Chapter 2036: Sword Emperor Qualifications’ First Trial(2) While Yuan stood surrounded by thousands of masked men, the other participants were still making their way toward the end of the path. Although many had figured out the trial’s pattern just as quickly as Yuan, they struggled to overcome their opponents. Their Sword Auras lacked the overwhelming force Yuan possessed, requiring multiple strikes to break through the masked men’s defenses. Of course, Tian Yuexing was an exception. As expected of the number one young genius in the Nine Heavens, he had reached the end of the path nearly at the same time as Yuan. The spectators watching this were simply left dumbfounded by Yuan’s unexpected prowess and talents. "Heavens... his pace is slightly faster than the Heavenly Son! Maybe I’ve underestimated him a little too much!" "His fighting experience is also terrifyingly high—something I’d only expect from the older generation..." "Where did a genius like him come from? And how come I’ve never heard of him?" "He’s probably already well-known but is hiding his identity for whatever reason." The spectators began trying to speculate Yuan’s identity as he fought the thousands of masked men, constantly using all three types of Sword Aura. Though everyone participating in the Sword Emperor Qualifications was at least in the God Ascension realm, their cultivation didn’t really matter since only Sword Aura could get past the masked men’s aura. That said, it didn’t mean their cultivation wasn’t important, since it allowed them to fight without getting tired easily. Time continued to pass. Although the Sword Emperor Qualifications had just begun, the spectators were already on the edge of their seats from watching Yuan’s amazing performance. Not only was he defeating his opponents with a single strike and progressing much quicker than the Heavenly Son, but he would likely finish the first trial in record time. "You’re telling me that wannabe Faceless Sword Emperor is a mortal? Would a mortal be able to do that?!" "If he’s able to do that while suppressing his cultivation, can you imagine how powerful he truly is?" While it was difficult to imagine anyone willingly restraining their full strength during the Sword Emperor Qualifications, the spectators found it even harder to believe that Yuan was truly a mortal. It only took a few hours, but Yuan finally defeated all of the masked men, and he’d done so without even getting hurt, as only Supreme Sword Aura could damage his body. Of course, the spectators had noticed this. "He completely ignored every opponent using ordinary and Enhanced Sword Aura... This bastard didn’t just attain a Sword Body—he’s achieved the legendary Enhanced Sword Body, which renders all Enhanced Sword Aura useless..." muttered one of the watching Sword Emperors, disbelief and awe lacing his voice. While most of the Sword Emperors present possessed a Sword Body, not a single one among them had attained the Enhanced Sword Body. In terms of sword comprehension alone, Yuan had already surpassed them. "Just what the fuck is that bastard...?" Sword Empress Huang clenched her fists in frustration after realizing Yuan had attained the Enhanced Sword Body before her, something she’d been trying to achieve for the past thirty thousand years. If she’d known that it only took Yuan a few years to achieve it, she’d probably go crazy from envy. After defeating all of the masked men, Yuan looked around and muttered, "Am I done?" He waited for a while, but when nothing happened, he calmly sat down and began cultivating. Hours passed in silence—until suddenly, Yuan’s eyes snapped open. He sensed something from above. Lifting his gaze, he saw tens of thousands of semi-transparent swords materializing in the sky, each one forged from pure Supreme Sword Aura. Without warning, they began to fall like a meteor shower, raining down upon him with the speed and force of a storm of arrows. In response, Yuan activated his Limitless Sword Domain, unleashing a surge of Supreme Sword Aura to intercept the falling blades. Yet to his surprise, despite his aura being clearly stronger, his sword aura was shattered upon contact, as though the incoming swords carried something beyond raw power, something deeper and more refined. Seeing this, Yuan swiftly activated his movement technique, weaving through the rain of blades with precise, fluid motion. As he dodged, his mind raced, analyzing the clash, trying to understand why his Supreme Sword Aura had been so easily overwhelmed despite its superior strength. However, the trial offered no mercy, and the blades pursued him relentlessly, tracking his every move like homing missiles. It didn’t take long for Yuan to notice something unusual—that each sword was enveloped in a thin layer of mysterious aura, and each blade’s Supreme Sword Aura was slightly different, with some being more powerful than others. Yuan narrowed his eyes, a glint of realization flashing within them. To test his theory, he struck the nearest descending blade with a precise amount of Supreme Sword Aura, matching its level perfectly. Sure enough, the sword shattered on impact. His guess had been correct—that he needed to strike these swords with perfectly matching Supreme Sword Aura, which tested his control and precision. Now that he knew the trick, Yuan activated Limitless Sword Domain again. This time, he perfectly controlled the Supreme Sword Aura to match that of the incoming blades. When the spectators witnessed Yuan’s unfathomable control over his Supreme Sword Aura, they were left in stunned silence. The swordmasters among them, in particular, were overwhelmed with disbelief, for they understood how incredibly difficult it was to manipulate Supreme Sword Aura with such precision. And yet, Yuan made it look effortless. By the time Yuan had finished destroying every last sword, Tian Yuexing was still locked in battle with the thousands of masked men. Even for a genius of his caliber, fending off so many powerful opponents at once was no simple feat, not to mention how he had to constantly swap his Sword Aura, something he wasn’t used to. As for the others, they were still on the straight path, fighting their way to the end.