The eleven other youths being tested all showed signs of struggle as they gave their all to their respective test. A sharp contrast to Ancestor Fang’s daughter who seemed to be breezing through her test.

The combat simulations showed every single youth holding a sword while fighting an illusion that took the shape of Lo Shen and when Tyler saw this, he muttered to himself.

“What’s the point of using an actual sword when you use it to literally launch spells, that seems utterly counter productive.” While he was somewhat stunned by the magical display of power, he still didn’t quite understand that point.

Seeing as every elder was focused on assessing their individual testee, they did not even hear his comment but Ancestor Fang did. While staying hidden from the elders, he answered.

“Providing an easy medium to channel your Qi through some strengthening formations, runes or rare metals that change the attribute of your attacks seems counterproductive? Please, share your thoughts.”

Taking a second to consider his answer, Tyler answered with the simplest answer he could think of. “I think the quote goes like this.. Shortcuts may make life easier momentarily, but they rarely lead to long-term success.”

“But if we cultivators use those tools in order to replicate and more easily understand all the intricacies in those treasures, are we not bound to become stronger..?” Rebuked the old man with a smile.

“I guess you are right. My thoughts were more along the lines of that as cultivators you have the best resource available to become a master of all those facets in the form of extended lifespans… Are you not limiting yourself to treasures you can find and that others can make?” With that, he turned to look at Ancestor Fang.

The smile across Ancestor Fang’s face became even wider as he completely agreed with the youngster in front of him. "Indeed, truly wise. Often the younger generation tends to seek shortcuts and are unwilling to establish proper foundations in the different cultivation professions before proceeding with unearned treasures, unaware of the road block they are creating for themselves. It's not easy to convince them to listen to their elders like ourselves," he replied with a sigh.

"However, I would argue that those who craft their own treasure swords and imbue them with runes that they have personally carved into the equipment in question along with mutually beneficial formations are further affirming their Dao."

“First, Elder? Talk about yourself! Jesus Christ, I’m barely 28 years old!” Replied Tyler with a laugh before continuing. “Secondly, I would agree with that. Only by understanding the process can one truly appreciate the end result.”

Seeing how the other party was quite joyous and could freely communicate with him, Ancestor Fang attributed Tyler’s answer to him meaning that he was always young at heart because there was no way someone this young would ever be that strong of a cultivator unless they were once in a universe genius.

After their short conversation, Tyler’s focus returned to the various tests as he carefully observed the refinement and alchemy test which he found quite interesting on a pure intellectual level but quite boring to watch as he didn’t understand a single thing that was going on there.

The truly interesting test was Ancestor Fang’s daughter. The Law Confirmation.

Tyler remembered from the numerous novels he had read that laws represented a foundational block of reality in the form of a concept.

For example, in those novels the fire laws represented the nature and origin of all fire. While fire itself is quite an extensive law, cultivators could start grasping at the earlier concepts related to such deep laws like the concept of heat, friction, sparks, etc...

Young Mistress Fang had managed to grasp a branch law derived from her father's higher-level law, the law of momentum. This particular law was a subdivision of a more intricate combination of spatial and temporal concepts but the young mistress was not that deep yet and her father had barely touched on the essence of time laws.

The test of her laws was quite interesting as the concept she had grasped listening to lectures from her father was the law of speed. The elder sitting in front of her was meticulously watching the changes happening to her body as she did her best to infuse the concept of speed into her every action while launching attacks at the elder.

To clarify, the law confirmation test was a battle of laws by which both parties forcibly modified their energies with their law comprehension.

It was still essentially a battle much similar to the combat illusion tests, but this was much, much more difficult as the assailant would also use their own laws. It was a qualitative increase in difficulty and not by a small margin.

Sometimes you would see her throw a punch that seemed incredibly slow to Tyler only to see the effect of the punch happen before it even landed.

At times, she would take a single step that would move the incarnation forward three or four times the distance it should have even moved with a single step! It seemed incredible to Tyler that a child no older than 13 was this heaven defying!

Seeing her move around and such put Tyler in awe of everything he saw. If Lo Shen flying around on a sword and Jian Lin teleporting away hadn’t been enough yet, seeing someone move half a dozen meters in a single step was extremely fascinating to him and he couldn’t help himself from asking the old man.

“I wonder what are the laws she comprehended? Space laws?” Tyler asked as he looked at the Law Confirmation formation screen.

