Chapter 315: The Supreme Sword Intent

The others looked on, but none of them could perceive what mysteries lay hidden in the sword character Nie Li had written. Not a single wisp of Dao insight could be felt.

Though most of them were well-mannered enough to hold their tongues, a few couldn't help letting out scoffs of derision.

Nie Li had truly come up here to humiliate himself.

At that moment, Gu Bei seemed to sense something. His eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Nie Li is a true genius! His understanding of the Dao surpasses Yan Yang and the others by a tremendous margin!" As he focused his gaze on the character for "sword," he felt a surging, torrential wave of sword intent crash toward him.

The character had been written without any trace of Dao insight, yet one could feel infinite Dao understanding emanating from it.

That was what stunned people the most!

The sword character Nie Li had written was made specifically for Gu Bei. Gu Bei's comprehension of sword intent was far superior to anyone else's. In his previous life, it was precisely his mastery of sword intent that allowed Gu Bei to become a Martial Ancestor powerhouse! This single character contained boundless Dao understanding and the essence of sword intent. As long as Gu Bei could grasp even a portion of it, the benefit to his cultivation would be immense.

Hearing Gu Bei's words, Mu Rongyu let out a contemptuous snort. "Surpassing Yan Yang? That's the most outrageous boast I've ever heard. No matter how much you flatter each other, nobody's going to buy it! Are you saying that among all the geniuses of the three great sacred sects in this hall, only you can perceive the Dao within?"

Li Xingyun and the others took a careful look at the sword character Nie Li had written, but none of them sensed anything at all. Even Xiao Ning'er felt nothing. They remained silent, not bothering to refute Mu Rongyu, but feeling that Gu Bei would not make such claims without reason. So they concentrated even harder, trying to discern something from the character.

Gu Bei curled his lip dismissively at Mu Rongyu's words. "Say whatever you like — I couldn't care less. If you can't perceive the infinite sword intent within that character, that's your loss!"

Long Yuyin's brows furrowed tightly. Could it be that Nie Li's sword character truly contained boundless sword intent? But no matter how she looked at it, it was just an extremely ordinary character for "sword." She couldn't sense even a shred of Dao insight. Was she really that dull? Gu Bei had sensed it, yet she couldn't perceive a thing?

What kind of sword intent could possibly be contained within that character? The seed of curiosity had already taken root in Long Yuyin's heart, and she burned with the desire to figure it out.

Ye Xuan stared at it for a long time as well, completely unable to feel any sword intent whatsoever. What kind of nonsense was this? He'd sooner believe a ghost than believe Gu Bei's words. Out of everyone in this hall, only that good-for-nothing young master Gu Bei had perceived something? Even Yan Yang and the others hadn't seen anything?

The main hall buzzed with murmured discussions, many laced with mockery.

All eyes turned to Yan Yang, Mingyue Wushuang, and Long Tianming. As for whether this character held any merit, it would ultimately be up to the three of them to judge. If even Yan Yang and the others couldn't perceive any Dao insight, then Nie Li would truly become everyone's laughingstock.

Long Tianming smiled faintly and said, "Junior Brother Nie Li's calligraphy is quite admirable — in the art of brushwork alone, it is truly first-rate. However, I cannot sense even a trace of Dao insight within it. If anything, the previous character for 'emotion' was somewhat better."

Hearing Long Tianming's words, everyone silently agreed — Nie Li had indeed been putting on an act. If even Long Tianming couldn't sense any Dao insight, that proved the character was nothing more than an ordinary word.

Nie Li had never intended for Long Tianming to comprehend the infinite sword intent within the character. Hearing Long Tianming's assessment, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled mildly. "This really is just ordinary calligraphy. Since Senior Brother Long and everyone else cannot sense anything, then there's nothing more to be done. I'll just destroy the character."

Nie Li reached out to take the scroll back from Qin Yue. He was worried that if Long Tianming stared at it any longer, the man might actually begin to perceive something.

The reason Gu Bei had been able to grasp it before everyone else was that he had spent considerably more time around Nie Li and had been unconsciously influenced by his aura. On top of that, Gu Bei's comprehension of the sword already exceeded Long Tianming's.

Each had their own areas of expertise. There were very few who could surpass Gu Bei in the comprehension of the sword.

Just as Nie Li took back the scroll, Yan Yang suddenly spoke up. "Wait!"

Everyone in the side hall turned to look at Yan Yang in bewilderment, slightly stunned. What was going on with him? Yan Yang was the quiet sort — since arriving in the side hall, he had spoken only a handful of sentences in total. For him to suddenly call out to Nie Li was unexpected.

Yan Yang's brows were still tightly furrowed.

When he had first seen the sword character, he had felt something was off. As he focused his gaze upon it, he realized the strokes contained infinite profundity. After furrowing his brow in deep thought for some time, a towering wave of sword intent surged toward him as though it would swallow him whole.

This left Yan Yang profoundly shaken. The more deeply he contemplated, the more astonished he became. To think that a young man could comprehend sword intent to such an absolute degree! In comparison, the insight he himself had demonstrated with his single brushstroke — the conception of the Heavenly Abbot World — was absolutely nothing next to this supreme sword intent of Nie Li's!