As soon as Yun Jin began comprehending the sword intent, her eyebrows lifted slightly.
This time, the sword intent was clearly more difficult than anything she had encountered before.
The second and fifth trials had also tested her understanding of sword intent.
Those sword intents had only been of intermediate grade.
Through fusion, she had mastered two high-grade sword intents: one fire-type, the Flame Dragon Sword Intent, and one metal-type, the Edge Blade Sword Intent.
Both happened to have some area-of-effect capabilities, directly compensating for her previous weaknesses.
Now, at the eighth trial—
This sword intent didn't require any fusion. Its level was already at the high-grade tier. It was the high-grade version of the Swift Sword Intent.
Same intent, different grade. The increase in speed was not just a small leap—it was a whole new realm. High-grade Swift Sword Intent marked the peak of speed most people could ever hope to reach.
This was the first time Yun Jin had directly comprehended a high-grade sword intent without needing to fuse anything. But it felt as though the Feng Xing Sword's space had been built entirely for this purpose.
The trajectories of those small tornadoes naturally embodied the truth of speed. With this wind-based space providing an unparalleled environment, Yun Jin couldn't have slowed her progress even if she tried.
After about two hours, she had already grasped the low-grade Swift Sword Intent.
Another five hours passed, and she mastered the intermediate level.
Then, after ten hours total, the high-grade Swift Sword Intent came to her as naturally as water flowing downstream.
Yun Jin had only just comprehended it and hadn't even had the chance to test it when the Windwalker Sword's space instantly expelled her.
A chilly wind brushed past her.
Even her heart felt a little cold.
She let out a long sigh.
"Fine, fine. I get it. I'm annoying. I'm not as well-liked as the others."
Yun Jin sighed again. "Alright, alright, I'll leave, I'm going, okay?"
She tossed out the complaint instinctively. Inside the Sword Dao space, the swords all grew a little uneasy.
What? You're leaving?
That wouldn't do at all.
This was their long-awaited treasure, the one they had waited a thousand years for.
They had only pushed her out for a reason, but Yun Jin had no way of knowing that. From her perspective, it probably felt like she was being cast aside.
Now that the swords had realized Yun Jin might truly clear the trials, they had grown fond of her in their own way. Suddenly, they felt a bit guilty.
"Boss… did we do something to make the kid misunderstand us?" the Qingmu Sword asked, full of remorse.
The Giant Sword stayed quiet for a moment.
Qingmu Sword grew a little nervous.
The boss was the strictest of them all. Was he thinking they'd spoiled her too much?
But in the next instant—
The Giant Sword stirred slightly, and a trail of blooming flowers appeared on the path ahead of Yun Jin.
The flowers stretched all the way to the ninth trial, and faint petals drifted through the air.
The cold, solemn Sword Tomb was suddenly touched with unexpected warmth.
Huh?
Yun Jin blinked, startled.
Even those watching outside through the water curtain changed expression.
Especially Yu Lin, whose sense of unease suddenly intensified. The Sword Tomb had opened many times over the past thousand years. But this was the first time they'd seen anything like this. Even when Ma Yuanwu had reached the ninth trial, nothing like this had ever happened. Yet Yun Jin had only just cleared the eighth trial. Why was something so strange happening now?
Was it… because of her speed?
Speaking of speed, Yun Jin's performance truly was astonishing.
She had cleared the eighth trial in less than two days.
Meanwhile—
Ma Yuanwu had just emerged from the seventh trial.
At that moment—
Ma Yuanwu left the Sword Dao space with a cheerful stride, a bright smile still lingering on his face. This time, he had performed better than in the previous trial and taken even less time. He glanced to his side, but Yun Jin was nowhere in sight.
Ma Yuanwu smiled faintly. As expected, the seventh trial had been her limit. The woman had likely been eliminated. That meant the only people left on the leaderboard were—
Ma Yuanwu looked up, and then his pupils shrank. The smile on his lips disappeared instantly.
