At the centre of the platform stood three sword-shaped monoliths, each radiating different intensities of sword will. They were the test—asuring one’s comprehension, willpower, and strength of the sword.
Nearby, warriors stepped forward one by one, standing before the monoliths as their sword intent was tested. So barely lasted a few monts before being repelled by an invisible force, while others managed to endure longer.
The strongest caused slight ripples within the monoliths as they glowed with bright light, proving their worth.
Serena observed the scene calmly. "It seems even making the monolith glow once is already considered a success," she murmured.
He nodded, looking at the nurous swordsn of all kinds of strength who were slowly taking the tests. The three monoliths seem to judge the talent or potential of swordsn and have nothing to do with their level of cultivation realm; hence, it can be considered quite a fair level of test for all kinds of swordsn.
It was clear that the Celestial Sword Monoliths didn’t care for one’s cultivation level, only their comprehension and affinity with the Way of the Sword. A low-ranked swordsman with deep understanding might achieve a higher reaction than a powerful cultivator who relied only on brute force.
He didn’t imdiately go to the test and instead waited and looked at various swordsn and how they did in the test.
Many swordsn who had been confident in their abilities approached the monoliths, only to find themselves unable to even cause a flicker of light before being forced back, losing the chance to visit the Celestial Sword Monolith.
So others managed to hold on longer, their sword aura creating visible ripples across the monoliths’ surface. The best among them made the inscriptions glow briefly, showing their powerful sword aura or even sword law, drawing murmurs of approval from the crowd.
One particularly talented youth, a man clad in black robes with an intricate sword emblem on his chest, took his turn. As he stood before the monoliths, his sword aura surged—calm yet unshakeable, like a flowing river of swords that could carve worlds over ti.
His strength wasn’t high, just the early stage of a void god, but his sword aura seed to have reached perfection; it should be around 93% or 94%. He only needed to study for a few years to reach 99% of sword aura, just a step away from the realm of sword rule.
The middle monolith reacted strongly, its glow pulsing outward in waves. The watching crowd nodded in approval.
"That’s the successor of the Sword River Sect, Faran Xilos. His sword aura is among the best here."
"A steady foundation, unwavering will—he’s destined to go far."
Even Serena took a second glance at him. Reaching such a level of Sword Aura at the early stage of the Void God Realm was no small feat. Most swordsn, even those with great talent, struggled to push their sword aura beyond 80%. Yet, Faran Xilos stood at the peak, rely so steps away from comprehending the Sword Rule itself.
Apollo, however, remained indifferent. If he wanted to understand simpler sword aura, he should have reached the perfection of sword aura long ago, so although the guy ahead of him was talented, it didn’t surprise him.
After the latest batch of swordsn finished their test, finally his turn ca. All eyes turned to him. Although he tried to maintain the aura of an ordinary half-god, it still cannot hide his extraordinariness.
Not to ntion, swordsn were one of the best for their sharp senses and instincts. They didn’t see flashy powers to understand his peculiarity.
The black-robed overseer, who had maintained a calm deanour throughout, looked at Apollo with subtle intrigue. "Step forward."
He did not hesitate. His steps were unhurried, yet each one seed to carry an invisible force as if the very space around him subtly adjusted to his presence.
As he reached the centre, Apollo did not draw his sword. He simply stood there.
Then—
BOOM!
An unseen force erupted. The very air trembled.
The first sword-like monolith trembled, and a mysterious sword power enveloped him. The monolith was sky blue in colour and the one that tests the comprehension of swordsn.
The mont Apollo stepped into the test, his entire world shifted.
The sky-blue monolith radiated a mysterious glow, and an endless storm of sword aura descended upon him. Each strand carried the aura of countless swordmasters—so sharp and ruthless, others heavy and immovable, so swift like a tempest, and others serene like a flowing river.
It was a test of comprehension.
Apollo closed his eyes. He did not resist. He embraced.
