400: Chapter 400 All Things

He didn't waste any time.

Xiao Weiqing walked over to the wall inscribed with the Starry Sky Martial Arts.

The wall itself looked no different from any other, except for a faint, hazy quality that let Xiao Weiqing know it was not as simple as it appeared.

"Is it a test of the Divine Soul?"

Xiao Weiqing recalled the old man's words. He wouldn't presume to comment on his own Comprehension Ability, but his Divine Soul shouldn't be an issue; a Super Grade Divine Soul certainly wouldn't hold him back.

He closed his eyes.

His breathing gradually steadied, and his muscles, which had been tense from the fierce battle moments ago, quickly settled into stillness.

Moving with his intent, his consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness.

Surging Mental Energy poured out, and a wisp of his Divine Soul followed the Mental Energy out of his body, blanketing the entire wall.

In an instant.

The scene before Xiao Weiqing's eyes transformed.

Everything became incredibly clear.

The hazy veil was completely lifted, and a Starry Sky Martial Arts was fully revealed to Xiao Weiqing. Diagrams flashed by rapidly like a revolving lantern.

"Wanxiang Saber Technique?"

"No wonder the Senior said it suited me. It seems he chose it specifically after observing my battle."

Next.

Xiao Weiqing calmed his mind and carefully observed the patterns on the wall.

No.

They weren't simple patterns.

They were comprised of many patterns forming... sabers!

There were three in total.

Currently, Xiao Weiqing could only see the first one clearly. He could barely make out the outline of a saber for the second. As for the third, he couldn't see it clearly at all; he couldn't even be certain it was a saber, though he felt it was.

Focusing his consciousness on the first saber, a vivid evolution of the martial art suddenly appeared before his eyes.

He 'saw' a saber—a saber of all living things, a saber of myriad phenomena.

It was slightly different from the Formless Shadow Blade.

The Formless Shadow Blade emphasized formlessness and unpredictable strikes, focusing on extreme speed and bizarre angles of attack.

The Wanxiang Saber Technique was different; it felt more like an upgraded version.

Using the myriad phenomena as a saber, it likewise had no fixed Moves, yet it could evolve all things through the blade. The saying 'one saber evolves myriad phenomena, and myriad phenomena return to one' described exactly this.

The core essence of the Wanxiang Saber Technique was: one thought contains myriad phenomena, one saber breaks myriad laws.

The saber technique was divided into three Realms.

The first Realm: Manifestation of Myriad Phenomena. With one strike, one can evolve the forms of all things.

The second Realm: Myriad Phenomena Returning to Intent. It no longer relies on the forms of external objects and places more emphasis on the Concept.

The third Realm: Myriad Phenomena as One. One saber is the myriad phenomena, and the myriad phenomena are one saber.

Xiao Weiqing was pleasantly surprised. This Starry Sky Martial Arts was far more powerful than he had imagined, as it involved Concepts.

'Looking' at the wall again, Xiao Weiqing's desire to learn skyrocketed. He had to master it. Even if he failed to seize the Divine Fire in the end, this trip would not be in vain.

He stared intently at the first saber.

When a wisp of Xiao Weiqing's Divine Soul touched the saber, the entire blade seemed to come alive, instantly phantom-shifting into several, then dozens of blades, making Xiao Weiqing suddenly feel the strain.

Helpless.

Xiao Weiqing had no choice but to focus his gaze on the foremost saber.

A strike was unleashed—a simple swing, yet a sense of overbearing dominance arose spontaneously.

This strike was very simple, and in a few moments, it was imprinted in Xiao Weiqing's mind.

He looked toward the second one.

As the strike was unleashed, Xiao Weiqing had an illusion: this wasn't a saber, but a sword. The blade moved with the agility of a sword.

He looked toward the third one.

This time, the blade swung with the unstoppable momentum of a spear.

Next.

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Each one was different. However, after viewing over a dozen sabers, Xiao Weiqing found he couldn't see any further.

It wasn't that they weren't there, but that he couldn't see them clearly.

Suddenly.

A wave of dizziness hit him.

Xiao Weiqing was forced out of that state.

Before him was still that hazy wall.

"Hiss."

"My Mental Energy...?"

