The Teal Sword Emperor was surprised. He didn't expect his champion to have grown this far on the path of the sword. To think he would reach the Domain already...There were few who reached such a step, even out of the many experts beyond the 50th stage. Of course, all the pinnacle masters beyond the 60th stage at least mastered this but to think a cultivator not even at the 10th stage did... He began to contemplate on what to do with him. It would be quite a shame to see him die. He could be useful outside of the trial...He looked behind him at his table and his guest. Three disciples from his clan. He began to consider whether it would be worth it to trade one for that champion...

At the same time, some other people were watching the battle. The princess was one of them and her mouth was wide-open. She was beyond surprised by the sight. Ever since coming here, she witnessed many incredible things but this was beyond her ability to comprehend and acknowledge. She turned to her ancestor who sat near her, having lost his champions long ago. He never planned to win this year anyways and sold them for benefits... Since he wasn't in a bad mood, she tried to ask him about the battle, hoping he wouldn't be mad at her for distracting him.

He wasn't. Instead, he got curious himself. As he saw the Domain of the old man, he chuckled and looked at the Teal Sword Emperor. He pat the princess's head and asked her: "Do you know what this is?"

She nodded and answered: "Isn't it the Manifestation of Domain?"

He nodded with appreciation. She wasn't infinitely talented but she was diligent and knowledgeable. This kind of cultivator was much better. Talent could fade away but efforts and knowledge would never betray. That being said, her understanding was likely superfluous since this was quite a high-end subject. Even he didn't expect to see it during this trial. Even if the greatest elites were picked as champions, it was quite uncommon.

He told her: "It is the Manifestation of his Domain indeed. Do you know what it means?"

She pondered for a moment, hoping to impress her ancestor and stated what she knew: "When the will becomes strong enough, an intent is formed and after it grows enough, it takes the form of the Domain. When using it, everything related to the Domain will see an incredible boost in might"

He pat her head again as he chuckled. She understood some of it but not everything. He looked at the old swordsman fighting. He wondered if he mastered it only up to there or if he kept the remaining as a trump card... He glanced back at his grand-grand-grand...-daughter and explained: "The will first turns into an image that takes shape. Then, it materializes and convey an intent. The will and the intent are slightly different in that the cultivator 'will' a shape but the shape itself contains an 'intent'. Here, for example, the swordsman's shape is a sword and what is the intent of the sword?"

She answered: "To kill"

She didn't need to think twice before answering. Wasn't it obvious that the foundation of the sword was to kill? This was what it was created for and what it was used to do after all. However, against her expectations, the old man shook his head and stated: "No. That is the end goal, not the intent. It could be the intent, of course, but it is quite rare. Cultivators create a shape but that shape is what they know. If someone used the sword not to kill but to plow a field, wouldn't the intent be to plow? The 'intent' is what the cultivator who willed it to exist intends for it. In most cases, the intent of a sword will be to 'slash' or to 'pierce', something like that"

She nodded fervently as she made sure to ingrain her ancestor's teachings inside her mind. It was valuable knowledge. Not everyone was lucky enough to be taught by a pinnacle expert. Curiously, she asked: "What about his?"

Her ancestor glanced once more and stated: "As usual. It is 'Slash'. It is the usual but that doesn't mean it's weak, don't forget that. Whoever reached the Domain stage...Considerable might is contained within their wills. If not limited by the height of their 'existence', anyone who reached this stage would have the ability to trounce cultivators under the 50th stage by the thousands"

She frowned as she said: "It doesn't seem to be that incredible"

He looked at her surprised then analyzed things from her perspective. The swordsman was fighting seemingly evenly with his opponent who had yet to reach the stage of Domain. Of course, she would think this way. He sighed and said: "You're wrong. He's not making use of the true power of the Domain yet. He hasn't fused with the intent yet... Then again, you shouldn't belittle his opponent either. This kid who has the royal ring from our empire...He is particularly powerful as well. And his strength isn't limited by his 'existence'. He's making use of all the basic principles of spiritual energy, uses the will as well and can manipulate 'corruption' while using a treasure containing two more elements. Do you know many cultivators with this kind of ability at the 9th stage?"

She shook her head sideways as she began to have mixed feelings. She had to admit, this kid was powerful. She didn't expect her ancestor's next words though: "He would probably never find an equal at his own stage until he reached the 30th stage at least"

She couldn't help blurting out: "That strong?!"

Her ancestor chuckled as he nodded and noticed a change in the battle. The swordsman seemed to have had enough of the stalemate. He pointed at the screen and told her: "Watch carefully, he is going to use the Domain for real from here on out"