The Secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art

Taking advantage of the Tiger Mastiff Dogs still confronting him where they stood, Chen Yuan did not hesitate. He suddenly pushed off with his feet, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, straight at one of the larger Tiger Mastiff Dogs—one of the three leaders of the pack.

Roar!

Caught off guard, the Tiger Mastiff Dog had its front paw slashed by Chen Yuan's sword. Blood gushed out as it let out a furious howl of pain. Hearing the signal, the other Tiger Mastiff Dogs roared and pounced on Chen Yuan one after another.

There were too many enemies. With Chen Yuan's current strength, he did not dare let himself get surrounded.

His feet slid, and his body twisted aside at an unbelievable angle, easily evading a Tiger Mastiff Dog's fierce pounce. At the same time, he flicked his wrist, and the sword flashed like lightning, instantly piercing its throat.

The other Tiger Mastiff Dogs pounced at the same time. Chen Yuan spun, sweeping his long sword behind him in a broad crescent arc. Blood sprayed as several charging Tiger Mastiff Dogs howled miserably and fell.

Taking the opportunity, Chen Yuan gripped his long sword tightly and moved through the pack like a ghost. Every strike was precise and lethal.

In just a few seconds, five or six Tiger Mastiff Dogs had died beneath his sword.

At that moment, seeing their companions fall one after another, the three Tiger Mastiff Dog leaders could no longer hold back. They roared and joined the battle. With the leaders directing them, the Tiger Mastiff Dogs instantly shifted formations, their attacks becoming orderly, like a well-trained army.

The three Tiger Mastiff Dog leaders in particular were larger and stronger. Every pounce carried astonishing force, forcing Chen Yuan to expend more strength to block them. Whenever his blade collided with their claws, the impact left the web between his thumb and forefinger aching.

The pressure on Chen Yuan suddenly increased. Caught off guard several times, he was struck by the Tiger Mastiff Dogs' claws. Fortunately, the Series 7 Combat Suit he wore was tough enough to withstand the attacks, leaving him uninjured.

But Chen Yuan knew the combat suit was not invincible. If any unprotected part of his body was injured, his situation would take a sharp turn for the worse.

Facing danger, Chen Yuan instead grew calmer. He held his breath and focused, carefully sensing the movements of every Tiger Mastiff Dog around him. His body moved with the agility of a fish as he shuttled through the pack, dodging their attacks.

Gradually, Chen Yuan's perception of his surroundings became sharper. Whenever a Tiger Mastiff Dog lunged at his side, he could always sense it in advance, his body lightly evading as if he could foresee the future.

His movements became smoother and smoother. His swordsmanship and movement techniques combined perfectly, gradually giving him an air of effortless control.

Meanwhile, on the panel Chen Yuan had no time to check, the proficiency under Footwork was increasing at an astonishing rate.

Before long, more than half of the Tiger Mastiff Dogs had been killed or injured. The repeated deaths of their companions awakened the survivors' instinct to live. Their attacks gradually weakened, and fear began to appear in their eyes.

The three leaders especially were no longer as fierce as before. Instead, they seemed hesitant.

In the eyes of those three leaders, the human before them was simply a monster. No matter how they attacked, they could not kill him. Worse, his body was becoming increasingly agile, and he was getting hit less and less.

Yet every time he swung his sword, it was precise and fierce, always taking the life of a Tiger Mastiff Dog.

If this continued, all their underlings would sooner or later be slaughtered by this human.

Finally, the three leaders growled at one another, as though they had reached some agreement. Accompanied by three shrill, piercing howls, the remaining Tiger Mastiff Dogs tucked their tails and fled in panic.

"Trying to run?" Though the danger had passed, Chen Yuan was not willing to let them go. He immediately gave chase. He vaguely felt that he had grasped something, but the feeling was too indistinct, like trying to see flowers through fog.

If he had opened his panel at that moment, he would have discovered that the proficiency of the Spirit Wind Sword Art had stalled at 99.99%. It was only a flicker of inspiration away from breaking through.

Chen Yuan instinctively wanted to seize that flicker of inspiration, so he refused to end the battle so easily. He chased after the Tiger Mastiff Dogs, his sword flashing like lightning as he slaughtered them without restraint, trying to force the monsters to turn back and continue fighting him.

