327-328

Chapter 327: Defeat, Ninth-Rank Painting Dao (Two-in-One)

The sword energy, reflecting within the 22 layers of Dao Realm, directly struck Bian Ruxue's cheek, leaving a gash across her delicate features.

But the wound healed in an instant as Bian Ruxue's body vanished into the Netherworld, evading the sharpness of the sword at the moment of impact.

When she reappeared, Bian Ruxue's eyes held a newfound gravity.

"Ultimate Gentle Sword Intent, perfected!"

"Qingying has actually brought her sword intent to completion. Was it a sudden enlightenment after her battle with Zhanlong?"

On the Sacred Stage, numerous Saint Sons and Saint Daughters wore expressions of seriousness.

Many of them had yet to perfect their sword intent. Once perfected, the next step was to achieve Dao Mastery!

"Alas, it's merely a minor path."

A flicker of surprise crossed Hao Yue Saint Son's eyes, but he quickly shook his head. Compared to his Sun and Moon Dao, it was all trivial, even if perfected, it posed no threat.

"This child Qingying, ever since her master's incident, she has spent each day in solitary sword practice, and her cultivation hasn't fallen behind. It seems that matter hasn't affected her too much."

Yao Zu narrowed her eyes slightly. At such a young age, being able to cultivate sword intent to such a perfect state, her comprehension of the sword dao was truly terrifying.

If given a few hundred more years, she would become another Sword Dao Half-Saint.

However, the path of a prodigy, one of constant competition, was also prone to premature demise.

On the battle platform, Bian Ruxue perceived that her opponent's sword intent was complete, surpassing her own in depth. The restraining effect she had previously held was now nullified.

She took a deep breath, her inner energy converging within her spinal sword bone. This Ice and Snow Sword Bone was an innate ability, but it was initially dormant. Only after encountering her Sword Saint master did it awaken. Now, as energy infused the bone, her entire body exuded an icy chill.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, yet Bian Ruxue's aura steadily intensified. Her original inner energy, after being transformed by the sword bone, turned into Sword罡 (Sword Qi/Force)!

Whoosh!

She suddenly stepped forward, utilizing Netherworld Teleportation!

To reach the pinnacle of Netherworld Realm, one needed to cultivate numerous object-control techniques, pushing them to their limits.

And Bian Ruxue, having received guidance and instruction from her Sword Saint master, directly obtained the complete Sword Saint's Heavenly Control Scripture. With its teachings, she achieved perfection and within half a year, opened the Netherworld Pinnacle Realm.

Therefore, although her cultivation years were short, she had essentially opened all the Pinnacle Realms she was capable of.

As she Netherworld Teleported before Lin Qingying, Bian Ruxue's vast Sword罡 condensed, and with a single sword swing, the heavens seemed to freeze.

Lin Qingying's Dao Realms manifested layer upon layer, 28 in total, but they were now being permeated and frozen by the icy aura. The sword intent laws within her sword domain were solidified, and coupled with Bian Ruxue's own Dao Realm offsetting it, she broke through!

As the sharp Sword罡 slashed down, Lin Qingying shifted her sword light. Tidal currents seemed to spread around her, wrapping around the Sword罡, drawing it aside. Then, the wave-like sword intent reversed, engulfing Bian Ruxue.

Bian Ruxue's heart skipped a beat. With a low cry, she unleashed her sword intent, ice spreading, freezing the wave-like sword force.

Clang!

The two swords clashed. The sharp Sword罡, like a great axe, forced Lin Qingying back.

"Ice and Snow Sword Bone, no wonder the Sword Saint took her as a direct disciple. I heard she was encountered by chance in the mortal realm."

"Combined with the sword dao she cultivates, it's a perfect match."

"With the Sword Saint's personal guidance, how could she go wrong? Not a single misstep on her path."

On the Sacred Stage, the Saint Sons and Saint Daughters' eyes flickered. They hadn't expected this youngest Saint Daughter to possess such formidable abilities. Relying on her Ice and Snow Sword Bone, she was actually suppressing Lin Qingying's perfected sword intent and 28 Dao Realms!

