David Cooper didn’t have time to defend himself. His body leapt up swiftly like a monkey, and the sword energy swept past beneath his feet, narrowly missing him.

William Harper took a step forward and unleashed a third strike, his sword slashing upward, sending sword energy soaring into the sky.

David Cooper was in midair, with nowhere to gain leverage and nowhere to dodge. He hurriedly swung his sword downward, trying to disperse the sword energy.

However, William Harper’s sword energy shot over with incredible speed. David Cooper’s movement was half a beat too slow. By the time his sword came down, the sword energy had already struck his chest.

The sharp sword energy contained a terrifying power. Instantly, David Cooper felt as if he’d been hit by a heavy blow, sent flying backward and crashing to the ground several meters away.

The sword energy tore through David Cooper’s clothes, leaving a bright red gash on his chest. The intense pain made David Cooper cry out in agony, clutching his chest as his body trembled from the pain.

With a clang, William Harper sheathed his sword. He had only used three strikes to defeat David Cooper; the difference in their strength was almost overwhelming.

William Harper glanced at David Cooper but said nothing more, turning to leave.

The disciples watching hurriedly made way for him.

David Cooper stared at William Harper’s back, his face flushed red. William Harper hadn’t said a single word, clearly treating him as if he didn’t exist. What could be more humiliating than being ignored?

Outside the Martial Pavilion, everything was silent. Only after William Harper left did exclamations erupt, and the scene instantly became lively.

“Even David Cooper couldn’t withstand three of William Harper’s strikes. Is William Harper really about to rise up?”

“Although his cultivation was stuck at the first level of the Condensing Origin Realm for three years, in just a few days, he’s advanced rapidly to the fourth level. Even if it’s a case of accumulated progress, that speed is a bit too much!”

“After all, he has perfect talent in swordsmanship. In terms of talent, William Harper is the number one disciple in our sect. Judging from today’s battle, he really might have a chance to return to the top!”

…

As the disciples discussed, the tide of opinion had completely shifted. Through this battle, it was clear to everyone that William Harper’s rise… was now unstoppable.

David Cooper’s talent was already considered top-tier among the outer sect disciples of the Ancient Sword Sect.

Even David Cooper couldn’t compare to William Harper. In the entire outer sect, those with potential on par with William Harper could be counted on one hand.

Chapter 12: I Will Kill You!

In front of the Martial Pavilion, the battle between William Harper and David Cooper drew many disciples from all ten outer peaks to watch in person.

As the disciples from each peak returned, news of the fight spread like wildfire throughout the entire outer sect of the Ancient Sword Sect.

William Harper mastered the ‘Sword Origin Art’, becoming the second person in nearly a hundred years—after the young sect master Gu Ruifeng—to do so, and with a fourth-level Condensing Origin Realm cultivation, defeated the first peak’s sixth-level Condensing Origin Realm genius disciple David Cooper.

These two pieces of news spread together, and either one was shocking on its own.

William Harper, the disciple with perfect sword talent, had once been stuck at the first level of the Condensing Origin Realm for three years, widely regarded as a useless failure. Only today did he finally reveal the brilliance of his perfect sword talent.

Previously, there had been rumors that William Harper’s cultivation had improved, and that he had even defeated disciples at the fourth and fifth levels of the Condensing Origin Realm. But these reports hadn’t made the disciples of each peak pay much attention to William Harper.

In their eyes, William Harper had missed three golden years of cultivation. Even if he could train now, he might not achieve much.

But with today’s news, everyone’s opinion changed. David Cooper was a top-tier genius among the Ancient Sword Sect’s disciples, which meant William Harper’s potential was at least at that level or higher.

In the future… breaking through to the Blood Transformation Realm and becoming an inner sect disciple was a certainty. In this regard, he already surpassed over ninety percent of the outer sect disciples.

In the days to come, William Harper, this genius with perfect sword talent, was destined to rise rapidly in the outer sect, surpassing one disciple after another.

For such a person, the vast majority of disciples felt ashamed of themselves. In the hearts of the outer sect disciples, William Harper’s image instantly became lofty, his status rising with the tide.

When it came to William Harper, no one dared to call him ‘useless’ anymore. There was only admiration, envy, and a sense of inferiority.

As for the other person in the news, ‘David Cooper’, he had first mocked William Harper for not cultivating the ‘Sword Origin Art’ and was then humiliated when William Harper defeated him in front of everyone with a cultivation two levels lower, causing his reputation to plummet!

Although David Cooper had top-tier talent among the outer sect disciples, he became the butt of jokes among the disciples of all the peaks. Even the disciples of the first peak looked down on their fellow peak member David Cooper, making it impossible for him to lift his head.

While news about William Harper was spreading like wildfire throughout the outer sect, William Harper was practicing swordsmanship every day on the seventh peak!

He took leave from both cultivation and swordsmanship classes, devoting himself entirely to studying the Gale Sword Technique.

After just one day of studying the Gale Sword Technique, William Harper had already achieved a high level of mastery, as if he had practiced it countless times.

However, truly mastering a sword technique is not easy; mental rehearsal alone is not enough.

Every sword technique contains the true essence of swordsmanship—this is the foundation and source of the art.