Eli Shan clenched his teeth and relentlessly absorbed the sword aura for seven days. His sword intent surged, becoming denser, purer, and sharper with each passing moment.

Finally, on the seventh day, Eli Shan opened his eyes and murmured to himself, "The sword aura emanating from this stone tablet is stronger and purer than anything I've ever imagined."

Having absorbed every last bit of the sword aura, he rose to his feet and the stone tablet dropped to the ground with a resounding clatter.

Without hesitation, Eli Shan moved forward, bending to retrieve the stone tablet. He examined it closely, his fingers tracing the mysterious sword carving which radiated with an enigmatic energy that sent shivers down his spine.

As Eli Shan continued to explore the mysteries within the stone tablet, suddenly an unexpected event occurred. The stone tablet suddenly disintegrated into a cloud of dust and slowly fell to the ground, leaving him stunned.

"..."

His eyes darted around nervously, and he muttered under his breath, "No, I didn't break it!"

As he panicked inside, a mysterious sword qi suddenly emerged from the stone tablet and rushed towards him.

His eyes widened in alarm, and he instinctively called upon his own sword intent to intercept it. But to his astonishment, the stone tablet's qi easily sliced through his defense like a hot knife cutting through butter and pierced through his chest with startling ease.

Eli Shan thought he was going to die, but even after the sword qi pierced through his body, he felt nothing. He glanced down at his chest, where the lethal force had penetrated, only to find out that nothing happened. There was not even a single scratch on his body!

He knew that sword cultivators utilized 'sword qi' to enhance their swords, making them sharp, swift, and deadly accurate. It was the essence of swordsmanship, but not every cultivator could master it to perfection.

Deep in thought, Eli Shan suddenly felt a strange sensation. The sword qi from the stone tablet began to course through his body without causing any harm to his internal organs, following a pattern that seemed like it was trying to teach him something.

Sensing something significant, Eli Shan quickly sat down and focused on feeling the flow of the sword qi inside him.

After a period of intense concentration, he finally discerned its patterns and its formidable power.

With each passing moment, he grew more adept at this flow of energy. He wanted to understand why this sword qi which was dangerous enough to cut his body into millions of pieces, was feeling so gentle inside his body.

After an entire day of devoted practice, he finally understood its essence.

"So, the key is my mind and comprehension. To wield any sword technique to its zenith, my mind must become one the sword itself."

With that, he closed his eyes and had only a single thought in his mind: Sword!

At this moment, what he sought was the unification of a sword and a human— a task that was impossible to achieve by an ordinary person. Not just anyone can become one with the swords. Even his headmaster or the city lord, none of them even reached near the stage of unification.

As Eli Shan delved even deeper, many questions arose in his mind. "What is a sword? Why love swords? What is the unification? What does it truly mean to be one with a sword? Most importantly, do I genuinely love swords?"

As he continued to question himself and pushed even further to find the answers, his mind suddenly went blank. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in an empty place. There was no wall, no space, and no time. This place was filled with nothing but Darkness!

Soon, Eli Shan heard an eerie voice coming from behind, "Swords are the monarchs of weapon! Kings wield them as their choice of arms!"

Eli Shan didn't panic by the voice and turned around to look behind, only to see a figure cloaked in black clothes. Eli Shan tried to see his face but he found out that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't discern his features.

The enigmatic figure continued, "We love swords for their versatility! A well-built sword can be hurled like a spear. A well-built sword could be used to cut people. A well-built sword could be used as a blade. A well-built sword works as any weapon, but most importantly, a sword is a sword. We love it because it is a 'sword'."

Eli Shan nodded in agreement, murmuring, "Yes, I love swords for being exactly what they are – swords."

The figure elucidated further, "The unification is all about your love and connection with the swords. When completed, you can wield a sword like a part of your body, but for unification to complete, you need to accept the swords as a part of your body. But most importantly, treat swords as the sovereign of all weapons, and they shall treat you as the ruler of all beings."

Eli Shan's eyes gleamed with newfound understanding and gratitude. "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

The figure nodded, though its expression remained shrouded. He looked at Eli Shan deeply, making him feel the pressure. Then, with a snap of his fingers, Eli Shan was back in the cave, sitting as before with closed eyes, and heard a last sentence from the mysterious figure in his mind, "As for whether you love swords or not, find it yourself. Good luck for the journey ahead."

Eli Shan opened his eyes and looked around. "Was that a dream? I am sure that senior was the real owner of this cave and it was just his residual soul after his death. But what kind of means was that? He summoned me out of my body and I couldn't even put up any resistance? Just how strong was senior in his prime?"

Eli Shan's expression was serious but he was really happy to get help from the senior. "Let's not think about all these. For now, I should keep pushing myself to become as strong as possible!"

