The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade

Buying the manual was a success. Next, he needed to buy weapons, a combat suit, and other equipment.

"I have a hundred million in start-up funds. I wonder if it'll be enough." Lin Yun opened the weapons list and quickly found the Blood Shadow Battle Blade Series 2.

The Blood Shadow Battle Blade Series 2, Model A1—Price: 100,000 Huaxia Currency (full price), 50,000 Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: 1 contribution point)

The Blood Shadow Battle Blade Series 2, Model A2—Price: 500,000 Huaxia Currency (full price), 250,000 Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: 1 contribution point)

Series 2, Model A5—Price: 6 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 3 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: Two-Star Rank contribution points)

Series 2, Model A6—Price: 20 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 10 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: Two-Star Rank contribution points)

Series 2, Model A7—Price: 100 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 50 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: Two-Star Rank contribution points)

Lin Yun studied the descriptions of the various weapon models and couldn't help frowning. "With my current strength as a High-Level War General, I need at least an A6 model. An A7 would be best, or it won't be suitable once I reach War God level. But this model requires Two-Star Rank contribution points!"

Two-Star Rank meant a hundred thousand contribution points!

When he bought the manual, he had been able to ignore the contribution-point requirement and buy it at the best price. But that special deal had only applied to his first manual purchase. There was no such discount for weapons, combat suits, and the like.

"The Blood Shadow Battle Blade A7 costs 100 million at full price, and even the A6 costs 20 million." Lin Yun shook his head. The A6 model could withstand battles against most High-Level Beast General monsters without breaking; the A7 could withstand battles against most Primary Lord monsters without breaking.

With his current strength as a High-Level War General, a lower-grade weapon clearly wasn't suitable.

"Buying it at full price? That's too expensive." Lin Yun shook his head. It seemed he would have to ask Uncle Wu to buy it for him. Lin Yun knew that while manuals and similar items couldn't be purchased on someone else's behalf, weapons and other such items could.

"Let's look at shields, too."

Lin Yun opened the shield page. A quick look showed that shields were quite a bit cheaper than battle blades. The B5 model, which could withstand attacks from Intermediate Beast Generals, cost 3 million Huaxia Currency at full price and 1.5 million at half price; the B6 model, which could withstand attacks from High-Level Beast Generals, cost 10 million at full price and 5 million at half price.

"Backpacks."

When fighting monsters and surviving in the wilderness, the backpack one carried was also a special piece of equipment. First, it had to be well-made. Second, it couldn't hinder a Warrior's movements during a fight with a monster.

"Backpacks are the cheapest. Even a good one only costs a hundred thousand." Lin Yun smiled.

"The Combat Communication Watch has satellite positioning, a clock, a phone, and plenty of other functions. The price is reasonable, too—just a hundred thousand." Those functions themselves weren't worth much. A phone that cost a few hundred yuan could already make calls, tell the time, and provide satellite positioning. The reason the watch cost a hundred thousand was its materials. In a fight with a monster, one swipe of its claws could easily hit the watch. It had to be tough enough to withstand a monster's attack, so how could it be cheap?

"I've looked at battle blades, shields, watches, and backpacks. That leaves one thing... a complete combat suit, including boots." Lin Yun had heard that a combat suit was usually the most expensive piece of equipment a Warrior owned. It had to provide good protection while remaining comfortable to wear and allowing the Warrior to dodge and move quickly.

Lin Yun clicked to open the page and couldn't help staring in shock.

"Even a D5-Series combat suit, which can withstand attacks from Intermediate Beast Generals, costs 18 million Huaxia Currency at full price for the complete set, including arm guards and boots. Half price is still 9 million. The D6 full price is a staggering 60 million Huaxia Currency." He'd known combat suits were expensive, but he hadn't expected a 6-Series suit to cost three times as much as a battle blade of the same level!

Let's do the math...

With a standard 6-Series loadout—the complete combat suit at 60 million, the Blood Shadow Battle Blade at 20 million, and the shield at 10 million—the total came to 90 million. If Uncle Wu bought them for him, they would cost 45 million, half of what he had. As for the Combat Communication Watch and the backpack, their prices were just a drop in the bucket compared with the combat suit and the other gear.

"I still need throwing knives for my Spiritual Force to control from a distance! I should buy at least six—maybe ten."

Lin Yun opened the throwing-knife page again. Throwing knives were small, lightweight items, so they were naturally far cheaper than Blood Shadow Battle Blades.

A 5-Series throwing knife cost just 50,000 Huaxia Currency at full price.

A 6-Series throwing knife cost just 300,000 Huaxia Currency at full price.

