That Dragon Shadow also noticed Zong Shou’s anomaly, letting out a dry laugh, “Still haven't given up? It’s not that I look down on you, but the previous trials were nothing. This final enigma, even figures at the Spirit Realm or Immortal Realm might fail to unravel. Without sufficient accumulation in the way of the Sword, one can only injure oneself!”

Zong Shou offered no comment, silently gripping his sword as time flowed by. After an unknown period, a fierce light suddenly flared in his eyes.

“The key to this strike lies in the word ‘overlap,’ am I correct? Ten thousand years ago, Master Dragon Shadow, you never truly merged the Nine True Dragon Sword Techniques into one. You merely layered several sword intents—”

The old man Dragon Shadow was instantly struck with alarm, “You actually solved it?”

As his words fell, that overwhelming intent poured in with increasing frenzy. It also madly projected everyone within the cavern out to the chamber's exterior.

Then, only a moment later, the old man Dragon Shadow finally registered the difference in Zong Shou’s address, his tone filled with disbelief, “You called me Master? Master Dragon Shadow?”

Zong Shou remained silent, while Dragon Shadow burst into a grand, maniacal laugh filled with utter exhilaration. Then he let out a ‘heh’ sound, speaking with stern reprimand, “Shou’er, you are too undiscerning. How can the supreme mysteries of the Sword be so easily revealed to others? Luckily, your Master reacted quickly just now; if you had truly broken through this last enigma and someone else had witnessed it, you would have suffered a loss! However, what you said just now is both right and wrong. Ten thousand years ago, I, Dragon Shadow, truly couldn't manage it, but ten thousand years later, that’s not necessarily the case—”

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, choosing not to ask, nor wishing to be distracted at this moment. His thoughts raced at the speed of his entire existence, running wildly. Countless fragments of sword techniques, countless profound truths of swordsmanship, flashed frantically within his mind.

Only when all these fragments, all these visions, finally ceased and coalesced into a single trajectory, did Zong Shou finally thrust his sword out once more. A thunderous dragon roar echoed again within the cavern.

But this time, it did not originate from the true dragon form on the illuminated wall, but from behind Zong Shou. The Nine-Headed Dragon Shadow roared angrily, as if intending to shake the heavens and cleave the earth.

The purple sword light flashed nine times in succession, piercing the dragon's eyes. Continuous and unbroken, it seemed like a single strike!

—This was the ultimate secret of the Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword: the nine sword techniques, layered into one!

Dotting the eyes of the dragon, the dragon-shaped carving on the illuminated wall suddenly flashed with brilliant light! In the next instant, the entire wall began to crumble.

A spot of radiance suddenly rose from within, surging into the incomplete dragon shadow above.

Then the entire illusory, insubstantial dragon body instantly became incredibly solid. Spiritual light flickered within its eyes. The giant dragon head suddenly lowered, stretching towards Zong Shou.

The voice of the old man Dragon Shadow sounded again, “You brat, you actually comprehended the mystery of the Sword Soul. To reach this realm immediately upon entry—”

Zong Shou’s mind was clear; he had almost grasped the Sword Soul in his previous life, utilizing the Divine Emperor Game. He had even glimpsed some essentials of the Sword Spirit level.

However, reality was ultimately different. Many rules and phenomena could not manifest in a virtual environment, and what he lacked were merely these things.

This illuminated wall served him no different purpose than the very strike where he had just dotted the dragon's eyes.

It enabled the incomplete ‘Sword Soul’ he had mastered previously to finally become whole, to ‘break through the wall’ today!

※※※※

Still outside Gathering Dragon Mountain, high in the sky. The several Eighth Tier powerhouses floating here all wore varied expressions.

“I recognize this child. He is the newly ascended Demon King of Qian Tian Mountain, named Zong Shou. Some say he is a waste incapable of cultivation, while others claim he is a peerless Sword Dao genius rarely seen in ten millennia. The truth is hard to discern. It is said that a year ago, this child went to Pill Spirit Mountain, seeking to apprentice under the Lingyun Sect—”

The speaker was an Eighth Tier powerhouse from the Dao Name Sect. As he spoke, he glanced with a slight hint of peculiarity towards True Man Ling Lie.

It was not just this one; several others who knew a little of the background also wore somewhat strange expressions.

The latter showed a faint surge of anger, his mood at this moment exceedingly complex.

The matter of Zong Shou having gone to Lingyun Sect to seek apprenticeship, only to return empty-handed, was known throughout the entire East Lin Yun Continent—a commonly known fact.

Objectively speaking, the Lingyun Sect was indeed somewhat in the wrong regarding this matter. The fact that Zong Weiran had aided Lingyun disciples several times in the Cloud Realm during his lifetime was no secret.

However, if it were only this, the Lingyun Sect would, at most, only draw a few rounds of mockery.

But Zong Shou had not only utterly defeated the allied forces of the Three Cities a month ago, stunning the world.

Now, he had also deciphered the enigma of the Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword left by the old man Dragon Shadow, making the matter even more eye-catching.

True Man Ling Lie could even guess the predicament the Lingyun Sect would face should Zong Shou truly inherit the legacy of the old man Dragon Shadow.

The descendant of a benefactor to their sect disciples came to apprentice, yet they were unreasonably expelled by the Lingyun Sect.