“Nothing so complex yet, this old man is still stuck on the laws of momentum with minuscule advancements in time laws. What she’s started to grasp are the speed laws. She hasn’t touched on the other broad concepts of momentum yet, but in time, she’ll get there. She is a smart child.” He answered cordially, having quite a bit of fun bragging about his daughter.

Reflecting on the words of the elderly man, Tyler took a moment to ponder before posing a more direct question, not necessarily expecting an answer. "Momentum... How deeply do you comprehend that concept in relation to space and time?"

Ancestor Fang was astonished that the person before him not only grasped the various aspects of the laws of momentum but also comprehended the higher-level concepts associated with them, known as the peak laws in space and time.

Drawing in a short breath, Ancestor Fang answered honestly, hoping to gain insights into the identity and knowledge of the enigmatic person beside him.

“As far as I understand it, to seize the momentum in anything, you need to carefully understand and control the speed laws and their lower branch laws as well and combine it with the various laws of mass and its underlying branch laws.” Ancestor Fang paused here before continuing.

“Then I have come to feel on a deeper level in the last few centuries the effect that manipulating the speed laws had on my perception of time and thus I have started to finally catch a glimpse into time laws as well. Does this make sense to you?”

As Tyler listened to the elderly man in front of him, he came to a significant realization. Much of the commonly taught knowledge in high school had likely been lost to the passage of time.

In hindsight, it wasn't so surprising. Before the Shattering event, human civilization had only existed for roughly 5,000 years, and modern scientific knowledge hadn’t existed for more than a fraction of that.

Knowing that, it was easy to understand how 10,000 years of focus into cultivation could’ve had on the world’s scientific knowledge.

With the emergence of the Tutorial and the upheaval the world went through upon returning to Earth, it was understandable that basic knowledge of physics and other concepts might have been lost due to its perceived uselessness.

It wasn’t until much later that people started to realize how foolish they had been to put that knowledge aside but unfortunately, it was already too late by then and too many had already died.

This insight started to connect the dots for Tyler. He recalled passages he had read the previous day, which had mentioned that no one in the current age truly understood why every pre-Shattering ancestor was so immensely powerful even at the early stages of their cultivation paths.

The lost knowledge of various concepts had faded into obscurity over time, likely due to different factions hoarding power and knowledge for themselves.

Instead of providing a direct response, Tyler posed a probing question in return. "Are you familiar with the concept of energy and the speed of light?" Despite not being a physics expert, Tyler maintained a keen interest in the subject and possessed a rudimentary understanding of some widely accepted theories.

His aim was to gauge the persistence of the most famous equation in the annals of physics in this current era.

Perplexed by Tyler's question, Ancestor Fang responded once more, his uncertainty evident. "In terms of energy, I assume you are referring to concepts like Qi, True Essence, or perhaps Origin Energy, but their underlying nature remains enigmatic to me. As for the speed of light... I'm afraid I don't have a clear understanding of that or knew light had a speed to begin with…"

With a sigh, Tyler continued. “Such basic knowledge has indeed been lost to time… To answer your first question, yes those concepts are familiar to me and honestly seem quite.. Basic.” He paused before digging back a few weeks back when he watched a YouTube video on the matter.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"In theory, momentum is a simple result of mass and velocity. It is an abstract concept without a direct physical counterpart, yet its effects are significant and undeniable on objects. While its impact on a local scale may be more subdued, on a galactic scale, it becomes impossible to ignore. And that’s ignoring the more esoteric uses of momentum that have nothing to do with anything regarding the physical world at all, like the momentum that capital can have on an economy,"

Ancestor Fang gazed at the man before him in awe, hanging onto every word with rapt attention, fearful of missing even a single word.

“I can't know for sure about its practical application in cultivation, considering your insight into the concept of time, you should already understand its link to momentum, mass and speed and should have also grasped the concept of space by proxy. These two concepts are inherently interconnected; one cannot exist without the other, for as far as I understand it, space provides the canvas upon which time paints its effects. The concept itself should be called Space-Time and not seen as two separate concepts.”

As Ancestor Fang listened to the youth's profound words, he couldn't help but be astonished. Never in his wildest imagination did he anticipate someone speaking of such profound concepts as if they were everyday truths.

Despite his own extensive understanding of momentum, he had never made the connection to its effects on space-time and it felt like a shroud was lifted on his mind.

Such knowledge had long been lost in history, as most pre-shattering ancestors had perished in the great wars, leaving only a select few who guarded their knowledge with utmost secrecy. And honestly, even with the theoretical knowledge, Tyler couldn’t become a monster overnight from comprehending the laws. Endless practice was required to understand and use those conceptual laws for yourself on a fundamental level.

