Chapter 93: The Moon-Cleaving Blade, Slaughtering with Ease

Chapter 93: The Moon-Cleaving Blade, Slaughtering with Ease

Xue Heng stepped out of the elevator and returned to the Dragon Boxing Gym.

The gym was in disarray, with shattered glass, broken equipment, and furniture fragments scattered everywhere.

Several disciples were busy cleaning up the mess, and upon seeing Xue Heng, they greeted him respectfully.

Xue Heng acknowledged them with nods and made his way into the training hall.

Master Li Qi was nowhere to be seen, but Zhu Shan Ying was there, her sleeves rolled up as she cleared the wreckage.

Xue Heng asked, "Senior Sister Zhu, where's Master?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward to help.

Zhu Shan Ying, holding a broom, swept the glass shards and concrete debris into a pile. Hearing Xue Heng's question, she turned, a hint of confusion on her youthful, delicate face.

"Hmm? Master?"

"He was just here a moment ago."

Xue Heng had only asked casually and didn't think much of it.

Glancing at the devastated gym, he remarked, "We'll need to renovate the place now... I wonder how long it will take to fix everything."

Zhu Shan Ying's eyes lit up at his words.

"Little junior brother, doesn't that mean you don't have a place to practice your martial arts?"

There was a hint of mirth in her voice, as if she found the situation amusing.

Xue Heng furrowed his brows, "Hmm? The cultivation room is still fine. The glass is broken, but it's usable."

Zhu Shan Ying put down her broom and extended her right index finger, shaking it as she said, "NONONO~"

"We'll have to renovate the training hall, and there will be all sorts of noises, banging and clanging, that will be so loud it'll be hard to focus on your practice."

Xue Heng considered her words and agreed. Smiling, he asked, "So, Senior Sister Zhu, do you have any suggestions?"

A bright smile blossomed on Zhu Shan Ying's face, and she said, "You can come to my place to practice."

"Hmm?" Xue Heng replied, intrigued.

...

The next morning, at exactly 5 a.m., Xue Heng woke up, his eyes opening precisely on time, not a second early or late.

He examined his arms, recalling how Li Cheng Xuan's Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword had pierced his skin and flesh during their battle the day before.

Now, new flesh had already grown over the wound, leaving only a pink scar the size of a fingertip. He estimated that it would be completely healed by tomorrow.

The regenerative powers provided by Level 6 Nourishment were truly remarkable.

"That Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword is something else," Xue Heng muttered to himself.

Although he had ultimately blocked that strike, it wasn't because his opponent was weak. It was because he had activated his skills.

With his enhanced physique, his skeletal structure was far stronger than an ordinary person's. Coupled with the defense of his Golden Scale Skin, which was particularly effective against the Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword, and the doubled protection of Twin Defense, he had been able to withstand the attack.

Xue Heng rose from his bed, stretched his limbs, and rubbed the head of Nian Nian, who was sleeping beside him in cat form. Then, he got ready for the day.

After a quick wash-up in the bathroom, he changed into fresh clothes and grabbed the long sword that Zhu Shan Ying had given him the day before. He left the house.

He made his way to the usual small garden where he went running. Due to the early hour, the sky was still dim, and he was the only one there.

"Kacha—"

Xue Heng drew the long sword from its sheath. The silvery-white blade, shimmering with a cold light, was a sight to behold.

"What a fine sword," Xue Heng couldn't help but admire once again.

Knowing that this sword was worth a whopping 20 million made it even more impressive in his eyes.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Xue Heng noticed two inconspicuous characters etched near the hilt of the sword.

The font was in the seal script style, exuding an ancient charm. It took Xue Heng a while to decipher the characters, and he said tentatively, "Is this... 'Moon-Cleaving'?"

The two seal script characters etched on the sword's body likely represented the name 'Moon-Cleaving.'

"So, this sword is called the 'Moon-Cleaving Blade'?"

Xue Heng traced the characters, feeling that the name was a bit odd.

"Cleaving the moon... probably refers to the moonrabbit," he mused.

"In that case, adding the character for 'subdue' gives it multiple interpretations... Subduing and cleaving the moon, the blade hiding the moon, or directly representing the setting of the moon..."

"Never mind, it's just a name," Xue Heng concluded with a shake of his head.

He fully drew out the Moon-Cleaving Blade, its total length of one-and-a-half meters now revealed.

Setting the sheath aside on a nearby bench, Xue Heng gripped the hilt with both hands and began to practice his sword techniques.

"Swoosh—Whoosh—"

Unlike the ordinary long swords he had used before, the Moon-Cleaving Blade felt incredibly comfortable in his hands. Its weight, just under ten pounds, was neither too heavy nor too light for him.

