Understanding One's True Heart

The Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique is an ancient martial art with a long history, passed down in the kingdom of Xining for nearly a thousand years.

It was a kingdom filled with all sorts of snakes, where people observed and learned from them, eventually refining countless effective secret martial arts.

The Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique, having emerged victorious from this environment, was considered a top-tier secret martial art. In certain aspects, it was no less impressive than the most elite secret martial arts capable of manifesting their own Aura.

Each successive practitioner of the Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique would abandon their original name and call themselves Snake, with their designation ranging from Snake One to Snake Two, Snake Three, Snake Four, and so on, depending on their breakthrough time.

The reason the enemy before Liu Tian called himself Snake was that, twenty years ago, he had killed every single martial artist of his generation.

To this day, only one Fighter of the Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique remained, Snake. Therefore, he naturally had no need to add a number to signify his identity.

The original Snake was already a top-tier expert among Fighters. However, after successfully undergoing human modification by Blue Dream Company and integrating the special giant python gene known as Deep Dye, Snake's power had reached a new level. In addition to his explosive physical capabilities, he had even gained a peculiar form of defense.

As a specialized species of giant python, the Deep Dye gene granted Snake a robust physique with muscles and bones that were both as hard as steel and as soft as cotton. Combined with his innate skill in controlling his own body, a technique from the Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique that could allow someone to fit into a small, sealed jar, Snake could achieve what was only rumored to be possible for those who had reached the pinnacle of the Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique: the freedom to manipulate his muscles and bones, even changing his appearance and gender.

Beyond the formidable defensive power of his special muscles, capable of withstanding assault rifle rounds, Snake could, when facing a single opponent in a one-on-one attack, create an illusion for his enemy by using feints, making them believe the attack had actually landed.

If this illusion was cultivated properly and combined with Snake's exaggerated performance, it could easily create the illusion for his opponent that Snake was invincible, thus weakening them by a third before the fight even began.

After all, who would want to face a monster that couldn't be harmed?

Frankly speaking, in the era before Demonic Martial Arts, if restricted from using any divine weapons or sharp implements, Snake would have been enough to contend for the title of "Number One Under Heaven."

This mentally unstable pervert was that formidable, possessing such strength.

Facing such an opponent, Liu Tian was completely outmatched. After only two or three rounds, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

If Snake hadn't been holding back, playing with his prey like a cat with a mouse, waiting for the perfect moment to "collect" Liu Tian intact, and if Liu Tian hadn't had ample experience fighting opponents far stronger than himself, he might have already been defeated.

However, Liu Tian wasn't without a chance. Firstly, the commotion from their intense battle had already startled the tourists. In less than half an hour, Liu Zhengde, having been alerted, would surely arrive with reinforcements. With sufficient firepower to suppress the enemy, and the cooperation of two or three other Fighters, Liu Tian might have a chance to overcome that peculiar muscle.

Secondly, Liu Tian seized an opportunity. With a thought, he looked at the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao on his status panel, speechless.

Sixteen Origin Points. After his recent epiphany, and with the Origin Point requirement for breakthrough having decreased, Liu Tian wasn't without the chance to break through directly.

After all, Effort wasn't an external cheat Liu Tian used to split himself into two; it was a part of Liu Tian.

Effort's definition of a perfect breakthrough was determined by Liu Tian's subconscious.

If Effort were a supercomputer with a self-optimizing algorithm and immense computing power, Origin Points would be its energy source, and all of Liu Tian's knowledge would be its database.

The direction of this computer's calculations would naturally be decided by Liu Tian's subconscious. If Liu Tian wanted a perfect breakthrough, to perfectly master the Killing Intent and Dominating Thought brought by the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, and to achieve what even the Heavenly Dao had only recently accomplished during his breakthrough, the requirements naturally escalated.

But if Liu Tian lowered his expectations, no, if he changed his requirements and chose a different breakthrough direction.

If he abandoned excessive contemplation, abandoned excessive questions.

If he focused entirely on his fist, if he thought solely of striking down the enemy.

If he could discard everything, if he could immerse himself wholeheartedly in the thrill of striking down the enemy, if Killing Intent and Dominating Thought became instinct, became a part of him.

If he were to walk this path that two others had already demonstrated, sixteen Origin Points would be more than enough.

But should he walk this path?

Should he walk this path of a ruthless overlord?

Liu Tian hesitated. He had been caught off guard.

"Darling, getting distracted in a fight is a death sentence!"

The fierce battle allowed no room for hesitation. The moment Liu Tian was distracted, Snake seized the opportunity—Kabul Giant Snake Fighting Technique Secret Skill: Wild Bite.

Clapping his hands together, just as a giant snake uses its coils to crush its prey and shatter all resistance, Snake bit Liu Tian's right arm, instantly neutralizing all resistance in that limb and beginning to spread towards his torso.

Facing this attack, Liu Tian remained silent—Heavenly Martial Killing Dao: Heart Severing Path.

Hit!

But it wasn't Snake, who likely couldn't defend against this attack, but his own right arm.

?!!!

Caught completely off guard by Liu Tian's decisiveness, ruthlessness, and inhumanity, Snake was startled. His intended move missed, and he was immediately struck with a heavy blow.

Heavenly Martial Killing Dao. Twenty percent power. Head Severing Path.

Fast, accurate, ruthless.

Without any hesitation or delay, he instantly severed his right arm. Then, Liu Tian's left hand continued its momentum, unleashing his strongest move at that moment, with Killing Intent and Dominating Thought perfectly merged into one.

The unprecedented twenty percent power instantly sent Snake flying like a baseball. A foul-smelling blood spurted from two places in mid-air.

"Good kid! You actually perceived the only way out in an instant. Don't tell me that momentary distraction was you luring me in?"

Blood flowed from Snake's seven orifices. He felt dizzy and disoriented. Under that heavy blow, his brain had clearly suffered internal injuries.

It was hard to say who was more severely injured. Snake possessed greater strength and more experience, but in combat, victory wasn't always determined by who was stronger; it also depended on how ruthless one was!

Clearly, Snake, who thought he was ruthless enough, lost in the realm of ruthlessness to Liu Tian, who had more conviction.

The dizziness in his head intensified. The aftereffects of the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao's Head Severing Path began to manifest within Snake. He knew clearly that if he continued fighting, he would surely die!

"You win this time, but next time, with your arm gone, how many rounds can you last against me?" Snake spat out a harsh threat. Without any further hesitation, he threw Liu Tian's possibly reattachable hand to the ground and retreated like a striking cobra.

He was certain that although his injuries were more severe, his superior physical condition made him more resilient than Liu Tian.

Liu Tian, having lost an arm and facing imminent heavy bleeding, would absolutely not dare to pursue. He would rather use this time to save his right arm and see if it could be reattached.

"I was wrong." Using his powerful self-control to forcibly stop the bleeding from his major artery, Liu Tian raised his severed right arm to the stump. "So-called mercy, so-called morality, so-called choices—only the strong are worthy of them."

"I am not strong enough yet. It's time to let go of some unnecessary burdens."

"Effort, power up!"