Mind and Spirit as One, Realm of Blade Mastery

But Liang Qisheng had also discovered something.

Once the Decapitation Blade Technique reached 99%, it could advance no further.

No matter how Liang Qisheng added points, they vanished like a stone sinking into the sea.

He knew there was a vast chasm here, one that required far more Merit Points than he had imagined.

Even so, at 99%, the Decapitation Blade Technique was already nearing perfection.

From the first move to the last, every blade technique flashed through his mind once, becoming incomparably clear.

This was the first blade technique Liang Qisheng had learned in Yama Gate.

Though the Decapitation Blade Technique was not well-known in the martial world, it had indeed carved out a path of its own.

It focused on the coordination of hand and eye, tricky angles, and lightning-fast precision.

Liang Qisheng was perfectly clear that using a blade technique of this level to counter Shopkeeper Lin's lightness skill and Eagle Claw Technique would still be somewhat insufficient.

But he had his own plans. With Merit Points in hand, others could only glimpse the doorway to this Decapitation Blade Technique, while he could shorten the required time to the greatest possible extent.

Half a year of his training was worth decades of another person's immersion in this blade art.

The gap between them was enormous.

Any cultivation method or weapon could display its utmost effectiveness in his hands.

Perfect mastery, transcendent skill, approaching the Dao...

He had plenty of time. He could afford to wait.

Early the next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

On the training ground, a dark figure darted and shifted through the darkness.

The Ghost Head Blade in his hand transformed into streaks of sharp, icy light, cleaving through the black sky.

The blade swept broad and wide, yet moved with ghostly unpredictability, as though it meant to split the darkness down the middle and carve out a seam of light.

Its speed was like lightning, its angles as vicious as a venomous snake striking from its hole, silent and soundless.

"Slash!"

In an instant, those shifting figures merged into one.

The man's eyes snapped open, and a streak of cold light tore straight through the air, as though it would split the dark heavens in two.

"99% progress... the power of the Decapitation Blade Technique..."

Any low-grade martial skill, once cultivated to the point of perfect mastery, could turn decay into magic and unleash unfathomable power, as mysterious as gods and ghosts.

Over these three months, Liang Qisheng had used a portion of all his Merit Points to enhance the Decapitation Blade Technique.

As a result, this martial skill had advanced at an astonishing pace, and its power was even greater than he had imagined.

Liang Qisheng could clearly sense that this blade, used by executioners to put condemned criminals to death, carried a piercing, murderous nature.

A flash of cold light, once unleashed, was enough to sever bone and flesh in a single stroke.

It entirely tested the coordination of hand, eye, and force.

It looked simple, but in truth concealed special techniques.

Clap! Clap!

A round of applause sounded. Turning to look, he saw a sturdy figure emerge from the darkness.

"Senior Brother, why are you here?!"

The newcomer was none other than Yama Gate's Senior Brother, the one who had brought him into the sect in the first place.

This Senior Brother's surname was Zhao, and his name was quite ordinary: Zhao Hu.

However, his status within Yama Gate was special. He was the disciple Old Executioner Chen had taken in as a son back then.

He was also the one responsible for handling matters outside, and could be considered the old executioner's representative.

Most apprentices in the sect respectfully addressed him as Senior Brother; no one called him by his mundane name.

At this moment, the sharp glint in Liang Qisheng's eyes faded, replaced by a somewhat meek and deferential expression.

When he had first entered Yama Gate, that had been his first meeting with the man. Because the Black Tiger Fist stance had a peculiar tactile sensation, he had been intimidated by the terrifying, unscattered killing intent condensed around him, leaving an exceptionally deep impression.

Now, looking at him again, that heavy killing intent had not diminished in the slightest. Instead, it had grown ever fiercer, making Liang Qisheng deeply wary.

Liang Qisheng knew very well how terrifying this Senior Brother was.

Not to mention himself—even Shopkeeper Lin, who excelled in the Great Eagle Claw Technique, would likely be unable to last more than a few moves against this Senior Brother in a true fight to the death.

Still, he had spent three months in Yama Gate and knew that this Senior Brother, who normally kept his brilliance hidden, was Old Executioner Chen's true inheritor, the genuine disciple who had received his legacy.

He was practically half a son, and unquestionably the foremost among the younger generation.

Old Executioner Chen had retired for many years and usually never left his small courtyard.

Liang Qisheng had offered a hundred taels of silver, yet he had never seen the true face of this nominally cheap master.

In ordinary times, the one who taught on his master's behalf and upheld Yama Gate's reputation was this Senior Brother Zhao Hu.

His strength was formidable. The few times he had acted, he had cowed the outside world.

Although Yama Gate appeared to be in decline, relying on taking in cheap disciples to rake in money, with this Senior Brother Zhao included, there truly were not many people in Blade-Casting Town who dared provoke them.

In his younger, high-spirited days, he too had made a great name for himself. Now that he was growing older, he had steadily become more composed.

Liang Qisheng had originally gone through this man's connections to obtain the qualifications to carry out executions at the East Street Execution Ground.

Especially now that his Decapitation Blade Technique was nearing perfection, his perception of danger from others had become even sharper.

Even though the other man carried no killing intent at all, merely walking over brought a wave of baleful aura rushing straight at him.

For a moment, it felt as though the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, making him involuntarily want to raise the Ghost Head Blade in his hand.

"The Decapitation Blade lineage has far deeper foundations than I imagined. It is absolutely not as simple as it appears on the surface."

"Putting aside everything else, just this Senior Brother alone—the murderousness and sinister nature about him are so intense that, among all the people I have met, none can compare to him!"

Liang Qisheng understood this in his heart.

It was not that this Senior Brother had grown stronger over the mere span of three months. Rather, Liang Qisheng's own strength had been advancing by leaps and bounds.

With the Decapitation Blade Technique at great mastery, his sixth sense had become increasingly acute.

This Senior Brother Zhao Hu was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

He looked dull and wooden, yet the killing aura around him was so heavy that it seemed black qi coiled over his entire body, with countless wronged souls howling and wailing like ghosts.

"Hehe, I never expected the outer sect to recruit such a fine seedling—and one I personally brought in."

"How long has it been? Yet your Decapitation Blade Technique has already reached such a realm. You are even several months faster than I was back then."

Senior Brother Zhao Hu had an ordinary face and looked honest and simple, but every step he took made Liang Qisheng feel a chill rushing toward him.

He looked Liang Qisheng up and down, letting out several sounds of amazement.

"You flatter me, Senior Brother. I merely did my best."

Liang Qisheng answered calmly, without showing excessive excitement.

"Good, good. Neither arrogant nor discouraged—your future is boundless."

Senior Brother greatly admired his ability to remain unmoved by honor or disgrace, nodding repeatedly.

"If the Decapitation Blade Technique is cultivated to success, there is a choice to make. Yama Gate is also divided into inner and outer sects, and the rules between them differ greatly."

"A hundred taels of patterned silver will allow you to learn the complete Decapitation Blade Technique. This is the tool by which we earn our living."

"...But for the inner sect, only those who cultivate the Decapitation Blade Technique to the Realm of Mind-Blade Unity within three years are qualified to take a master, learn the art, and meet Master Chen."

"I wonder whether this junior brother is interested in joining Yama Gate's inner sect!"

Then, his expression turned serious as he spoke.

"This disciple, Liang Qisheng, is willing. Greetings, Senior Brother."

The other man's solemn manner made Liang Qisheng understand that Yama Gate's test of him had been passed.

They had accepted his presence, so he hurriedly responded as well.