The sharp blade sliced through the air, emitting a piercing sound. As Xue Heng danced with the sword, his eyes landed on the grassy lawn of the garden...

"Swish—Swish-Swish—"

Grass blades flew in all directions, scattered by the sweeping sword blade, turning into green confetti filling the air.

Like a child who had found a sturdy stick in a field of rapeseed blossoms, Xue Heng delighted in the act of grass-cutting, his imagination running wild as he played.

As Xueheng looked at the grass before him, his perception shifted. The individual blades of grass transformed into vague human forms, their features indistinguishable.

With a swift swing of his blade, he no longer saw flying grass clippings but falling human heads.

A faint crimson hue tinged his pupils.

"Swish!"

The scattered green fragments became limbs and bodies, blood and gore, in his crimson gaze.

"Swish!"

The once lush grass now lay bare, transformed into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"All things in heaven and earth nourish man, yet man has nothing to offer in return to heaven..."

The indistinct human forms gradually took on familiar faces.

First, strangers whom Xueheng did not recognize—he showed no hesitation as he slashed each one down.

Then, people he vaguely remembered—Pei Youguang's students and underlings, members of the Razor Gang he had encountered that night.

Next came the more prominent figures: Duan Kaiping, Li Chengxuan, Su Bijing, Jiao Hongyuan, the Pei brothers, Shan Chuen, and Xu Ren, all of whom had left a deeper impression on him.

Each one met the same fate—a single slash.

Following them were those closer to Xueheng: Li Ge, Master Li Qi, his senior martial brothers and sisters, as well as Wu Youqing and her friends, Ning Fengwan and Mao Mao.

Xueheng skillfully avoided these familiar faces, only slaying the recurring strangers.

The small garden was now in disarray, with flowers and grass flying everywhere, chopped into tiny pieces, and the air filled with the pungent scent of plant sap.

After an unknown amount of time, Xueheng abruptly stopped his frenzied dance.

Three new figures appeared before him—his parents and sister.

The crimson in Xueheng's eyes instantly faded, and he sheathed his blade, turning away.

The gruesome scene before him transformed back into the reality of the barren garden and scattered grass clippings.

Xueheng couldn't help but click his tongue at the sight.

"I'll have to discuss compensation with the neighborhood committee later..."

He rubbed his chin, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Then, he opened his panel to check his progress.

[You have gained insight into the true meaning of the Asura Sword while practicing your swordsmanship: +667 Battle Experience]



[You have gained insight into the true meaning of the Asura Sword while practicing your swordsmanship: +689 Visualization Experience]



[Battle Technique leveled up to Lv3 (290/800)]



Xueheng was pleasantly surprised by the significant gains.

It was the first time he had acquired so much skill experience outside of actual combat.

"This feels amazing. Insight really pays off."

Xueheng focused on the keywords in the panel's message.

"If I could gain insight like this every day, why would I need to go out and cause trouble? I could just lock myself up and train for a few years, then emerge as an undefeated champion."

However, he acknowledged that such insights were probably rare and unpredictable.

Xueheng held up the Futu blade, examining the grass clippings and plant sap still clinging to it.

"The experience gain is secondary. The most important thing is that my training in the Asura Sword Intent is finally progressing."

Xueheng swung the blade, performing the 'Horizontal Blood Shake' move, causing the Futu to tremble and emit a clear ring.

The swing flung off all the grass clippings and sap, leaving the blade spotless.

He then sheathed the sword, performing a flourish before returning it to its scabbard, which lay on the nearby bench.

"However... the Asura Sword's state of mind is too extreme and restrictive."

The Asura Sword transforms its wielder into an Asura, a ruthless killer, seeking enlightenment through slaughter and gaining dominion over all life and death.

Xueheng frowned, deep in thought.

"While extremity often equates to power, it's not really my style."

During his immersion in the Asura state, even his family had appeared before him.

If not for his Visualization skill, firmly anchoring his self-awareness, he might have slaughtered his own family in his fantasy.

"The Asura, ruler of slaughter, holds the power and freedom to kill all, but it lacks the freedom 'not to kill'."

"True power lies in the choice to kill or spare, as one wishes."

Xueheng contemplated his own insight.

"With Visualization, perhaps I can modify the Asura Sword and make it my own..."

Shaking his head, Xueheng temporarily set aside this train of thought and proceeded with his daily running exercise.

A few hours later, Xueheng visited the neighborhood committee office and explained the situation regarding the garden. Thanks to his handsome looks, a simple apology to the committee auntie was enough to earn her forgiveness, and she even smiled and waived the need for compensation.

However, Xueheng insisted on paying for the restoration of the garden, as he could well afford it and saw no need to skimp on such matters.

...