A 7-Series throwing knife cost 3 million Huaxia Currency at full price, or 1.5 million at half price (requirement: Two-Star Rank contribution points)—ten times more!

An 8-Series throwing knife cost 30 million Huaxia Currency at full price, or 15 million at half price (requirement: Two-Star Rank contribution points).

A 9-Series throwing knife cost 300 million Huaxia Currency at full price, or 150 million at half price (requirement: Two-Star Rank contribution points).

With enough strength, a 9-Series throwing knife could even injure high-level Lord-level Monsters. The gap between Beast General Level and Lord Level was huge, and apparently the weapons' prices reflected that.

"My Spiritual Force is already at the peak of Intermediate War God level, just one step away from High-Level War God. Ideally, I'd buy 8-Series or 9-Series throwing knives. But 9-Series knives are far too expensive. I only have 55 million left, so I can only afford three 8-Series knives. I'd better get a mix of 7-Series and 8-Series."

"Money really doesn't go far." Lin Yun had thought a hundred million in start-up funds was a lot, but now he realized how absurdly expensive a Warrior's equipment could be. Why hadn't Chairman Zhou given him more? In truth, Chairman Zhou hadn't known. Lin Yun had only shown the strength of an Intermediate-to-Advanced Warrior before, and a hundred million in start-up funds was already enough for an ordinary High-Level War General. He simply hadn't expected Lin Yun to be this outrageously powerful.

The next morning, at around ten.

In the private garden of Lin Yun's home in Bright Moon Residential District, a stranger arrived.

"Mr. Lin Yun, here's the manual you ordered. You can open it with your fingerprint."

Lin Yun took the sealed alloy box the man handed him and ran his finger across its top.

"Beep! Fingerprint verified." An electronic voice sounded. The alloy box opened, revealing a book about a centimeter thick and two discs.

"The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade." Lin Yun saw the four characters on the book's cover.

"Mr. Lin Yun, please open it and check that everything is in order. Then just sign here." The deliveryman smiled, but his gaze held a trace of envy.

The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade! Most Warriors couldn't afford it.

"Mr. Lin Yun, I'm sure you know some of the restrictions that come with buying a manual?" The deliveryman smiled. "I'll go over them again, as required. The copyright belongs to the manual's creator. The copyright holder of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade is Thunder God. Buyers are only permitted to study it. They may not authorize others to use it, copy it, sell it privately, or teach it to others. Anyone who violates these rules will be hunted down by the Limit Dojo, Thunder Dojo, the Underground Alliance, and the government military!"

Lin Yun nodded. Of course he knew the rules.

After he confirmed the delivery, the man left.

"For just this one manual and two discs, I paid 200 million Huaxia Currency." Lin Yun stood in his garden, sighing. "Creating manuals really is the most profitable business. Take Thunder God, for example. The more people buy his Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, the more money he makes. When I'm strong enough, I'll try creating a manual of my own." It didn't take much calculation to imagine how much money Thunder God had made.

However, money meant little to Thunder God, the founder of the Thunder Dojo.

Just as Lin Yun was about to take the manual inside,

"Lin Yun." A voice called out.

Lin Yun turned around. The newcomer was Wu Tong, the chief instructor of the Limit Hall.

"Uncle Wu." Lin Yun smiled.

"I saw the deliveryman from headquarters just now. Did you buy something?" Wu Tong asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Lin Yun nodded.

"The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade?" Wu Tong saw the four characters on the manual's cover and was stunned. "You... you actually went and bought that?" The major organizations around the world kept a tight grip on manuals like this.

"It's not my money, so I'm not worried about it!" Lin Yun laughed.

"By the way, Uncle Wu, I was just about to find you. You can buy battle blades, shields, combat suits, and that sort of thing on someone else's behalf, right? I don't have enough contribution points, so I wanted to ask you to help me buy them."

"No problem. Send me the models you want later, and I'll buy them for you." Wu Tong readily agreed. It was very common among Warriors: those without enough contribution points asked people with more to buy things for them.

"Thanks, Uncle Wu. Did you come by to see me about something?"

"Yes. You're planning to go to the Wilderness Area next, right? That's why I came over today. I happened to see that you bought the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, so I had another idea. I'll need to get in touch with someone first, though. Once I've sorted it out, I'll have a surprise for you." Wu Tong spoke mysteriously.

"Sounds good. Thanks for taking care of it, Uncle Wu."

After Wu Tong left, Lin Yun hurried upstairs to the training room and opened the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade manual.

"Fast!"

