The Name of Eternals

Chapter 173: Fame Shakes Tianji

"Sure."

Li Hao was also curious about these legendary stones.

Everyone heard the conversation, and as Lu Chunsheng led Li Hao forward, the disciples instinctively made way, their eyes filled with curiosity.

The rules of the Heavenly Shadow Steles were unrelated to cultivation level; they primarily tested one's comprehension.

The young man in front of them was renowned throughout the world, known for his unprecedented speed in cultivation over a thousand years. They also wanted to see how his comprehension compared to theirs.

Sometimes, fast cultivation didn't necessarily mean high comprehension.

After all, below the Heaven Realm, as long as resources were sufficient, one could quickly advance.

If foundational issues were ignored, one could even take large amounts of elixirs and advance rapidly.

However, reaching the Heaven Realm required both comprehension and a bit of luck.

Some people could gain enlightenment by observing a fallen leaf or scooping a handful of water.

Others might travel the world, challenging various sects, sustaining numerous injuries, yet still be unable to cross that threshold.

"These hundred Heavenly Shadow Steles record the cultivation realms of all the disciples of Tianji Tower over the centuries," Lu Chunsheng explained with a smile. "When you perform a technique that surpasses the level recorded on a stele, the Dao essence of the stele will automatically capture your technique, replacing the previous shadow. This is known as leaving an impression on the stele."

Li Hao nodded; he was aware of this.

Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it up close, Li Hao could faintly sense the steles were covered with dense energy of heaven and earth and an indescribable mysterious aura.

"Our disciples can only view each stele ten times. If they fail to leave an impression after ten attempts, they will no longer be allowed to view the stele," Lu Chunsheng said with a smile. "The number of views and the ability to leave an impression measure one's talent and comprehension."

"Interesting," Li Hao remarked.

Seeing Li Hao's interest, Lu Chunsheng's lips curved slightly. He knew that geniuses couldn't resist such a challenge.

"Major General, with your talent and swordsmanship, I suggest you start with that Heavenly Shadow Stele," Lu Chunsheng pointed to a stele not far away.

The crowd looked over and started whispering among themselves.

"That's the Heavenly Shadow Stele left by Senior Brother Kong ten years ago."

"That stele ranks 82 in difficulty. Is he really going to start with such a tough one?"

"It might be tough for us, but not necessarily for him. I think he'll leave an impression within three attempts!"

"Three attempts? That's debatable. I think five should be about right. After all, he can suppress all the masters under heaven. His talent and comprehension are incomparable."

The crowd whispered among themselves, looking expectantly at Li Hao.

In the crowd, Tang Zhixi also looked on. The Heavenly Shadow Stele left by Senior Brother Kong ranked higher than the 93rd one she had just broken.

Could the young man in front of her succeed in just three attempts? Her lips pressed together slightly as she fixed her gaze on the young man.

"Alright."

Li Hao looked at the stele and walked up to it.

He examined it closely, and with Lu Chunsheng's guidance, he placed his hand on the Heavenly Shadow Stele and released his energy.

Soon, the stele seemed to be activated, glowing with divine light.

At the same time, a figure appeared within the stele, a young man wielding a long sword, suddenly slashing out.

However, this figure was just an imprint and did not possess any attack power. As the young man slashed and swung, he demonstrated a fierce sword move.

To leave an impression on the stele, one had to replicate the same sword move and perform it even more exquisitely.

If another sword technique was used, it wouldn't work. As a result, countless people had come to test their talent and comprehension.

Soon, the young man finished his demonstration.

Li Hao received a panel notification midway through the demonstration, recording the sword technique.

"This can even record sword techniques, and it doesn't seem to be a Tianji Tower technique..."

Li Hao's eyes lit up.

Doesn't this mean that these hundred Heavenly Shadow Steles are like a hundred martial arts manuals?! At this moment, the figure within the stele dimmed and disappeared.

Li Hao snapped back to reality, absorbing the information from the panel, and reviewed the complete "Grasping Moon and Blossoms Sword Technique" in its perfected form and the subsequent "True State" level.

He realized that the young man's sword technique was only at the perfected level.

This was a high-grade sword technique.

Watching the stele ten times to comprehend and master it to perfection was indeed a rigorous test of comprehension, comparable to passing the imperial examination after studying for only a year.