However, they could all see that Lin Qingying hadn't yet used her true energy.

After all, perfected sword intent was more than just this, and Lin Qingying also possessed a Dao Body, but she hadn't used it yet.

"Don't you intend to use your Heavenly Dao Manifestation?"

Bian Ruxue looked at Lin Qingying, her eyes calm.

Compared to the other Saint Sons and Saint Daughters, her biggest weakness was the lack of a Heavenly Dao Manifestation.

Others were at the Five Pinnacle Realm, while she was only at the Four Pinnacle Realm. During her Soul Inheritance Realm, she was taken away by her Sword Saint master, who used a favor to send her to the Qian Dao Palace, where a Dao Law Realm expert oversaw her Soul Inheritance.

This meant she would never be able to obtain a Heavenly Dao Manifestation in this life.

However, upon meeting her current master, the Sword Saint, he had told her that when she reached a bottleneck in her cultivation in this life, she could be reborn and cultivate again. Her master would protect her, and her next life would be her true peak!

Lin Qingying heard her words and shook her head slightly, saying nothing. Her inner energy gradually shifted towards her Dao Fetus. She possessed an innate Ultimate Yin Dao Fetus, and now, energy coiled around her abdomen, her entire body seeming to transform into a force like soft water.

Only she knew the extent of her true strength after perfecting the Ultimate Gentle Sword Intent.

Combined with her innate Ultimate Yin Dao Fetus, she could push her sword intent to its limits. She had originally planned to use this power against stronger opponents later, but now, she had to utilize it ahead of schedule.

As Lin Qingying's aura shifted, Bian Ruxue quickly sensed the change. Her eyes grew serious. Without speaking, she concentrated the Sword罡 within her sword bone, merging it with her Ice and Snow Sword Intent. Raising her sword, she unleashed the sword technique she had cultivated since childhood, later refined and developed to the Dao level by her master.

Snow Realm!

Before the sword moved, a piercing cold, like cracking ice, spread out.

She suddenly struck, a single sword of falling snow!

In an instant, the heavens seemed to be blanketed in a blizzard.

Countless snowflakes transformed into thousands of sword beams, all instantly teleported to Lin Qingying's front by Netherworld Teleportation.

It was equivalent to thousands of sword lights unleashed simultaneously, freezing everything.

But Lin Qingying stood there, seemingly unable to react. The falling snow-like sword lights converged, yet they passed right through her body.

Ultimate Gentle!

Gentle, untouchable.

Clad in blue, she stood amidst the wind and snow. The swirling Sword罡 surrounded her, yet not a single strand of her hair was disturbed.

She stood quietly, sword in hand, simply watching Bian Ruxue.

But such a shocking sight caused Bian Ruxue to lose her composure.

Those watching from outside the arena were also stunned.

"How is this possible?!"

"Unharmed, unselectable, untouchable?!"

"Is this the perfected Ultimate Gentle Sword Intent?"

The numerous Saint Sons and Saint Daughters on the Sacred Stage were also shocked. The abilities Lin Qingying displayed left many of them feeling alarmed and their scalps tingling.

"Innate Ultimate Yin Dao Fetus, combined with the perfected Ultimate Gentle Sword Intent, Qingying, this child, is now in a Half-Step Dao Mastery state."

"Remarkable. Shui Yue may have made a mistake, but she also brought a good disciple to our Sacred Land."

The Half-Saints like Yao Zu, witnessing this scene, showed appreciation in their eyes.

The Sword Saint, standing in the center, remained expressionless, without any change in his demeanor.

At this moment, Lin Qingying, standing in the storm, paused for a moment, then suddenly Netherworld Teleported to Bian Ruxue's side.

Bian Ruxue reacted with lightning speed. Her Sword罡 roared out like a silver dragon, slashing towards Lin Qingying.

But the silver dragon Sword罡 passed through Lin Qingying's body, and Lin Qingying simply raised her hand, a single sword stroke passing by. Bian Ruxue felt a slight coolness in her throat, and when she raised her hand to wipe it, a trace of blood appeared on her fingertip, while the wound on her neck had already healed.