"Impossible!" His eyes locked on the leaderboard.
He reflexively looked for his own name in first place.
But now—
At the very top, in shimmering gold letters, were the characters for Yun Jin.
Those golden letters were surrounded by an ornate golden border, shining brilliantly and impossible to ignore. What frustrated Ma Yuanwu most was that when he had been ranked first, there had been no such embellishment.
"What was this? Even the Sword Tomb had bias?"
His face darkened.
Yun Jin had somehow gotten ahead of him. Did that mean she had already cleared the seventh trial?
Calm down.
It wasn't a big gap.
Even if he was behind, it was only by a little.
The next two trials were extremely difficult. Since this was her first attempt, it wouldn't be easy for her. He could still catch up.
Ma Yuanwu tried to console himself, then looked toward Yun Jin's current status.
[Yun Jin: Trial Eight, Cleared]
Trial Eight…
Cleared…
Ma Yuanwu stared at the word "cleared" so hard, it began to look unfamiliar.
He rubbed his eyes. Then rubbed them again. After a moment, he pulled out a bottle of spirit liquid and carefully washed his eyes before looking again.
Still—Trial Eight, cleared.
Ma Yuanwu's lips began to tremble. He had only just cleared the seventh trial.
But she… had already cleared the eighth? It might seem like just one trial apart—
But Ma Yuanwu knew better than anyone how difficult these last two trials were.
Yun Jin's pace was completely beyond his expectations.
Just then—
Ma Yuanwu heard movement nearby and turned sharply.
It was Yu Songnian, walking over calmly.
Yu Songnian had just passed the sixth trial and was now stepping into the seventh.
From the seventh trial onward, the paths converged. All subsequent trials were the same, and so the two happened to meet.
Ma Yuanwu narrowed his eyes.
Yu Songnian nodded slightly at him, then walked straight up to the tombstone.
Ma Yuanwu's expression darkened.
He said coldly, "What exactly did your Junior Sister do? You two sure pass these trials at suspicious speeds. Did you cheat? Speak!"
He could no longer contain his frustration. After all those years of preparation—
He had even planned how he would announce his victory afterward.
And now—
A complete nobody had stolen the spotlight.
Once word spread, where would Ma Yuanwu put his pride?
Yu Songnian looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression. "Is cheating even possible in the Sword Tomb?"
Ma Yuanwu's voice dropped. "Of course it isn't for the rest of us. But for you and Yun Jin, that might not be true."
Yu Songnian nodded. "I see."
Ma Yuanwu frowned. "See what?"
A smile tugged at the corners of Yu Songnian's lips. "You're being overshadowed by my Junior Sister and can't accept it, so you raise your voice to mask the fear in your heart."
Yu Songnian added confidently, "I can understand that."
"You!" Ma Yuanwu's face turned stormy. "Useless trash from the Yu clan, yet your tongue is so sharp!"
Yu Songnian only smiled, turning back to the tombstone.
His calmness infuriated Ma Yuanwu even more, but physical conflict was forbidden in the Sword Tomb. No matter how angry he got, he couldn't lay a finger on him.
Fuming, Ma Yuanwu was about to head toward the next trial.
Suddenly—
Something changed with Yu Songnian.
He froze in place.
Then, starting from the tips of his hair, a petrification spread downward. Before long—
His entire body had turned to stone, his expression frozen mid-thought.
Ma Yuanwu stared, stunned, then broke into a laugh.
Yu Songnian had been struck by his petrification illness at the worst possible time.
Trash would always be trash.
Given the chance, he still couldn't hold on to it.
Turning to stone now probably meant immediate disqualification.
Inside the Sword Dao space—
The swords grew tense.
What happened to Yu Songnian?
Why would his illness act up at such a critical moment?
That seemed to be the little girl's Senior Brother.
If he was eliminated like this, would that girl start grumbling again?