Flawless

After a year of using the ancient-tree-brand "Myriad Realms Information Search Engine" in his mental world, Yaoguang had already figured out its fundamental functions. Whenever a branch grew to certain milestones, each threshold represented a different concept. Take the branch he was most familiar with, [Martial Path], as an example. Reaching 20% meant gaining a firm foothold in that realm; 40% indicated a profound understanding of it; reaching 60% signified possessing the potential to break through into a higher realm; and 80% amplified that possibility until success was virtually guaranteed. The final stretch from 80% to 100% was essentially bonus credit. What he pursued was laying a foundation that surpassed what the realm called for, tapping into power that did not belong to it, aiming to defeat the strong from a position of weakness and slay foes above his level. This time, thanks to the experience gained from a four-billion-yuan transaction through the [Merchant] profession, the growth of the [Martial Path] branch was pushed directly to 80%. In this moment, the profound mysteries of martial spirit intent surfaced fully in Yaoguang's mind. The cultivation, application, defense, techniques, experience, and knacks of spirit intent... All of them flowed through his mind one by one. Not only that—when the progress surpassed 60%, he had already touched upon the mysteries beyond Tier 5 spirit intent; now that it had reached 80%, the transformations belonging to Tier 6 of the Martial Path were entirely known to him. "Tier 6 of the Martial Path..." Yaoguang quietly digested the knowledge. Tier 4 Martial Path: blood transformation and marrow cleansing. Tier 5 Martial Path: nurturing spirit intent. Tier 6 Martial Path... "The Flawless True Body." Yaoguang murmured. Tier 6 was likewise a realm beyond the understanding of this world. In this world, perhaps there were hidden Tier 5 spirit intent martial artists... No! Spirit intent martial artists must exist. Before the world's new and old hegemons, Xuelong and Chixing, Dayu at best barely qualified to serve as a pawn. Yet even so, Dayu openly boasted several Martial Saints, and counting those who cared nothing for fame, one probably couldn't count them on one hand. If Dayu was like this, what about Xuelong and Chixing? If those two nations didn't possess beings beyond Martial Saints, could they sit securely upon the thrones of global hegemony? The Martial Saints of neighboring nations would be the first to flip the table. "I don't know what they call Tier 5, but regardless of its name, Tier 6... based on its characteristics, I'll name it the Flawless Realm myself," Yaoguang thought to himself. Tier 6: Flawless. In this realm, when not engaged in combat, a cultivator could reduce internal energy consumption to the absolute minimum, ensuring that vital life essence remained sealed within, thereby drastically extending their lifespan. In theory, every martial artist in the Flawless Realm could live to the ultimate limit of the human lifespan. Of course, those who attained the Flawless Realm were usually well up in years, and the vital essence lost before reaching it would have already chipped away at their lifespan. Thus, the so-called limit of human lifespan was only theoretical. Even so, living past a hundred was an easy feat for any martial artist of the Flawless Realm. "The beginning of longevity," Yaoguang breathed from the bottom of his heart. Past a hundred years of age. Even with the advanced technology of the modern world, the average lifespan was under eighty. Yet a Flawless Realm martial artist could live past a hundred... An extra twenty-plus years of life granted outright. If this wasn't the beginning of longevity, what was? "Tier 6 Flawless allows one to live past a hundred. What about Tier 7, Tier 8, Tier 9?" Yaoguang's mind soared with yearning, filled with boundless drive. As long as he continued cultivating along this path, longevity and enduring life were by no means an extravagant dream. Furthermore, the wondrous nature of the Flawless Realm was not merely about prolonging life. When battling others, someone in the Flawless Realm could also minimize stamina consumption by sealing and controlling their own breath and vital aura. For an ordinary person running at a brisk pace, half an hour was the limit. But for the Flawless Realm, as long as it wasn't an all-out sprint, they could run at a regular pace for an entire day. In ancient times, Tier 4 Martial Saints were called a match for ten thousand foes. It meant they could come and go freely even amidst an army of ten thousand. But Tier 6 Flawless... That was truly a match for ten thousand! Their stamina could genuinely allow them to stand alone against ten thousand and slaughter an entire army! "Judging from current progress, slaying about six Tier 3 demons or two Tier 4 demons would push the [Martial Path] branch to Tier 6 and bear a Dao Fruit. Alternatively, having over a billion yuan would also allow it to climb to Tier 6." Yaoguang calculated. Tier 4 demons. Zhao Sheng, the demon leader, was inevitably Tier 4. Tier 5 was unlikely. If he truly had Tier 5 strength, he wouldn't have chosen to temporarily avoid facing them head-on. However, even if not Tier 5, the possibility of him being an upper-grade Tier 4 was quite high. Add to that the other demons inevitably at his side, and if all went smoothly... "Huh!?" Right at that moment, Yaoguang suddenly sensed something. He jerked his head up, only to see what looked like a flicker of light on nearby Mount Yunjing. It seemed as though someone was using an instrument to observe his room. A thought crossed his mind, and he immediately guessed what it was. Zhao Sheng! Having learned that he had slain the demon carrying the Soul-Suppressing Orb and teamed up with Xia Wuyuan and Yue Xingzhou to destroy the Baisheng Chemical Plant, Zhao Sheng had chosen to retreat for the moment, but he would never relax his surveillance over him. These instruments... Yaoguang sprang up at once, grabbed the Chengying Sword, and leaped down from the villa's second-floor balcony—which had no security grille—sprinting at full speed toward the observer's location. If he could capture the observer and smoke out Zhao Sheng's syndicate... If things went well, he could form a Tier 5 Dao Fruit today. "Young Master Yaoguang..." Lei Yun called out. "Guard the villa," Yaoguang called back instructions as his figure plunged swiftly into the mountain forest. Even though he had only just begun nurturing his spirit, his superior realm allowed him to faintly sense the observer's position. Under his perception... After realizing he had been exposed, the observer had not fled at full speed, but was instead moving leisurely!? Audacious. *Whoosh!