Chapter 141: Forego the Sword’s Sharpness, Break Techniques with Strength
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
The fourth level of the Sword Forest was guarded by the Four Swords, but among them, there was no ranking of strength—only differences in sword intent. Among these, Little Overlapping Mountain was the heaviest.
Fierce winds raged atop the high platform as seven swords whistled through the air, each carrying an oppressive force like the weight of mountains.
Ji You moved like a flood dragon, stepping forward in unison with the swords. His imposing frame drew the wide-eyed stares of countless female cultivators from the Heavenly Script Academy, their gazes unable to shift away from his body.
Instructor Cao Jin Song had said: Forget the inner court, forget the noble clans—just fight with all your heart.
Ji You felt that he was enjoying himself immensely.
For to battle against another, whether in spirit or sword intent, was always far more exhilarating than merely slashing at empty air within the Sword Forest.
“Chu He, come and witness my Sevenfold Mountain.”
“??!?”
Deep within the crater, Chu He’s eyes widened. As he felt the oncoming surge of force, his pupils dilated in horror. Without hesitation, he raised his arms and pushed his Huntian Spell to its peak, forming a vortex akin to a twisting shell.
Instead of dispersing outward, the force condensed inward, as though forging an impenetrable barrier through compression.
A swirl of violet-red Huntian energy wrapped around him protectively as Chu He adjusted his grip, holding his sword with both hands.
Buzz!
Seven mighty swords of oppression descended, shaking the White Jade Terrace.
Many disciples, including Fang Ruo Yao, who were of lower cultivation levels, felt a stabbing pain in their eardrums. Their eyes squeezed shut from the overwhelming force.
On the high platform, the aura of the Huntian Spell scattered wildly under the oppressive weight. The violet-red energy could no longer expand.
Clang! A resounding tremor echoed.
From the onlookers’ perspective, the seven swords struck Chu He with the force of thunder, sending a surge of pressure rushing outward like an avalanche. The impact caused a suffocating sensation among the spectators.
The White Jade Stones beneath Chu He shattered into countless web-like cracks. His entire body was half-buried in the crater, his waist submerged in the fractured stone. His arms, now covered in crimson beads of blood, trembled violently.
Yet, these beads of blood did not spurt from any external wound on his hands but seeped from beneath his intact skin. The immense force of the sword dao had compressed onto him, colliding with his own repelling energy, causing the internal pressure to rupture his very veins.
Force is reciprocal.
This was the sword of nine years of compulsory education.
With a thunderous boom, Ji You used the recoil to propel himself into the air. His bare chest gleamed, his head lifted high, and his sword intent surged ceaselessly. The seven spirit swords shot toward the heavens like dragons ascending.
Everyone held their breath, crushed beneath the weight of those seven swords from moments before.
Ban Yang Shu, Wen Zheng Xin, Pei Ru Yi, Bai Ru Long, along with Lu Qing Qiu and Fang Ruo Yao—all were momentarily dazed.
What flashed before their eyes was not Ji You the warrior, but Ji You the mischievous, laughing youth they had known.
They recalled how he had struggled for food on Yuyang Street, forced to take odd jobs at noodle shops, all while being ridiculed by his former classmates.
They recalled visiting his courtyard for tea, always empty-handed, only to be met with his exaggerated lamentations about the price of tea leaves.
They recalled him, on his path of cultivation, frequently finding ways to scam Immortal Emperor Ru Long out of silver.
And they remembered that rainy day before the Autumn Duel, when he had sighed bitterly, lamenting his inability to afford a sword, shamelessly requesting donations.
Such a lively person always seemed weaker than those brooding in shadows.
But in this moment, they finally saw Ji You for what he truly was.
A sword cultivator of unmatched talent.
Amidst the stunned silence, a torrent of chaotic spell energy surged within the crater.
Then, a wretched, agonizing scream rang out, drawn long with pain and fury.
The voice no longer sounded human—it was a beast’s roar, devoid of emotion, filled only with a killing instinct.
With a deafening hum, the turbulent energy burst from the crater.
Within the swirling violet-red spell force, a streak of pure blackness slithered outward, seeping through the chaotic flow.
The overwhelming weight of Sevenfold Mountain had disrupted the spell energy, making this eerie shift difficult to detect.
Only Clan Chief of the Chu Family sensed the anomaly. His fists clenched, his entire frame trembling. The tea cup on his table cracked, its contents splashing in all directions.
At this moment, Ji You, his bare form towering in the sky, raised his sword heavenward. Golden light blazed in his eyes, his muscles swelling with raw power. The seven swords slashed down fiercely.
“Is that Little Overlapping Mountain?”
“No… it’s New Willow Color!”
“No, it’s not New Willow Color either…”
As disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain, their connection to sword qi was unparalleled.
Yet, in this moment, as Ji You’s seven swords descended once more, none of them could definitively identify the technique.
The swords, arranged in a formation like a coiling dragon, now exuded an entirely different aura. Yet, they retained the grandeur of mountains as they slashed toward Chu He, whose body was engulfed in chaotic spell energy.
Time seemed to freeze.
Even the clamor of the audience was abruptly stilled.
Seven swords cleaved into the Huntian Spell that surrounded Chu He.
Even the force that had once repelled sword qi now seemed to freeze.
For the sword dao was also part of the Heavenly Dao Laws. And within the same realm, two conflicting laws could never coexist.
