Sword Intent

Chapter 21: Sword Intent

EXP broke through ten thousand.

The system unlocked some new functions.

Killing enemies wouldn't just drop EXP; if lucky, it could also yield various items, such as cultivation techniques, weapons, or elixirs.

Killing a child of destiny, however, was guaranteed to drop items, and of good quality at that.

This made Lu Zhaojin even more eager to kill Zhao Jinzhi and see what treasures he might drop.

At the same time, cultivation techniques like Brute Ox Stance and Gale Sword Art could actually be leveled up further.

According to the system's prompt, after a technique reached perfection, there was another stage called the Extreme Realm, also known as the ultimate state of a technique, signifying its pinnacle.

When a technique reached this realm, it meant one's mastery of it had surpassed even its creator, which was an unimaginable level of power.

However, breaking through to the Extreme Realm required ten thousand EXP, a considerable amount.

Currently, there were no other techniques that could be upgraded.

Lu Zhaojin poured the ten thousand EXP into Gale Sword Art.

[Gale Sword Art (Extreme Realm)]

[EXP: 2318]

As the sword art reached the Extreme Realm.

Lu Zhaojin felt as if he could hear different sounds. He felt his sword speaking to him, its will firm despite his crippled body, urging him to fight again, to die on the battlefield even if shattered.

Simultaneously, he felt the Cave Mansion itself was slightly different. It seemed as if wind was constantly flowing, something he couldn't perceive before, but now he could easily sense its presence – gentle, smooth, like an invisible ribbon flowing through his hands.

The wind was lively and free.

However, while it seemed harmless, when angered, it could uproot trees and whip rivers and oceans into tsunamis that engulfed the land.

Gale.

The character for "Gale" could be extended to mean "fast."

In reality, when wind reached its ultimate speed, it transformed into blades.

Lu Zhaojin cultivated Gale Sword Art, and even with EXP infusion, reaching perfection, he hadn't transcended the scope of the sword itself.

It wasn't that the sword was unimportant, but to surpass the creator, one had to deeply consider when, where, and with what intent the creator had forged this technique.

Lu Zhaojin now felt as if he was inhabiting the creator's body, witnessing firsthand the figure wielding a sword amidst the gale, as if he were a soul.

The streaks of gale seemed like countless sword blades, flying wildly in the void, without direction or origin.

Where the gale passed, rocks cracked, trees were severed at their roots, and fleeing animals caught in its path were torn to shreds.

The figure stood directly facing the surging gale, without any apparent movement, simply standing upright. A single resonant clang of a sword echoed between heaven and earth.

The wind stopped, the clouds moved.

The gale in this place bowed its head before this single sword strike.

Because this sword strike was faster than the gale, as if severing the source, or perhaps severing the past. This involved deeper mysteries that Lu Zhaojin couldn't comprehend yet. He only felt that the person's sword strike was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.

A Martial Artist of the Sixth Rank would likely perish upon witnessing such a level of swordplay.

Lu Zhaojin was immersed in this profound and mysterious realization, losing track of time until his consciousness returned to his body.

[Unlocked Sword Intent #183: Gale]

Lu Zhaojin lay still on the ground, the spear still impaled in him, appearing lifeless.

Uncle Chen didn't approach immediately. Having lived half his life, he knew the cunning of people from the jianghu; feigning death was a common tactic.

Meanwhile, the commotion here attracted the attention of Zhao Jinzhi and his group. Seeing that Lu Zhaojin seemed to have been killed by Uncle Chen, they felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from their hearts.

Lu Jinlin, enraged, wanted to charge at Uncle Chen to avenge his son, but Zhao Yuanshan and Xu Huan stopped him.

Uncle Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fighting Lu Zhaojin felt like battling an opponent of the same cultivation level.

He was a late Seventh Rank Martial Artist, so why was he struggling so much against an early-stage Martial Artist?

Uncle Chen walked forward, preparing to pull out the spear and deliver a few more blows to be truly at ease.

As he took a step, a cool breeze brushed past his ear, accompanied by a slight stinging sensation.

Uncle Chen froze, raising his hand to touch his earlobe. He felt a slippery sensation. He brought his hand to his eyes, then to his nose, catching a whiff of blood.

What was going on?

Uncle Chen was skeptical. Had he been cut by the youth during their fight?

Before he could dismiss his doubts, more intense cool breezes began to swirl within the Cave Mansion, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

Uncle Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed Lu Zhaojin's corpse move. "He's not dead yet!"

The spear hadn't actually pierced Lu Zhaojin. His skin was as tough as bronze, the material used to forge the spear far superior to ordinary metals, yet it had only left white marks on his skin.

However, the penetrating force of the spear had indeed caused considerable damage to Lu Zhaojin's internal organs.

His current state was akin to having tough skin but an unrefined interior, like a turtle hiding in its shell.

It would be great if he could find the cultivation method that followed the Golden Body Technique.

Lu Zhaojin stood up again, though he was injured, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and trailing down his face.

But his eyes were shining, fixed on Uncle Chen, who stood frozen in place. A green light flickered in his gaze, like a gentle breeze passing by, causing the wind in the vicinity to turn swift and sudden.

Zhao Jinzhi and the others had no idea what was happening, but his Master sensed something unusual. "This is... Intent!"

Zhao Jinzhi asked, confused, "Master, what is Intent?"

His Master didn't explain. "I don't practice martial arts, so I can't explain it to you. However, I have heard that when one's cultivation reaches the pinnacle of perfection, they can touch upon Intent."

Zhao Jinzhi was even more confused. "Pinnacle of perfection?"

His understanding only went as far as Beginner, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfected.

His Master patiently explained, "The creator of this technique is that peak. When you cultivate this technique, you are climbing that peak. Even reaching the Perfected stage is merely seeing the same scenery from that peak. But when you reach the summit and see a different view, you have surpassed the creator. In martial arts, this is called the Extreme Realm."

Zhao Jinzhi understood, but he felt no joy in gaining this new knowledge. Instead, he harbored even stronger feelings of jealousy and dark thoughts towards Lu Zhaojin.

His Master could sense the changes in his disciple's heart. In the past, he could have offered more guidance, but now, there was nothing he could say.

Because even he felt that his disciple's desire to surpass Lu Zhaojin would likely be extremely difficult.

The gale materialized out of thin air before them.

But others couldn't see it; they only felt that something was different, yet they couldn't pinpoint what.

Only Uncle Chen, who faced the Gale Sword Art's Intent directly, could clearly see wisps of wind howling before his eyes, like countless sword blades slicing through his flesh, dismembering him piece by piece, yet he was still alive.

In his eyes, Lu Zhaojin had drawn his sword, a bright green light filling his vision, blinding him.

But when he could see clearly, there were two Lu Zhaojins.

One was in front of him, and one was behind him.

One was sheathing his sword, the other was drawing it.

He blinked in surprise as the Lu Zhaojin before him slowly began to disappear.

It turned out he was too fast...

Uncle Chen's head detached from his neck.

[Killed Seventh Rank Martial Artist, EXP +5000]

[EXP: 7318]