The Fire Hammer Squad's Shock!

"Teacher, I've mastered the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade!"

Luo Feng's excited voice came through the phone. "Thank you, Teacher. I never would've mastered the Ninefold Thunder Blade this quickly without your guidance!"

Luo Feng had mastered the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade in less than half a month. That didn't surprise Zhou Ze.

"Good. Don't rush into practicing the second form. First, apply the force to your legs, then try combining the blade technique with bursts of speed. Next, work in the Guidance Technique, so you can use it throughout the Ninefold Thunder Blade. Finally, bring the blade technique, movement technique, and Guidance Technique together..."

"When you can use the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade perfectly with a single thought, without having to think it through, and your performance doesn't change at all in actual combat, then you can move on to the second form."

Luo Feng listened carefully, then said, "I understand, Teacher."

He'd experienced the benefits of Zhou Ze's guidance. He didn't treat everything Zhou Ze said as gospel, but he followed his instructions to the letter.

"Good. If you run into a problem with your training that you just can't figure out, come ask me." Zhou Ze said this every time before ending their calls.

"All right, Teacher. I'll get back to training."

Time passed bit by bit. It was rare for a month to go by so quickly. It had been a long time since he'd felt this way—time always flew when he was focused.

It was August 27. Tomorrow, Luo Feng would leave the Base City and officially begin his mission. During this time, he'd followed Zhou Ze's instructions to practice the Ninefold Thunder Blade. He'd already managed to combine the blade technique, movement technique, and Guidance Technique, but something still felt off.

"I'm leaving the Base City tomorrow. I'll ask Teacher about it tonight." Luo Feng made up his mind.

That evening, Luo Feng went to Zhou Ze's home. After exchanging greetings, he explained why he'd come. Zhou Ze smiled and pointed to Luo Feng's heart. "Your heart is unsettled."

"Now that you've learned the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade and can bring everything together, you should forget about the so-called Ninefold Thunder Blade and make it instinctive."

Luo Feng sank into thought...

Zhou Ze continued, "Do you remember what I told you about Blade Intent?"

Luo Feng answered at once, "Let go of everything, and keep only one thought in your heart: speed. Fast as thunder, every move like a streak of lightning tearing through the sky!"

Zhou Ze said calmly, "Right. You don't chase after that kind of speed. It's simply how things are."

Luo Feng grimaced. "Teacher, I can't do that. I'm always worried my movements aren't smooth enough, or that I haven't properly combined the blade technique, movement technique, and Guidance Technique..."

"Then you haven't practiced enough. There's no other way around it but to keep practicing. Practice a hundred times, and the meaning will reveal itself. Make it instinctive. Then will you still need to worry about this and that?"

Zhou Ze said matter-of-factly, "Once it's instinctive, forget everything and let go of everything. Hold on to the intent you've understood, and every move will come close to embodying the Dao..."

After a pause, Zhou Ze continued, "You have to learn to use your heart to command your body..."

"I don't understand..." Luo Feng drooped his head and sighed.

"That's right, you don't. How could you understand something you've never experienced? All you need to do is keep getting closer, until the day you suddenly break through and step into it. Then you'll know exactly where to go." Zhou Ze smiled.

"I understood what you said before that, but I don't get the last part." Luo Feng said helplessly.

"Take it slowly. Just practice what I told you first..." Zhou Ze said aloud, but laughed to himself. It was good that Luo Feng didn't understand. Zhou Ze didn't understand it either, but the general idea was probably right.

As he left Zhou Ze's house, Luo Feng grumbled to himself, Teacher's getting more and more cryptic. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was cultivating immortality like someone in a novel. We're martial artists, after all.

In the training hall of a villa in Bright Moon District, the sharp hiss of blades cutting through the air rang out again and again. Only after a long while did it finally stop.

"I've already mastered the Fourth Layer of the Ninefold Thunder Blade. I can start practicing the fifth form today... Luo Feng is leaving Jiangnan Base City to make his way in the world. As his teacher, I should call and see him off. I wonder if I'll ever get to see such a lively Galaxy Lord again."

As he thought this, Zhou Ze's mind stirred. The phone on the rack in front of him floated over through the air. Just then, it rang. The caller was Luo Feng.

"Teacher, I'm leaving. Take care."

"All right. Be careful, especially of monsters hiding in the shadows and waiting to ambush you. And most importantly, watch out for other martial artists..."

Zhou Ze had always wanted to maintain the image of a stern, aloof teacher, but somehow he could never quite pull it off. Instead, he sounded like a nagging old woman, going on and on.

Perhaps it was because he was a Warrior Level martial artist, and his lifespan had increased significantly. Even at his age, he was probably only in his twenties or thirties by an ordinary person's standards. Well, he was still young, and naturally had the mind of a young man.

Meanwhile, Luo Feng followed the Fire Hammer Squad along the highway.

"Luo Feng, there's a One-Horned Wild Boar ahead, somewhere between G-class and F-class. It's yours to handle." Team leader Gao Feng called out. "This is your first fight in the Wilderness Zone!"

"Luo Feng, this is your first fight. Don't let your guard down," Chen Gu reminded him solemnly.

