Chapter 632
Chapter 632 - 612: Ascension
1,470 words
•
8 min read
Blind Sword Saint Calvin never imagined that he, who had been through countless battlefields, would be forced to this point by a young whelp.
"Huff...It’s too outrageous. In just a few days, he’s like a completely new person."
He took a deep breath, and his spatial and olfactory perception abilities instantly fed back the state and position of his opponent.
Next second, a phantom silhouette appeared above the metal giant’s head.
But the giant seemed to have no reaction at all.
The clash of blades happened on his side as two phantom clones were ignored, and the real body’s assault was blocked by the lance.
This collision meant nothing to the massive armor and the person inside, but for the frail Blind Sword Saint, it sent him flying and crashing to the ground.
Blind Sword Saint’s race, who had always possessed the advantage of intelligence and mobility, had all their illusions thoroughly seen through.
"...It truly is a monster."
Astonishment was still visible on his face, devoid of pupils.
In his perception, the newbie full of flaws just days ago had now become a perfectly integrated monster."
In his "view," the previously vulnerable areas, loopholes, and weak points had all become "solid." The tall metal knight looked like a solid giant.
Each step the giant took was no longer frivolous and confused, but steadied and swift.
Every step was taken on a "safe point," making it difficult for the Blind Sword Saint to exert his strength.
"How has a recruit from not long ago become so seasoned?"
The seemingly all-controlling pace and accurate perception left him completely puzzled.
The phantoms that tricked his opponents with his every attack before had now become a joke in the eyes of the metal knight.
"How did you do it?"
"Life needs to breathe, but your clones do not breathe."
His question was met with a "fantastical" answer.
Shaking his head, he put down his twin blades. The Blind Sword Saint gave up the plan to continue fighting. When his sense and mobility advantage vanished, there was no chance for him to win against this war machine in a head-on confrontation.
"Truly terrifying strength..."
The continuous trembling of his arms clearly showed his real weakness.
Several times during their clashes, the force transferring through the blades almost made him lose his grip.
𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
But this wasn’t the most annoying part. The battle-hardened Heroic Spirit Swordsman could feel that it wasn’t just brute force. Some peculiar power had invaded his body through the impact of the blades.
The continuous aching sensation resulted from the nerves being damaged and shaken. This ability...
"It should not be the ’Resonance’ and silver sigils of that world, they can only propagate in simple mediums, mostly limited to metals themselves. Yet, you can transmit it to my flesh. Tsk, how insidious! One carelessness and I might find myself paralyzed, and it’s not even poison."
"Just a little personal invention based on my predecessors."
This statement not only stunned the Blind Sword Saint but also confused the spectators.
A complete lineage passed down for thousands of years had been developed to its limits by the predecessors, and you just changed it? And within just a few days? This was too unbelievable.
Lu Ping’an smiled and didn’t elaborate.
This has actually already fused with his Life system ability and is no longer just a simple martial skill... But the martial skills of the Silver Rune school are also no longer merely simple martial skills.
So, under the gaze of spectators who either couldn’t believe it or were full of doubts, on the fifth day of cultivation, Lu Ping’an defeated the "Blind Sword Saint" who had previously hacked him relentlessly.
Although this Blind Sword Saint was far from the real Sword Saint Path, the few traits he possessed were also the most headache-inducing for the real Sword Saint. Ordinary Decree-level combat powers would be hacked by him if they couldn’t find a way to deal with it.
Lu Ping’an not only won, but also won so easily, it made people feel unbelievable... Especially the ability to absorb the local martial skills in such a short period of time, and also develop an understanding of the Heart Branch.
"Heh, is this a generation-to-generation thing...? Perhaps we’ve seen a great figure of the future."
Some people were open-minded, while others still held a grudge.
But Lu Ping’an himself breathed a sigh of relief.
"...Thankfully, it’s over. The burden of this ability is too great..."
Within just three minutes of the battle, Lu Ping’an had won, but he was actually near his own limit. This newly awakened trait was not for the current Lu Ping’an to freely master.
[All is One (Silver Lower Passive Trait):Your living body, weapons, armor, mounts, etc. are integrated under the same "All Things Breathing".]
This simple and straightforward passive trait was Lu Ping’an’s "Martial Arts Trait" awakened by his All Things Breathing martial arts, and also the core of this series of martial skills.
"Everything is Just Me."
When Lu Ping’an activated his ability, Zhi Xi, the Storm Lance, his physical body, and the symbiotic Demon Plant all became one, and Lu Ping’an could manipulate them as if they were his own limbs.
When attacked by the Blind Sword Saint, Lu Ping’an could sense the wind pressure felt by Zhi Xi’s metal body and know that he was being attacked. He was no longer a single war-platform, but rather a tall and sensitive giant creature.
The "integrity" brought by this ability was visible to the naked eye, and the nerve coordination problems caused by the lack of reflex were greatly reduced.
And this is just the most basic application of this ability... Lu Ping’an feels that there are at least three more ways to level up, but he can’t quite handle them right now.
As for making the Blind Sword Saint bear his "Resonance", it is another Gemini trait.
[One is All (Silver Lower Passive Trait): Release spiritual power and life energy, create the pulsation of life’s breath, and assimilate everything in the outside world.]
This ability allows Lu Ping’an to overcome the limitation of the Resonance in this school being limited to metals alone, and forcibly make the opponent’s forearms "breathe" with him.
"I am Everything."
Now, Lu Ping’an needs to actively use this ability and concentrate his will on a single point, using the collision of blades to create "invasive assimilation". As he cultivates further, it should become more convenient to use.
These two passive traits, one acting on oneself and the other on external objects, are the conduits of "breathing"... It’s up to Lu Ping’an, the Pathfinder, to research how to use them, but just the initial application has allowed him to easily defeat a powerful opponent he couldn’t have possibly beaten before.
"...It’s just that the consumption is a bit too exaggerated..."
But from another perspective, this invasion of life energy is equivalent to the individual constantly "releasing life energy" or, more bluntly, exhausting oneself.
Even for Lu Ping’an, just a few minutes of this made him feel somewhat exhausted.
"All is One" integrates his own combat power, requiring constant adjustments to achieve consistency between life energy and "heartbeat circulation" within the body, consuming his spirit and life energy.
"One is All"... The external release consumes exponentially more energy. Lu Ping’an’s current crude use of it (attacking opponents) nearly exhausted him on the spot.
Lu Ping’an had already realized that using this ability to directly invade an opponent’s body seemed insidious and effective, but in reality, it was a low-end application... He had already conceived of more high-end applications, which were powerful in theory, but he couldn’t handle the consumption.
Both abilities are traits that manifest in Extraordinary Martial Skills, but also Life system abilities. They both require "Affinity for Life Energy/Life Energy Perception" and "Release of Spiritual Power" as prerequisites. Calling them Professional Abnormal Abilities or even Extraordinary Abnormal Abilities wouldn’t be wrong.
That terrifyingly powerful life perception ability was just a side effect of using both traits at the same time... After this area was filled with Lu Ping’an’s "breathing", how could the Blind Sword Saint hide?
But after completing this breakthrough, Lu Ping’an’s strength had not only soared from using a bird gun to a cannon, but it also seemed as if he had ascended in broad daylight...
"Perhaps, he really could defeat Hannah."
For the first time, those Heroic Spirit Warriors felt that Lu Ping’an seemed to have the possibility of winning the challenge.
— End of Chapter 632 —