CHAPTER 209: MISUNDERSTANDING

Swish. Swish. Swish.

No matter how many times Yu Xuan’s sword arc hit her, the old woman didn’t even shift her foot. His strikes, powerful enough to split boulders, dissolved against her presence as if he were swinging at mist.

Frustration burned in his chest. He felt like a child with a wooden stick battering against a mountain carved from eternity.

Which, in truth, he was.

"Is this your all?" the old woman’s voice cracked like a whip.

"I told you to use everything. I don’t care if it’s poison, forbidden techniques, talismans, or divine weapons. Be it your strength or borrowed strength, use it all. Otherwise..."

She didn’t finish, but Yu Xuan didn’t need her to. The unspoken weight in her words was heavy.

’Borrowed power, huh?’ Yu Xuan thought, lips pressed thin.

He had options, but he wasn’t ready to play them yet. An opportunity like this, striking at a supreme entity without fear of death was rare. Even knowing only defeat awaited him.

So he closed the gap.

Qi surged into his left hand as he thrust a palm strike directly against her back, a technique meant to cause devastating internal damage. He hadn’t expected much, but the utter lack of reaction still chilled him. She didn’t even blink.

His sword lashed out, the First Form arcing with lethal precision — only to be brushed aside by her bare hand, like an elder swatting an insect.

Yu Xuan’s pupils flared crimson-gold.

[Immortal’s Gaze] — Annihilation.

A beam of searing golden-red light burst from his eyes, cutting toward her forehead. For the first time, her brows lifted ever so slightly in surprise.

’That divine ability again’, she thought, eyes narrowing as the beam dissipated harmlessly. She had seen this during the trial.

’No... more than one. This boy...’

Her gaze sharpened, studying him like a puzzle. His adaptability mid-fight was terrifying, each move executed more sharply than the last, his body and Qi adjusting in real time. That kind of combat evolution wasn’t natural.

’This child brings too many surprises. Should I test him further?’

Her answer was obvious.

She raised a single finger.

Instantly, the world inverted. Yu Xuan felt gravity reverse beneath him, tearing him off his feet with crushing force. His body shot upward at impossible speed. Within seconds, he was two kilometers high, the endless white expanse beneath him a blur.

Then gravity returned with a vengeance. He plummeted like a meteor.

The old woman’s lips curled faintly.

"How will you stop yourself from dying from such a height?"

Even with a movement technique, survival was unlikely. At his current cultivation — Foundation Establishment, First Stage, the fall was fatal. She already suspected how he would endure, but she wanted to see it.

Yu Xuan didn’t disappoint.

A spear materialized in his grip mid-fall, gleaming like molten steel. He twisted in the air, redirecting his descent into a plunging strike. The weapon howled through the air like a falling star.

The old woman caught it between two fingers. The impact roared like a storm, yet her robe didn’t stir.

Yu Xuan hit the ground a moment later, softly. At the last instant, he had unleashed his [Telekinesis] at full force, bending invisible currents to slow his fall. He landed upright, breathing hard but steady.

"Then may I use borrowed strength?" Yu Xuan asked, meeting her gaze evenly.

The old woman’s lips twitched.

"As if it would make any difference."

But her eyes betrayed her.

Among humans, she had witnessed countless geniuses — yet this boy was on another level entirely. His eye technique, his swordsmanship, his speed of adaptation, his bizarre cultivation method... every move pushed him into the realm of unnatural.

The more she watched, the more unnatural he became.

But here she was mistaken. Every skill Yu Xuan had displayed — she had quietly categorized them as divine abilities or innate traits.

The truth was simpler.

Yu Xuan only had three natural traits: [Soul Vision], [Mental Resistance], and [Adaptive Mind].

The rest — [Immortal’s Gaze], [Telekinesis], and even his yet to use [Ultra Instinct], were all skills bestowed by his system. Because they originated from deep within his soul untouched by anyone and highly protected by his system, she was unable to identify them.

To an outside observer, however, they radiated the same essence as Heaven-blessed divine abilities.

