Chapter 45

Chen Zong, having finally refined the True Sword Eight Stances to the Subtle Realm, will also gain new rewards. Additionally, the third volume ends, and the fourth volume, the Realm of True Secrets, will begin tomorrow. Stay tuned!

"Junior Clan Brother, I'm going on patrol. I'll leave this place to you," Chen Zhong said, wearing light iron armor and gloves with embedded iron plates, fully equipped. He turned and walked out of the courtyard.

"Senior Clan Brother, be careful. If you encounter any danger you can't handle, use the distress signal flare immediately," Chen Zong reminded him.

For the past ten days, Chen Zhong had been on patrol, even taking over Chen Zong's patrol duties. As for Chen Zong, he had been recuperating in the courtyard, recovering from his injuries.

A martial artist's physique is different from that of an ordinary person, not only in terms of strength and speed, which are several times greater, but also in terms of self-healing ability, which is also several times greater.

Such injuries, even with medication, would take an ordinary person a month or so to recover from. For Chen Zong, it took only ten days to fully heal, leaving only a faint scar.

The style of the light iron armor was similar to that worn by the Chen family's iron guards, recently distributed because, for some unknown reason, the number of beastmen appearing in the area had increased recently, including rare high-grade first-level beastmen. The purpose of distributing the light iron armor was to enhance their defensive and survival capabilities.

Since they had taken on the task of guarding the mine, if any unexpected incidents occurred and they were killed by beastmen, it would be an unavoidable matter.

In the courtyard, Chen Zong moved his limbs.

For the past ten days, to avoid tearing his wounds, he had not practiced sword techniques, feeling as if his body was about to rust. Now that his injuries were healed, his movements produced a series of crackling sounds, like stir-fried beans, all at once.

After warming up, he performed a set of Tiger Strength Fist, each punch accompanied by a startling tiger roar, intimidating and powerful.

For ten days, although he had not practiced, Chen Zong had not been idle. Instead, he had organized his experiences and insights from his cultivation, consolidating the scattered pieces, removing unnecessary elements, and retaining only the beneficial essence, thereby deepening his understanding and extending it.

"Cultivation indeed requires a balance of work and rest. If one only practices hard without time to integrate and digest, it's easy to miss something," Chen Zong thought to himself. His left hand gripped the scabbard, and his entire aura instantly changed.

A subtle sharpness quietly grew and condensed, like a sword in its sheath.

His body crouched low.

Crouching Sword Stance!

The contained sharpness suddenly became intense.

The essence of the True Sword Eight Stances flowed through his mind, like a gentle stream.

His aura became increasingly concentrated.

His extended right hand, like a flash of lightning, gripped the hilt and drew the sword in a crescent moon-shaped arc, cutting through everything in front of him, unstoppable.

Drawing Sword Stance!

Rushing Sword Stance!

Circling Sword Stance!

Slashing Sword Stance!

Chaos Sword Stance!

Swift Sword Stance!

Explosive Sword Stance!

In just a few breaths, he had practiced the True Sword Eight Stances once, sheathed the sword, and stood straight as a sword, his aura once again contained, gradually weakening until it was completely undetectable.

"True Sword Eight Stances..."

"True Sword, True Sword..."

"I finally understand why, after reaching the peak of the Perfect Realm, I could never find the opportunity to break through to the Subtle Realm. It turns out my cultivation direction was off."

"True Sword... True... Sword..."

"Sharpness and keenness are the essence of the sword..."

"Resilience and indomitability are the essence of the sword..."

"Fearlessness is the essence of the sword..."

"Overcoming obstacles is the essence of the sword..."

"Drawing blood and taking life is the essence of the sword..."

Each sentence grew louder and clearer, his eyes becoming increasingly bright and sharp, as if cold light flickered within them, like sword light about to burst forth.

"The so-called True Sword... sharpness, keenness, resilience, indomitability, fearlessness... and... slaughter..."

The aura, contained to the extreme, suddenly burst forth, sharp to the extreme, making him seem like a sword himself. The precious iron sword was drawn, and without any preparation, a single slash cut through the air like a crescent moon, bright to the extreme, tearing through the night sky.

Drawing Sword Stance!

The same Drawing Sword Stance, but with a unique flavor, as if a qualitative change had occurred. Every bit of strength was applied to the utmost, the crescent moon-shaped sword light seemed to fly off the blade.

The fluctuations of his blood and qi energy were like a river flowing.

Chen Zong held the sword in his right hand, performing each stance to its utmost power, far surpassing his previous efforts, each sword leaving a clear trail in the air.

Explosive Sword Stance!

A single slash, like a cannon firing, with overwhelming power, as if it could shatter a mountain. The air was compressed and split, forming a vacuum wave that struck the courtyard wall, causing dust to fly.

"This... is the Subtle Realm of the True Sword Eight Stances..." The precious iron sword hung naturally, and in the sunlight, Chen Zong's face seemed to glow with divine light.

After all the hard work and pursuit, he had finally achieved a sudden enlightenment and reached the Subtle Realm. His heart, however, was not excited but rather calm, as if it were a matter of course.

Ten days of consolidation and reflection, and the results came naturally.

"The True Sword Eight Stances at the Perfect Realm, the power of the Explosive Sword Stance, is enough to rival the first level of a low-grade human-level martial technique. Now that I have reached the Subtle Realm, its power has greatly increased, completely surpassing the first level of a low-grade human-level martial technique," Chen Zong thought to himself.

