The figure of the "Cao Bandit" in mid-air executed a somersault, his long blade suddenly unleashing a move called "Stormy Darkness."
The crane-like fighter's eyes flickered with surprise—she hadn't expected him to still be capable of such martial prowess at this moment.
But.
"A futile struggle. Useless."
"Your Flowing Water Blade Technique hasn't reached its peak!"
Indeed, it was useless.
Under the sweeping tail of the Heavenly Dragon, her spear surged with overwhelming momentum, instantly swallowing the countless blade shadows.
The disparity in their realms was perfectly showcased in this moment through the difference in martial power.
Yet, hidden within those blade shadows was...
"Tidal Roar of Heaven and Earth!"
Behind the flurry of blade shadows, a wave-like surge of blade energy erupted violently.
Majestic as a waterfall, devastating as a tsunami.
"Useless."
The crane-like fighter thought indifferently.
Her spear's momentum remained unbroken as she watched calmly.
One slash, two slashes, three slashes...
Finally, the spear strike, resembling the coiling tail of a cloud dragon, was deflected.
Seeing this...
"There should be one more slash, right?"
"A Flowing Water Blade Technique at the 'Mastery' level."
"Impressive."
She mused inwardly.
So young, yet a prodigy with the blade.
No wonder he was so arrogant.
Yet she remained completely unshaken. Catching her spear mid-air, she flipped backward and thrust forward with a piercing strike:
"Then let this be your final blow."
"Proud Dragon's Glance Back!"
A faint dragon's roar seemed to echo through the air as her spear tore through space.
The final stance of the Cloud Dragon Spear Technique!
Her entire body transformed into a streak of azure light, charging toward her opponent.
At that very moment, the fourth slash of Tidal Roar of Heaven and Earth was unleashed.
The instant this slash was executed—
An overwhelming, domineering aura descended upon the battlefield!
Everyone present froze in shock.
"Holy sht..."
Grandpa Tong shuddered as he witnessed the slash. "Am I seeing this right? That's..."
BOOM—!
The blade cleaved through the dragon!
A shockwave erupted!
The two figures swiftly disengaged.
[You have died.]
The crane-like fighter stared at the notification hovering above the arena, her previously calm eyes now filled with disbelief.
She fixed her gaze on the unassuming swordsman before her and forced out two words through gritted teeth:
"Blade Intent."
The final slash of Tidal Roar of Heaven and Earth had actually contained a trace of Blade Intent.
Her first thought was that it was impossible.
Blade Intent was something only those at the Fourth Stage, after years of honing their craft, could comprehend.
Even she, despite her skill, had yet to fully grasp a Spear Intent—she was still a step away.
Yet this guy...
Had used the basic Flowing Water Blade Technique to manifest Blade Intent.
And not just any intent—one so tyrannical, perfectly harmonized with Tidal Roar of Heaven and Earth.
"Wait... you just comprehended it?"
She suddenly understood.
If he had already mastered Blade Intent, he would have used it earlier.
There was only one explanation.
He had been using her—using this battle—to force himself into comprehending Blade Intent.
"You deliberately put yourself in that life-or-death situation..."
"To achieve enlightenment..."
Her eyes widened.
This was a brutal, high-stakes method of training, spoken of only in legends of the battlefield.
It required an insane level of combat talent.
Just who was this guy?
She glanced toward the spectator stands, where her useless younger brother sat.
Grandpa Tong looked just as stunned, shrugging as if to say, "Don't ask me."
Where the hell did this monster come from?
"More or less."
Wang Xian simply shrugged, satisfied with the outcome of the battle.
He had achieved his goal.
He had fully grasped Bai Hongtian's Tyrannical Blade Intent and seamlessly integrated it into his Flowing Water Blade Technique.
At this stage, Blade Intent didn't actually amplify the raw power of techniques.
Instead, it was a high-level skill that exerted psychological pressure on opponents, disrupting their momentum and energy flow to indirectly enhance one's own strength.
In simpler terms, his victory just now had been entirely due to the intimidation of Blade Intent.
It wasn't that her technique was weaker—it was the mental shock that had decided the outcome.
