The Secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art

Taking advantage of the fact that the pack of Tiger Mastiff Dogs was still standing its ground, Chen Yuan did not hesitate. He pushed off the ground with explosive force, his entire body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for one of the larger Tiger Mastiff Dogs—one of the three leaders of this pack of Monsters.

ROAR!

Caught off guard, the Tiger Mastiff Dog had its front paw slashed by Chen Yuan's sword. Blood gushed out, and it let out a pained, furious roar. Hearing the signal, the other Tiger Mastiff Dogs began to howl, rushing toward Chen Yuan one after another.

The number of enemies was vast, and given Chen Yuan's current strength, he dared not truly be surrounded.

He slid his feet, his body twisting at an incredible angle to dodge a lunging Tiger Mastiff Dog with ease. At the same time, he flicked his wrist, his sword light flashing like electricity as it instantly pierced the creature's throat.

As the other Tiger Mastiff Dogs swarmed in, Chen Yuan spun his body, sweeping his longsword horizontally behind him. It carved a long arc like a crescent moon, drawing a spray of blood as several lunging Tiger Mastiff Dogs fell to the ground with miserable wails.

Taking this opportunity, Chen Yuan gripped his longsword tightly, his figure weaving through the pack like a phantom; every strike of his sword was precise and lethal.

In just a few seconds, five or six Tiger Mastiff Dogs had perished under his blade.

At this moment, the three Tiger Mastiff Dog leaders, seeing their companions falling one after another, could no longer restrain themselves. They let out angry roars and joined the fray. With the leaders directing them, the pack of Tiger Mastiff Dogs instantly shifted formation, their assault becoming orderly, as if they were a well-trained army.

The three leaders, in particular, were larger and stronger. Every lunge carried astonishing momentum, forcing Chen Yuan to expend more energy to parry. When his blade collided with their sharp claws, the impact made the webbing between his thumb and forefinger ache.

Chen Yuan felt the pressure increase sharply. Caught off guard, his body was grazed by the sharp claws of the Tiger Mastiff Dogs several times. Fortunately, his Series 7 Combat Suit was tough enough to withstand these attacks, preventing him from being injured.

However, Chen Yuan knew that the combat suit was not omnipotent; if the unprotected parts of his body were struck, his situation would take a turn for the worse.

Facing the crisis, Chen Yuan became even calmer. He held his breath and focused, carefully sensing the movements of every Tiger Mastiff Dog around him. His figure moved with the agility of a fish, weaving and dodging through the pack.

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

His movements became increasingly fluid, his sword art and footwork perfectly integrated, gradually taking on an air of effortless mastery.

At this moment, on the panel that Chen Yuan had no time to check, the proficiency of his footwork was growing at an astonishing rate.

Soon, more than half of the Tiger Mastiff Dogs had been killed or wounded. The continuous fall of their companions awakened the survival instincts of the survivors, and their offensive gradually weakened as fear began to appear in their eyes.

The three leaders, in particular, no longer possessed their previous ferocity, appearing somewhat hesitant instead.

In the eyes of these three leaders, the human before them was like a monster; no matter how they attacked, they could not kill him, and his body was becoming increasingly agile, making him harder and harder to hit.

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

If this continued, their underlings would sooner or later be wiped out by this human.

Finally, the three leaders let out low growls at each other, as if reaching a consensus. Following three high-pitched, shrill roars, the remaining Tiger Mastiff Dogs tucked their tails between their legs and turned to flee in a panic.

"Want to run?" With the crisis averted, Chen Yuan did not let them off. He pursued them without hesitation. He vaguely felt that he had grasped something, but the sensation was too blurry, like looking at flowers through a fog.

If he were to open his panel at this moment, he would see that the proficiency of his Spirit Wind Sword Art was stuck at 99.99%, just a glimmer of insight away from a breakthrough.

Subconsciously wanting to seize this glimmer of insight, Chen Yuan refused to end the battle easily. He chased closely behind the pack of Tiger Mastiff Dogs, his sword light flashing like lightning as he slaughtered them wantonly, attempting to force these Monsters to turn back and continue the fight.

