Day by day slipped past in constant sparring.
Li Hao's daily routine consisted of sparring, absorbing sword energy, absorbing five-element power, sleeping, sparring...
A continuous cycle.
And he thoroughly enjoyed it.
He was happy, but Liu Long was not happy in the slightest. It was utterly exhausting. Liu Long could not unleash his full might, lest he beat Li Hao to death. Nor could he be careless, for the slightest slip-up meant suffering Li Hao's counterattacks and ending up battered and bruised.
Even so, amid his misery, Liu Long felt a measure of joy. Li Hao's growth unfolded before his eyes, delighting him inwardly. The youth improved visibly by the day, growing stronger with every passing hour, and the progress of his inner force unification was unmistakable.
Meanwhile, the entire Silver City branch of the Night Watchers had immersed itself in cultivation.
Liu Yan and Yun Yao brawled for half the day each night, beating each other black and blue until neither was willing to be seen the following morning. They would hide in their rooms to let the swelling go down, then come out to resume their war once dusk fell.
Wu Chao and Chen Jian knew that the captain was sparring with Li Hao, and that Liu Yan was trading blows with Yun Yao. Having both just advanced to Hundred-Breaker with comparable strength, they too began daily sparring sessions.
The interior of the Law Enforcement Building suddenly grew bustling with activity, but externally it appeared completely deserted. Aside from a bit of commotion on the day of its founding, there was practically no movement afterward; not a soul even stepped outside the building.
This left many watchful observers at a complete loss for words.
Had Liu Long and his people stopped working altogether?
Across the entire Night Watcher branch, aside from Li Hao commuting normally to and from work, people only saw Wang Ming and a few others occasionally head out. And their outings were sometimes merely to go window-shopping... Yes, Li Meng actually went shopping.
She was truly just browsing the stores!
After staking them out for a while, the spies grew thoroughly disheartened, completely baffled by this bizarre group.
……
Inside the Law Enforcement Building.
Wang Ming had been having a leisurely few days. He had nothing pressing to do, and no one watched over him. Liu Long was busy sparring with Li Hao every day, and once the bouts ended, Liu Long lacked the energy to manage anyone else.
At the moment, Wang Ming was wandering back and forth across the ground-floor lobby.
The moment he saw someone enter, his eyes lit up and he hurried over. "Li Hao!"
"Old Wang!"
Li Hao was in high spirits and beaming with a bright smile, having just arrived on his bicycle from home.
"Something the matter?" Li Hao asked.
He was in a rush to head upstairs and spar with the captain. Over the past few days, he had felt his inner force shifting ever closer to the form of a sword. If this continued, he could achieve true unification at any moment, fusing his inner force with his force to become a genuine Hundred-Breaker culmination master.
Wang Ming was in no hurry to state his business. Instead, he looked Li Hao up and down before saying, "Director Liu looks like he's hanging on by a thread these past few days, walking around with dark circles under his eyes like he's utterly sleep-deprived. How are you completely fine?"
He added curiously, "Li Hao, you just entered Hundred-Breaker. Sparring with Director Liu shouldn't be yielding you much gain, right?"
He understood why the others were sparring.
He did not understand the point of Li Hao sparring with Liu Long.
To be frank, if Wang Ming sparred with a Solar Radiance expert, he wouldn't gain much either. What was the purpose of Li Hao doing this? And strangely enough, Liu Long had actually humored him the entire time.
"It's been fine!" Li Hao replied as he headed toward the stairs. Seeing Wang Ming follow him, he asked, "Why are you tailing me? Do you need something? You could always spar with Hu Hao and the others..."
"Spar? Spar about what?" Wang Ming shook his head. "Hu Hao is of the flight type, Li Meng has the Eye of Truth, and I'm assault-type. We don't share the same system, so there's no way for us to spar properly. It's completely different from martial masters."
It wasn't that he was slacking off; it was genuinely useless. For instance, if he fought Hu Hao, Hu Hao would simply fly straight into the sky. What was Wang Ming supposed to do then? Stand on the ground looking up? Shoot flying swords from the ground to knock Hu Hao down? That was just fooling around.
Wang Ming continued, "For supernaturals like us at our current stage, our main task is still absorbing mysterious energy. It's actually gone well. I've made some progress lately; we were allotted quite a bit of mysterious energy earlier. I reckon once I finish absorbing it all, I might step into the Moon Overflow level."
