In the central district of Mingdu, a huge tower rose from the ground, piercing the clouds as if to pierce the heavens themselves.
Even from a great distance, pedestrians could only make out its middle and upper sections. The towering tower body shimmered with a faint silver glow, like cold iron in moonlight, cold and mysterious. The eight angular tower walls refracted sharp outlines in the sunlight, while the higher parts had long vanished into the wreathing clouds and mist.
The entire tower radiated an invisible invisible pressure that made people hold their breath, as if a single glance more would have their souls Devoured by it.
This was the Spirit Transmission Tower headquarters.
By virtue of Spirit Soul technology, the Spirit Transmission Tower had gathered the most top research talents and powerful individuals, while also accumulating vast wealth rivaling that of a nation. The Federation had even given eight council seats to the Spirit Transmission Tower. And one must know that there were only one hundred and eight Federation council seats in total.
This fully demonstrated the pivotal status of the Spirit Transmission Tower occupied in the Federation.
"Why is Sword Madman still sitting there?"
"He's been sitting there for ten whole days, hasn't he? Is he waiting to challenge Huo Yuhao?"
"Everyone else who was waiting has left. Only he's still there waiting."
In the ground floor lobby of the Spirit Transmission Tower, staff members gathered in small groups, whispering. Everyone's gaze drifted from time to time to the solitary figure on the square outside the tower: Ji Wufeng.
Ji Wufeng of the Ji clan, sixteen years old, a five-ring Soul King. This man, whom everyone habitually called "Sword Madman," had been sitting quietly on the square before the Spirit Transmission Tower for ten full days.
He cradled a gray-white longsword in his arms, allowing wind and sun, motionless. Stranger still, in these ten days, not a single speck of dust had been able to land within three inches of his body.
"He's probably waiting in vain. Huo Yuhao probably won't come. News of him being invited by Mingde Hall has recently spread everywhere. Maybe that one is still preparing to enter Mingde Hall."
As he finished speaking, the entire lobby suddenly fell silent.
Because Ji Wufeng had moved.
He slowly opened his eyes. In those pitch-black pupils, it seemed as if ten thousand swords were returning to one.
"He's here."
Ji Wufeng's voice was very soft, yet it made the hearts of all the people coming and going on the Spirit Transmission Tower square tremble. They collectively looked up in the direction he was facing.
In the distance, three figures approached. But in Ji Wufeng's eyes, there was no one else, only the young man in white at the very front. And the people around him, seemed also driven by his intent, saw only that young man.
"Spirit Transmission Huo Yuhao! He's finally come!"
The crowd looked at the approaching figures, then at Ji Wufeng. They vaguely understood something. In the dense atmosphere, they instinctively retreated, leaving a hundred-zhang clearing in the center of the square.
Huo Yuhao walked toward them through the morning light, his hair gently moving in the morning breeze. When his gaze fell on Ji Wufeng, a faint, barely perceptible trace of remembrance appeared in his eyes. So similar, too similar. Not because of his appearance, but that pure sword intent and fighting spirit, practically identical to that Sword Fanatic from ten thousand years ago.
"From the Ji clan?"
Huo Yuhao stopped ten paces from Ji Wufeng.
"Ji Wufeng." Ji Wufeng stood, gazing at him.
"No wonder." Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. His gaze swept over the morning dew covering Ji Wufeng's body, and he suddenly smiled. "Ten days of silent meditation, all for the sake of this single sword strike?"
"Ever since I saw your punch two years ago, I've been looking forward to this. Please teach me."
Ji Wufeng bowed deeply.
Even with mental preparation, a stir of exclamations still rose from the square.
The rule against fighting within a kilometer of the Spirit Transmission Tower applied regardless of whether you were an internal member. If he truly wanted to challenge, surely there was no need to fight here?
Ji Wufeng turned a deaf ear to these discussions. Ten days of wind and sun had left their marks on him, but his eyes had grown even sharper, like an unsheathed sword.
Huo Yuhao looked at the rapidly growing momentum of the man before him. He did not spoil his enthusiasm with words. He nodded gently.
"Alright."
A single word, yet it instantly silenced the entire square. Everyone held their breath, their eyes wide, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.
Since the battle against Shrek Academy two years ago, Huo Yuhao had not fought in public. Now that he was about to face a descendant of the Ji clan, would they witness an exciting battle today?
But the sound of hurried footsteps in the distance broke the silence. Five enforcement team members in silver-white uniforms were rapidly approaching. The leading
captain's expression was dark. "Stop! Fighting is prohibited within a kilometer of the Spirit Transmission Tower!"
Not far away, Gu Yuena and Gu Ruiqiu, who had stopped, frowned and were about to intervene, but a change had already occurred on the field.
Ji Wufeng suddenly moved. His right hand gently stroked his sword. A sharp sword intent instantly erupted from him.
Clang!
A clear, resonant sword cry echoed through the heavens.
The surrounding onlookers changed color in alarm. Spirit masters with lower cultivation felt their hair stand on end, as if countless swords were pressed against their throats. They stumbled back in unison. Even several Soul Sage-level powerful individuals looked grim.