Just as a sufficiently powerful spell technique can influence Sword Dao, so too can a sufficiently powerful Sword Dao sever spell techniques.
Before everyone’s eyes, the seven heavy swords clashed momentarily with the Huntian Spell, then cut straight through. The so-called continuous strengthening of the spell was abruptly interrupted at that instant!
Even more terrifying, the immense sword aura did not dissipate upon colliding with the technique.
For Ji You’s Sword Heart had always been guided by the blade, pressing ever forward without hesitation.
Boom!
Chu He’s iron sword was severed, and he was sent flying backward, blood spraying into the air.
At that moment, Ji You retracted his sword and landed on the White Jade Terrace, standing proudly. His entire being was wreathed in bursts of celestial radiance, his sword intent howling—sharp, clean, and unyielding.
The force of impact was mutual, and wielding Sevenfold Mountain had drained him considerably. His well-defined chest and abdomen heaved with each breath, exuding a burning heat. Beads of sweat clung to his smooth and well-proportioned muscles, tracing along the contours of his body, shimmering under the sunlight like polished jade.
Silence blanketed the White Jade Terrace.
Among the Imperial Kin, Prince Chong, Wei Li, and others wore expressions of disbelief, while Titled Princess Chang Le unconsciously bit her full, crimson lips, her snow-bright eyes widening in astonishment.
Among the disciples from various sects, only those of Spirit Sword Mountain were visibly exhilarated, their hands moving feverishly to record the moment. The others, however, stood in dumbfounded shock.
During last year’s autumn, among the Seven Great Immortal Sects, excluding Pill Sect, eleven young cultivators below the age of twenty had reached the pinnacle of the Lower Three Stages.
Yet, among those eleven, only a handful had names that were widely remembered.
Chu He was one such name, as he hailed from the Chu Clan of You Prefecture, already a figure of immense attention.
But Ji You, a cultivator with no aristocratic background, had risen to fame through unfathomable means. Now, standing under the radiant sun, encircled by an overwhelming Sword Qi, his renown had reached its zenith.
The most silent among the spectators were the Inner Court Disciples who had accompanied He Ling Xiu—figures like Wang Yue and Fang Chao Lin, who had once followed You Bu Yu.
They knew that Ji You had cleaved through the Sword Forest of Spirit Sword Mountain, but at the time, they had been preoccupied with You Bu Yu’s grievous injuries, leaving them no chance to reflect on what had transpired. They had not witnessed the storm of sword energy that had engulfed the mountains.
Now, like the rest of the crowd, they saw Ji You’s swordplay with perfect clarity for the first time.
When Sevenfold Mountain descended, even though it had not been directed at them, they couldn’t help but put themselves in Chu He’s position.
Could they have withstood those seven blades?
Each held a different answer in their hearts, but one truth was undeniable—
Even those at the Dao Fusion Stage would struggle against Sevenfold Mountain.
And this was merely Sevenfold Mountain.
Beyond that, Ji You still had Return and Come, and the razor-sharp New Willow Color, which had been hidden amidst Little Overlapping Mountain just moments ago.
That sword traveled westward, toward the cloud-covered cliffs above the boundless sea of trees.
Even the Hall Masters of the Inner Court remained silent, replaying the Sword Dao they had just witnessed, lost in thought.
At last, the Hall Master of Longevity Hall, Chai Hu, spoke softly.
“The Huntian Spell shifts every half an hour. Finding the exact timing is incredibly difficult; only an unimaginably fast sword could strike within that fleeting window.”
“But that was never Ji You’s objective, because such an approach was meaningless.”
“As Chu He pointed out earlier, waiting half an hour for a single strike would leave Ji You at an overwhelming disadvantage.”
“However, if an opening is hard to find, then conversely, the battlefield is filled with repelling force. The force created by the spell itself provides landing points for the sword.”
“For if the blade is sufficiently heavy, the repelling force does not shield its master, but instead, turns against him.”
“For years, I have studied the Laws of Force Fields, seeking ways to enhance power while integrating various techniques. But I must admit, even I had not considered such an approach in battle.”
“Perhaps it is because we have grown accustomed to force serving as a defense.”
“Forsaking the sword’s sharpness, breaking techniques with raw power—truly extraordinary…”
His voice echoed across the mountain peaks, making the other Hall Masters wear complex expressions.
The Seven Great Immortal Sects had produced many gifted disciples over the years, but ones like Ji You—so utterly defiant of reason—were few and far between.
Not to mention his monstrous physique and whether or not he truly possessed a Dao Heart of Clarity, just his combat awareness alone already set him leagues above others.
Such awareness was not bound by cultivation level.
A higher realm might allow one to perceive more in battle, but not all cultivators were suited for combat.
At that moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from the mountain base. Turning their gazes downward, they saw the disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain celebrating wildly.
Seeing this, the onlookers suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.
This no longer felt like a match in the Autumn Duel of the Heavenly Script Academy—rather, it seemed as if Spirit Sword Mountain had triumphed over the Heavenly Script Academy in a battle.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, Ji You had wielded the Sword Dao of Spirit Sword Mountain.
Yet, as a disciple of the Heavenly Script Academy, his victory should have showcased the might of their own sect.
In that moment, they couldn’t help but wonder—
What if Ji You had not used the Sword Dao of Spirit Sword Mountain to defeat Chu He, but instead, the All Methods Accompany the Self of the Heavenly Script Academy?
What kind of scene would have unfolded then?