Unexpectedly, this person whom they regarded as trash and cast aside proved to be an unparalleled Sword Dao genius!

—Not only would they be branded as ungrateful, but also as utterly blind!

It was certain that their prestige in the Cloud Realm would plummet, potentially affecting the sect’s fortune.

All the matters previously concealed would be dug up one by one.

The unreasonable high-handedness of Liang Miaozhi, the Bright Sword Platform Zong Shou broke in one hundred and sixty breaths, and the Twelve Heavenly Talismans. Two months ago, Long Ruo tacitly allowed Yue Guanyun and the various sects to attempt assassinating Zong Shou—

Everything could no longer be hidden.

With a cold snort, True Man Ling Lie’s face was filled with icy coldness, “Senior Brother Huang certainly has well-informed news. Zong Shou did indeed wish to join our Lingyun Sect. However, his aptitude was too poor, and he harbored internal hidden dangers, which is why our sect did not agree. This child has good comprehension, but regrettably, he possesses the Dual Meridians—”

He paused, looking around. He saw that the others were all indifferent.

The fact was indeed so; for a Saint Realm expert, the so-called Dual Meridian body was truly not a significant obstacle.

If one was willing to pay the price, reshaping his physical body was not difficult.

Ling Lie inwardly sneered coldly, then his expression turned placid, “Perhaps none of you are aware, but in addition to that, this child also suffers from the Heavenly Human Barrier and the Remnant Soul Body. Not allowing Zong Shou to enter our cultivation was also for his own good.”

The surrounding few fell into silence, speechless.

If the Dual Meridian body only made cultivation difficult, then the Heavenly Human Barrier fundamentally blocked off all paths of Martial Dao cultivation entirely! As for the Remnant Soul Body, it destined this child to never achieve much in spiritual arts throughout his life.

At that very moment, the figures within the Cloud Image Illusion suddenly vanished one by one.

And in just a moment, individuals reappeared halfway up the mountain.

They were the elite disciples of the various sects, each looking as if awakening from a profound dream, immediately followed by expressions of regret.

The true dragon form had reached its final transformation, and they were unable to witness the completion of this spectacle.

The Eighth Tier experts in the sky all smiled faintly, unsurprised. Their expressions grew even more focused as they watched the image formed by the clustered mist.

Only True Man Ling Lie’s expression shifted slightly. Among this group, he did not see Long Ruo or Han Nishui, only the figure of Zu Kuangren.

A sense of unease immediately surfaced in his heart. Could the restriction and transference method left by Dragon Shadow have gone awry?

Shui Lingbo paid no attention to the scene below. Her hands formed a seal, constantly projecting a wisp of her soul sense into the cavern.

At this time, her expression suddenly changed, her vital energy nearly going astray. Her hands trembled, and the Cloud Image Illusion began to twist and shift. Even the mirrored light shining onto the mountainside became somewhat unstable.

Shui Lingbo simply dispersed the spell, letting the ball of mist before her dissipate entirely.

Then, in the next moment, she saw Xuan Taiji sweeping his gaze over her with utterly bewildered eyes.

Shui Lingbo couldn't help but slightly frown, speaking with considerable annoyance, “What are you looking at? The old man Dragon Shadow already knows. Do you think I, Shui Lingbo, can still pull any tricks under the gaze of a Martial Saint?”

Yet, her heart churned like a violent tide. That Zong Shou actually comprehended the ‘Sword Soul’!

Previously, this kid’s swordsmanship only showed signs of spiritual connection. But in that last strike, he had truly achieved spirituality!

Damn it! She, Shui Lingbo, had cultivated for decades and was still stuck at the level of sword intent.

Yet this young fellow, decades her junior, had already surpassed her by such a large margin!

She slapped her chest in regret, realizing that the unscrupulous Sovereign had suffered a massive loss this time. If she had known, she should have exhausted every means to have the Ancestor of the Taiyuan Sect step forward to contend with Wei Xu.

Suddenly, she gained some enlightenment. She understood why Wei Xu had directly listed this child as a Second Generation disciple. He hadn't even selected a Master for Zong Shou.

Such a disciple, the Taiyuan Sect truly did not have the standing to teach, and likely couldn't teach well—

※※※※

Almost simultaneously, in some unknown time and space, Wei Xu sat comfortably in the void, eyes slightly open, filled with a look of inquiry.

“Why is my heart so restless and continuously surging today? Why are so many people thinking of me, Wei Xu? Alas, although this Divine Sense Induction Art is excellent, it has this one drawback—”

“An intensity like this implies either someone greatly related to the rise and fall of my Cang Sheng Dao, or someone whose cultivation is stronger than mine, Wei Xu! Right, isn’t today the final day for the Dragon Gate’s lingering shadow at Gathering Dragon Mountain? Could it be that my junior brother has actually deciphered the mystery of the Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword?”

Feeling a strange curiosity, two clusters of runes suddenly flashed in Wei Xu’s eyes. His pair of ruby-like eyes resembled two blazing suns, shining into the void.

In an instant, a meteor was seen fiercely traversing the endless layers of spacetime.

Wei Xu immediately let out a soft laugh, “Indeed! I didn’t expect this old fellow to have moments of anxiety too!”