Chapter 385: Chapter 384: Soaring Strength
If the Wind True Intent is compared to a ball of yarn, what Shi Xiaole currently needs is the loose end.
As long as he can find that end amidst the chaotic mess of yarn, he can follow it to unravel everything, making comprehension of the Wind True Intent foreseeable.
Suffering from severe headaches, Shi Xiaole had to stop, but his thoughts continued to churn, desperately searching for a breakthrough.
For the last two months, he only slept for one 2-hour period each day, dedicating all his other time to contemplation and constantly pushing himself.
It could be said, the amount of mental effort expended in these two months was almost equivalent to years of an average person’s cognitive energy.
Superb comprehension abilities, incredible mental strength, coupled with unstoppable will, transformed his mind into a blade, relentlessly stabbing at the invisible barriers.
A gentle breeze blew as if a lover’s hand caressed his cheek.
Shi Xiaole was thoroughly shaken, his long eyelashes fluttered before he finally opened his eyes.
"The wind, at times vigorous, at times gentle, varying in size, yet these are not outcomes it seeks deliberately. These are all results of environmental influences. My obsession has distanced me from the free and easy nature of the wind. How can I possibly comprehend its true intent this way?"
An electricity-like sensation ran through his body and his pores suddenly opened. Shi Xiaole realized, he had found the loose end of the yarn.
The essence of the wind is not about change, but about acting according to one’s desires, carefree and unfettered!
Some invisible barrier was punctured by the sword, releasing infinite radiance. Instantaneously, a circle of bluish brilliance diffused from Shi Xiaole’s body.
If there were someone standing there, they would be amazed to discover that Shi Xiaole seemed to have become one with the invisible wind. Not physically, but spiritually—unfathomable and mystifying.
An odd scene ensued.
Without moving his feet, Shi Xiaole’s silhouette appeared at intervals of fifty meters around him, almost as if he were teleporting through space. With a gust of wind, all the silhouettes disappeared, and Shi Xiaole had already appeared five hundred meters away.
As the mastery of Wind Intent transformed to Wind True Intent, the power of Shi Xiaole’s Wind God Leg technique significantly increased; the speed, on top of his previous mastery of Wind Intent, had nearly doubled!
At this moment, if he fully exerted his power, he could cover one hundred meters in just one-eighth of a blink. This speed was even somewhat frightening to Shi Xiaole himself.
Besides, the Wind God Leg technique, strengthened by the Wind True Intent, was now as destructive as the Death Claiming Fourteenth Strike, bolstered by the Ruthless True Intent.
As he swung the sword in his hand, it was an indescribable sword technique. It was bland yet elusive, seemed to change yet stayed the same. It seemed as if it could be comprehended at first glance, but one could not discern anything.
Thirteen Strokes of the Gentle Breeze!
What Shi Xiaole displayed was the peerless sword technique of the Huashan Sect, the Thirteen Strokes of the Gentle Breeze, which was graded in the upper tier of the second-class level.
This set of sword techniques surpassed those of any other martial arts schools, to the point where Kunlun Sect’s Flying Dragon Nine Forms could not even compare.
In all of Huashan, only Withered Annihilation Master, Hua Zhenzhen, and Gao Yanan had the fate to learn it.
However, in Shi Xiaole’s view, those three had not brought out the full potential of the Thirteen Strokes of the Gentle Breeze. Regardless, the swordsmanship of Withered Annihilation Master had reached the level where even ’The Bandit Leader’ Chu Liuxiang was extremely wary of it.
Having obtained the Wind True Intent, the Thirteen Strokes of the Gentle Breeze became free and easy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It seemed unpretentious, but Shi Xiaole knew that the power of this sword technique had, to some extent, surpassed the Fifteenth Strike of Death Claiming.
The Fifteenth Strike of Death Claiming was still an imperfect sword technique. Based on Shi Xiaole’s current background, it was impossible to complete it, which naturally restricted the technique’s power considerably.
Shi Xiaole sheathed his sword and stood there while the air currents in the air remained active. With a few rustling sounds, the grass within a twenty-meter radius of him, as if measured with a ruler, was uniformly cut half an inch from the ground and blown up into the sky.
"My current attack power should be not inferior to Eldering Blood Buddha’s. If combined with the speed of my Wind God Leg technique, I would be able to kill him within a few moves."
Shi Xiaole felt a great sense of exhilaration. The stress and hardship of the past two months were converted into a soaring fighting spirit and an eagerness to test his freshly-honed sword skills.
The Wind True Intent was too powerful. Even at only one-tenth its full potential, the power increase was no less than that of the Blood True Intent at two-tenths.
Especially for Shi Xiaole — once his speed skyrocketed, in actual combat, those of equal strength couldn’t endure his attacks, those weaker than him would crumble within a few moves.
"It’s time to leave."
Having accomplished his objective, there was naturally no need to linger. After resting for a couple of days in the thatched hut, Shi Xiaole departed, his mind and body relaxed.
Next, he planned to go kill a few people to test his abilities.
...
"Hey, have you heard? Something big has happened in the martial world!"
Someone in a restaurant shouted exaggeratedly. His voice was so loud that everyone heard him clearly.
"What big thing?"
Ever since more than half a year ago when Black Devil’s palace was attacked and Xie Xiaofeng disappeared, the pressure on the righteous path had greatly diminished, and the atmosphere of the martial world had somewhat relaxed.