He was currently at the Full Moon stage. For a supernatural powerhouse, progressing from Full Moon to Moon Overflow did not require any coordination with force, nor did it require comprehending force.
Even Solar Radiance powerhouses did not possess force.
The two paths utilized different cultivation methods. Otherwise, entering Solar Radiance as a supernatural would not be comparatively so much simpler than reaching Thousand-Battler.
Li Hao had some understanding of the supernatural system, though he wasn't deeply familiar with it. Hearing this, he smiled. "Then congratulations!"
"Don't be in such a rush to congratulate me!" Wang Ming said quickly. "Here's the thing: you mentioned last time that absorbing mysterious energy alongside a Blood God Seed makes the process much faster. Is that really true?"
"What, you don't believe me?"
"It's not that I don't believe you..." Wang Ming explained. "The Night Watchers don't have many Blood God Seeds left. If it really works, I'll pay a heavy price to trade for a few and try them out. But if it's useless and I trade for them anyway, wouldn't that be a total waste? I've already asked around: the Night Watchers have only one Solar Radiance level Blood God Seed left, along with three Lunar Nether ones. That's all of them!"
Only four left!
Originally, there had been nine, but most had been awarded to Silver City.
Li Hao felt a bit surprised, yet found it only natural. It seemed Director Hou hadn't killed anyone from Red Moon in quite some time.
"You're quite capable to dig that up."
"Isn't that normal?" Wang Ming chuckled. "I'm a genius after all, officially registered in White Moon City. When I ask how many Blood God Seeds remain and how to exchange for them, the higher-ups wouldn't deliberately keep it from me. It's not like it's an Origin God Armament that requires top-secret clearance."
Li Hao had harbored a doubt in his heart for a while. Now that Wang Ming brought it up again, he couldn't help asking, "Old Wang, you keep saying you're a genius. How exactly do supernaturals define a genius?"
He was genuinely curious.
Was advancing quickly all it took to be considered a genius?
Some people had more mysterious energy while others had less, which also depended on family background. If someone from a wealthy, powerful family acquired copious mysterious energy, absorbed more of it, and advanced rapidly, did that make them a genius? Wasn't calling that a genius a bit hasty?
Hearing this, Wang Ming grew flustered. "Are you doubting me?"
"No, just asking in earnest."
Wang Ming gave a huff of mild annoyance, but knowing Li Hao was genuinely uninformed, he explained, "For supernaturals, the definition of a genius is broadly divided into several aspects. First, absorption efficiency of mysterious energy. For instance, if I absorb a cube of metal-element mysterious energy, I can retain zero point seven cubes and only lose zero point three to dissipation."
Li Hao's brows rose slightly.
Conversion efficiency!
That was indeed impressive—retaining seventy percent.
Mysterious energy naturally dissipated; Li Hao knew this well. He absorbed mysterious energy too, and with sword energy assisting him, his retention rate was exceptionally high, allowing him to absorb it quickly. But without sword energy's aid, absorbing mysterious energy alone allowed him to retain only fifty to sixty percent, even with the Five Animals Breathing Art.
Others who didn't use the Five Animals Breathing Art retained far less. Liu Yan and the others, for instance, could usually absorb only twenty to thirty percent.
Wang Ming could actually convert seventy percent. Purely from that perspective, this fellow could indeed be considered a genius... or at least a genius of exceptional innate talent.
Wang Ming continued, "That's the first aspect. Second is the number of supernatural locks developed!"
Li Hao took on an attentive expression.
This was something he truly did not understand.
"Every human body contains supernatural locks... Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters have them too!" Wang Ming began his lecture. "The difference is that a Heaven-Blessed Divine Master's supernatural locks are opened by birth. But that doesn't mean all of them are open. Currently, the supernatural realm classifies the total number of supernatural locks as nine! If you are born with one supernatural lock open, you qualify as a Heaven-Blessed Divine Master... because you inherently possess the power of a Starlight Master and face no impediment whatsoever in entering that realm.
"If you are born with two supernatural locks open, you can smoothly enter Lunar Nether without any difficulty. As long as you have enough mysterious energy, you step into Lunar Nether instantly.
"By that logic, if you are born with three open, you enter Solar Radiance straight away..."
He showed a trace of envy. "Those are Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters! The strongest Heaven-Blessed Divine Master known so far was born with three supernatural locks unlocked, entering Solar Radiance directly. Solar Radiance is their starting point... A realm that represents the lifelong finish line for countless people is merely where they begin!"
Li Hao nodded in agreement.
Incredible!
