Like the Tiger Blade Technique, the Hundred Rend Blade Technique also followed a domineering, ferocious path.
After his qi and blood had recovered, Ling Yun did not hesitate. He focused his mind and tapped down.
First level!
Second level!
Fifth level of the Hundred Rend Blade Technique!
In no more than a minute, this blade technique he had only just acquired had been modified all the way to the fifth level!
"Phew!"
Ling Yun let out a soft breath, and his complexion returned to normal.
With his current physique, raising it five levels in one go had consumed only a small portion of his qi and blood power!
Slowly rising to his feet, he casually drew a long blade flashing with a cold gleam from the rack beside him.
The instant the blade entered his hand, the core principles of the Hundred Rend Blade Technique instinctively surfaced in his mind, as though he had practiced it thousands upon thousands of times.
Yet before today, he had not even heard of this martial art.
His body began moving of its own accord. For a moment, cold light flashed, and bright silver blade radiance nearly wrapped his entire body within it.
The Hundred Rend Blade Technique emphasized momentum, and thus contained many chopping and slashing moves, carrying a fierce and savage air when practiced.
After practicing back and forth over a dozen times, Ling Yun delivered a final vertical slash. In an instant, more than ten phantom blade shadows appeared around him and struck down alongside it!
Whether in speed or power, those blade shadows were exactly the same as the slash he himself had unleashed.
Amid a series of thunderous booms, the rockery before him instantly gained more than ten deep blade marks.
"Crack!"
At the same time, a crisp sound came from the blade. It shattered on the spot into more than ten pieces, honorably retiring from service.
However, Ling Yun paid no attention to that. He stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
The move that had just split the blade into multiple forms resembled the Tiger Blade Technique's Burst Force. It was a special technique of the Hundred Rend Blade Technique—Hundred Rend.
According to the creator of this technique, so-called Hundred Rend meant that with a single slash, one could split it into a hundred rays of blade light.
Yet even after Ling Yun had cultivated this martial art to the peak fifth level, he could only barely produce a dozen or so rays of blade light.
It seemed that the fellow who had created this technique had merely exaggerated its effects.
What was more, something was rather strange. This time, he had likewise modified the Hundred Rend Blade Technique to the fifth level, yet no ability like Tiger's Might had appeared.
The same was true of Vajra Body and Phantom Step. Apart from the enhancements of the techniques themselves, no special abilities had emerged.
Ling Yun could not quite figure out why. In the end, he could only attribute it to the differing attributes of the techniques.
Shaking his head, Ling Yun did not continue dwelling on it.
The reason he had cultivated the Hundred Rend Blade Technique this time was to test an idea he had been harboring.
That was to fuse these two different blade techniques into one!
After all, every martial art he cultivated at this stage could only be modified to the fifth level.
Though their power was not bad for now, as his strength increased, it would become rather inadequate if they could only remain at this point.
As for why they could not be modified further, Ling Yun guessed it was because these martial arts were too low-tier. They were all merely low-grade martial arts.
The system had already hinted at this when it first appeared.
Therefore, since there were low-grade martial arts, there would naturally also be mid-grade and even high-grade martial arts.
Yet among all the martial arts techniques he could currently access, there were no so-called mid-grade martial arts.
Since he could not find one, he could only think of a way himself.
And the method Ling Yun had thought of was the simple equation: 1+1=2.
Fuse two low-grade martial arts and create an entirely new mid-grade martial art.
Of course, the process might not be so simple. After all, creating a technique was not something that could be done by merely moving one's lips.
But even if he failed, he would not lose anything.
And without the slightest false modesty, even if the creators of these two martial arts were still alive, they probably would not understand them as thoroughly as he did now.
With the thought came action. Ling Yun slowly closed his eyes and began attempting deductions within his mind.
Very soon, countless pieces of information from the two blade techniques surfaced one by one in his mind. In the end, they transformed respectively into a black tiger and a white lion, one on each side!
The tiger and lion roared at each other across the void in his mind, looking utterly incompatible as fire and water.
But Ling Yun remained unmoved. After taking a deep breath, he controlled them with his will, forcibly making them slowly draw closer.
As the lion and tiger came ever nearer, Ling Yun's expression suddenly changed at the instant they were about to touch.
"Not good!"
The white lion broke free from the restraints of his will. With a sudden roar, it lowered its head and bit at the black tiger. Naturally, the black tiger refused to yield, raising its enormous paw and slamming it down.
Before he had time to stop them.
"Clang!"
The instant they collided, a piercing sound of metal striking metal rang out!
Ling Yun felt his mind swell. Great mouthfuls of blood instantly gushed from his nose and mouth, and his aura became somewhat listless. He had clearly suffered a severe backlash!
Yet in the next moment, the qi and blood power hidden within his body surged and churned, and his weakened aura instantly returned to its peak.
Ling Yun slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat helpless. This step was far more difficult than he had imagined.
The lion and tiger in his mind did not truly exist, of course. They were manifestations of blade intent.
From the current situation, although the two shared similar artistic conceptions, their essences were entirely different. Forcibly fusing them would naturally bring backlash.
Should I just leave it at that?
A trace of surrender flashed through Ling Yun's mind, but he immediately flung it fiercely to the back of his head.
I refuse to believe I can't handle you two little things today! Gritting his teeth, Ling Yun closed his eyes once more and entered the spiritual world within his mind.
As the lion and tiger appeared again, Ling Yun did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately began the fusion.
"Clang!"
As expected, the two erupted into violent conflict again.
"Continue!" Ling Yun remained unmoved, enduring the swelling pain in his mind as he continued his deductions.
"Clang!"
"Again!"
"Clang!"
"Again!"
Ling Yun was drenched in blood from head to toe, his aura repeatedly plummeting and rising again. Fortunately, he was a Fusion Realm martial artist with abundant qi and blood.
Otherwise, if he kept recklessly forcing things like this, he would probably die before the techniques could fuse.
Who knew how long had passed? When Ling Yun once again attempted to merge the black tiger and white lion, a different change finally appeared.
The black tiger and white lion roared in unison, then transformed into two spheres of light and fused together. Countless blade technique moves appeared one after another, practicing against each other, merging, taking their essence and discarding their dross.
When the light faded, only a black-and-white long blade remained in his mind.
The figures of the black tiger and white lion flashed across the blade before vanishing.
"It worked!"
Ling Yun abruptly opened his eyes, and a blade gleam as tangible as substance appeared in their depths.
At the same time, the panel began to change.
As the two blade techniques gradually faded away, an entirely new technique emerged.
Tiger-Hundred Crack Saber Technique—Fifth Level!
Before you continue