A Third Conception: The Wind of Perception!

"Argh!" The northern barbarian let out a shrill scream. A flash of Lu Changsheng's blade instantly pierced clean through his body. Mere Refining Organs martial artists posed no threat to Lu Changsheng whatsoever. Lu Changsheng had roamed the grassland for nearly an entire day. Unfortunately, he still had not encountered the Fat Manslayer or the Blind Bladesman. In truth, there were other ways. For example, Lu Changsheng could spread word that he would wait for the Fat Manslayer and the Blind Bladesman at some landmark on the Northern Region Battlefield. If one day was not enough, then two days, three days, four days, and so on. As long as he waited at that spot every single day, the time would surely come when he crossed paths with them. Yet what would that be? A duel by challenge? This was the Northern Region Battlefield! Since it was a battlefield, people would resort to any means necessary. If Lu Changsheng dared to stay in one place, the true experts among the northern barbarians might hunt him down and kill him directly. Lu Changsheng understood this clearly. He was confident, but not foolish. Nor had he grown so arrogant as to believe he was invincible under heaven and beyond being killed. Impossible. Thus, Lu Changsheng would not issue any challenge. It was utterly pointless. Running into them was a matter of luck. If he failed to find them, slaughtering a few more northern barbarians would still serve to vent some frustration. "Lousy luck today. I only ran into a few ordinary Divine Strength Realm martial artists." "I'll come back tomorrow, then." Lu Changsheng withdrew from the Northern Region Battlefield. He was in no hurry. After all, the war on the Northern Region Battlefield was not something to be settled overnight. Carrying several severed heads, he headed to the Martial Demonstration Tower to redeem them for merits. These heads belonged to Divine Strength Realm martial artists, after all. Though nowhere near as valuable as Bone Mendicant's, they still traded for nearly two hundred minor merits. "Redeem one Stone Heart Fruit." Lu Changsheng exchanged his merits at the Martial Demonstration Tower for a Stone Heart Fruit. After refining it, Lu Changsheng's physical body increased to two hundred and fifty ding. His strength had grown once more. Over the next few days, Lu Changsheng continued roaming the Northern Region Battlefield. He also heard plenty of news. For instance, northern barbarian experts had appeared on the Northern Region Battlefield and slain powerhouses belonging to the Great Fish Dynasty on the Divine Strength Ranking. In another instance, several experts on the Divine Strength Ranking had clashed, resulting in casualties on both sides. Overall, however, the martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty seemed to be at a distinct disadvantage. Lu Changsheng went to the Martial Demonstration Tower to submit the corpses of several northern barbarians. Suddenly, a martial artist stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Lu Changsheng looked up and saw an "acquaintance." It was Lu Jianming. "Dao Twelve, care to team up? Just the two of us. Me with a sword, you with a saber—we could sweep across the Northern Region Battlefield." "Team up? Not interested." Lu Changsheng shook his head. He was used to operating alone. He had no interest in forming teams. Lu Jianming frowned and could not help pressing further: "Given the current state of the battlefield, the northern barbarians were the first to join forces. Many of them are traveling in teams now, including quite a few ranked near the top of the Divine Strength Ranking. "If we don't team up, running into a barbarian squad means certain death! "This is war, where any underhanded tactic goes. Fighting alone is reckless unless you're confident you can crush every single opponent!" Yet "Dao Twelve" acted as though he had not heard a word, paying him no heed. Lu Jianming's gaze cooled, and in the end, he shook his head. Martial artists were selfish by nature; lone wolves were the norm in the martial world. As for teaming up... In truth, those who joined forces were mostly martial artists from the same sects or clans. Lu Jianming had genuinely admired Dao Twelve and wanted to pull him closer. Unfortunately, Dao Twelve clearly did not share the sentiment. "Fine. Arrogant fools don't last long on the Northern Region Battlefield anyway." Lu Jianming dropped the subject of teaming up. Since "Dao Twelve" refused, he would naturally seek out others willing to partner with him. In fact, just as Lu Jianming had said, "teaming up" had become the prevailing trend. The northern barbarians had been the first to deploy in squads. Squad after squad had swept across the Northern Region Battlefield, slaughtering many martial artists from the Great Fish Dynasty. Later, the Great Fish Dynasty's martial artists also began forming groups to fight back. By now, martial artists who still roamed the Northern Region Battlefield alone were becoming increasingly scarce. "Was that Lu Jianming from Suspended Sword Villa just now? Ranked eighty-ninth on the Divine Strength Ranking." "Indeed. Lu Jianming seems to know Dao Twelve and invited him to team up, but Dao Twelve turned him down." "Dao Twelve is ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking. If those two joined forces, their strength would be formidable. What a pity." "Dao Twelve is a lone wanderer of the martial world; men like that don't join teams. But the northern barbarians won't care why you're alone. Once he runs into a barbarian squad, two fists can't fight four hands. I fear he'll be in grave danger..." Many onlookers whispered among themselves upon witnessing the exchange. Even powerhouses on the Divine Strength Ranking were forming squads on the Northern Region Battlefield now. For ordinary martial artists, grouping up was all the more essential. Refusing to team up meant a dead end. Lu Changsheng