A natural-born Solar Radiance master—disregard future prospects or theoretical potential; their baseline was where your ceiling lay. Even if they never made another shred of progress in their lives, they would remain someone you could never catch up to.
Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters... truly favored by the heavens.
Wang Ming continued, "People like us, however, can only develop them slowly on our own. It's not as though you can spot all nine supernatural locks from the start; you have to uncover them gradually... Some people can discover three or four locks while still at the Starlight Master level. Finding three or four means they have hope of reaching Solar Radiance and Three Sols later on!
"Other people reach the Solar Radiance level without ever locating a fourth lock, meaning reaching Three Sols will be excruciatingly difficult for them, as they cannot open a fourth supernatural lock... simply because they haven't even found where it is!"
Even with the full might of Solar Radiance, if you could not break through the physical shackles upon reaching the peak—not because you lacked the power, but because you couldn't find where to strike—your potential naturally ran dry.
Li Hao grasped his meaning and asked, "How many supernatural locks have you discovered?"
Wang Ming was at Lunar Nether, meaning he had only opened two supernatural locks. Had this fellow already uncovered three or four?
"Five!" Wang Ming declared with immense pride. "Impressive, right?"
Li Hao chuckled and nodded. "Impressive! But Old Wang, since the supernatural locks reside inside your own body, does that mean anyone can claim to have discovered however many they want? If nobody can disprove it, what's stopping me from saying I found a hundred locks? How would anyone else know?"
"You're underestimating the methods of supernaturals!" Wang Ming shook his head. "It's not that simple! Of course, ordinary means can hardly detect them, but the Night Watchers usually conduct an assessment on newcomers using an Origin God Armament. An Origin God Armament can verify how many supernatural locks you've discovered."
"Oh?" Li Hao grew intrigued. "How does it detect them?"
"Why do you care? You're not even a supernatural."
Li Hao smiled. "Who's to say I won't become one in the future? Besides, I feel like I've discovered at least ten supernatural locks in my body!"
Wang Ming offered a polite, indifferent smile.
Keep bluffing!
Keep spouting nonsense.
Li Hao had delivered it like a joke, but it wasn't a joke at all.
Ten supernatural locks?
He felt he might have far more than that. Several times during his cultivation, when the supernatural locks manifested, he had sensed roughly ten in the region of his internal organs alone. There were also locks in his head, and beyond that, locks seemed to exist across his four limbs as well.
Far too many!
Densely clustered everywhere. At times, Li Hao had wondered if the heavens were denying him entry into the supernatural realm because he needed to shatter all of them, but now it appeared that shattering a single one was enough.
Should he give it a try?
Better not!
On second thought, he recalled his teacher's stern warning. Forget it; he wouldn't consider entering the supernatural realm anytime soon.
Seeing that Wang Ming didn't believe him, Li Hao didn't bother arguing. Instead, he asked curiously, "Old Wang, what tier does discovering five locks put you at within the Night Watchers?"
"The very top!" Wang Ming said proudly. "Three locks for Solar Radiance, four for Three Sols, and five... means I have hope of advancing beyond Three Sols!"
"What about nine?" Li Hao asked with a smile. "Since you say people in this field have discovered nine, someone must have actually found that many for the knowledge to spread. According to your logic, where each lock corresponds to a realm, wouldn't nine locks lead to something... unimaginable?"
Wang Ming shook his head. "Someone did discover nine locks—a Heaven-Blessed Divine Master in the central region, a veteran figure said to already stand beyond Three Sols. According to fragments of information that trickled down from that figure, opening supernatural locks becomes progressively harder in the later stages, which is only natural. But supposedly, opening locks in the later stages carries terrifying danger, frequently triggering unpredictable perils! At present, the most anyone seems to have opened is five locks. As for whether anyone has opened a sixth to step into an even higher realm beyond Three Sols... no one knows!"
He added, "Still, it's only a matter of time! The supernatural path evolves remarkably fast. Twenty years ago, there were only Starlight Masters at first. In less than a year, Lunar Nether Masters appeared. In under three years, Solar Radiance Masters emerged. I asked around before: Three Sols powerhouses have been around for over a decade! And beyond Three Sols, figures emerged in the central region five years ago!"
In just twenty short years, five successive tiers had already emerged in the supernatural path.
And five years had elapsed since the appearance of the previous tier. At this rate, powerhouses of the sixth tier might truly make an appearance in the near future.
Li Hao was inwardly astonished.
That pace was genuinely astonishing.
