A full half hour passed before a look of grim determination finally surfaced on Zong Shou’s face.

After carefully re-examining the nuances in his mind, the brilliance in his eyes gradually flashed, incandescent and unparalleled. He had found the most crucial part of the Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword!

Jin Buhui happened to walk out of a stone chamber just then. Seeing this, he couldn't help but chuckle. “Zong Shou, if you can’t grasp it, are you planning to destroy this etched wall in a fit of pique? Don’t blame me for not telling you, seven thousand years ago, someone else spent a full day and night meditating before this wall, failed, and in anger, tried to smash this accursed thing. Not only did he fail to destroy it, he ended up injuring himself. I hear that even an Immortal Weapon couldn't scratch it. Haven’t you seen that the dragon carvings on it don’t have a single scratch?”

Before his words had completely faded, a mocking voice sounded from across the way. “Blaming the wall for your own incompetence and ignorance is truly idiotic!”

Jin Buhui’s eyes immediately narrowed slightly as he gazed towards the opposite side. There stood Li Yuandan and Han Nishui, sneering at him.

Perhaps they had just emerged, or perhaps they had been monitoring Zong Shou’s activities within the grotto all along.

He couldn’t help but purse his lips. He bantered with Zong Shou, so why did these two feel the need to show up? It was astonishing that they could strut around, considering themselves paragons of intellect. They had no idea that his newly made friend was thousands of times superior to them. Even if Zong Shou truly gained nothing here, he was still above the clouds, looking down on these mediocrities.

Moreover, based on his own speculation, Zong Shou had likely already deciphered nearly all of the Nine Martial Saint Replicas over the past few days. The reason he was studying the massive dragon carving on this wall now was either out of sheer boredom or because he had discovered something profoundly important—

As he pondered this, in the very next instant, he saw Zong Shou swing his sword toward the etched wall. Jin Buhui immediately froze, thinking, Does this fellow really intend to strike it? But judging by the sword stance, it seemed listless, likely incapable of scratching the surface. Yet, that was fine; if he didn't exert much force, he wouldn't fear recoil damage.

Just as Jin Buhui was thinking this, his eyes suddenly bulged wide in utter disbelief. He watched as stone shards erupted into the air. Zong Shou’s sword had actually managed to score a line on that etched wall!

It was winding, situated right across the chest and abdomen of the carved dragon. By itself, it looked like a distorted worm, but placed within the pattern of the five-clawed dragon, the form suddenly possessed a measure of spiritual vitality.

Jin Buhui instinctively pinched his own arm hard, and a distinct pain shot through him. Confirming he wasn't dreaming, Jin Buhui began to silently curse. He thought that his Master, who had explained the peculiarities and taboos of the Dragon Gate on Gathering Dragon Mountain, had truly set him up! He said the wall couldn't be destroyed, yet how could Zong Shou so easily carve a line without even exerting any true energy?

He vaguely felt that the situation was not that simple. Zong Shou’s movement just now, the trajectory of his sword path, clearly coincided with some underlying principle. That was the only way to leave a mark on a wall impervious to blades and swords. Thinking of this, Jin Buhui gasped sharply. Could this fellow really have uncovered something? This thing that everyone had considered a massive dead end for ten thousand years—did it actually contain profound mysteries undiscovered by thousands of talented individuals?

At this moment, it wasn't just Jin Buhui; even Li Yuandan and Han Nishui stared at the scene, their expressions blank and fixed. Their eyes still held an almost impossible disbelief— How could Zong Shou’s soft, weak sword possibly injure this stone wall? The cut he made seemed to be completing a missing section of the massive dragon carving. Yet, only a short while ago, in their eyes, the dragon pattern on the wall had been perfectly intact. The feeling was utterly bizarre!

After the first strike, Zong Shou seemed to discard all reservations. Stone fragments flew everywhere, and the sword in his hand felt like it was slicing through dried tofu, encountering no resistance. This sensation thoroughly confirmed his prior hypothesis. The key to the Nine-Nine Shadow Dragon Sword was indeed hidden within this dragon pattern.

Without hesitation, Zong Shou delivered the second and third strikes. Immediately, stone chips scattered, and lines were etched upon the surface. Sometimes, when his guess was wrong, he encountered resistance, and the wall would repel his sword. However, Zong Shou usually needed only a moment of deep thought, a brief reconsideration, before he could resume striking lines through it effortlessly.

His expression and state of mind grew increasingly excited. This wall not only contained the final secret to the Nine-Nine Shadow Dragon Sword, but it could also correct the flaws in his own sword techniques.

Just as Zong Shou delivered his twentieth strike, Long Ruo also emerged from a stone chamber, his expression incredibly grim as he watched Zong Shou’s movements. Li Yuandan felt a slight sense of confusion. “Why did he suddenly come out? Hasn't he just begun studying the Profound Yin Dragon Sword inside?” He knew that although Long Ruo was a Spirit Master, he had benefited more from the resources within Gathering Dragon Mountain than they martial cultivators had. The nine true dragon sword techniques were of almost unimaginable help to his Black Jiao. Moreover, sword techniques like the Blazing Dragon Vast Sword, along with the martial intent left by the Saint, were incredibly effective in clearing confusion and obstacles for Long Ruo, who was striving to transform into a Sword Cultivator. Especially the Platinum Dragon Sword, which perfectly complemented the Shattered Sword Intent Long Ruo had already cultivated; if he could draw insight from it, his strength would advance significantly. Therefore, since entering Gathering Dragon Mountain, Long Ruo had been the most focused among them, rarely distracted by anything else.