"Is this... really the aura a Soul King can possess?"
"Impressive, truly worthy of the Ji clan's sword. Ten days' accumulated sword intent actually made me feel threatened. Living up to its reputation!"
A Soul Sage of the Spirit Transmission Tower Unable to help but sigh.
The Spirit Transmission Ji clan was a well-known eccentricity in the entire spirit master world. Their uniqueness lay not only in their heritage dating back ten thousand years, as descendants of the First Generation Spirit Transmission Tower members, but also in their martial soul—their core lineage: "Formless."
Legend had it that the Ji clan ancestor, Sword Fanatic Douluo's martial soul was a piece of celestial meteorite iron. By continuously nurturing it with his own spirit power and infusing his soul into the sword, his martial soul had completely energized, perfectly merging into the celestial meteorite iron. Man and sword as one, inseparable.
An inherited spirit soul had passed down the Sword Fanatic's insights through generations. Yet this kind of insight was something that could only be comprehended, not explained. At first, the Ji clan could not grasp its essence at all. However, because it concerned their ancestor's core inheritance, they had continued to study it tirelessly throughout the generations.
After all, how many people in history had advanced from Innate Innate Level Three spirit power to a Level 97 Super Douluo?
With such a respected ancestor, they did not want his heritage to disappear.
But it was difficult, too difficult!
For a hundred years, a thousand years, no one could truly get started. It was not until a few thousand years ago that another extraordinarily talented Ji clan member, Ji Wuxia, emerged, finally breaking the deadlock.
He had abandoned the clan's traditional cultivation methods, no longer clinging to the paths of the past. Instead, he had used his mind to control his soul, and his soul to transform into intent. After ten years of penance, his martial soul had truly "disappeared." No, to be precise, it had completely blended into his spirit and flesh and blood, then blended into the sword he had trained with since childhood, becoming a generational Sword God.
This state was called by the Ji clan: Forging Weapon into Soul, a martial soul. It was similar in effect to the legendary god-given martial soul. It was a heritage unique to the Ji clan.
What their original martial soul had been was no longer important. Those who completed the Forging Weapon into Soul technique would have their martial soul continuously nourish and fuse with the weapon they had carried since childhood. As for the weapon chosen by the Ji clan, it was naturally the sword.
Thus, the core lineage's heritage of the Ji clan was finally established, becoming one of the most mysterious existences in the spirit master world. Several thousand years later, there were still very few in the Ji clan who could complete Forging Weapon into Soul. There had even been epoch-making. But each core disciple who completed it was a presence to be respected.
And Ji Wufeng was one of them.
Ji Wufeng was oblivious to the outside. The essence, energy, and spirit he had accumulated over ten days of sitting were now released without reservation. His entire being It seemed to transform into an unsheathed, the most powerful sword in the world. The gray-white sword body had sword patterns lighting up inch by inch, trailing meteor-like tails of flame through the air.
This was hardly a sparring match. This was the sheer force of a life-or-death struggle!
Facing this heavenly sword intent, a brilliant light burst from Huo Yuhao's eyes. No spirit rings appeared, no fluctuations of spirit power. A change in his gaze.
The entire world seemed to freeze in an instant. Ji Wufeng's sharp sword intent, as if crashing against an invisible wall, shattered three feet before Huo Yuhao. More terrifyingly, an indescribable oppressive force descended from the heavens, making the hand holding Ji Wufeng's sword suddenly feel as heavy as a thousand jun.
Huo Yuhao knew that this was what the other... Craved.
Between them, a most pure confrontation had already unfolded. No spirit abilities or techniques, only the collision of the most fundamental artistic conceptions.
Ji Wufeng gritted his teeth. Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. He felt as if he were in the depths of a deep sea, every action having to fight against the pressure of the entire world.
At this moment, in the contest of aura, he was completely at a disadvantage. The sword intent radiating from him was like thin silk meeting sharp scissors before Huo Yuhao's as material artistic conception, easily torn apart.
But Ji Wufeng was not discouraged. The sword in his hand was excited. The fighting spirit in his eyes only grew stronger.
He still did not use a spirit ability. However, the light in his hand grew increasingly dazzling and continued to expand. Expanding was not the entity of the sword, but a transparent yet dazzling sword shadow.
That sword shadow trembled slightly, emanating a lively and agile aura. Although it lacked an aggressive oppression, with its appearance, the aura emanating from Ji Wufeng instantly surged to the Soul Emperor level.
The surrounding passersby were all moved.
"Sword Soul?!"
Not some kind of man-sword unity, nor sword intent, but Sword Soul!
The levels of the way of the sword: Sword Intent, Sword Soul, Sword God. A sword way powerful individual who possessed Sword Soul could obtain a very terrible and terrible amplification, even enhance themselves by an entire class. They were practically guaranteed to become an unparalleled strong individual in the future.
Ji Wufeng had actually reached this level at the Soul King cultivation? Or even earlier?
