Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique was an ancient martial art with a long history, passed down for nearly a thousand years in a country called Xining.
It was a land teeming with all kinds of snakes. People observed them and learned from them, eventually developing countless effective forms of Secret Martial Arts.
As the champion among them, Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique was a top-tier form of Secret Martial Arts. In certain respects, it was every bit as good as the leading styles that could give birth to an Aura of their own.
Every fighter of Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique abandoned their original name and called themselves Snake. Depending on when they broke through, they were named Snake One, Snake Two, Snake Three, Snake Four, and so on.
The reason the enemy before Liu Tian called himself Snake was that twenty years ago, he had slaughtered every other martial arts student of his generation.
By now, Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique had only one fighter left: Snake. Naturally, he had no need to add a number to his name to distinguish himself.
Snake had already been a first-rate fighter, even among the martial artists. After he underwent body modification by Blue Dream Company and successfully fused with the genes of a peculiar giant python known as Deep Dye, his strength reached new heights. Besides his explosively enhanced physical abilities, he had also gained a remarkable defensive power.
As a special breed of giant python, Deep Dye had given Snake powerful muscles and bones that were as hard as steel yet soft as cotton. Combined with Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique's mastery of bodily control—which could even let someone squeeze into a sealed little clay pot—Snake could do what, according to legend, only those who mastered the technique could: freely control his muscles and bones, transforming himself into a different shape, or even changing his sex.
Those unique muscles did more than provide enough defense to withstand submachine-gun fire. When facing a single opponent, they could even use their ability to clamp down around an attack to create the illusion that it had landed.
If cultivated properly, this illusion, combined with Snake's over-the-top acting, could convince his opponent that he was invincible, weakening them before the fight even began.
After all, nobody wanted to fight a monster they couldn't hurt.
It was no exaggeration to say that in the days before Demonic Martial Arts existed, if he were forbidden from using any weapons, Snake would have been a contender for the greatest under heaven.
That was just how powerful this mentally unstable pervert was.
Against an opponent like him, Liu Tian simply couldn't match him head-on. In just two or three exchanges, he was clearly on the back foot.
If Snake hadn't been holding back, playing with him like a cat with a mouse as he searched for the perfect moment to collect Liu Tian intact, and if Liu Tian didn't have plenty of experience fighting opponents far stronger than himself, he would probably have already lost.
But Liu Tian wasn't without a chance. First, the commotion from their battle had already roused the tourists. In less than half an hour, Liu Zhengde would surely arrive with enough men to search for him. With ample firepower suppressing Snake and two or three other fighters backing them up, Liu Tian might have a chance to overcome those strange muscles.
Second—
Liu Tian seized an opportunity. A thought crossed his mind, and he stared silently at Heavenly Martial Killing Dao on the panel.
He had 16 Origin Points. After his recent enlightenment, the number of points required for a breakthrough had fallen once more. He wasn't without a chance to break through right now.
After all, Effort wasn't some cheat that Liu Tian had split off into a separate entity. It was part of him.
Effort's definition of a perfect breakthrough came from Liu Tian's subconscious.
If Effort were a supercomputer with a built-in optimization algorithm and an enormous capacity for calculation, Origin Points would be the energy that powered it, while all of Liu Tian's knowledge would be its database.
Naturally, Liu Tian's subconscious determined the direction of the computer's calculations. He wanted to break through perfectly, master the Killing Intent and Dominating Thought brought by Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, and accomplish something that even Tian Dao had only managed recently. Naturally, his requirements for the breakthrough kept rising.
But what if Liu Tian lowered his requirements? No—what if he changed them and chose a different direction for his breakthrough?
What if he abandoned excessive contemplation and too many questions?
What if he focused entirely on his fist and on bringing down his enemy?
What if he could cast everything aside, lose himself completely in the thrill of taking down his enemy, and turn Killing Intent and Dominating Thought into instinct, into a part of himself?
If he followed the path that two others had already demonstrated—
Then 16 Origin Points would be more than enough.
But should he take that path?
Should he walk the merciless path of a tyrant, one who cast aside all ties and obligations?
Liu Tian hesitated, and Snake seized the opening.
"Darling, letting your mind wander in the middle of a fight is practically a death sentence!"
There was no room for hesitation in such a fierce battle. The instant Liu Tian let his guard down, Snake seized his chance—Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique Secret Technique: Wild Bite.
He brought his hands together, like a giant snake coiling around its prey to crush its bones and shatter all resistance. Snake bit down on Liu Tian's right arm, instantly stripping it of all ability to resist, then used the opening to begin winding around his body.
Faced with this attack, Liu Tian said nothing—Heavenly Martial Killing Dao: Heart Severing Path.
Hit!
But the one who was hit wasn't Snake, who might have been able to block the attack. It was Liu Tian's own right arm.
?!!!
Snake hadn't expected Liu Tian to be so decisive, so ruthless, so inhuman. He was startled for an instant, his original move missed, and then a heavy blow slammed into him.
Heavenly Martial Killing Dao: Fucking Twentyfold Force—Head Severing Path.
Fast, accurate, ruthless.
Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Tian violently wrenched his right arm free. Then his left hand followed through with his strongest attack, Killing Intent and Dominating Thought perfectly fused into his being.
The unprecedented twentyfold force sent Snake flying like a baseball. In midair, foul-smelling blood sprayed from two places at once.
"Not bad, kid! You figured out the only way out in an instant. Was that moment of distraction just bait to lure me in?"
Blood poured from all seven openings in Snake's head. He felt dizzy, his vision spinning; that heavy blow had clearly caused internal brain injuries.
It was hard to say which of them was more badly hurt. Snake was stronger and more experienced, but that didn't mean the stronger fighter would always win. What mattered, too, was whether you were ruthless enough!
Snake, who had thought himself ruthless, had clearly lost that contest to Liu Tian, who had more reason to be confident.
The dizziness grew worse. The aftereffects of Heavenly Martial Killing Dao: Head Severing Path began to emerge in Snake's body. He knew full well that if the fight continued, he would die!
"This time, you win. But next time, with your right arm gone, how many rounds do you think you'll last against me?" Snake made his threat, then wasted no time. He tossed Liu Tian's arm—there was still a chance it could be reattached—onto the ground and immediately sprang backward like a striking cobra.
He was certain that although his injuries were worse, his superior physical strength would let him endure more than Liu Tian could.
And Liu Tian, who had already lost an arm and was about to bleed heavily, wouldn't dare chase after him. He was better off using that time to retrieve his right arm and see if it could be reattached.
"I was wrong." Using tremendous self-control to force his arteries to stop bleeding, Liu Tian raised his right arm and held it against the stump. "Mercy, morality, choice—only the strong are worthy of them."
"I'm still not strong enough. It's time to let go of some useless burdens."
"Effort, give me a boost!"
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