Mingtai looked at Lu Yang with ever-deepening admiration. His own sword heart was already rare in this world, yet who could have guessed that Senior Brother Lu Yang's sentiment toward the sword surpassed even his own?
He feared that across all eras—even including the enigma-shrouded ancient times and the ancient Zither Sword Venerable—not a single person could compare to Senior Brother Lu Yang.
The only uncertainty was Immortal Kirin. It was said that Immortal Kirin wielded a sword, but no one knew whether he merely used it as a weapon or was an actual sword cultivator.
If Immortal Kirin had been a sword cultivator, it was hard to say whether he or Senior Brother Lu Yang possessed the superior sword heart.
Anyone capable of cultivating to immortality held an extraordinary understanding of the Sword Dao and the sword heart.
"This sword heart is peerless throughout all eternity," someone murmured softly, instantly eliciting widespread agreement.
"Lu Yang's sword heart is peerless throughout the ages!"
"The sword is the ruler, Lu Yang is the subject! His sword heart is unmatched across eternity!"
Even the elders of the Sword Tower cast appreciative glances toward Lu Yang, feeling that solely on the merits of this sword heart, Lu Yang was worthy of leaving his name to endure forever and serving as a model for all future generations of sword cultivators.
Though the slogans varied slightly, their essence remained the same, rising together into a deafening wave of acclaim. Highly embarrassed, Lu Yang hung his head, digging his toes into his shoes.
It felt as though everyone was publicly proclaiming that he was the Immortal Fairy's subject.
Lu Yang truly regretted attending the Grand Sword Inquiry Ceremony. There hadn't been any real need to invent an excuse to come out for a stroll; staying back at the Dao Seeking Sect would have been perfectly fine.
Yun Mengmeng didn't know much about the Sword Dao, but judging from the crowd's reaction, Lu Yang's sword heart was definitely astonishing, which made her feel quite pleased with herself.
*I found Xiao Zhi a wonderful teacher, didn't I?*
*Granny was worried something bad would happen to me out here, but with my luck, how could anything go wrong?*
With Lu Yang's eternity-transcending sword heart taking the spotlight, any other sword cultivator's response paled in comparison, unable to stand alongside him in the slightest.
"Did you see that? It's all thanks to this immortal's help that your sword heart is so incredible, Little Yangzi." Lu Yang completely ignored the sword spirit's shameless bid to claim credit.
"The Inquiry of the Heart has officially concluded. I believe that even without my saying so, everyone already knows which sword cultivator's sword heart is the most admirable," the Sword Tower Master said with a smile, his gaze drifting toward Lu Yang whether intentionally or not. If he hadn't been unable to beat Daoist Buyu, he would have loved nothing more than to snatch Lu Yang away and make him his own disciple.
Then again, rumors had it that Yun Zhi doted fiercely on this younger junior brother of hers. It seemed that even if he could beat Daoist Buyu, he still couldn't beat Yun Zhi.
Forget it. Lu Yang was better off staying at the Dao Seeking Sect.
"Next, we shall commence the Inquiry of the Intent."
The Grand Sword Inquiry Ceremony was held once every hundred years. If the participants were to clash in one-on-one swordsmanship, the cultivators who had practiced the longest would undoubtedly win, rendering such fights meaningless.
To address this, the Sword Tower Supreme had once proposed suppressing everyone's cultivation to the same level, allowing them to compete solely through sword intent.
Lu Yang felt a startling wave of pressure descend like a tempest, blanketing the entire grounds and suppressing the cultivation of everyone present—including himself—to the Golden Core stage.
Immediately afterward, the ground shuddered as eighteen stone platforms burst from the earth, encircling the Sword Tower.
Tower Master Guan introduced them, "These eighteen platforms were forged by our first Tower Master. You need only place a strand of sword qi upon the arena, and that sword qi will manifest into a sword intent avatar. You may then control the sword intent avatar to do battle."
"Are these the legendary Sword Intent Arenas?" The sword cultivators' eyes lit up upon seeing the eighteen platforms, each polished smooth as a bronze mirror.
These were supreme treasures left behind by the Sword Tower Supreme. Cultivating atop them over long periods would polish one's sword intent, making it far sharper.
This was the first time Lu Yang had ever seen such a thing, but listening to the discussions around him, he got a rough idea of how extraordinary these Sword Intent Arenas were.
