Chapter 166: The Sensational Ranking

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: The Sensational Ranking

The white-haired old man and Cheng Mansion were so completely stunned they couldn’t think straight. Their minds could only replay the scene they had just witnessed.

"H-How is this possible?!"

"That... that move just now... Yi Xiaoyao actually comprehended it!"

Their mouths hung open. It was the most incredible thing they had ever seen in their lives.

"Master, didn’t you say the pinnacle of the Inch-Killing Swordsmanship was one inch? But it looked like Yi Xiaoyao’s sword didn’t even leave its scabbard!"

Cheng Mansion asked the white-haired old man, filled with shock and doubt.

The white-haired old man was also in utter disbelief. He, too, had noticed the same thing.

"No, that’s no longer the Inch-Killing Swordsmanship. His technique has completely surpassed the pinnacle of Inch-Killing Swordsmanship. You could say it’s an entirely new form of swordsmanship!"

Hearing this, Cheng Mansion gasped. The weight of those words was terrifying.

At that moment, Yi Xiaoyao noticed the two of them behind him and turned to walk over.

"Seniors, I have you to thank for my success in this comprehension."

Yi Xiaoyao said with a smile.

"Not at all. We never imagined that you, young friend, would actually be able to comprehend this swordsmanship. You truly are a Sword Dao prodigy, the likes of which is seen only once in a millennium!"

The white-haired old man said in amazement, then gave a sheepish smile.

After all, he had spent decades beneath this statue without comprehending anything. Yet now, Yi Xiaoyao had taken just over two months to not only comprehend the swordsmanship but also surpass its ultimate form!

And yet, before, he had thought Yi Xiaoyao was just wasting his time on a futile effort. He’d even said it was impossible for Yi Xiaoyao to ever comprehend it and had brought Cheng Mansion here to persuade Yi Xiaoyao to see the error of his ways. Thinking about it now, he felt rather ridiculous.

Next, the white-haired old man informed Yi Xiaoyao that the Black Robe Hall Master had repeatedly urged him to return. Yi Xiaoyao thanked the two again and prepared to head back to the Seven Kills Star Hall.

Before leaving, Yi Xiaoyao also discreetly asked the white-haired old man for some information about Sword Souls.

"A Sword Soul is a type of Artifact Spirit. It’s the soul of a powerful expert or a Fierce Beast sealed within a sword, and it can drastically increase the power of a Spirit Sword."

"The more powerful the Sword Soul, the more seals are required to contain it. Each layer of the seal that is broken will release more of the Sword Soul’s power!"

"If one lacks the strength to control the Sword Soul and breaks too many seals, it will lead to the Sword Soul devouring its master."

...

On his way back, Yi Xiaoyao replayed the white-haired old man’s parting words in his mind. He looked thoughtfully at the Bloodthirsty Sword in his hand, a fervent glint in his eyes.

’I wonder what kind of Sword Soul is sealed inside the Bloodthirsty Sword.’

Yi Xiaoyao muttered to himself. He remembered that even the Evil Sword Soul, which had controlled the Washing Sword Sect for three hundred years, had been terrified when it sensed the aura emanating from the Sword Soul within the Bloodthirsty Sword.

Though he didn’t know what entity was sealed within the Bloodthirsty Sword, he now understood that it was an absolutely, incomparably powerful Spirit Sword.

After all, just by breaking the first seal, it had already reached the level of an Earth Tier Spirit Sword. If all the seals were broken, what incredible level would it reach!

Although Yi Xiaoyao had neglected his Cultivation for the past two months at the Washing Sword Sect, his improvement had been astonishing.

First, the Bloodthirsty Sword had transformed into an Earth Tier Spirit Sword. The massive increase in its power had multiplied his combat strength several times over.

Furthermore, after Devouring the Evil Sword Soul, not only had his own soul become exceptionally strong, but he had also absorbed a portion of the Evil Sword Soul’s Cultivation Power. His Cultivation was now at the Golden Core Fifth Layer.

The final and most crucial point was that in the process of his comprehension beneath the statue, he had not only mastered the advanced Earth Tier Instant Kill Sword, but his Sword Momentum had also reached its peak.

An ordinary person at peak Sword Momentum could, at most, increase their attack power by ten times. But for Yi Xiaoyao, peak Sword Momentum boosted his attack power by a full twenty times!

Moreover, reaching the peak of Sword Momentum was the prerequisite for using the sixth style of the Nine Swords of Slaughter. This was a technique comparable to an advanced Earth Tier Swordsmanship. Although Yi Xiaoyao hadn’t deliberately studied it during this time, he was confident that mastering it now would not be difficult.

All things considered, not even Yi Xiaoyao himself was entirely sure just how powerful he had become.

In any case, he was many, many times stronger than the Yi Xiaoyao who had defeated Ye Qingqing two months ago.

One day, on his journey back, Yi Xiaoyao stopped at a tavern to rest. When he emerged, he was holding a Jade Slip.

On the Jade Slip was the latest ranking of the Hidden Dragon List.

Hidden Dragon List, First: Shangguan Tianjian.

Hidden Dragon List, Second: Sword Wind Breaker.

Hidden Dragon List, Third: Bo Qianyang.

Hidden Dragon List, Fourth: Shang Shiqie.

Hidden Dragon List, Fifth: Wei Buzhan.

...

Hidden Dragon List, Eighth: Yi Xiaoyao!

Seeing his name ranked so high, Yi Xiaoyao raised his eyebrows in surprise. It seemed news of his battle with Ye Qingqing had already spread.

Of course, defeating the twentieth-ranked Ye Qingqing wasn’t enough to jump directly to eighth place. The rankers must have evaluated his strength based on the power of the sword strike that blasted through the mountain peak.

This point was made very clear in Yi Xiaoyao’s description on the Hidden Dragon List:

"Yi Xiaoyao, disciple of the Seven Kills Star Hall, Cultivation at the Golden Core Fourth Realm. At the Washing Sword Sect, he withstood the attacks of eighty top-tier Golden Core experts and slayed them all with extreme speed! Furthermore, Yi Xiaoyao defeated the twentieth-ranked Ye Qingqing of the Hidden Dragon List with a single, overwhelmingly powerful move. The aftershock of this technique even blasted through a giant mountain peak!"

"Because the Hidden Dragon List has repeatedly misjudged Yi Xiaoyao’s strength, this time, based on the power of that one move and the speed of his improvement, he has been tentatively ranked eighth on the Hidden Dragon List!"

"It is also worth mentioning that Yi Xiaoyao is only eighteen years old and already possesses such strength. In our Great Shang Dynasty, this makes him a peerless, monstrous talent, the likes of which is rarely seen in a millennium!"

Such an introduction, along with such a high evaluation, was enough to attract the attention of countless people.

At the same time, most people found this ranking hard to believe, which was the main reason the new list caused such a sensation.

Ever since Yi Xiaoyao first appeared on the Hidden Dragon List, his rank had jumped dramatically multiple times, leading countless people to doubt his achievements. Now that he had leaped to eighth place, one could only imagine the extent of their skepticism.

After all, the top ten on the Hidden Dragon List were the ten individuals with the greatest strength, talent, and potential in the Golden Core Realm of the Great Shang Dynasty. Every single one of them was a figure of immense interest.

Therefore, whether they were common folk or the other experts on the Hidden Dragon List, almost everyone scoffed at Yi Xiaoyao’s new ranking.

...