The Wind-Eroded Sword Stele Forest was crowded with people.
Every disciple and elder of the Wind Sword Sect had gathered.
Countless gazes—some tense, some grave—were all fixed upon the youth in white standing before the towering stone pillar.
Unbelievable!
Sect Master Feng Bailong had needed an entire year to comprehend the Sword Intent of Wind.
And this Li Zhexian—he had been at the Wind Sword Sect for only four days!
Four days to comprehend Sword Intent?
Utterly absurd!
Even with the Sect Master, the Young Sect Master, and the elders present, the disciples could not hold back their whispering.
"Is this real?"
"Li Zhexian is truly this terrifying?!"
"Comprehend Sword Intent in just four days—is he even human?"
"I… I don't believe it!"
Murmurs surged like waves.
Elder Feng Xiao suddenly turned, his deep voice booming:
"Silence!"
The waves of whispers stopped at once.
The vast Sword Stele Forest sank back into dead quiet.
Yet in the fleeting glances exchanged among the elders, the same disbelief and suspicion gleamed.
All eyes locked on the white figure before the Wind-Eroded Stone Pillar.
The air grew heavy.
At that moment—
A sudden breeze stirred.
The suffocating stillness shattered like a summer storm breaking.
Li Zhexian's white robe snapped in the wind.
He raised his hand.
And grasped into the empty air.
From the void condensed a blade three feet six inches long, clear and sharp as jade marrow—the Qinglian Sword rested in his palm.
Every Spirit Master present, save for Qian Renxue, possessed a sword Martial Soul.
The instant the Qinglian Sword appeared—
their swords all hummed in unison, trembling as though in awe and fear!
It was Feng Bailong's first time truly "seeing" Li Zhexian's sword.
A piercing ache stabbed through his ears.
When they first met—
he had already sensed the unmatched sharpness of Li Zhexian's sword.
But now—
it shook his very spirit.
"No matter the realm of comprehension—purely in terms of edge…"
"This young friend Zhexian's sword already surpasses Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword!"
One sword unsheathed—ten thousand swords bowed.
This was the Qinglian Sword that had stepped into the domain of ultimate sharpness.
As the crowd still reeled from that world-shaking aura, Li Zhexian moved.
His sword technique rose with the wind, fused with the momentum.
Natural, unrestrained, flawless.
Even the sweep of his sleeve carried a free and unbound grace.
"Qinglian Sword Song, Third Form—Formless Wind…"
The moment a streak of azure sword qi slipped silently from the blade—
The crowd shuddered in sudden realization: the strike had already been unleashed!
This sword had completely merged with the wind.
It wandered with the free-flowing breeze,
carrying the destructive essence of wind itself, its sharpness painted in strokes like poetry—
and slashed toward the dark pillar thick enough for several men to encircle.
Zii—
Soundless, traceless, formless.
The sword qi brushed the pillar as lightly as a passing breeze.
Yet the twenty-meter-tall pillar shuddered violently!
Dust cascaded down its surface.
Li Zhexian's scattered sword intent dispersed with the wind.
The onlookers strained their eyes.
But the glaring sword scar they expected did not appear.
Instead, a deep wind-eroded fissure had manifested from nowhere upon the dark stone.
That mark seemed wrought by gales over a thousand years, surrounded by countless older traces of erosion.
At its deepest point—it sank more than a foot!
"What… what is this…"
Feng Buyu's lips moved soundlessly, his eyes dazed.
He could not understand this sword.
No roar of energy.
No dazzling brilliance.
Silent—yet holding boundless destructive power.
His Spirit Power rank exceeded Li Zhexian's.
Yet even if he poured his strength into a strike,
he could only cut three inches deep into the pillar.
But Li Zhexian—
With a single effortless stroke—
had carved a trench more than a foot deep.
"This sword…"
Elder Feng Xiao exhaled heavily, unable to conceal his astonishment.
"Unmatched!"
The entire forest was silent.
Disciples and elders alike were struck dumb.
Li Zhexian had indeed comprehended the Sword Intent of Wind.
In four days.
Only four days!
