“Tai Bai?”

Hearing this name, the elder’s eyes flashed with surprise.

Just the sound of the name seemed to exude a profound sense of spiritual energy.

Admiringly, the elder slowly raised his hand, wrote the characters for ‘Tai Bai’ on his palm, and then pressed them onto the stone stele.

The next second, the stele surged with ripples, and then a complex glyph materialized.

“Activate your Sword Mark!”

As the elder spoke, Jiang Xiaobai once again lit up the sword mark between his eyebrows. In that instant, the complex glyph merged into his sword mark.

After a slight flow of warmth, Jiang Xiaobai touched his forehead and asked the elder, “Is it done?”

“Yes, it’s done!”

The elder nodded with a smile and said, “Next, let me briefly tell you about the rules of the Sword Sky!”

As he spoke, his voice paused before continuing, “If you can initially comprehend the Sword Intent, then your name will automatically appear under the column of Sword Intent!”

“As you deepen your understanding, your title’s rank will also rise!”

“And when you reach a higher level, such as the second layer, Sword Heart, then your title will also enter the second layer!”

“Oh, so there are only five layers at most?”

Jiang Xiaobai asked curiously.

“No, the highest is ten layers!”

The elder said as he looked up at the sword stele, “Unfortunately, to this date, no one in our sect has managed to reach the sixth layer!”

“So, as for what level exactly, the sword stele has not shown it.”

Saying this, there was a clear sigh on the elder’s face, but soon his eyes brightened again, “However, when the old ancestor comes out of seclusion, perhaps he might be the first to reach that sixth layer!”

Upon finishing, the elder’s face regained its smile.

“Oh?”

Jiang Xiaobai looked up, his gaze resting on the names under the Sword Rhyme. Indeed, he saw the characters for ‘Confucian Sword’.

This must be the Confucian Sword Ancestor, right?

While Jiang Xiaobai was contemplating with an intrigued expression, the elder’s voice rang out again, “Let’s continue discussing the sword stele!”

Saying this, the elder spoke, “Now that you’re recognized, if you just want to simply spar with the other disciples in the sect in terms of Sword Intent, you don’t need to come to the Sword Sky—just activate your Sword Mark to enter the space of the sword stele!”

“But… this is limited to within the sect!”

“Oh?”

Jiang Xiaobai listened with amazement in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected that a simple Sword Mark possessed such wondrous effects.

Following the elder’s guidance, he continued to ask, “Does that mean the space within the sword stele doesn’t involve actual power, but solely a competition of Sword Intent?”

“That’s right!”

The elder nodded gently, “Inside, it doesn’t matter what your rank is in the outside world. It all depends on the level of Sword Intent you comprehend. The deeper your understanding, the stronger you will appear on the sword stele!”

“And what is this space of the sword stele you speak of?” Jiang Xiaobai pursued with curiosity.

“Heh, that’s not something I can easily explain!”

The elder’s gaze deepened, “You might try to activate your Sword Mark and enter it, and then experience it for yourself!”

With a nod, Jiang Xiaobai then asked, “How do I find an opponent once I’m inside?”

“Once inside, you can freely search for others to challenge. As long as both of you reach a consensus in thought, you can enter the battle platform!”

The gaunt elder spoke, “Of course, if the battle platform is unoccupied, you can choose to defend it. In that case, your opponent will be random!”

“Oh…”

Jiang Xiaobai nodded, not thinking of any other questions. He then bowed to the elder and walked towards the meditation cushions in the outer area.

The gaunt elder closed his eyes once more, resuming his tranquil appearance.

Elsewhere, Jiang Xiaobai slowly arrived at the central area.

At this time, he specifically chose a zone with fewer people.

Around him, there were not many people, just five seated there with closed eyes, immersed in comprehension.

However, due to his arrival, he could see two men opening their eyes, fixing their gaze upon him.

A look of surprise crossed both faces, followed by a simultaneous furrowing of the brows.

“What, a sickly person has come?”

As they looked on with disdain, Jiang Xiaobai calmly walked to one of the cushions.

However, as he was about to sit down, a serene voice sounded, “This seat is taken!”

