The sky.
The sea of clouds, cleaved into four and stained crimson like blood, churned and roiled. It resembled a sea of blood, inverted and suspended above their heads. When Fan Li finished his final stroke, everyone assumed this terrifying spectacle would finally end!
However, to their surprise, it was merely the beginning!
Four divine swords of similar design, each as colossal as a pillar of heaven, slowly descended from the four corners of the blood-red cloud sea towards the mortal realm.
A violent wind whipped up! Ominous clouds gathered!
The four swords materialized from the sea of blood, descending from the heavens like harbingers of endless slaughter!
The scholars looked up, overwhelmed with terror. They wanted to flee, but the last vestiges of their reason kept reminding them that this was just a celestial phenomenon, it wouldn't harm them, it truly wouldn't!
Some wanted to kneel and beg for mercy. But they quickly realized that kneeling wouldn't make the four swords any more merciful.
Where was the gentleman's sword? What about the weapon of the king?
This was swordsmanship, the true essence of swordsmanship, a path that existed solely for killing!
Was Master Yichuan's understanding of swordsmanship truly this childish? Did he nearly lead over a thousand Confucian scholars astray?!
Pah! What kind of great scholar was he?!
Sage Ruler Han Yue was also stunned. She looked up at the sky, struggling to accept that after years of immersing herself in swordsmanship, her understanding of the sword was inferior to Fan Li's.
The four swords, Slay, Slaughter, Annihilate, and Trap, Han Yue could sense their sword intent more clearly than any of the scholars!
Slay Immortal Sword, sharp!
Slaughter Immortal Sword, death!
Annihilate Immortal Sword, desire!
Trap Immortal Sword, evil!
"Ah~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!" Sage Ruler Han Yue suddenly screamed. Completely immersed in the sword intent, she felt as if the four swords in the sky were slashing down at her simultaneously.
She was powerless to dodge, nor could she possibly evade. The four swords' shadows cut her down a thousand times in an instant! Then, they resurrected her a thousand times.
Han Yue, between life and death, repeatedly experienced the four sword intents of Slay, Slaughter, Annihilate, and Trap!
In what seemed like the blink of an eye to others, Sage Ruler Han Yue was drenched in sweat, her spirit nearly collapsing!
However, how rare was such an experience?
Unable to withstand it meant annihilation. Enduring it meant taking a giant leap forward on the path of swordsmanship!
Finally, Sage Ruler Han Yue withstood the final mental death and rebirth, and she actually broke through!
Her Great Vehicle Third Realm cultivation, stagnant for years, soared to the Fourth Realm in one fell swoop.
Spiritual energy, surging like a tidal wave, erupted from her body, soaring towards the heavens.
A scene unfolded that would forever be etched in the memories of the scholars present.
Visible to the naked eye, the spiritual energy split into four, merging into the cloud sea from which the Four Swords of Zhu Xian had emerged.
Within the cloud sea, the four strands of spiritual energy condensed into four swords, identical in design to the Four Swords of Zhu Xian!
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The spirit swords took shape, descended from the sky, and returned to Sage Ruler Han Yue's body.
She opened her eyes, her entire aura transforming abruptly! For a fleeting moment, everyone felt as if she had become one with the four swords!
Han Yue's own emotions were also complex. From this moment forward, she had become the purest sword cultivator in the mortal realm, so pure that even her spiritual energy had condensed into the form of swords! Henceforth, the path of swordsmanship was a smooth and wide road for her.
Unless she perished prematurely, Han Yue had absolute certainty that she could ascend to immortality through swordsmanship! And all of this was thanks to Fan Li?
"Great Vehicle Realm?!"
"You're actually in the Great Vehicle Realm?"
Master Yichuan was the first to sense something amiss. The stunning woman standing beside Fan Li was actually a Great Vehicle Realm sword cultivator? Who was she?!
Master Yichuan almost instantly guessed that a female cultivator with such formidable power could only hail from the Brahma Sound Pure Land!
The scholars were also dumbfounded. As the celestial phenomenon gradually dissipated, they had yet to recover from the shock brought by Fan Li when they witnessed a Great Vehicle Realm breakthrough right before their eyes?!
"She actually broke through?"
Fan Li was the only one present who wasn't surprised, but he was also quite frustrated. What the heck? He had painted a picture, why did Han Yue break through?
