Chapter 5: The Demon Blade
Chapter 5: The Demon Blade
"Gravity Suit?"
Fang Xing's heart skipped a beat at the mention of it. In the interstellar age, adapting to varying gravity was a mandatory lesson for warriors! The Gravity Suit was an assistive training equipment that could easily adjust the gravity a warrior experienced, affecting them down to the cellular level, and was far more effective than any weight-training regimen.
However, it also came with a hefty price tag...
'And a B-tier martial art - the Demon Blade. It's a prerequisite for the A-tier Ghost God Blade. Gu Yun, at most fourteen years old, has already perfected the first realm and is about to break through to the second, and she's also begun her training in this B-tier martial art...'
'In comparison, I feel like I've become a good-for-nothing,' Fang Xing couldn't help but think.
Though his thoughts were disheartened, he didn't dare relax his guard, brandishing his staff in a beautiful flourish to block his front.
In the next instant, a black shadow flashed by. Agile as a spirit cat, the wooden blade in Gu Yun's hand seemed to exude a demonic charm as it cleaved through the air.
Smack!
Fang Xing felt a powerful force transmitted through his hand, nearly causing him to lose his grip on the staff. Thankfully, he managed to hold on.
'I blocked it!'
'It's not that I'm stronger than Liu Wei, but that my opponent has a Gravity Suit! Her speed is much slower than before, and her strength is also...'
He understood the reason for the difference in her performance.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Gu Yun's face, far from cute, was filled with murderous intent as she brandished her blade and rushed forward again, her eyes bloodshot as if she bore a deep, bloody grudge against Fang Xing.
'The Demon Blade, it truly lives up to its name... So heavy with killing intent,' Fang Xing thought.
He felt like a small boat navigating a storm, in constant danger of capsizing.
The Demon Blade was inherently a blade art filled with demonic intent, incorporating hypnotic techniques and mental cultivation methods designed to bring out a warrior's full potential.
However, the negative emotions and influences that came with it were also terrifying.
To go crazy was to live; to hesitate was to die!
It was said that the A-tier Ghost God Blade was even more fearsome! After all, it was a terrifying martial art that allowed low-tier warriors to face the minions of dark gods. It originated from the age when humans and extraterrestrial races waged bloody wars!
Suddenly, Fang Xing saw Gu Yun's wooden blade swing, one strike after another, the two blade shadows merging as if they were one, carrying a doubled force!
--- Double-layered Blade!
'This won't do, I can't block it,' Fang Xing thought as he flung his staff away, seeing Gu Yun's blade about to strike.
"Stop!"
Just then, a deep voice echoed out.
Gu Yun's wooden blade stopped just before Fang Xing, caught by a hand as pale and exquisite as jade.
"I failed again because I didn't hold back in time..."
Gu Yun seemed to snap out of a trance, panting heavily as she looked at the middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared before her. "Dad..."
The tall and burly middle-aged man, standing at least 1.9 meters tall, shook his head. "Don't be discouraged, Little Yun. You performed much better than last time... This 'Demon Blade' was a pure demonic martial art in ancient times, containing a strand of demonic charm. Those who cultivate it will definitely create a path of blood and carnage. But now that its secrets have been unlocked, it's about forgetting the blade after attaining it, defeating enemies without killing them. Only by taming the demonic charm can one attempt to practice the introductory moves of the 'Ghost God Blade'. Otherwise, the mild consequence would be insanity, and the severe one would be death from reversed blood flow..."
After saying this, the middle-aged man turned to Fang Xing and Liu Wei. "Thank you both for your efforts today. Your wages will be doubled!"
"Thank you, boss!"
Hearing this, Liu Wei's pain seemed to lessen, and he immediately smiled.
...
Half an hour later, as they left the magnificent Jiang Manor, Liu Wei fell silent, eventually cursing softly. "Damn... If I'd known it was this kind of sparring, I wouldn't have come. The double wages will barely cover our medical fees... That guy looked like a professional, but he's so stingy."
Fang Xing, on the other hand, was still pondering the middle-aged man's final words, shaking his head. "They actually provided compensation—the secret to cultivating the Demon Blade... It's good to be from a natural-born human family. This kind of personal teaching is hard to come by in school unless you gain Teacher Xia Long's favor..."
"Damn, I've figured it out now. That little girl was using us as guinea pigs... She's cultivating the Demon Blade technique, which is hard to control, so she needs to test it on living people. But once you start down this path, you're stepping into the abyss... Forgetting the blade after attaining it means using your will to tame the demonic charm within the Demon Blade, defeating us without taking our lives, and leaving room in your attacks. Only then can she truly be said to have mastered the Demon Blade... Her dad deliberately hid in the shadows to keep an eye on her, to monitor whether she could hold back, and to stop her at the last moment..."
Liu Wei wasn't stupid.
Or perhaps it was that most high school-level cyborgs were elites; he had seen through some things and couldn't help but be astonished. "If the Demon Blade is this difficult, what about the A-tier Ghost God Blade?"
"But we really were just guinea pigs... At least we got paid," Fang Xing said, feeling a bit down but still smiling. Thankfully, he had his golden finger to rely on, so he didn't feel too dejected. "And they even gave us double the pay!"
With this sum, he could at least order a basic nano-protective suit.
"Hmph, we earned this pay with our injuries..." Liu Wei rubbed his shoulder, still grumbling. "I used to think that everyone living in the Jiang Manor was super rich. Now it seems they're just middle-class..."