But she knew that if the other party had truly used a killing move, it would have been far more than just a scratch.

Bian Ruxue was slightly dazed, and the Sword罡 around her gradually dissipated, the surrounding swirling blizzard slowly disappearing.

"I've lost."

A complex expression flickered in her eyes. When she saw the other party's mastery of the perfected sword intent, she had a faint premonition that this battle would be difficult to win. After all, she didn't have a Heavenly Dao Manifestation. However, she hadn't expected that the other party wouldn't use a Manifestation either, defeating her solely with swordsmanship.

Lin Qingying retracted her sword, saying nothing, but she turned her head to glance at the floating platform.

If it weren't for the three paintings that allowed her sword intent to reach perfection, this battle might have been extremely messy, with the outcome uncertain.

Even with an additional Heavenly Dao Manifestation, under the circumstances where her sword intent was suppressed, the effect wouldn't have been that great.

Noticing Lin Qingying's gaze, Bian Ruxue followed her line of sight. When she saw Li Hao's appearance, a hint of confusion crossed her eyes, but she didn't think much of it.

Regarding this Saint Daughter Qingying, Bian Ruxue had also heard some of her stories, knowing that her master had committed a transgression and was imprisoned over a decade ago. And because of this, she had no guidance for over a decade and could only cultivate on her own.

"Did you achieve your sword intent through self-cultivation? I'm not as good as you."

Bian Ruxue fell silent for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. Only after coming here did she realize that there were always greater heights to reach. The splendor of the mortal world was far less brilliant than this place.

Lin Qingying retracted her gaze and, hearing her words, calmly replied:

"Someone accompanied me in sword practice, so it's not entirely self-cultivation."

Accompanied in sword practice… Bian Ruxue's eyes flickered. At their level, they all practiced and cultivated on their own, or sought guidance from their masters. To be able to practice with someone, that person would have to be at least of the same level, otherwise, it would be pointless.

Bian Ruxue didn't ask further who had accompanied Lin Qingying in her cultivation. It was someone else's privacy.

However, these words brought a scene from her childhood in the courtyard back to her mind.

It seemed… it had been a long, long time since anyone had practiced swords with her.

If she returned to the mortal realm, would he still practice swords with her?

Bian Ruxue shook her head slightly. By then, they would be at different levels. The childhood games they played were long gone.

She pulled her thoughts back, seeing that Lin Qingying had already turned and left the battle platform, and she silently turned and flew away from the area, returning to the Sacred Stage.

Seeing the two return, the other Saint Sons and Saint Daughters' eyes flickered, comparing the power they had displayed with their own.

Zhanlong Saint Son's expression was not good. Earlier, he had hoped to draw Lin Qingying again today, to avenge his previous defeat. But this battle had made him realize that it was fortunate he hadn't encountered her, otherwise, he would have lost even more face today.

Losing once could be excused as an accident, but losing twice would be a complete defeat.

And this time, the defeat would come even faster.

Perfected sword intent, coupled with a perfectly matched Dao Fetus, that state was too invincible.

Lin Qingying sensed the gazes of others, but her expression remained calm, without any reaction. She knew that this battle would expose her, and many would see her as a formidable rival.

But the path of a strong person never feared the cold wind or the biting chill.

…

"Qingying won!"

"Amazing! What just happened? Those blizzard sword energies couldn't even hurt her."

Lin Shanhai and the other alchemists were excited, their faces filled with joy.

Although Bian Ruxue was young, the title of Sword Saint's direct disciple made her impossible to underestimate.

And Bian Ruxue had indeed displayed extremely powerful abilities. However, Lin Qingying seemed to have completely surpassed her level, winning with overwhelming dominance.

The alchemists cheered, congratulating Lin Shanhai.

Li Hao sat to the side, his expression calm. He hadn't expected the first battle to be between these two, but now, he considered it a normal confrontation. It didn't matter who he faced, it was all the same.

Winning and losing were commonplace, one could only blame oneself for being outmatched, and the solution was to practice more.

"Saint Daughter Xue'er lost. Indeed, she's still too young!"