This inconceivable truth shattered their understanding. Some disciples even felt it absurd.
"Formless Wind…"
"What a Formless Wind…"
Feng Bailong tilted his head, listening, seeking the remnants of sword rhythm within the wind.
"The same breath of wind—some perceive its swiftness, some its sharpness."
"But young friend Zhexian sees its formlessness, feels its freedom."
"This sword…"
Feng Bailong felt Li Zhexian's talent in the way of the sword was ever more extraordinary.
"It even lets this old man hear the weathered vicissitudes of the Wind-Eroded Pillar itself!"
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
"You flatter me, senior."
Li Zhexian withdrew the Qinglian Sword.
He cupped his fist respectfully toward Feng Bailong, the elders, and the hundreds of disciples led by Feng Buyu.
"This sword was realized only thanks to the wondrous land of your esteemed sect, and through the gracious allowance of you seniors and peers who permitted me to comprehend here."
In the eyes of the Wind Sword Sect—
Li Zhexian was now a peerless genius of the sword.
Seeing him offer them a bow, they all returned the gesture with solemn respect.
"Brother Zhexian / Young Hero Zhexian, you honor us too much!"
A faint smile played upon Li Zhexian's lips.
His days at the Wind Sword Sect had been pleasant.
While he meditated on the sword, no one disturbed him.
His meals were carefully attended to.
Though some whispered doubts, that was only human nature. He bore no petty grudge.
"Zhexian has little to his name, and nothing worthy of offering in return."
After a brief pause, he continued:
"Only—he loves wine, and loves brewing it."
"Using your sect's Wind Spirit Crystals, I have brewed some humble wine. I offer it to you all as a token of gratitude."
Feng Buyu's eyes lit up at once, blurting out eagerly:
"Good, good!"
He too was a lover of wine.
He moved as if to step forward.
"Buyu!"
Feng Bailong's black-silk-bound eyes turned toward the Young Sect Master, pinning him in place.
The old sect master's weathered brows furrowed.
"Young friend Zhexian, since I permitted you to use our Wind Spirit Crystals freely, I never expected repayment."
"That you could realize the sword was due entirely to your own talent and perseverance."
"Do not speak of thanks again."
But Li Zhexian only smiled faintly.
He patted the pouch at his waist.
A square table appeared out of thin air.
Upon it stood dozens of neatly arranged bottles of Wandering Spirit Wind Essence.
The instant the wine emerged—
The entire Sword Stele Forest filled with the sound of rushing wind.
A dense, pure aura of lightness spread outward, refreshing to the heart and lungs.
"Hiss—"
Feng Xiao, Feng Buyu, and the others all sucked in sharp breaths, their eyes widening.
They had thought it mere fine liquor, nothing too precious.
Only now did they realize—this wine was extraordinary, capable of stirring the very essence of wind!
Li Zhexian's gift was far too valuable.
Yet…
They could not refuse.
Training in the Wind Thunder Sword Formation, just inhaling the drifting fragrance made them feel light winds swirling about their bodies, their wind-attribute Spirit Power resonating within.
Even Feng Bailong, who meant to decline again, fell silent.
His nostrils flared ever so slightly.
Quietly, he swallowed.
And with it, swallowed back the refusal he had been about to utter.
Seeing this, Li Zhexian's smile deepened.
He had known all along.
For a sect of wind swordsmen, this Wandering Spirit Wind Essence carried an irresistible allure.
Especially for Feng Bailong…
Li Zhexian's heart held a hidden anticipation.
In the original course of events, this pure swordsman had died without ever breaking through to Title Douluo.
With the aid of Wandering Spirit Wind Essence
Could Feng Bailong take that step?
Among the purest sword cultivators of this world, Li Zhexian had met but two.
One was Chen Xin.
The other was Feng Bailong.
Whether in gratitude for the elder's unreserved teachings, or in the resonance of "my path is not solitary"—
He was willing to gift this Wandering Spirit Wind Essence to the Wind Sword Sect.
"I wonder… because of me—"
"Will this continent gain a new Wind Sword Douluo?"