My Swordsmanship Has No Upper Limit

Full of longing for the Sword Dao, Xie Yuzhu ran straight for home the moment she secured Zhong Ming’s promise.

A short while later, she found her mother.

However, her reckless entrance caused the young matron in palace attire, Xie Lingmin, to furrow her elegant brows.

"You’re a young lady. Acting so rashly is completely improper."

"Umm..." Her mother’s scolding did make Xie Yuzhu act more obediently, but her next words made Xie Lingmin frown once more.

"Mother, I want to learn the Sword Dao from Senior Brother Zhong Ming."

"Sigh..." Pressing a hand to her forehead, Xie Lingmin sighed helplessly. "I’ve told you before, in this era, the Sword Dao is far too dangerous..."

Before her mother could finish, Xie Yuzhu cut in, "It’s true that being a Sword Cultivator is dangerous in this era, but it’s also an opportunity! To face the crisis, both our Seven Profound Sect and the Frost Moon Immortal Dynasty are planning to nurture Sword Cultivators. As long as you can grow stronger through combat..."

"But you won’t be one of them," Xie Lingmin said. "A few years ago, the sect tried to cultivate a powerful Sword Cultivator. Hundreds of disciples and countless resources were poured into the effort, yet it all ended in failure. That failure shook the very foundation of the sect."

"If hundreds of them failed, what makes you think you’re so special that you can succeed?"

Xie Lingmin had used this argument before to stop Xie Yuzhu from learning the sword, and it had always left Xie Yuzhu speechless. Though confident in her own Talent, she never thought she could surpass the hundreds of carefully selected disciples from the sect’s previous attempt.

But this time, things were different.

"Hmph, hmph..." Xie Yuzhu placed her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and huffed proudly. Then, as if sharing in the glory, she said, "I might not be as good as those geniuses, but someone even stronger than them has appeared on Longxi Peak."

"Hmm?" Xie Yuzhu’s words stunned Xie Lingmin for a moment, but she quickly put the pieces together. "You just went to see Zhong Ming, and now you want to learn the sword from him... Are you saying you think Zhong Ming, with his third-grade Spiritual Root, is stronger than Xiao Yichen of the Innate Sword Heart?"

At this, Xie Lingmin immediately formed the hand seals for a Technique and tapped Xie Yuzhu on the forehead. She was worried her daughter had been ensnared by an Illusion Technique.

Xie Lingmin’s action only made Xie Yuzhu pout unhappily:

"I’m not under any Illusion Technique! Besides, a Spiritual Root doesn’t decide everything. Weren’t you the one who taught me that, Mother?"

"And while Senior Brother Zhong Ming’s Spiritual Root might be poor, his Talent for Enlightenment is the best on Longxi Peak—no, the best in the entire Seven Profound Sect!"

"I just fought a match against him, and he defeated me with ease. I was thoroughly and completely convinced by my loss."

"With Senior Brother Zhong Ming to lead, Longxi Peak is bound to rise again... And following the strong—that’s another one of your lessons, Mother."

Xie Yuzhu hugged Xie Lingmin’s arm, acting cute and begging to be allowed to learn the sword.

But Xie Lingmin was no longer paying attention to her daughter’s antics.

"You lost? How did you lose?"

Though she was addressing Xie Yuzhu, Xie Lingmin’s question was not for her. Instead, her gaze shifted to Granny Lan.

Meeting her mistress’s gaze, Granny Lan immediately recounted everything she had just witnessed.

"...Just as Zhong Ming was on the verge of defeat, he erupted with an incredibly powerful conceptual resonance..."

As she finished, she added with a tone of shock, "To comprehend a conceptual resonance so quickly... Young Master Zhong Ming’s Talent for Enlightenment is just as the young miss said. It is truly the greatest on Longxi Peak, perhaps even in the entire Seven Profound Sect."

...

Comprehending a conceptual resonance in less than a month—this had startled Granny Lan, filling her with a sense of respect for Zhong Ming.

Xie Lingmin was also shocked, but her expression quickly returned to one of calm.

After her brief shock, a thought seemed to strike her. She turned back to Granny Lan. "According to what you said, before that burst of power, Zhong Ming was being completely suppressed by Yuzhu?"

"Yes."

Hearing this, Xie Lingmin breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Xie Yuzhu with a smile.

"Little Yu, you’ve misunderstood. Zhong Ming’s Talent isn’t as amazing as you think. He didn’t comprehend Dao Rhyme, but a Dao Rhyme Fragment."

As she spoke, Xie Lingmin gently tapped Xie Yuzhu on the head, her face full of affection. "You have a Dao Rhyme Fragment in your body as well, you know."

"Eh?" Her mother’s words left Xie Yuzhu bewildered. "I have a Dao Rhyme Fragment in my body? How come I didn’t know?"

"Of course you don’t know," Xie Lingmin replied. "We spent an entire year helping you integrate it when you were still a child."

"The Dao Rhyme Fragment’s effect on your body is the very reason your development has been so slow."

"Umm..."