was naturally well aware of the current situation on the Northern Region Battlefield. However, he was different. To him, whether he was alone or paired with someone made little difference. In fact, Lu Changsheng felt that squads were a good thing. At the very least, the northern barbarians he encountered would no longer be lone stragglers. Instead, they would come in squads. A squad might contain several Divine Strength Realm martial artists. That way, each excursion onto the Northern Region Battlefield would yield a handsome haul of heads to trade for merits. As for danger... With the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method at his disposal, if Lu Changsheng wished to leave, practically no one could stop him. On this day, Lu Changsheng arrived at the Northern Region Battlefield as usual. Over the past several days, he had wandered across the battlefield without much success. On the vast expanse of the grassland, he was like a headless fly, blundering about aimlessly. Whether he ran into northern barbarians relied entirely on luck. "I need to find a way to sense what's happening across the grassland instead of relying purely on luck." Lu Changsheng surveyed his surroundings carefully. What method could reveal the situation across the plains? Lu Changsheng looked up. Undoubtedly, taking to the skies and looking down from high above would grant an unobstructed view of the plains. However, he could not fly. No matter how strong a Divine Strength Realm martial artist was, taking flight to scout from above was impossible. Aside from soaring into the sky, what else could survey a wide area? Lu Changsheng fell into deep thought. *Whoosh.* A gust of wind blew past, sweeping over his body and bringing a touch of cool relief. "Wind is formless and traceless. It blows from north to south, from east to west. "Wherever the wind sweeps, nothing and no one can remain hidden. "What if my perception could be like the wind, or merge into the wind, letting the wind become my eyes and ears?" A sudden spark of inspiration flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind. Wind! The wind, ever-present at everyone's side, could seemingly be put to use. Moreover, there was no need to control the wind; he only needed to merge his conscious perception into it. When that time came, wherever the wind blew, Lu Changsheng would be able to perceive the entire area it touched. To other martial artists, such a notion might sound fantastical, even absurd. Yet for Lu Changsheng, whose comprehension exceeded one thousand points, it was entirely feasible. Because the wind was, in fact, a type of martial conception. He merely needed to comprehend the conception of the wind and form the "Wind of Perception." Immediately, Lu Changsheng stopped roaming around hoping for luck. Sitting cross-legged amid the tall grass, he quietly experienced breeze after gentle breeze. One hour, two hours, three hours... Without eating or drinking, Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged in the grass. From sunrise to sunset, he quietly immersed himself in perception. For anyone else, hoping to grasp a martial conception so easily would be nothing short of a pipe dream. Lu Changsheng, however, was different. With his comprehension exceeding one thousand points, a single spark of inspiration was all he needed to make the breakthrough. And now, he had that spark. His inspiration was the wind! Even so, Lu Changsheng still found this particular insight challenging. After all, the "Wind of Perception" conception was completely different from the Ocean Wave Conception and Starry Sky Waterfall Conception he had previously comprehended. Yet no matter how different it was, given sufficient time, Lu Changsheng would eventually reap results. In the blink of an eye, three days slipped by. *Swish!* Suddenly, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "It's done!" he murmured softly. For three full days, he had devoted himself to comprehending this brand-new conception. Now, he had finally succeeded. He immediately called up his attribute panel to check his status. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 1750 (Praised in All Directions) Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method: Casting Sword for 1 year and 1 month Wind of Perception Conception: Progress 1% Starry Sky Waterfall Conception: Progress 1% Ocean Wave Conception: Progress 25% Qiantian Treasure Transformation Secret Method: Sixth Layer Ninefold Carp Leaping Dragon Gate Art: Fifth Layer Looking at the attribute panel, Lu Changsheng saw that a brand-new conception had indeed appeared, named the "Wind of Perception Conception." This conception did not enhance combat power. However, it vastly expanded his range of perception. Lu Changsheng began testing it. His consciousness seemed to blend seamlessly into the gentle breeze. The sensation was extraordinary. Though he could not control the wind, wherever it blew, Lu Changsheng could sense what lay beneath. Naturally, the range was not infinite; it had its limits. For now, it spanned roughly several li centered around Lu Changsheng. Furthermore, there had to be wind. Without wind, he could not sense his surroundings. "Right now, the Wind of Perception doesn't even cover ten li. "However, as the conception's progress increases, the perception range will steadily expand. "Besides, sensing a radius of several li is already quite impressive." Lu Changsheng knew this well. Sensing several li around him meant he no longer had to rely blindly on luck. Furthermore, as he kept moving, his range of perception would shift and expand accordingly. "Time to test it." Lu Changsheng began moving across the grassland, using the Wind of Perception Conception to scan several li around him for northern barbarians. With this attempt, Lu Changsheng instantly detected a barbarian squad. "To the southeast, about seven li away—a squad of northern barbarians. Three in total, a small team, and every one of them is in the Divine Strength Realm." Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. This was an excellent target. All Divine Strength Realm martial artists; their heads would fetch a decent reward. With that thought, Lu Changsheng immediately rushed toward them at full speed. At that moment, five martial artists from the Great Fish Dynasty had originally teamed up and hidden in the grass to launch an ambush. Yet when they saw the three northern barbarians, their expressions changed drastically. "They're Divine Strength Realm martial artists, and they're in a squad!" "Nobody move! Don't let them spot us!" "No, they've already seen us! Run, scatter!" The five martial artists turned pale with horror. Facing three northern barbarians who were all in the Divine Strength Realm, the five of them were merely in the Refining Organs Realm. On the Northern Region Battlefield, they could only rely on hiding and ambushes. Now that their positions had been discovered by three Divine Strength Realm experts, fleeing was their only choice. Yet whether they could escape with their lives was entirely up to fate. One Divine Strength Realm barbarian instantly closed in behind two of the martial artists. "Argh!" The two cried out in agony before being cut down. The remaining three felt their souls nearly leave their bodies in terror. *Squelch.* As he ran, one martial artist caught sight of his own headless body continuing forward. *I'm already dead?* That was his final thought. The northern barbarian's blade was so swift that even after lopping off the head, the victim's consciousness had not yet faded. "How dull. Another bunch of Refining Organs martial artists. Does the Great Fish Dynasty have nothing else?" "Refining Organs fools on the Northern Region Battlefield are just throwing their lives away." "I'd love to hunt down someone on the Divine Strength Ranking. Who knows if we'll ever run into one..." These three northern barbarians were no ordinary figures. Though not listed on the Divine Strength Ranking, their true strength easily placed them within the top one hundred and fifty. Working together, the three of them were more than capable of besieging and slaying an expert on the Divine Strength Ranking. Unfortunately, their luck had been poor; they had been hunting in a team for days without encountering a single ranked expert. *Whoosh!* Right then, the three snapped their heads up and looked forward in unison. "Someone's coming!" "Looks like a Divine Strength Realm martial artist." "He's Dao Twelve, ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking!" "We've hit the jackpot! To run into Dao Twelve of all people!" "Hahaha! Our chance to make a name for ourselves has arrived! This Dao Twelve is alone—he's practically delivering merit to our doorstep!" The three exchanged glances, their eyes burning with excitement. Although Dao Twelve was ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking, he was unpartnered, flying completely solo. And they were three! Teaming up, they were confident they could overwhelm and kill an expert on the ranking. Far from feeling fear, they saw this as a stroke of immense good fortune and opportunity. "A step too late." Lu Changsheng finally arrived. From seven or eight li away, he had already sensed the situation here through his Wind of Perception Conception. Three northern barbarians were hunting down five Refining Organs martial artists. Regrettably, he had arrived a moment too late. The five Refining Organs martial artists were already dead, their corpses sprawled across the ground. "Die!" The instant Dao Twelve appeared, the three barbarians struck. Working with seamless coordination, they attacked nearly simultaneously from three different directions. Each unleashed a secret method, causing their qi and blood to surge violently and their auras to erupt with savage fury. Every single one was in the Hundred Tripods Realm! "No wonder you didn't flee upon seeing me and even dared to attack. You do possess some skill." Lu Changsheng sensed a torrential wave of power sweeping toward him with overwhelming force. Under such circumstances, even his Ocean Wave Conception would not suffice to withstand the coordinated assault of all three. "Lin!" Lu Changsheng let out a low bark. *Buzz!* A sound like the reverberation of a great bronze bell resonated instantly within their minds. At the same time, the trio's spirits jolted, and their circulating qi and blood seized up. *Clang!* A streak of blood-red blade light slashed through the air. It was a magnificent, breathtaking strike, appearing to illuminate the pitch-black starry sky. The three could even perceive a three-thousand-foot waterfall descending in grandeur from the heavens through that starry void. *Slash!* The blood-red blade light dissipated, and the starry sky vanished along with it. The trio's consciousness plunged instantly into endless darkness, losing all sensation forever. Dead. Three Hundred Tripods Realm martial artists had been slain by Lu Changsheng with a single stroke. Even Divine Strength Realm experts could not withstand a single blade from him. Lu Changsheng looked at the three corpses on the ground and shook his head slightly. Too weak. Whether in the Hundred Tripods Realm or the Thousand Tripods Realm, anyone facing Lu Changsheng needed to have comprehended a martial conception. Without one, they had no hope of resisting the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method. When that happened, the outcome was precisely what had just occurred. Hundred Tripods, Thousand Tripods—it made no difference; all fell to a single slash of his blade. Numbers were utterly meaningless against him. Unfortunately, everyone who knew this was already dead. "Three Hundred Tripods Realm corpses. Quite a decent harvest today. "I've been out here for several days. I'll head back for now and return tomorrow." Lu Changsheng severed the three heads and made straight for Beiling City.