Nine-Layered Thunder Blade

"Good thing it wasn't my money." Luo Yuan grinned.

Although he had spent 200 million in Huaxia Currency in one go, Luo Yuan had no regrets. He knew that warriors spent heavily on weapons and other gear, but once they began hunting powerful monsters, they could earn enormous sums too. That was why everyone called warriors a high-income group.

The next morning.

A stranger arrived at the private garden of Luo Yuan's home in the Mingyue Residential Area.

"Mr. Luo Yuan, these are the manuals and equipment you purchased. You can open them with your fingerprint."

Luo Yuan took the sealed alloy cases the man handed him and slid his finger across the top of one. "Beep! Fingerprint verified." An electronic voice sounded, and the alloy case opened, revealing a book about a centimeter thick, with two discs resting on top.

"Nine-Layered Thunder Blade." Luo Yuan read the title on the manual's cover.

"Mr. Luo Yuan, please open it and check the contents. Once you've confirmed everything, sign here," the deliveryman said with a smile, though a trace of envy lingered in his gaze.

The deliveryman smiled again. "As required, I also need to explain this... copyright belongs to the creator of the manual. The copyright holder of Nine-Layered Thunder Blade is Thunder God! Buyers have the right to study it, but not to teach it to others. You may not copy the manual, sell it without authorization, or pass on its teachings. Anyone who violates these terms will be hunted down by the combined forces of the Limitless Martial Hall, the Thunder Dojo, the Underground Alliance, and the government military!"

Luo Yuan nodded at the deliveryman's words, but inwardly, he envied Thunder God. The man made a fortune from intellectual property alone. A little booklet and two discs were worth a hundred million. It was practically free money, and he even forbade others from teaching it.

After the deliveryman left, Luo Yuan hurried eagerly to the Martial Arts Hall and opened the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade manual.

"Among all martial arts, nothing is unbreakable except speed."

"When your blade becomes faster and faster, until its speed reaches the absolute limit, you will be invincible." As soon as Luo Yuan opened the first page, he saw those words written in bold, flowing calligraphy.

"The fundamental essence of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade I created comes down to a single word-speed!"

Luo Yuan turned to the second page and continued reading.

"Why does speed produce such tremendous power?"

"First, when your blade moves too fast for your opponent to react, you can slit their throat before they even have time to swing their weapon! Even if your strength is only one-tenth of theirs, their throat will surely be unable to withstand your sharp blade. Thus, speed allows you to strike an opponent's weak points."

"Second, speed also gives your blade astonishing power."

"According to the formula for energy, a blade's attack energy equals 0.5mv². In other words, when a blade's mass remains constant, the faster it moves, the more terrifying the energy it carries! At sufficient speed, even a jet of water can pierce steel, and a sheet of paper can slice through it!"

"Speed can leave your opponent no time to defend!"

"Speed can make your blade unstoppable! Whether you seek to strike weak points or overwhelm your opponent with sheer power, making your blade faster is the best approach!"

So it was all about a fast blade. No wonder it was so difficult to master. Speed with a blade required not only experience accumulated through practice, but talent as well.

"Nine-Layered Thunder Blade contains a complete movement technique, 'Flowing Light,' a complete Guidance Technique, 'Nine-Layered Hunyuan,' and a complete blade technique, 'Thunder Blade.' Of these three, the Guidance Technique is the foundation!"

"Only through the Guidance Technique can you develop a powerful physique!"

"Physical fitness is the foundation!"

"Blade techniques and movement techniques are skills, requiring repeated practice and insight!"

Unfortunately, the Guidance Technique, movement technique, and blade technique in Luo Yuan's possession contained only the first three layers. Each originally had nine.

The tremendous power of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade came from an ingenious method of exerting force.

An ordinary person swinging a blade with all their might might use one hundred percent of their strength! A practitioner of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, however, would use only seventy percent. While releasing that first surge of force, they would strive to make their body produce a second surge, also at seventy percent. The two surges combined would amount to one hundred and forty percent of their strength!

The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade had nine layers in total.

At the first layer, one additional surge of hidden force could be released, producing one hundred and forty percent of one's strength!

At the second layer, two additional surges of hidden force could be released, producing two hundred and ten percent of one's strength!

At the third layer, three additional surges of hidden force could be released, producing two hundred and eighty percent of one's strength!

At the ninth layer, nine additional surges of hidden force could be released, producing seven hundred percent of one's strength! That was a full seven times the body's original strength.

Looking at the manual in his hands, Luo Yuan could not help marveling at Thunder God's genius. The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade could actually multiply one's strength, a little like critical-hit damage. Still, it was extremely difficult to master. Even the first layer required complete mastery and integration of eighteen blade moves before success was possible, along with enough insight to grasp their essence.

Luo Yuan put down the manual and opened the other alloy cases. Inside were a Type A9 Blood Shadow Battle Blade, six Grade 9 Flying Daggers, a Type B6 Shield, a full Series D9 Combat Suit, a Fine Backpack, and a Fine Combat Communication Watch. Since he had specifically requested a black-and-gold color scheme when choosing his equipment, everything matched, looking understated yet luxurious.

Luo Yuan activated his Spiritual Force, and the six black-and-gold Grade 9 Flying Daggers rose into the air before him, looking mysterious and powerful. With a thought, he sent all six shooting toward the metal target ahead. They pierced straight through it. The six-centimeter-thick alloy target offered no more resistance than tofu.

"These Grade 9 Flying Daggers really do live up to their reputation for killing lord-level monsters. They're incredibly sharp," Luo Yuan exclaimed.

Ring, ring~ Luo Yuan's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that the caller was Head Instructor Wu Tong.

"Hello, Head Instructor Wu. What can I do for you?" Luo Yuan asked.

"Luo Yuan, now that you're a warrior, Supervisor Zhuge has instructed us to arrange for you to join a War General Level warrior squad. That way, it'll be easier for you to gain experience outside the Base City, and your safety will be better assured! I've spoken with them, and we're planning to have you join the Fire Hammer Squad alongside Luo Feng. That way, you two newcomers can look out for each other," Wu Tong's steady voice came through the phone.

"The Fire Hammer Squad? All right, got it."

Luo Yuan agreed. He wanted to follow a powerful warrior squad and pick up attributes anyway. Luo Feng's spiritual attributes were quite good, but he could not rely on those alone. He decided to see whether there were any powerful monsters with spiritual attributes once he reached the Wilderness Zone. He needed to improve his strength quickly.

That afternoon, Luo Yuan arrived on the first floor of the Limit Hall in casual clothes. The members of the Fire Hammer Squad had already arranged a banquet to welcome their two newcomers, Luo Yuan and Luo Feng.

"Luo Yuan, Luo Feng." Chen Gu raised his glass and laughed heartily.

"Welcome to the Fire Hammer Squad. I'm your deputy captain, Chen Gu! From now on, you're with me, and I'll have your backs. But let's get the unpleasant part out of the way first. Our Fire Hammer Squad will give you opportunities to gain experience and get used to fighting monsters, but you'll have to work hard yourselves. You can't always count on the other squad members to help you. If you still can't adapt after your first mission... we'll have no choice but to kick you out."

"Yes, of course. We understand." Luo Yuan and Luo Feng smiled and nodded.

P.S. To all you true gods out there, please send tips, vote with your monthly tickets, and add this to your favorites. Luo Yuan bows before you.