Supreme Emptiness

Chapter 2207: Chapter 2251: Liu Qingxian’s Dao

The crowd was also stunned by Liu Qingxian’s Sword Dao.

Long Xu Sage looked at Fuyun Great Sage in constant surprise and asked, "Fuyun, is this junior your student?"

The Great Sages from various cities also cast bewildered glances. It was no secret among the nine candidates and their Tao Guardians that Jian Wuchou had never taught Liu Qingxian. Consequently, no one had ever considered her a strong contender.

However, Liu Qingxian left the entire audience utterly astounded! The moment she appeared, she shook the arena by displaying the third-largest Sword Dao Crystal. The only possible explanation was that she had changed her Tao Guardian. Yet, Fuyun Great Sage was not proficient in the Sword Dao. How could she possibly possess such brilliant Sword Dao to impart to Liu Qingxian?

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the crowd, Fuyun Great Sage was equally baffled. She wondered where this little girl had acquired such powerful Sword Dao. In terms of Sword Dao comprehension alone, very few in the Three Calamities Realm could match her. Then, recalling how Jiang Fan had once executed Jian Sankuang’s unique sword wings, she couldn’t help but look at him.

Following her gaze, the crowd’s attention also shifted to the old man.

"Who is this person?" someone asked.

"Liu Qingxian’s man."

"Is he the old man who single-handedly challenged half the Sages of your Sword Central City?"

"Word has it that he also possesses extraordinary swordsmanship. Could Liu Qingxian’s Sword Dao have originated from him?"

"I knew it! How could a dignified Sword Saint inheritance candidate with such peerless beauty like Liu Qingxian give herself to a worthless old geezer?"

"So he’s actually a hidden Sword Dao expert!"

"It’s a good thing she was wise enough to throw herself into the old man’s embrace. If she had stayed with a certain Tao Guardian, things would be looking quite ugly for her right now."

Hearing this, that "certain Tao Guardian" turned livid.

He had never put any effort into cultivating Liu Qingxian. Aside from her refusal to submit to him, another reason was that he believed she had no hope of succeeding. The other candidates had arrived at the Martial Vault to further their studies and learn various profound Sword Daos decades or even a century ago. How could Liu Qingxian possibly catch up to them in just a month or two? Even if she failed the trial, no one would blame him as her Tao Guardian.

But to his utter dismay, that old man had actually instilled such powerful Sword Dao into her in a mere half month! This publicly humiliated him and effectively held him, her former Tao Guardian, over an open flame.

Glaring furiously at Jiang Fan, he spat, "Old fossil, do you really think your meager Sword Dao can carry that woman to victory?"

Hearing this, Jiang Fan glanced over nonchalantly and uttered two simple words: "Incompetent rage."

"You!" Jian Wuchou boiled with rage. The great battle half a month ago had already caused him to lose all face, and the casualties of the five Sages had subjected him to interrogation and accountability from the Seven Swords. Now, he was being humiliated once again. "Fine! Let’s see just how far she can go!"

Jiang Fan simply shook his head, focusing all his attention on the changes occurring on the arena.

The Enlightenment crystals hovering above the nine candidates represented their life’s comprehension. However, as they fought the phantoms from the era of the Daqian Divine Kingdom, they gradually grasped entirely new concepts of the Sword Dao through combat. As a result, the Sword Dao Crystals above their heads began to grow. In other words, the true strongest in the Sword Dao would only be revealed at the end of the trial.

All nine candidates were experiencing rapid growth in their Sword Dao, but Yan Rushi’s progress was undoubtedly the fastest, with Liu Qingxian trailing closely behind in second place. If this continued, barring any accidents, Yan Rushi would be the ultimate victor of the trial and become the true Sword Saint candidate.

The other candidates sensed the disadvantageous situation, and Liu Qingxian was equally unwilling to fall behind. After a brief moment of thought, she activated her Heart Sword and defeated the phantom before her. Following its defeat, a much more powerful phantom materialized, wielding a more brilliant Sword Dao that allowed Liu Qingxian to comprehend even more during their clash. The growth speed of her Sword Dao Crystal visibly increased, faintly threatening to catch up to Yan Rushi’s.

