72 days had passed since Kent entered seclusion, and so far, he had done only one thing: sit in the same spot, eyes closed, hands resting on his knees.
He was deep in meditation, focusing on understanding the sword path thoroughly before delving into his next set of memories.
This took him days, but he had finally managed to improve, drawing on the knowledge from his past as Jest.
Now, all he was doing was mastering the 10,002 sword plays, a task he had been dedicated to for quite some time. In fact, over the past weeks, the only thing that had changed about him was his energy.
He hadn’t even moved a finger…
His sword qi and intent had grown much more pronounced, and from the look of things, he had made significant progress.
At this point, even a swordsman with an Enhanced Sword aura at the 7/9 stage would struggle to maintain their composure in his presence.
His sword intent and sword aura were still at the Level 5 Enhanced stage, but they had grown to a level that could be measured at the 7th.
“Ha,” Kent sighed as he opened his eyes after 72 days.
He stood up and retrieved his sword.
He held it in his hands for a few minutes and then sighed again. Slowly, he began to pull it from the sheath.
The sight was mesmerizing. His presence was already powerful, but the moment he started drawing the sword, his aura began to change.
The energy around him grew more refined and potent. The intent behind the sword qi was overwhelming.
In fact, “powerful” is an understatement. The intent was so intense that it could press down on anyone within his domain.
The further the sword emerged from the sheath, the more his presence intensified. It was as if all his energy had been stored within the sword’s sheath.
After fully drawing the sword, he sighed and then sheathed it again. The energy around him was just too overwhelming.
“Just 700 swordplays can be this effective. I wonder what I will become after mastering all 10,002 swordplays,” Kent murmured.
He sighed once more, but a faint smile played on his lips as he gazed toward the long sword bridge.
‘I wonder if I can challenge it,’ he thought, his expression determined. The sword bridge was one of the requirements he needed to fulfill to become a Sword Saint.
He would have to overcome all 13 obstacles and emerge victorious in each. It didn’t matter how many attempts it took; he had to conquer all 13 to achieve the title of Sword Saint.
Gaia had advised him against attempting it immediately after becoming a Sword Grandmaster. But now, he was different.
He wasn’t the same as before when he merely swung his sword without purpose. Now, he has the experience and focus to back up his every move.
He had now reached the stage where he could wield the sword with a purpose in mind. He has become a swordsman
“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”
He moved, and soon, he was a few meters from the sword bridge. The colossal sword stretched far into the distance, its surface wide enough to accommodate hundreds of people standing side by side.
“This is just beautiful,” Kent said. But the next second, he was atop the colossal sword, walking forward. After a few meters, a message appeared before his eyes.
_________________
⟪Welcome to the Sword Bridge. To pass, you must defeat the 13 swordsmen. Death is not permanent, but every death increases the difficulty of the 13 trials by one⟫
_________________
“Just great,” Kent sighed, and then he took a step forward. He moved a couple of meters before coming to a halt. Something changed…
This time, someone appeared—a copy of himself, wearing a white tunic armor. His hair was short silver-white, and his sword was also white.
But he looked exactly like Kent, and Kent couldn’t help but smile slightly. He could already see what was coming.
The clone version of himself undoubtedly had the same abilities as him, but with a twist, and Kent knew exactly the danger he was in.
He moved forward, and just as he was 50 meters from the clone, he unleashed his sword intent and sword aura. The clone did the same, but instantly, Kent realized he was out of his league.
He quickly unsheathed his sword, and the clone mirrored his action, causing him to grit his teeth. The pressure is just too much.
Then he moved forward, and the two clashed, creating shockwaves.
Kent executed a series of attacks, but they were countered by the clone as effortlessly as they were launched, making Kent smile through it all.
‘This trial won’t be easy at all.’
He said to himself, but his determination was not something he would hold back. He kept attacking and defending while he analyzed the battle.
Suddenly, the clone unleashed the [24 String Weaving Strike], and Kent was forced to move back.
The attack was perfect, and Kent, who knew that the perfect form of that skill had finally appeared, also unleashed the same technique in counter.
The two attacks connected, and powerful shockwaves exploded from the collision.
Akira and Gaia appeared inside the Sword Gate. They were watching from a distance, and from the smiles on their faces, it was evident they were happy about something.
Kent moved back and unleashed the same attack again, but the clone was a step ahead. It countered and unleashed a more powerful version of the skill [36 String Weaving Strike].
But Kent countered as well, and so the two began using all the different versions of the [String Weaving Strike] skills, each countering and canceling out the other’s attacks.
Kent was rather pleased with the battle, which had only been going on for the past 10 minutes.
But then he decided to up the game and unleashed a more dreadful attack.
“Rapid Slash!”
The last time he fought with the Saintess, he was able to unleash 100 sword arcs with just a single swing. Now, he unleashed 230, and the air was filled with the golden hue sword arcs.
A sword Grandmaster wouldn’t know how they died if this attack came for them. Even some Sword Saints would despair.
But not the clone.
When the attack was unleashed, the clone swung its sword. It was a casual swing, but Kent saw the difference between them.
It was also when he died.