Lu Yang drew a spot in the second group, meaning he had to wait until the first group finished their matches before his turn came.
He recalled the several cultivators Mingtai had told him to pay special attention to, and in this first group was Xuanxuan of the Black Tortoise Clan, whom Mingtai had previously introduced.
Xuanxuan carried a massive, heavy black sword on his back with a little tortoise painted on the hilt. When he walked, it gave the impression that the earth was shaking and mountains were trembling.
Lu Yang had also seen Xuanxuan's opponent before: it was the octopus whose tentacles wielded eight swords.
"Wu'er, I didn't expect to run into you here," Xuanxuan chuckled, flashing eight gleaming white teeth.
Both he and the octopus were sword cultivators hailing from the East Sea. They had heard of each other's reputations for a long time but had never crossed blades.
"Xuanxuan, everyone claims my sword dao is inferior to yours. I never had the chance before, but today, I'm going to dispel that rumor once and for all!"
"What rumor? People were simply speaking the truth. How could you possibly match me?"
Wu'er attacked first, his tentacles gripping the eight swords and spinning them wildly. His speed was blisteringly fast, forming a defense so tight that not even a gust of wind could pass through. Before the ceremony began, anyone who sparred with him had been utterly unable to reach his true body.
Xuanxuan let out a loud shout, raised his thick, black greatsword with all his might, and slashed downward at Wu'er.
*Clang—!*
Such a strike would have spelled disaster for almost any sword cultivator, yet when it struck Wu'er, it was knocked aside directly by the eight rapidly spinning blades.
"You really do have some skill after all." Xuanxuan's interest was piqued. Sword cultivators were known for their offensive power, yet Wu'er had taken the opposite path, dedicating himself entirely to defense.
"It's just spinning around—as if I can't do that too!" Xuanxuan reverted to his true form, transforming into a Black Tortoise with a tortoise shell and a serpent tail. He flipped onto his back so that the arched dome of his shell rested against the ground.
He pulled his head inside his shell, clamped his mouth around the sword's hilt, and jabbed his tail into the ground to set his body spinning.
As his tail dug into the stone with greater speed and force, Xuanxuan spun faster and faster, until at last he moved so rapidly that one could no longer distinguish head from tail.
Using his tail to accelerate and steer, Xuanxuan hurtled straight toward Wu'er, knocking him flat off his feet.
Wu'er's temper flared. He had never suffered a setback with this technique before, yet now he had been knocked down for the very first time.
"Think I'm afraid of you?!"
The two Sea Race members spun and collided atop the arena like iron spinning tops. Whenever one was knocked back, he would muster all his strength to slam right back in.
Lu Yang watched Xuanxuan and Wu'er with genuine admiration, not expecting to witness fusion battle tactics here.
Except these two Sea Race members were even more impressive; they didn't even need a partner to fuse with—they could spin all on their own, making it so much more convenient to use.
Seeing that the two iron tops wouldn't be deciding a victor anytime soon, Lu Yang strolled around the Sword Tower to see what was happening at the other arenas.
"Xiao Feng, w-what are you doing here?!" one sword cultivator gasped in terror upon seeing his opponent's face and name.
The young man named Xiao Feng smiled, though his expression was stiff and chilling. "Brother Lin, I told you long ago that we would meet again. Did you think that by changing your name and surname, I wouldn't be able to track you down? You would never pass up the centennial Grand Sword Inquiry Ceremony!
"A blood feud can only be repaid with blood. Today, let us settle our lives and deaths right here upon this arena!"
...
"Eldest Senior Brother, I never imagined we would face each other on this stage. Do you still remember our promise? Only the victor earns the right to confess his feelings to Little Junior Sister!"
"Second Junior Brother, who Little Junior Sister likes is her own choice to make! Do not use a victory between the two of us to decide her marriage!"
"Words are useless. To battle!"
...
"Big Brother, twenty years ago you stole my spiritual root and hurled me off the cliff. You never imagined I would still be alive, did you?!"
"So what if you're alive? You're nothing more than a cripple without a spiritual root. How could you ever defeat me?!"
"Heh. The phrase 'rising anew from ruin' is something you will likely never comprehend!"
Lu Yang: "..."
*Did the Sword Tower really not rig the tournament draw?!*
Chapter 984