"Middle-class is a misnomer; do they even have any industries? Calling them middle-income would be more accurate..." Fang Xing echoed the sentiment. "From the fact that he's arranged for his daughter to pursue the martial path, you can tell that this family isn't wealthy..."
Truly wealthy families would have their children pilot mechas directly.
"Yeah, they're just middle-class, acting like they're rich..." Liu Wei laughed, seemingly feeling much better as his injuries healed.
...
Happy Home Community.
"So fast?"
Fang Xing looked at the delivery in front of his house, scratching his head, "I just placed the order on the way back..."
He hugged the delivery and opened the door, scanned his identity verification, and the delivery box automatically opened to reveal a silver-white metal ball among its contents.
Fang Xing pricked his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the silver-white metal ball.
This was not a 'blood oath', but rather a way to let the nano-suit memorize his DNA information.
Ding!
After a soft sound, Fang Xing followed the instructions and brought the silver-white metal ball into contact with the skin on his arm.
The silver-white metal ball instantly 'dissolved', as if it were a liquid, covering his entire body.
"Hmm, it's light and thin, breathable..."
Fang Xing moved around and found that it didn't hinder him at all, and the weight was also very light.
"Mask mode!"
He commanded, and instantly a silver mask appeared on his face, even the eye sockets were protected by a layer of transparent film.
"Omnidirectional, full-coverage protection... Color change! Rose gold!"
At Fang Xing's command, his nano-suit instantly changed into various colors before settling on snow white.
"I don't need to be so cautious all the time outside of school..."
He thought for a moment and changed the nano-suit into a white t-shirt style, casually lying on the chair, then picking up the holographic glasses, "Let's play! Let's play!"
Several hours later...
"Ah... As expected..."
Fang Xing lay on the bed with a lazy and satisfied expression, "I got addicted again... Even if I crossed over, without my golden finger, I'd still be a lazy bum..."
Acknowledging one's mediocrity and powerlessness is also a test of growth.
Fang Xing was well aware that as a former nine-to-five corporate slave, his knowledge of history was lacking. Even if he traveled back to ancient times, the biggest possibility was that he would die due to language barriers, diseases, disasters, or wars.
It would be even worse in a different world, where most of the traverser's experience and knowledge would become useless, especially in technologically advanced worlds.
The only thing he could truly rely on was his golden finger.
Without it, he would have to obediently accept his fate.
"Lounging around... is also a kind of wisdom."
Fang Xing checked the time and forced himself to sleep, as he had to attend classes tomorrow.
...
The next day.
Yucai High School.
The sexy Miss Lan Fei's voice was mellow as she lectured, "...The Evil God's subordinate clan is divided into lower servants, upper servants, lower clan members, and upper clan members... And between the upper clan members and the dominators, there is another grading, which is the - Evil God's progeny!"
"The Evil God's progeny is far superior to the upper clan members in terms of pollution and ability. It is even rumored that the most powerful Evil God's progeny has power and authority close to that of a lower dominator... However, the birth conditions for the Evil God's progeny are extremely harsh, and their numbers are scarce, so they are not considered part of the clan..."
Fang Xing looked to the side and found the seat empty.
Liu Wei, who was injured, had taken a break from class and was currently in the school infirmary for treatment.
'The treatment pods in the school infirmary can quickly fix even broken arms and legs... The key is that students get a discount. Liu Wei must be reluctant to seek treatment elsewhere...'
As he thought, Fang Xing jotted down some notes.
Suddenly, he lifted his head slightly and caught a glance from someone.
'Is it her, Bai Lanyi?'
Fang Xing noticed a female classmate with delicate features giving him a thoughtful look.
Her skin was fair and delicate, like fine porcelain, and she had an air of refinement, dressed in a snow-white training uniform with a black belt around her waist, adding a touch of crispness to her appearance.
'Looks like I didn't misjudge her back at the Jiang Mansion. Is she feeling guilty?'
As he was deep in thought, the class finally ended.
With the change in scenery, it was soon time for the martial arts class that Fang Xing had been looking forward to.
"Ah Xing, I'm back!"
At that moment, Liu Wei rushed over, his face flushed with excitement, even the pimples on his face seemed to be dancing with enthusiasm.
Any student could skip a cultural class, but none would want to miss a martial arts class.
Instructors like Xia Long, for example, charged at least 10,000 star yuan per hour for private lessons outside of school!
"Are you feeling better?"
Fang Xing glanced at him.
"Of course... I'm full of energy!" Liu Wei flexed his muscles.
The medical technology of the interstellar age was indeed impressive, and since his arm wasn't broken, he recovered quickly.
"Teacher Xia is here!"
Just as Fang Xing was about to say something, Xia Long walked into the classroom. His eyes sharp as a tiger's, he scanned the room and his deep voice resounded like a bell, "First, practice the stance, then the punches!"
"Yes!"
All the students replied in unison, and at the same time, they all assumed the Grand Dragon Stance with a unified and aesthetic beauty.
Fang Xing focused his mind and practiced the stance, gradually losing himself in the process.
Suddenly, he felt as if his spine had been lashed, like a startled cat with its tail stepped on.
"The stance is too rigid, and the qi and blood flow at the third node of the spine needs attention..."
Xia Long's voice sounded in his ear.
Fang Xing subconsciously followed his instructions and felt his skin tighten as his skill deepened.
He shivered as he checked his attribute panel:
[Grand Dragon Stance: 69/100 (Entry Level)]
'Finally, I got guidance from Teacher Xia again. It's truly a world of difference with and without guidance...'
(End of Chapter)
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