Ye Bufan was in a special state at this moment, his understanding of the sword dao was clear, yet also unclear.
In this state, Ye Bufan reached the eleventh floor. Outside the ancient tower, the light of the eleventh floor illuminated, and everyone outside gasped.
"This... this... who is this person? They've actually reached the eleventh floor!"
The situation of the ancient tower attracted many martial artists from the underground city. Upon seeing the eleventh floor light up, besides the Tang and Zhao families, even the Wei Chi, Qin, Wu, Jin, and Zhu families gathered outside the ancient tower.
Their thoughts varied; some felt such a person must be won over, while others believed that if they couldn't have such a person, no one else should, and they must be destroyed.
Some even felt that their country's martial arts was about to reach its peak, leaving other nations far behind.
"Pfft—" On the ninth floor of the ancient tower, upon learning that someone had ascended to the eleventh floor, Tang Yao of the Tang family and Zhao Ningxuan of the Zhao family experienced pressure that caused their inner energy to surge uncontrollably, nearly leading to qi deviation. They both spat out a mouthful of blood.
Upon reaching the eleventh floor, just as the old man was about to speak, Ye Bufan interrupted him.
"Less nonsense, let's begin directly," Ye Bufan said, his whole body surging with sword intent, quickly forming a sword aura before him.
The old man nodded with satisfaction. Judging by Ye Bufan's progress, his mastery of the sword dao was likely to break through.
This time, Ye Bufan, uncharacteristically, did not summon the broken sword. The old man slowly floated up, and the surrounding space suddenly changed, eventually transforming into a vast, boundless grassland.
"Sword."
Ye Bufan softly chanted, his right hand moving slightly, entering a state of selfless transcendence.
As his right hand swept, sword Qi rained down like droplets, transforming into countless sword Qi threads that flew towards the old man. The old man was slightly startled and immediately summoned a sword aura around himself, not daring to confront Ye Bufan head-on.
"Bang— bang— bang— bang—"
The sword Qi struck the old man's sword aura, creating a dense series of impacts. The old man's expression turned grim, and he was preparing to counterattack.
Suddenly, Ye Bufan moved. He controlled the sword Qi to continue its assault, and in the next second, he appeared in mid-air, slashing down at the old man from a distance.
"Sword Moves Mountains and Rivers!"
For a moment, the entire space trembled as an invisible great sword pressed down towards the old man, instantly shattering his sword aura.
"Hmph!"
The old man had no choice but to use his Nascent Soul stage strength, thrusting towards Ye Bufan's attack.
For a time, the old man's sword Qi and Ye Bufan's sword Qi collided. Ye Bufan opened his eyes, a flicker of lightning power flashing within them.
Following this, the subsequent sword Qi was suddenly filled with lightning power. Upon colliding with the old man's sword Qi, it exploded instantaneously, making it difficult for the old man to withstand.
"Three Talents Sword Art!"
Two long swords, one white and one black, suddenly appeared behind the old man and flew towards Ye Bufan.
"What?" As the two long swords approached Ye Bufan, they began to tremble for no reason. Then, a surge of energy erupted from Ye Bufan's body.
"Awooooo—"
Faintly, the old man heard a dragon's roar. Ye Bufan's sword Qi strengthened considerably at this moment.
"Impossible! This is impossible!" The old man looked at Ye Bufan in disbelief. The ancient tower's space began to warp, and Ye Bufan's sword Qi flew wildly within this space, as if Ye Bufan was the king of this area.
"Buzz—"
The ancient tower emitted a surge of energy, protecting the old man. Ye Bufan's eyes had not opened from beginning to end.
Furthermore, in Ye Bufan's consciousness, he was in a very comfortable state. Every movement seemed to draw in the surrounding sword Qi, and through this sword Qi, he could feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He felt as if he had mastered this region.
"Sword Domain!" The old man looked at Ye Bufan in disbelief. He had cultivated for so many years and had not yet manifested a Sword Domain, yet Ye Bufan, after only a few days of cultivation and challenging the tower, had comprehended it? .oγg
A Sword Domain, also known as a Sword Territory, is a domain formed by sword dao energy after one has a unique understanding of the sword dao. Theoretically, a domain would manifest during the Nascent Soul stage upon breakthrough, but Ye Bufan was currently only in the Foundation Establishment stage, with the Core Formation stage in between. He was truly monstrous.
In combat, with a Sword Domain, as long as the disparity in strength was not too great, Ye Bufan could almost fight beyond his level.
"Buzz—" Ye Bufan floated in the air. Unknowingly, a month had passed, while only three days had passed in the outside world.
A muffled sound came from within Ye Bufan's body. The energy from the Dragon Emperor Token within him was being desperately absorbed by Ye Bufan.
Qing Zhu Tavern.
Xun'er stood behind Ye Qingyi. Ye Qingyi smiled as he looked at the letter in his hand and then burned it.
"He actually reached the eleventh floor," Ye Qingyi murmured to himself. "And he even comprehended the Sword Domain in combat. It seems the eleventh floor won't be able to hold him."
"Sword... Domain?" Xun'er was so shocked to hear that Ye Bufan had comprehended the Sword Domain that her mouth could have fit an egg.
"Comprehending the Sword Domain in the Foundation Establishment stage," Ye Qingyi smiled slightly. "This Ye Bufan truly exceeds my expectations. It seems the task assigned by the City Lord will be completed soon."
"Xun'er," Ye Qingyi turned to look at Xun'er again. "What level do you think Ye Bufan can reach in the ancient tower?"
Xun'er pondered and replied, "Without comprehending the Sword Domain, he would likely stop at the twelfth floor. But if he comprehended the Sword Domain, he should be able to reach the fourteenth floor."
Ye Qingyi smiled and remained silent, his gaze drifting towards the direction of the capital city.
The Capital, Underground City, within the Ancient Tower.
Another month passed while Ye Bufan was cultivating. For the outside world, nearly seven days had gone by.
"Hoo—"
Ye Bufan exhaled a long breath and slowly opened his eyes, landing on the floor. With a slight movement, his bones emitted a "crackling" sound.
"Congratulations, you have passed the eleventh floor, and your cultivation has reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage."
As soon as Ye Bufan woke up, the old man silently appeared before him.
"Thank you for your guidance, senior," Ye Bufan bowed with his fists clasped. If not for the old man, he would have been unable to break through in the sword dao. During this time in the ancient tower, his combat experience had also increased significantly.
"To go from the middle Foundation Establishment stage to the peak of the late stage in two months. You are the most heaven-defying talent I have ever seen."
Ye Bufan remained silent. The breakthrough in his cultivation was greatly influenced by the energy from the Dragon Emperor Token. However, Ye Bufan was not unaware of the principle that possessing treasures attracts trouble, so he merely smiled quietly.