Chapter 853: Sword aura
''That realm?'' Liu Mei had a look of confusion on her face as she looked at Bai Longtian.
Although she could feel that the aura that was coming from Shun Long right now was quite different compared to Bai Longtian's, she still didn't understand what Bai Longtian meant with the words 'that realm'.
And yet, Bai Longtian simply nodded his head as he looked at Liu Mei before he said seriously
''Sister Liu can't sense this just yet because brother Shun has yet to fully release his aura, but anyone who has stepped into this so called 'realm of masters' will be able to sense it quite easily.
Brother Shun's sword skills have already surpassed the realm of masters and he has already stepped into the next realm!''
Jiang Chen and Xingyi both nodded their heads when they heard this, as they could also feel the indescribable aura coming from Shun Long's body that was no different from a terrifying sword that was about to be unsheathed.
At that moment, Bai Longtian continued to stare at Shun Long's figure before he said in a serious voice
''Brother Shun is probably the only person in the entire central region who can step into this realm with a cultivation of just a peak rank 3 Dao King.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even get close to that level despite going all-out. In the end, I could feel that my soul was going to be crushed by the pressure from the stone mural if I continued, so I could only give up...''
Bai Longtian's look was extremely solemn as he said the last sentence, almost as if he could still feel the lingering pressure from the stone mural within his spiritual sea, as if it was still trying to crush his soul.
In reality, it wasn't just Bai Longtian who had been forced to stop due to the pressure that was coming from the stone mural, but every other Dao King who had stepped into the realm of masters as well.
Even with a spiritual strength that was at the peak of the Dao King realm, it was impossible to surpass the 'realm of masters'.
In fact, it was already a wonder how Jiang Chen, Bai Longtian, and Xingyi had stepped into the realm of masters in the first place, when their cultivation bases weren't even in the late-stages of the Dao King realm.
As for exceeding that realm, that was merely a dream that even many Dao Emperors had yet to realize.
After all, both spiritual strength and an immense talent were needed to even reach the 'realm of masters' with a weapon in the first place, so surpassing it was bound to be even more difficult.
An hour quickly passed in silence while Shun Long's aura continued to become stronger at an extremely rapid rate, making every single middle-stage Dao King present to shiver.
Finally, as the first hour came to an end, Shun Long's eyes suddenly opened before a terrifying aura burst out from his body.
''This... this is sword aura!''
''Sword aura?! Senior brother, are you serious?''
''A mere rank 3 Dao King has managed to comprehend sword aura? Is this a joke? What the hell is going on?''
The surrounding Dao Kings immediately exploded in discussions when they sensed the indescribable aura that was coming from Shun Long's body which made even their hearts palpitate.
''Senior, what exactly is sword aura? Why is everyone here so serious about this?''
A young woman with a cultivation at the early rank 5 of the Dao King realm suddenly asked the old woman by her side.
However, the old woman didn't pay much attention to her as her eyes were still glued on Shun Long's figure in the distance. It was only after an entire minute had passed that the old woman finally shook her head and said in a trembling voice
''Sword aura... that is a level that even our sect master who is a peak rank 4 Dao Emperor has yet to reach in the ways of the sword!
This is the first time that I'm seeing it myself, but from what I know, sword aura is the manifestation of sword qi and will only appear when a person's skills with the sword have already surpassed the 'realm of masters'! This thing doesn't just require terrifying talent but an extremely powerful soul as well! Forget about early-stage Dao Kings, I have never even heard of a peak-stage Dao King who has reached this realm throughout the entire central region!''
As she said this, the old woman continued to stare at Shun Long with a look of disbelief on her face.
Even a middle rank 7 Dao King like her didn't have any confidence in fighting someone who had comprehended sword aura, even if that person was just an early rank 3 Dao King!
A moment after Shun Long opened his eyes, the aura around his body instantly disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place.
With a smile on his face, Shun Long then turned around to look at Liu Mei and the others and asked seriously
''What is everyone looking at?''
Xingyi and the others were all dumbfounded when they heard Shun Long's question.
It was one thing if they were around normal cultivators, but in a place like this that was filled with countless geniuses, where was everyone supposed to look when someone had comprehended sword aura right in front of them?
Bai Longtian was the first one to speak, as he first took a deep breath and calmed down his emotions before he asked eagerly
''Brother Shun, you... did you really surpass the 'realm of masters'?''
At the same time that Bai Longtian asked this question, within the foggy space in the 'Stone of Time', Little Black opened his bright azure eyes and said with a smile
''Master, congratulations. To comprehend sword aura in less than 2 years, this is an extremely rare feat even in the Immortal Dimension!''
Shun Long was momentarily taken when he heard this, as he then asked Little Black
''Sword aura? Is that what Longtian meant when he asked if I have surpassed the 'realm of masters'?''
Nodding his head, Little Black then explained
''Right! Apparently, the people in this mortal world refer to the level of sword qi as 'the realm of masters'. Since master has already surpassed that level and has already comprehended sword aura it is no wonder that they are all surprised.''
A look of realization appeared on Shun Long's face when he heard this, but just as he was about to answer, his eyes suddenly narrowed as the aura of a peak rank 9 Dao King enveloped him in an instant.
In the next moment, Shun Long saw an old man in bright red robes materializing in front of him, seemingly out of thin air.
The old man stared at Shun Long with his deep yellow eyes that resembled a snake's, before he said in a cold voice
''Brat, explain yourself! How did you comprehend the sword intent behind this stone mural?''