Chapter 45 - 20: Peerless Talent

Jiang Yunge glanced at Li Shuang in surprise.

She wondered what a Sword Domain was. She had never even heard of the concept, but Li Shuang and Steward Lin clearly knew what it was. The fact that this Sword Domain could make the usually steady Steward Lin so excited piqued Jiang Yunge’s curiosity.

Li Shuang’s expression remained calm.

During those ten years, her Cultivation had stagnated. On one hand, she had never given up, diligently practicing her Spiritual Power day after day in the hopes of a miracle. On the other hand, she had immersed herself deeper and deeper into her Sword Dao Cultivation. For a full decade, her Cultivation hadn’t increased, but her Sword Dao Understanding had grown continuously.

That was until recently, when she unlocked the Inheritance Space. Senior Su Mu was a truly excellent mentor. Ten days of arduous practice had pushed her Sword Dao Understanding to a tipping point. After five days of reflection, she finally took that crucial step and mastered her own Sword Dao Domain. For true experts, mastering a Sword Domain was the real first step of a Sword Cultivator. And she had finally taken that step.

"Let me see, let me see," Steward Lin muttered, his eyes glued to the projection from the Memory Stone.

Seeing Steward Lin like this, Ye Zhaozhao felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. She wondered what a Sword Domain was. With the system’s help, she could steal Li Shuang’s Cultivation, but she couldn’t steal her personal Sword Dao Understanding. Ten years had passed, and she was already a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. However, when it came to Swordsmanship, Ye Zhaozhao was still completely clueless.

She also stared hard at the projection, but no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes suddenly widened as she thought, "No... that’s not right!" She had noticed something.

After the projection was zoomed in, everyone else suddenly realized it as well. While weaving through the rain of swords, Li Shuang’s eyes... were actually closed!

Despite the dense barrage of swords, she maintained a faint smile on her lips, strolling forward as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard. Li Shuang effortlessly walked right up to Shi Chuyun and knocked her Spring Rain Sword away with a single strike.

"Look at this! A Sword Cultivator who can’t even hold onto her own sword! If Shi Chuyun isn’t acting, then what is she doing?" Chang Le’an couldn’t help but interject. "This memory recording proves that there’s definitely something wrong with this fight between Li Shuang and Shi Chuyun!"

Chang Le’an glared fiercely at Li Shuang. This time, he was determined to avenge his junior sister for those twenty strikes of the discipline rod!

"Steward Lin! You can announce the results now! Li Shuang and Shi Chuyun rigged the match. Both of them should be punished!" Chang Le’an declared loudly.

Steward Lin was still watching the projection. The recording wasn’t long, and after finishing it, he quickly restarted it from the beginning. This time, he watched even more carefully, his expression completely engrossed.

"Steward Lin, you..." Chang Le’an tried to say more, but Steward Lin impatiently waved his hand.

Chang Le’an’s mouth was instantly sealed shut by Spiritual Power. His face twisted into a ferocious scowl as he struggled to speak, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Steward Lin looked at Li Shuang eagerly and asked, "When did this happen?"

"Earlier this morning," Li Shuang replied.

Steward Lin abruptly slammed his hand on the table. "Good, good, good! Excellent!"

The crowd couldn’t help but look at him strangely, wondering what was so excellent and why Steward Lin was so excited.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with this match!" Steward Lin said briskly. He shot a glance at Chang Le’an. "Spend more time focusing on your own Cultivation from now on, and stop constantly trying to target others. I’ll be keeping this Memory Stone for now. The rest of you may disperse!"

Steward Lin had stated categorically that there was nothing wrong with the match, leaving everyone stunned. Chang Le’an was even more unconvinced! If he hadn’t been rendered mute at that moment, he would have definitely given him a piece of his mind.

"Li Shuang, focus on your Cultivation! I look forward to seeing your next match tomorrow," Steward Lin told her earnestly.

Li Shuang nodded.