He again closed his eyes and began to calculate all the gains he got from the mysterious senior. He remembered all of his words and began to apply all the teachings.

"Swords are the king. Treat swords as a king, and they will treat you as the ruler of all beings." Eli Shan mused, delving deeper into this profound realization. "Doesn't that mean swords have feelings? To comprehend their essence is to acknowledge their feelings with me. They are same as me! They, too, are sovereigns of all weapons, and someday, I shall reign over all beings too."

Boom!!!

As he continued to immerse in his sword cultivation, the cave began to tremble. The Sword aura of the surroundings which was initially absorbed by Eli Shan through force, now began to merge with him by their own will, and the sword intent of the cave began to dance around him as if welcoming their king.

While unifying with sword, Eli Shan didn't forget to follow the flow of sword qi inside his body, a gift bestowed by the ancient stone plate.

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As the unification of sword and human reached completion, Eli Shan slowly opened his eyes, which exuded an unparalleled sword qi that could destroy the surroundings. The sword intent of the cave froze, their lethally getting controlled by Eli Shan.

If he wanted them to destroy a thing, they wouldn't even leave a residual behind. But if he wouldn't want them to touch something, then the sword aura or sword intent, won't even scratch it!

Normally, the sword techniques destroy everything in its path and can't differentiate between friends and foes. That's why there was an old saying: Swords have no eyes! But for Eli Shan, it was now opposite. "Now," he declared with a self-assured grin, "I can proudly say that my sword has eyes!"

Eli Shan was pleased with his progress in mastering this new technique, but he recognized that he had only grasped its fundamentals. So he again closed his eyes and immersed himself back in his sword cultivation.

A day came and went, yet Eli Shan remained immersed in his technique, his eyes unopened, focused on honing his skill. Just the time taken by him was enough to show just how profound this technique was that even someone as genius as him could not completely master this technique.

It was crucial to bear in mind that up until this point, Eli Shan had learned every technique instantaneously. Yet, this particular one took him an entire day, and still, it was not completed.

After following the mysterious sword qi for a while, he made another insightful realization. "My sword aura efficiency and vastness are increasing significantly with the sword qi flowing inside my body," he exclaimed, his face lighting up with anticipation.

"Then, if I channel my own sword qi in the same pattern as this, won't the vastness and efficiency of my sword aura continue to grow endlessly?"

Brimming with excitement, he immersed himself in cultivation again, and after another day passed, he finally achieved mastery over the technique.

On this day, he stood up and easily walked out of the cave. There he saw a big dragon lying down and taking a rest. Sensing Eli Shan's presence, the dragon's eyes snapped open, only to be met with the sight of Eli Shan grinning at him like a crazy person.

The big dragon looked at him curiously and asked, "Does sword intent hit your head so hard?"

Eli Shan ignored the dragon's mockery and turned his face towards the nearest mountain, assuming an air of mystery, trying to show off as if he were some kind of a mysterious being. He extended his right hand, sweeping it majestically from left to right. In an instant, a dark sword aura surged forth which was as vast as a colossal tsunami and as pure as the untouched jade, and rushed towards the mountain.

The stone of the mountain crumbled under the sharpness of the sword aura and reduced to mere dust. But something happened that shocked even the dragon. The flowers and plants of the mountain remained untouched by the sword aura's wrath!

The sword aura, which should have annihilated everything in its path, displayed an unexpected gentleness. Not a single flower on the mountain was harmed. Instead, it felt like gentle snowflakes, as light as cotton, adding a touch of fleeting beauty to the landscape.

As the dragon beheld this breathtaking sword technique, even its eyes widened in amazement. "Sword eye! One of the last arts of the sword which was mastered by the dark lord. Has the young master already attained it?"

Eli Shan turned around and noticed the shock in the dragon's eyes. This only made him feel even more proud and smug.

Just as he was about to posture even more, he suddenly felt pain in his soul.

"I am going to be thrown out of my own world again, sigh."

The world whirled around him, and when he reopened his eyes, he found himself back in his room.

"Sigh, let's continue to cultivate."

Calculating the gains from the cave, he closed his eyes once more, immersing himself in cultivation without a moment's pause.

His sword intent, which has reached the fourth realm, continued to grow more sharper and refine with time.

Eli Shan believed the cave's master intended for him to inherit the Sword Eye technique. Little did he know, the master's true aim was to instruct him in the efficient use of sword qi. To achieve this, the master utilized the Sword Eye technique as a teaching tool.

Even the master hadn't expected him to learn sword eye technique while learning how to use sword qi efficiently.

Eli Shan immersed himself in cultivation for an unknown number of days, until one day when someone knocked on his door and woke him up from his meditation state.

Eli Shan stood up, opened the door, and was met with the sight of a beautiful young woman standing there, a smile gracing her features.

