Chen Zong had finally mastered the True Sword Eight Forms to the Subtlety Realm, unlocking new insights. Additionally, Volume 3 concludes here, and tomorrow marks the start of Volume 4: True Secret Realm! Stay tuned!
"Clan Brother, I'm heading out on patrol now. I'll leave things here in your hands," Chen Zhong said to Chen Zong, fully armed in light iron armor and refined iron-plated gauntlets. He turned and strode out of the courtyard.
"Be careful, Clan Brother," Chen Zong cautioned. "If you encounter any overwhelming danger, immediately use the SOS flare."
For the past ten days, Chen Zhong had been handling all patrol duties, even covering Chen Zong's shifts. Meanwhile, Chen Zong had been recuperating in the courtyard, recovering from his injuries.
The physique of a martial artist differs vastly from that of ordinary people. Not only are their strength and speed many times greater, but their regenerative abilities are also far superior.
Such injuries, even with medication, would take an ordinary person a month or two to heal. Yet for Chen Zong, they had completely healed in just ten days, leaving only faint scars.
The light iron armor, similar in design to that worn by the Chen Clan Iron Guard, had been recently issued due to an unexplained surge in demon beast activity. Even rare High-Grade Level One Demon Beasts had begun appearing frequently, prompting the distribution of the armor to enhance the defenders' defensive capabilities and survival chances.
Having accepted the task of guarding the ore vein, any casualties from demon beast attacks would be considered unavoidable.
In the courtyard, Chen Zong stretched his limbs.
For the past ten days, to prevent reopening his wounds, he had refrained from practicing his sword technique, leaving his body feeling stiff and rusty. Now that his injuries had fully healed, each movement of his limbs produced a series of popping and cracking sounds, like frying beans.
After stretching, he practiced the Tiger Force Fist Technique, each punch carrying the force of a roaring tiger, radiating overwhelming momentum.
Though he hadn't trained his sword technique for ten days, Chen Zong hadn't been idle. Instead, he had meticulously organized his insights and experiences from his cultivation journey, consolidating scattered fragments, discarding unnecessary elements, and retaining only the essential, beneficial core. This process deepened his comprehension and allowed him to extend his understanding.
"Cultivation truly requires a balance of work and rest," Chen Zong murmured to himself. "Endless, grueling practice without time for integration and digestion inevitably leads to missed opportunities." He gripped the sword sheath with his left hand, his entire aura shifting instantly.
A subtle sharpness began to gather, condensing like a blade within its sheath.
He lowered his stance.
Hidden Sword Stance!
The restrained sharpness suddenly intensified.
The essence of the True Sword Eight Forms flowed through his mind like a gentle stream.
His momentum grew increasingly focused.
His right hand, a blur of motion, snapped onto the sword hilt, drawing the blade in a lightning-fast arc. The crescent-shaped sword light sliced through everything before him, its sharpness unstoppable.
Drawing Sword Stance!
Thrusting Sword Stance!
Circling Sword Stance!
Chopping Sword Stance!
Chaotic Sword Stance!
Swift Sword Stance!
Exploding Sword Stance!
In the span of a few breaths, Chen Zong executed the entire True Sword Eight Forms. Sheathing his sword, he stood as straight as a blade, his posture unwavering. His aura retreated inward once more, gradually fading until it was completely undetectable.
"True Sword Eight Forms..."
"True Sword... True Sword..."
"Now I understand why, despite reaching the peak of the Perfection Realm, I could never find the breakthrough into the Subtlety Realm. My cultivation path had been misguided all along."
"True Sword... True... Sword..."
"Sharpness is the essence of the Sword..."
"Unyielding resilience is the essence of the Sword..."
"Fearless courage is the essence of the Sword..."
"Cutting through obstacles is the essence of the Sword..."
"Drawing blood and claiming lives is the essence of the Sword..."