Perhaps in the end, powerhouses of the ninth tier really would appear.
"Are there many figures beyond Three Sols in the central region?"
"Quite a few!" Wang Ming replied offhandedly, not elaborating further. Instead, he grinned. "Now do you see why I'm a genius? I absorb mysterious energy quickly, my efficiency is high, and above all, my potential is far greater! Take Hu Hao and Li Meng—they're considered quite good within the Night Watchers, but they've only discovered three supernatural locks each. That means they have a clear path to Solar Radiance, but beyond Solar Radiance, they have no direction at all."
He elevated himself while taking a subtle jab at Li Meng and the other.
Shameless!
Still, discovering three locks was already quite decent. Many at the Lunar Nether level couldn't even locate the third lock, unable to find the road to Solar Radiance and forced to grind away blindly.
Supernatural locks were the barriers restricting supernatural advancement.
"So as long as you break the third supernatural lock, you can become Solar Radiance directly... without encountering any major bottleneck?"
"Exactly!" Wang Ming beamed and nodded. "That's why I want to rely on this reward of mysterious energy to reach Moon Overflow, and then... I want to borrow the power of a Blood God Seed. If it truly enhances the effect of mysterious energy as you said, it might help me shatter the third supernatural lock and step into Solar Radiance!"
His voice filled with anticipation. "If that works, my progress won't even be slower than those Heaven-Blessed Divine Masters! Li Hao, don't trick me here. I'm planning to apply to headquarters to exchange for that Solar Radiance Blood God Seed! If it doesn't work... I'll be in miserable shape."
"That thing can be exchanged for?"
"Of course!" Wang Ming nodded. "Merit counts inside the Night Watchers. Treasures are meant to be traded to everyone. Director Hou once said that treasures and resources only hold value when they circulate! Few people exchanged for Blood God Seeds in the past because they were only marginally useful to newcomers, and newcomers didn't want to pay such a steep price for one. That's why a few were left behind, and hardly anyone pays attention to them now... If you're certain, I'll find a way to exchange for it."
"How much does it cost?" Li Hao asked curiously. "What's the price for a Solar Radiance Blood God Seed?"
"It's not just a matter of price!" Wang Ming explained. "Rank matters too. Under the Inspectorate's ranking system, your rank has to be high enough! A Solar Radiance item requires a City Inspecting Commissioner to exchange for it. I'm only an Inspecting Commissioner, so technically I can't, but I know plenty of City Inspecting Commissioners. Our director is one too, so I can ask them to help me make the exchange."
"And the price?"
"Two hundred cubes of mysterious energy!"
"That cheap?" Li Hao was startled. "My teacher bought one from our director earlier and paid three hundred cubes, and Director Hao still claimed it wasn't for sale."
Cheap?
Wang Ming was rendered speechless. What arrogant phrasing!
Still, trying to tell someone whose teacher had slain two Three Sols powerhouses that two hundred cubes was expensive... forget it, this guy didn't understand a thing.
"It's not the same!" Wang Ming explained. "Exchanging for treasures comes with quota limits. Otherwise, everyone would run to upper management to make trades. Exchanging through official channels is comparatively cheaper precisely because it's restricted. Rewarded items aren't bound by those limits. An opportunity like this is hard to come by for most people."
Fair enough.
Even so, paying a hundred cubes more on the open market wasn't considered cheap either.
Then again, killing a Solar Radiance powerhouse yielded only two to three hundred cubes of mysterious energy at most, and a Red Shadow was roughly the same. Selling it at this price was quite reasonable.
Any higher, and one might as well use mysterious energy directly for cultivation. For supernaturals, pure mysterious energy was easier to utilize than the power of a Red Shadow.
Wang Ming should be able to produce two hundred cubes. He had received over a hundred cubes from the recent distribution, and coming from a wealthy, influential family, he wouldn't struggle to gather the rest.
Even so, the fellow clearly looked torn, dreading the thought that it might prove useless and waste his investment. It seemed two hundred cubes was a massive fortune even to him.
Li Hao now possessed a much clearer understanding of the supernatural path. Learning that Wang Ming had hope of surpassing Three Sols was rather surprising.
"Go ahead and trade for it. If you don't want it, I'll buy it back from you for three hundred cubes. You'll make a profit either way. How about that?"
"Really?" Wang Ming was overjoyed. Such a good deal existed? Even if he didn't use it, selling it would yield a profit. Was this guy just handing him money? Otherwise, Li Hao could simply ask Liu Long, who would surely be willing to make the exchange on his behalf. Even if Liu Long could only do it once, he wouldn't mind using that single opportunity.
