An hour passed, and Li Xuan had only climbed eighty meters. The divine sword's aura grew stronger the higher he ascended. Even with his enlightened sword heart, Li Xuan was suppressed by the divine sword's might, making significant progress difficult.
To reach this height, Li Xuan had exerted nearly all his sword intent to resist. Sweat poured from his brow, and his body was hunched. The divine sword's aura seemed to sense his presence, continuously pressing down, forcing Li Xuan to lower himself further.
"Young master, this divine sword is testing your will. Whether you can endure it depends on you alone," the Heavenly Dao Brush's voice echoed in Li Xuan's mind.
Hearing this, Li Xuan strained to look towards the summit. A flicker of determination flashed in his eyes, and he pressed on along the mountain path.
One step, two steps, three steps… ten steps!
At this point, Li Xuan moved like an old man past fifty, his pace agonizingly slow. Yet, he was still advancing. The sword aura, however, grew increasingly fierce.
Crack!
Finally, as Li Xuan neared the summit by another thirty meters, the sword aura surged. His body, like a drawn bow, let out a crisp sound. Li Xuan knew his ribs had broken. Despite this, his steps did not falter.
Thump, thump, thump!
Soon, muffled thuds emanated from within Li Xuan's body. His skin split, and cracks appeared all over him. Crimson blood flowed, instantly dyeing him into a blood-soaked figure.
Puff!
Li Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his body swaying precariously.
"Young master, perhaps you should stop. There are still a hundred meters to the summit. In your current state, you might completely disintegrate within another ten meters," the Heavenly Dao Brush advised.
Li Xuan ignored the Brush's words, his gaze growing more resolute as he continued to walk.
Blood continued to flow, and the cracks on his body multiplied. The muffled thuds became more frequent, indicating that his body was on the verge of collapse. Even so, Li Xuan's expression remained unchanged.
"I, Li Xuan, will never give up!"
Li Xuan moved his leaden legs and took another step forward. His aura, at this moment, surged.
Sword Intent, Level Six.
With the enhancement of his sword intent, Li Xuan continued his ascent. However, after ten meters, his progress was forcefully halted. The current sword aura had surpassed Li Xuan's limit of endurance.
Li Xuan's body trembled uncontrollably. His flesh was cracking, and pieces of flesh were falling away. Even though Qingxiao was furiously channeling spiritual energy to repair him, it couldn't keep up with the damage inflicted by the sword aura's suppression.
"Young master, give up…" the Heavenly Dao Brush implored once more.
Li Xuan shook his head slightly. He looked up towards the summit, now tantalizingly close, and a wild smile spread across his face. "Today, I, Li Xuan, will reach the summit!"
The next moment, Li Xuan took a deep breath and stepped forward again.
Crack!
His movement caused all the flesh on his left arm to slough off. The blood-stained skeletal framework of his left hand was revealed, stark and chilling. Yet, Li Xuan did not stop, continuing forward. The inevitable consequence was that the flesh of his right arm also detached.
One step, two steps, three steps… seven steps!
After seven steps, Li Xuan's entire body was reduced to a skeleton. His blood had drained, his flesh gone, a horrifying sight.
"Aren't you going to help him?" In the Prison of Suppression, Jiao Le looked at Shi Lezhi.
Shi Lezhi shook his head slightly. "This is his choice, and his path. We cannot interfere. If someone were to help him at every turn, how would he ever grow? Since that one has also chosen to let him develop on his own, why should we add our two cents?"
Jiao Le fell silent. If they were to intervene, they could easily transport Li Xuan to the summit. But growth without the struggle was akin to pulling up seedlings to hasten their growth. Even if they grew, they would likely be superficial.
Yet, Li Xuan's current state was truly tragic.
"You don't need to worry about him. Think about it, if it were anyone else in this condition, would they still be alive? Moreover, his vitality is still remarkably strong," Shi Lezhi said, seemingly sensing Jiao Le's concern, with a slight smile.
Jiao Le nodded as if understanding. If he hadn't sensed Li Xuan's persistent vitality, he would have intervened by now.
"I once heard a secret legend that willpower can sometimes elevate and break through. The willpower of a sword cultivator actually surpasses that of others. Of course, this is only a slight edge, as willpower ultimately depends on the individual. But if one can break through their own willpower limitations, that is a different story," Shi Lezhi remarked.
Jiao Le's heart stirred. "You mean the Unyielding Bloodline?"
"It seems you are also familiar with this," Shi Lezhi replied with a slight smile. "The Unyielding Bloodline can only have a chance of success under certain special conditions. And his current situation, one could say, presents such an opportunity. If he succeeds, his strength will increase by severalfold."
Jiao Le became silent. The Unyielding Bloodline, even he himself had not succeeded in achieving it. After all, not everyone could maintain their vitality in such a state, and then, from it, gain insight, improve, and break through their willpower.
In general, the conditions for possessing the Unyielding Bloodline were too harsh. Sometimes, the stronger one's power, the more they feared death. At a certain level, no one was willing to take risks lightly.
"Chongfeng, come!"
Li Xuan's hoarse voice emanated from his skeletal throat. The next moment, Chongfeng appeared on the skeletal frame of Li Xuan's left hand.
"This sword strike is my resolve, Li Xuan's!"
"I, Li Xuan, will never yield or give up!"
Boom!
With a roar from Li Xuan, Chongfeng struck towards the summit. Accompanying a thunderous boom, the sword body was repelled. Although Chongfeng was a king sword, the one on the summit was a divine sword. Its rank was two levels higher than Chongfeng.
Crack!
The terrifying backlash reverberated, shattering Li Xuan's bones. Yet, Li Xuan's eyes remained fixed on the summit, and he took another step forward.
Buzz!
At this moment, a humming sound emanated from Li Xuan's dantian. The next instant, the residual bloodstains on his skeleton condensed into a drop of blood. Soon, it separated, then two, then three…
Not only that, but flesh also began to grow on the surface of his bones. Li Xuan's eyes slowly closed, and the flesh and blood on his body increased. In just one minute, Li Xuan's body was restored to its original state. However, his eyes remained closed.
Time passed, and Li Xuan's aura grew stronger and stronger. Even the divine sword's aura receded completely. Within a ten-meter radius centered on Li Xuan, a vacuum zone was created.
Boom!
A quarter of an hour later, Li Xuan's eyes snapped open. A terrifying aura shot straight into the heavens, a resounding spectacle.
"Congratulations, young master, on comprehending the Unyielding Will!"