The elders of the Four Commands Sword Sect shared knowing smiles. Having even a nominal disciple of Greater Sancte Green Lotus in their clan was a blessing. Without Lu Siyu, how could they have had the face to invite Ming Zhuo?
Ming Zhuo was not merely an Immortal’s disciple; he was also the strongest expert of the Fourth Odyssey. He was one of the people with the potential to become an Odyssey Commander.
If an invasion was launched, Ming Zhuo not only had the potential to become the Fourth Odyssey’s commander, but given his power and status, he also had an extremely high chance of success. Being an Odyssey Commander was no ordinary honor.
While they were not Lesser Sancte, during wartime, the Odyssey Commanders stood equal to the Lesser Sancti. Apart from the Greater Sancti, no one could give an order to an Odyssey Commander. Wherever their sword pointed, nothing would survive. Mountains of corpses would be left in their wake. It was one of the greatest honors in the megaverse.
During times of war, not even the most powerful groups that were part of the Temporal Heavens would dare to openly defy an Odyssey Commander.
“Senior Brother, why are you here?” Lu Siyu asked curiously. She had not been informed that her sect had invited Ming Zhuo.
The man responded with a mysterious smile. “You’ll understand in a moment. Off you go, now. The competition to determine the Sword Master has already been delayed, and it’s time for it to begin.”
Lu Siyu murmured her assent and then left with a bow.
Ming Zhuo looked around at the four men standing at the corners of the Sword Altar. “Begin.”
The moment this word was spoken, sword intent shifted. Lu Bi’s blade rose instantly, his qi forming rows of stone walls, each scarred with deep cuts.
Lu Sizhan released a single slash with his sword, attacking Lu Bi.
At that exact same moment, the tip of Lu Jing’s sword leveled at Lu Feichen; that was Lu Jing’s only opponent.
Given the number of years that they had known each other, each of the four sect masters had a clear understanding of the others’ strength. There was no need for any sort of coordination. The competition naturally settled into two separate battles.
Lu Jing had a single attack that he had reserved for Lu Feichen.
Similarly, Lu Feichen wanted to witness the power of Lu Jing’s single technique.
Lu Bi intended to simply wait. He would allow the other three to exhaust themselves. In the past, one sect master from the West Command had succeeded in becoming the Sword Master in this exact same way. Lu Bi had to admit that his own chances were slim. To begin with, Lu Sizhan was simply too weak. It was rare for any contender for the position of Sword Master to be an Ortuser. In fact, Lu Bi felt nervous because of the other man’s weakness. Only if Lu Sizhan had already become a Dukkhan capable of fighting against Lu Feichen would Lu Bi have any hope. As things stood, everything depended on Lu Jing.
As for Lu Sizhan’s sword skills, Lu Bi did not even spare the man so much as a glance. There was no way the man could break Lu Bi’s defenses.
Lu Bi was not alone in his dismissive attitude, as everyone’s eyes were focused on Lu Jing.
Lu Jing possessed the most powerful attack technique in the entire Four Commands Sword Sect. This sole technique was also his only chance to become the Sword Master.
He had used famous artworks to refine his heart and observe the sky, the earth, and the boundless seas.
“Timeless Paintings.” Lu Jing’s eyes grew steely as he thrust his sword forward. As he did so, reality warped around the blade. It was as if one scroll after another was being unfurled. Mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds all came to life as countless phantoms shot forward with the sword intent. The presence of the phantoms made the single sword thrust capable of undergoing endless transformations.
The attack changed with every heartbeat.
Ming Zhuo exclaimed in surprise, “What impressive sword intent! No one before has managed to fill their sword intent with such endless alterations. This Timeless Paintings not only contains the artworks themselves, but also all those who observed them.
“There are few throughout the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse who could withstand this attack.”
The man’s words caused the four elders to smile. Despite the internal competition between the Four Commands Sword Sect’s four directions, the sect was a solitary entity to outsiders. The Sword Master would command all four directions, not just one.
The fact that even Ming Zhuo uttered such praise was proof that Lu Jing’s sword was truly remarkable.
Within the crowd, Lu Yin remained calm. The endlessly changing sword intent and the profound heritage carried by Timeless Paintings had indeed allowed Lu Jing to comprehend a lethal strike. Given enough time and enough artpieces, his sword intent would continue to rise until none could match him.
However, did this sword intent truly belong to Li Jing?
Was this his own attack or another’s?
His sword intent had been far too strongly influenced by others.
Lu Feichen’s blade flashed from its sheath, its light cold like that of a shooting star. It sliced through sword intent, flesh, and artwork alike.
In the sky, the blurred scrolls were slashed apart. Lu Jing and Lu Feichen swept past each other, and a trickle of blood leaked from Lu Jing’s wrist. His hand lost all strength, and he released the hilt of his sword, which fell to the Sword Altar with a soft clang.
Sheathing his weapon, Lu Feichen turned to stare at Lu Jing’s back. “Your heart is too cluttered.”
The crowd erupted, people believing that they must have misheard.
Lu Jing, who observed the vast world with a tranquil mind, whose South Command welcomed academics and artists without restrictions, should possess the calmest heart of all.
Outsiders knew that Lu Jing was famous for his tranquil demeanor. He was regarded as being like a pool of still water that only great pieces of art could stir.
Despite all of that, Lu Feichen claimed that the man’s heart was cluttered.
On the observation platform, a smile touched Ming Zhuo’s lips. “While he wields 10,000 sword intents, he is unable to fully fuse them into his own path. Ultimately, the best way to describe his situation is indeed ‘cluttered.’”
“We’ve shamed ourselves before you,” the elder from the South Command answered in a bitter tone.
Ming Zhuo waved the comment away. “Not at all. Cultivating sword intent to this level is already quite impressive. Provided that he doesn’t encounter a supreme expert, his sword intent will encounter few equals. His method is cluttered, yes, but it also leaves much room for further growth. It’s an excellent sword intent, and he merely needs more time.”
The elder sighed and shook his head.
Atop the Sword Altar, Lu Jing turned around to face Lu Feichen again. “I hope that you will be able to remove the clutter. This sword intent now belongs to you.”
Lu Feichen retorted, “The Sword Master has not yet been determined.”
Lu Jing laughed freely. “Who else can challenge you? Those two?”
As he spoke, Lu Jing glanced at the other battle, only for his expression to abruptly change. How can this be?
Lu Feichen frowned and also looked over.
Lu Bi, who should have blocked Lu Sizhan’s attack without issue, had already fallen. When had that happened?
Lu Feichen had not expected Lu Bi to fail, and he had been so focused on Lu Jing that he had ignored the other battle.
The truth was that no one had really cared about the match between Lu Bi and Lu Sizhan.
However, the results had defied all expectations; Lu Bi had actually lost.