The inner courtyard of the Sword Hall felt completely different from the outer grounds.
It was quieter.
Colder.
Sharper.
Sword marks lined the pillars, the walls, even the stone tiles. Some cuts were shallow, some deep, but all carried remnants of powerful intent.
Even after decades, the air still pulsed faintly with Sword Qi.
Instructor Zhao stopped before a stone platform.
"Stand."
Lin Xuan stepped onto it without hesitation.
Zhao circled him slowly, studying him the way one would inspect a rare blade.
"You displayed instinctive Intent yesterday. That is not normal. Even core disciples struggle to touch the threshold."
Lin Xuan said nothing.
Zhao raised a hand.
A faint hum filled the air as Sword Qi gathered at his fingertip.
"I want to see if what you showed yesterday… was a coincidence."
Lin Xuan didn't move.
The Sword Qi condensed into a thin, glowing thread—no longer than a hair—but dense enough to slice stone.
Zhao flicked it.
The energy shot toward Lin Xuan's forehead.
The disciples watching from afar sucked in a breath.
"That's Sword Pressure…"
"He's testing him directly?!"
"If he moves even a little wrong… that could pierce bone!"
The air tightened violently.
When the thread was a breath away from piercing Lin Xuan—
Lin Xuan lifted a finger.
Tap.
A tiny movement.
Barely visible.
But the Sword Qi thread shattered into dust.
Silence.
Instructor Zhao didn't flinch, but something flickered in his eyes.
"…Interesting."
Even he hadn't seen the movement clearly.
Zhao flicked another Sword Qi thread—stronger this time.
Lin Xuan tapped again.
Shatter.
Zhao increased the force.
Again.
Again.
Six times.
On the sixth attempt, Zhao unleashed a proper strike. Sword Qi swirled around his arm, condensing into a visible arc of silver light.
Disciples shouted.
"T-That's a real sword technique!"
"Instructor Zhao isn't holding back now!"
"This is insane!"
The arc of silver light swept toward Lin Xuan with the force of a crashing wave.
Lin Xuan did not dodge.
He raised the wooden sword.
A quiet whisper filled the air.
Clink.
The silver arc split cleanly in half.
Both halves disintegrated.
The ground cracked beneath Lin Xuan's feet, but he remained steady—like a sword rooted deep in the earth.
A breeze swept the courtyard.
Zhao lowered his arm slowly.
"…You monster."
The words weren't spoken with anger.
They were spoken with awe.
Gasps erupted from the disciples.
"He blocked Instructor Zhao's real technique…"
"But he wasn't pushed back…"
"He didn't even break a sweat!"
Lin Xuan stood calmly, his wooden sword resting by his side.
Zhao exhaled deeply.
"Your foundation is beyond anything I've seen. You hide your strength well… too well."
He approached slowly.
"Where did you learn Sword Intent?"
Lin Xuan's response was soft.
"I didn't learn it."
Zhao frowned.
"That is impossible."
But before he could question further—
A voice echoed from outside the courtyard.
"Impossible? Or are you simply blind, Instructor Zhao?"
A young man walked in, wearing dark red robes trimmed with silver.
Tall. Sharp-faced.
Arrogant.
He carried a real steel sword on his back—the mark of a senior outer disciple with personal privileges.
Whispers spread immediately.
"That's… Chu Yiran!"
"He's the strongest outer disciple!"
"No—strongest before entering the core!"
"He's Instructor Zhao's closed-door student!"
Chu Yiran smirked.
"So this is the little rat who embarrassed Li Shen?"
His gaze swept over Lin Xuan with undisguised contempt.
"Don't tell me you consider this trash worthy of entering the inner courtyard?"
Zhao's expression darkened.
"Chu Yiran. Mind your tone."
But Yiran ignored him.
He stepped closer to Lin Xuan, eyes filled with killing intent.
"You used Intent? What a joke. True Sword Intent would crush someone like you instantly."
Lin Xuan said nothing.
Yiran clicked his tongue.
"Silent? Afraid? Good. You should be."