Li Hao nodded.
Would he lose out? Not at all. Besides, he had no suitable channel to make the exchange himself. As for asking Liu Long—Liu Long had only just entered Thousand-Battler, and though Li Hao didn't know how vital such exchange quotas were, the captain might need them soon. After all, they were heading to the ruins next, and if they gained spoils, they would certainly require opportunities of that kind.
"Don't go asking the boss to make the exchange for you either. Since you have your own connections, handle it yourself!"
Wang Ming nodded. He had only mentioned it in passing and never actually planned on asking Liu Long.
……
The two continued downstairs.
Seeing Wang Ming still tailing him, Li Hao was genuinely surprised. I've said everything; go make your trade. Why are you still following me?
"You..."
"I just want to see how you and Director Liu spar. Can I watch?" Wang Ming explained. "Haven't I been studying the Five Animals Art lately? But Teacher only gave us a booklet with nothing else, and I'm too embarrassed to ask him questions, so I've been fumbling around on my own. Sometimes I feel like I'm improving, sometimes not... Li Hao, can I watch while you spar?"
He had developed an interest in the path of martial masters lately and was indeed studying the Five Animals Art. Unfortunately, Yuan Shuo had given them only the secret techniques accompanied by an ordinary breathing method, so he felt no real progress.
"I haven't been using the Five Animals Art much lately," Li Hao told the truth. Recently, his focus had been on comprehending force and the sword, and his sparring was not centered around the Five Animals Art.
"All right then. If it's inconvenient, I won't watch. No need to be so secretive... Next time I spar with someone, you're free to watch whenever you want!"
Li Hao smiled and said nothing.
Over the next few days, he would likely enter the state of culmination. Keeping a low profile was wiser anyway. Too many people already knew; although Wang Ming was decent at heart, he was too entangled with White Moon City.
It would be bad if leaks occurred...
More importantly, this fellow had a loose mouth. To put it bluntly, he was naive, answering whatever was asked! Many of the details Li Hao had inquired about were classified, yet Wang Ming had spilled them all in one breath. If Li Hao were Hou Xiaochen, he wouldn't disclose a single syllable to someone like Wang Ming, strictly forbidding him from speaking!
The guy had even explained the Origin God Armaments thoroughly, falling short only on the classified technical specifications. Li Hao had no doubt that if Wang Ming knew them, he would have shared those too.
……
Li Hao and Wang Ming parted ways.
Wang Ming glanced back toward Li Hao heading into the basement, curled his lip, and suddenly chuckled. "Think I'm an idiot? Man, he's probably about to enter mid Hundred-Breaker. Terrifying!"
He was thoroughly pleased with himself.
His guess had to be right. Li Hao was trying to hide it from him!
So fast!
Not long after, running into Li Meng along the way, Wang Ming remarked with a sigh, "Li Meng, you'd better work hard. If you don't enter the Half Moon realm soon, Li Hao's going to overtake you. He seems to have reached mid Hundred-Breaker!"
Li Meng's heart tightened. That fast?
The meat buns she had just bought suddenly lost their flavor.
Before long, the news that Li Hao might have reached mid Hundred-Breaker spread among the White Moon City trio. Hu Hao learned of it as well, growing instantly anxious.
Li Hao had guessed correctly: so long as Wang Ming considered someone a good person, he dared to blab anything—even mere conjectures.
……
At the same time.
In the basement.
Liu Long took a deep breath and looked toward Li Hao. "I think you're almost there! Today will be different from before. Today, I will primarily use force! You understand force as well. Previously, I only utilized it casually without truly bringing my spirit intent to bear on you. But you're currently just one step away... You have freakish regenerative ability anyway, so even if I injure you, I won't worry too much."
Over the past few days, he had witnessed Li Hao's bizarre resilience.
That being the case, he felt he needed to give Li Hao a sharper stimulus—even give him a taste of true life and death.
Yuan Shuo had been right: when pushed, Liu Long truly dared to be ruthless.
Li Hao didn't mind in the slightest, nodding. "Boss, bring it on! I want to see the true strength of a Thousand-Battler too! After I reach culmination, I could encounter powerhouses at the Thousand-Battler or Solar Radiance level at any moment. Experiencing their all-out effort beforehand will teach me how to respond in the future..."
"Good!"
