In the passage, a streak of light suddenly shot out with astonishing speed, swiftly darting downstream. Soon, in the depths of darkness, faint glows began to emerge.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Streaks of sword qi grazed past Ling Chen's sides, leaving behind clear trails. A slight misstep could lead to these sword qi piercing through his body, and that would be no minor injury.

However, the Sword Spirit Qi here was extremely thin, and Ling Chen paid it no mind. His body darted downward like a swift fish, quickly reaching the bottom of the Sword Pool.

In his sight, the bottom of the pool was filled with broken swords and rusted blades. Yet, at this moment, these broken and rusted swords emitted brilliance, flickering constantly in the dark depths of the pool.

As soon as Ling Chen appeared in this area, he felt an intensely sharp pain. The distorted Sword Spirit Qi around him was wildly violent, and his Protective True Qi was continuously twisted and deformed under the pressure of this energy, forming numerous gaps.

Without hesitation, Ling Chen's body descended straight down, landing in an empty spot before sitting cross-legged.

As the golden mist touched Lin Dong's internal organs, his complexion flushed instantly. A sharp intake of breath escaped through his clenched teeth with a slight tremor.

With a concentrated gaze, Ling Chen dissipated the Protective True Qi surrounding his body. In an instant, the once calm surroundings erupted into chaos; currents burst beside him, while sword qi fiercely shot into Ling Chen's body like flashes of lightning.

The sword qi, much like silver needles of Hidden Weapons, pierced through nerves, flesh, and even bones, causing stinging pain as though being jabbed with countless thorns.

"Such violent Sword Spirit Qi. But merely this won't be enough to stop me!"

A fierce light flashed in Ling Chen's eyes. With a thought, a resounding sword chant erupted within him, releasing a massive wave of Sword Intent which then spread throughout every part of his body.

Simultaneously, his cultivation technique seemed to resonate. Where the sword chant spread, a gentle glow emerged over his nerves and flesh, under which a sharp aura explosively cascaded from within Ling Chen.

Swish, swish, swish!

Ling Chen could almost hear the sound of blood flowing inside him. The long-dormant bloodline was now fully activated, transformed into a supreme sword!

At this moment, the surrounding pool water suddenly boiled. The broken swords seemed to be drawn by Ling Chen's bloodline, trembling violently and emitting more terrifying energy.

Woosh woosh woosh...

Dense sword qi pierced through the water, ferociously aiming to impale Ling Chen.

Sizzle!

Pure Sword Spirit Qi struck Ling Chen's flesh once more, and this time, Ling Chen's body erupted entirely. Finally, even the Sword Spirit Embryo in his mind was affected, stimulated by the terrifying force as if going berserk, suddenly spewing a tremendous sword qi straight from his head into the sky.

Outside, the center of the Sword Pool exploded violently, as an overwhelming sword image broke through the water, cleaving the void. That fierce aura filled the entire upper sky of the Sword Pool.

Ling Tingfeng and Ling Lie were instantly drenched by the splattering water. Such commotion took them by surprise.

"This kid, that's quite a stir he's causing..."

Ling Tingfeng said, but felt a surge of joy inside. The greater the turmoil Ling Chen created, the stronger his potential proved to be, which was a good thing. Now it was up to Ling Chen to see if he could endure it. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Seems I've underestimated this kid..."

Ling Lie was also quietly shocked. From the previous phenomenon, he sensed an exceptionally powerful Sword Intent, containing multiple attributes, and even a faint Sword Spirit fluctuation.

Impossible. He must have sensed it wrong.

Ling Lie shook his head. Sword Spirits were the domain of Sword Saint powerhouses; only those who reached the Saint realm could condense a Sword Spirit. Ling Chen was merely at the Sky Apex Fourth Realm. How could he possess a Sword Spirit?

Even if a monstrous talent, there's no such possibility.

At the pool bottom, Ling Chen's body was completely enveloped by Sword Spirit Qi. The Qi fiercely bored into Ling Chen's body, piercing through him, yet the process brought much reduced pain, gradually calming down to mingle with flesh, giving Ling Chen a clear sense of a violent force growing like a furious dragon within his flesh and bones.

Ling Chen could feel his body undergoing transformation, shedding impurities, turning pure, becoming less like a person and more like a sword—or rather, embodying the essence of a Sword Spirit Body.

As these Sword Spirit Qi tempered the flesh inside Ling Chen, much of it was absorbed by the Lingtian True Qi. Suddenly, the majestic true energy flowing through his veins secretly became sharper and purer.

Noticing the state within him, a slight smile curled on Ling Chen's face. To swordsmen like them, this Sword Spirit Qi was indeed the ultimate tonic. Not only did it strengthen his body, but also intensified his True Qi. The speed of this increase was far faster than ordinary cultivation.

"No wonder the geniuses of the Ling Family compete so fiercely for the spot. This place is truly a peerless treasure trove."

Ling Chen felt tremendous joy. His original intention of blending into the Ling Family was to obtain the Saint's Soul Niche and complete the transaction with the Hades Supreme. Unexpectedly, upon entering here, he gained such an unexpected reward.

"Next up, I shall fully absorb and refine here!"

A gleam shone in Ling Chen's eyes. He suddenly activated his True Qi, circulating his cultivation technique, releasing swallowing force to draw the surrounding Sword Spirit Qi into his body with forceful determination!

Meanwhile, under this rampant absorption, Ling Chen's aura explosively surged upwards!