Volume 2 - Chapter 56: Renowned in Tianji Tower - Part 2
The other disciples of Tianji Tower were frozen in shock.
They had expected three attempts, or perhaps five, but never imagined that Li Hao would achieve it in a single try.
Moreover, the level of his swordsmanship actually triggered anomalies, surpassing the understanding of most present. Only a select few were aware of the supreme tier of techniques known as True Form.
“One glance… and he grasped True Form…”
Among the disciples, a few murmured to themselves, their gazes vacant and stunned.
At this moment, Li Hao held a withered branch in his hand and returned to the edge of the dojo, heading toward the Heavenly Shadow Monument of the 100th sequence, the last monument in the ranking order.
This sequence was most likely assigned by the Grand Tower Lord, based on the difficulty level of the techniques within each monument.
Having activated the monument once before, Li Hao easily placed his hand on it again, swiftly engraving his image.
However, this time, the monument displayed a saber technique.
Seeing this, Li Hao decided to skip it and moved on to the Heavenly Shadow Monument of the 99th sequence nearby.
Although his mastery of swordsmanship was profound enough to mimic the saber technique and leave an imprint, there was no need to do so.
The Heavenly Shadow Monument of the 99th sequence held a fist technique.
Li Hao smiled and quickly had his Panel record it.
Once the previous image faded, Li Hao punched the monument, unleashing a flurry of anomalies.
True Form level.
His figure was soon etched onto the monument.
Li Hao then proceeded to other Heavenly Shadow Monuments.
One after another, he activated over a dozen monuments in a row. This included the 93rd sequence monument, which Tang Zhixi had just successfully engraved her image on, and it hadn’t even cooled yet.
The image of the woman on the monument was erased. That technique, an upper-grade sword technique mastered to perfection, was relatively easy to learn and control.
Yet when Li Hao executed his True Form Swordsmanship, her image was instantly replaced.
As Li Hao approached the 70th sequence monument, Lu Chunsheng finally snapped out of his daze. He stared blankly for a moment before hastily asking, “Young General, what are you trying to do?”
“I’m seeing how many I can comprehend,” Li Hao replied with a grin.
Lu Chunsheng was dumbfounded. Watching the monuments being replaced one after another, with only a few skipped, he suddenly felt an ominous premonition in his heart.
In the crowd, Tang Zhixi was staring in disbelief at the young man’s silhouette. Her engraving, achieved after six months of painstaking practice to master the technique to perfection, had been replaced after a mere glance from him.
Moreover, the gap between True Form and Perfection was vast—so vast it was incomprehensible.
Was this something a human could achieve?
She recalled a small detail. While she had been demonstrating her sword technique for engraving, the young man had even looked around idly, as if he were getting bored...
At this moment, her mind buzzed, her thoughts in complete disarray.
In the dojo, the other disciples of Tianji Tower felt similarly overwhelmed. Initially, they were shocked. Then, their expressions froze in amazement, as if they had been force-fed an entire egg and left unable to speak.
Such an absurd spectacle defied even the wildest imagination.
Of all the Heavenly Shadow Monuments, any monument that Li Hao stopped to observe was engraved in a single try—and always at the True Form level.
They couldn’t even dare to dream of such an achievement.
It was simply too outrageous.
Was he even human?!
As Li Hao continued forward, he quickly reached the sequence of the top 30 Heavenly Shadow Monuments.
Lu Chunsheng’s face was a mix of astonishment and disbelief. Such an overwhelming display of talent was unheard of in millennia, something he couldn’t even fathom.
But then, he suddenly realized a serious problem, which jolted him awake.
Li Hao had engraved so many Heavenly Shadow Monuments in succession, pushing all the techniques within them to the True Form level.
Who would be able to leave their mark in the future?
Observe a monument ten times? Reach True Form?
They would probably be cursed to death!
Forget ten tries—achieving such a feat even after a hundred attempts would be impossible.
True Form was a realm that many had never even heard of.
Even the scions of noble families only aspired to Perfection, which was already considered the pinnacle of skill.
To reach True Form, even the most gifted individuals would require decades of dedicated training.
For those with average aptitude, it might take centuries, if it could be achieved at all!
“Young General, Young General!”
Watching Li Hao continue activating monuments, Lu Chunsheng felt his heart leap with fear. If Li Hao went through all these Heavenly Shadow Monuments, wouldn’t they become useless?
These monuments were an integral part of Tianji Tower’s legacy, cultivated over millennia!
“Hmm?”
Li Hao turned to look at Lu Chunsheng.
Lu Chunsheng hurriedly said, “Young General, I know your comprehension is unparalleled, but shouldn’t we leave some monuments untouched?”
Hearing this, Li Hao frowned, quickly grasping Lu Chunsheng’s concern.
Seeing his expression, Lu Chunsheng hastily added, “You could try the monument of the first sequence instead, the one at the very top. Leaving your mark there would already prove your unmatched talent.”
Li Hao sighed helplessly. He wasn’t doing this to prove anything—he was merely collecting techniques.
“Fine.”
He relented and said, “But can I still activate these monuments to take a look?”
“If you’re just activating them, there’s no problem,” Lu Chunsheng replied, letting out a breath of relief and nodding quickly.
Li Hao smiled and continued to activate the Heavenly Shadow Monuments.
Soon, he had activated over thirty monuments, recording about a third of the techniques they contained.
Finally, Li Hao arrived at the grandest monument, standing atop the mountain.
While most Heavenly Shadow Monuments were only two or three zhang tall, this one was over ten zhang. Even beside the majestic, galaxy-like waterfall nearby, it stood out prominently.
Li Hao raised his hand to activate it, and a figure wielding a sword appeared on the monument.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow in surprise. He recognized this individual—it was Jian Wudao, the Sword Saint of the Sword Abode, albeit as a younger man.
At this point, the image depicted him with short black hair, rather than the flowing white hair he had in the present day. His face, however, had changed little, with smooth, unwrinkled skin that reflected his extraordinary vitality even now.
“When Jian Wudao challenged me back then, he asked for one favor. He wanted to test himself against this Heavenly Shadow Monument,” Lu Chunsheng said as he approached Li Hao, sighing softly. “I lost and had no choice but to agree.”
Lu Chunsheng gazed at the monument and continued, “At that time, we were all still young. Although he exceeded the age limit, I allowed him to proceed. He observed the monument seven times over three years and eventually mastered the sword technique to the Perfection level. For over a hundred years, no one has been able to surpass it.”
Li Hao’s gaze flickered slightly.
To comprehend and train a sword technique to Perfection in three years was indeed an extraordinary feat, showcasing Jian Wudao’s remarkable talent.
No wonder he was now revered as the Sword Saint.
More impressively, Jian Wudao had not yet reached his peak during that time. As a middle-aged man, his swordsmanship realm was far from what it was today.
“Do you want me to erase it? I can help,” Li Hao said after sensing a hint of unease in Lu Chunsheng’s tone. Clearly, the memory of that event still troubled him.
Although Li Hao didn’t know the full details, it seemed that something unpleasant had occurred back then.
Lu Chunsheng hesitated, caught off guard by Li Hao’s suggestion. “You think you can manage that? This sword technique is an ancient, fragmented technique. Even with just a half-formed move, it ranks among the pinnacle of sword techniques!”
“Oh?”
Li Hao’s eyes lit up with interest.