"Have I become Han Yue's system? The Strongest Free-Loading System?"
The celestial phenomenon triggered by the sword painting did surprise him somewhat. After all, the commotion was too great.
The Four Swords of Zhu Xian, in this life, there were no historical records of the four swords, at least not in the Chu Kingdom.
Fan Li had initially been slightly worried that the Four Swords painting wouldn't trigger a celestial phenomenon. Fortunately, his phenomenon completely overwhelmed Yichuan's.
"So, how do we determine the winner?" Fan Li asked.
Even a blind man could see that the outcome was already decided. But who could guarantee that Master Yichuan wouldn't resort to sophistry again?
Han Yue could. "Hmph!" The woman snorted coldly, her gaze towards Master Yichuan extremely hostile.
Fear gripped Yichuan's heart, and no longer caring about saving face, he bowed deeply to Fan Li. "Sir, your talent is immense, this old man is ashamed of his inferiority."
The scholars fell silent. In this contest, the great scholar had been defeated without a shadow of a doubt, but another question lingered.
"May I ask, sir... who exactly are you?"
Master Yichuan actually wanted to inquire about Han Yue's identity. But seeing her standing behind Fan Li, seemingly deferring to him, Yichuan could only ask Fan Li first.
"I..."
"Oh my!"
Just as Fan Li was about to introduce himself, someone suddenly exclaimed not far away. It was a scholar clad in official robes, rushing towards Fan Li in a hurry.
The scholars recognized the newcomer and were shocked.
"The Vice Headmaster is here?"
"It's actually the Vice Headmaster? He must have been drawn by the celestial phenomenon just now!"
"Oh no, this student did offend Master Yichuan after all. I hope he won't be punished by the Vice Headmaster."
Fan Li also recognized the approaching figure. The Chu Kingdom had established the Imperial Academy and nurtured scholars, and this man was indeed wearing the official attire of a scholar.
Scholars in Chu held a rank equivalent to six hundred shi, considered middle-to-low-ranking officials. And coincidentally, the Vice Headmaster of Luming Academy held precisely this rank.
Thud!
The Vice Headmaster jogged all the way to Fan Li and knelt directly on both knees.
"This subordinate, Zhang Qiuming, Vice Headmaster of Luming Academy, pays respects to Your Excellency."
The crowd erupted in an uproar!
Sage Ruler Han Yue, watching the scholars' jaws drop in unison, couldn't help but smile faintly. She felt a sense of shared pride in Fan Li's grand reception.
"The Vice Headmaster addressed him as Your Excellency?"
"So he wasn't our fellow student, but a high official?"
"So young and already holding a position in the imperial court? He's truly a role model for us scholars!"
Master Yichuan was also stunned, his old face alternating between red and white.
Coming to the Chu Kingdom and lecturing at Luming Academy, Master Yichuan's ultimate goal was to use his lectures to gain fame and be summoned to serve as an official in the Chu court.
He had long heard that the renowned scholar of commerce, Sang Yang, had been recommended to the court and appointed as the Grand Minister of Finance, one of the Nine Ministers, despite being a commoner!
Who in the world didn't know?
The Chu Kingdom had a powerful minister, Fan Li, who single-handedly held the authority of the Three Dukes. The position of the Three Dukes had long been vacant in Chu!
The Nine Ministers were considered the pinnacle of power in the Chu court!
If Sang Yang could reach the top in one fell swoop, why couldn't he, Yichuan?
Now, let alone entering the court as an official, he hadn't even secured his footing in Luming Academy and had already offended a high-ranking minister?
Judging by the Vice Headmaster's kneeling posture, this young man's official position was likely at least among the Nine Ministers.
"Ahem!"
Master Yichuan cleared his throat, drawing Fan Li's attention. He forced a smile and said respectfully, "This humble one is a disciple of Master Guiguzi from Mount Yunmeng, Cheng Yichuan of the Cheng clan from Zhongshan, a Confucian cultivator of the first level of Unity. May I inquire about Your Excellency's..."
Fan Li rolled his eyes. So polite now, a complete transformation from before?
He smiled insincerely. "This one's surname is Fan, given name Li, a native of Peng City. I am the Chancellor of Chu, bestowed the title of Duke Jin, granted the Nine Bestowments, and hold a position above all other officials. I am entrusted by imperial decree to oversee all military and political affairs of the Chu Kingdom."