The moment the word fell, Li Hao instantly felt a crushing weight.
His body sank downward under the pressure!
At this moment, Liu Long genuinely held nothing back.
Except for the Nine Refinements Force, which he had yet to unleash. He hadn't stacked the strikes; had he used that, it would no longer represent an ordinary Thousand-Battler's might, but his peak offensive power that he believed could pierce the defenses of a Three Sols expert.
Spirit intent unfurled!
In an instant, a small hatchet materialized in Liu Long's grip, cleaving through brambles and thistles to instantly sunder Li Hao's Earth force.
During their exchanges over previous days, Liu Long's fists had been injured multiple times. Eventually, the two decided that weapons were preferable.
Now, he swung the hatchet.
With a loud crack, the ground seemed to split open.
At this moment, Li Hao truly experienced the sheer might of a Thousand-Battler, feeling like a fragile leaf tossed in a howling storm.
He let out a fierce roar and stomped the ground once more.
Rumble!
The basement shuddered. The floor had cracked long ago, and now it caved inward slightly.
Stomping down, Li Hao drew his longsword—the blade gifted to him by Yuan Shuo. Though not an extraordinary artifact, it was far sturdier than an ordinary sword.
Li Hao slashed out!
Sword and hatchet collided!
Clang! This time, it was no longer an even split. Li Hao felt an immense force bearing down on him entirely. In an instant, the longsword was batted aside by the heavy hatchet.
The webbing between his thumb and index finger tore open.
Before Li Hao could even recover, the hatchet cleaved straight toward his skull.
Li Hao scrambled backward, yet instantly felt surrounded by surging waves, pinning him in place.
Liu Long's hatchet fell upon him in a flash.
Li Hao jerked his head aside and bent his waist, yet still failed to evade entirely. With a sickening slice, the razor-sharp hatchet cut straight into his shoulder blade, biting deep into the bone. A searing agony made Li Hao feel as though his entire right arm no longer belonged to him.
A flicker of hesitation appeared in Liu Long's eyes, but it vanished instantly.
Li Hao could take it!
The wound was severe, but Li Hao could heal it. Over the past few days, Liu Long had accidentally broken several of Li Hao's bones, and the youth had recovered in no time.
This blow was heavier, but he trusted that Li Hao would be fine.
Still... such sparring was something others could scarcely fathom.
Liu Long pressed harder with the hatchet, making it appear as though he genuinely intended to chop Li Hao in two.
In truth, Liu Long held very little strength back.
A life-and-death stimulus... only this was thrilling enough, wasn't it?
"Ah!"
Li Hao roared, wracked with agony.
At that exact instant, his left hand reached out to seize the small hatchet. Liu Long wrenched the hatchet free and slashed toward Li Hao's left hand.
Li Hao was doomed to lose this bout!
He lacked even the room to counterattack, for they were pressed too close, and Liu Long held complete dominance over him.
Yet when the hatchet chopped down, Li Hao did not pull his left hand back.
Liu Long was startled. It'll get severed!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, his fine hairs stood on end. Right at that moment, a third hand suddenly materialized at his groin, carrying a wisp of sharp sword qi.
"Boss, watch out!"
Before Li Hao even finished speaking, the hand clawed downward.
Miraculous Hands Bring Spring!
You struck first, so don't blame me for returning the favor.
Liu Long felt a chill between his legs, utterly stunned. A third hand? How did he pull that off?!
He hadn't even noticed that the left hand Li Hao had swung earlier was actually a fake.
They had engaged in close-quarters combat many times, yet he had never discovered where Li Hao kept this third hand hidden. Or was he wearing a prosthetic over his left arm all along? If so, the prosthetic was ridiculously lifelike.
Liu Long shot backward instantly. Even so, he felt a sting of pain as the sword intent grazed him, tearing open his trousers.
He scrambled back several paces to steady his footing.
Li Hao ignored his wound entirely. Circulating sword energy through his body once, the agonizing pain dulled considerably, and he swung his sword in another slash—this one even more formidable than before!
Sword intent erupted!
Silent and soundless, the sword thrust forth.
Clang! The small hatchet was pierced right through.
Liu Long's throat was left completely exposed!
At this moment, people were actually watching the battle from behind them.
Liu Yan and Yun Yao watched silently, sweating on the combatants' behalf. How was this sparring? It looked entirely like a fight to the death between mortal enemies.
Every strike targeted vital points!
It had often been like this over the past few days, but today felt distinctly more perilous.