Each word rang out louder and clearer, his eyes growing brighter and sharper, flickering with a cold, piercing light as if sword beams were about to erupt from them.
"The True Sword... embodies sharpness, resilience, fearlessness... and... slaughter..."
His suppressed aura exploded outward with extreme sharpness, transforming him into a living blade. The Precious Iron Sword slid from its sheath without a visible motion, slicing forward in a single, seamless arc like a crescent moon tearing through the night sky, its brilliance splitting the darkness.
Drawing Sword Stance!
Though the same stance, it now possessed a unique essence, as if undergoing a qualitative transformation. Every ounce of power was channeled to its limit, the crescent-shaped sword light seeming poised to detach from the blade and soar through the air.
Chen Zong's Qi Blood Power surged like a raging river.
With his right hand gripping the sword, he executed stance after stance, each strike reaching its peak power, far surpassing his previous efforts. Every swing left a clear, visible trail in the air.
Exploding Sword Stance!
The sword erupted like a cannon blast, its unparalleled force capable of shattering mountains. The air beneath the blade compressed and split, unleashing a vacuum wave that struck the courtyard wall with a thunderous boom, sending dust and debris flying.
"This... is the Subtlety Realm of the True Sword Eight Forms..." Chen Zong murmured, letting the Precious Iron Sword hang naturally at his side. Bathed in sunlight, his face seemed to radiate a divine glow.
After relentless practice and tireless pursuit, he had finally achieved enlightenment and reached the Subtlety Realm. Yet Chen Zong felt no elation, only a profound calm, as if this breakthrough were inevitable.
Ten days of reflection and refinement had brought him to this natural culmination.
"At the Perfection Realm, the Exploding Sword Stance's power rivaled Dividing Light Shadowing. Now, having reached the Subtlety Realm, its destructive force has surged, completely surpassing Dividing Light Shadowing," Chen Zong mused inwardly.
If word got out, few would believe it.
A mere Foundation Establishment Martial Art, yet after reaching the Subtlety Realm, its power surpassed even the first level of a Low-Grade Human-Rank Martial Art—a truly terrifying feat.
At the Dividing Light Shadowing level, from initial mastery to Great Perfection, the sword light's power didn't increase significantly; the primary improvement lay in the number of sword lights generated.
The True Sword Eight Forms had always been a profoundly mysterious and powerful Foundation Establishment sword technique. After reaching the Subtlety Realm, each strike and stance completely transcended the limitations of Foundation Establishment sword techniques, rivaling the first level of a Low-Grade Human-Rank sword technique. The final Exploding Sword Stance, in particular, possessed terrifying destructive potential.
"I wonder how it compares to Dividing Light No Shadow?"
Chen Zong hadn't even grasped the basics of Dividing Light No Shadow yet, making a direct comparison impossible.
Regardless, achieving the Subtlety Realm with the True Sword Eight Forms had deepened his understanding and mastery of the sword, slightly enhancing his overall strength and significantly improving his combat endurance.
Unlike graded sword techniques that require a massive expenditure of Qi Blood Power, the True Sword Eight Forms could be executed without such a drain—a rare and invaluable advantage.
"Now that I've reached the Subtlety Realm with the True Sword Eight Forms, what changes have occurred with the Mysterious Sword Tip?" Chen Zong mused, shifting his focus to the Third Eye Space between his brows, concentrating on the Mysterious Sword Tip.
Mysterious, ancient, profound, and vast—each time he gazed upon it, he was filled with awe.
Whether sensing Chen Zong's intent or for some other reason, the Mysterious Sword Tip trembled gently, emitting a resonant hum like an ancient divine melody that cleansed his soul and body with soothing comfort. A Silver Azure Dragon soared forth, riding the nine heavens and traversing the four seas, before suddenly lunging toward Chen Zong's consciousness.
Chen Zong stood motionless as a statue, his open eyes flickering with silver light that seemed to contain boundless mysteries. As time passed, the light gradually receded until it vanished completely.