Nonetheless, some of the Spirit Transmission Tower's proud talents were not surprised.
For a sword martial soul possessor, to perceive its intent, obtain its profundity, possess its soul, obtain its spiritual essence, was Sword Soul.
The Ji clan's path of Forging Weapon into Soul was as difficult as reaching heaven. It might only be completed once every few generations. The last one had been Tower Master Ji Xuanqiu. But once completed, Sword Soul was guaranteed.
Because their martial soul was one they had crafted themselves. No one understood their own martial soul better or loved their own sword more than they did.
And the realm of Sword Soul usually requires a spirit ring as a carrier, but the Ji clan did not need it. Their martial soul was their soul, was their "Sword Soul."
Ji Wufeng's sword intent, with the blooming bloom of Sword Soul, climbed higher and higher. The next moment, his entire being seemed to transform into a strange beam of light, closely hugging the ground as he raced toward Huo Yuhao. The astonishing sword energy filled the entire space. The pressing pressure actually made Huo Yuhao's robe move without wind, the flapping fabric seeming to sound a wordless lament.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao smiled. He finally moved. His right hand formed a fist, simply pushing forward. This punch had no flashy effects, yet it seemed to contain the fundamental principles of heaven and earth.
What were Sword Intent, Sword Soul, and Sword God?
The foundation of cultivation was essence, energy, and spirit. True sword techniques were the perfect combination of a spirit master's own essence, energy, spirit, and sword.
The so-called Sword Intent, Sword Soul, and Sword God were all realms multiplied from this foundation. Ultimately, they were extensions of the "self."
Where the fist passed, Ji Wufeng's sword intent, sufficient to cut through mountains and rivers, silently dissolved like snow meeting the blazing sun. On Huo Yuhao's fist, there were no bright spirit rings, no flashy spirit abilities, only the purest "intent."
BOOM!
The moment fist and sword were about to collide, everyone felt the air within dozens of square meters suddenly seemed to collapse inward. Everything around became distorted.
But fist and sword never actually collided. It was the collision of two intents.
On the left, sword energy surged like a tide, stirring up a sky-covering killing intent in the void.
On the right, there was eternal silence. No sound of wind, no sword cry, only a pure emptiness. This silence was not nothingness, but a profound depth containing all things, a domain where even time seemed to solidify.
The two intents fiercely conflicted in the void. Each collision caused the entire space to tremble Violently, sword energy shattered one after another, yet that silence remained steadfast, even silently devouring the fragmented sword energy.
The difference was clear at a glance.
The silent artistic conception on the right seemed to be a world unto itself. It was an absolute domain, transcending techniques and skills, a product that had truly touched the pinnacle of artistic conception.
Ji Wufeng's originally indifferent face showed a subtle change. The shock in his heart was simply indescribable. Only he, who had personally experienced it, could truly understand how astonishing Huo Yuhao's aura was.
There was spirit within it, a realm he had yet to touch.
But what he felt from Huo Yuhao's punch was more than that.
The pinnacle of the sword-way realm was not mastering one of Sword Intent, Sword Soul, or Sword God, but possessing all three in perfect combination. It was fusing one's own emotions and thoughts, fusing essence, energy, and spirit. into one. A sword technique executed this way was like a domain, like an artistic conception, that was the real real sword.
And in the punch Huo Yuhao had delivered, he saw such a shadow.
Just as he had seen two years ago. At that time, he had already fused essence, energy, and spirit. Ji Wufeng's heart could not calm. But his eyes flashed with brilliant light as he struggled to capture the hint of divine charm within the fist.
Seeing this, the corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth lifted slightly. After fist and sword stood in a stalemate for about a second, he suddenly exerted force. Then, a deafening roar suddenly exploded.
BOOM!
At the center where the two had clashed, the ground suddenly showed large areas of cracking and collapse, rapidly spreading outward until extending several dozen meters before gradually ceasing.
Ji Wufeng instantly flew back twenty meters. Steadying himself, his face was very pale. The hand holding his sword was stained with blood. Yet his eyes were filled with an unprecedented excitement, no trace of discouragement. "I lost."
With those three words, he sat down cross-legged, meditating to comprehend his gains, indifferent to the blood on his body and the eyes of others.
"...A truly nostalgic scene."
A look of remembrance appeared in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
A sword, a fist... once, they had been like this too.
You have a worthy successor, Juechen.
He did not linger. Huo Yuhao walked straight toward the entrance of the Spirit Transmission Tower.
Only then did the onlookers snap back to reality, still finding it hard to believe. "A Soul King possessing Sword Intent and Sword Soul, yet he lost in the contest of 'intent'?"
First invited by Mingde Hall, now suppressing a descendant of the Ji clan in artistic conception... Was there anything Huo Yuhao couldn't do?
Master of all trades, master of all? What kind of monster was this?
And the enforcement team looked at the devastated square and the three departing figures, then finally at Ji Wufeng, meditating in cultivation. A fierce glint appeared in their eyes.
You started this trouble, and you're still so calm?
Once you're done with your insights, we'll settle accounts!
***
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