Free Web NovelChapter 182: Chapter 140: Blade Intent, Achieved
In an instant, several lingering afterimages of his blade strikes filled the room. Their trajectories were erratic, accompanied by the faint, sharp whistle of air being torn asunder.
At that moment, he felt his attunement with "Fleeting Shadow" reach a critical point, his mind completely immersed in its transcendent, supreme speed.
The momentum of his blade had yet to fade, but the form had already changed.
"Flowing Rainbow: Surging Waves!"
As the blade edge cut through the air, the sharp whistle was replaced by a low rumble, like a surging tide.
The glint of the blade was no longer erratic. Instead, it came in layer upon layer, each wave of light pushing the one before it, surging forward and building in power.
As the light from the blade stacked, it grew heavier and more solid. The air, compressed by the immense power, seemed to groan under the strain.
Li Wen felt his control over his power and his grasp of the rhythm improve exponentially. The momentum of the Surging Waves felt as if it were about to shatter some invisible restraint.
Immediately after, "Flowing Rainbow: Hanging Sky!"
The light of his blade shot skyward, transforming in an instant from a gentle tide into a sky-rending waterfall.
A fierce, domineering will surged forth—an intent to sever all things.
It was as if he could tear the very sky down, bringing his blade crashing down with unparalleled force.
The vital energy and blood in Li Wen’s body surged like magma, his will honed to its absolute peak.
"Flowing Rainbow: Mountain-Piercing!"
Before the power of the Hanging Sky strike had fully dissipated, a more condensed and sharper dark glint lanced out from the downward arc, like a drill capable of piercing mountains and shattering rock.
All its force was concentrated into a single point, making it unstoppable.
Wherever the tip of the blade pointed, space itself seemed to condense and compress, driven by an absolute conviction to pierce through any obstacle.
It was the ultimate expression of piercing power and concentration.
And finally—
"Flowing Rainbow: Gateward!" ƒrēewebnovel.com
The final form! The momentum built by the first three forms and the power amassed by the fourth erupted in this ultimate technique, achieving perfect unity.
There were no spectacular flashes of light, only a dim, gray shadow of the blade, flowing at extreme speed, as if all power and intent had been compressed to their absolute limit.
Once, five times, ten times...
Li Wen was completely lost in his practice, refining and performing the Flowing Rainbow Five Forms again and again.
He was no longer simply repeating the moves. Instead, under the mystical state granted by his lv11 [Absolute Focus] and its 110% comprehension boost, with every minute adjustment to his movements, every bit of fine control over the flow of his vital energy, and every surge of his spiritual will, he reached for the Blade Intent hidden beneath the surface of the forms.
In his mind, the transitions between the blade forms grew increasingly fluid and flawless.
The agility of Fleeting Shadow, the immensity of Surging Waves, the ferocity of Hanging Sky, the sharpness of Mountain-Piercing, the defense of Gateward... five completely different styles of bladework flowed and shifted in his hands, as natural as breathing.
They were no longer isolated but were beginning to form a faint, self-sustaining cycle.
As his practice deepened, an increasingly profound sensation grew stronger within him.
With each of his countless swings, the once-unyielding veil separating his blade from the real world was constantly assaulted, torn at, and dissected by the Insight from his lv11 [Absolute Focus] and his soaring comprehension.
This veil... was the Blade Intent!
It was no longer a hazy concept, but a tangible barrier that existed between the body of his blade and physical space.
Every perfect strike, every infusion of his will, was like stabbing the veil with the tip of his blade, scraping it with the edge, and grinding it down with his Blade Intent.
Through countless repetitions, the veil was stretched thinner and thinner, growing more transparent, as if it would completely tear apart at any moment.
Finally!
As Li Wen, still in the state of lv11 [Absolute Focus], once again performed the Flowing Rainbow Five Forms and reached the most exhilarating peak of his practice—
RRRIP!
A soft sound, like fabric being torn, that only he could "hear" on a spiritual level.
In his mind’s eye, that incredibly tough veil shattered at the sound.
At that moment, the cold, plain Standard Rapier in his hand was suddenly imbued with a new "life."
VMMMM!
The body of the blade let out an irrepressible hum, incomparably clear and resonant.
A transparent ripple, visible to the naked eye, spread out silently with the blade at its center.
In that instant, the air in the entire Martial Arts Room seemed to freeze.
This wasn’t a physical restraint, but a kind of absolute dominion originating from the level of "will."
Every roaming air particle, every wisp of dissipated vital energy, even the intangible rays of light within this space were instantly subjugated by this pure and incomparably sharp will of the blade.
Li Wen could clearly "see" that wherever his will guided it, the air around the blade was "sliced" and "combed" with incredible precision, forming perfectly obedient "lines."
He even felt that when he swung his blade, he no longer needed to use much of his vital energy. A mere thread of his will was enough to make the blade erupt with a power that far surpassed anything before. It was no longer just a weapon, but an extension and manifestation of his "will" in the physical world.
In the utter silence, the surrounding air was drawn and sliced into clear trajectories by the Blade Intent, flowing silently around the blade like courtiers paying homage to their emperor.
’I succeeded!’
’Blade Intent!’
’The Third Realm—the Realm of Intent!’
Li Wen abruptly retracted his blade and stood tall as the [Absolute Focus] state slowly faded.
He looked down at the still-ordinary Standard Rapier in his hand, his face at first blank with confusion. Then, a wave of immense joy—so powerful it felt as if it would burst his chest—surged through him like a tsunami.
The feeling was impossible to fully describe in words. It was a connection to the "blade" itself, an unprecedented bond as deep as blood, as if a whole new world had been violently thrown open to his senses.
"I did it! I actually did it!" Li Wen’s voice trembled slightly, a mixture of excitement and the profound relief of at last breaking through after so much effort.
