within him, as if ready to summon heavenly thunder punishment, and the complete sword art in his mind—his heart swelled with indescribable satisfaction and grandeur.

Yet Chen Mu did not stop.

His sword intent had reached the Seventh Level, but the newly acquired supreme technique, the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art, had yet to be cultivated.

Without hesitation.

Chen Mu pulled out one cultivation card after another and used them one by one.

The cultivation cards dissolved into streams of light and sank into his body.

Instantly, Chen Mu felt his comprehension and understanding of the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art accelerate as if a speed boost had been applied.

Every phrase of the sword art, every diagram of qi circulation, every movement's meaning and variation, was seared into his martial instinct like a brand.

His internal qi also began to flow autonomously, adapting and transforming along the unique and mysterious pathways recorded in the sword art.

With the aid of the cultivation cards, Chen Mu's mastery of the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art quickly reached the level of perfect refinement.

"Another Intelligence Card!"

A sharp gleam flashed in Chen Mu's eyes as he activated another Intelligence Card.

Hum—

Chen Mu's spirit instantly entered an unprecedented state of clarity, acuity, and focus.

His understanding of the Purple Thunder Shocking Heaven Sword Art no longer remained confined to techniques or qi pathways—it now pierced directly to its core Dao meaning, tracing back to the martial philosophy and principle insights of the Purple Thunder Sword Sovereign who created this art.

Why summon thunder?

Why the thunderous shock?

Within Lei Ting lies not only destruction, but also vitality, purification, and the will of judgment.

When the sword is drawn like a thunderclap, it must not only be swift and fierce, but also be imbued with the great momentum and law of upholding heaven's justice and purifying the cosmos.

In the state of sudden enlightenment, Chen Mu's understanding of the Purple Sky Thunder-Shocking Sword Art rapidly delved deeper into the level of the Dao.

The aura around him also began to subtly change; the faint purple Lei Guang that had previously radiated from the sword incantation gradually retracted, yet acquired a new, invisible, heart-stopping aura of solemn slaughter.

It was as if he was no longer merely a martial artist, but had transformed into a Lei Ting Sword Envoy entrusted with a portion of heaven's punitive authority.

Time flowed swiftly away within the deep comprehension and cultivation.

Just as the power of the "Insight Card" was about to be exhausted—

Hum!

Within Chen Mu's body, something seemed to shatter completely.

The true essence of the Purple Sky Thunder-Shocking Sword Art resonated and fused at a deeper level with his own Seven Heaven Sword Intent, and even with the Grand Luo Martial Scripture's all-encompassing Dao.

It was no longer mere execution of the technique, but had become an integral part of his own martial system, as natural as moving one's arm, perfectly aligned with his will.

The realm of the sword incantation reached its pinnacle!