At 9 a.m., Xueheng stood at the entrance of his residential community, dressed casually and holding the Futu blade. With his Level 7 Charm skill and his natural Soft Rice Sacred Body, he attracted plenty of attention from passersby.

Many people felt an urge to strike up a conversation with him, but as they drew near and met his gaze, they found themselves unable to approach.

Soon, a sense of involuntary chill crept into their hearts, and an inexplicable fear made them dismiss the idea of striking up a conversation. They hurried away.

"The Asura Sword Intent is quite useful in this regard."

A hint of crimson appeared in Xueheng's eyes as he locked gazes with a sexy, hot pants-clad beauty. She immediately stiffened and abandoned her plans to approach him.

The penetrating killing intent evoked an innate fear of death.

Before long, a large, expensive-looking black luxury car pulled up by the roadside not far away.

The rear window rolled down, and a youthful, pretty girl poked out half her body, waving at Xueheng and calling out cheerfully,

"Hey there, little junior brother~ Over here, over here~"

Xueheng smiled and walked over.

When he approached, Zhu Shan Ying opened the car door and got out, extending her delicate, boneless hands to pull him into the back seat.

The girl then got into the car herself and sat down next to Xueheng. Turning to the driver, she smiled and said,

"Sister Sang, let's go~"

"Yes, miss."

The driver, a bespectacled woman in her thirties, looked curious as she glanced at Xueheng in the rearview mirror, giving him a few extra glances. She sighed inwardly.

However, she didn't say anything and simply stepped on the accelerator, smoothly driving the car forward and turning onto a road leading to the North District.

In the car, Zhu Shan Ying sat next to Xueheng.

He was unaffected by the faint, youthful fragrance that lingered in the air, instead reaching out to touch the car seat cushion.

It was soft and highly elastic.

"Little junior brother, I went to the dojo earlier, and they've already started renovating. It's so noisy..."

Zhu Shan Ying chattered away beside him.

Today, she wore a youthful light purple short-sleeved top and black suspender shorts, revealing a pair of flawless, delicate, and fair-skinned legs. On her feet were a pair of sandals adorned with flowers.

Since he usually only saw Zhu Shan Ying in her training uniform, Xueheng found her current appearance rather refreshing.

"I saw Master Li Qi earlier this morning."

As she spoke, Zhu Shan Ying took off her sandals and placed her unpainted, dainty feet on the spacious seat, sitting sideways in a very unladylike manner. She then extended an arm and hooked it around Xueheng's neck, almost hanging half her body on him as she smiled and said,

"Master said that Master Meng chased Jiao Hongyuan for half a day yesterday and severely injured him. But when they reached the South District, a group of people suddenly blocked their way, allowing Jiao Hongyuan to escape."

Xueheng, feeling the subtle friction of her arm on his, fell into deep thought.

"That could be a bit troublesome."

As the head of the Golden Wind Dojo, Jiao Hongyuan was extremely powerful. Currently, among those in the Dragon Boxing Gym, only Master Meng could defeat him.

Now that the Golden Wind Dojo and the Dragon Boxing Gym had become sworn enemies, if Jiao Hongyuan ignored his dignity and played dirty, avoiding Master Meng and specifically targeting the other disciples with assassination attempts, it would be a real problem.

Xueheng wasn't too worried about himself, as he had the Twin Defense passive skill as a backup.

But the other senior martial brothers and sisters didn't have such an ability.

Zhu Shan Ying shook her head and said, "Master said that Jiao Hongyuan's injuries are severe. To protect his disciple, Master Meng used his 'Ultimate Move: Piercing Eye' to penetrate his protective energy and strike his vital points. Even if he doesn't die, he'll only have half his life left, so we don't have to worry."

Hearing this, Xueheng nodded, "That's good."

"Also, Chen senior brother seems quite angry. He's planning to go with Master Meng to the Golden Wind Dojo to get back at them..."

As the girl spoke in a crisp, pleasant voice, the car entered the North District.

After several turns, they arrived at the entrance of a huge mansion.

Xueheng had expected as much, knowing that Zhu Shan Ying, who claimed to be a super-rich girl and could casually gift a 20 million longsword, would have an impressive residence. Still, the reality exceeded his expectations.

He roughly estimated the length of the walls on both sides of the gate to be at least a hundred meters. If the length and width were similar, then the area of this mansion would be over 100,000 square meters.

This area wasn't exaggerated.

However, the problem was that this was the North District, where money couldn't buy you a house.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph! This is the true power of this rich girl. How about it, little junior brother? Don't you feel like giving up now?"

As the car slowly drove into the mansion's entrance, Zhu Shan Ying sat beside him with her arms crossed, proudly tilting her head and saying with an arrogant smile.

Xueheng looked at the luxurious house in the distance, swallowed his saliva, and stubbornly said, "It's okay."

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end