Most people watched the stele for the first time, memorized the sword moves, then practiced repeatedly for half a year or more before challenging again.

This process repeated.

The ten attempts could span over a decade.

"The impression disappeared. I wonder if he grasped it."

"Grasping it isn't hard. I managed it. If you can't grasp it after one viewing, how can you be considered a genius?"

"True, but Senior Brother Kong's sword technique is at the perfected level. The higher the level, the harder it is to detect flaws and mimic, making it more difficult to master."

The crowd whispered among themselves.

Li Hao looked around briefly, spotted a tree in the distance, and called a branch to him with a wave.

Then, he swung the branch, performing the Grasping Moon and Blossoms Sword Technique.

It seemed as if a bright moon appeared, cradled by his sword light, surrounded by countless sword auras like blooming flowers, each petal carrying a sharp edge.

Soon, he finished the move.

The Heavenly Shadow Stele glowed, and the dark stele now displayed Li Hao's figure performing the move.

The previous young man's imprint was replaced.

Lu Chunsheng was stunned, his pupils contracting slightly.

He knew Li Hao well and had hoped he could leave an impression within two attempts, preserving Li Hao's reputation as a genius while obtaining his imprint on the stele. But he hadn't expected Li Hao to succeed in one attempt.

Moreover, the sword technique Li Hao had displayed manifested visions, indicating it had reached the True State level.

From perfection, skipping transcendence, to True State in one step! Could he achieve this after just one viewing?

Lu Chunsheng suddenly felt he knew too little about this young man, not even scratching the surface.

He even wondered if Li Hao had practiced this sword technique beforehand.

Otherwise, even the three Sword Saints in their youth could only comprehend a high-grade sword technique to perfection after one viewing, which was already astonishing. But compared to Li Hao, they were like fireflies before the moon! This young man's talent in swordsmanship was even more terrifying than the Sword Saints! Lu Chunsheng's thoughts surged, his eyes gleaming.

The other disciples of Tianji Tower were also stunned.

They had expected three attempts, maybe five, but never anticipated Li Hao would succeed in one attempt.

Moreover, the level of the sword technique was so high that it manifested visions, surpassing many of their understandings. Only a few knew of the True State, the highest level of martial arts!

"True State after one viewing..."

Some disciples muttered in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Li Hao, holding the branch, moved to the 100th stele at the edge of the field, the last in the sequence.

This order was likely set by the Tower Master, based on the difficulty of the techniques recorded.

Familiar now, Li Hao placed his hand on the stele, activating it.

But this time, the imprint was a blade technique.

Li Hao directly skipped it, moving to the 99th stele.

Though he could mimic the blade technique with his swordsmanship to leave an impression, there was no need.

The 99th stele displayed a fist technique.

Li Hao smiled and quickly recorded it on the panel.

Once the imprint faded, he performed the move, manifesting visions.

True State.

Soon, his figure was imprinted on the stele.

Li Hao continued to the next steles.

In a short while, he activated over a dozen steles, including the 93rd stele where Tang Zhixi had just left an impression.

The female imprint was replaced. It was a high-grade sword technique at the perfected level, but this one was easier to master.

As Li Hao's True State swordsmanship unfolded, the imprint was replaced.

When Li Hao activated the 70th stele, Lu Chunsheng finally reacted, hurrying to him, "Major General, what are you doing?"

"I'm seeing how much I can comprehend," Li Hao replied with a smile.

Lu Chunsheng was stunned, watching as Li Hao replaced the imprints on numerous steles, only skipping a few.

He suddenly had a bad feeling.

In the crowd, Tang Zhixi stared blankly at the young man. The imprint she had spent half a year mastering to perfection was replaced with one viewing.

Moreover, the gap between True State and perfection was immense.

Could this really be done by a human? She also noticed that while watching her imprint, the young man had looked around, seemingly impatient.

At this moment, her mind was buzzing, her thoughts in disarray.

In the field, other disciples of Tianji Tower felt the same. Initially shocked, they were now gaping, speechless.

Such a terrifying sight was beyond their wildest imaginations.

The numerous Heavenly Shadow Steles, some imprints just emerging, were replaced by Li Hao's True State techniques after one viewing.

They wouldn't dare dream of this even on a full stomach.