Xiao Weiqing took a sharp breath to ease the emptiness in his head; his Mental Energy was severely depleted.

He glanced down at his Wristband.

"An hour has passed?"

Xiao Weiqing was shocked. In that state, it felt like less than a few minutes—as if he had only taken a few glimpses—yet an hour had already gone by.

Seeing the Yellow Sand Warrior nearby, Xiao Weiqing felt a surge of irritation.

"Still practicing? Come, let's fight!"

Since Xiao Weiqing couldn't Cultivate for now, he couldn't let the Yellow Sand Warrior keep gaining experience either.

With a low shout.

The Yellow Sand Warrior actually stood up. A saber appeared in its hand, and its entire Aura changed.

Xiao Weiqing's heart tightened as the thousand flame blade appeared in his hand.

"Ha!"

Taking a step forward, Xiao Weiqing struck first.

Without any flashy tricks, he chopped down with his saber.

The Yellow Sand Warrior still used a horizontal block.

*Clang~*

With a light sound, Xiao Weiqing changed his Move, pulling back slightly and sweeping horizontally. It was simple, yet it carried the lightness of a sword, and its speed was several notches faster than his usual strikes.

This was the result of his one-hour comprehension of the Wanxiang Saber Technique; he had barely learned the basics.

If he had truly reached the entry level, it wouldn't just 'look' like a sword.

*Clang~ Clang-clang~ Clang~~*

In just ten seconds.

Xiao Weiqing and the Yellow Sand Warrior exchanged several Moves. Just like their first encounter, Xiao Weiqing maintained a fierce offensive while the Yellow Sand Warrior defended.

*Swish! Swish!!*

Two figures flickered constantly, the cold light from their blades illuminating the stone chamber.

After just a brief exchange, Xiao Weiqing felt his technique improving. However, the Yellow Sand Warrior seemed to be improving even faster than him.

Xiao Weiqing could sense that the 'Phenomena' the Yellow Sand Warrior had learned might not be many, but it was more proficient in them than he was.

While he could imitate several types of Phenomena—sword, spear, and so on—none were skilled.

The Yellow Sand Warrior was different; it used the Sword Phenomenon very skillfully, utilizing the sword's agility to easily neutralize Xiao Weiqing's attacks. Xiao Weiqing reckoned the Yellow Sand Warrior had at least reached the entry level of the Sword Phenomenon.

"Damn it, isn't this cheating?"

Xiao Weiqing was infuriated.

"I'm not fighting anymore."

Xiao Weiqing spoke, stopping the Yellow Sand Warrior.

At that moment.

The old man appeared at the right time, a smile on his face.

"Senior, is the trial really this difficult?"

"Difficult? Why do you say that?"

Xiao Weiqing sighed. "The Yellow Sand Warrior's growth is too fast."

The old man wasn't surprised, only saying, "I told you, its Comprehension Ability is set very high. Isn't it normal for it to learn martial arts quickly?"

"Then don't I have zero chance?"

"Quite the opposite."

Xiao Weiqing raised an eyebrow, a fawning smile appearing on his face. "Senior, please give me some guidance."

The old man said, "Tell me about your exchange with it just now."

Xiao Weiqing thought for a moment and said, "I feel like it's gotten even stronger. Even when I use my full strength, I can't hurt it. The Phenomena I learned seem like child's play in front of it—too crude."

"But you've learned many."

"What use is that?" Xiao Weiqing frowned.

Knowing many but mastering none was useless. The Yellow Sand Warrior could completely rely on one trick to dominate. Forget three days—Xiao Weiqing felt he wouldn't be able to beat the Yellow Sand Warrior even in three months.

"It's not very useful."

"..."

Xiao Weiqing was somewhat speechless. This old man wasn't here just to mock him, was he?

The old man added, "Alright, I'll stop teasing you."

"Do you know why the Yellow Sand Warrior only learned one Phenomenon while you learned several? Even though you haven't reached the entry level in any, you far outnumber it."

"I don't know."

Xiao Weiqing shook his head. This was his first time learning a Starry Sky Martial Arts on his own; how could he know so much?

"Because of the Divine Soul. Your Divine Soul is very powerful, allowing you to see further."

"What do you mean?"