Even Yu Xuan himself didn’t realize how deeply the old woman was misjudging him.

To her, he was no mere genius.

He was a freak the heavens themselves had chosen.

Yu Xuan lowered his sword slightly. There was no meaning in continuing. Fighting her felt like striking a rock older than time — unyielding, immovable, and utterly unaffected. Every motion of hers, however simple, contained truths he could not yet grasp. Or was she just simply stopping his attacks? He felt both was possible for the old women.

’Let me use it then,’ he thought, reaching into his space ring.

A talisman appeared in his hand, inked with runes that seemed alive.

The old woman’s eyes flicked toward it.

’A wise choice,’ she mused.

If the boy had reached for it earlier, she would have been even more impressed.

This test was not about brute strength — it was to see how long their patience held against an opponent who gave them nothing. Sometimes the best path was not attack, but retreat. She would even accept it, if he accepted his defeat.

Still, her gaze lingered. She wanted to see what kind of talisman this was.

Yu Xuan poured his Qi into the talisman.

Hummm.

The runes lit up one by one, resonating with his breath and pulse until the talisman itself seemed to sing in harmony with him.

A sudden flash tore through the white expanse. Binding light surged outward, wrapping Yu Xuan in a protective Sword Qi.

The brilliance expanded, forming a faint barrier that even reached Lingluo, who had been standing quietly at the edge, her eyes widening as she felt its embrace. This felt very familiar to her.

Then the light changed.

A sword will — vast, supreme, domineering, erupted from the talisman. It wasn’t mere killing intent; it was the absolute conviction of a sword that could cut Heaven itself. The air screamed, and space shivered under its edge.

Yu Xuan’s chest tightened. His heart pounded as if crushed by the sheer will pouring from the talisman. Still this will felt very familiar to him.

The world itself turned dark.

The white expanse collapsed into shadow, as though the talisman had summoned night to swallow reality.

Even Yu Xuan, who held it, had no idea what exactly was unfolding — only that something extraordinary was happening. A presence beyond comprehension seemed to peer through the talisman, brushing against him.

And when the blinding radiance finally faded—

Yu Xuan’s jaw dropped.

The white realm around them was no longer pristine. Cracks split through the endless expanse like shattered glass, spreading in every direction, up, down, left, and right. Nowhere was untouched. Each fracture pulsed faintly, as though reality itself had nearly collapsed under the strike.

The old woman stood motionless in the center, unharmed. But her expression... was comical.

She had not expected this. Not at all.

To protect this illusory realm from collapsing entirely, she had been forced to move — if only slightly. A ripple of her power had leaked out to stabilize the cracking domain.

Her eyes flicked to the talisman in Yu Xuan’s hand. The once-brilliant glow had dimmed to a faint shimmer. Yet she immediately realized, this talisman was not a one use, life saving charm. It could be used again. Perhaps multiple times.

Her thoughts raced.

’Attack potency of the highest grade. Even among disciples of the sect, only a handful could barely produce such force. No!, this surpasses most of them entirely.’

This was no ordinary strike. The strike unleashed just now was at the pinnacle of Half-Immortal might, bordering on Immortal. Not quite there, but still capable of shaking worlds.

Her gaze sharpened.

’But how does he have this? Such a talisman cannot be some random fortuitous encounter. No... it reacted too naturally to him, as if it was crafted with him in mind. An ancestor, perhaps, his family forging it for him in case of disaster.’

And then there was his sword technique. That strange, otherworldly swordsmanship that carried mysteries.

’Does his family have a destiny with the sword path?’

Her thoughts grew. The one created this talisman was still in the lower realm.

’What an exceptional talent... or is it an old monster hiding...?’

Both possibilities carried dangerous consequences.

Either way, this was no longer something she could ignore. Whoever it was piqued her curiosity.

Her decision was immediate.

"You are forbidden from using that in the sect," the old woman said at last, her voice like iron.

Yu Xuan looked at her for a moment, then gave a simple nod. It was not the time to argue. He had other talismans too. Each had been entrusted to him, gifts from his father and mother.

And this was only one of them.