If this were to be known, it would be hard to believe.

A mere foundational martial technique, reaching the Subtle Realm, could surpass the first level of a low-grade human-level martial technique, which is a terrifying thing.

The first level of the Flashing Light technique, from the initial stage to the advanced stage, the power of the light did not increase much, mainly in the number of light beams.

The True Sword Eight Stances is a very mysterious and powerful foundational sword technique. After reaching the Subtle Realm, the power of each stance and each sword completely surpasses the level of a foundational sword technique, rivaling the first level of a low-grade human-level sword technique, especially the final Explosive Sword Stance, which is even more terrifying.

"I wonder how it compares to the Flashing Light technique?"

To this day, the Flashing Light technique has not been mastered, so Chen Zong cannot make a direct comparison.

But regardless, reaching the Subtle Realm with the True Sword Eight Stances has further enhanced his understanding and mastery of the sword, increasing his overall strength and significantly improving his endurance in battle.

The True Sword Eight Stances do not require the massive consumption of blood and qi energy like higher-grade sword techniques, which is a significant advantage.

"Now that I have reached the Subtle Realm with the True Sword Eight Stances, what changes will occur with the mysterious sword tip?" Chen Zong thought, shifting his attention to the space between his brows, focusing on the mysterious sword tip.

Mysterious, ancient, and profound, every time he saw it, he felt amazed.

Whether it sensed Chen Zong's intention or something else, the mysterious sword tip trembled slightly, emitting a buzzing sound like an ancient divine tone, cleansing his soul and body, making him feel very comfortable. A silver dragon rose, soaring through the nine heavens and the four seas, suddenly rushing towards Chen Zong's consciousness.

Chen Zong stood still like a statue, his eyes open, with silver light flickering, as if containing boundless mysteries. As time passed, the light gradually faded until it completely disappeared.

"It turns out to be a cultivation technique for blood and qi energy..."

Chen Zong exhaled, feeling somewhat surprised.

Initially, he thought that reaching the Subtle Realm with the True Sword Eight Stances might bring additional rewards, though he was not sure. It was just a feeling, and if it were true, it might be a sword technique, a higher-grade sword technique than the True Sword Eight Stances.

The situation surprised and delighted Chen Zong. There was indeed a change, but it was different from what he had guessed. It was not a sword technique but a cultivation technique, a technique for cultivating blood and qi energy.

"True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique..."

"The name sounds quite impressive."

Reading the information in his mind, the more he read, the more surprised he became, until his face was full of shock.

"True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique... What grade is this technique?"

"I've heard that there are higher-grade techniques above the human level. Could the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique surpass the human level?"

"However, techniques that surpass the human level are not suitable for martial artists at the blood and qi realm to cultivate."

According to Chen Zong's understanding, human-level techniques are divided into four grades: low, middle, high, and supreme.

Human-level low-grade techniques have two levels, human-level middle-grade techniques have three levels, human-level high-grade techniques have four levels, and human-level supreme techniques have five levels. However, the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique has six levels.

Taking several deep breaths to calm his excited emotions, no matter what, obtaining a cultivation technique that seems to surpass the human-level supreme techniques is a great thing.

It is known that the higher the grade of a technique, the faster the cultivation speed, and the faster the recovery after consuming strength.

"The cultivation of the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique emphasizes that blood and qi energy should be like a sword, providing a certain enhancement to sword techniques."

"Completing the first level can enhance the power of sword techniques by one-tenth, completing the second level can enhance the power of sword techniques by two-tenths..."

"If the fourth level is completed, the power of sword techniques can be enhanced by five-tenths, and a Heaven-Cutting True Sword Force can be cultivated. Once activated, it can enhance the power by another five-tenths within a single breath."

"If the fifth level is completed, the enhancement of the Heaven-Cutting True Sword Force will reach ten-tenths."

"If the sixth level is completed, the Heaven-Cutting True Sword Force can be unleashed from the sword, with terrifying power."

Chen Zong's heart was burning with excitement, his heartbeat several times faster than usual, like a drum beating loudly.

The difference between human-level middle-grade and high-grade techniques is significant, such as the Chen family's Fierce Tiger Technique and the Tang family's Earth Dragon Technique.

One has three levels, and the other has four levels. However, the Earth Dragon Technique, when cultivated to the fourth level, can condense an Earth Dragon Force within the body. Once activated, it can further enhance arm strength in a short time. The Fierce Tiger Technique, at its third level, cannot do this.

In Fengwu City, there are only three human-level high-grade techniques, each a legacy of the three major families. As for the five major families, they only have human-level middle-grade techniques, and other small family forces at most have fragments of human-level middle-grade techniques.

"Good, starting from today, I will cultivate the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique. If I can complete the first level, my strength will definitely increase somewhat."

Taking a deep breath and calming his mind, Chen Zong carefully studied the first level of the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique.

The first level of a human-level low-grade technique can enhance cultivation and recovery speed by fifty percent, the first level of a human-level middle-grade technique can enhance it by one hundred percent, the first level of a human-level high-grade technique can enhance it by one hundred and fifty percent, and the first level of a human-level supreme technique can enhance it by two hundred percent.

The first level of the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique can enhance cultivation and recovery speed by two hundred and fifty percent. If cultivated to the sixth level, it can enhance it by five hundred percent, which is truly astonishing.