Chapter 2596: Chapter 2596: Truth Competition

Zen frowned dubiously. He hated anything else getting inside his head.

After all, the Infinity Ruler was still in his mind. If its existence was found out by others, it might cause him some unnecessary trouble.

Zen was slightly startled at the cyan thread drilling into his head. “Will this thing... you know...” he nervously asked No. 9527.

Zen didn't need to complete his thought. No. 9527 knew what he was worried about. “Don't panic. This is just an illusion created by the sword with Truth of Eternal Sword Intent. This thread can't pry into your mind. Besides, the Infinity Ruler in your mind is just a delusional idea of Chiyou. It wouldn't be a big deal, even if it were discovered.”

Up until this point, No. 9527 still thought the chances of integrating all kinds of Godly Ways were slim.

Zen breathed a sigh of relief. The instant the cyan thread reached his soul, his surroundings suddenly changed.

The officiant, the platforms, and the scenery in the distance disappeared in an instant.

The only things that remained were the Lofty Sword in front of him, the disciples of the thirteen cultivation palaces, and the translation of Truth of Eternal Sword Intent in their hands.

“What an illusion!”

“The Truth of Eternal Sword Intent seems to have tangible existence!”

“No wonder it is said that Lofty Sword can save the disciples half the effort. I feel my mind is so much clearer now!”

Kenelm and his friends could not contain their excitement. They eagerly reached out to touch the cyan thread hovering in front of their foreheads.

When the disciples of the other cultivation palaces overheard what they were talking about, their faces fell with disdain and disgust.

“Where did Sword Dance Palace get these nincompoops?”

“It seems they have never been to such an event before...”

“Sword Dance Palace is a dumpster. How can anybody expect them to recruit any talents?”

“Just ignore them. Don't waste your time!”

The disciples of Burial Sword Palace and Demon Sword Palace shrugged at each other, sneering at Kenelm and his gang. They then held up the translation in their hands and began reading it.

Their voices were very loud and clear.

“The warriors of the land of the ancient swordsmanship have been exploring ways of cultivation since ancient times. Their eagerness to improve never ceases. It's the way to the prosperity of the world...”

They each recited at their own speed. However, with everyone reciting at varying lengths, together they sounded chaotic.

Kenelm held up the translation and stuttered, “The...war-r-riors...”

In general, reciting the Truth of Godly Way was difficult in itself. Moreover, it was Kenelm's and his friends' first time to do so; what with the multitudes of voices echoing around them, how could they possibly concentrate? So, after but a few words, he was unable to continue reading.

Zen observed this. He furrowed his brows, turning to ask Faegan, “Reciting the Truth of Godly Way needs peace and quiet. Wouldn't the clamor of everyone reciting together be distracting?” ʀ𝙖ΝÒᛒÊṦ

Faegan smiled and shook his head gently. “Zen, you may not know this, but the thirteen cultivation palaces compete against each other all the time. The competition between Burial Sword Palace and Demon Sword Palace is the most fierce. To cultivate the Truth of Godly Way by reciting it has been approved by their leaders.”

“How come there are such strange rules?” Zen frowned.

Faegan replied, “They argue that if a warrior really has an insight into the swordsmanship, they will naturally be single-minded and be unaffected by the others. But so far, the distraction has escaped no one. I don't know what idiot made these rules. Also...” Faegan pointed at the sword. “Look at the huge sword! While cultivating, the disciples are simultaneously attacking each other! We call this Truth Competition.”

Zen's eyes followed where Faegan was pointing at, only to see that the wide sword had been covered with cyan threads, and each cyan thread was connected to a sword-shaped pattern.

Those sword-shaped patterns varied in size. Some were as tall as a human, while some were as small as a pinky finger.

“What do those sword-shaped patterns represent?” Zen asked, as he eyed the patterns of varying sizes.

“They stand for the disciples' degrees of understanding of the Truth of Godly Way. Look. Mine is only as big as a palm. I can only recite three hundred words. Zen, is this the first time you're cultivating the Truth of Eternal Sword Intent? That's why your pattern is only the size of a thumb,” Faegan said with a chuckle.

The Lofty Sword could only show the disciples' cultivation base in the Truth of Eternal Sword Intent. Zen had mastered Truth of Cultivation Nature, but this Truth of Godly Way couldn't be shown on the sword. This was why his sword pattern was so tiny.

Zen followed the cyan thread with his eyes until he saw his own sword-shaped pattern was only the size of his thumb. “That's interesting,” he said with a smile.

Kenelm's and his friends' sword-shaped patterns were only of the size of a pinkie.

Hyde Liu, on the other hand, seemed to have practiced Truth of Eternal Sword Intent before.

His pattern was about the size of an index finger, a little longer than Zen's and the others'.

Suddenly, the sound of metal clanking rose above the clamor of the voices reciting.

Zen looked up at the source of the sound and saw two human-sized sword-shaped patterns on the huge sword attacking each other. While they might have just been patterns, their collisions made the sounds of real blades clashing!

At the same time, a disciple from the Burial Sword Palace and a disciple from the Demon Sword Palace suddenly stood up.

The two biggest sword-shaped patterns were connected to the threads on their foreheads. They faced each other, chanting excitedly.

“The five elements repel one another. The human race will never be exterminated. No...”

“I cultivate with an earnest heart. Sticking to a righteous path, I resolve to become invincible and kill the evil...”

“One of the two is Elgin Qiu, and the other is Beldene Yuebai. They are a cut above the rest of the disciples in all the cultivation palaces. Elgin Qiu is from the Burial Sword Palace, and Beldene Yuebai, from the Demon Sword Palace. Both come from big clans. They have always competed against each other every chance they can get. Now, they fight against each other in a Truth Competition. They don't think anyone else is good enough to fight against them,” Faegan smiled wistfully, looking rather frustrated.

Everyone hoped to take the spotlight, but they all knew no one was on the same level as Elgin Qiu and Beldene Yuebai. Faegan couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

“We can take our time. As long as we don't stop, we can catch up to them, one step at a time,” Zen said with a reassuring smile.

Faegan shrugged but didn't try to argue. Finally, he opened the translation in his hand, reciting the Truth of Eternal Sword Intent in a low voice.

On the main platform, after having activated the array, the officiant put his hands behind his back and stared at the Lofty Sword.

The leaders of the cultivation palaces also arrived at this time.

“This group of disciples started their cultivation at the same time. Elgin Qiu and Beldene Yuebai have surpassed the others by a lot, unsurprisingly. I'm afraid there's no way for the other disciples to catch up with them,” said a petite woman as she observed the Lofty Sword. She was the leader of Sword Legend Palace. As she spoke, she watched Elgin Qiu and Beldene Yuebai battle, a hint of regret glinting in her eyes. She had come to the realization that not recruiting Elgin Qiu was her biggest mistake.

“What's with the Sword Dance Palace today? They have so many people present here. This is new,” the leader of the Sword Anger Palace asked curiously. He paused to glance around. “Well, I don't see Ingram...”

“Why would he be here? Anyway, if the losers from the Sword Dance Palace don't work hard, he will never be able to earn respect from the Board of Elders in his life,” said the head of the Sword Legend Palace, smiling coldly.

However, the moment those words left her mouth, two figures floated over.

The figures were none other than Ingram and Laura.