After waiting for about an hour, a series of footsteps echoed from inside the hall, and Xiong Shan's short, stout figure finally emerged, his face solemn.

Seeing the crowded hall, a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

"Greetings, Deputy Dao Lord Xiong!" Everyone in the hall rose in unison and bowed to Xiong Shan.

"No need for formalities, follow me." Xiong Shan waved his hand slightly and turned to walk towards a side door in the hall.

The crowd hastily followed, silently trailing Xiong Shan through the side door, down a long corridor, and into a place resembling a martial arts arena.

The place was about a thousand zhang in size, but apart from ten huge stone swords lying flat on the ground, it seemed empty and devoid of anything else.

Each of these stone swords was seven or eight zhang tall, with an extremely thick blade. They were inscribed with incredibly complex patterns, emanating a strange aura, like sword qi, yet distinctly different.

Han Li's gaze swept over the stone swords, a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if he understood something.

"You all know the details of this mission. I need ten people proficient in swordsmanship to assist me in refining a magical treasure. Since there are over forty of you here, I have arranged this test to assess your swordsmanship skills." Xiong Shan stated bluntly.

Most of those present had already guessed this, so few showed surprise. However, the indigenous elders and Qi Liang and others, who were not indigenous elders, exchanged glances, their hostility deepening.

"Deputy Dao Lord Xiong, as the number one swordsman among the thirty-six Deputy Dao Lords of our sect, even just participating in this test will greatly benefit our future cultivation and comprehension. This is truly thoughtful." Zhu Feng suddenly stepped forward from the crowd and said with a loud laugh.

He usually appeared arrogant when facing others, but now his face was full of smiles, displaying an extremely humble demeanor.

Upon hearing this, many people turned to look at Zhu Feng.

Xiong Shan's gaze also swept towards Zhu Feng. Although his expression didn't change much, his originally indifferent eyes softened slightly. He then said calmly, "The content of this test is actually very simple. You have probably seen the stone swords next to you. They are 'Inverted Origin Stone Swords' that I refined with a unique method. They contain special restrictions that can only be manipulated by those who are truly proficient in sword control. Come forward one by one and try. The results of the test will be determined by the number of stone swords you can control."

Seeing this, Han Li, like the others, turned his attention to the stone swords.

This testing method was indeed novel.

However, everyone present was hearing the name "Inverted Origin Stone Sword" for the first time. Although there were only ten, Xiong Shan spoke of them so solemnly that everyone hesitated, and no one stepped forward to try, not even Zhu Feng showed a hint of hesitation.

"Brother Li, what do you think?" Qi Liang approached Han Li with some unease and asked through sound transmission.

"I can't tell for now. But these Inverted Origin Stone Swords are definitely not as simple as they appear. I'm afraid it won't be easy to activate them." Han Li pondered slightly and replied through sound transmission.

The others were also communicating through divine sense, discussing animatedly.

"I only need to find ten people who meet my requirements. When the ten spots are filled, the test will end." Xiong Shan, seeing everyone's hesitation, became somewhat displeased and snorted coldly.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed. They couldn't afford to hesitate any longer, and an inner sect elder with a bald head immediately flew to the stone swords.

"I'll go first!"

Seeing this, Xiong Shan slowly nodded.

"Brother Li, when do you plan to go and try?" Qi Liang glanced at the eager crowd around him and asked Han Li through sound transmission.

"No rush. Although Xiong Shan said that, he has the final say in what 'meets his requirements'. Since so many people have come, he will definitely choose the best and will definitely watch until the end. Let these people explore the truth of these stone swords first, and we can observe them more." Han Li replied through sound transmission.

"Brother Li is insightful!" Qi Liang was startled and immediately understood.

A few others seemed to share Han Li's opinion, looking relaxed and not in a hurry to step forward.

At this moment, the bald-headed elder in the arena took a deep breath, and a faint white light emanated from his body, causing an icy chill to appear around him.

Buzz!

A dazzling white light erupted from the man's body, condensing into a snow-white giant sword phantom.

An eerie, icy sword intent spread out, and countless crystalline snowflakes immediately appeared in the nearby void, dancing in the sky, creating a beautiful scene.

Han Li raised an eyebrow. This bald-headed elder's swordsmanship was not weak.

These snowflakes seemed ordinary, but they were not formed by cold air condensing moisture in the void. Instead, they were manifested from strands of sword qi. This required extremely precise control over swordsmanship, which was not simple.

"Rise!"

The bald-headed elder shouted softly, made a sword gesture, and pointed a finger.

A snow-white sword shadow immediately separated from the giant sword phantom above his head and shot into a stone sword.

The giant sword phantom flickered and immediately shrank.

A layer of snow-white light appeared on the stone sword. At that moment, the rune patterns on the sword suddenly lit up with strands of black, ghostly light and began to flicker rapidly, as if flames were dancing.

The snow-white light on the sword seemed to have met its nemesis and was immediately dispelled for the most part.

