Promotion to Eighth Rank! Unlocking Talent: Imperial

Chapter 44: Ascending to Eighth Rank! Talent Unlocked: Imperial

In the distance.

Aboard the large ship sailing upstream.

Lu Chen and the other two were indeed here.

To escape their pursuers, Lu Chen and the others had abandoned their horses two days ago and boarded a ship, deciding to travel by water to avoid unwanted attention.

Inside the room at this moment.

Lu Chen was looking at the panel before him.

Merit Points: 2914.

"Merit Points, upgrade the Nine Heavens Cultivation Method!"

[Ding!][You have consumed 1000 Merit Points, the Nine Heavens Cultivation Method has been upgraded to the Fourth Level!]

[Your cultivation has reached Seventh Rank (93%)]

[You have consumed 1500 Merit Points, the Nine Heavens Cultivation Method has been upgraded to the Fifth Level!]

[Your cultivation has reached Eighth Rank (3%)]

[The next upgrade for the Nine Heavens Cultivation Method requires 2200 Merit Points!]

Boom!

His internal energy surged, vast and mighty, like rolling waves. Streams of powerful Internal Energy intertwined with Lightning, crackling and popping. His aura was surging, and his strength was surging.

Lu Chen gently exhaled a breath of stale air, gradually suppressing his aura.

Eighth Rank!

Remaining Merit Points: 414. "Merit Points, upgrade the Sun Sword Technique!"

[Ding!]

[You have consumed 140 Merit Points, the Sun Sword Technique has been upgraded to the Minor Accomplishment stage!]

[You have consumed 200 Merit Points, the Sun Sword Technique has been upgraded to the Major Accomplishment stage!]

[The next upgrade requires 270 Merit Points!]

[Ding! Detected that your good reputation has risen again, reaching the third stage: Widely Acclaimed, and you have received a reward: Imperial Sword Body!]

[Imperial Sword Body: Your physique has become an ultimate sword body, impervious to blades and impervious to water and fire. Any sword technique in your hands will automatically upgrade, possessing the power to turn decay into magic. Third-rate sword techniques become second-rate, second-rate sword techniques become first-rate, first-rate sword techniques become peak, and peak sword techniques become Divine Skills!]

A clear voice echoed in his mind.

"Huh? Imperial Sword Body?" Lu Chen's eyes flashed.

What a pleasant surprise!

It could even upgrade sword techniques automatically!

Boom!

His body began to change rapidly.

A powerful, invisible force instantly surged into his body, as if a magnificent sword intent rose from within him. All his bones and flesh were undergoing changes, crackling and popping, accompanied by waves of pain. From his pores, streams of powerful sword energy and sword intent hissed and crackled.

His entire being seemed to transform into an ultimate Sword Venerable, radiating terrifying sword origin and sword aura.

Even the entire ship showed signs of anomaly.

The martial artists on the ship were all shocked. They felt their swords trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly, with a clang, all their swords unsheathed simultaneously and flew uncontrollably towards Lu Chen's closed-door room. Clang, clang, clang...

Dozens of swords, without exception, were automatically embedded outside Lu Chen's room.

Stuck in the ground, they hummed and trembled.

As if paying homage to a Sword Emperor.

This was entirely due to Lu Chen's unconscious actions.

His physique had been transformed, and his body naturally attracted the homage of all the swords.

"My sword!"

"What's going on!"

"Why did my sword fly out on its own?"

The swordsmen on the ship were all greatly alarmed. They quickly rushed out towards the front, intending to retrieve their swords. However, as they approached, waves of invisible sword intent washed over them, making them struggle and cry out in surprise before retreating again. "There's a master!"

"Such terrifying sword energy!"

"Which senior is here? Please show mercy!"

"What is Senior doing? My sword..."

Even Liu Jinglan and Cui Qingqing in the adjacent room emerged, looking shocked.

This was because Liu Jinglan's sword was the same as everyone else's.

and flew directly out of the sword box.

"It's Young Hero Lu... Could it be... he's mastered the legendary Sword Intent?"

Liu Jinglan was shocked.

As a descendant of a noble family, he was well-traveled and knowledgeable.

He knew of a legendary Sword Intent that, once mastered, made one equivalent to a supreme sword artifact, capable of automatically summoning all swords under heaven to pay homage. But, wasn't this too fantastical?

How old was Lu Chen?

How could he have suddenly cultivated Sword Intent?

Suddenly, he received a telepathic message from Lu Chen in his mind. His heart tightened, and he immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Everyone, apologies for the offense and inconvenience. You may now retrieve your swords!"

