1512 Unrivaled Sword Art
"You weren't certain I was the real deal? What if I had been an imposter?" Tian Qiyuan asked her out of curiosity.
Hearing this question, Zi Xuan's expression darkened, looking incredibly grim, and she responded in a chilling voice, "If you had dared to impersonate the Exalted Blacksmith, then I would've tortured you until the end of time."
Her gaze exuded real killing intent that sent shivers down Tian Qiyuan's body.
"Alright, then, let's take a look at your swordsmanship now," he said a moment later.
Zi Xuan nodded her head and said, "Let's go outside."
Before leaving the vault, Zi Xuan took the Spirit-grade sword with her.
Once they were outside, Zi Xuan brought him to the empty field behind the building.
"I will now perform my main sword technique, Unrivaled Sword Arts. It consists of nine stages, each several times stronger than the last."
Instead of wielding a powerful sword like the Violet Dream, Zi Xuan opted to use the Spirit-grade sword for her performance. She was more comfortable with it due to spending countless hours with it, allowing her to display her best abilities.
"Unrivaled Sword Art, first stage, Unrivaled Spirit."
Zi Xuan then gave Tian Qiyuan a sword performance that could only be described as flawless, even otherworldly. Each movement was precise and fluid, flowing as naturally as water in a river, without a trace of hesitation or stiffness.
After watching her otherworldly performance, Tian Qiyuan fully understood why people called her the Sword Goddess.
Sometime later, Zi Xuan stopped after the third stage and asked him, "Are you able to understand my swordsmanship?"
Once a swordsman attains a certain level of mastery, their movements transcend ordinary understanding, and this effect intensifies as the individual's skill level increases. Since Tian Qiyuan was mainly a blacksmith, Zi Xuan was worried that he lacked the ability to understand her swordsmanship, which would hinder his ability to craft a suitable sword that matched her abilities.
Tian Qiyuan could tell what was on Zi Xuan's mind based on the worried frown on her face, and he said, "Don't worry, I can understand your swordsmanship. I may be a blacksmith, but I am also a swordmaster. In order to create a weapon, I believe you must understand the weapon itself first, and what better way to understand a weapon than to master it?"
Some of Zi Xuan's worries went away after hearing his words, but there was still some doubt in her heart. After all, to fully comprehend her swordsmanship, Tian Qiyuan would need to be near her level or even surpass it, which was very unlikely.
However, she didn't say anything else and continued her performance.
"This is the fourth stage, Unrivaled Earth."
Then, the fifth stage.
"Unrivaled Heaven."
The sixth stage.
"Unrivaled Divine." Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
The seventh stage.
"Unrivaled Saint."
She stopped after the seventh stage to look at Tian Qiyuan again.
"Are you still following?"
"Yes, 100 percent."
"..."
Despite her profound respect for him, she couldn't bring herself to believe his words. Not even the other eight Unrivaled Swords could claim with such certainty that they comprehended the seventh stage of her swordsmanship.
Seeing the doubt on her face, Tian Qiyuan said, "Just keep going. I'll prove to you that I am capable of understanding your swordsmanship later."
Zi Xuan silently nodded and proceeded to perform the eighth stage.
"Unrivaled Void."
Finally, the last stage.
"This is the ninth stage, Unrivaled Sword God."
There was a saying in the Unrivaled Nine Swords Sect: mastering the ninth stage of their technique would inevitably make one a Sword God. And within the entire sect, only Zi Xuan has managed to reach such a level.
It was widely known within their sect that Zi Xuan surpassed even the Sect Master in power. However, she had no desire to shoulder the responsibilities of leadership, and thus, she chose not to ascend to the position, remaining as a guardian of the sect.
As Zi Xuan commenced the final stage, the atmosphere in their secluded world shifted, and the very air trembled in awe.
If Zi Xuan had infused her spiritual energy into her swordsmanship, their world would've been destroyed long before she could even reach the fifth stage, much less the ninth stage.
"What do you think?" Zi Xuan asked him afterward while being slightly out of breath.
Tian Qiyuan nodded, "It was amazing."
"Are you saying that because you couldn't comprehend it or…?"
Tian Qiyuan smiled and gestured for the sword.
"As promised, I will now prove to you that I am fully capable of understanding your swordsmanship."
Zi Xuan handed him the sword and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"You'll see in just a moment. Please give me some space."
Once Zi Xuan was far enough, Tian Qiyuan closed his eyes and recalled Zi Xuan's performance with the Unrivaled Sword Art.
After a moment of silence, he started moving his body and performing the Unrivaled Sword Art.
"?!?!"
Zi Xuan's eyes widened in shock as she watched Tian Qiyuan flawlessly replicate her sect's most revered and challenging sword technique. However, as impressive as it seemed at a glance, anyone with enough experience could replicate the first three stages of the technique.
A few minutes later, Tian Qiyuan began performing the fourth stage. His movements were just as impeccable as if he was still doing the first stage, leaving Zi Xuan speechless.
However, little did she know that was just the beginning.
After performing the fourth stage, Tian Qiyuan went on to the fifth stage and then the sixth stage.
Even more remarkable than his effortless replication of the sword technique was Tian Qiyuan's seamless performance, flawlessly executing each stage without the slightest pause, almost as if he'd practiced the sword technique for thousands of years.
As Tian Qiyuan reached the ninth stage of the sword technique, Zi Xuan fell back in shock, her expression mirroring disbelief as if she had seen a ghost.
"I-impossible!" she uttered in a terrified voice, and she began doubting whether she was a true sword prodigy or a fake one.