Seeing this, the remaining candidates followed suit, challenging stronger phantoms one after another.

"Hmph! A bunch of mediocrities, yet you dare to compete with me?" Yan Rushi coldly defeated the phantom in front of her, choosing to challenge an even stronger opponent as well.

The trial was exceptionally fierce right from the start.

Jiang Fan furrowed his brow slightly. "It seems a winner will be decided very soon."

Fuyun Great Sage nodded slowly. Watching Liu Qingxian, she worried, "Such high-intensity slaughter means they can’t replenish their energy, making it difficult to sustain the battle. Qingxian has the weakest cultivation, so she is actually at a severe disadvantage in such a fierce fight."

However, the trial had already begun. As outsiders, they could not interfere.

Just an hour later.

All nine candidates on the arena had reached a state of exhaustion.

BANG!

With a muffled thud, one of the lowest-ranked candidates was sent flying out of the ring by a phantom. The Sword Dao Crystal on his forehead instantly froze, ceasing to grow. Following him, more candidates were successively knocked off the arena.

Liu Qingxian was also on the verge of collapse. She had been forcing herself to hold on until now, and her mental fortitude was severely overdrawn from the constant combat. Faced with the phantom’s sword moves, she was reduced to merely parrying, struggling more and more to keep up. In three moves at most, she would be defeated.

She looked at the others. There were still five people left on the arena, and all of them were still holding on. Yan Rushi, in particular, though showing signs of weakness, still appeared relatively at ease. The gap between the two of them was simply too massive. For the first time, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness. None of the people selected by the Sword Saint were weak!

Just then, the phantom swung another sword strike at her. As Liu Qingxian parried, her consciousness began to scatter. She couldn’t hold on much longer. She was going to lose.

Inadvertently, she caught sight of Jiang Fan in the crowd. He was smiling at her with a comforting gaze, gently waving his hand, signaling her to give up and avoid unnecessary injuries.

A wave of warmth washed over her heart, immediately followed by an immense sense of guilt. For the sake of her trial, Jiang Fan had not hesitated to offend Jian Wuchou, had traded an Eighth Grade Heavenly Pill for the Heart Sword, and had even requested Fuyun Great Sage to be her Tao Guardian. Yet, in the end, she couldn’t persevere. She had promised to walk the rest of the path on her own, but she had failed to reach the end.

Her consciousness relaxed as she prepared to give up. However, deep within her heart, a surge of unwillingness echoed loudly. If she gave up now, she would miss out on the Saint’s inheritance and would never be able to keep up with Jiang Fan’s footsteps on the Martial Path. She would be relegated back to being dead weight by his side. In the future, when Jiang Fan encountered dangers like the Boundary Mountain battle or the war with the Ancient Giants, she would remain utterly helpless and unable to assist him.

This was not the life she wanted! She wanted to be strong! She had to become strong!

With an unyielding roar in her mind, she forced herself to rally, fiercely blasting away the phantom’s attack.

Yan Rushi, who had been keeping an eye on her, turned slightly cold. "Pointless struggling!"

Liu Qingxian remained silent, letting her inner unwillingness transform into a powerful will to continue fighting.

Nearby, the cross-legged Saint slowly opened his closed eyes to a narrow slit before shutting them once more.

A short while later.

Three more candidates were defeated one after another, letting out unwilling shouts. The Sword Dao Crystals on their foreheads were inferior to Liu Qingxian’s, let alone Yan Rushi’s. This meant they were officially out of the running for first place. Their path to the Sword Saint inheritance ended here.

Some broke into tears, while others screamed in grief and indignation. A few simply dropped their swords and walked away in desolation. For this very day, they had all paid a price ordinary people could hardly imagine, carrying all their hopes for the future. Yet, cruel reality had severed all their expectations.

Sighs of pity rippled through the crowd. Every single one of them was a Sword Dao Prodigy from the Hundred Realms of All Heavens. But alas, there were simply brighter stars shining above them.

The crowd then turned their attention to the only two women remaining on the arena. Most of their gazes were focused squarely on the woman in the purple dress!