Chapter 87: Asura's Blade Intent, Soldier Strike Lv1

Chapter 87: Asura's Blade Intent, Soldier Strike Lv1



South District Wharf.

"Caw—Caw—"

Seagulls circled in the air, their raucous calls filling the sky as a massive cruise ship slowly docked.

On the wharf, a man with a weathered face but a robust build, Jia Hongyuan, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on a handsome young man waving at him from the deck of the ship.

Standing behind Jia Hongyuan, the leader of the Razor Gang, Su Bijing, spoke with a smile, "Junior disciple really made a name for himself in Fengcheng. He dominated all twelve qualifying matches, and the reputation of our Golden Wind Dojo has spread throughout the Outer Ring."

Jia Hongyuan's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He replied calmly, "It's still early. That brat, still wet behind the ears, wins a few matches and starts spouting off about taking on ten opponents. He shows no sign of maturity, making a fool of himself in front of the media."

Su Bijing had been Jia Hongyuan's direct disciple for many years and knew his mentor's temperament well. He could tell that Jia Hongyuan was actually extremely pleased but was merely verbally putting down his disciple to keep him humble.

Su Bijing smiled and flattered, "Youth is naturally exuberant. Junior disciple is a genius, and even in the Inner Ring circles, he would be considered a prodigy. There's nothing wrong with a little arrogance, and he was just speaking the truth. Master, you shouldn't take it to heart."

Jia Hongyuan nodded slightly, acknowledging Su Bijing's words.

Then he continued indifferently, "Is White Crow still pressing hard on this matter?"

Hearing this, Su Bijing paused for a moment, his expression turning serious as he lowered his voice, "Many of the brothers from the Razor Gang have been captured... I'm afraid it will be my turn soon."

Jia Hongyuan turned to look at him, "Have you taken care of everything?"

Su Bijing nodded, "A couple of days ago, I deliberately picked a fight with the Blood Claw Gang and had a showdown. I eliminated everyone who knew about this matter, disguising it as an unfortunate incident during the clash... White Crow won't be able to find out anything."

Jia Hongyuan took two steps forward, his expression turning grim, "If this matter is exposed, we will absolutely have no place to hide. There is no room for luck, and you know that, don't you?"

Su Bijing's eyes grew solemn as he nodded.

"Master, I understand..."

Jia Hongyuan watched the young man descending the stairs from the cruise ship and said indifferently, "After this matter is settled, we will officially join the Kangde Security Company and become a part of this behemoth. Aside from the status, power, and money that will come with it, Kangde has also promised to provide us with the 'Limit Breaking Surgery.'"

A feverish look came into Jia Hongyuan's eyes as he spoke of the surgery.

"I am already old, and the decline of my qi and blood is inevitable. My chances of self-breaking my limits are slim, so I can only rely on this method... But who says that technologically breaking limits is inferior to self-breaking?"

"I'm tired of witnessing those self-proclaimed Dragon Gate Sect Masters getting defeated by artificially strengthened powerful men!"

He patted Su Bijing's shoulder.

"Bijing, I regret the loss of Kaiping, but this is just a minor setback on the road to success. In this matter, you have contributed the most among my direct disciples. Once we succeed, Kangde will provide us with the limit-breaking surgery, and you will definitely have a spot."

Su Bijing's spirit lifted at these words, and he quickly lowered his head to hide the wild joy and accelerated heartbeat, saying with excitement, "Thank you, Master!"

Su Bijing thought for a moment and asked, "What about Junior disciple?"

Jia Hongyuan glanced at him, "With Cheng Xuan's talent, he doesn't need surgery to break his limits... Those who leap over the Dragon Gate on their own will not only have their physical bodies enhanced but also experience an elevation of their spirit. The path he walks is different from ours."

"Don't tell Cheng Xuan about this matter for now. He's still young and may not understand our intentions. You understand?"

Su Bijing nodded hastily, "I understand."

...

Canglong Dojo, Meditation Room.

Xue Jing sat cross-legged on the solid wood floor, asking Li Qi, "Master, does our Canglong style include the use of weapons?"

Li Qi sat in a wheelchair, carefully preparing tea on the tea tray in front of him on a rosewood table. Hearing Xue Jing's question, he paused for a moment, then smiled, "What made you think of asking about this?"

Xue Jing placed his hands on his knees, swaying his body like a roly-poly toy as he spun in a circle, "There's an upcoming U19 Unlimited Fighting Tournament, and I want to give it a try. But in this tournament, weapons are allowed, and I feel at a disadvantage without one."

Xue Jing had finally decided to give the tournament a shot.

The U19 tournament had a lengthy schedule, and based on what he had observed of the tournament structure, it would be at least a month or two before he would confront that Ogasuri Bell, provided he managed to get that far.