This was too exaggerated.

Was he even human?! As Li Hao continued, he soon reached the top thirty steles.

Lu Chunsheng was also stunned. Such a shocking event was unprecedented in a thousand years, beyond imagination.

But soon, he realized a serious problem, fully waking up.

Li Hao had replaced so many imprints with True State techniques.

Who could replace them in the future?

Viewing ten times? True State? People would curse in frustration!

Not ten times, even a hundred wouldn't suffice.

True State, many had never even heard of this level.

Only a few knew transcendence as the peak of skill.

True State, even for those with extreme talent, required decades of dedicated practice.

For those with average aptitude, it might take hundreds of years to achieve success!

"Major General, Major General!"

Seeing Li Hao continue to activate the Heavenly Shadow Steles, Lu Chunsheng felt a sense of alarm. If Li Hao continued to replace all the imprints on the steles, wouldn't the Heavenly Shadow Steles be rendered useless in the future?

These were a vital heritage of the Tianji Tower, accumulated over thousands of years!

"Hmm?"

Li Hao turned his attention to Lu Chunsheng.

Lu Chunsheng quickly said, "Major General, I know your comprehension is unparalleled, but can we leave some of the Heavenly Shadow Steles untouched?"

As he spoke, a hint of awkwardness flickered in his eyes, and his heart was filled with deep regret.

If he had known this would happen, he would have kept Li Hao engaged in playing the zither.

Earlier, he had hoped Li Hao could leave an imprint, but Li Hao ended up leaving too many imprints!

"Leave some?"

Li Hao frowned, quickly understanding what Lu Chunsheng meant.

Seeing Li Hao's frown, Lu Chunsheng hurriedly added, "You can try the first-ranked Heavenly Shadow Stele, the one at the very top. Leaving an imprint there will be enough to demonstrate your comprehension."

Li Hao felt a bit helpless. He wasn't trying to prove his comprehension; he was just recording martial arts techniques.

"Alright."

Li Hao agreed, "But I would like to activate and take a look at the other steles. Is that okay?"

"Just activating them is fine." Seeing Li Hao agree, Lu Chunsheng breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed.

With that settled, Li Hao proceeded to activate the remaining Heavenly Shadow Steles.

In no time, over thirty Heavenly Shadow Steles were activated, and Li Hao managed to record the techniques from about a third of them.

Finally, Li Hao approached the largest stele standing at the mountain's peak.

While the other Heavenly Shadow Steles were only a few meters tall, this one was a towering ten meters. Even with the magnificent, galaxy-like waterfall nearby, this stele was still incredibly striking.

Li Hao placed his hand on it to activate it, and a figure wielding a sword appeared.

Li Hao glanced at the figure, raising his eyebrows slightly. The person looked familiar; it was the Sword Saint, Jian Wudao, from the Sword Pavilion.

However, the imprint showed him as a middle-aged man with short black hair, unlike his current flowing white hair.

The facial features hadn't changed much, as Jian Wudao still had smooth, unwrinkled skin.

"Back then, Jian Wudao came to challenge me and asked for a favor. He wanted to try this Heavenly Shadow Stele, and I had no choice but to agree," Lu Chunsheng explained, coming to Li Hao's side with a sigh. "We were young then. Although he exceeded the age limit, I still allowed him."

"He watched the stele seven times, comprehending it over three years, and refined this sword technique to the Transcendent level. It's been over a century, and no one has been able to surpass it."

Li Hao's eyes flickered with interest.

Comprehending and refining a sword technique to the Transcendent level within three years demonstrated exceptionally high comprehension.

No wonder he became a Sword Saint.

Moreover, Jian Wudao back then was not yet a Sword Saint and was far less advanced in his swordsmanship than he is now.

"Want me to erase it for you? I can help."

Li Hao sensed a hint of unresolved emotions in Lu Chunsheng's words, indicating that the matter was somewhat unpleasant.

Although he wasn't sure what had transpired, it seemed to have left a bad taste.

Hearing Li Hao's offer, Lu Chunsheng was taken aback:

"Do you have the confidence? This is an ancient and incomplete sword technique, and even just a part of it is at the pinnacle of swordsmanship!"

"Oh?"

Li Hao's eyes sparkled with curiosity and interest.