The Influence of the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao

"A familiar ceiling." Perhaps it was because he had seen blood again, but upon waking up in the morning and seeing the increasingly familiar ceiling, Liu Tian felt a pang of emotion for some reason. "It's another day that belongs to me."

He took out a brand-new spare school uniform from the closet and put it on. Liu Tian stretched with satisfaction, picked up the ruby gifted by Bai Cinan from his desk, ate some bread for breakfast as usual, and slung his single-shoulder backpack over his shoulder, ready to head to school.

But this time, it seemed slightly different from the norm.

"Good morning! Brother Tian!" Seeing Liu Tian open the door, Alice, who had been waiting for a long time, waved from outside the iron gate and greeted him.

The excitement of last night didn't seem to have left any shadows in the girl's heart. Seeing Liu Tian come out, Alice's radiant smile rivaled the bright sun.

Her attire today was slightly different from usual—her silky long hair, no longer casually loose, was tied into a simple ponytail. Her exposed forehead was smooth and flawless, and the skin outside her school uniform was also blemish-free. She wore deerskin boots, exuding an aura of youth.

"Alice?" Liu Tian raised an eyebrow and asked, maintaining an appropriate distance, "Are your injuries healed?"

"Thanks to Blue Dream Company's special ointment," Alice casually rolled up her sleeve, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin beneath. The small scars that were there before had disappeared, as if she had never been injured. "After all these years, I'm truly grateful for this ointment."

This world was different from Earth. It possessed unearthed black technology. Although its overall technological level was comparable to the late stages of World War I on Earth, it also had many strange and peculiar black technologies, including special ointments that could quickly heal minor wounds.

Due to a monopoly, the outside world had no idea how much profit was generated from this highly consumed special ointment. However, judging from Blue Dream Company's unbridled expansion into other industries and its predatory pricing tactics, the profits were certainly substantial.

If Blue Dream Company's headquarters were not located in the Dawn Alliance, which valued capital freedom, and if Blue Dream Company itself wasn't a formidable entity, it would have been dismantled long ago.

In fact, if not for the World War triggered by the Dawn Alliance's War of Independence ten years ago, Blue Dream Company, despite its strength comparable to ordinary kingdoms, would have been carved up long ago. How could it have reached its current state of explosive growth, with tentacles reaching all over the world, even being referred to as the Fourth Empire?

"Is that so?" As he spoke, Liu Tian recalled the price of Blue Dream Company's special ointment and couldn't help but shake his head—truly descendants of ancient nobles, with families rooted in mines.

Speaking of which, Father said our family was considered an emerging noble family in the Crimson Cloud Empire?

Even after a World War, why haven't the noble powers completely collapsed? Is it because of the existence of martial arts?

Lost in frivolous thoughts, Liu Tian unconsciously drifted off. While walking, he began to ponder the potential future development of this world's society.

The three great empires corresponded to the un-declined East, the British Empire, and the rising United States, while numerous small countries represented the rest.

Although the existence of martial arts had led to the prevalence and longevity of aristocratic rule in the past, after World War I, with the advancement of gunpowder technology, the role of individual martial prowess diminished. Aristocracy had become outdated, and it was now merely maintained by inertia.

With small and medium-sized enterprises occupying partial administrative power in prefectures and counties, and large enterprises merging and forming the Dawn Alliance, similar political systems gradually became popular.

As the values of the Dawn Alliance gradually spread, coupled with the continuous excavation and influence of ancient black technology, it felt like this world, if it continued on this path, would most likely head towards the era of Cyberpunk 2077 or Terminator 3077...

Seeing Liu Tian lost in thought, Alice didn't disturb him. She merely waved away the attendants who were preparing to follow and quietly trailed behind him, walking towards the public bus in sync.

The similar yet different development paths of the two worlds, which had once been a part of his political commentary, slightly captivated Liu Tian. Coupled with Alice's silence, by the time he snapped back to reality, he realized that Alice had unknowingly followed him all the way to the classroom door.

The fact that people who shouldn't have been connected were going to school together had caused quite a stir in private. After all, while the Gayn family wasn't a top-tier family, it had a long history, and the current generation of successors were all quite outstanding. Combined with Alice's own aptitude, she had quite a few suitors.

But Rose Academy was fortunate. The original Liu Tian was too inconspicuous; no one could accurately gauge his background.

Because of this, no one dared to casually approach and disturb him, interrupting Liu Tian's thoughts, which reduced the number of potential bloody incidents.

Awakening from his potential societal deductions, Liu Tian realized he had once again done something utterly useless that only consumed time. He finally noticed Alice, who had been following him all along: "Alice, why are you still here? Don't you have class?"

"Brother Tian, what were you thinking about just now? So deeply?" Alice asked, hands behind her back, tilting her head.

"Some useless things, things to vent my frustrations," Liu Tian shrugged indifferently and changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the thing you promised me?"

"My sister said it would take three days," Alice pouted, resting her hands on Liu Tian's desk. "She said she wants to thank Brother Tian for his help and prepare properly to ensure you're satisfied."

"Prepare properly to ensure satisfaction, huh? Sounds like something worth looking forward to."

With a thought, he opened his status panel, looking at the glaring Origin Energy 1, and the only martial art, Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, with the final words "cannot be improved." Liu Tian felt a slight sense of anticipation.

He wasn't asking for much, but at least he wanted enough Origin Points to be able to increase his level at any time, ensuring he could heal himself promptly if he were severely injured. If he could raise it to level seven in one go, breaking through the Fighter realm, that would be even better.

The simultaneously increasing Killing Intent and Dominating Thought were no longer things he could afford to ignore.

Although the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, improved through effort, truly felt like a step-by-step progression, it not only healed wounds but also improved physical fitness, experience, and all those other profound aspects.

But perhaps it was precisely because the improvement was too thorough, and to match the skill level, both Killing Intent and Dominating Thought were raised simultaneously, giving him the illusion that he could lose control at any moment.

Heavenly Martial Killing Dao might not be a particularly suitable technique for him.

Even though its special effects were indeed powerful.

Liu Tian glanced at the introduction of Heavenly Martial Killing Dao again. The original level 3 had changed to level 5, and the description of its effects had been updated to: Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, Level 5, Effects: Physique Enhancement (Level 5), Agility Boost (Level 4), Killing Intent (Level 4), Dominating Thought (Level 3 - cannot be improved).

While Liu Tian was contemplating, due to their prolonged proximity, many gazes were now openly staring at them. The curiosity and arrogance within those gazes, coupled with the incessant whispering, made Liu Tian slightly irritable.

The influence of Dominating Thought and Killing Intent grew stronger. With all these factors combined, an idea surfaced in his mind, and the corners of his mouth even curved into a cold smile.

"Hey, do you guys want to see? Then I'll let you have a good look." Liu Tian strode towards the podium, his pair of blood-red eyes sweeping across the audience and the window outside, ensuring that everyone who had been peeking could see his eyes.

Immediately, Liu Tian made a choice he had never made before, indulging the Killing Intent and Dominating Thought in his mind, channeling them through eye contact into the minds of others, making everyone who looked directly into his eyes feel like they were facing a colossal shark.

This was a skill naturally mastered upon reaching a certain level of cultivation in the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao—the Art of Witnessing.

In an instant, the world fell silent