The onlookers couldn’t help but turn their gazes back to Li Shuang. Steward Lin was already at the Divinity Transformation Stage, while Li Shuang was currently just at the Qi Cultivation Stage. Yet, when he spoke to her, there was a faint trace of envy in his expression. They wondered what he could possibly be envious of. Could it be... because of the Sword Domain Li Shuang had mentioned?

The crowd was utterly bewildered, but Steward Lin clutched the Memory Stone like a precious treasure, turned around, and hurried away. Confused, the others had no choice but to disperse. However, the term "Sword Domain" began to spread among the sect disciples.

Meanwhile.

Steward Lin rushed off with the Memory Stone to find Pang Zhixue. After carefully reviewing it, Pang Zhixue hastily sought out the Sect Leader.

Their Sword Sect was named after the sword and possessed unique methods for cultivating Sword Spirits. However, when it came to the sharpness of their Swordsmanship, they didn’t rank high among the Six Sects. The current top-ranked sect, Cangyuan Sect, had produced a peerless genius named Yan Fan among their younger generation of disciples. He had entered the Divinity Transformation Stage before the age of fifty, and his Swordsmanship was sublime. He had even condensed a Sword Domain and was undisputedly considered the number one figure among the younger generation of the Six Sects!

But now, their Sword Sect had also produced a Sword Dao genius capable of condensing a Sword Domain. In terms of age, Li Shuang was even younger than Yan Fan, and judging purely by her Sword Dao Cultivation, she was in no way inferior to any genius from the Six Sects.

Meng Yifei watched the projection, his eyes sparkling with amazement. But then, he remembered something, and his expression turned regretful.

Li Shuang was indeed a Sword Dao genius, but her Cultivation... was currently only at the Qi Cultivation Stage. Furthermore, it remained unknown whether the issue of her Cultivation stagnating the moment she reached the Nascent Soul Stage had been resolved. If the same problem resurfaced upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, then no matter how high her Sword Dao Cultivation was, her achievements would be limited.

"If it weren’t for her sudden ten-year stagnation, Li Shuang would probably be at the Divinity Transformation Stage by now! The number one figure of the younger generation should belong to our Sword Sect," Pang Zhixue couldn’t help but remark.

Back when Li Shuang first joined the sect, her Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. They had genuinely seen the hope of the sect’s rise. Unfortunately... her brilliance was nothing but a flash in the pan, followed by a full decade of stagnation. Their attention naturally shifted to the next talented disciple. Who could have imagined that after ten years, Li Shuang would suddenly give them such a surprise!

"No one knows what miraculous effects the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique actually holds. Perhaps by switching to it, she can break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul Stage!" Meng Yifei said swiftly. "Make the arrangements to move Li Shuang’s match to the Central Arena tomorrow! I want to see her skills with my own eyes!"

Pang Zhixue agreed without hesitation. As the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, he was actually Meng Yifei’s confidant. No one knew better than him just how precarious the Sword Sect’s current position was, or how much effort the Sect Leader had put into maintaining their status among the Upper Six Sects.

If the Sword Sect’s situation didn’t improve soon, their position in the Upper Six Sects would very likely be replaced by another sect! What the Sword Sect lacked right now was a true, peerless genius. A peerless genius who could lead the sect to the pinnacle. To achieve this goal, the sect heavily favored its talented disciples with resources. Li Shuang had always been one of the sect’s primary cultivation targets in the past.

If... tomorrow’s match confirmed that she had indeed mastered a Sword Domain, and if she could continue to advance rapidly and break through the hurdle of the Nascent Soul Stage, then their Sword Sect would have truly produced a peerless genius!

"Li Shuang..." Meng Yifei muttered, a dark gleam flashing in his eyes. Within the sect, many felt that he had failed to uphold true justice in his efforts to maintain superficial harmony. He was aware of the gossip, but he didn’t care. What the Sword Sect needed most right now was stability. But if... Li Shuang could demonstrate sufficient value! He wouldn’t mind showing bias from now on!