Chapter 192: The Sword Intent in the Ancient Bronze Sword!

"Ah!"As soon as the Great Formation had activated, some martial artists immediately bent over, crawling on the ground, unable to straighten their backs, as if a heavy burden of thousands of pounds weighed down on them suddenly.

Nearly all the examiners’ complexions changed drastically in that instant; the oppressive force was truly unbearable!

Ling Feng’s expression also grew solemn. His gaze fixated on the Ancient Bronze Sword at the center of the Sword Stele, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

What kind of swordsman could leave such an indelible aura on his treasure sword?

He couldn’t help but think of his own Ten Directions Annihilation.

The Ten Directions Annihilation, too, was a sword of destruction and slaughter, but his own swordsmanship didn’t embody that kind of fierce killing intent.

"Why is this?" he wondered.

Ling Feng stared at the Ancient Bronze Sword, as if he had forgotten where he was, merely pondering what power could endow his sword with such an Evil Aura.

Gradually, he entered a meditative state, hardly seeming like he was taking an exam, but rather comprehending something deep.

He didn’t know that what he was trying to comprehend was "Sword Intent."

Ling Feng had already unconsciously grasped the Half-step Sword Intent, and now this opportunity made him realize the existence of Sword Intent.

Perhaps, he could seize this moment to fully comprehend Sword Intent; it wasn’t impossible.

While Ling Feng was deep in thought, comprehending Sword Intent, the experience for the other examiners was different; they only felt the terrifying oppressive force brought by the Evil Aura.

Once their will slackened, they would be crushed, unable to lift their heads, and eventually, they had no choice but to give up.

Five minutes later, some youths were screaming out in agony, choosing to withdraw, and some even fainted and were dragged out by waiting alumni.

In less than 15 minutes, a hundred people had dwindled to less than sixty.

Most clenched their eyes shut tightly, beads of sweat the size of beans on their foreheads, their bodies trembling slightly. Some even had blood leaking from the corners of their mouths but still clenched their teeth and persisted.

Only Ling Feng, eyes wide open, was staring intensely at the Ancient Bronze Sword at the center of the Sword Stele, as if he had turned into a stone man, completely motionless.

The supervisors in charge remained with their hands behind their backs, strolling leisurely around the edge of the Sword Stele.

They observed which students possessed true great perseverance.

Talent was innate and, barring some unusual adventure, almost unchangeable, but perseverance was something vital for a martial artist.

Those with great perseverance, even if less talented, might still rise.

But those lacking perseverance, even if talented, might not achieve as much as those with great determination in the future.

"That young man is Jiangdu Lio Family’s Young Master Lio Yunfei. He ranks seventh in overall quality and has impressive willpower—definitely worth nurturing!"

"That is Yunzhou Su Family’s Ninth Son, Su Mu. His comprehension is astonishing, his True Qi talent has reached Twelve Stars Full Star, and he has the rare Thunder Attribute. If he can last over an hour, he is surely destined to be a pillar of the Empire!"

"Hmm? That young fellow isn’t bad either..."

After half an hour, the sixty candidates were reduced to less than thirty.

An hour later, those thirty dwindled even further, to ten.

Among them were naturally Ling Feng, Lio Yunfei, and Su Mu, along with Ouyang Jing, who was also gritting his teeth, desperately enduring.

But most surprising was an ordinary-looking fellow in very plain clothes, unremarkable in every aspect, yet he had persisted until now.

This person was the ordinary young man who barely passed the True Qi talent test, Jiang Xiaofan.

His entire body was covered in unusually firm muscles, which under the sunlight shone dark and glossy, as if chiseled by an axe.

Yet, on his body, those fine beads of sweat carried a tinge of blood!

Time steadily ticked by, and the number of people inside the Sword Stele decreased.

Two hours later, only ten people were left, and they dwindelled to just Ling Feng, Lio Yunfei, Su Mu, Ouyang Jing, and Jiang Xiaofan.

At this point, even a genius like Lio Yunfei began to feel the strain. As for Ouyang Jing and Jiang Xiaofan, they were solely relying on their astonishing willpower to remain there.

As time elapsed, the Evil Aura surrounding the Sword Stele had increased tenfold from the beginning! ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet

"Pfft!"

Ouyang Jing spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fell to the ground, unable to hold on any longer.

The surrounding veteran students quickly pulled him out as the instructor tasked with the assessment nodded slightly, "Not bad, being able to last for two hours is a sign of a promising talent."

Another half hour passed.

This time, both Lio Yunfei and Su Mu trembled incessantly. Every inch of their muscles seemed to be twisted by a knife, the intense pain making it unbearable for them.

"I...I give up!"

Lio Yunfei clenched his fists tightly, slowly stood up, and with extremely heavy steps, walked out from the range of the Sword Stele, one step at a time.

Su Mu also couldn’t hold on any longer just a few seconds after him, grudgingly stood up, and left the range of the Sword Stele too.

"Having lasted for two and a half hours and still able to walk out on their own is quite impressive." The assessing instructor nodded to the two, indicating that such students with exceptional qualities all-around were definitely to be cultivated with priority.

"Only the last two left."

Already eliminated, Lio Yunfei focused his gaze on Ling Feng, taking a deep breath couldn’t help but wonder, "What kind of freak is this guy?"

At this point, Jiang Xiaofan was almost on the verge of collapse. His entire body was soaked with blood seeping through his coarse cloth clothes!

All his sweat had turned to fresh blood.

An otherwise ordinary face twisted in agony, his cheeks soaked with bloody sweat. He bit his teeth tightly, propping his hands on the ground, refusing to fall down.

On the other side, Ling Feng simply stared blankly at the Ancient Bronze Sword, motionless, not even blinking.

"That kid..." the assessing instructor thought incredulously, "Could it be, he is comprehending the Sword Intent contained within the Ancient Bronze Sword?"

Upon this remark, the other surrounding instructors all twitched their eyelids.

"No way? Chi Lie, the Great General is the founding general of the Sky White Empire. With his extremely high strength and heavy Killing Intent, he was even posthumously named ’Killing God’. How could his Sword Intent be understood by a mere younger generation?"

"I also find it unbelievable, but look at him, it seems like he is not affected by the Evil Aura at all!"

"He really is a little monster!" exclaimed one of the square-faced middle-aged instructors, "No wonder I heard that Pei Miao and Zhuu Rong, those two old men, were fighting to make this kid their disciple at noon."

"If this little guy can comprehend Sword Intent at such a young age, I want to teach him all my Storm Sword Dao!"

"You might as well forget it, better he learn my Star Core Swordsmanship!"

While these two instructors argued, beneath the Sword Stele, Ling Feng’s body finally swayed gently.

As he swayed, he immediately attracted countless gazes from the crowd, all looking towards him...