Suddenly, the few existences with Divine Sense that resided on the mountain trembled as they felt the origin of law fluctuations, hinting at someone having an extraordinary breakthrough.

To everyone else, this imperceptible shift was almost undetectable but its effect on their body couldn’t escape notice.

As the result of their conversation, a rippling wave of laws emanated from Ancestor Fang and shivers coursed through everyone’s bodies, causing them to feel as if they had aged hundreds of years and as if their weight had drastically changed in the span of a mere moment.

Many found themselves unable to remain standing as their senses were thrown into disarray.

This peculiar sensation, fortunately, dissipated just as swiftly as it had arisen.

The effect extended to the youths in the midst of their tests, the elders, and even those currently engaged in cultivation and even Tyler and the Sword King. Consequently, several of the young aspirants failed their tests instantaneously.

The more powerful cultivators on the mountain immediately went on high alert, their senses tingling with an impending threat.

However, their vigilance was swiftly dispelled by Lin Jian, who had detected the nature of this transformation and recognized the presence of his old friend, Fang Mo, who had come for a visit.

As Lin Jian surveyed the mountain to spot his friend, he was startled to discover Fang Mo seated casually beside Tyler, engaged in what appeared to be an ordinary conversation.

Lin Jian came to a sudden halt, his face registering disbelief and astonishment, as he sensed his friend's spontaneous breakthrough and deduced its origin from the scene revealed by his divine sense.

The nearby elders conducting the admission tests were just like everyone else on the mountain and were panicked.

They looked around for an answer, but couldn’t find any as they too were visibly shaken, not to mention the youths who were currently undergoing rigorous testing and Lo Shen who had suffered significant backlash from losing control of the formation.

In a sudden turn of events, Ancestor Fang undid his concealment technique and stood up behind all the elders, offering a deep bow to Tyler and offering those elders an explanation all at once.

"I am deeply grateful, fellow cultivator! Your profound words have granted me a glimpse behind the curtain, revealing a realm I was struggling to fathom existed! I surely shall repay this debt!"

Uncertain about how to respond to this unexpected display of gratitude, Tyler simply nodded and smiled, offering a somewhat awkward laugh.

Instantly, all the elders in the vicinity became aware of Ancestor Fang's presence and promptly rose to their feet, their expressions shifting to a mixture of alarm and reverence. Without exception, all eleven elders bowed in respect.

"Greetings to the Timeless Blade!" echoed the same greeting from everyone present.

Ancestor Fang, on the other hand, paid no heed to the commotion. He addressed the assembly calmly, "Pay no heed to my presence. I simply had a breakthrough during my discussion with my fellow cultivator here while observing my daughter’s test. Consider these youths to have failed their tests due to my interruption, and allow them all to restart."

With a flick of his sleeves, twelve Spirit Coins materialized, each landing in the hands of the elders to compensate them for their time wasted in that test. He also handed a single Celestial Coin to Lo Shen, recognizing the difficulties the young man had faced due to the formation's disruption as the backlash caused him to bleed from his eyes.

At that moment, Ancestor Fang received a message from Lin Jian, and after a brief pause, he sighed.

"It seems I have caused a bit of a mess here, so I'll have to pay a visit to that grumpy young apprentice brother of mine." Ancestor Fang bowed slightly to Tyler once more and bid him farewell before vanishing from everyone's sight.

Lo Shen, fully aware of the situation's gravity, received a message from the Sword King, instructing him to resume the tests and divert attention away from Tyler.

As a perceptive and influential figure within the sect, he understood the implications and immediately took action, restarting the tests and guiding the elders back to their duties.

As the tests progressed, Young Mistress Fang was the first to successfully pass her examination at the 7th level. This caused quite the commotion as the last person to complete any of the law comprehension tests past the 6th level in the last two hundred years had been Lo Shen’s father, Lo Tang.

Then, one of the youths, Liu Na, had also finished her comprehensive combat simulation and passed with flying colors at the 6th level. This also caused quite the commotion but unlike the law comprehension test, it was far less impressive.

Following them, Zhan Wei had also obviously passed his test as well. But this one was a treasure refining simulation and he made it to the 6th level as well. At every level of the pagoda he had refined some type of treasure with increasing complexity only to barely succeed on the sixth level by forging a mid-earth grade sword, which was extremely impressive for someone of his level.

