Blood Battle Mad Blade

Three days later, at the time of parting.

"Lu Hao, listen to your mother while you're home. Don't make her angry, and keep up with your training."

Lu Jingxuan said.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll listen to Mom while I'm home. Wherever you go, be careful and stay alert at all times."

"Don't worry. I've been stationed there for ages. It's perfectly safe."

Lu Hao nodded and said nothing more, leaving the rest of their time together to his mother.

"Tonight, give Lu Hao my Blood Battle Mad Blade. He wants to learn the blade, and I practice with one too. I'll be able to guide him later."

"...But your technique is too reckless, isn't it? If Lu Hao learns it, what if something happens to him...?"

"Ah... I've realized over these three days that the kid has already figured out quite a bit. He's bound to follow in his brother's footsteps, so let him learn it. At least then he'll be able to fight back when he encounters stronger enemies."

"..."

Over those three days, his father took Lu Hao out to have fun. Aside from their usual morning and evening combat training, they put everything else aside and simply enjoyed their time together.

Their happy days passed quickly. Partings were the norm; his father still had to return to guard the Earth Cave.

Lu Hao wasn't too reluctant to see him go. He believed his progress would keep accelerating, and then he'd naturally be able to see his father again.

That afternoon, he returned to the familiar slaughterhouse. After three days of adjustment, Lu Hao felt less anxious and a little more relaxed, but he still had to work hard.

He went to the assembly line and saw the familiar faces. The pigs came along in a line, and Lu Hao's blade rose and fell. A cheerful voice sounded in his ear, reminding him that he had gained 2 Slaughter Points.

By the end of the afternoon, Lu Hao had returned to his cold-blooded butcher's routine. He had taken the lives of nearly a hundred pigs, earning 200 Slaughter Points.

That evening, after dinner,

"Lu Hao, take this. Find some time to start practicing. Build a solid foundation slowly, and things will be much easier later."

Bai Qiuyao handed Lu Hao a USB drive as she spoke.

"Mom, what's this?" Lu Hao took the drive and asked.

"You said you wanted to learn the blade. This is a combat technique your father created himself. It's a mid-grade technique. You can't use it yet, but you can start practicing the basics. Once you reach the third rank, it'll be much easier."

"Huh? Dad practices with a blade too? How come I never knew?"

Lu Hao looked bewildered. He had no idea his father used a blade, let alone that he had created his own combat technique.

"Your father has always used a blade. He just doesn't come home often, and when he does, he doesn't bring it. You've never seen him fight, so naturally you didn't know what weapon he focused on. You two share the same tradition—you both use blades."

"But, Lu Hao, if you practice this technique, promise me that you'll only use the third strike when you're certain you can handle it, or when you have a teammate you trust by your side."

Seeing his mother's worried expression, Lu Hao quickly agreed. He didn't know what was so special about the third strike, but her concern told him it was no ordinary move.

He took the USB drive back to the Martial Arts Training Room and plugged it into the projector. His father's figure appeared on the screen.

In the video, his father looked like a true master. Even through the screen, Lu Hao could feel his father's presence and the poise of a master—the aura of someone who had fought his way through countless battles.

He was nothing like the gentle, easygoing man who had spent the past two days with Lu Hao.

Blood Battle Mad Blade

This was the mid-grade combat technique his father had created. Above it were the high-grade Nine-Layer Battle Blade and, after breaking through to become a master, the technique he had created by combining it with his spiritual power: God-Slaying Blade.

Leaving aside how effective it actually was, the names alone sounded far too grandiose. Slaying gods, of all things! It was clear that Lu Hao's father had been an ambitious young man.

After poking fun at the technique's name, Lu Hao continued watching the video and studying it intently.

Blood Battle Mad Blade had only three strikes.

Each strike unleashed more Vital Blood than the last. The final strike released almost four times as much as the first. With greater control over his Vital Blood, the final strike might even reach the level of a finishing move.

To perform the third strike properly, one had to wait until reaching the third rank. Before then, most of the bones had yet to be tempered, Vital Blood levels were still low, and the body might not be able to withstand it.

For now, Lu Hao only had to learn the first strike. Listening to his father's explanation, he began to understand. The essence of Blood Battle Mad Blade was momentum.

One strike flowed into the next, with the third reaching its peak and unleashing all one's Vital Blood. It looked like a move meant to stake everything on a fight against the opponent. After those three strikes, if the other side wasn't dead, then he would be.

No wonder the third strike could reach the level of a finishing move. His mother had told him to use it only when he was confident or had a teammate nearby because after that third strike, he'd be at the enemy's mercy.

It seemed his father was a ruthless fighter too: either you died, or I did. After the three strikes, he'd have no Vital Blood left, and the rest would be up to fate.

But that made it perfect for Lu Hao. He could use Slaughter Points to restore his Vital Blood.

When he fought in the Earth Cave, he'd be able to unleash the strikes over and over. No one at the same rank could stand against him. Even against a higher-ranked opponent, the third strike's finishing-move effect would let him put up a fight.

This technique was practically made for him. If he faced a fourth-rank enemy, he could slash them more than thirty times. His opponent would probably be completely overwhelmed.

Once he mastered Blood Battle Mad Blade, he'd be a genius capable of fighting above his rank, instead of remaining within the ranks of Vital Blood martial artists.

That only made Lu Hao more motivated.

His father's instructions were very detailed. He demonstrated each step simply and gradually, weaving in techniques for controlling and unleashing Vital Blood.

Following his father's movements, Lu Hao broke them down and began practicing each step of the slashes and building momentum.

Imitating his father, he circulated his Vital Blood and held the blade in both hands.

With a low shout, he slashed hard at a blue stone used for practice in the training room.

"Rumble..."

Under the force of his Vital Blood, the blue stone shattered into many small pieces.

Comparing it to the image in his father's video, where a single strike had split the stone cleanly in two,

Lu Hao could tell that his father's control of Vital Blood was on a completely different level.

With poor control, his Vital Blood scattered, causing the stone to split into many pieces. If his control were good enough, he might not manage to split it cleanly in two like his father, but he could at least cut it into a few pieces instead of reducing it to countless fragments.

So Lu Hao began practicing his slashes over and over. With Slaughter Points to restore his Vital Blood, he didn't hold back at all. Strike after strike, he controlled his strength, trying to unleash his Vital Blood at the blade's tip while still keeping it under control.

...Crack, crack...

In the quiet of the night, one slash after another cut through the air. Only the shattered blue stones scattered across the ground bore witness to the boy's sweat.