This period might be short for others, but for him, it was ample time to make significant progress.

Since Xueheng first started his martial arts training, it had only been a little over a month.

If he were given one or two more months, defeating Ogasuri Suzaka wouldn't be an impossible task.

For the sake of GOD-519... it was worth a shot.

Li Qi raised the teapot in his hand, pouring out a thin stream of tea into the cup. His hand was as steady as could be, and the tea swirled along the bottom of the cup without a single drop spilling over the edge.

He said, "The U19 tournament is actually quite something. It's one of the more prestigious old martial arts competitions, and many Dragon Gate Sect Masters, and even those who have held 'titles,' have participated in it during their youth."

"If you want to give it a try, go ahead. Although you've only been training for a short time, so it's unlikely you'll place very high, it'll still be good experience."

Li Qi picked up his tea cup and took a sip before continuing, "As for the use of weapons in the Canglong style, of course we have that."

"First-rate martial arts techniques are generally applicable across different forms. Any move that can be executed with punches and kicks can also be performed with a blade, and vice versa."

"The essence of the Canglong style's five killer moves lies in the internal force manipulation. Whether it's expressed through punches and kicks or a sword and blade, there should be no hindrance."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing recalled the time he had held Captain Hollowblade's sword and used 'Whirlwind Thunder' to pierce through the Cockroach Monster with a spiral strike.

Back then, he hadn't felt any sense of dissonance at all; it had felt completely natural.

Li Qi wheeled his chair over to face Xue Jing and smiled, "One of the three secret arts of my Canglong style is called 'Dotting the Eye,' which pursues the ultimate in 'penetration.' Therefore, in actual combat, it is usually not performed with the body alone but with a sharp weapon, focusing all the force on a single point to pierce through anything."

"However, this technique is not specifically meant for weapons... The highest realm of 'Dotting the Eye' is to not use a weapon at all but to execute it with the body alone. This is known as 'A dragon needs to borrow force, but a true dragon has dragon energy.'"

"When the Canglong style reaches its pinnacle, the body becomes as sharp as dragon energy, and there is no need to borrow force from a weapon."

Xue Jing listened with a sense of awe.

'A dragon needs to borrow force, but a true dragon has dragon energy.'

That statement exuded dominance.

"Overall," Li Qi continued, "the martial arts of my Canglong style are interchangeable between unarmed and weapon-based combat. However... since you brought up the topic of weapons, there is something else I can teach you."

Xue Jing asked curiously, "Please tell me, Master."

Li Qi stroked his shiny bald head and reminisced, "Back then, because of the incident with my sister-in-law, I left the Dragon Sect and went to mix with the inner ring city folks, and I did make a name for myself there."

Xue Jing's eyes lit up, and he interrupted, "Master, wait a moment. Let's talk about the inner ring city later. Can you first tell me more about you and Aunt Fengwan?"

The last time Xue Jing had heard Li Qi mention his sister-in-law was a while ago.

He remembered it ending with something about 'her butt.'

Xue Jing had been curious about the rest of the story ever since.

Li Qi was just about to start boasting about his past heroic deeds when he was interrupted, and he glared at his disciple without any good grace.

"It's not good for young people to pry into the affairs of their elders."

Xue Jing sincerely said, "Come on, Master. Please tell me about you and Grandma Fengwan. I'm so curious about your relationship. Start from where you left off, with 'her butt,' and tell me everything."

Li Qi rolled his eyes, "No way. If I tell you everything, how am I supposed to maintain my image as a respectable teacher?"

Xue Jing stroked his chin, "Master, ever since I saw you wheeling down the street, lifting a high school girl's skirt, you've never had that image to begin with."

Li Qi looked surprised, "You saw that?"

He then waved it off nonchalantly, "That's just a little personal hobby of mine. You don't need to pay it any mind."

"Alright, we'll talk about your aunt later. Let me continue with my story in the inner ring city."

Seeing that Li Qi still wasn't going to spill the beans, Xue Jing could only shrug helplessly.

Li Qi recalled, "Back then, I made quite a name for myself in the inner ring city's old martial arts circles, and people called me 'Dragon King Li.'

"However, the inner ring city was full of talented individuals, and while I was strong, I wasn't the only one."

"At that time, there were still two others who were on par with me."

He held up two fingers and looked at Xue Jing.

The latter nodded and asked cooperatively, "So, who were these two people who could match you, Master?"

Li Qi, pleased to have an audience, nodded his head as he continued, "One of them was Zhou Lexiong, known for his 'Vajra Wish-Fulfilling Hand,' and nicknamed 'Vajra Zhou.'

