Light Fortress

"Sister Nan Jin, did you pass the Deep Sea Sixth Layer test?"

"Thank you for your concern, Brother. I haven't passed yet... but after clashing with A-009, I vaguely perceived the presence of 'origin.' I shouldn't be far from a breakthrough."

"It's normal for the strong attack type Transcendents to advance slower. Take it step by step, no need to rush. Take your time and be steady."

"..."

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

Gu Shen's consciousness had entered the Jingzhe Dream, which clearly meant there would be a "long" period of leisure time; this time was perfect for exchanging insights on Extraordinary Cultivation.

"Sister Nan Jin," Luo Er asked with a smile, "I heard from the teacher that you withstood A-009's attack?"

"The situation is complicated, and it's hard to explain in a few words."

Nan Jin shook her head, "Actually, I didn't really withstand it... If A-009 had continued going berserk, I would have been dead at that time."

At the critical moment, A-009 stopped its attack.

She looked at the sleeping young man on the bench, her gaze complex... She had intended to rescue Gu Shen, but when it came down to it, it was Gu Shen who saved her.

"If I remember correctly, the last time we met was in the Dadu District. Back then, you weren't as tall as me, clutching a sword and squatting in a corner, stubborn as grass poking through a crack… And now, you've become someone who can stand on your own."

Senior Sister Luo gestured, quite nostalgic.

"Strike at me with your sword."

Then, she tucked her hands behind her back and continued, "Let me see how much you've improved over the years."

"Sister..."

A spark of excitement flickered in Nan Jin's heart.

This was an excellent opportunity.

Senior Sister Luo was very powerful; apart from their teacher, there was no one else better suited to be her sparring partner!

"Alright."

She didn't hesitate and immediately drew her long sword from its sheath.

After the battle with A-009, she had always felt that she was missing something... and now was the perfect time to hone her skills!

With a "hum," at that moment, the wind in the training area started to Reverse Flow. The fierce Sword Gang flowed like water from the engraved lines of the long sword, thousands of silver threads suspended mid-air and then began to swirl into a vortex.

In the silent training area, an invisible pressure slowly descended—

Zhong Wei chuckled and stepped back, sitting next to Gu Shen on the bench, calmly watching the scene unfold. Above their heads, millions of threads of pressure cascading down with the Sword Force only to hit the bench and instantly dissipate, easily resolved.

Senior Sister Luo's ponytail fluttered in the wind.

She stood unassumingly in place, watching the Sword Domain Nan Jin was deploying, slowly frowning... Why did this Sword Domain feel so familiar?

That's right.

She remembered, the scenes from the rooftop side were strikingly similar to the present. The method used by Gu Shen during his Extraordinary Awakening to counterattack the strong attack type Transcendent was identical to Nan Jin's Sword Domain.

"Is it a coincidence?"

She didn't have time to ponder.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of swords clashing—

Luo Er looked up as the overwhelming silver Sword Gang surged toward her like a raging sea, almost completely submerging her.

The entire underground training field was swept by the Sword Gang; the iron walls and massive glass mirrors all shattered, peeled off by the waves like brittle shells, forming a Sword Qi Tornado.

In the midst of this violent and fierce tornado, only one bench remained undamaged.

Zhong Wei propped his cheek, admiring the spectacle, his gaze filled with both appreciation and regret.

Nan Jin's eyes blazed with battle intent, raising the war sword high, her feminine form yet like a god wielding the power to split mountains. Countless threads of silver converged into a single line, and slowly descended toward Senior Sister Luo—

This move was incredibly powerful.

But it was much too slow; if it were a battle on the surface, the opponent could easily escape.

But now, they were underground, and moreover... her opponent was Senior Sister Luo.

Luo Er wouldn't dodge, nor did she want to.

Since she had let Nan Jin strike, she was absolutely confident she could withstand this attack.

As that vast sword light fell, Senior Sister Luo still hadn't moved a step, she simply watched the intense, blazing sword light, seeing every inch of its inner structure clearly... and then, she raised a hand.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

The scraps of metal tumbling on the outskirts of the Sword Qi Tornado, following Senior Sister Luo's fingers' grasp, transformed into mechanical arms. As one opened mountains, she split the seas.

"Boom—"

After Senior Sister Luo took action.

The innumerable, raging Sword Gang drifting in the air dissipated rapidly. With every inch they cut down, Nan Jin could feel her willpower and physical strength being consumed at an incredible speed.

