Chapter 2016: Holy Sword Clan(4)

"Um... before I strike at the wall, do you mind calling Elder Li here?" Yuan asked after catching the Spirit-grade sword.

"Why? Are you worried that I might do something to you?" The Holy Sword Maiden spoke with a frown.

"No, that’s not it. I just don’t want to do this again later."

"Why would you—"

The Holy Sword Maiden abruptly halted her sentence when she recalled something that was mentioned before.

"So it was true. You’re here to qualify for the Holy Sword Temple," she said.

Yuan nodded, "That’s right."

"In that case, there’s no need to trouble Elder Li. I can verify it myself. Go ahead—whenever you’re ready," she said, urging him to proceed.

"Alright."

Yuan approached the metal wall, took a deep breath, and fell silent. The next moment, Enhanced Sword Aura surged from his body before enveloping the sword.

The Holy Sword Maiden remained silent, but her fists were tightly clenched. From a single glance, she could tell that his Enhanced Sword Aura far surpassed hers. Yet, she couldn’t fathom just how vast that difference was.

Once he was ready, Yuan flicked his arm with lightning speed. In that instant, the sword in his grasp flickered like a phantom.

In the moments that followed, Yuan’s Enhanced Sword Aura struck the six-inch gash left by the Holy Sword Maiden. Not only did it erase her mark entirely, but it even pierced straight through the wall itself, leaving a clean hole in its wake.

"No way..."

The Holy Sword Maiden’s legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed onto her buttocks with a soft thud, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Yuan’s Enhanced Sword Aura hadn’t merely exceeded her expectations—it likely surpassed even that of the Sword Emperors within the Holy Sword Clan.

"Uh... sorry, but I didn’t mean to destroy the wall," Yuan muttered awkwardly, scratching his head. "Elder Li made it sound indestructible, after all..."

However, the Holy Sword Maiden was too shocked to even respond, and she merely continued staring at the hole with a dazed face.

Seeing her in a daze, Yuan could only wait patiently for her to return to reality.

However, his expression subtly shifted when he sensed several powerful presences drawing near. It was likely the Holy Sword King and the others.

Even without being told, Yuan understood how terrible the situation appeared. He could already picture himself trying to explain the situation to them, only for things to worsen. Hell, he could even forsee the Holy Sword King picking a fight with him over this.

With no other choice, Yuan hastily placed the Spirit-grade sword on the ground beside the Holy Sword Maiden, then turned around and exited through the hole he’d created.

Seeing this, the Holy Sword Maiden finally snapped out of her daze. However, Yuan had already left, and before she could give chase, the Holy Sword King and the others entered the building.

"What the hell happened here?" the Holy Sword King exclaimed as his gaze fell upon the gaping hole in the wall.

His first instinct was to assume the Holy Sword Maiden was responsible, yet he couldn’t fathom why she’d do such a thing.

However, before he could ask her anything, the Holy Sword Maiden stood up and ran toward the hole in the wall.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" The Holy Sword King immediately chased after her.

With the Holy Sword King close behind, the Holy Sword Maiden rushed after Yuan. However, even with her divine sense enveloping the entire area, she couldn’t detect his presence.

’Why can’t I find him? Don’t tell me he already left this place! But there’s no way he could’ve gone that far in such a short time!’

Of course, Yuan was still within the Holy Sword Clan’s territory. The reason the Holy Sword Maiden couldn’t find him was because he was concealing his presence with Shadow Veil.

Some time later, after giving up on finding Yuan, the Holy Sword Maiden went to find Li Bowen instead.

"That young man who came to qualify for the Holy Sword Temple—who is he?" she questioned him.

"Excuse me?" Li Bowen wore a dumbfounded look on his face. He couldn’t understand why the Holy Sword Maiden was suddenly looking for Yuan, who hadn’t left the guest room for over a month.

"Just answer my question!" she raised her voice, startling him and the Holy Sword King, who had never seen her so agitated before.

"Are you looking for that mortal from a month ago?" The Holy Sword King finally recalled.

"Why? Did he do something to you? I’ll find and skin that bastard—"

"Why are you even here? This doesn’t concern you!" she interrupted him.

"But..."

"Get out!" she pointed toward the exit.

Seeing how annoyed she was, the Holy Sword King reluctantly left the room.

Once they were alone, the Holy Sword Maiden continued questioning Li Bowen.

"Tell me everything you know about that mortal with you a month ago," she demanded.

Li Bowen swallowed nervously before responding, "The only thing I know about him is that he’s with the Celestial Overlords."

"What about his name?"

"That’s... uhh..." It was at this moment that Li Bowen realized he’d never asked Yuan for his name.

"I’m sorry, but I never got the chance to ask for his name..." he admitted a moment later.

"Can you tell me what this is all about?" he then asked.

The Holy Sword Maiden rubbed her eyes and sighed before explaining, "He cut through the wall."

"What?" Li Bowen raised his eyebrows in a puzzled manner, unable to comprehend her words.

"The Impenetrable Sword Wall! He cut through the entire thing with his Sword Aura!" she repeated, this time with more detail.

"HE WHAT?!" Li Bowen exclaimed, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"L-Let me go see!"

Before the Holy Sword Maiden could respond, Li Bowen rushed to the training ground.

The moment Li Bowen laid eyes on the gaping hole in the wall, his jaw nearly hit the ground in disbelief. After all, the only time he’d witnessed such devastation was from Supreme Sword Aura—yet Yuan couldn’t possibly know it if he was seeking training at the Holy Sword Temple.

When the Holy Sword Maiden caught up, he asked her, "How did he achieve this?"

"With Enhanced Sword Aura," she responded, confirming his suspicions.

"..."

Unsure of how to respond, Li Bowen quietly stood there, staring at the hole with a dazed face.