"I remember now, I saw it inside the bronze shard."
Ning Beichen's breathing deepened, as if recalling something incredible.
"This skeleton was at least at the Heaven-Man Unity realm when it was alive!"
Ning Beichen's eyes brightened slightly. Everyone had been pursuing Heaven-Man Unity, including the Grandmaster Alliance, yet after so many years, no one had ever been heard to succeed.
But the skeleton before him gave Ning Beichen an answer.
Even though the owner of this skeleton was not from modern times, it didn't matter whether they were or not. What was important was that the appearance of this bead proved the existence of the Heaven-Man Unity realm.
What humans feared most was the absence of a goal.
Ning Beichen had now reached the Great Grandmaster realm. If the Heaven-Man Unity realm didn't exist, and everything was merely the delusion of mortals, he would truly despair.
Although the Great Grandmaster realm was the pinnacle of martial power in the world, so what?
Great Grandmasters were still mortals, with a lifespan not exceeding one hundred and fifty years.
Moreover, were Great Grandmasters truly invincible?
Not necessarily.
To deal with a Great Grandmaster, one didn't necessarily need to sacrifice lives. One only needed to find an opportunity, confine the Great Grandmaster within a certain range, and a swarm of drones could take them down. Therefore, one should never underestimate modern weaponry and technology.
Ning Beichen carefully put away the silver bead. Although he desperately wanted to study it immediately, this place was not necessarily safe, especially after the bizarre entity that could burrow into heads had made him feel extremely wary.
After securing the silver bead, Ning Beichen's attention returned to the bronze ancient sword in his hand. This bronze ancient sword had managed to kill the owner of the skeleton; what secrets did it hold?
Ning Beichen swung the bronze ancient sword a few times.
He found that the bronze ancient sword was not as powerful as he had imagined. He then slashed at a chain, but the chain remained unharmed, while Ning Beichen's arm was so shaken that it felt numb.
Moreover, holding this bronze ancient sword made Ning Beichen feel awkward. This feeling was very strange, as if it refused to obey him. For instance, when he clearly intended to slash eastward, the bronze ancient sword diverted the force westward.
When he forcefully suppressed it with his immense strength, although the bronze ancient sword slashed eastward according to his will, it felt weak and listless, as if it were extremely unwilling.
"Strange, does this bronze ancient sword have a spirit?"
Ning Beichen muttered curiously.
"It is said that in ancient times, some weapons required a drop of blood to recognize their master before they could be used. Could this bronze ancient sword be like that?"
Ning Beichen didn't really believe in such things, but the strangeness of this bronze ancient sword made him ponder.
"Why not give it a try?"
Ning Beichen was a man of action. As soon as he thought of it, he did it. He pricked his finger with a long needle and dripped a drop of blood onto the bronze ancient sword.
"Huh, it didn't work?"
"Could it be that there wasn't enough blood?"
Ning Beichen waited for a while, but the bronze ancient sword showed no change. So, he pricked his finger again, and this time he dripped seven or eight drops of blood before stopping.
Just as Ning Beichen was about to feel disappointed, the bronze ancient sword in his hand suddenly seemed to have had its fill, emitting a radiant glow from its two "eyes."
Furthermore, the rusty patches on the sword body, after emitting the light, all fell off, transforming it into a gleaming bronze ancient sword of immense sharpness.
Before Ning Beichen could recover from his shock, a thunderclap suddenly echoed in his mind, followed by a figure appearing in his mind's eye, practicing swordplay.
Ning Beichen's face lit up with joy.
This bronze ancient sword contained a matching sword technique.
"Songshan Sword Art!"
The name of a sword technique appeared in Ning Beichen's mind. Besides the cultivation method, there were also images of a figure demonstrating the Songshan Sword Art in his mind.
"One Sword Astonishes Wind and Rain!"
The figure leaped into the air, surrounded by wind and rain. The figure unleashed a sword strike, its light like lightning. With a colossal roar, it carved a massive wave tens of thousands of feet high in the distant sea.
Ning Beichen's pupils constricted, and he stared at the scene in disbelief, his heart utterly shaken.
"This... is this truly the power that a human can possess?"
Although Ning Beichen only saw the visuals and didn't personally experience the power of this strike, based solely on what he saw, Ning Beichen believed that the power of this strike was no less than the attack of a missile.
One sword, one missile.
If he could learn it, wouldn't this be comparable to a weapon of mass destruction?
Ning Beichen's breathing grew heavier, and he focused all his attention on memorizing the demonstration in his mind, unsure if this was a one-time demonstration or could be repeated indefinitely.
If he didn't memorize it quickly now, and if it could only be demonstrated once, he would be at a great disadvantage.
"Sword Devours Mountains!"
The figure in his mind thrust its sword forward, and a distant mountain peak was sliced in half, causing Ning Beichen to grit his teeth.
"The Milky Way Falls Upon the Nine Provinces!"
The might of this sword shook the surrounding hundred miles. Wherever it passed, not a blade of grass remained.
"All Paths Vanish Without a Trace!"
Ning Beichen's eyes could no longer perceive anything; he could only vaguely sense that the power of this final sword strike was indescribable.
He didn't know how long had passed before Ning Beichen could finally hear his own heartbeat and breathing. The last strike from before had felt as if it had destroyed him as well.
"Is this the Songshan Sword Art?"
Ning Beichen murmured, as if he had been greatly startled.
Songshan Sword Art. At first hearing the name of this sword technique, Ning Beichen had thought it was a low-grade sword art, as the name lacked any evocative quality.
The name of the sword technique was neither majestic nor did it exude imperial aura, nor was it clever. It was merely named after Songshan, making it unremarkable. Nineteen out of twenty people would likely look down on it if they heard it.
However, the visuals that unfolded in Ning Beichen's mind showed a sword technique capable of destroying heavens and shattering earth. If Ning Beichen hadn't experienced it himself, he wouldn't have believed that such a world-destroying sword technique could exist.
Ning Beichen closed his eyes, recalling the sword technique, and then holding the bronze ancient sword, he began to mimic the first move.
The Songshan Sword Art in his mind had only four moves. He wasn't sure if the sword art originally only had four moves, or if Ning Beichen's current strength was insufficient, allowing him to only manifest four moves for now.
"One Sword Astonishes Wind and Rain!"
Ning Beichen whispered softly and, following the depicted visuals, slashed out with his sword.
Instantly, the strength within Ning Beichen was drained, even feeling somewhat insufficient. However, Ning Beichen ultimately persevered.
With a tremendous roar!
The sword light erupted within the prison. In the direction Ning Beichen had slashed, a gaping hole appeared in the wall.
However, Ning Beichen's strength was completely depleted by this strike, and he almost lost his footing.
Meanwhile, Chen Mingyue, hearing the commotion from outside, cautiously entered. She saw Ning Beichen holding a bronze ancient sword, and a massive gap in the wall opposite him.