Time slipped away silently, and two months had passed in the blink of an eye.
"Dong Qianshan, Wan Juan Shu, Jiu Ge, Po Jun, Xin Jian, Sha Lei, Qing Xiao, Bing He!" Li Xuan's eyes snapped open. As each name was uttered, flying swords suspended themselves around Li Xuan.
"Lin!"
Li Xuan's gaze flickered, and with a thought, eight flying swords shot through the air.
"Yu!"
Li Xuan twirled his index finger, and the eight vanished flying swords instantly reappeared in the heavens and earth.
"He!"
Li Xuan's mind moved again, and the eight flying swords merged into one, then a single sword strike descended from the void.
Boom!
The void trembled, and space collapsed. However, the Sword Sect was shielded by formations, and the order of heaven and earth immediately repaired itself.
"To be able to control eight flying swords in just over two months, your attainments in the Way of the Sword seem to exceed my imagination."
Just then, Jian Nancang's voice suddenly rang out. Li Xuan's gaze shifted, and Jian Nancang had appeared behind him at some unknown time.
"Greetings, Master." Li Xuan immediately bowed to Jian Nancang.
Jian Nancang nodded and said, "The affairs of the Sword Sect are almost settled. As soon as I arrived, I saw you manipulating eight flying swords. I must admit, even I could not achieve this at your age."
"Disciple is merely skilled through practice," Li Xuan said, scratching his head.
Jian Nancang smiled and continued, "Let your master first assess your sword cultivation."
"Here?" Li Xuan was taken aback. If he unleashed his full power, even with the Sword Sect's formations, it would still cause considerable disruption. Although this place was secluded, it was still within the Sword Sect's domain.
Jian Nancang waved his hand, and in the next moment, Li Xuan found himself in a void.
"This is the River of Time. With your current strength, you should not pose any threat to it," Jian Nancang said with a smile.
Li Xuan's gaze shifted. The surroundings resembled a sky full of stars, or a waterfall cascading down a high mountain, dotted with countless points of light.
"Alright, once you enter the Time Walker, this River of Time will be of use to you. For now, unleash your full power, and let your master see your sword cultivation," Jian Nancang said with a smile, noticing Li Xuan's curious expression.
"Alright," Li Xuan said, closing his eyes. His aura instantly receded.
Jian Nancang nodded slightly, poised to strike. This was the most potent sword.
Yin.
With a sword's hum, Li Xuan vanished from his spot.
In the next moment, holding Tian Zhan, Li Xuan appeared behind Jian Nancang and unleashed a sword strike.
Jian Nancang stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly oblivious. As Li Xuan's sword was about to strike, Jian Nancang suddenly disappeared. He reappeared, and Li Xuan's Tian Zhan was held between Jian Nancang's fingers, utterly immobilized.
"With this strike, you would be invincible against opponents of the same level. However, to fight above your level, it is still insufficient," Jian Nancang released his fingers and gestured for Li Xuan to continue.
Li Xuan could only offer a wry smile. The existence of a Great Emperor of Time was indeed terrifying. Yet, strangely, Li Xuan felt a sense of relief. With such a powerful opponent, he had no reservations about unleashing his full strength.
"Three Slashes of Heaven!"
"One Slash Opens the Heavenly Gate!"
"One Slash Breaks All Laws!"
"Sword Sweeps the Nine Heavens!"
"Myriad Swords Return to the Source!"
In the next instant, Li Xuan unleashed all his most powerful sword moves. However, without exception, they were all effortlessly neutralized by Jian Nancang.
Yet, from Jian Nancang's slightly serious expression, it was evident that Li Xuan's sword techniques had earned his acknowledgment.
"I must admit, you have greatly exceeded my expectations," Jian Nancang said with a smile, looking at the somewhat exhausted Li Xuan. Such a disciple was truly worth it.
"Master, I... I have one more sword!" Li Xuan panted heavily, but his eyes were exceptionally firm.
"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Jian Nancang's eyes, and he nodded slightly.
Yin.
The Master Sword suddenly appeared in Li Xuan's hand, trembling slightly with a hum.
It wasn't that Li Xuan had to use the Master Sword, but rather that his current overlapping sword technique was too much for even Tian Zhan to bear. Moreover, Tian Zhan was a flying sword, and its utility was naturally inferior.
"Slash!"
Li Xuan let out a fierce roar, unleashing a sword strike imbued with a hundred thousand layers of his overlapping sword technique.
Crack!
With a faint cracking sound, Jian Nancang was moved for the first time. This sword strike actually threatened the River of Time itself.
In the next moment, Jian Nancang waved his hands, and a beam of spiritual light transformed into a giant palm, gripping the Master Sword.
Boom!
Spiritual light flickered, and a shockwave instantly spread outwards from Li Xuan and Jian Nancang as its center.
"I underestimated you. This strike of yours is enough to shake a Time Walker-level existence. However, the consumption for such a strike is also immense. Unless absolutely necessary, it is best not to unleash this sword to its fullest," Jian Nancang said, looking at Li Xuan with a solemn expression after stopping the surrounding shockwaves with a wave of his hand.
"Disciple... Disciple understands," Li Xuan's eyes were hazy. After forcing out these words, he closed his eyes and immediately fainted.
Jian Nancang shook his head helplessly and, with a wave of his hand, vanished from the River of Time with Li Xuan.
"The aura of that sword strike just now... it feels somewhat familiar."
Five breaths after Jian Nancang left with Li Xuan, a man radiating starlight slowly appeared.
The man pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. A screen of light materialized before him.
On the screen, it was precisely the scene of Li Xuan and Jian Nancang sparring.
Boom!
At this moment, a rumbling sound echoed. In the next instant, the screen dissipated, and a muffled sound emanated from within the man. His expression drastically changed.
"No offense intended, I beg for your forgiveness, esteemed sir." The man bowed to the void, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
After a long while, the man slowly stood up, a bitter smile on his face.
As the true Great Emperor of Time within this River of Time, he had suffered a backlash without even seeing the opponent's true form. The dread of such a being was truly indescribable.
"That young man who appeared here earlier must have an extraordinary background. If there's an opportunity in the future, I should offer him some assistance."
The Great Emperor of Time mused to himself, then moved and slowly vanished from his spot.