Unrestricted Dao Lord

In reality, however, Xie Guanchao knew exactly how strong Jiang Taizhen was.

Three Meridians Unite.

Combined with his Taibai Splitting Light Sword Skill at the Perfection Realm, Jiang Taizhen was so powerful that even an ordinary Huajin master would have struggled to defeat him.

But Zhang Su had done it.

And with a single strike to the throat.

Zhou Peng’s expression was also complicated.

He had known Shen Mo.

He had even given Shen Mo a few pointers.

When Shen Mo died, Zhou Peng had also wanted to kill Jiang Taizhen.

But Jiang Taizhen would flee the moment he saw a Huajin master, so there was nothing Zhou Peng could do.

He never expected that Zhang Su would be the one to avenge Shen Mo.

Moreover, Zhou Peng was from the Sect Leader’s faction. Being knowledgeable and widely-read, he noticed a spiritual essence in Zhang Su’s swordsmanship similar to Shen Mo’s, and a guess began to form in his mind.

"Zhang Su, did your Wind and Thunder Sword Technique just now reach the state of artistry approaching the Dao and give birth to Divine Intent?"

Zhou Peng asked.

Zhang Su was surprised; he hadn’t expected Zhou Peng to realize it.

So, he nodded and said, "That’s right. I drew some inspiration from Shen Mo’s swordsmanship and had a moment of insight, allowing the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique to give birth to Divine Intent."

Zhou Peng drew in a sharp breath, his mind reeling in shock.

Divine Intent!

It really was Divine Intent!

Artistry approaching the Dao.

This was a Realm that belonged only to legend.

Shen Mo was one thing. He had spent ten years honing his craft, pouring all his energy into his swordsmanship. It wasn’t entirely impossible for him to reach the state of artistry approaching the Dao and give birth to Divine Intent.

But how long had Zhang Su been in the Sect?

How long had he been practicing the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique?

That he could enable his Wind and Thunder Sword Technique to give birth to Divine Intent just by drawing a little inspiration from Shen Mo’s swordsmanship...

Now *that* was truly unbelievable!

"Hahaha..."

Just then, Wang Dakui appeared.

Completely disregarding his image as an Elder, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.

"Divine Intent!"

"Old Cripple, you really found yourself one hell of a disciple! To grasp Divine Intent at just seventeen years old... it’s unbelievable. Who would dare say Zhang Su isn’t a genius now? At least in swordsmanship, Zhang Su is a Celestial Pride the likes of which is seen only once a century!"

Wang Dakui was incredibly excited.

A Celestial Pride of swordsmanship!

This was what he truly believed.

There was no exaggeration whatsoever!

A Celestial Pride of swordsmanship is still a Celestial Pride!

"Greetings, Elder!"

Zhou Peng, Xie Guanchao, and Zhang Su all bowed to Wang Dakui.

"Alright, alright. I saw the whole battle. Zhang Su, with Jiang Taizhen dead, you can bet those old geezers from the Five Elements Sect will be going insane. So, for the time being, you should stop fighting. Don’t provoke them any further."

Wang Dakui was not exaggerating in the slightest.

The Guiyuan Sect and the Five Elements Sect had been fighting for centuries.

The two sides knew each other inside and out.

In the Five Elements Sect, Five Meridian Cultivation wasn’t actually that special; many disciples could cultivate several of the Five Veins at once.

But as for uniting all five, there was only Shi Buyi.

Anyone who could achieve Two Meridians Unite could be called a genius.

For instance, Zhong Lixuan, whom Xie Guanchao had cleaved in two, had been considered a genius of the Five Elements Sect.

As for Three Meridians Unite...

That was more than just being a genius.

Someone like that had a sliver of hope of becoming a true Sect’s Celestial Pride.

The hope was slim, but it was hope nonetheless.

And now, by killing Jiang Taizhen, Zhang Su had essentially snuffed out the Five Elements Sect’s hope with his own hands.

The elders of the Five Elements Sect would naturally be furious.

"Elder, I wasn’t able to get Jiang Taizhen’s Identity Token..."

Zhang Su asked hesitantly.

"No matter. You killed Jiang Taizhen in full view of everyone. I’ll handle it. The one thousand merit points will be credited to you."

"Thank you, Elder."

Zhang Su did a quick calculation. He previously had 660 merit points. Adding the 390 he earned for killing thirteen Inner Force Martial Artists and the 1,000 he just received...

His merit points now totaled 2,050.

This was far more than the 1,000 merit points needed for a spot in the Fire Melting Cave.

He could use the points to claim a spot in the Fire Melting Cave. That way, he could return to the Guiyuan Sect’s cave to cultivate and avoid any potential backlash from the Five Elements Sect.

However, it was already late. He would go to the Martial Arts Arena to make the exchange tomorrow.

For many, it was destined to be a sleepless night.

But Zhang Su still rested well.

Killing Jiang Taizhen had settled the fire in his heart.

The next day, Zhang Su arrived early at the Martial Arts Arena.

"Senior Brother Zhang, that was amazing!"

"Senior Brother Zhang even killed Jiang Taizhen, hahaha! He was the Five Elements Sect’s Little Celestial Pride, you know."

"So what if he was the Five Elements Sect’s Little Celestial Pride? Didn’t Senior Brother Zhang cut him down all the same?"

As soon as Zhang Su arrived at the Martial Arts Arena, he found that many Guiyuan Sect disciples were very excited.

Their morale was high.

Clearly, the news of him killing Jiang Taizhen had already spread.

Shen Mo’s earlier death had filled many Guiyuan Sect disciples with righteous indignation, and they had been suppressing their anger ever since.

But Jiang Taizhen was so powerful that even Huajin masters had failed to hunt him down.

What could they possibly do?

Now, hearing that Zhang Su had killed Jiang Taizhen one-on-one, they were absolutely thrilled.

Zhang Su walked up to the Inner Sect Steward.

"Steward, I’d like to redeem a spot in the Fire Melting Cave."

Zhang Su said directly.

"A spot in the Fire Melting Cave costs one thousand merit points. You currently have two thousand fifty. Are you sure you want to make the exchange?"

"Redeem it."

Zhang Su didn’t hesitate.

The Inner Sect Steward immediately deducted one thousand merit points from Zhang Su.

Zhang Su was left with one thousand fifty merit points.

Then, the Inner Sect Steward handed Zhang Su a token.

"This is the Fire Melting Cave Token. You don’t have to wait in line; you can enter the Fire Melting Cave directly with this token. A spot is good for a one-month stay."