Light Barrier

“Junior Sister Nan Jin, have you passed the test of Deep Sea’s Sixth Level?”

“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I haven’t yet… But after fighting A-009, I vaguely comprehended the existence of some ‘Source’. I shouldn’t be far from breaking through.”

“It’s normal for assault-type transcendents to advance slower. Take it one step at a time. Don’t worry, and proceed steadily.”

“…”

Luo Er, Zhong Wei, and Nan Jin chatted for a long time.

With Gu Shen’s consciousness immersed in the Jingzhe Dream, there would be a ‘lengthy’ period of leisure time ahead, and this time was just perfect for exchanging insights on transcendental cultivation.

“Junior Sister Nan Jin.” Luo Er smiled. “I heard from Teacher that you resisted A-009’s attacks.”

“The situation was complicated. It’s hard to explain in a few words.” Nan Jin shook her head. “Actually, it can’t be considered resisting. If A-009 had continued rampaging, I would have died.”

At the critical moment, A-009 stopped attacking.

She glanced at the sleeping young man on the bench with a complicated expression in her eyes. She had intended to save Gu Shen, but at the critical moment, it was Gu Shen who had saved her.

“If I remember correctly, the last time we met was in the Dadu District. Back then, you were even shorter than me. You hugged your saber, squatted in a corner, and were as stubborn as grass in cracks. But now, you’re become someone who can take charge.” Senior Sister Luo gestured with her hands, feeling somewhat sentimental.

“Attack me with your saber.” She put her hands behind her back. “Let me see how much you’ve progressed in the past few years.”

“Senior Sister…” Nan Jin’s heart stirred.

This was a great opportunity.

Senior Sister Luo was very strong. Other than their teacher, no one else was more suitable to be her sparring partner!

“Okay.” She drew the saber at her waist without hesitation. 

After the battle with A-009, she kept feeling that she was lacking something… This moment was the perfect opportunity to sharpen herself!

Buzz.

The wind in the training ground suddenly reversed. Fierce saber astrals flowed out from the engraved patterns on the saber like flowing water. Thousands of strands of silver light floated in the air and then formed a vortex that began to rotate.

On the silent training ground, an invisible pressure slowly descended.

Zhong Wei smiled as he took two steps back and sat beside Gu Shen on the bench. He looked at this scene unfolding before him leisurely. Above the bench, the heavy pressure generated by thousands of strands of swirling saber astrals immediately melted away, easily resolved.

Senior Sister Luo’s ponytail fluttered in the wind.

She stood calmly in place, observing the saber domain being unleashed by Nan Jin. She gradually frowned. Why does this saber domain look so familiar?

Ah, that’s right. She remembered. The scene on the roof she had captured from Profile bore an uncanny resemblance to what was happening now. Gu Shen’s transcendental awakening and the method he had used to kill that assault-type transcendent were exactly the same as Nan Jin’s saber domain.

Is it a coincidence?

There was no time to think much.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sabers.

Luo Er looked up, and a surging tide of silver-white saber astrals gushed over like a raging sea, nearly engulfing her.

The entire underground training ground was swept up by the saber astrals. The sturdy walls, iron barriers, and large glass mirrors all shattered like fragile shells peeled off by waves due to the tornado formed by the saber astrals.

Amidst the violent tornado, only one bench remained tranquil.

Zhong Wei rested his chin on his hand, watching the spectacle, his eyes containing praise and regret.

Nan Jin’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit as she raised her saber high with both hands. She was like a goddess with the power to split mountains. Countless silver rays converged into a line and ‘slowly’ slashed at Senior Sister Luo.

This move was immensely powerful.

But it was too slow. In a battle on the ground, the opponent could easily evade it.

But they were currently underground, and… her opponent was Senior Sister Luo.

Luo Er didn’t evade, nor did she want to.

Since she had gotten Nan Jin to attack, she was 100% confident she could withstand this move.

When the mighty saber beam descended, Senior Sister Luo still didn’t move. She only stared at the scorching, dazzling saber beam, examining every inch of its structure… Then she raised her hand.

At this moment, time seemed to slow down.

The iron debris flying outside the saber energy tornado turned into mechanical arms under the control of Senior Sister Luo’s five fingers. Since someone split the mountains, she would part the seas.

Rumble!

After Senior Sister Luo made her move, the countless raging saber astrals swirling in the air melted at an incredible speed. With every inch vanishing, Nan Jin could feel her willpower and stamina rapidly depleting.