Then he smiled—cold, razor-thin.
"Because I don't tolerate insects crawling into my courtyard."
He turned toward Instructor Zhao.
"Allow me to test him. I'll show you whether he's worthy of your praise."
Zhao hesitated.
Chu Yiran was a prodigy, known to cut down opponents without mercy. His Sword Qi was already at the level of an inner sect elite.
But—
If Lin Xuan feared him, Zhao wanted to know.
If Lin Xuan surpassed him… Zhao needed to know.
"…Very well," Zhao said. "One exchange only."
Chu Yiran grinned.
"One is enough."
He drew his sword.
A wave of killing intent blasted across the courtyard. Several disciples choked, clutching their throats.
"What pressure…"
"It's like a beast is staring at me…"
"I can't breathe…"
Chu Yiran's Sword Qi roared into the sky, forming the faint phantom of a crimson blade behind him.
He swung.
The ground split.
Air screamed.
A crimson arc tore toward Lin Xuan like a lightning bolt.
And at that moment—
A cold chime rang inside Lin Xuan's mind.
DING!
Dao Comprehension System Activated.
Lines of text appeared before his eyes, unseen by anyone else.
— New Sword Intent Detected
— Grade: Crimson Killing Intent (Low-Rank Intent)
— Would you like to Devour?
[Yes] / [No]
Lin Xuan didn't hesitate.
Yes.
A surge of energy poured into his mind—hot, vicious, brutal.
Images flashed:
— A battlefield soaked in blood
— A thousand corpses under a crimson moon
— A blade dancing through slaughter
But the System's voice cut through the madness.
Devouring…
Refining…
Purifying…
Upgrading…
Lin Xuan exhaled.
His own Intent responded—cold, silent, cutting through the crimson chaos.
The two collided in his mind.
Crimson violence vs. Silent clarity.
Silent clarity won.
DING!
You have comprehended:
— Silent Sword Intent (Initial Stage → Mid Stage)
Power +120%
Reaction Speed +80%
Killing Efficiency +200%
Time slowed.
Chu Yiran's attack came closer, tearing stone tiles apart.
Lin Xuan finally moved.
Just one step.
A wooden sword raised lightly—
Then swung down.
A soft sound filled the courtyard.
Tap.
Like a raindrop hitting glass.
The crimson arc shattered.
Completely.
Instantly.
Chu Yiran's eyes flew wide open.
"What—?!"
Before he could react, Lin Xuan flicked his wrist.
His wooden sword hit Chu Yiran's shoulder.
Not hard.
Just enough.
Chu Yiran's body flew backward like a broken arrow, slamming into a pillar so hard the stone cracked.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Silence engulfed the courtyard.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Instructor Zhao's pupils tightened.
"This child… his Intent… advanced?! In the span of a heartbeat?!"
Chu Yiran trembled, pointing at Lin Xuan in shock and rage.
"You… what are you…?! That wasn't normal sword skill—THAT WAS REAL INTENT!"
Lin Xuan lowered his wooden sword.
His voice was calm.
"You talk too much."
Chu Yiran tried to stand but collapsed again.
Disciples watched in stunned horror.
"He defeated Chu Yiran…"
"With a wooden sword…"
"One strike…"
"How is this monster only twelve?!"
Instructor Zhao exhaled slowly, the weight of realization pressing on his shoulders.
He stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Lin Xuan's shoulder.
"From this day onward, you are my personal disciple."
Gasps erupted everywhere.
A personal disciple of a Sword Hall instructor… at age twelve?!
Zhao's tone softened, but his eyes burned like tempered steel.
"I don't know what path you will walk… but I will ensure your blade is sharp enough to cut through fate itself."
Lin Xuan didn't answer.
He simply nodded.
Inside his mind—
DING!
New System Quest Available:
'Path of the Silent Sword'
— Rise within the Sword Hall
— Defeat all outer sect prodigies
— Shock the Inner Sect
Reward: Silent Sword Intent (Advanced Stage) + Unique Dao Skill
Lin Xuan's eyes darkened.
His rise had officially begun.