The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

After arriving at the Pure White Sword Monument, Lin Qi quietly waited with the other fellow participants for the monument to be opened.

A moment later, a man in a black trench coat with a sword-shaped badge on his chest came to the sword monument and told all the participants to sit cross-legged.

Although he didn't know why they had to sit cross-legged, Lin Qi still sat down with everyone else.

Just as Lin Qi sat cross-legged, the sword monument, shaped like a pure white longsword, suddenly shone brightly.

Then, Lynch lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, he found himself in a boundless void shimmering with stars. Before he could think or look around, a message containing a certain sword technique entered his mind, and he was asked to learn the technique within a certain time.

Lin Qi immediately realized that this was the first test of the Sword Monument.

He immediately focused his mind and began to try to learn that sword technique.

The sword technique wasn't very difficult; Lin Qi only practiced it a few times before he mastered it.

Then, immediately after he entered the gate, another message arrived, stating that the requirements for passing the level were still the same.

He could only continue learning another sword technique.

This sword technique was slightly more difficult than the last one, but it still didn't stump him.

It took him a little longer to pass the second level.

But the moment he passed the checkpoint, an exceptionally large and complex amount of information flooded into his mind.

Lin Qi understood that this was the content of the first level of the "Sword Manual"!

Meanwhile, the requirement to pass this third level is to enter the first level of the "Sword Canon", but this time there is no time limit.

So, Lin Qi began practicing the first level of the sword manual with curiosity and awe.

But to his surprise, compared to the sword techniques of the first two levels, although the first level of the "Sword Manual" contained more content and was more difficult, he learned it faster and more easily! It was not at all as difficult to learn as the torchbearer had said!

He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that he really has a talent for swordsmanship?

During the process of practicing the first level of the Sword Manual, his thoughts flowed incredibly smoothly, and he was also frequently struck by flashes of inspiration, as if he were divinely aided.

In this state, Lin Qi practiced for an unknown amount of time, and finally at a certain moment, he felt as if he had grasped something, and at that moment he entered the first level of the Sword Manual!

Then, before he could fully comprehend it, he lost consciousness again.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in reality, still sitting on the open ground in front of the sword monument.

At that moment, the man in the black trench coat wearing a sword-shaped badge, who had been standing guard nearby, walked over with a smile, reached out and helped Lin Qi, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, to his feet, and congratulated him, "Welcome to the 'Swordholder'!"

That's how it happened; he joined the Swordholders without really understanding what was going on.

Pulling back the memories that had been stirred up, Lin Qi glanced at the mobile terminal on his wrist: there were only two minutes left before the sword monument would be activated.

He immediately turned his gaze to the group of people standing quietly in front of the pure white sword monument. Most of them were new recruits from the Investigation Bureau, and a small number were the official torchbearers. He scanned them and announced loudly, "The sword monument will be activated soon. Everyone can sit down cross-legged."

Upon hearing this, the official torchbearers sat down cross-legged first, followed by the new recruits from the Investigation Bureau.

A moment later, the sword monument shone brightly, and then the people in black trench coats who were sitting all closed their eyes at the same time, their consciousness being absorbed into the sword monument.

Seeing the group of men in black trench coats getting into the zone, Lin Qi sat down beside the sword monument, placed his longsword on his lap, and started browsing the "Asking the Sword" section of the survey app.

In the "Asking the Sword" section, many senior swordsmen share their insights on swordsmanship training.

Suddenly, he came across a post: "Because the Sword Manual's cultivation speed is too slow, I've decided to clear the fifth level of the Sword Monument first!!!"

Lin Qi recalled the figure he had seen earlier that day in front of the Investigation Bureau, the one who could fly on a sword within the Bureau's premises.

Using a sword within the Investigation Bureau's territory is a privilege reserved for those with a B-level sword-wielding certificate.

To obtain a B-level sword mastery certificate, one must at least complete the fourth level of the Sword Manual.

But right now, he's only just begun to grasp the fourth level of the Sword Manual!

And most importantly, he did find that his speed of cultivating the sword manual was getting slower and slower!

Previously, he had passed the third level of the Sword Monument test on his first try and considered himself a one-in-a-million sword genius. However, since he began cultivating the second level of the Sword Manual, he could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had slowed down.

This phenomenon becomes even more pronounced on the third level.

Even if he was slow to realize it, he did understand: he did have talent, but that talent was indeed limited.

At his current cultivation speed, it would be very difficult for him to complete the fourth level of the Sword Manual in less than three or four years! Moreover, his cultivation speed will only slow down further in the later stages of the fourth level of the Sword Manual!

With inexplicable thoughts swirling in his mind, he opened the post.

"So difficult!!! The fifth level of the Sword Manual is too hard!!!"

"At my current pace, it will probably take at least twenty years to get past that!"

"This has taken far too long. How can we, the sword wielders, hesitate like this? So I decided to attempt the fifth level of the Sword Monument."

"Although I have limited talent, I am not stupid, and I managed to pass the fifth level by luck."

"After successfully completing the challenge, I could clearly feel that my mind had been thoroughly cleansed, almost reaching a state of mental clarity."

"And my cultivation speed has also greatly improved. Now, I'm confident I can pass the fifth level of the Sword Manual within two years!"

"Therefore, for those fellow cultivators who, like me, are not satisfied with their current cultivation speed, I also suggest trying the fifth level of the Sword Monument!"

"Whether it's failure or success, I believe we can gain something from it."

"As for the test content of the fifth level of the Sword Monument, it is different for everyone, so I won't go into details. Saying too much may affect your ability to pass the test."

"But I have a word of advice for all my comrades who aspire to conquer the fifth level of the Sword Monument: Don't put down your swords!"

After closing the post, Lin Qi was somewhat tempted: what originally required twenty years to reach the fifth level of the Sword Manual could now be accomplished in just two years after passing the fifth stage of the Sword Stele assessment! His cultivation speed had increased tenfold!

His gaze fell upon the pure white sword monument beside him.

The Sword Monument's assessment is not limited to three stages; rather, those who wish to join the Swordholder only need to pass three stages of assessment.

Moreover, once you pass the third test of the Sword Monument and enter the second level of the Sword Manual, you can go to the Sword Monument at any time to participate in the subsequent tests. Each test will have different rewards, such as a special sword technique, a demonstration of a sword intent, or a physical or mental enhancement and cleansing, etc.

As for the fourth level of the Sword Monument test, he had already passed it, but he had never tried to pass the fifth level.

Although the Sword Monument's assessment is generally not directly related to strength level or progress in sword manual cultivation, Lin Qi had heard about the fifth level of the Sword Monument's assessment before: all the sword wielders who had passed this level called it the "first insurmountable barrier on the path of the sword"! Moreover, their opinions were highly consistent, all suggesting that it would be best to cultivate the sword manual to the fifth or even sixth level before attempting it.

That's why Lin Qi didn't go straight to the fifth level of the Sword Monument.

But after doing the math, he realized that at his current rate of cultivation, let alone the sixth level of the Sword Manual, he probably wouldn't even be able to master the fifth level!

But if I can get through the fifth level of the Sword Monument...

Thinking of this, and recalling the "ten times faster cultivation speed" described in that post, as well as the last sentence, "Whether you fail or succeed, you should gain something," Lin Qi had already made his decision.