"She's very strong too. At 27 years old, she can reach this level. When we were 27, we were still struggling at the True Person Realm."

"What? You were at the True Person Realm at 27? Then what about me, still at the Four Erect Realm at 27?"

"Don't talk about it, my cousin was still at the Three Immortal Realm at 27."

"…"

The audience below buzzed with discussion. It was the first time they had seen this youngest Saint Daughter make a move. Although she lost, many people saw Bian Ruxue's strength and knew she couldn't be underestimated.

And Lin Qingying's performance undoubtedly brought great surprises. Many top inner sect prodigies felt bitter in their hearts, finally realizing the level of these Saint Sons and Saint Daughters. Besides Hao Yue Saint Son, there was now another Saint Daughter with perfected sword intent.

That final special state was practically unbeatable. If it were them, they would have had to surrender.

With this victory, Lin Qingying advanced to the top eight, while Bian Ruxue fell to the loser's bracket, needing to win consecutively in the loser's bracket to advance to the top ten, a much more difficult task.

Soon, the next round of battles began.

This time, the two Saint Sons were evenly matched, fighting fiercely. The constant use of Five Pinnacle Realm techniques left the audience breathless, and in terms of entertainment value, it surpassed the previous two matches.

After all, the previous two matches had one side with significantly superior strength, making them seem less intense.

When the battle ended, the entire battle platform was reduced to a deep pit. One of the Saint Sons was unconscious, covered in blood, while the other was similarly battered, his battle body on the verge of shattering.

Such a brutal fight left the outer sect disciples watching in fear and trepidation. This was the clash of Saint-level disciples.

Li Hao also watched quietly, continuously recording the unique techniques passed down by the masters of these Saint Sons and Saint Daughters. These techniques weren't recorded in the Sword Tower, they were the signature abilities created by Half-Saints.

Although they were now recorded in his panel, Li Hao knew that he couldn't use them rashly. Stealing such techniques was taboo.

However, after being recorded in the panel, they would merge with other cultivation techniques he had comprehended, and he could eventually deduce a different technique from them. Even if he used it, it would be different, so he wouldn't have to worry about being discovered.

And these recorded techniques could add several more Dao Realms to Li Hao.

Not long after, the intense top eight competition ended, and there was a three-day rest period.

Next would be the loser's bracket competition, where eight people would fight for two spots in the top ten, and then the top ten finals.

After observing the battles today, Li Hao felt that if Lin Qingying performed well, reaching the top three wouldn't be a problem.

Besides Hao Yue Saint Son, there was another very powerful Saint Son named Ling Huan, who also had perfected sword intent.

And his Phantom Sword techniques were naturally also recorded in Li Hao's panel, which he pushed to the highest level and comprehended.

This sword intent was also integrated into Li Hao's Unique Me Sword Intent, making his sword intent even sharper.

During the three-day rest period, Lin Qingying continued to practice swordsmanship in the courtyard, and Li Hao felt that she was a bit too tense.

"These few days, you should rest and relax."

Li Hao saw that she spent almost all her time, besides eating and drinking, holding her sword. She was even more devoted than he was to Go.

Lin Qingying opened her eyes and, seeing that Li Hao seemed about to go out, said unusually, "Where are you going?"

Li Hao often went out in the past, but she never asked.

"To the Sword Tower, to fish with someone. Do you want to come and take a look?"

Li Hao smiled.

Lin Qingying was surprised. The Sword Tower was the sacred ground where the Sword Master resided.

She pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Okay, I'll accompany you for a stroll."

Li Hao was a little surprised. He had just casually invited her, and he hadn't expected her to agree.

"Okay, let's go together then." Li Hao smiled. Constantly practicing swordsmanship could easily lead to a bottleneck in one's thinking. Occasionally relaxing could actually be more beneficial to cultivation, just like his Go and painting. He would switch between them, otherwise, if he immersed himself in one area for too long, he would overlook too many other aspects.

Occasionally looking at other scenery could actually stimulate his thoughts, leading to insights through analogy.

Immediately, Li Hao flew into the air, leading the way.

