Free Web NovelChapter 75: Chapter 75: Crisis Warning
The next day, a gentle breeze blew.
Su Xing stood alone atop a mountain peak, gazing down below.
He stood bare-chested, clutching his short-sleeved shirt in his left hand. His muscles, like inlaid jewels, weren’t massive but were lean and well-defined, promising explosive power at a mere glance.
The Sparrow Sword circled constantly by Su Xing’s side. When the gentle breeze met the blade, it was as if it were sliced in two, letting out a sharp, piercing HISS.
Su Xing had already witnessed the might of the Sparrow Sword in that other dimension. After a period of practice, his control over it had gone from clumsy to effortless, as if it were an extension of his own arm.
’Time to test my other improvements.’
Su Xing clenched his right fist, and the Black Sword reappeared in his palm. The patterns on the blade were now more distinct, more menacing.
The emblem of the Black Tortoise, once barely discernible, now seemed ready to spring to life.
Su Xing slowly ran his hand over the flat of the Black Sword’s blade, then suddenly swung it forward. A colorless ring exploded outwards, causing the surrounding air to ripple and distort.
Simultaneously, the air at the center of the strike began to tremble. Tiny cracks even appeared in space, only to be quickly sealed by an unseen energy.
’This is... Am I about to be able to tear through space?’
Su Xing had tested his strength many times, but this was the first time he’d seen anything like this. The ability to affect space itself was the mark of a true master in any world. The realization hit him, and he joked aloud:
"So I’m a Dou Grandmaster now."
A single slash that merely cracks space makes you a Dou Grandmaster. But to tear it open completely with one strike... that would make you a true Dou Venerable.
Su Xing shook his head, pushing the random thoughts from his mind.
He was now a genuine Tier Four. Su Xing had originally thought that once he reached Tier Four, the Black Sword would stagnate and eventually be replaced by the leveling system.
But now it seemed the Black Sword was still improving. Its upper limit had not yet been reached. In fact, the Black Sword’s power was even greater than the Sparrow Sword’s.
The Sparrow Sword, at least, couldn’t tear through space. However, the Black Sword was suited only for head-on combat. The Sparrow Sword, on the other hand, was sentient and exceptionally sharp, making it incredibly effective for targeted assassinations.
It was safe to say each sword had its own strengths.
With that thought, Su Xing willed both swords to vanish.
He then turned, picked a wooden stick off the ground, and prepared to test the changes to his Myriad Swords Return to One and White Blade Stance. freewёbnoνel.com
The Sparrow Sword wasn’t suitable for this kind of test, and the Black Sword was now far too powerful; Su Xing feared using it might cause some uncontrollable accident. After a moment’s thought, he decided to use a plain wooden stick instead.
First up was White Blade Stance.
With a thought, a white edge formed over the tip of the stick. This time, however, it was different.
Before, the white edge was like a full moon waning to a crescent—no matter how thin, it was always visible.
But this time, the white edge was like a full moon obscured by dark clouds, completely invisible. Only when sunlight shone on it could you see a slight reflection, telling you that the white edge was still there.
This reminded Su Xing of a move from his previous life called the Wind King Barrier. Although the principles were different, the resulting effect was the same.
However, the current white edge could still only cover the tip, making the stick look as if a section was missing.
Su Xing guessed that perhaps only by leveling up White Blade Stance itself could he gradually increase its coverage area, eventually reaching a state where it completely enveloped the weapon.
Once the white edge completely sheathed his weapon, it would be difficult for an opponent to gauge his attack range or even the type of weapon he was using. The area of effect would also increase dramatically, providing a massive advantage in close combat. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
After testing White Blade Stance, it was time for Myriad Swords Return to One.
The white edge on the stick vanished. Su Xing took a deep breath. Suddenly, white lines coalesced at his side, forming no less than thirty longswords that appeared around him.
’Thirty swords... The number has doubled.’
’If I want Myriad Swords Return to One to live up to its name and summon ten thousand swords, I’ll probably have to level up the skill itself.’
Su Xing nodded in satisfaction. A sudden thought occurred to him, and he mused aloud, "I wonder which is stronger, the Sparrow Sword or Myriad Swords Return to One as it is now."
Might as well find out.
The Sparrow Sword materialized and shot toward the thirty longswords.
Under Su Xing’s control, the thirty longswords flew to meet the Sparrow Sword. As they clashed, the air filled with the sharp ring of steel.
In the blink of an eye, the Sparrow Sword pierced through ten of the longswords. Its assault only began to slow around the seventeenth or eighteenth sword, its momentum finally waning.
His question answered, Su Xing waved his hand, and both the Sparrow Sword and the swords from his Myriad Swords Return to One technique dissipated into thin air.
He was not surprised that the power of the Sparrow Sword was greater than Myriad Swords Return to One.
The Sparrow Sword was a product of the Spirit Sword, after all. Myriad Swords Return to One was just a Tier Three Skill, and still at level one. Even with the Spirit Sword’s enhancement, it was only natural that the individual swords couldn’t match the power of the Sparrow Sword.
This also gave Su Xing a more accurate measure of the Sparrow Sword’s power.
’That’s about it for the tests.’
Su Xing stretched his neck, then pulled on the short-sleeved shirt he had been holding and walked towards the Sword Hall.
Suddenly, Su Yu’s voice appeared in Su Xing’s ear, causing Su Xing to mutter subconsciously:
"This can’t be good."
Every single time Su Yu contacted him with this telepathic message, it was either because the Spiritual Sect was attacking or the High Priest was stirring up trouble. It was never good news, and Su Xing had practically developed a conditioned response.
"Big bro, Lu Anning just left."
Those words stopped Su Xing in his tracks. He had already told Su Yu that the Spiritual Sect was targeting Lu Anning because of her unique constitution, which was why Su Yu would contact him the moment anything was amiss.
"Left? Where could she be going?"
Su Xing muttered to himself, then quickly pulled out his phone and texted back, "She left? Where’d she go?"
Lu Anning had seen him kill before. She should know how dangerous it was outside, yet she still chose to leave. Su Xing didn’t understand.
"She said she has to pick up her mom. Apparently, her mother decided to pay a surprise visit."
Hearing this, Su Xing frowned. He’d been careless. A normal girl like Lu Anning was tied down by so many relationships. She had classmates, friends, parents... she couldn’t just hole up in the Sword Hall forever like he and his brother could.
It was like your parents showing up in your city unannounced. Could you really refuse to go meet them?
Su Xing’s fingers flew across the screen as he typed:
"So is she going to the train station? Or straight home?"
"Probably the train station."
The train station... Cang City has two train stations in total, the South Station and the North Station. The South Station has fewer people, while the North Station is extremely crowded. Su Xing could only hope that Lu Anning’s mother had chosen the less crowded one.
The Spiritual Sect, with noses as keen as bloodhounds, would have already sniffed out the fact that Lu Anning had left. Su Xing held no illusions about that. He just muttered under his breath:
"Son of a bitch. Here we go again."