Luo Feng smiled. His teacher's approach was to make sure he understood his own abilities. Zhou Ze had told him roughly how strong he was, and left it up to him to see how well he performed. Besides, he was a Spiritual Psychic. A monster with about the same physical strength as him was no threat.

Still, he always kept his teacher's warning in mind. Even a lion had to give its all when hunting a rabbit. He couldn't afford to be careless, ever!

"Whoosh!"

Luo Feng drew the Blood Shadow Battle Blade and held his shield in his left hand. Without a word, he rushed forward. The instant the One-Horned Wild Boar reacted, his legs unleashed the force of the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade, and he shot forward.

"Whoosh!"

His speed burst to nearly a hundred meters per second. The One-Horned Wild Boar barely had time to react before he cut through its neck with one strike. Blood sprayed into the air. Its body, now out of control, hurtled forward and crashed into the guardrail at a bend in the highway, breaking through it before tumbling down...

"It's dead!" Luo Feng leaped down and began cutting off its horn. "Looks like I'm quite a bit stronger than I thought. This F-class One-Horned Wild Boar was about as strong as me, but I killed it in one move. I didn't even use my Psychic Power."

The Fire Hammer Squad, who'd been watching from afar, had just been discussing how Luo Feng would do. Now it was already over. All five of them couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.

"A monster!"

"That's insane!"

The Wei Brothers were stunned.

"I had no idea he was this strong. I only recommended him for our squad because I took a liking to him." Chen Gu was just as dumbfounded.

"That's scary!" Zhang Ke exclaimed. "I feel like it's our squad's good fortune to have him. He's just started out, and he's already this strong. It's impossible to imagine how powerful he'll be in the future."

Team leader Gao Feng stared at Luo Feng, who was cutting off the horn in the distance. "That burst of speed, those crisp, decisive movements... It won't be long before I'm no match for him."

"He's only eighteen. No wonder I heard Supervisor Zhuge personally arranged for him to join a squad with Warrior Level fighters..." Wei Tie, the elder of the Wei Brothers, couldn't help saying.

Wei Qing, the younger of the Wei Brothers, nodded. "Once he gets used to the Wilderness Zone, he'll be able to handle things on his own."

After that, Luo Feng began venturing through the Wilderness Zone, much like in the original story. But his strength was far greater than it had been at this point in the original. His display of power was nearly on par with Gao Feng's. With Luo Feng as such a powerful mainstay, the Fire Hammer Squad's ambitions grew, and they hunted quite a few commander-level monsters.

After that, not much changed. He still clashed with the Tiger Fang Squad and revealed that he was a Spiritual Psychic.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Zhou Ze. His days were full and busy. Every day, aside from practicing the Ninefold Thunder Blade, he trained his control over his Psychic Power.

He could now control three flying knives, and mastering the Fifth Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade was just around the corner.

"My comprehension was never bad. My weakness was my physical talent, but after merging with the secondary consciousness that receives Luo Feng's insights, I feel like I've got a cheat compared to before!"

Zhou Ze was almost frightened by how sharp his comprehension had become. When he merged with the secondary consciousness receiving Luo Feng's insights, he felt his comprehension had undergone a complete transformation. It was as if their abilities had been added together, and he was constantly in a state similar to sudden enlightenment!

His rising strength, along with the confidence his newfound advantage had given him, made him itch to go on a killing spree in the Wilderness Zone. But he soon came to his senses.

Usually, people ventured out to temper themselves through life-and-death struggles when they hit a bottleneck and could no longer improve. But the risks were high. One mistake, and they could end up dead.

There was no hope if he was dead. He didn't want to wait through countless reincarnation eras for Luo Feng to bring him back to life. He could just wait a few months. Once Luo Feng rose to prominence, he'd naturally help Zhou Ze advance too.

"I still have to rely on the Genius Battle. Only after joining the Virtual Universe Company will my talent truly shine. My physical potential is holding me back too much, but at least I can make up for it with rare treasures!" Zhou Ze's heart was full of hope.

In other worlds, a lack of talent would have been the end of him. But this was Swallowing Starry Sky, where comprehension was what mattered most. The Genius Battle even adjusted every contestant's body to the same level, testing their comprehension.

"Teacher, I'm back."

After spending a little time at home, Luo Feng brought some gifts to Zhou Ze's house. "Teacher, this is the first money I've earned in my life. You refused before, but you have to accept it now!"

"I made hundreds of millions this time..."

Luo Feng briefly told him about hunting the Silver Moon Dire Wolf.

"You're being polite now, huh..." Zhou Ze laughed as he accepted the gifts. "So, what did you think of the Wilderness Zone?"

"The most dangerous ones really are other martial artists. Just like you said, things seemed pretty easy at first, but then the Tiger Fang Squad ambushed us..." Luo Feng said furiously.

"You'll get used to it. Not many fewer martial artists die at the hands of other martial artists than are killed by monsters." Zhou Ze said calmly.

"Teacher, I'm thinking of going into the Wilderness Zone alone to improve my blade technique and movement technique." Luo Feng shared his plan. He'd had the idea for a while, but had never been fully committed. He might not decide for sure until Xu Gang provoked him.

Zhou Ze took a sip of tea and said slowly, "It's good that you want to improve. If you'd asked me before, I'd have agreed. But now..."