Lin Qingying followed behind, a strange expression on her face. Li Hao had only been in the Sacred Land for a year, yet he seemed like a regular visitor, with a sense of familiarity.

On the other hand, although she had been cultivating in the Sacred Land for many years, she hadn't actually seen the entire Sacred Land. Her daily routine mainly consisted of eating, drinking, and practicing swords, staying in her courtyard.

Soon, Li Hao brought Lin Qingying to the Sacred Mountain. Along the way, many disciples recognized Lin Qingying and exclaimed in surprise.

Li Hao was a little helpless. Bringing a Saint Daughter with him was like accompanying a big star out, attracting a lot of attention.

Fortunately, the Sword Tower was a sacred ground, and the disciples didn't dare to linger, making it very quiet here.

The Sword Attendant saw Li Hao arrive and, noticing Lin Qingying behind him, was a little surprised. "What's this?"

Lin Qingying recognized this Sword Attendant. When she came to the Sword Tower to choose cultivation techniques, she learned that he was the Sword Master's disciple, extremely powerful, a top expert among Dao Law Realm cultivators. Even Saint Sons and Saint Daughters like them might not be able to defeat him.

After all, he was a Saint-level disciple from the previous era, a few hundred years older than them, so his cultivation was naturally more formidable.

"Came to fish, and I brought her out for a walk."

Li Hao smiled.

The Sword Attendant glanced at Lin Qingying. Lin Qingying's expression was calm, but her eyes shifted slightly to the side, as if she felt a little uncomfortable.

The Sword Attendant chuckled and said, "Okay, go ahead. The Sword Master is waiting for you. He said that without you there to fish with him, it's not as fun."

Li Hao smiled inwardly. Although he and the Sword Master were very quiet when they fished, the feeling when they hooked a fish was different. They were accustomed to competing with each other, and when he returned to fishing alone, it did lack something.

After greeting him, Li Hao took Lin Qingying past the bamboo forest of the Sword Tower and towards the Sword Cliff.

Lin Qingying followed behind, her heart filled with surprise and curiosity. He actually fished with the Sword Master?

And it seemed like he was very familiar with the place. He had been going out all this time, could it be that he was coming here?

A strange feeling arose in Lin Qingying's heart. The Sword Master was a Saint Realm existence. Countless Saint Sons wanted to curry favor with him, but they had no way. Li Hao had only been in the Sacred Land for a year, yet he seemed to be quite close to him, which was unbelievable.

Soon, they arrived at the Sword Cliff. Li Hao saw that besides the Sword Master, Qiu Wuhen was also there.

Lin Qingying also noticed Qiu Wuhen and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Sword Master Senior."

Li Hao walked forward and bowed in greeting.

The Sword Master turned his head slightly, glancing at Li Hao, and naturally, he also saw Lin Qingying. His eyes twitched slightly as he said, "This little girl is also here to fish?"

Lin Qingying was stared at by the Sword Master, and her hairs stood on end, feeling an indescribable sense of pressure. She immediately bowed her head in greeting.

After hearing the Sword Master's question, she shook her head slightly: "I came with him to take a look. I didn't expect to encounter Sword Master Senior."

"Take a look, then take a look."

Hearing this, the Sword Master didn't say anything more.

Qiu Wuhen, however, looked at Lin Qingying and nodded slightly before saying:

"I saw your battle. Your sword intent is perfected, very impressive!"

"I saw your battle too. Your Thousand Threads Sword is very impressive."

Lin Qingying replied in the same manner.

Qiu Wuhen twitched the corner of his mouth. He had been miserably defeated by Hao Yue Saint Son in that battle.

Li Hao, hearing Lin Qingying's words, facepalmed. What kind of straightforward girl was this? Was this how they greeted each other?

"Come, sit."

Li Hao gestured for Lin Qingying to sit down by the cliff, and he returned to his usual spot. Then, he condensed his energy into a line and cast it into the Sword Cliff.

Lin Qingying looked at the three of them fishing, a little curious. Was there any meaning to doing this?

