Yuan looked around after hearing this familiar voice, and he quickly noticed that a figure had suddenly appeared in front of him.
This figure was wearing an ordinary mask, yet his body was oozing with an overwhelming aura that naturally made everyone there revere him.
"T-That's the Nameless Emperor! The Nameless Emperor has shown up!"
A few spectators quickly recognized this masked man's identity.
"What do you want?" Yuan calmly asked him.
"Nothing much. I'm just here to congratulate you for surviving through half of my nine swords. Only eight people have achieved this before you, so you're the ninth. A fitting number, don't you think?"
And he continued, "However, do you know how many people have survived the 6th sword? Zero."
"If you wish to survive more than five strikes, you'll need to do more. Think outside the box. I will give you five minutes to think— that is if you still want to challenge me."
The masked figure disappeared into the air as suddenly as he appeared.
'Think outside the box, huh…'
Yuan turned to look at the statue and recalled the previous five strikes.
Two minutes later, he sat on the uneven ground and closed his eyes as countless images flashed by his mind.
'I see… I finally understand the true purpose of this place.'
When Yuan opened his eyes, it shone with enlightenment.
"The sixth strike will descend within 5…"
The countdown started again, and three massive swords appeared in the sky above him.
Yuan took a deep breath and stood in a stance that he'd never done before.
A few seconds later, all three swords slashed at Yuan's tiny body that was like an ant's in comparison.
A vicious aura exuded from the Empyrean Overlord and Yuan.
[Nine Supreme Swords!]
"First Sword Strike!" Yuan muttered as he unleashed his first strike, sending an unfathomable sword light towards the sky.
CLANG!
All three swords in the sky disappeared the instant they clashed with Yuan's technique.
<You have learned Nine Supreme Swords>
[Nine Supreme Swords]
[Rank: Mythic]
[Mastery Level: 1]
[Description: A supreme sword art that consists of nine different strikes, each stronger than the next. Legend has it that the ninth strike has the prowess to cut even gods.]
After destroying the sixth strike, Yuan sneered, "That was the sixth strike? What a scam. In reality, that was only as strong as the third strike of the real technique."
Now that he understood the technique, Yuan realized the true prowess of the Nine Supreme Swords.
Although the Nine Swords Trial claimed the previous attack to be the sixth strike, it was actually not even half of the technique's true potential. After all, this was only a test. If the real technique was displayed, nobody would be able to pass it— not even Yuan himself.
"What kind of sword technique did he just use?! It totally obliterated the three swords!"
The spectators almost couldn't believe their eyes. After all, Yuan had barely survived 2 swords, yet he'd somehow destroyed 3 swords with ease? That didn't make sense no matter how they looked at it.
"Not bad. You grasped the true purpose of this trial. Since it has come to this, let's just skip all the way to the last strike since it wouldn't make much of a difference."
The Nameless Emperor's voice resounded again.
Suddenly, a sword appeared in the sky.
However, there was only a single sword, and its size was that of an ordinary sword.
This puzzled the spectators greatly, as it looked like the trial had given up to them.
Naturally that wasn't the case, and Yuan knew that very well.
While this single ordinary-looking sword may seem insignificant to the others, it looked like an indomitable mountain to Yuan.
'Looks like I will have to go all out if I don't want to lose my life here…' He swallowed nervously.
Whoosh!
Yuan activated God of War's Astral Arts while using all of his soul strength, making the avatar as big as a mountain.
"Heavens! This guy is full of unfathomable techniques!"
The spectators fell to their butts after seeing his avatar that covered the sky more than the swords did.
"Whenever you're ready." The Nameless Emperor spoke again.
Yuan gritted his teeth and swung at the statue before him, utilizing the God of War's Astral Arts as well as his newly learned technique by combining them together.
When both sides clashed with each other, it created a terrifying Sword Qi explosion that literally created a massive crater in the ground.
Fortunately, the spectators were smart enough to distance themselves before that happened, but even then, some of them could not escape the Sword Qi and ended up bleeding from it.
Once the huge dust storm settled, the spectators were able to see the situation.
Hovering above the center of the crater was Yuan, and he was half naked with sword cuts all over his body. And unlike before, his injuries didn't instantly recover, almost as though his regeneration ability was blocked by the sword marks.
"Amazing… To think that was just the prowess of the sixth strike… I cannot wait to see how powerful the ninth strike will be if I ever get to use it…" Yuan couldn't help but praise the technique.
Although the technique was Mythic-rank just like the God of War's Astral Arts, it was entirely different in terms of prowess. Though, one could argue that both techniques serve a different purpose.
While the God of War's Astral Arts is a unique technique that enhances the prowess of other techniques, the Nine Supreme Swords is a technique meant purely for destruction, just like the Heaven Splitting Sword Strike.
"Congratulations, you have passed the trial flawlessly."
The Nameless Emperor appeared before Yuan again.
"Take this, it's your reward."
He extended his hand with his palms open, offering Yuan whatever was on it.
"A silver key…?" Yuan mumbled in a dazed voice as he gazed at it.
His reward for passing this ridiculous trial was just a mere key?