C58 His Sword Technique Had Reached the Great Completion!

The stage was set for a duel, with a young man in white facing off against an elder in black. The contest was imminent.

This was no ordinary test of cultivation; it was a bout to exchange swordplay techniques.

"Given that your cultivation level is merely at the Foundation Stage, I'll allow you the first three strikes. And to make it interesting, I'll only use one hand to counter," the elder stated.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd; such words were a blatant slight to the Eldest Senior Brother!

"Senior, I may not be the strongest, but I can certainly afford to give you a five-move head start," the youth retorted with humility.

The crowd erupted in raucous support for the Eldest Senior Brother.

Jiang Su stood motionless, his face a mask of indifference that thinly veiled a smirk of cold amusement. He resembled a regal, aloof statue, exuding an aura of danger that he made no effort to conceal.

He was the embodiment of strength, casting a disdainful gaze upon a perceived lesser.

"Very well, your arrogance must stem from a life untouched by hardship! Today, I intend to humble that pride of yours," the elder declared.

Murong Yun mused to himself, "What does it matter if he's Chiu Yue's Head Disciple? Here in the First Devil Sect, I fear no one but the Female Ruler—and she certainly won't side with Jiang Su against me."

He mentally rehearsed the formations from the texts, then advanced on Jiang Su with phantom-like speed. Jiang Su's Life Sword was drawn from his belt, its blade gleaming with a chilling light.

In a rapid exchange, they traded over a dozen moves, their speed and precision a blur to onlookers.

Sword energy whipped the ground's dust into the air, shrouding the area in a tense, lethal atmosphere.

"Eldest Senior Brother is holding his own against Lord Murong Yun—it's a true clash of swordsmanship!"

"Eldest Senior Brother, I love you!"

"Eldest Senior Brother has mastered all five tomes in such a short time—he's incredible!"

Even Murong Yun couldn't hide his astonishment. Jiang Su's grasp of the sword far surpassed his expectations. He had pegged Jiang Su as just another pretty face, but the man before him was a genuine prodigy.

Hold on, that sword—it seemed eerily familiar.

The sword energy emanating from Jiang Su's brow, coupled with the distinctive marks his blade left as it danced through the air, confirmed one thing: he was a sword cultivator of rare talent.

Murong Yun steadied his mind, ready to engage earnestly in this sparring session. In his eyes, Jiang Su had transcended the label of a mere Devil Sect disciple to become a worthy adversary with swordsmanship that matched his own.

After several bouts, they were evenly matched—a draw!

Murong Yun's eyes bulged in disbelief. He never imagined that in all his years, he would be evenly matched with someone at the Foundation Stage.

The white-clad youth standing defiantly against the wind exuded an air of nobility. Fine beads of sweat traced the contours of his chiseled jawline, enhancing his already striking appearance.

"He's so handsome!" The onlookers erupted into chaos, with one female cultivator fainting from sheer excitement.

Jiang Su glanced over, prompting another surge of shrill cheers.

With a scoff, Murong Yun flung his sword to the ground and declared, "You've passed the assessment!"

A wave of cheers broke out from the crowd. Jiang Su had earned access to the final five levels of the Compendium Pavilion—the heart of the First Devil Sect, where the most confidential and powerful knowledge resided, the pinnacle of learning.

Standing with his sword, Jiang Su responded with a cool nod, "Thank you."

Jiang Su once again followed the Secretary into the depths of the Compendium Pavilion, this time to the fifth floor. This level felt like a realm apart, cut off from the world beyond the Pavilion's walls.

Books were abundant on the fifth floor. The Secretary pressed on a book nestled in a shelf, and instantly, the shelf slid aside, revealing a slowly moving wall. An ornate door emerged before Jiang Su.

Without hesitation, the Secretary drew a rose gold key from his belt and unlocked the door.

"After you," the Secretary gestured with a bow, inviting Jiang Su inside. Once Jiang Su had entered, the Secretary turned and departed.

Stepping onto the sixth floor, Jiang Su immediately sensed the difference from the previous levels.

While the first five floors boasted thousands of books, none had the rich concentration of spiritual energy that this floor possessed. Here, the spiritual energy was dozens of times more abundant than anywhere in the Devil Sect.

It was no mystery why Murong Yun chose the Compendium Pavilion as his place of healing. Indeed, who wouldn't cherish such a sanctuary?

The bookshelves soared straight into the heavens, creating a truly magnificent sight.

Jiang Su initially wondered why the Compendium Pavilion had only ten floors when it appeared so towering from the outside. Now it made sense.

He pressed on toward the seventh floor, yet no door or staircase was in sight. Clearly, there was a trick to it.

Perhaps he needed to replicate the Secretary's actions to gain entry? There had to be a method.

He replayed the location of a certain book in his mind. It rested on a wall-mounted bookshelf.

With twenty such towering shelves lining the walls, the question was which shelf? Which book?

"Quit guessing. To access the seventh floor, you must locate that book and solve a complex formation. It's no easy feat."

Jiang Su was taken aback. How did Shangguan Yue know all this?

He was from the immortal sect, wasn't he? He shouldn't have had any experience with the First Devil Sect's Compendium Pavilion.

Yet, Shangguan Yue had been mute since yesterday. Known for his outgoing nature, his sudden silence suggested he might be in low spirits. This was Jiang Su's chance to lift his master's mood.

"I need your help, Master."

As Jiang Su reached for a book on Talisman Cultivation, the shelf shifted, revealing a wall identical to the sixth floor's entrance.

He had simply grabbed a book at random, not pondering over the formation at all. He just happened to notice this book and, unexpectedly, it solved the formation.

As expected, Shangguan Yue emerged from the sword, speaking indifferently, "You don't need my instruction. Just have fun with it. From now on, my job is to sleep."

After a pause, he added, "When will you be able to enter the Thousand Feet Illusion? Take me back there. I need to study the Talisman Cultivation texts. I hope that a millennium from now, the next person with Celestial Spiritual Root talent will rescue me."

Suddenly, beneath Jiang Su's feet, a formation materialized with runes so intricate they were absent from the Archean Array Records.

"Master, I truly have no idea how to dismantle this formation."

Shangguan Yue was clearly unconvinced. To her, the formation was of intermediate complexity at best. Given that Jiang Su had managed to repair the venerable Mountain Guarding Formation, the notion that he couldn't figure out this one seemed preposterous.

Feeling utterly helpless, Jiang Su thought to himself, "I genuinely don't know how to dismantle this formation. I've only just begun my studies as a Talisman Cultivator. Master, please trust me once more."

"Master Shangguan, the only reason I could fix the ancient Mountain Guarding Formation was that Master Chiu Yue's book conveniently contained instructions on how to do so."

Shangguan Yue remained half-convinced. Jiang Su pressed on, "Master Shangguan, please assist me with this formation. I'm eager to explore the seventh floor."

Could it be that Jiang Su was truly at a loss with this formation? Even if he were to devour every tome in the Compendium Pavilion today, Shangguan Yue wouldn't bat an eye.