Of course, there were also people wondering where Xie Xiaofeng had gone, concerned that he was in seclusion to further his practice, waiting for an opportunity to re-emerge in the martial world. But this apprehension slowly faded as each day passed peacefully and as the major righteous sects actively searched for him.
People are good at forgetting.
Considering that as powerful as Xie Xiaofeng may be, even if he were in seclusion, by the time he gained skills comparable to Jade Fan Scholar, it would be several years later.
Who can say that by that time the Righteous Path wouldn’t have a high-level expert who could match him?
"A ground-shaking incident."
The man who had previously spoken shouted, his expression full of intense fear.
"What on earth is it? Don’t keep us hanging."
"It was this morning, someone saw Xie Xiaofeng, the Master of Demon Alliance, in a small town near Haoyuan City!"
Inside and outside the tavern, there was a moment of silence, followed by the clattering of dropped wine glasses and the clashing sound of unsheathed weapons.
"Has that devil appeared?"
"I hope that this time we on the Righteous Path act quickly, and don’t let that boy escape again."
Some gritted their teeth with anger, while others frowned in suspicion of the authenticity of the news.
But still, after half a year, the news that Xie Xiaofeng had reentered the Martial World spread like lightning across various parts of the Martial World, causing commotion everywhere.
Jade Town, one of many small towns near Haoyuan City.
In recent days, accomplished martial artists have been swarming in, seemingly in search of someone. None of these exceptional fighters are less than masters of the ninth layer of Spiritual-Passage Realm, all renowned in the Martial World.
As for the original martial artists in the town, most of them have moved out overnight, evading the situation like avoiding plague.
The first information about Xie Xiaofeng’s appearance came precisely from this Jade Town.
Lingfeng Inn, one of the most luxurious inns in Jade Town.
In the luxurious private room, Shi Xiaole clad in a green shirt held a wine glass, observing the martial artists coming and going on the street.
With his own capability, it was impossible to find the hideout of people like Kong Datong. The families of Blue and Yellow, on the other hand, were entrusted with tasks by him, so it was not appropriate to disturb them. Therefore, Shi Xiaole, in Xie Xiaofeng’s disguise, entered Jade Town, trying to draw the snake out of the hole.
Considering Kong Datong and the others’ obsession with the Faceless Divine Skill, Shi Xiaole believed that even if they doubted that the person was an imposter, they would not resist coming to see for themselves.
Shi Xiaole had underestimated the attractiveness of the Faceless Divine Skill to martial artists. In the past few days, not to mention the Devil Path, but many Righteous Path masters have also been rushing in. Fights and disturbances occurred in the town from time to time.
At one moment, Shi Xiaole’s gaze became fixed, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Young Master, are you going out?"
The daughter of the inn owner, a young girl in her prime, looked charming and pretty. Normally she would manage the books for her father. She asked, blushing, as Shi Xiaole walked out of the inn.
This young man had been mysterious, never leaving the inn once he’d checked in.
Of course, the girl would never admit that she was so interested in him because she had never seen such a good-looking and handsome young man before.
"Staying in the room all day has been suffocating."
Shi Xiaole smiled.
The girl’s face turned even redder, and she said, "Young Master, the town has been unrest these few days. I think you’d better stay safe in the inn."
Shi Xiaole looking neat in his green shirt, without his usual sword, seemed completely like a harmless cultured scholar.
"Thank you for your concern, miss, but I’ll be back soon, don’t worry."
With a smile, Shi Xiaole stepped out of the inn.
He strolled leisurely down the street, releasing his spiritual force covertly, taking turns here and there, and soon arrived outside the small courtyard that he had discovered from his private room.
"Black Darkness, I think we’ve been played. We’ve investigated for so many days, almost ready to turn the ground upside down, but we haven’t even seen a shadow of Xie Xiaofeng."
Inside the room of the courtyard, the ’Heart-eating Ghost’ Zhang He complained angrily. At this moment, Zhang He no longer looked plump and white, instead, his skin was black, his eyes swollen, clearly wearing makeup.
"We’ll investigate for a couple more days. If it still doesn’t work, we can leave."
Black Darkness Elder clenched his teeth, his face filled with deep gloom.
Not just him, the several others present were also furious, their bodies emanating a subtle, cold killing intent.
Their betrayal and harm to the Holy Young Master were rumored in the Devil Path as expected, making them outcasts hunted by everyone.
Although except for the Blind-Eyed Elders and a few others, no one could touch them, they couldn’t reveal their faces in public. Coupled with the chase of the Righteous Path masters, these days had been the most stifling since they had become famous!
Every day, they wished they could seize Xie Xiaofeng immediately and kill him painfully in order to vent their anger.
"More and more people from the Righteous Path are coming here. Even though we have changed our appearance, we might still be recognized by some old monsters. We must leave as soon as possible."
Kong Datong, disguised as a wealthy old man with a beard stuck all over his face, spoke in a downcast tone.
He and the Black Darkness Elder were probably the most reluctant ones. After all, they were just a step away from capturing Xie Xiaofeng initially. If they had obtained the Faceless Divine Skill, and practiced for a few years, they wouldn’t have had to be apprehensive about the Blind-Eyed Elders. Why would they be in their current state then?
"Someone’s here. Who is it?"
Suddenly, the Black Darkness Elder whispered sharply, shooting out with a sound of the wind. He charged out before the sound even finished.
The other five were not far behind, arriving at the courtyard almost at the same time.
There, a stranger, a young man in a green shirt, smiled at them.