Finally, Chen Yuan's actions thoroughly enraged the remaining Tiger Mastiff Dogs. As the three leaders let out earth-shaking roars, the surviving dogs turned around, their eyes flashing with a crazed light as they swarmed toward Chen Yuan like a tide.

Seeing this, the corners of Chen Yuan's mouth curled up slightly, a flash of excitement in his eyes. He gripped his longsword tightly and whispered to himself, "That's more like it. Come and fight!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yuan's figure drifted forward, voluntarily entering the encirclement of the Tiger Mastiff Dogs. He needed greater pressure—to find life in the midst of death.

Although the number of surviving Tiger Mastiff Dogs had been greatly reduced, the three leaders remained. Because Chen Yuan's actions had driven them to a dead end, this counterattack was even more frantic. Each one fought without regard for their own life, their assault becoming increasingly ferocious.

Consequently, the pressure Chen Yuan faced now was even greater than before, but his heart grew calmer. With his focus fully concentrated and his senses wide open, he did his utmost to dodge every attack from the Tiger Mastiff Dogs.

Finally, under this immense pressure, Chen Yuan grasped that glimmer of insight. His movements suddenly became incredibly fluid, as if he had merged with nature itself. As his figure flickered, it carried an indescribable rhythm.

"Wind!" Chen Yuan felt the breeze that was everywhere around him, a look of realization appearing on his face. "So, the secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art really is related to the wind."

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

On Earth, the techniques of a Martial Artist were divided into four levels: Basic, Micro, Perfect, and Conception.

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

Micro Level: Precise control of distance, using the smallest movements to dodge or attack.

Perfect Level: Harness the environment, making the surroundings your home field.

Conception Level: Comprehend the conception, deriving the application of power from the heavens and the earth.

Chen Yuan had originally practiced the Spirit Wind Sword Art by merely turning the moves into instinct, which was only a Basic Level technique. But now, having comprehended the power of the wind and mastered techniques related to the Conception level ahead of time, he could be said to have ascended in a single step!

"So this is the secret of the Spirit Wind Sword Art, mastering the Conception of wind in advance?" Feeling the wind that was everywhere around him, Chen Yuan felt he could utilize this power. "Let's try it then."

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

"Footwork speed increased by about 50%." Chen Yuan thought to himself. His steps were like flowing water, so fast that the trajectory was almost invisible.

A flash of sword light, and silently, the throat of a Tiger Mastiff Dog was slit. Before the blood could even spray out, Chen Yuan had already retracted his longsword.

"Sword speed increased by about 70%." He assessed silently, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

This improvement was terrifying, causing Chen Yuan, who had just been forced into a desperate situation by the Tiger Mastiff Dogs, to now turn the tables and slaughter these dogs at will. Wherever the sword light went, a Tiger Mastiff Dog was sure to fall.

This caused the remaining dogs to be thoroughly terrified. The madness in their eyes vanished, and they turned to flee, no longer listening to the orders of their leaders.

The three leaders, however, did not flee. As Intermediate Monsters, they possessed a certain level of intelligence and instinctively realized that if they ran, they would surely die; only by fighting with their lives did they have a glimmer of hope.

Thus, the three leaders ignored their fleeing subordinates. With madness in their eyes, they lunged at Chen Yuan in unison.

However, facing the desperate, final strike of the three leaders, Chen Yuan chuckled softly: "Too slow."

As he spoke, his figure flickered, drifting as unpredictably as willow catkins in the wind, lightly sweeping past the sides of the three leaders as his sword light flashed like lightning.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Three muffled sounds followed in quick succession, and the three Tiger Mastiff Dog leaders collapsed with a crash, each with a bloody hole in their foreheads as blood gurgled out, staining the ground red.

Chen Yuan landed lightly and held the Streamer Battle Sword horizontally before him to inspect it, discovering that the blade was not stained with a single drop of blood, remaining as bright and clean as new.

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

He opened his panel, which displayed the following:

Spirit Wind Sword Art: Combat Secret Technique, Grade A, Current Progress: Proficiency 5.98% (Sword Art Proficiency 7.47%, Movement Technique Proficiency 7.35%, Guiding Technique Proficiency 3.13%)