Learning that Zhong Ming had only comprehended a Dao Rhyme Fragment, and that she had one as well, diminished some of Xie Yuzhu’s admiration for him and left her feeling a little disappointed.

’So, Senior Brother Zhong Ming’s Talent isn’t as incredible as I thought?’

’If he’s not a supreme genius, Mother will never let me learn the sword...’

Her hopes shattered, Xie Yuzhu departed in disappointment.

As she departed, Granny Lan bowed to Xie Lingmin and made to follow, but Xie Lingmin stopped her.

Once Xie Yuzhu’s figure had completely vanished from sight, Xie Lingmin’s expression changed, becoming incredibly solemn.

"Tell me what happened again."

"Hmm?"

Granny Lan didn’t understand why her mistress looked so grim, seeing as Zhong Ming’s Talent wasn’t peerless.

Nevertheless, at Xie Lingmin’s command, she repeated her account of the event.

"At first, Zhong Ming was no match for the young miss. Her seven flying swords had him severely suppressed..."

After listening to the account of the battle once more, Xie Lingmin fell silent in thought for a long while. Then, with an exceedingly serious expression, she said to Granny Lan, "Later, I want you to find Zhong Ming. Use an apology as a pretext and give him ten passes for trial sessions on the Fierce Battle Platform."

"???"

Granny Lan was completely stunned.

She was, of course, familiar with the Fierce Battle Platform. As a power with a reasonably long history, the Seven Profound Sect possessed many special grounds, and the Fierce Battle Platform was one of them.

This was a place that could temper a Cultivator’s Divine Soul Consciousness.

Naturally, activating such a treasured ground came at a cost, and the resources it consumed were quite precious.

This made the opportunity to train on the Fierce Battle Platform very expensive.

As far as Granny Lan knew, a single session on the Fierce Battle Platform cost 300 Merit Points.

Ten sessions would be 3,000, which was worth more than three thousand Spirit Stones.

The Xie Family could easily afford 3,000 Spirit Stones, but Granny Lan didn’t understand why they would give such a great benefit to Zhong Ming, whose Talent wasn’t considered peerless.

"Hmph." Xie Lingmin noticed Granny Lan’s confusion and snorted coldly. "You can’t possibly think that comprehending a Dao Rhyme Fragment is an easy thing to do, can you?"

"Little Yu does have a Dao Rhyme Fragment in her body, but do you have any idea how many Spirit Stones we spent to have it implanted?"

Without waiting for an answer, Xie Lingmin stated a shocking figure: "Eighteen thousand."

"And that was only because our Xie Family has connections. Otherwise, even with the Spirit Stones, we would never have been able to purchase a treasure that could be integrated into a Cultivator’s body to bestow a Dao Rhyme Fragment."

"Something that cost us tens of thousands of Spirit Stones and countless hours of effort to achieve, Zhong Ming did on his own in less than a month. He comprehended a Dao Rhyme Fragment by himself. Such Talent is unprecedented in the Seven Profound Sect. He... is worth winning over."

"..."

These words left Granny Lan speechless.

As she fell silent, Xie Lingmin’s own feelings grew even more complex:

’There was something she hadn’t said... Because the Dao Rhyme Fragment in Xie Yuzhu’s body was implanted from an external source rather than comprehended by herself, she could almost never access it under normal circumstances. The difference between her and Zhong Ming was like that between heaven and earth.’

’Although it was also difficult for Zhong Ming to trigger the Dragon Flood Dragon’s Dao Rhyme, he could still do so under certain circumstances.’

’But Xie Yuzhu, despite having the Dao Rhyme Fragment implanted for years, didn’t even know it existed.’

’So, the young miss was right. Zhong Ming’s Talent truly is the greatest in the Seven Profound Sect. He might actually be able to restore the glory of Longxi Peak.’

Granny Lan had a realization after hearing Xie Lingmin’s words.

Having lived there for many years and seeing herself as part of the Xie Family, Granny Lan couldn’t help but speak up after her realization. "Mistress, if Zhong Ming’s Talent is truly that powerful, aren’t ten trial passes... a bit too few?"

First she thought it was too much, and now she thought it was too little. Granny Lan’s rapid change of heart was directly related to Zhong Ming’s Talent.

For an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple, ten trial passes would naturally be a great deal.

But if Zhong Ming’s Talent was truly the best in the Seven Profound Sect, then things were different.

As long as someone like him didn’t fall along the way, he was certain to become a True Disciple of Longxi Peak. After that, there was a high probability he would even become the Peak Master of Longxi Peak.

And that position would make him one of the seven great leaders of the Seven Profound Sect.

Even the Xie Family Patriarch would have to do everything in his power to win over and befriend such a person.

Not to mention, Zhong Ming might even be qualified to become the Sect Leader of the Seven Profound Sect.

’His chances of becoming Sect Leader are high. In this dangerous era, the Seven Profound Sect needs the strong. As long as Zhong Ming fully develops, he’ll have a better chance of becoming Sect Leader than the people from Molten Fire Peak or Cuixiang Mountain.’

When trying to recruit a candidate for Sect Leader, ten trial passes suddenly seemed rather shabby.