Then, they saw Long Ruo shake his head with an exceptionally solemn expression. “It’s not that Long Ruo doesn't want to continue studying, it’s just that he can no longer—”

Hearing this, Li Yuandan’s expression shifted, and he rushed back into the chamber. Inside, the smooth stone wall was crumbling, and fragments of stone powder were falling away. The Martial Saint Replica was, naturally, gone without a trace. As this scene entered his vision, Li Yuandan’s face turned deathly pale. How could this be? How could the Martial Saint Replica, which had remained intact for ten thousand years, be destroyed?

Han Nishui followed closely behind, his expression equally ashen. He immediately rushed back into the main hall and unleashed a streak of sword energy toward the etched wall. The trailing edge of the sword light vaguely swept past Zong Shou, who was now walking out of his stone chamber and practicing his sword swings with He Xueying and Su Chen nearby, causing them to show slight displeasure. However, before the sword energy could reach Zong Shou, it was completely blocked by an invisible force. A faint pattern of golden lines had unexpectedly materialized, enveloping Zong Shou.

The vast majority of the remaining sword power struck the etched wall. Immediately, there was a resounding clang. The sword light violently rebounded, not only repelled but also several times more fierce and nearly eighty percent faster! It chased the origin of the light beam. Han Nishui had been prepared, but even after several rapid shifts in position, he couldn't evade it completely. Finally, forced to stop, he quickly sent out several talismans in succession to forcibly disperse the sword light. Fortunately, his primary focus was on Spirit Arts; his martial attainment was only at the level of a fifth-tier Grandmaster. That initial strike, even after rebounding off the etched wall, hadn't become overwhelmingly powerful, allowing him to deal with it easily without sustaining injuries.

However, everyone present now had their expressions change—some with shock, some with sudden realization, and others looking extremely unpleasant. Jin Buhui was left speechless. Didn't this situation closely resemble what his Master had told him? His Master hadn't lied; the etched wall truly couldn't be harmed. It was likely that Zong Shou had indeed discovered something.

Meanwhile, Long Ruo’s gaze flickered between dark and bright, shifting constantly. After a moment, he took a deep breath. “I wonder how my fellow disciples view this matter?”

Li Yuandan and Han Nishui fell silent, as if they had all considered the implication but were unwilling to voice it. It was Zu Renkuang, standing nearby, who spoke with a bitter smile. “How else can we view it? Other than the Elder Long Ying and the experts of his caliber, no one can destroy this Martial Saint Replica. Its current collapse most likely means that the venerable Saint has found a successor satisfactory to him. There is no longer a need to keep the Nine True Dragon Sword Arts open for our contemplation. Senior Brother Han’s strike failing to injure Zong Shou is probably for the same reason. With the power of a Saint, how could he allow his sword heir to be harmed by others on Gathering Dragon Mountain? I fear that sword strike by Brother Han might have incurred the displeasure of the Martial Saint Long Ying—”

Han Nishui’s face had turned pale. Although he had vaguely guessed the outcome in his heart, When Zu Renkuang voiced it, he still felt a pang of fear. He dimly knew that those who had stepped onto the path of Immortality, those above the Spirit Realm, could not easily appear in the Cloud Realm. Especially those above the Divine and Saint Realms, who could not return lightly. Protected by their sects, offending them might not cause immediate harm, but the prestige and power of a Martial Saint still exerted a heavy pressure directly upon his heart.

“That may not necessarily be the case!” Li Yuandan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression icy as he looked over. “Didn’t they say Zong Shou doesn't know martial arts? Then how can he decipher the Nine-Nine Shadow Dragon Sword? Has he earned the favor of Elder Long Ying?”

“Although he does not practice martial arts, his innate aptitude and comprehension remain peerless in this world.” Long Ruo sighed mournfully, the feelings within him indescribably complex. “Back at my Danquan Mountain, this child broke through my Lingyun Sect’s Bright Sword Platform and its eighteen puppet guardians in one hundred and sixty breaths. He then meticulously sketched out the Twelve Celestial Talismans left by the Patriarch. In terms of talent for swordsmanship or talismans, there are fewer than ten people in this world who can rival him! Yet, due to a momentary lapse in judgment, I failed to take him as a disciple.”

Li Yuandan and Han Nishui exchanged startled glances; this was the first time they had heard this account. Then, they heard Long Ruo continue. “This is because this person possesses the body of dual meridians, afflicted by the barrier between man and heaven, and the body of a remnant soul—a cultivation cripple who can never reach the Innate Realm in this lifetime—”

They both suddenly understood, but just as Long Ruo spoke this final word, Zong Shou unleashed his twenty-eighth strike. And within the grotto, a colossal dragon roar echoed. (To be continued)