"We can't retrieve them! If we get too close, we'll be attacked by the Sword Intent, and our pores will sting... This senior is too terrifying. Little brother, do you know who the senior in the room is?"

A young man around thirty years old asked, his face full of shock, still feeling the intense pain in his body.

"His identity... well, I cannot disclose it, but it's alright now. You can go forward and retrieve your precious swords."

Liu Jinglan replied vaguely.

The crowd was skeptical but stepped forward again to retrieve their swords. This time, they were indeed able to get their respective swords back.

Each of them felt a sense of awe and bowed respectfully towards the room before them.

Seeing no movement from within the room, they then retreated again.

Back in the ship's lounge, everyone immediately began to discuss in low voices.

"Who was that senior? Such terrifying strength."

"With this senior on the ship, we no longer have to worry about being attacked by water ghosts on this journey."

"Exactly. With a senior like this, what kind of scoundrel would dare to appear?"

"Could this senior be some Sword Dao Grandmaster? If we could get even a few pointers from him, we'd strike it rich..."

"Incredible."

Liu Jinglan's heart churned. The river flowed vast and wide.

The multi-decked boat sailed forward.

Inside the cabin, Lu Chen was consolidating his Imperial Sword Body over and over.

With the modification of his body complete, his entire physical form had become stronger than before, denser, like a precious treasure body, his skin exuding a crystalline sheen.

More importantly, it was his comprehension of the Sword Dao.

At this moment, holding the soft sword, he felt that the entire soft sword looked different in his eyes.

Countless sword dao wisdom and insights flooded his mind...

It was as if he could feel the life of this sword.

Swords, too, had sentience.

By communicating with their sentience, one could make the sword stronger.

A good sword could even grow alongside its master! Clang!

The soft sword trembled, and in an instant, blood shadows flickered with an eerie glow.

It was as if nine hundred and ninety-nine blood-red suns had appeared simultaneously.

Where the light reached, everything turned to ash.

Puff!

The soft sword was sheathed again.

"The Imperial Sword Body, this will be my other trump card. The outside world only knows my saber techniques are formidable, but they would never imagine that my sword techniques are even more terrifying than my saber techniques..."

Lu Chen mused inwardly.

This was only the Great Accomplishment stage of the Sun Sword Technique.

If he were to add points to the Sun Sword Technique until it reached Perfection, it would be even more unimaginable.

At that time, he would be able to fight against a ninth-rank expert!

Just then, Lu Chen felt something and turned to look out the window.

A massive multi-decked boat was sailing down the river, bringing with it an invisible mental pressure, creating an illusion as if a vast, dark cloud was rolling in.

Not only him.

Even the others on the deck were greatly alarmed.

They all felt as if they were hallucinating.

The large ship opposite them grew taller and larger, like a terrifying mountain crushing down upon them.

Especially the boatman and the group of workers on the deck, their faces turned pale with fright, their bodies trembling.

Suddenly, their legs went weak and they fell to the ground, struggling to breathe, feeling as if a giant 'mountain peak' was about to crush them to death.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, a deafening sword cry rang out, echoing clearly all around. Boom!

In an instant, the illusion before everyone's eyes shattered.

All pressure vanished.

The large ship was still the same large ship.

It hadn't grown larger or taller.

Nor was it crushing towards them.

However, on the deck of that tower ship, a burly figure in black clothes and black robes appeared, standing straight like a tall spear, with cold eyes and an unparalleled aura.

The people on the deck were all startled and began to whisper amongst themselves.

Even Liu Jinglan and Cui Qingqing looked tense.

Another powerful enemy has arrived?

But soon, Liu Jinglan's expression changed slightly, and he looked in another direction again.

To the right front area. Another wide樓船 was sailing down the river towards this direction.

That warship did not cause the same mental illusion as before.

But it still gave off an incredibly strange feeling.

It was as if the tower ship was deliberately controlled in its speed, sailing downstream at a constant pace, with the surging river seemingly unable to impact its hull...

On that deck.

A man and a woman, with smiles on their faces, were looking in this direction.

"See, I told you they would take the water route, didn't I?"

The man was in his early twenties, with a smiling face, and a black longsword hanging from his waist.

"Fine, you're capable then, alright?"

The girl looked displeased, her hair messy.

"Kirin Ranking sixty-fifth... [Autumn Water Sword] Luo Changqing..." Liu Jinglan was inwardly shocked.

They had actually alerted a top expert on the Kirin Ranking.