Liu Yan and Yun Yao remained quiet, observing without a word. They refrained from discussing anything; discussing a match while two powerhouses were locked in combat was disrespectful. Any critique and evaluation of gains and losses had to wait until after the fight.
Both women felt they were learning immensely.
They were both martial masters. Even Yun Yao, before stepping into Lunar Nether, had been a seasoned Ten-Slayer martial master, so they naturally understood the lethal danger involved.
They could never endure sparring like this. Had they taken Li Hao's place, they would have been crippled long ago, incapable of recovering.
Just then, Liu Yan opened her mouth to cry out in shock, but forcibly choked it down.
In the distance, Liu Long suddenly released his hatchet, hurling it straight at Li Hao to shatter the youth's sword intent. In the next instant, he unleashed a ferocious punch. With a dull boom, the sound of Li Hao's sternum snapping rang out.
Li Hao was sent hurtling through the air.
Liu Long pressed forward relentlessly. Even as Li Hao flew backward, Liu Long gave him no quarter, closing the distance in a flash and driving another fist forward!
Thud! Sounding like a blow striking a drum of stretched human skin, the punch sent Li Hao vomiting mouthfuls of blood.
His vision blurred slightly...
Over the past few days, he had assumed the gap between himself and Liu Long was no longer wide. But today, a few punches from Liu Long, combined with his fully unleashed force, suppressed him completely, leaving him virtually incapable of fighting back.
Even an ambush had been dodged in an instant.
Now, pinned down at close range with Liu Long refusing to pull his punches, Li Hao felt as though he were on the verge of death.
He was truly going to die!
Blood splattered through the air. Li Hao crashed heavily against the floor, and Liu Long stomped down without mercy!
Liu Long had hoped to awaken Li Hao's potential... but it seemed he had struck too hard, beating the youth into utter helplessness. At this rate... today's battle was over.
At that exact instant, Li Hao snapped his eyes wide open!
His eyes burned with radiant sword intent!
He had continually replayed that sword strike from the past... that strike meant to sever heaven and earth.
Yet recalling it now, he suddenly realized that the true essence of that strike was perhaps... severing longevity, severing oneself!
Severing one's own path to longevity purely to unleash that single strike!
A strike of no return, reigning supreme in a single blow—either the enemy died, or I did.
Such a sword was never conservative, never held back.
Instead, every single strike was meant to be the final strike of one's life!
At this critical juncture, he seemed to reach an epiphany, achieving a faint resonance with that strike.
The mighty powerhouse who had unleashed that blow had never once contemplated surviving it.
There had been only one thought: slay the foe!
The instant Liu Long's heavy boot descended, Li Hao understood clearly that he had focused on the wrong priority.
Severing heaven and earth was merely a rallying cry to that man. The true core lay in severing oneself, severing one's own lifeline to perish alongside the enemy!
Once drawn, the sword must taste blood—if not the enemy's, then my own!
"Ha!"
With a furious roar like a tiger's bellow, his Earth force surged!
A translucent barrier seemed to manifest before Li Hao—his Earth force, instantly checking Liu Long and halting his descending boot.
In that split second, Li Hao swung his palm!
His palm was a sword!
A strike of mutual destruction, never resting until death!
In an instant, chilling murderous aura flooded the entire basement.
Even Liu Yan and Yun Yao, standing behind them, felt a piercing chill that made their scalps tingle with dread.
Li Hao's palm split open, struggling to bear the strain. Yet he cared nothing for it!
Either you die, or I perish!
"Die!"
Crack! A deafening bang echoed as the sword strike fell, cleaving into Liu Long's foot with a sharp fracture, cracking the bone clean open.
Liu Long retreated rapidly, shock flashing across his eyes.
What terrifying killing intent!
It carried the manic desperation of mutual destruction!
Enduring the agonizing pain in his foot, Liu Long threw a punch. Li Hao neither dodged nor retreated—once drawn, the sword never returned!
Either slay the enemy, or sever myself!
Slapping the ground with his left hand, he pushed himself upright. His right hand transformed into a sword, slashing once more.
Boom!
Another thunderous tremor resounded. Liu Long's great waves were cleaved straight through by this strike. Li Hao brought his sword-palm down in a flash; with a tearing sound, it sliced into Liu Long's fist, sending blood spraying.
Yet Li Hao's resolve never wavered as his palm chopped straight toward Liu Long's skull!
Liu Long roared furiously as his great waves churned once more.
