Hearing Song Yan's words, Violet Moon couldn't help but feel deeply shaken, and the other eight mid Heaven-and-Man realm experts all grew more solemn. Violet Moon was a peak mid-stage Heaven-and-Man expert, and her Soul-Crushing Gloom Sword Intent was rarely matched. Yet now, it had been broken by Shawn Steele, who had only just comprehended sword intent.
"What sword intent did you just use?" Violet Moon suddenly remembered something and asked urgently.
"Sovereign Sword Intent!" Shawn Steele slowly uttered these four words.
"Sovereign Sword Intent?" Violet Moon frowned. Was there such a thing in this world? As far as she knew, sword intents were divided into five major categories: earth, water, wind, fire, and spirit.
Each major category had many smaller branches.
For example, Brooke's Rain Sword Intent was a branch of the water sword intent, while her own Soul-Crushing Gloom belonged to the negative emotion branch of spirit sword intent.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is Sovereign Sword Intent?"
"The king among sword intents—that is Sovereign Sword Intent!" Shawn Steele replied, his tone carrying a hint of pride.
Hearing Shawn's explanation, Violet Moon instantly understood—this so-called Sovereign Sword Intent was just something this little bandit made up. She sneered, "Nonsense. There's no such thing as Sovereign Sword Intent in this world. If I'm not mistaken, you just invented it, didn't you?"
Shawn Steele neither confirmed nor denied it, simply nodded, "Exactly."
Violet Moon felt it necessary to educate the little bandit, lest he get too arrogant. She said coldly, "Are you aware that sword intent falls into five great categories: earth, wind, water, fire, and spirit? Many have achieved sword intent, but none have ever broken free from these five types!"
"So that means I’ve actually invented a brand new sword intent!" Shawn Steele was stunned for a second, then broke into a grin.
"Hmph, you think creating a new sword intent is that easy? Stop deluding yourself!" Violet Moon sneered.
Shawn just smiled, not bothering to argue with Violet Moon. The Azure Lotus Sword Codex was a sword cultivator’s method, and a sword cultivator’s greatest strength lay in battle. Before, the moves he learned—Lotus Blooming, Lotus Sword Formation, Dimensional Slash—were just empty forms without true intent. He hadn’t really mastered any of them, which was why he couldn’t comprehend the fourth move, Spirit Sword, no matter what he tried.
But after fighting Brooke Vale, he discovered the existence of sword intent, and thanks to her inspiration, he created his own. He realized that only by driving his moves with sword intent could he unleash the true power of the Azure Lotus Sword Codex.
Before he understood sword intent, his Lotus Blooming was only at power level one. After grasping sword intent, it shot up to ten. That’s how huge the difference was.
To put it another way: if the Azure Lotus Sword Codex was a rifle, before he understood sword intent, Shawn was just using it as a stick to whack people. After he figured out sword intent, the rifle finally had bullets.
"Alright then, why don’t you all come at me together!" Shawn called out, this time addressing the ten top experts from the Three Great Holy Lands.
"This little bandit is really arrogant. Well then, Brother Sima, Brother Jiang, let’s give him what he wants!" Violet Moon snorted.
"Alright! Let’s all attack together!"
To be able to shatter Violet Moon’s sword intent and injure her with a single move—Shawn Steele’s strength had already surpassed everyone’s imagination.
If the ten of them failed again today, the Three Great Holy Lands would lose face so badly, it’d be a joke for generations.
The next moment.
All ten experts struck at once.
Every cultivator who reached mid Heaven-and-Man realm could condense their own 'intent'—sword intent, saber intent, fist intent, and so on.
So when the ten experts attacked, ten different intents surged toward him, all aiming to crush him.
No matter what kind of intent you wield, my Sovereign Sword Intent can suppress them all.
Facing the combined attack of the ten experts, Shawn Steele flashed a confident smile. Then, the Azure Lotus Sword appeared in his hand.
"Slash!"
With Sovereign Sword Intent powering it, Lotus Blooming revealed its true, dazzling beauty.
Nine solid lotus-swords suddenly appeared in the air, completely enveloping the ten mid Heaven-and-Man experts.
In that instant, all ten experts felt an overwhelming sword intent descend. As it appeared, they were shocked to find their own intents nearly collapsing. Even stranger, a strange feeling welled up inside—they felt the man before them was absolutely unbeatable, and some even had the urge to kneel and worship him.
"Sovereign Sword Intent, the king among sword intents!" Violet Moon suddenly remembered that phrase. Seeing the current situation, she began to wonder if Shawn Steele really had grasped Sovereign Sword Intent.
The nine lotus-swords exploded, turning into tens of thousands of sword-qi strands, each one carrying that terrifying sword intent.
Swish swish swish!
The sword intent formed a web, locking the ten in place. None dared move—if they did, the deadly sword-qi surrounding them would pierce them like a sieve.
"Boring. You’re all too weak!"
Shawn Steele shook his head and dispersed all the sword-qi.
After grasping sword intent, his strength had multiplied. Ten mid Heaven-and-Man experts? He could trap and kill twenty in a single move now.
Hearing Shawn Steele’s verdict, all ten experts looked humiliated and helpless.
The man before them was simply too strong—so strong that none of them could even muster the will to resist.
"You can go. Go back and tell the Three Great Holy Lands to send stronger masters to hone my sword. Otherwise, I’ll just kill the remaining nine right here!" Shawn Steele pointed at Brooke Vale.
Brooke Vale didn’t say a word; she just glanced at Violet Moon.
"Brooke, go back and report everything here to the Order Master, exactly as it happened!" Violet Moon said gravely. Just one move, and Shawn Steele had defeated all ten of them. She was seriously worried—even if the three Order Masters joined forces, they might not be his match. Maybe only the three old Holy Lords working together could hope to beat him.
Meanwhile, the more than six thousand martial artists on Sunrise Peak were all left utterly dumbfounded.
Even ten mid Heaven-and-Man experts together couldn’t beat that bandit chief. How could he possibly be that powerful? He looked barely twenty! Even if he’d started training in the womb, it shouldn’t be possible to be this strong.
But the truth was right in front of them—there was no way to deny it.
The next day, Shawn Steele didn’t marry Faye Xi or Serena Sima. Sure, both women were gorgeous, but he didn’t feel anything for them. Teasing them was one thing, but marrying them? No thanks.
Meanwhile, news of him defeating the ten mid Heaven-and-Man experts from the Three Great Holy Lands spread like wildfire, and his title as Number One Bandit Under Heaven rang out even louder.
Two days later, the Three Great Holy Lands issued another statement: in seven days, their three Holy Lords would personally come to Sunrise Peak to visit the Number One Bandit.
On the very day that statement was released, the Emperor of the Grand Zhou Empire personally came to Sunrise Peak to invite Shawn Steele to become National Preceptor.
But Shawn Steele refused the position—one step below the throne, above all others. His reason? He only wanted to be a bandit.