She gripped her saber with both hands and assumed a stance. The billowing gusts ruptured the sleeves of her trench coat, tearing strips hanging to the floor. Nan Jin’s low roar was drowned out by the ethereal hum of sabers in the void, and the engravings on the silver saber were unprecedentedly bright. Fighting against Senior Sister Luo, she felt even more pressure than against A-009. The saber was just a hair’s breadth away from striking Luo Er…

But even after exerting all her strength, she couldn’t complete the final ‘slash’.

In the end, even pressing down a centimeter became an extravagant hope.

Just a hair’s breadth away was like a heavenly chasm.

Crack!

The silver saber emitted a crisp sound and cracked, but it still couldn’t move forward.

Just a little more.

Just a little more…

Nan Jin had no intention of giving up.

The last bit of distance!

Break through it! Shatter it!

The moment before she exhausted her strength, the silver saber successfully broke through and slashed to the end.

…

Patter!

A drop of sweat fell to the floor, splashing out glistening crystals.

Nan Jin stared at the bead of sweat dripping down her cheek and the shattered blade fragments on the floor, her heart full of joy.

Her strike… had been delivered.

Although Senior Sister Luo wasn’t injured and was still calm and composed, her current position was different from before.

If someone were observant enough, they would find that Senior Sister Luo had taken a step to the side, and the spot where she had been standing was now marked by a small pit carved out by a saber astral.

Pieces of broken iron were controlled by formidable and stable mental power and began to reconstruct themselves. They were smoothed out like fingers on a piece of paper and adhered back to the walls of the training ground.

“You’re stronger than I thought. It’s only a matter of time before you break through Deep Sea’s Sixth Level.” Luo Er raised her hand. The shattered saber fragments flew into her palm and formed a complete, tangible saber.

Everything returned to normal.

“Is this move something you comprehended from fighting A-009? Not bad. It’s pretty powerful.” She came to Nan Jin’s side and handed the saber over. “But in terms of minute control… you still need refinement. If you can perfectly control every wisp of saber intent, this strike will be enough to injure me.”

Nan Jin silently remembered her senior sister’s guidance.

“Perfectly controlling every wisp of saber intent is too demanding.” Zhong Wei rose to his feet and said solemnly, “Junior Sister, your slash already carries the essence of Source. Among your peers, there are few who can achieve this level. Don’t be too strict with yourself.”

Nan Jin received the saber with both hands and felt a slight change in its weight. The tip of the blade seemed to be missing a piece.

She blinked in surprise.

Senior Sister Luo’s mental power had restored the entire training ground, but only the pit where she had stood remained, with a fragment of the blade inserted there.

“The tip of this blade… let’s leave it here as a memento. After all, only a few people in the entire Adjudication Bureau can injure me.”

Luo Er stood on her tiptoes, patted Nan Jin’s shoulder, and praised genuinely, “Reaching this step is already quite remarkable. Zhong Wei is right. Don’t be too strict with yourself. Taking a break sometimes is also a form of cultivation.”

These were the words from their teacher for Nan Jin.

Over the past few years, Nan Jin had been cultivating relentlessly. There was nothing wrong with wanting to become stronger, but everything had a process, and it was only reasonable to progress step by step. Those who shined too dazzlingly from the beginning would often burn out their life too quickly.

“Thank you.” Nan Jin only shook her head and didn’t say anything else. She neither accepted nor refused.

“More than four hours have passed without realizing it.” Zhong Wei rubbed his chin. “Gu Shen hasn’t woken up yet.”

According to the results of Senior Sister Luo’s Profile, Gu Shen should be a mental-type transcendent.

Four hours of comprehension was not particularly long. It was very difficult to comprehend the Jingzhe Breathing Technique, and there were many geniuses in the Adjudication Bureau who took seven to eight hours or even longer to comprehend it.

But for an S-grade figure that many had high hopes for, it was a little unusual for him not to comprehend Jingzhe after four hours.

As the person who cast Dream Induction, Luo Er could sense some movements in the dream world. She released her mental power to investigate and found that Gu Shen was exceptionally relaxed at this moment. He didn’t look like someone comprehending Jingzhe at all.

“Does this kid sound like he’s… snoring?” Zhong Wei was dumbfounded.

Immediately after, soothing mental power slowly gathered, a precursor to waking up.

“Four hours… thirty-nine minutes…” He glanced at the time. “For an S-grade mental-type transcendent, it seems a little slow?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s fine as long as he comprehends it. I took eight hours back then.” Luo Er raised her eyebrows. “Gu Shen still has a long way to go.”