"The second is 'Asura's Blade,' Chen Buyan, known as 'Asura Chen.'

"I have a good relationship with these two, and we often exchange martial arts insights, which has benefited me greatly."

Li Qi extended his slender arm and clenched his fist tightly.

On his wrinkled skin, golden scale-like marks appeared, along with spiral indentations that started from his shoulder and extended toward his palm.

"My killer move, 'Turning Golden Scales,' and 'Whirlwind Thunder' from the Hidden Dragon Style were largely perfected with reference to the 'Vajra Wish-Fulfilling Hand.'"

"The martial philosophy of this technique is 'Ultimate softness comes from ultimate hardness; extreme hardness leads to extreme softness.' Its method of channeling force is unique in the world, allowing seamless transitions between extreme hardness and softness, leaving people in awe."

"However, what I'm about to teach you now is not related to the Vajra Wish-Fulfilling Hand but is connected to the 'Asura's Blade.'"

Xue Jing asked curiously, "How so?"

Li Qi thought for a moment and replied, "Hmm... it's a bit tricky to explain with words. It's better if I just let you experience it directly."

Xue Jing was a bit puzzled as to how he would experience it and was about to ask when Li Qi suddenly raised his eyes and looked directly at him.

Xue Jing saw... an endless stream of blood flowing from Li Qi's eyes, transforming into a blade that flew out and stabbed toward his own eyes.

The next moment, Xue Jing felt his body stiffen as an icy chill rose from his feet, causing the hairs on his body to stand on end. His skin felt as if it was being pricked by countless needles, sending waves of numbness and pain throughout his body.

Death.

He saw his own death.

An endless stream of blood flowed from a blade that relentlessly killed him.

His head was chopped off, his body bisected vertically, his waist severed, his chest pierced, and his body chopped into pieces...

Countless images of his death suddenly flooded his mind, and countless corpses that resembled him turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, filling every inch of his brain, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

However, Xue Jing remained calm.

Having reached Level 5 in [Visualization], he possessed a mental control far superior to that of ordinary people. At this moment, although his consciousness was occupied by the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, he somehow managed to retain a portion of his thinking ability, observing and contemplating his current state from a perspective similar to a god-like viewpoint.

"This is... pure and overwhelming killing intent?"

Xue Jing recalled his first experience of cultivating the Coiling Dragon Technique's visualization method.

The feeling he had now was similar to what he had felt then.

"Master truly is a remarkable person, a former Dragon Gate Sect Master. To be able to influence others' spiritual consciousness with your own is truly beyond the realm of science."

Xue Jing marveled inwardly.

After an unknown amount of time, the mountain of corpses and sea of blood in front of him receded like a retreating tide, and Xue Jing's consciousness returned to clarity.

He gasped for breath as if he had been deprived of oxygen for a long time, his whole body drenched in cold sweat, soaking his black training uniform as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

"How do you feel?"

Seeing that Xue Jing had maintained his calm gaze, Li Qi's eyes shone with satisfaction, and he asked with a smile.

"Terrifying," Xue Jing replied in a steady tone.

Li Qi laughed heartily, "You don't look scared at all. You're indeed my disciple."

After a pause, he continued, "This is the 'Blade Intent' of the 'Asura's Blade,' similar to our Hidden Dragon Style's 'Nurturing the Dragon Within.' It's a mental aspect of the Asura's Blade."

"Among all the martial arts I've encountered, this blade technique has the heaviest and purest killing intent, with an unparalleled mastery of 'Moving Qi.'

"Back then, Chen Buyan and I were close, and although I didn't learn the moves of the Asura's Blade, I secretly learned this blade intent!"

"Since you're interested in the Soldier Strike technique, I'll teach you this Asura's Blade Intent. Even without the accompanying Asura's Blade techniques, body cultivation, and killer moves, just wielding the blade with this intent will make it an extraordinary weapon."

Xue Jing nodded, "Please teach me, Master."

...

Two days later, at the Canglong Dojo Training Hall.

Xue Jing and his senior disciple, Chen Fuguang, each held a long sword and clashed on the stage with clanging metal sounds.

The sounds of metal clashing filled the air, and after a while, Xue Jing's move slowed down a bit, revealing an opening. Chen Fuguang took advantage of this and knocked his sword away, leaving his neck exposed.

Xue Jing exhaled and smiled, "I lost again."

Chen Fuguang sheathed his sword, with the tip touching the ground, and both hands on the hilt, he exclaimed:

"Junior disciple, in just two days, your swordsmanship has already improved significantly."

Xue Jing smiled and opened the panel to take a look.

On it, a brand-new skill had appeared.

[Soldier Strike Lv1 (128/300)]



...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end