* Yaoguang moved like a meteor, each leap covering a dozen meters or more. One had to realize that he had already entered Mount Yunjing. To unleash such speed in terrain like this... This footwork alone was enough to make any Grandmaster feel inferior. In less than a minute. Yaoguang came to a halt. Before him, a man who looked to be in his early forties was packing several electronic instruments into a sleek, high-tech case. In his hand, a weapon resembling an expandable baton had appeared. "Su Yaoguang." The man tilted his head and glanced at him. His tone seemed inquisitive, yet rang with complete certainty. Yaoguang looked at him. Judging by the "Perception" secret technique, the person before him... Was unexpectedly not a demon. "One of Zhao Sheng's men?" Yaoguang asked. "Heh..." The man chuckled softly. He twirled the expandable baton in his hand. "Come, let me see what you're made of," he said. Without giving Yaoguang any chance to reply, the man suddenly moved. The baton in his hand surged like a spear, tearing through the air and thrusting forward with lightning speed. With that thrust, an explosive burst of velocity seemed to puncture the surrounding air and shatter air resistance, causing the strike to undergo a secondary acceleration midair. Changing speed after launching an attack. It was like a fired missile suddenly altering its trajectory. The subtlety demonstrated in that split second was nothing short of a lethal finisher. However... The instant he struck, Yaoguang had already perceived this change clearly through his acute sense of blood and qi. Without the slightest hesitation, he slashed his sword across. Regardless of whether he was Zhao Sheng's man, capturing him first meant he could question him at leisure later. Yaoguang's slash held no flashy tricks. Relying purely on his sharp perception of blood and qi, his insight into the other's application of force, and a fast, accurate, and steady blade trajectory, the fierce sword light chopped down hard onto the baton. *Clang!* In a flash, the man's baton was knocked off course. Yet the man's reflexes were astonishingly swift. The instant his baton was deflected, his body twisted sharply, using the spinning motion to dissipate the force of the collision while building momentum for his next strike. Spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees, his other arm darted forth like a python striking from a gorge, thrusting straight toward Yaoguang's face. As it struck, his arm seemed to become a true python, shifting its serpentine trajectory three times. Those three shifts even carried a hypnotic effect that could mislead an opponent's judgment. It was evident the man had deliberately imitated and studied demon combat techniques; against an ordinary Grandmaster, these moves would have granted him an overwhelming advantage. Yet in Yaoguang's eyes... "Bells and whistles." Completely disregarding the man's deceptive feints, Yaoguang surged forward, closing his left fingers into a sword-hand and thrusting it straight ahead. The instant palm-sword met arm, Yaoguang's hand drove straight along the man's arm. As forearm clashed against forearm, Yaoguang used ferocious, unyielding overt force to shatter all the twisting power in the man's arm. The man could only watch in despair as Yaoguang's sword-hand morphed into an open palm near the shoulder, then shifted into an iron claw that clamped down hard on his scapula. "Not good!" The man's face changed. He twisted at the waist, every bone in his body seeming to come alive, becoming as slippery as an eel. He sought to use this bizarre technique to slip free from Yaoguang's locked fingers. Yet... The instant Yaoguang's fingers gripped his shoulder blade, force erupted through his fingertips. Before the man could slip away, the sharp crack of shattering bone rang out. This Grandmaster's shoulder blade had been crushed directly by the sheer grip of Yaoguang's five fingers! Pain drained all color from the man's face. Yet relying on astonishing endurance, he ripped his shoulder free from Yaoguang's grasp, sinking low with the momentum of his twisting waist to evade the Chengying Sword as it swept across after knocking aside the baton. At the same time, his body spun once more. As he rotated, his baton swept straight toward Yaoguang's lower body, while his right foot whipped out like a divine dragon lashing its tail, heel smashing viciously toward Yaoguang's torso. If Yaoguang leaped to avoid the sweep of the baton, he would inevitably be sent flying by the follow-up kick. Yet Yaoguang seemed to have anticipated the transition long before. As the man ducked low, Yaoguang simply lifted his right foot and stomped straight into his body. Before the man's windmill-like spin could deliver the dragon-tail counterattack, Yaoguang's kick struck his chest first, sending him flying backward through the air. In the next breath, the tip of the Chengying Sword wheeled around, thrusting out like a startled swan and catching up to the man's flying body in an instant. Midair, the man struggled frantically to regain balance, swinging his baton to deflect Chengying's blade. Yet the thrust came too fast—far outpacing the baton's trajectory. The man could only watch helplessly as the blade of the Chengying Sword enlarged in his widening pupils! "Stop!" Just then, a voice suddenly shouted out, "Yaoguang! Friendly!"