A lesser swordsman would struggle to even sense a fraction of these auras before being repelled, but for Apollo, it was different.
His soul, his will, his very existence had seed to already reach the pinnacle of Sword Perception.
Whoosh!
As he exhaled, the storm around him shifted—instead of attacking, the sword aura flowed into him, resonating with his very being.
The more sword auras he can feel, the higher his comprehension will be and the brighter the monolith will glow.
A single step forward.
BOOM!
The monolith’s sky-blue surface erupted with countless sword marks as if it had been carved by countless swords. Each line, each engraving, reflected the sword aura Apollo had just comprehended.
One breath.
Ten.
Thirty.
Ti stretched endlessly. While others could only endure for a few monts, he continued standing amidst the storm, his perception reaching deeper and deeper into the heart of the sword itself.
The talent is determined by the number of tis the sword monolith glows. A single ti ans barely passing and having so chance to understand sword rules.
If it glowed a second ti, it would an a true sword genius who appeared once in thousands of years and would definitely understand sword law, even reaching a higher level in it.
And lastly, the third ti ans a supre genius that would definitely shock the universe and would absolutely reach the peak of swordsmanship, leaving eternal glory for generations.
As Apollo stood motionless before the monolith, the surrounding swordsn watched with bated breath.
One glow.
The first eruption of light was expected—he had passed, proving he had a future in the path of the sword.
A second glow.
Gasps echoed through the crowd. This was rare, signifying a true sword genius destined to comprehend sword laws. Only a handful across the vast universe had achieved this in the last ten thousand years.
Then—
BOOM!
The monolith trembled violently, and for the third ti, it glowed.
The sky-blue radiance surged, illuminating the entire testing ground like a celestial beacon. Sword aura roared in all directions, sweeping through the city like a storm.
Silence.
Then—uproar.
"Impossible!"
"A third glow... a supre genius!"
"This hasn’t happened in countless years!"
Even the sword elders overseeing the test had stood up, their gazes locked onto Apollo with disbelief.
anwhile, Apollo remained unfazed. His fingers twitched slightly, and for the first ti, he murmured to himself, his voice barely above a whisper—
"Still not enough."
The monolith’s radiance slowly faded, yet the lingering sword intent in the air refused to dissipate. Apollo exhaled lightly, his gaze steady, as if the earth-shaking phenonon just now was nothing worth ntioning.
He had comprehended thousands of sword auras in just a single breath, and his Eternal Sword Aura had surged to 89%, yet—
It still wasn’t enough.
Perfection remained elusive, standing just beyond his reach like an untouchable horizon.
"This sword aura..." He murmured to himself. Even with his monstrous comprehension, there was sothing about the Eternal Sword Aura that resisted or the universe itself resisting. It wasn’t just an accumulation of strength or understanding—it felt like it carried a will of its own, sothing that even he couldn’t easily ta.
The surrounding swordsn were still in shock, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. The elders who had been watching from afar now approached with solemn expressions, their gazes deep and evaluating.
One of them, an old man with silver hair and a sword scar across his brow, finally spoke.
"Young man... What is your na?"
He didn’t respond imdiately. He simply turned his head slightly, his blue eyes flickering under the monolith’s fading light.
"Apollo."
The na echoed in the silent space, and in that mont, it was as if the entire city engraved it into mory.
But it wasn’t over, as this was just the first test, and two other tests were still left. The test of will and test of strength. Both were also equally important.
The murmurs in the crowd had yet to settle when Apollo took another step forward.
The second monolith stood before him—deep crimson in colour, radiating a heavy, suffocating pressure. This was the Test of Will, a trial designed to asure a swordsman’s ntal fortitude.
Many swordsn could wield powerful techniques, but without an unshakeable will, their path would crumble before reaching the true pinnacle.
Apollo exhaled softly, his breath steady. His eyes held no hesitation as he stepped closer.
Boom!
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