The huge character on the title page seemed to send a blade of light rushing toward him, making Lin Yun's heart tremble. This was only a reprinted copy of the original Nine-Layered Thunder Blade manual, yet even a single "Fast" in the reproduced handwriting could make his heart quiver.

One could only imagine how formidable Thunder God, the creator of this technique, must have been. It also made Lin Yun even more curious about the two Dojo Masters on Earth. Without anyone to guide them, they had reached such heights, even comprehending a domain at the Planetary Level. In terms of talent, they were no worse than Luo Feng; they had simply been less fortunate.

Lin Yun continued reading.

"Of all the martial arts in the world, nothing is invincible, save speed."

"When your blade is fast enough—when it reaches the limit—you'll be invincible." As soon as Lin Yun opened to the first page, he saw the bold, flowing handwriting.

"The essence of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade I created can be summed up in one word—fast!"

Lin Yun turned to the second page.

"Why does speed have such tremendous power?"

"First, when your blade is so fast that your opponent can't react, you can cut their throat before they even have a chance to swing their own blade. Even if you have only a tenth of their strength, their throat still won't withstand your sharp blade. So speed lets you strike your opponent's weak points."

"Second, speed also makes your blade incredibly powerful."

"According to the formula for calculating energy, the force of a blade's strike equals 0.5mv². In other words, when the blade's mass is fixed, the faster it moves, the more terrifying the energy it contains. At a certain speed, even a stream of water can pierce steel, and even a scrap of paper can slice through it!"

"Speed can keep your opponent from defending!"

"Speed can make your blade unstoppable! Whether you're targeting weak points or relying on sheer force, making your blade fast is the best method!"

Lin Yun nodded as he read. Most Warriors in human society already understood this principle: only by reaching the limits of speed could you become invincible!

"Many Warriors know this principle, but very few can put it into practice—and fewer still can succeed!" Thunder God's description in the manual brimmed with confidence. "The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade I created gave me the fastest blade in the world! It also gave me the fastest speed and the strongest body!"

"The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade contains a complete movement technique called Streamer, a complete Guidance Technique called Nine-Layered Primordial, and a complete blade technique called Thunder Blade. Of the three, the Guidance Technique is fundamental!"

"Only through the Guidance Technique can you build a powerful body!"

"Physical fitness is the foundation!"

"The blade technique and movement technique are skills. They require repeated practice and insight!"

Lin Yun continued turning the pages. The manual contained four chapters of the Guidance Technique. According to the book, the Nine-Layered Primordial Guidance Technique had nine chapters in total. The manual likewise included only the first four levels of the blade technique and the movement technique. Lin Yun read every word carefully.

Lin Yun was completely captivated by Thunder God's Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. It only contained the first four levels, but even those left him dumbfounded. Compared with the Combat Secret Techniques in the manual, the combat techniques used by the Warriors of the Coiling Dragon World were laughably weak.

"Let's watch the blade technique now." Lin Yun put the disc into the equipment in the media room. A middle-aged man appeared on the screen covering the wall. After a brief introduction, he began demonstrating the blade techniques, one move at a time.

The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade technique drew its power from a remarkable method of exerting force.

An ordinary person might use their full strength to deliver a single chop—one hundred percent of their strength. But when a practitioner of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade struck, they used only seventy percent of their strength at first. As they delivered that first wave of force, they would make their body generate a second wave, also at seventy percent. The two waves combined to produce one hundred and forty percent of their strength!

The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade had nine levels in total.

At the first level, one extra burst of hidden force could be added, producing one hundred and forty percent of one's strength!

At the second level, two extra bursts of hidden force could be added, producing two hundred and ten percent of one's strength!

At the third level, three extra bursts of hidden force could be added, producing two hundred and eighty percent of one's strength!

At the ninth level, nine extra bursts of hidden force could be added, producing seven hundred percent of one's strength—seven times the body's original strength!

What did that mean?

It meant that a Beginner Warrior who comprehended the ninth level of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade could nearly match a Junior War General!

"The first level of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade has eighteen moves. According to the manual, practicing these eighteen moves will help me grasp how to exert force at the first level." As the saying went, "read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself." Similarly, once you had practiced these eighteen moves enough, even a little insight would let you grasp their essence.

With the manual to guide him, Lin Yun now had a direction for improving. Starting that night, both of his bodies, in the two worlds, began learning the blade technique—the Thunder Blade—and the Streamer movement technique. As for the Guidance Technique, after testing it, Lin Yun discovered that it complemented the Qi Cultivation Style in its own way and that he could practice both at once. The Qi Cultivation Style let him absorb more, while the Guidance Technique let him absorb it faster.