Finally, Chen Yuan's actions completely enraged the remaining Tiger Mastiff Dogs. As the three leaders let out earth-shaking roars, the surviving beast dogs turned around, madness glinting in their eyes as they surged toward Chen Yuan like a tide.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan's lips curled slightly, and excitement flashed through his eyes. He gripped his long sword and muttered, "That's more like it. Come fight!"

As soon as the words fell, Chen Yuan's body drifted forward, voluntarily entering the Tiger Mastiff Dogs' encirclement. He needed greater pressure—he needed to put himself to death before he could be reborn.

Although the number of surviving Tiger Mastiff Dogs had greatly decreased, the three leaders remained. Chen Yuan's actions had driven them into a corner, making their counterattack even more frenzied. Every one of them fought without fear of death, their attacks becoming increasingly vicious.

The pressure Chen Yuan faced was therefore even greater than before. Yet his heart grew calmer. He focused completely, his senses fully unleashed, doing everything he could to evade every attack from the Tiger Mastiff Dogs.

Finally, under that immense pressure, Chen Yuan seized that flicker of inspiration. His movements suddenly became incomparably smooth, as though he had merged with nature itself. As his body flickered through the air, it carried an indescribable rhythm.

"Wind!" Feeling the ever-present breeze around him, Chen Yuan's face showed a trace of realization. "So the secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art really is connected to wind."

This understanding of the power of wind could also be called—Conception.

On Earth, Martial Artists' techniques were divided into four levels: Basic, Micro, Perfect, and Conception.

Basic Level: Master the moves skillfully and turn them into instinct.

Micro Level: Precisely control distance, using the smallest possible movements to evade or attack.

Perfect Level: Command the environment, turning one's surroundings into one's home ground.

Conception Level: Comprehend Conception and understand how to apply power from heaven, earth, and nature.

When Chen Yuan had practiced the Spirit Wind Sword Art before, he had merely turned its moves into instinct. It had only been a Basic Level technique. But now, he had comprehended the power of wind and grasped moves related to Conception in advance. It could be said that he had ascended to the heavens in a single step!

"So this is the secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art—grasping the Conception of wind ahead of time?" Feeling the wind everywhere around him, Chen Yuan felt that he could make use of that power. "Then let's try it."

As the thought flashed through his mind, his body became as light as the wind, instantly breaking free from the Tiger Mastiff Dogs' encirclement.

My movement speed has increased by about 50%. Chen Yuan's steps flowed like drifting clouds and running water, so fast that his path was nearly impossible to see.

The sword flashed. Soundlessly, a Tiger Mastiff Dog's throat had already been slit. Before the blood could even spray out, Chen Yuan had withdrawn his long sword.

My sword-drawing speed has increased by about 70%. He silently assessed it, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

The improvement was terrifying. Chen Yuan, who had just been forced into danger by the Tiger Mastiff Dogs, now turned the tables and slaughtered the beast dogs at will. Wherever his sword flashed, a Tiger Mastiff Dog fell.

This completely terrified the remaining beast dogs. The madness vanished from their eyes as they turned and fled, no longer even heeding their leaders' commands.

The three leaders, however, did not flee. As Intermediate Monsters, they possessed a measure of intelligence. They instinctively sensed that fleeing meant certain death, while fighting with everything they had left them a sliver of hope.

The three leaders no longer cared about their fleeing underlings. Madness filled their eyes as they pounced at Chen Yuan together without any prior agreement.

Yet facing the three leaders' desperate attack, Chen Yuan merely chuckled. "Too slow."

As he spoke, his body flickered, elusive as willow fluff drifting in the wind. He lightly swept past the three leaders' sides, his sword flashing like lightning before vanishing.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three dull impacts sounded in succession as the three Tiger Mastiff Dog leaders crashed to the ground. Each had a bloody hole in its forehead, blood steadily flowing out and staining the ground red.

Chen Yuan landed lightly and held the Streamer Battle Sword before him for inspection. To his surprise, not a trace of blood stained its blade; it remained as clean and bright as new.

He looked at the results of his battle with satisfaction and muttered, "As expected, the Conception of wind is the true essence of the Spirit Wind Sword Art."

Opening the panel, he saw the following displayed:

Spirit Wind Sword Art: Combat secret art, rated A, current progress: Proficient 5.98% (Swordsmanship Proficiency 7.47%, Footwork Proficiency 7.35%, Guiding Technique Proficiency 3.13%)