"Who is the first person to fight? What is that brother's name, Wang Lei?" Yang Tiankui looked down at the first challenge letter and then asked the crowd.
"Brother Wang Lei, are you here?" Yang Tiankui called out again.
"Stop calling, I'm already here." A voice sounded from the crowd, and a figure pushed through the throng, stepping forward.
The newcomer was muscular, with a stern face and mysterious blue markings on his exposed skin.
"Wang Lei, isn't that the formidable man who cultivates the Furious Thunder Sword Intent?" The crowd buzzed with discussion upon hearing his name.
"This fellow apparently begged the Sect Master to summon a lightning tribulation to aid his comprehension of the Furious Thunder Sword Intent. He was turned into charcoal on the spot, and only by the Sect Master's intervention, keeping him barely alive, was he saved. I didn't expect him to challenge Yang Tiankui!"
"Indeed, this man is incredibly fierce. Most of those who challenged him back then were torn apart by his Furious Thunder Sword Intent, and many ended up as charred lumps."
"If the first challenger is already this formidable, how will Yang Tiankui be defeated? An outsider has actually become a Peak Master of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."
Seeing how impressive the first challenger was, the assembled crowd was eager to see how Yang Tiankui would fare.
Perhaps there would even be some amusing moments. After all, Wang Lei's use of lightning to turn people into charred lumps severely damaged their public image.
Lightning, huh? Yang Tiankui's brow twitched almost imperceptibly as he heard the crowd's murmurs. Lightning was troublesome. He hadn't expected the first opponent to wield the most potent lightning sword intent, which especially countered his kind of destructive sword intent.
This was because, in essence, his destructive sword intent, and similar types, were considered a form of sinister sword intent, a negative energy that could be suppressed by the yang energy of lightning.
However, Yang Tiankui was confident in himself. No matter who his opponent was, he felt no fear.
Wang Lei leaped onto the arena, facing Yang Tiankui.
Seeing this, Yang Tiankui's hand flashed, and a blood-red longsword appeared in his grasp.
The sword was blood-colored and crystalline, emitting a fierce and menacing aura.
Wang Lei's brow furrowed at the sight, and a slight smirk touched his lips. "Don't you know I cultivate the Furious Thunder Sword Art?"
"It's specifically designed to counter these insidious and ferocious sword intents of yours. Don't you know that?"
As he spoke, a bolt of lightning flickered in his hand, transforming into a gleaming sword of light. His entire being was enveloped in the power of thunder, exuding a magnificent aura.
Yang Tiankui shook his head and chuckled lightly. "Remember, there are no useless sword intents in this world, only useless people. Do you understand? Sword intent suppression is a mere triviality. The true decider of victory is how well two people grasp and comprehend their sword intents."
"Hmph, sharp-tongued brat. Words are useless; let's see what our swords can do." Wang Lei sneered, dismissing Yang Tiankui's words with disdain. If there were no superiority between sword intents, why would people pursue the comprehension of different ones?
Wang Lei raised the sword formed from lightning, and his body erupted with ten thousand bolts of thunder.
He transformed into a streak of lightning, instantly charging towards Yang Tiankui. The air ignited from the ferocious thunder, and a sulfuric smell permeated the entire venue.
The crowd gasped in shock, marveling at how Wang Lei's lightning had grown even stronger, capable of altering the very heavens.
They all looked up, and dark clouds began to gather, within which dazzling white lightning flashed, accompanied by rumbling thunder.
"Oh my, Wang Lei has advanced his Furious Thunder Sword Intent again. He couldn't cause such celestial phenomena before."
An elder familiar with Wang Lei exclaimed in surprise. It seemed Yang Tiankui's arrival had not only stirred anger but also spurred the cultivation speed of the sect's geniuses.
"Indeed, indeed. Wang Lei's sword intent now possesses some of the flair of the sect's former elders who cultivated lightning sword intent," another elder concurred, expressing his approval of Wang Lei.
Yet, they wondered how Yang Tiankui would respond, as the Furious Thunder Sword Intent was known to suppress all yin-attribute sword intents.
"Hmm, good." Jian San nodded, observing the Furious Thunder Sword Intent that could provoke celestial phenomena, and softly uttered "good." This was high praise from him, as few in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect could earn his recognition.
Yang Tiankui smiled faintly as he watched the celestial changes in the sky, murmuring, "Not all yin-attribute sword intents fear your Furious Thunder Sword Intent. Mine is one of them."
Yang Tiankui instantly unleashed his own sword intent, a pillar of crimson light shooting towards the sky, tearing a gap in the gathered dark clouds.
As a newcomer to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, his initial principle was to remain low-key. However, to acquire resources, he was compelled to display his strength and seize the last peak to become its master.
He had learned a truth in the Azure World: to stand out, one must pay a price.
Being surrounded and challenged by everyone now was the price he had to pay. But he had no choice; he had to do it because he aimed to become the supreme master of the sword.
The path to becoming the supreme master of the sword was undoubtedly fraught with thorns, but he feared nothing. Relying on the destructive sword intent honed over twenty years of slaying beings across countless worlds, he remained utterly fearless.
As one who comprehended the destructive sword intent, he deeply understood that the more he killed, the stronger his sword intent became. Few at his stage could slay beings from an entire world to forge an invincible sword intent; not that there were none, but certainly not on the Myriad Spirits Continent.
Sword intents like the Furious Thunder Sword Intent would naturally suppress his, which was forged through slaughter. However, this did not encompass all of Wang Lei's Furious Thunder Sword Intent. It wasn't that he couldn't suppress it; he simply wasn't qualified.
Therefore, Yang Tiankui had no intention of backing down from his Furious Thunder Sword Intent.
What? He actually shattered the celestial phenomena induced by my Furious Thunder Sword Intent! Wang Lei's brow furrowed. He felt something was amiss.
This was not what the intelligence suggested.
Wang Lei recalled the information he had obtained: Yang Tiankui's destructive sword intent was supposed to be suppressed by his Furious Thunder Sword Intent. Why was it like this now?
But the sword was drawn; what reason was there to sheathe it without tasting blood?
Wang Lei's heart tightened. He unleashed an even more brilliant silver lightning, channeling it fiercely into his longsword, transforming it into a furious dragon of thunder. With a roar like a dragon's, it charged directly at Yang Tiankui.