She looked at the Sword Master. For the Sword Master, it might be a hobby. For Li Hao, it was the same. But for Qiu Wuhen…

"Are you using this to cultivate your sword intent?" Lin Qingying wasn't stupid, and she sensed the purpose of their fishing.

Qiu Wuhen nodded slightly: "Correct."

Lin Qingying's eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

Li Hao smiled at Lin Qingying and said, "Your Ultimate Gentle Sword Intent is also quite suitable for fishing. You can subtly feel the water's condition and judge whether a fish has taken the bait. You can try it too."

The Sword Master heard Li Hao's words and chuckled, "You little rascal!"

He was clearly saying that he was tempting her to commit a crime.

Li Hao chuckled awkwardly. He was telling the truth.

Lin Qingying, however, shook her head slightly. She wasn't interested in this kind of thing.

However, she didn't leave. Instead, she sat quietly beside Li Hao, feeling the tranquility and naturalness of the scene.

Not long after, Li Hao hooked a fish.

Lin Qingying looked over and saw that he had caught a real dragon, and she couldn't help but be surprised.

"It's you again."

Li Hao saw that it was the dragon demon Ao Jie again and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Ao Jie was also dumbfounded and quickly begged for mercy.

They were practically old acquaintances now.

Li Hao was helpless and released him from the hook.

Lin Qingying heard the dragon demon's words and knew that Li Hao was a regular visitor here. Her eyes fell on Li Hao's profile, and suddenly, a scene from the day she returned from cultivation flashed through her mind. She had heard a strange earthquake and gone to check, only to see Li Hao seriously injured in a deep pit…

A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, and she looked up into the distance.

When the sun began to set, Li Hao bid farewell to the Sword Master and Qiu Wuhen before taking Lin Qingying back to the Alchemy Courtyard.

For the next two days, Lin Qingying didn't practice swords anymore. Instead, she followed Li Hao to fish every day.

Qiu Wuhen didn't come, seemingly going into seclusion.

After all, he needed to compete in the loser's bracket three days later.

Lin Qingying sat by the cliff, watching the water in the deep pool churn, her thoughts drifting far away.

The Sword Master chatted casually, but he seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally talking about the Ultimate Gentle Sword Dao, allowing Lin Qingying to capture the Dao sounds he transmitted, vaguely perceiving the level beyond perfected sword intent.

But she only found a hint of direction. It would be a long time before she could truly step into that realm.

On the fourth day, the loser's bracket competition began. Lin Qingying went to watch, while Li Hao didn't go. He went to the Sword Cliff by himself and continued fishing there.

For him, fishing was cultivation.

"They're fighting over there today, why didn't you go?"

The Sword Master was a little surprised to see Li Hao still coming today.

Li Hao smiled, "I've seen enough already."

"You little rascal, did you not understand, or did you find it too boring?" The Sword Master looked at him with a smile, his eyes seeming to see through Li Hao's heart.

Ever since he learned that Li Hao, at 28 years old, had cultivated 97 Dao Realms, he knew that Li Hao's talent was beyond imagination, surpassing even the top Saint Sons.

"I didn't understand…" Li Hao chuckled awkwardly.

If he said it was boring, it would be a bit of a slap in the face, after all, those were the carefully cultivated Saint Sons of the Sword Ancestor Sacred Land.

The Sword Master glared at him, not understanding something would make him want to see it even more, how could he have the leisure to come here.

In his many years as a Saint, he had never met anyone as strange as Li Hao.

Qiu Wuhen came here to fish to cultivate his sword intent, but Li Hao fished, and it had nothing to do with swords. It was truly just a hobby.

Qiu Wuhen hooked a fish, expressionless, as if he had just picked up a stone.

But when Li Hao hooked a fish, the excitement in his eyes was visible.

This emotion was impossible to hide. Only those who truly enjoyed fishing would have such an emotion.

"If you feel that watching the battle is a bit disrespectful, you don't have to. They will eventually have to compete with the other two Sacred Lands, and even the prodigies of the entire Thirty-Three Realms Heaven for the title of strongest. If they are seen and their flaws are exposed, they deserve to lose."

