Splinters flew, and with another flash of Zong Shou's sword light, yet another Sword Puppet shattered into pieces. Below the Bright Sword Stage, the crowd finally erupted in a collective murmur, as if the accumulated shock was now bursting forth all at once.

Not many disciples emerged from the Dao Palace—barely a hundred. Yet every one of them wore expressions of astonishment, their moods shifting like shadows.

"Just what is the origin of the person on that stage? In the ten thousand years our sect has maintained the Lesser Heaven Sword Array, very few have lasted four hundred breaths. And he just broke it like that?"

"He only ever used basic swordsmanship from beginning to end. Is this what they call returning to simplicity?"

"It's not just the sword techniques; even his footwork is extraordinary!"

"He's only thirteen, a child who just started martial practice. What simplicity is there to return to? What truth to grasp? This boy has merely perfected this set of swordsmanship to the pinnacle of skill. What our elders said was true. Even the most rudimentary martial art, if mastered to its extreme, can wield unfathomable power—"

At the entrance of the Dao Palace, the young man and woman stood, their faces blank.

When Zong Shou stepped into the trap of the Lesser Heaven Sword Array, even they, who prided themselves on their discerning judgment, believed the youth had walked willingly into his doom. The outcome of the fight seemed evident at a glance.

Yet, in less than a single breath, the young man on the stage had completely overturned the world. At the most unlikely moment, he shattered the sword array.

"This Zong Shou can actually be this dazzling!"

After staring blankly for a long time, when the girl finally recovered her senses, her cheeks flushed like an infatuated admirer. "I, Ge Hanyun, have lived fourteen years and this is the first time my heart has fluttered for someone. If this fellow wasn't from the Zong Clan, I might have actually considered marrying him. Feibai, is he really stronger than you—"

"Though it is fundamental swordsmanship, he has already plumbed the deepest truths of the Way of the Sword!"

The young man nodded slightly, offering no rebuttal. His words were filled with admiration, entirely without a hint of defiance. "At least for now, I am inferior to him! However, within ten years, the singular talent of the East Lin Cloud Continent will still be me, not him!"

Ge Hanyun paused briefly. Even witnessing someone her own age shatter the Lesser Heaven Sword Array almost unscathed with a single sword, her childhood friend remained utterly unshaken, his words carrying a terrifying self-confidence.

The girl then smiled, thinking to herself what the future might hold if this Zong Shou did not possess the dual meridian physique, but was like them instead.

Right! And that one across the way—his expression right now must be quite interesting to behold.

Standing before the First Great Hall, Liang Miaozi was already ashen-faced, watching the exceptionally agile figure. His gaze, sharp as an arrow, wished it could pierce the youth through.

The moment the first puppet shattered, regret had surfaced in him. By now, he wished he could tear that young man to shreds!

What kind of trash was this? What kind of ant could be crushed at his whim? This exquisitely precise swordsmanship—how many at this age could achieve it in the ten thousand years of this trial?

His face flickered with a faint purple hue. Liang Miaozi could already sense several faint gazes sweeping over him, tinged with pity and schadenfreude. Deep within his chest, a dull ache seemed to throb.

The long sword slashed diagonally, severing the legs of a Sword Puppet cleanly at the joints. Then, with the speed of lightning, he spun the sword behind him, piercing the 'heart'—the location of the Beast Crystal—of another puppet. Only then did Zong Shou shift his position with several quick, precise steps, moving cautiously.

By his feet, the ground was already littered with various puppet parts. This not only halted the advance of these unintelligent wooden men but also restricted his own movement.

He was breathing slightly heavily, the clashing meridians within his body feeling as if they might explode at any moment. Yet, Zong Shou's spirit grew even more vigorous.

Since the first strike, with every Sword Puppet he slew, a cold, sharp breath surged into his body.

Each time, it recovered a small measure of his strength, leaving his stamina inexplicably abundant, far from the expected depletion and weakness.

It also allowed him to achieve a state where his mind was utterly detached from external matters, completely deaf to the clamor below.

All honor and disgrace, all calculations, were cast aside. In his eyes, there was only the sword in his hand, only the puppets before him.

Planting his feet firmly in the Kun position, just as three puppets were about to converge on him, Zong Shou retreated several steps. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he charged back at high speed, piercing the necks of two slow-to-react wooden figures with a single strike!

The sword light swept obliquely, severing those two fragile necks completely. Then came a sharp ding, as his sword collided and clashed with another sword beside him, spraying countless sparks. The irresistible force of the clash forced Zong Shou back a step. His footing stumbled, nearly causing him to fall.

Even though these wooden men possessed physical resilience comparable to the Xuanwu Sect's body cultivation, a single block was enough to make his blood surge and leave him unable to sustain the impact.

But at this moment, the light in Zong Shou's eyes did not dim in the slightest; rather, it shone even brighter.

Basic Swordsmanship Forty-Four—Outer Swirl Cut!

"The eighteenth, slain!"

The cyan Pine Grain Wind Sword suddenly carved a circular arc, a gentle force skillfully diverting the puppet's incoming attack to the side.

Then, the cyan sword shadow darted out like a viper's tongue, a sudden thrust that completely pierced the Sword Puppet!

When Zong Shou looked around again, the stage was a scene of devastation. Not a single puppet remained capable of raising a sword against him.

The ground was covered in splinters of wood; the eighteen Sword Puppets of the Lesser Heaven Sword Array were utterly annihilated.

After another moment, Zong Shou withdrew from that surging state of battle intent, his consciousness gradually clearing.

He then saw Lin Fei standing on the stage, and beyond that, countless pairs of eyes fixed upon him from beneath the Bright Sword Stage—a mixture of disbelief, awe, and jealousy.

Zong Shou paused, then gave a cold sneer.

"Three hundred and forty-three breaths. This is the Lingyun Sect's Lesser Heaven Sword Array? Nothing more than that—"

These few words caused the Lingyun Sect disciples below to bristle with faint anger. Yet, in the very next instant, a wave of silence fell over them once more.

Breaking the array in under a hundred breaths, and then, at the three hundred and forty-third breath, shattering all eighteen Sword Puppets, whose individual combat prowess was already considerable.

A person like this truly possessed the qualification to say, "Nothing more than that"—

Except for the exceptionally handsome youth currently atop the Bright Sword Stage, no one else held that right.

In the minds of many, they had long believed that the Lesser Heaven Sword Array, left behind by the Lingyun Ancestor, was fundamentally designed to make heroes struggle in vain. They thought it impossible for anyone in this world to break the array without using internal energy.

Yet today, they witnessed the birth of a miracle with their own eyes.

Those who knew the full story flushed with shame, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Huang Yi, standing near Liang Miaozi, let out a silent sigh. His Martial Uncle had truly gone too far; such humiliation could not be helped but invite such words.

The Pine Grain Wind Sword in Zong Shou’s hand was already chipped along the edge, with faint hairline cracks appearing on the spine. Casually, he tossed it aside, embedding it precisely in the center of the Bright Sword Stage. Then, his gaze shifted towards the stone platform of equal size on the left.

Without much hesitation, he stepped down from the Bright Sword Stage and walked directly towards the opposite side.

As he strolled, he exhibited no air of extraordinary majesty, yet the Lingyun Sect disciples and the assembled youths instinctively parted to the sides, clearing a path for Zong Shou to reach the base of the Heaven Talisman Stage.