Feng Qiang apologized, "I'm sorry to disturb your cultivation, but the Headmaster asked me to deliver a message to you."

Eli Shan smiled and invited her inside the room. "No problem. It's better to keep changing the atmosphere every now and then."

Feng Qiang nodded and came inside the room. "Look like you have grown stronger again."

Eli Shan went to prepare tea and replied, "I have gained some insight about sword, nothing else." He turned around and observed her strong aura. "You too seem to have grown stronger quite a bit, haven't you?"

Feng Qiang shook her head. "It's nothing worth mentioning in front of a monster like you."

Eli Shan placed the tea in a cup and offered it to her. "Didn't I tell you that you'll never catch up to me? Hahaha."

Feng Qiang took the cup from Eli Shan and playfully punched his chest. "You... You never change. Hmph!"

Eli Shan chuckled and shook his head. "And you wouldn't want me to, would you?"

Feng Qiang smirked, choosing to ignore his words, and began to savor the tea.

Eli Shan sat next to Feng Qiang on the bed, taking a leisurely sip of tea. "So, what did the headmaster want to discuss?"

Feng Qiang replied, "He asked you to join the class tomorrow."

Eli Shan's curiosity was piqued. "Any particular reason?"

Feng Qiang shook her head. "He mentioned it's of great importance to the entire school, and he didn't want any student to miss it."

"Understood. I'll be there," Eli Shan affirmed. They continued their conversation for a while before she returned to her own mountain peak.

Once again, Eli Shan immersed himself in his cultivation, and a day passed as swiftly as moments.

The next day, he rose from his meditation spot and made his way to the classroom. Inside, all the students were already present, and the headmaster stood at the front.

Eli Shan opened the classroom door and stepped inside, again making every student feel an overwhelming pressure. But still, everyone looked at him in admiration because of his recent battle.

The Headmaster examined Eli Shan from head to toe and remarked, "It appears you've grown significantly, haven't you?"

Eli Shan bowed before the Headmaster, gratitude evident in his eyes. "All I have achieved is thanks to your guidance, Teacher."

The Headmaster smiled, a glint of pride in his eyes. "It seems my most promising student has also acquired a silver tongue, hasn't he?"

Eli Shan couldn't help but grin. "I only speak the truth, Teacher."

The Headmaster shook his head with a small chuckle. "At least you're aware of it. Now, take your seat."

Eli Shan nodded and made his way to the last row, where Feng Qiang was waiting for him.

The Headmaster's expression grew serious as he addressed the entire class. "Everyone, our graduation ceremony is swiftly approaching, and you have a mere two weeks to prepare. Every three years, when students graduate from the schools, all institutions under the king or emperor's jurisdiction assemble and students fight for their school's prestige." The headmaster scanned each student with a stern gaze. "So, I ask each of you: are you ready?"

Hearing the headmaster's words, every student felt their blood boiling inside their body and shouted in unison, "We will fight to the death, Headmaster!" The words reverberated throughout the classroom, filling the space with unwavering resolve.

Until this point, the school had imparted all it could to its students. Now, it was their turn to give back to the school. So how could anybody back down? Each of them was prepared to give their all, even if it meant facing death!

Feng Qiang's brow furrowed thinking of something as she directed a question towards the Headmaster. "If there are schools under both the king and the emperor, which jurisdiction does ours fall under? And what does our school rank overall?"

The Headmaster turned to her, providing a clear answer. "We are under the jurisdiction of the king and you won't be competing against students from the Emperor's schools. As for our ranking, it's moderate—neither exceptionally high nor low." His gaze swept across the room, holding every student's attention. "And if the King or Emperor recognizes your potential, they might even consider taking you as their disciple."

Hearing the last sentence, students went into uproar. Chance to become the disciple of king or emperor? It was the dream of countless souls in the world!

Eli Shan's mind raced with possibilities. He couldn't resist asking, "What are the rewards?"

The Headmaster's gaze met Eli Shan's with a knowing glint. "For outstanding performance of the school, our funding from the King will increase. The top scorer will receive ten thousand gold coins, along with a cultivation technique of their choice and a chance to become a disciple of the King or Emperor. Second and third place will earn one thousand and five hundred gold coins, respectively, along with a valuable cultivation technique."

Eli Shan nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. What he wanted was just money, he didn't lack any cultivation technique. As for becoming a disciple of a King or Emperor, he felt they couldn't be stronger than his big brother Dragon.

As the class concluded, Eli Shan rose from his seat, preparing to return to his mountain peak.

The Headmaster approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your cultivation realm has once again increased and reached the seventh stage of the zun realm, my little monster? I have a lot of expectations from you, so give your best in the ceremony."

With that, the Headmaster vanished.

Eli Shan smiled and followed suit, disappearing from the scene.