Normally, only Fifth Stage martial artists—those who had unlocked all five genetic chains of their innate talents—could truly harness Blade Intent to directly empower their techniques.
That was why most martial artists only began comprehending Blade Intent at the Fourth Stage.
A few prodigies, exceptionally skilled in technique, might attempt it as early as the Second or Third Stage.
But once they reached the Fifth Stage, Blade Intent would fuse with their martial arts, causing their strength to skyrocket.
The government didn't encourage premature attempts at comprehending Blade Intent.
After all, Blade Intent was deeply tied to one's mindset, intellect, comprehension, and life experiences.
Without sufficient foundation, attempting to grasp it could drive a person insane.
Cases of martial artists losing their minds after forcing enlightenment were far too common.
That was why it was generally safer to wait until one's technique had reached the Fourth or Fifth Stage before attempting it.
"One more match."
The crane-like fighter spoke after a moment of silence.
"Not happening."
Wang Xian waved her off.
He had achieved his goal—there was no need to continue.
Now, he just needed to use that bottle of Essence Crystal Water to further open his meridians before moving on to cultivating martial secret techniques or movement-based martial arts.
"No!"
The crane-like fighter insisted firmly, "You only won once. Fight me again—I won't lose this time."
If he had been a Fourth or Fifth Stage expert with Blade Intent, she would have conceded.
But at the First Stage of vitality—not even a true martial artist yet—the gap wasn't insurmountable.
Besides, she wasn't unfamiliar with Blade Intent.
She had simply been caught off guard earlier.
Especially since his blade technique was only at the "Mastery" level—definitely inferior to hers.
With proper mental preparation, it wouldn't be so easy next time!
"No, you can't beat me." Wang Xian said.
"Hah." She scoffed.
As if he was the only genius here?
Who wasn't a prodigy these days?
"Fine... if that's how you want it..." Wang Xian studied the unyielding fire in her eyes and said calmly, "No need for a full match. Just one move."
"If I lose in that one move, I lose."
She frowned, about to retort.
"Do as I say."
Wang Xian glanced around before continuing, "Just like before—use Heaven-Earth Reversal again."
"What's your game?"
"Just follow my lead."
The crane-like fighter fell silent.
Seeing him close the distance just as before, she leaped into the air and coldly executed Heaven-Earth Reversal.
Wang Xian once again caught the shaft of her spear with his hand.
An identical reenactment of their earlier clash—the exact moment where he had been sent flying and forced into a desperate situation.
But this time...
"Heaven-Earth Reversal, huh..."
"Theoretically, it's unbreakable..."
"But that depends on who's facing it."
The instant his hand gripped the spear, Wang Xian's fingers twitched slightly.
In the next moment—
He seized control of the spear, flipping it upward with a sudden, overwhelming force.
The spear's tip was now aimed directly at its original wielder.
A flawless counter—
"Mountain-Lifting Moon Embrace!"
She was sent flying before she could even process what had happened, her voice failing her in sheer shock.
This was even more unbelievable than witnessing his Blade Intent earlier.
Because—
He had broken it.
He had broken her technique—Heaven-Earth Reversal, a move no one had ever countered before!
CLANG—!
She landed heavily.
The spear's tip embedded itself into the ground right beside her.
The vibrating spear seemed to hum with the sheer force of the strike.
The entire arena trembled under its impact.
"Sorry, but when it comes to spears, you don’t stand a chance."
With one last glance at his opponent, Wang Xian delivered his final words before logging off:
"Besides, I have no interest in fighting someone who’s already injured."
The three spectators in the arena were left utterly stunned.
"That kid really knows spear techniques… But what level of the Thousand-Army Spear Technique is this?"
"I can’t make sense of it at all…"
Grandpa Tong trembled uncontrollably. "Wait—injured? What injury? Is my sister hurt?"
He wanted to press further, but the other party had already vanished with cool detachment.
Stepping into the arena, Grandpa Tong could only see his elder sister standing frozen, her gaze vacant.
A disbelieving murmur escaped her lips:
"So that’s how it is…"
"A legendary martial arts realm…"
"Returning to Simplicity…"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
