Killing Intent

Feng Xue was somewhat surprised by Vera's reaction. He had expected Vera to panic and say that she hadn't killed anyone, or to boast arrogantly that her hands were stained with countless drops of blood.

But what I didn't expect was that she would be so calm, speaking in a tone as casual as if outsiders were discussing whether they had eaten or not:

"I've killed people before, so what?"

In that instant, Feng Xue finally understood the girl's abnormality, or rather, he finally understood why he had been able to lose focus when the other party had pointed a weapon at his neck.

"Why did you kill him?" Feng Xue asked, but Vera seemed unable to understand the question, scratching her head and saying:

"If our village catches Slaver Team, we tie them up and make those who have never killed anyone do the work."

"I see," Feng Xue said thoughtfully, but Vera frowned.

"What? I see! Explain yourself!"

"It's nothing, just a lack of education." Feng Xue gently shook her head. "Most people are exposed to various teachings from a young age, understanding the differences between humans and animals, and developing the awareness that 'I am human.' But you didn't have this kind of education; you were given the fact of 'killing' beforehand. This means you're not very aware of the meaning behind 'killing your own kind' and 'taking a life.' And without understanding this, you naturally won't have the intention to kill."

"I don't understand," Vera said decisively, shaking her head. Feng Xue didn't elaborate on this, simply replying:

Simply put, you need to first learn what murderous intent is.

"What is that?" Vera only acted like a ten-year-old child at times like this. Although Feng Xue felt that teaching this girl these things might mold her into a female demon, considering that she wouldn't be the victim anyway, she asked without much hesitation:

"It's just the idea of wanting to kill a target."

"You need to learn this kind of thing?" Vera looked at Feng Xue with some surprise, as if she were looking at a fool. Feng Xue just smiled and said:

"Don't need it? Then try trying to kill me now."

"What do you mean by wanting something with all your might..." Vera hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly froze on the spot. Her short legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and her face, which had been flushed with health, turned deathly pale.

Her eyes held a despair akin to drowning, and she instinctively opened her mouth to gasp for breath, but it was to no avail.

The feeling of being permeated by some kind of power lasted only a moment, but Vera felt as if she had lived through an eternity. As the sense of danger slowly subsided, she uncontrollably plopped down on the garbage heap.

"What was that just now?" After a long while, Vera finally crawled out of the garbage heap, came to Feng Xue's side, and looked down at the strange man.

Looking at Vera's forced composure, Feng Xue said with a hint of smugness:

"Killing intent, that is, 'the will to kill someone'."

"You're kidding, right? If you're determined to kill someone, I can do that too!" Vera didn't believe Feng Xue's words at all. Or rather, any normal person would find it hard to believe that just a "thought" could make someone tremble all over and even lose their balance.

"Can you really do it?" Feng Xue gently shook her head. "Killing intent isn't a simple thing. If you had to describe it, it's a kind of determination, a kind of rehearsal, a guarantee that you won't be confused when you actually have the chance to strike. Since you want to learn the art of killing, then you must learn killing intent. Otherwise, even a moment's hesitation could become your downfall."

At this point, Feng Xue seemed to remember something and said nonchalantly:

"Of course, concealing killing intent is a high-level tactic, but it's still concealment, not complete absence. Besides, it's too early for you. It's like someone who hasn't even learned basic Sword Technique trying to think about 'no sword is better than having a sword.' Even if you learn it, it won't improve your Combat Power at all."

"In short, as long as you learn the killing intent, you can learn powerful killing moves, right? Come on, teach me quickly!" Vera stood beside Feng Xue, looking down at him, showing no sign of begging.

Feng Xue didn't care about this, because she had thought of a rather constructive method for cultivating the Thirteen Swords of Life Taking. She didn't know if this was a bonus she received after obtaining the [Instructor] Tag, but she felt it was worth trying.

Thinking of this, Feng Xue slightly turned her head, looked at Vera with her hands on her hips, and her eyes suddenly narrowed.

Almost simultaneously, Vera seemed to see something terrifying, and her legs gave way, causing her to tumble down from the garbage heap.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Vera, true to her reputation as a mischievous girl raised in Garbage Mountain, quickly got up again, rubbing her bruised spot while glaring at Feng Xue:

"What you do?!"

"You asked me to teach you, but you're unwilling to dig me out. In my current state, how can I teach you besides fighting you with my consciousness? Otherwise, why don't you dig out one of my hands, and I'll write a manual for you?" Feng Xue's tone carried a hint of provocation, but Vera wasn't fooled at all, tilting her head up and saying:

"Dream on! Fine, that's settled then!"

"Then you'd better be careful." Feng Xue entered a peculiar state that was both still and dynamic. It was unclear whether it was the strengthening of his mental intentions through Entering Stillness, the enhancement of his Against Gods sense by Bu Tiange's "Engraving the Spirit Platform" method, or the divine skill he obtained after reaching the "Entering God State" realm. In any case, the attacks he visualized in his Entering Stillness state could be felt by people in reality.

However, this move is currently only "imagined" and cannot truly interfere with reality, but it is enough to use it for fighting against people remotely.

As Vera visualized the first sword thrusting out, Vera instantly became agitated. This girl, with her remarkably keen senses, immediately dodged the non-existent sword by sidestepping it, and then collapsed to the ground with a "thud."

Five full seconds later, she finally got up, looking completely bewildered. Touching her neck with lingering fear, she murmured:

"I'm alive?"

"Well, after all, it was just killing intent; it couldn't possibly kill you, could it?" Feng Xue stated calmly, but the girl seemed completely still reeling from the fear of death. It appeared that the previous sword strike had indeed instilled considerable terror in her.

"Do you want to continue? Or should I give way?" Feng Xue, seeing that the girl hadn't recovered for a while, seemed to realize she might have gone a bit too far and immediately asked. However, Vera shook her head vigorously, then stood up from the garbage heap and shouted:

"You don't need to tell me to continue!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl collapsed straight back into the garbage heap.

"Hey! Did you sneak attack me?" Half a minute later, Vera, who had gotten up again, clutched her throat, which wasn't actually injured, and protested loudly with a dissatisfied expression. Feng Xue, however, didn't care and said:

"Sneak attacks are also a form of assassination; if you don't like it, don't try it..."