A gush of warm blood splattered from the chest of the black-robed swordsman. Then, the black-robed swordsman transformed into endless starlight and disappeared into the void.

Whew!

Chu Ming let out a light breath, the sword light in his eyes gradually fading. The reason he could kill the black-robed swordsman with one strike wasn't due to superior combat awareness but because his Sword Dao broke through at a critical moment, entering a state where there was a sword in his heart, catching the black-robed swordsman off guard.

"So this is the realm of having a sword in one's heart but not in the hand? Truly marvelous!"

Chu Ming silently savored the feeling, and suddenly, a peculiar sensation arose in his heart. At this moment, he could vaguely sense the presence and emotions of the wooden sword within him. Though he had experienced this state before, it was always fleeting and not like this where he could control it at will.

"It's surprising. Your talent in Sword Dao is among the best in the entire cosmos!"

The artifact spirit emerged from the void, with a peculiar look on his face. He had seen countless geniuses, but for someone to comprehend having a sword in the heart at the Realm of Transcendence, Chu Ming was definitely the first.

"It's a pity that you had your enlightenment too early. If you had it on the Ninth Layer, you might have had a slight chance of passing. But now, with your comprehension of having a sword in the heart, the replica in the Ninth Layer will be even stronger. You might not even be able to withstand ten moves against him!"

The artifact spirit calmly said. Although the Primordial Tower was just one of the five trials for selecting an inheritor, very few had ever passed it. He even hoped Chu Ming could directly pass the Fifth Layer, which would free him completely to roam the cosmos.

"I understand!"

Chu Ming lightly nodded, his expression immensely calm. Opportunity for enlightenment was rare. If he were to give up this chance, who knows when he would next comprehend having a sword in the heart but not in the hand.

The artifact spirit wasn't exaggerating. After all, the black-robed swordsman of the Ninth Layer was inherently a tenth stronger than him. It would naturally be immensely difficult to resist.

"Since you passed the Eighth Layer, you can choose another treasure as your reward!"

The artifact spirit spoke indifferently. With a light wave of his right hand, Chu Ming appeared in the void again, surrounded by innumerable light clusters. Terrifying energy waves poured out from them, surging all around.

Chu Ming's eyes swept over, hoping to find something useful, but he didn't recognize most of the items there, let alone their effects.

"I wonder which treasure the senior thinks suits me best?"

Chu Ming's gaze scanned the endless stars, then shifted his attention to the artifact spirit. The artifact spirit had existed for countless epochs and deserved to be called "senior."

"You brat, you're actually trying to rope me in!"

The artifact spirit smiled and cursed, then softly said, "However, since you asked, I'll recommend a few. Ultimately, the choice is yours."

Chu Ming nodded. The artifact spirit had existed in the Holy Tomb for countless ages and had seen innumerable people, surely knowing which treasures suited him best.

"You are a swordsman. Among these treasures, three should suit you the best!"

The artifact spirit said calmly, lightly summoning three light clusters from the depths of the starry sky.

Looking at the three light clusters, Chu Ming's gaze focused. In the first light cluster was a sword mark only as thick as a thumb. Around the sword mark, the space kept tearing and healing.

"This first sword treasure is a sword mark left by a genius swordsman. Born with a Sword Heart, he comprehended having a sword in his heart but not in his hand at the age of ten. When my master was alive, he once favored this genius swordsman. As a thank you, he left this sword mark for my master, promising to fulfill one task for whoever holds it in the future!"

"Back then, my master was already a supreme being of the Heavenly Dao, so he just took it as a joke. Now, countless epochs have passed. If that Sword Dao genius is still alive, he would at least be a strong being of the Divine Dao, or possibly a half-step supreme being of the Heavenly Dao."

The artifact spirit spoke nonchalantly, glancing at Chu Ming afterwards.

Chu Ming gazed at the sword mark. Within it, he felt a pure and brilliant Sword Dao, countless times purer than his own. He felt that if he could comprehend this sword mark, his Sword Dao would undoubtedly reach an immeasurable level in a short time.

However, Chu Ming quickly sighed. He had only passed the Eighth Layer, and there still lay the Ninth Layer ahead. Choosing this sword mark meant he had no hope of passing the Ninth Layer.

"The second treasure is a Celestial Stone!"

The artifact spirit continued to explain.

"The Celestial Stone is a precious mineral in the cosmos, exceptionally valuable to Life and Death Realm Kings. It can enhance a Life and Death Realm King's comprehension tenfold in a short period, but only for half a year!"

Boom!

The moment the artifact spirit finished speaking, a trace of fervor flashed in Chu Ming's eyes. The Celestial Stone's effects were similar to an Enlightenment Fruit he once received, but while the Enlightenment Fruit worked only on those in the Guiyuan Realm, the Celestial Stone targeted the Life and Death Realm, and its duration was significantly longer.

"What a pity!"

Chu Ming felt silently. The Celestial Stone could indeed rapidly boost his strength, but not enough to get past the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Tower.

Chu Ming's gaze turned to the third light cluster, within which was a thumb-sized seed, glowing a bright green.

"This third treasure is a Sword Dao Seed!"

"The Sword Dao Seed is condensed by a Sword Dao master, containing terrifying Sword Dao destructive power. The one before you was created by an Emperor Swordsman. Despite countless epochs passing and much energy dissipating, it could still kill an ordinary Life and Death Realm King in a burst."

The artifact spirit slowly explained.

"This one!"

Chu Ming's eyes lit up. Among the three treasures, the Sword Dao Seed had the lowest value, but it would help him the most in the Ninth Layer.

"I must tell you, even with the Sword Dao Seed, you cannot kill the Ninth Layer replica. At most, you can seriously injure him!"

The artifact spirit warned.

"Seriously injure him? That's enough!"

Chu Ming said calmly. As long as he could seriously injure the black-robed swordsman of the Ninth Layer, his chances of winning would rise above fifty percent. Of course, it still depended on how he used the Sword Dao Seed.