In the next instant, he let out bellow after bellow. Waves surged over his body, layer upon layer, stack upon stack. At this moment, he genuinely felt a fatal threat to his life. Unable to bear it any longer, he stopped restraining himself and unleashed the Nine Refinements Force.
Rumble!
The tremendous Nine Refinements Force slammed into Li Hao in an instant, twisting, contorting, and fracturing his palm.
Liu Long kicked out; with a dull thud, Li Hao was sent flying.
This time, Liu Long did not pursue. Instead, he touched his own throat... It was covered in blood!
His throat had been lightly slit.
By Li Hao's sword intent!
Liu Long's gaze turned complicated. Looking down at himself, a wave of gloom washed over him.
Another day, another set of injuries.
His throat was slit, his hand was nearly broken, and his foot was fractured...
Even a Thousand-Battler couldn't endure such relentless battering!
Meanwhile, Li Hao lay on the ground, unable to climb to his feet for a long time.
Having poured everything into that strike, if the enemy didn't die, he should have died instead. Fortunately, Liu Long had never intended to kill him.
After a full seven or eight minutes, Li Hao slowly struggled to his feet. His face was deathly pale; even with sword energy repairing him, he had suffered grave injuries.
"Boss..." Li Hao looked toward Liu Long and suddenly smiled. "I... seem to be able to unleash sword strikes at will now!"
Liu Long nodded slightly. "Your inner force has fully unified. What I'm more curious about is how you achieved that sudden explosion of power just now. Did something come to mind?"
Li Hao nodded. "Sever Self!"
Sever Self?
Liu Long chewed over the words, then frowned. "This sword art, this swordsmanship, is far too brutal! At first, I thought it was merely exquisite with heavy killing intent, but your realization just now clearly indicates that this is a sword that must draw blood whenever drawn!"
If not the enemy's, then one's own.
This had not been created by Yuan Shuo!
At this moment, Liu Long understood, saying gravely, "The creator of this sword strike was definitely a mad swordsman! Every draw intended to kill; if it didn't kill the foe, it severed the self! A sword that slays purely for the sake of slaying..."
"Teacher said that from the moment martial arts and supernatural powers appeared, their purpose was slaughter!" Li Hao smiled. "Personally, I find this strike... suits me very well."
"You..." Liu Long wanted to say something, but ultimately sighed and kept silent.
Yes, whether martial arts or supernatural abilities, their ultimate purpose was slaughter. Yet there was also defense, tactical retreat, and escape...
Li Hao's sword strike, however, existed solely for slaughter, with no regard for defense or recovery.
"Still, it is formidable!" Liu Long offered immense praise. "If I hadn't unleashed the Nine Refinements Force just now, a moment's carelessness might have truly allowed you to slit my throat!"
He had exerted his full force, yet had nearly been slain by Li Hao.
Li Hao offered an embarrassed, sheepish smile.
Liu Long's face darkened.
Don't smile like that, dammit. It's sickening, pui!
"Boss, you're badly hurt this time. I've already unified my sword intent, so there's no need to spar anymore. Later, come with me to my teacher's place and let him treat you so you don't suffer lingering ailments!"
Liu Long rolled his eyes.
Your teacher?
Give me a break!
It had been days; he wasn't a fool. He had long realized that the energy used during his breakthrough had likely come from Li Hao's side. Li Hao's swift recovery was probably linked to the sword he carried with him everywhere.
At this point, how could Liu Long not understand?
Of course, he didn't expose it. Knowing was one thing, but blabbering it out just to show off one's cleverness was unnecessary.
"Inner force transformed into a sword, sword intent unified... Li Hao, you are remarkable!" Liu Long praised him once more. "Had this been twenty years ago, you could have easily earned a title like Sword King in the Silver Moon martial world! My father was one of the Three Spears of Silver Moon back then, and your teacher was the King of Five Animals. Your achievements today are already comparable to theirs back in those days..."
It truly felt unbelievable.
Yet Li Hao shook his head. "Far from it! Boss, a reputation is forged through battle, not granted simply because you reach a realm."
He knew that he still fell a step short of his teacher and the seniors of that era.
What was missing?
True slaughter!
His teacher and the others had fought their way up step by step, whereas he merely possessed a higher starting point.
Perhaps the upcoming expedition to the ruins would mark his true rite of passage.
Even so, completing the unification of his inner force brought Li Hao to the end of his cultivation in the Hundred-Breaker realm. Next, he could begin preparing to step into Thousand-Battler.
Chapter 72