Seeing this, the bald-headed elder hurriedly made sword gestures again and again. The giant sword phantom around him brightened, and another sword shadow split off, several times larger than the previous one, and disappeared into the stone sword in a flash.

The giant sword phantom trembled violently and immediately shrank greatly.

Dense snow-white light appeared on the stone sword, with countless small, white sword-like runes faintly visible within the light.

Although the black, ghostly light on the surface of the stone sword flickered again, attacking the snow-white light, the snow-white light was much tougher at this moment and was not dispelled all at once, seemingly resisting stubbornly.

"Rise!" The bald-headed elder's eyes widened slightly, and he shouted softly again.

The huge stone sword trembled and slowly floated into the air.

Although it flew up, the ghostly light on the sword did not stop. Instead, it flickered even more violently, causing it to tremble unsteadily.

The bald-headed elder's face froze. He quickly made gestures and cast secret techniques to barely stabilize the stone sword.

He exhaled, sweat appearing on his forehead, and looked at the other stone swords.

Seeing the bald-headed elder's situation, the faces of the people behind him became grave.

A layer of faint blue light appeared in Han Li's eyes as he stared intently at the stone sword suspended in mid-air, as if he were pondering something.

The bald-headed elder did not pause. He made gestures and cast spells again, and another white sword shadow entered the second stone sword. He made gestures like a wheel, and his face gradually turned from red to white.

The white light on the surface of the second stone sword flashed wildly. After a while, it finally floated up slowly.

Large beads of sweat appeared on the bald-headed elder's forehead, and his face had turned as white as paper, as if he were carrying a huge burden.

He took a slight breath and gritted his teeth, suddenly turning his head to look at the third stone sword and making gestures with both hands.

Driving two stone swords had already reached the bald-headed elder's limit. Distracted by casting spells again, the two stone swords in mid-air immediately began to tremble.

He shouted softly, his eyes wide, while trying his best to stabilize the two stone swords in mid-air, and using his last bit of mental energy to perform sword control.

Buzz!

The giant sword phantom above the bald-headed elder's head, which had already shrunk greatly, trembled and shot out entirely, entering the third stone sword.

The white light on the surface of the stone sword flashed wildly, and it looked like it was about to float up.

At that moment, the black light on the surface of the three stone swords trembled simultaneously, as if echoing each other, and the light shone brightly at the same time.

Bang, bang, bang!

The white light on the surface of the three stone swords shattered completely. With a thud, they fell heavily to the ground, creating two deep pits in the ground.

The bald-headed elder gasped for breath, a look of deep disappointment on his face.

"Two stone swords," Xiong Shan said calmly, shaking his head slightly.

The people behind him were silent, their expressions heavy.

Seeing Xiong Shan shake his head, the bald-headed elder's heart sank. Knowing that he probably had no hope of being selected, he sighed and walked to the side.

"Let me try!"

As soon as he stepped down, a red-haired youth with thick eyebrows shouted and flew into the arena. A dazzling red light instantly bloomed from his body.

Chī chī chī!

Strands of sword qi shot out, forming a huge red lotus around him. Each lotus petal was composed of countless red sword qi, engulfing his figure.

Buzz!

The lotus brightened suddenly, and a red ripple shot out from the lotus pistil, entering a stone sword.

A layer of crimson light immediately appeared on the stone sword.

At that moment, the patterns on the surface of the stone sword flashed, revealing a layer of black ghostly light. However, the black light at this moment appeared to be in a flowing, water-like form, fiercely impacting the crimson light.

"So that's it... that's why they're called Inverted Origin Stone Swords." Han Li's eyes flashed with blue light, and he nodded slightly.

"Brother Li, these stone swords are indeed strange. Have you seen any clues?" Qi Liang asked through sound transmission.

"The patterns on the stone swords, if I'm not mistaken, are not simply a single restriction, but will react differently depending on the situation of the person activating them, interfering with the spellcasting." Han Li said slowly through sound transmission.

Qi Liang nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

While the two were talking, the red-haired youth had already activated two stone swords in succession, but at this moment, he also seemed to have reached his limit, and the light of the red lotus around him was beginning to become unstable.

Buzz!

Another red ripple shot out from the lotus, entering the third stone sword.

The third stone sword trembled, seeming like it was about to float up.

The black light on the surface of the three stone swords resonated again, and the light shone brightly.

Bang, bang!

The two stone swords in mid-air immediately lost control and fell down.

"Two stone swords, next," Xiong Shan said expressionlessly.

The lotus flickered and disappeared, revealing the figure of the red-haired youth, with a helpless expression on his face. He walked to the side.

"It seems that simultaneously driving three stone swords is a bottleneck..." Han Li thought to himself.

Then, a third person stepped forward. His swordsmanship was quite weak, and he could only drive one stone sword to his limit. He retreated to the side with a ashamed expression.

Then, the fourth person, the fifth person...

Soon, as many as eight people had participated in the test. Unfortunately, everyone could only activate two stone swords at most. The third stone sword seemed like an invisible wall, blocking everyone.