Special Training

"The eighty-one forms of the Killing Blade Technique are only the foundation. What truly matters is courage, combat experience, and the killing intent forged through countless slayings!"

"In a warrior's bloody battles, courage comes first. Come, pick up your blade. Today, you'll spar with me."

The next day, inside the Cultivation Room, after watching Gu Yang finish demonstrating the forms of the Killing Blade Technique, Hong Tao picked up a pitch-black heavy saber from the weapon rack by the wall. It was a full seven feet long and one foot wide, yet he held it in one hand and pointed it straight at Gu Yang from afar.

Five meters away, Gu Yang's expression was grave as he gripped his saber tightly, unable to help holding his breath and focusing his mind.

When Hong Tao became serious, the pressure he gave off was simply overwhelming.

His seven-foot-two height, his burly build like that of a Giant Bear, and the saber in his hand...

Even so, Gu Yang gritted his teeth and stepped forward several paces, bringing his saber down in a slash.

"Pressure is meant to be broken through!"

Clang—

The saber in his hand was easily knocked away by Hong Tao, crashing to the ground and scattering sparks.

A massive black shadow swept over his head. Gu Yang instinctively narrowed his eyes and tried to dodge backward.

The next instant, the shadow vanished from before him, followed by a thunderous roar.

"Open your eyes!"

That roar truly boomed beside his ears like a bolt from the heavens. For a moment, Gu Yang's ears buzzed, and he could hear nothing at all.

He even dared to say that with that roar alone, Hong Tao's combat strength would rise by at least thirty percent. Earning himself the title of Roaring Heavenly Venerate would be no problem whatsoever.

"Go pick up your saber. Don't lose focus. Continue!"

As the ringing in his ears gradually faded, Hong Tao's voice sounded once more.

Gu Yang pressed his lips together hard, picked up his saber, and charged at Hong Tao again.

Clang!

The scene reappeared, and the black shadow descended upon him once more. Gu Yang still could not help wanting to narrow his eyes.

But this time, he forcibly restrained that instinctive impulse. His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the approaching blade.

Finally...

Gu Yang could endure no longer. Amid a roar, he advanced instead of retreating, taking one step forward.

With that step, the sea broadened and the sky opened wide.

Hong Tao withdrew his saber, and a trace of approval appeared on his face. "Not bad."

"Huff... huff..."

However, Gu Yang had no mind to respond to Hong Tao at all. His mind was blank, his pupils contracted sharply, and he braced his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.

His stamina remained abundant, yet his limbs still felt weak and limp.

The terror of facing a blade head-on was something that could never be imagined through fantasy alone. It was entirely different from fists and kicks flying at him.

To refrain from dodging, blinking, or feeling fear when a blade came down upon his head, he could only achieve it through constant training.

Through training, he would overcome instinct.

"Continue." Hong Tao's smile vanished as his stern expression returned.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...

For the rest of the time, Gu Yang launched attack after attack, only for Hong Tao to effortlessly knock his saber away each time and force him to face the blade head-on.

The sun slowly climbed until noon, when this special training finally came to an end.

Hong Tao tossed out a single sentence—"Continue the day after tomorrow morning"—then left. Gu Yang alone remained sprawled in the Cultivation Room in the shape of the character "big," staring blankly at the holes in the ceiling as his thoughts drifted beyond the skies.

This sort of special training was agonizing, but its effects were genuinely excellent.

At the very least, when facing a blade now, he no longer reflexively wanted to close his eyes.

However, he was still far from Hong Tao's requirement of remaining unflustered even with Mount Tai collapsing before him. The burden was heavy and the road long; clearly, this special training would have to continue for some time.

Five days later, inside the Cultivation Room.

As he stared at the blade about to touch him, Gu Yang's gaze was calm, and his face showed no change whatsoever.

Seeing Gu Yang's performance, Hong Tao stopped moving and said, "You've adapted to blades alone. Next, we'll begin adapting to killing intent."

"You must know that the Ferocious Beasts in the wild have eyes full of savagery and killing intent. An ordinary person need only meet their gaze once to either be frightened stiff, unable to move, or suffer a complete mental collapse and turn to flee. So if you cannot face a Ferocious Beast's killing intent head-on, there's no need to speak of hunting Ferocious Beasts."

"Now, look at me!"

"Yes, Dean Hong."

Boom!

In an instant, Gu Yang felt as though he had been stripped naked and thrown into a world of ice and snow.

The cold pierced to the bone and froze the marrow of his heart.

Looking into Hong Tao's eyes, filled with killing intent, Gu Yang felt his entire body cease to obey him.

Only after a long while did he break free, and then he heard Hong Tao's voice.

"Continue."

Half a month later.

Inside the Cultivation Room, faced with a saber strike brimming with Hong Tao's killing intent, Gu Yang calmly slid one step sideways, allowing the saber to fall past him. Then he stepped forward again and slashed at Hong Tao.

Clang!

Hong Tao stretched out his other hand and directly grabbed the steel saber's blade. When the two made contact, they even produced the sound of metal colliding.

"Not bad. Your courage training can be considered passable for now."

Hong Tao nodded in satisfaction, then said again, "As for combat experience and the gathering of killing intent, you can slowly accumulate those through future real battles. Arrange the next five days as you see fit. On the evening five days from now, settle things at home and wait for me here. I'll take you to meet up with the other disciples, and we'll leave the city together."

"Yes, Dean Hong," Gu Yang immediately answered.

A moment later, Hong Tao left.

Gu Yang took a deep breath, picked up his saber once more, and seriously began practicing his blade technique again.

Thrust, chop, lift, hook, cleave, sweep, pick, hack, deflect...

One basic movement after another, along with various combinations and transformations of forms, unfolded in his hands.

Every strike from Gu Yang was made with all his strength.

At the same time, a faint trace of killing aura appeared in his eyes.

Though he had never killed before, he had spent these days swinging his saber under the oppressive force of Hong Tao's killing aura. He had already condensed a wisp of killing aura himself.

That wisp of killing intent might have no effect whatsoever on disciples who had already undergone field experience, but if he faced those fledglings from the Training Ground before, it would be a complete dimensional strike.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The wind from the saber howled, and the moving blade abruptly became still.

With a flick of Gu Yang's wrist, the steel saber returned to his back.

Killing Blade Technique proficiency +1

"Hoo..."

Letting out a long breath, Gu Yang slowly closed his eyes.

In an instant, starlight flashed into existence.

Skills: Blood Nourishing Stance (91/400); Azure Dragon Dance Accomplishment (168/1000), Killing Blade Technique (87/100)

Talents: Vitality Surge, Power Surge, Mighty Ox Strength.

Over the past half month, Gu Yang had not only passed Hong Tao's special training, but the proficiency of all three of his skills had also improved.

Every other day, he took a packet of Qi and Blood Powder to practice Stance Training. By now, his Blood Nourishing Stance proficiency had reached nearly one-quarter of what was required for Blood Condensation.

Whether practicing on his own each day or sparring with Hong Tao, his Killing Blade Technique had progressed extremely quickly.

Likewise, using his footwork during his battles with Hong Tao also increased the proficiency of Azure Dragon Dance.

However, although all three skills had progressed, the only one nearing a breakthrough was the Killing Blade Technique.

Looking at the floating words before him, Gu Yang quietly made up his mind.

Over the next five days, he would devote most of his energy to the Killing Blade Technique and strive to break this skill through to Minor Accomplishment before leaving the city for field experience!