During the exchange, a young man among the five opened his eyes and said indifferently to Jiang Xiaobai, “You should find another spot!”

Jiang Xiaobai simply nodded and proceeded to another spot.

“Oh, that place… is also taken!”

The young man still calmly addressed Jiang Xiaobai.

Jiang Xiaobai furrowed his brows, changed his position again, but the young man’s calm voice resounded once more, “The same goes for that spot!”

After a pause, he said indifferently, “Go sit at the back. The central positions aren’t suitable for you!”

Following the young man’s indifferent words, the two who had previously opened their eyes looked at Jiang Xiaobai with mockery.

What qualification does he have to sit in the central area?

Wishful thinking, right?

While the two sneered, Jiang Xiaobai could tell that the young man was targeting him deliberately.

Finding it amusing, he chuckled and then slowly stepped forward, under the young man’s watchful eye, settling in the very first cushion he approached.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?”

The young man’s gaze grew colder, “I told you to sit at the back!”

“Oh, I’ll just sit here,” Jiang Xiaobai said, turning his head to look at the young man with an equally calm expression, “What can you do to me?”

Almost the moment his words ended, the buzzing of a sword filled the air, and a flash of sword light passed by.

A sword hung suspended in front of Jiang Xiaobai.

With surging sharp intent, the young man’s cold voice resonated again, “I’m giving you five breaths to reconsider, after that… you die!”

“Oh…”

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Jiang Xiaobai’s pale face, “No need for five breaths. I’ll tell you straight away–please kill me now.”

“Quick, my lord… can’t wait!”

“You…”

The young man, Liang Yongren, jumped to his feet, staring at Jiang Xiaobai, eyes cold with burgeoning killing intent.

The sword in the air spun with increasing ferocity, the threatening presence growing more intense.

A faint trace of blood could be seen on Jiang Xiaobai’s neck; a slight move would draw blood.

“Scared?”

Seeing that the sword had not fallen, Jiang Xiaobai laughed and said to the young man slowly, “If you’re scared, from now on, shut your mouth around me. Don’t let me catch you whining!”

“You think I’ll relent just because you push me?”

As Jiang Xiaobai said this, he turned his head and calmly asked the young man, “What… exactly do you amount to?”

He really didn’t want to provoke trouble unreasonably.

But… when trouble comes, he’s certainly not the kind of person who will shy away from it.

Kill someone?

Is it that easy to kill?

If this guy dares to kill him here in the Sword Sky, Jiang Xiaobai would actually respect him as a real man!

The young man, growing even more furious at Jiang Xiaobai’s words, watched with icy eyes.

Jiang Xiaobai paid him no mind.

The two young men who had previously looked at him with mockery were now astounded.

They had never expected that this sickly person would have such a tough disposition.

Had it been anyone else, they surely would have backed down by now, right?

At this moment, one of them flashed a smile and proactively said, “Brother Liang, why bother with him over such a sickly person!”

“Right, spare his life; he might just die of illness in a few days anyway!”

The other followed suit.

Liang Yongren glared at the unflappable Jiang Xiaobai, his anger roiling. In the end, he snorted coldly and withdrew his sword.

But he had taken note of Jiang Xiaobai.

Seeing the sword retracted, Jiang Xiaobai’s mouth curled up with a hint of scorn. He then sat down, closed his eyes, and began to focus intently.

At first, he didn’t notice anything special, but later, he felt the aura of sword energy swirling around him.

Yes, just like the sword energy he felt yesterday in the Sword Repository.

However, the sword energy here felt particularly vibrant and active.

As his soul pulsated, he started to absorb it.

During this process, his understanding deepened.

It felt as though his soul was being thoroughly dyed by the sword energy, and it responded to his will.

In that moment, he seemed to have an epiphany.

Could it be that he should use his will to guide the sword energy?

Is that why it’s called Sword Intent?

No…

As he absorbed more and more sword energy, Jiang Xiaobai’s realization deepened.

And just then, he was disturbed by a sharp voice, “Quick, to the sword stele, Qing Chen is about to duel with Han You!”