Her hands gripping the sword, she assumed her stance; the windbreaker around her swung open by the blasting airflow, almost parallel to the ground, her growls drowned out by the void's sword cries. The sword's engravings shined unprecedently bright while she faced off against "Senior Sister Luo," feeling more pressure than from A-009. The sword was just a bit away from striking the Sister...

But Nan Jin exerted all her strength and still could not complete the final "resistance slash."

In the end, not even pressing down an extra centimeter seemed like a luxury.

Missing by a hair's breadth was like being worlds apart.

"Crack!"

The silver sword let out a crisp sound, showing a crack, yet it was still unable to advance an inch.

Just a little more.

Just a little more...

Not a shred of the thought to give up crossed Nan Jin's mind.

The last bit of distance!

Break it! Shatter it!

Right before her strength was exhausted, the silver sword finally broke through, slashing with finality.

...

...

"Drip."

A drop of sweat fell to the ground, splashing into glittering fragments.

Nan Jin gazed at the sweat rolling down her cheeks and at the shattered sword fragments scattered about, feeling greatly satisfied.

Her slash... had been delivered.

Although Senior Sister Luo remained unharmed, still calm and composed, her current standing position was different from before.

The observant would notice that Senior Sister Luo had subtly shifted to the side, while the place where she originally stood was carved out with a depression by a strand of sharp Sword Gang.

Chunks of broken metal, controlled by stable and powerful spiritual power, were put back together, smoothing back onto the training room's inner walls as easily as if they were pieces of paper being flattened by fingertips.

"You're stronger than I expected. Breaking through the Deep Sea Sixth Layer is just a matter of time."

Luo Er raised her hand and the shattered blade flew into her palm, coming together to form a complete, solid battle sword.

Everything returned to normal.

"This move, is it what you conceived during your fight with A-009? Not bad, it's very lethal," she said as she came up to Nan Jin, handing over the sword, "but you still lack control in the subtleties... If you could perfectly control every strand of Sword Intent, then this slash could have injured me."

...

Nan Jin silently took note of her senior sister's guidance.

"Perfectly controlling every strand of Sword Intent is indeed too demanding."

Zhong Wei stood up and spoke earnestly, "Junior sister, your slash already carries the essence of 'origin'. There shouldn't be many of your peers who can achieve this. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Catching the long sword with both hands, Nan Jin felt a slight change in weight; the tip seemed to be missing a piece.

She blinked in surprise.

The entire training room had been restored by Senior Sister Luo's spiritual power, except the hole where she originally stood still remained, with a segment of the sword blade embedded there.

"Let's leave the tip of this sword here as a memento. You should know that there are only a handful of people in the entire Judgement Institute who could have injured me."

Luo Er tiptoed, patted Nan Jin on the shoulder, and seriously praised, "The fact that you've come this far is already quite remarkable. Zhong Wei is right, don't be too hard on yourself; sometimes, taking a break is also a form of cultivation."

Nan Jin recalled the teacher's message.

In recent years, Nan Jin had been cultivating very hard, and wanting to become stronger wasn't wrong, but everything had a process, and it was only natural to progress step by step. Those who shine bright from the start often burn out their life force too quickly.

"Thank you..."

Nan Jin just shook her head without saying much more, neither accepting nor rejecting the advice.

"Time flies; it's already been over four hours."

Zhong Wei stroked his chin, muttering, "Gu Shen still hasn't woken up..."

According to Senior Sister's profiling, Gu Shen was confirmed to be a Spiritual Transcendent.

Over four hours of contemplating the Jingzhe Breathing Technique wasn't long at all. The Judgement Institute had seen geniuses who took seven or eight hours to figure it out.

But for an S-rank Transcendent, taking over four hours to comprehend "Jingzhe"... wasn't quite up to snuff.

As a Dream Caster, Luo Er could still sense some movements within the Dream World... She released her spiritual power to probe and discovered that Gu Shen was exceptionally relaxed at the moment, nothing like someone who was in deep contemplation of Jingzhe.

"This kid... sounds like he's snoring?"

Zhong Wei was a bit taken aback.

Then, that soothing spiritual power began to gather slowly, a sign of awakening.

"Four hours... thirty-nine minutes..."

He glanced at the time.

"For an 'S-rank' Spiritual Transcendent... seems a bit slow?"

"No matter, as long as he has comprehended it, it's good. I myself took eight hours back then," Luo Er raised an eyebrow, "Gu Shen has a long way to go."