Following those 3 though, it became a lot less impressive. 4 other contestants failed to go past even the second level of the combat test and even a single one failed the first level.

In the end, only one other person managed to pass the tests, achieving the third level in alchemy. As a result, the overall pass rate for this round of outer disciple selection stood at 50%, with half of the candidates failing to make the cut.

Three individuals barely secured their positions by passing the first level of the combat test. Out of the original twelve, only four would be accepted into the sect proper.

It's worth noting that the participants in these tests were already the cream of the crop in their respective regions. Many of these youths, upon returning home, would still be celebrated as leaders of their generations. Within the Sword Sect, however, they were considered failures.

Nevertheless, when they returned home, they could take pride in the fact that they had been granted the opportunity to partake in the Sword Sect's admission tests, a testament to their status as powerful youths of their generation.

The Sword Sect, as the dominant power in the Veridian Peaks region, wielded tremendous influence.

Controlling such an extensive territory came with significant implications. In essence, the countless sects that spanned the territory of Veridian Peaks were subjects of the Sword King's authority.

While the landscape and political boundaries had shifted drastically over the millennia, it remained an undeniable truth that within the sprawling expanse of 5 million square kilometers, the Sword Sect reigned supreme, akin to gods.

Having completed the testing process, Elder Dong addressed Tyler once more, this time much more polite and considerate after the short interlude with Ancestor Fang showing such respect to this mortal.

“Tyler, now that the tests are concluded we elders will go and debrief the youngsters that failed and the ones that passed to point out their flaws so that they can have a path forward for improvement. So if you excuse us, we will be taking our leave now.”

When everyone had left as the elders sat down in front of every attendee to go over everything, Lo Shen had flown up from below back to the observation deck on his flying sword which he promptly put away with a single wave of his sleeve.

Curious, Tyler couldn’t hold back.

“That’s a neat trick, you keep the sword in your sleeves or something?”

With a raised eyebrow and a hint of condescension, Lo Shen responded to Tyler's question.

"No, I don't keep the sword in my sleeves. It's stored in my storage bag," he clarified, lifting his robe slightly to indicate a small pouch the size of a coin purse.

Tyler, intrigued by this mechanism, expressed his admiration, asking if he could have a storage bag as well. Lo Shen's confusion deepened upon realizing that someone he suspected to be a shattering ancestor did not possess such a common item.

But, unwilling to question it, he activated his connection to his storage bag and pulled out a spare and wiped his connection to it before tossing it to Tyler.

“There, force some of your energy onto it and you should have access to the storage space inside.”

Feeling a sense of embarrassment and realizing his lack of knowledge on the subject, Tyler chose to set aside his query about the storage bag for the time being. However, to his and Lo Shen’s surprise, as soon as he made contact with the storage bag, it mysteriously disappeared, vanishing without a trace.

Recognizing the enigmatic nature of the situation, Lo Shen opted to remain silent, assuming that the shattering ancestors possessed their own peculiar methods.

Meanwhile, Tyler remained perplexed by the sudden disappearance of the storage bag, as he hadn't consciously done anything to cause it. However, he couldn't shake the fleeting sensation of the bag's presence that flickered in his mind for a moment before vanishing.

Determined to unravel this mystery, Tyler made a mental note to delve into the study of the cultivation world, educating himself not only on its history but also its intricacies and practices. He had a lot of homework to do to catch up to the last 10,000 years.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, this short interlude in Tyler’s run was completed.

Now back outside and completely sweat free, Tyler said his goodbyes to Lo Shen and asked him for the location of a good martial arts gym, which he was told to visit the Radiant Fist Dojo in Edge City and to ask for Master Tanaka. Then, he ran back down the mountain.

After Tyler left, Lo Shen took the 11 testees that had passed and started the next test: The Mountain Ascension Trial. This would really test these youths' cultivation level and allow for some of the ones who failed to prove themselves and potentially pass, but this was extremely unlikely.

After a refreshing downhill run that for once in his life did not hurt his knees, Tyler took a shower once more and quickly found out that the clothes he had left hanging to dry had been washed and placed back into the wardrobe by someone.

How nice of them… I would’ve done it myself if I knew where the washing machines were! He then went down and grabbed some food and returned to his room after a delectable meal.

Now somewhat aware of more aspects of the cultivation world he needed to dive into, he decided to put the book about the basics of cultivation as a priority. But first… He would do something he had wanted to do last night! He really needed to start sorting through his turbulent thoughts.