The Sword Master said calmly.

Li Hao nodded. The current Sword God War was both a selection of the strongest prodigies within the Sacred Land and a selection of the top ten to compete with the other two Sacred Lands for the title of the ten strongest in the Canglan Realm.

Seeing that Li Hao remained unmoved, the Sword Master didn't persuade him further. He treated Li Hao as a prodigy from another Supreme Saint's lineage, who would eventually encounter the Saint Sons of his own Sacred Land in the Thirty-Three Realms Prodigy War. Li Hao's unwillingness to peek, although he didn't think it was a big deal, he still admired this kind of arrogance.

After fishing for half a day, Li Hao repeatedly caught Ao Jie. After repeatedly fishing for him, the experience gains from fishing had decreased significantly.

He was a little helpless, put away his fishing line, and said to the Sword Master:

"Senior, can I paint a portrait of you?"

The Sword Master raised an eyebrow, a little surprised, and quickly thought of the Sword God War masterpiece Li Hao had painted earlier. He smiled and said:

"If you want to paint, go ahead."

Li Hao's heart was filled with joy. He immediately took out his drawing board from his Heavenly Space and began to paint in front of the Sword Cliff.

The sound of the waterfall rushing, the Sword Master sitting quietly on the edge of the cliff wearing a straw hat, the brilliant and profound sword mark on the opposite Sword Cliff, carrying a heaven-piercing sword energy, all of this was captured by Li Hao in his painting.

While depicting a Saint, Li Hao felt the difficulty of painting dao, completely different from painting other people.

His expression was serious, and he observed carefully, but he always felt that there was a mist-like quality about the Sword Master, and the careful observation while painting was different from casual observation.

He wanted to capture the Sword Master's aura, but that aura was ethereal, like a dragon's head that couldn't be seen, constantly changing and unpredictable.

When Li Hao vaguely glimpsed it, he suddenly felt a sharp, buzzing sword energy explode in his ears.

The Sword Master's expression shifted slightly, a little surprised. Had his hidden sword dao been perceived by the other party?

"Hmm? Are you alright?"

The Sword Master looked at Li Hao, but saw that Li Hao's eyes were oozing golden blood, as if they had been slashed and blinded.

He sensed a faint sword intent from Li Hao's eyes. It was his own sword dao that had been perceived and reflected in the other party's eyes, causing his eyes to be injured.

This wasn't his doing. He raised his hand to retract the sword energy, otherwise, if it continued to stay in Li Hao's eyes, his eyes wouldn't be able to heal.

"Senior, don't worry about me, I'm painting!"

Li Hao seemed to sense the other party's actions and immediately spoke.

The Sword Master was stunned and looked at Li Hao intently. At this moment, he suddenly understood why the other party could paint that Sword God War masterpiece.

The other party wasn't a sword fanatic, but a painting fanatic!

His obsession with painting was even greater than the obsession of many Saint Sons with the sword dao!

The Sword Master looked at him deeply. A person only had one heart. It was hard to imagine that someone who was so devoted to painting would also have such a deep understanding of fishing. What was even more terrifying was that in cultivation, he was able to reach 97 Dao Realms at 28 years old!

Such a prodigy, even if it were a Saint reincarnated, would still be astonishing.

At this moment, Li Hao's eyes were slashed, and blood continued to flow out, but his painting didn't stop.

He painted with his heart!

As time passed, the outlines on the paper became clearer and clearer. The side profile of the Sword Master sitting there gradually took on an aura.

At first glance, it was an old man sitting down, but upon closer inspection, it was like a sharp, steep sword standing on the edge of a cliff!

And when you looked at it again, it was still an old man.

When the painting was finished, the two sword energies reflected in Li Hao's eyes were also transferred into the painting by his painting dao.

When the painting was completed, Li Hao's eyes regenerated and came back together.

At the same time, a panel prompt appeared before him:

[Painting Dao Experience +372742]

[Eighth-Rank Painting Dao Experience Full]

[Congratulations, you have comprehended the Heart of Painting Dao, Painting Dao has advanced to Ninth-Rank]

(End of Chapter)