"It's actually a Qi Blood cultivation technique..."
Exhaling slowly, Chen Zong was somewhat surprised.
Initially, he had speculated that reaching the Subtlety Realm with the True Sword Eight Forms might yield additional rewards. Though uncertain, it was merely a hunch. If his guess proved true, he had imagined it would likely be a sword technique surpassing the True Sword Eight Forms in rank.
The situation surprised and delighted Chen Zong. A change had indeed occurred, but not as he had predicted. Instead of a sword technique, it was a Cultivation Technique—one that cultivated Qi Blood Power.
"True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique..."
"The name certainly sounds extraordinary."
As he meticulously studied the information in his mind, Chen Zong grew increasingly astonished. By the end, his face was etched with shock.
"True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique... What rank of Cultivation Technique is this?"
"I've heard there are higher-ranked Cultivation Techniques beyond Human-Rank. Could this technique surpass Human-Rank?"
"But techniques beyond Human-Rank aren't suitable for martial artists in the Qi Blood Realm."
According to Chen Zong's understanding, Human-Rank Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts were divided into four grades: Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, and Supreme-Grade.
Low-Grade Human-Rank techniques had two stages, Mid-Grade had three, High-Grade had four, and Supreme-Grade had five. Yet the True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique boasted a full six stages.
Taking several deep breaths to calm his racing heart, Chen Zong reasoned that obtaining a Cultivation Technique that seemed to surpass even Supreme-Grade Human-Rank was undoubtedly a great stroke of fortune.
It's important to understand that the higher the grade of a Cultivation Technique, the faster its cultivation speed and the quicker the recovery of power after depletion.
"The True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique emphasizes Qi Blood as sharp as a sword, significantly enhancing sword techniques."
"Mastering the first level grants an additional 10% boost to sword technique power. The second level provides a 20% increase, and so on..."
"Reaching the fourth level grants a 50% enhancement to sword technique power and allows the cultivation of Heavenly Extinction True Sword Power. Once activated, this power can further amplify sword technique power by another 50% within a single breath."
"Upon reaching the fifth level, the Heavenly Extinction True Sword Power's amplification increases to 100%."
"Mastering the sixth level allows the Heavenly Extinction True Sword Power to manifest independently from the sword, unleashing devastating power."
Chen Zong's heart burned with fervor, his pulse racing several times faster than normal, pounding like a war drum.
The gap between mid-grade and high-grade Human-Rank Cultivation Techniques is vast. Consider the Chen Clan's Fierce Tiger Art versus the Tang Noble Clan's Earth Dragon Art.
One technique reached the third level, while the other reached the fourth. However, upon reaching the fourth level of the Earth Dragon Art, one could condense a Dao of Earth Dragon Power within their body. Activating this power would temporarily amplify their arm strength. The Fierce Tiger Art, limited to the third level, lacked this capability.
Within Wind Martial City, only three High-Grade Human-Rank Cultivation Techniques existed, each inherited by the Three Great Clans. The Five Great Clans possessed only Mid-Grade Human-Rank techniques, while smaller family factions typically held fragmented remnants of Mid-Grade Human-Rank techniques at best.
"Alright, starting today, I'll switch to cultivating the True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique. If I can master the first level, my overall strength will undoubtedly increase further."
Taking a deep breath and calming his mind, Chen Zong began meticulously studying the first level of the True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique.
The first level of a Low-Grade Human-Rank Cultivation Technique typically amplified cultivation and recovery speed by 50%. A Mid-Grade Human-Rank technique's first level would grant a 100% boost, while a High-Grade Human-Rank technique's first level offered a 150% increase. Exceptional Human-Rank techniques, however, could amplify these rates by 200%.
Astonishingly, the first level of the True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique amplified cultivation and recovery speed by a staggering 250%. If one could reach the sixth level, this amplification would soar to 500%, a prospect that left one utterly awestruck.