Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Who is the Killer?
To comprehend the Intent Realm, three factors are essential: talent, alignment between the individual and the martial technique, and the individual’s luck.
Many people possess the necessary talent, but what most lack is the perseverance and dedication needed to fully hone their abilities.
Finding a martial technique that aligns with one’s nature can be either easy or difficult.
It is difficult because this world strictly regulates martial arts; any technique of a slightly higher rank is controlled by major powers and strong individuals. For an ordinary expert, obtaining a technique can be extremely challenging, let alone one that suits them.
Yet, in the Martial World, there are numerous graves of past masters, most of which contain the scriptures of their techniques. So, should one be lucky, finding a suitable technique could turn out to be easier than expected.
As for luck, it’s elusive and beyond human control.
Thus, it is indeed difficult for anyone to comprehend the Intent Realm, given these challenges.
When it comes to talent, Shi Xiaole is certainly not lacking, and he has also shown the required perseverance and effort.
As for martial techniques, with the presence of the Grand Wuxia System, Shi Xiaole is practically equipped with an entire martial arts world, hence there’s absolutely no possibility he would lack techniques.
And as for luck, today’s events are a golden opportunity.
After understanding the dangerous Intent realm, Shi Xiaole has set his heart on learning other martial techniques, hoping to understand different Intents.
His comprehension abilities are definitely not poor, but according to the common trajectory of development, comprehending a second Intent would take a considerable amount of time.
Ultimately, how one perceives different Intents varies, and hence the difficulties in comprehending them differ as well.
This is similar to how a person adept at mathematics might not necessarily excel at chemistry. Likewise, one might be quick to learn English, but struggle with French—same principle.
Prior to this, Shi Xiaole’s comprehension of other Intents was in the accumulation stage, quite a way off from success.
But the smoke from the Mist Flower tonight has made Shi Xiaole experience firsthand what it means to be disoriented and lost. This experience acted as a catalyst, speeding up the entire process.
Up to this point, Shi Xiaole took to heart this good fortune, and finally, he began to truly understand the second Intent—Chaotic Intent!
As soon as he mastered the Chaotic Intent, the influence of the mist on Shi Xiaole diminished greatly.
He stood up from the ground and started walking towards the hill. In the shocked gaze of the people behind him, he effortlessly approached the Coiling Dragon Tree.
The Mist Flower on the tree was within arm’s reach.
Wu Xiaoxian held her breath nervously, a flurry of complex emotions within her.
She very well understood the gravity of the situation; once Shi Xiaole got the Mist Flower, he would surely be attacked by everyone else, facing potentially lethal dangers.
She wanted to tell Shi Xiaole to stop, but she couldn’t bring herself to utter the words.
Wu Taishan was also torn. He had to choose between the Mist Flower, which could cure his blood disease, and the safety of his disciple, making his throat tighten as if something was stuck.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shi Xiaole plucked the Mist Flower from the tree without any hesitation.
Whoosh.
In an instant, the thin red mist hiding the mountain peak evaporated like water, quickly disappearing.
Everyone on the mountain felt a sudden clarity in their minds, no longer affected by any disturbances.
"Hahaha, the Mist Flower is mine."
A man with a scarred face burst out laughing. Just like the man with a sword, he was also at the second stage of Qi Absorption.
"Possession of the treasure is based on individual ability."
The old woman with a walking stick curled her lips, her gaze fixed on the mountain top.
As for the man with a sword, he was even more direct, shouting at Shi Xiaole: "Kid, hand over the Mist Flower to me, and I can spare your life."
"Kid, give it to me."
"Throw the Mist Flower down, or you will die without a burial place."
The others were also shouting loudly, their voices filled with threats.
In their eyes, Shi Xiaole was like a lamb ready for slaughter. The only question was, to whom would this lamb surrender first.
Shi Xiaole looked around, saying, "There are too many of you, each stronger than me, who should I listen to?"
The man with a sword sneered: "If you don’t listen to me, I’ll kill you with one sword."
"Humph, you think your sword is fast?"
The man with the scarred face nearby was not pleased, and he retorted directly.
"Do you want to test it?"
"What if I do?"
With two clanks, the man with a sword and the man with a scarred face quickly clashed. Their weapons collided countless times, creating sparks at each impact.
At the same time, the old woman with a walking stick darted forward, being the first to move toward Shi Xiaole at the top of the mountain, aiming a heavy strike directly at him.
"You dare, you old hag!"
"The Mist flower is mine."
The one-eyed man, the man with the goatee, and a few others, unwilling to be left behind, charged forward as well seeing the old woman move.
While they moved, Shi Xiaole also made his move.
He had been watching in secret and determined that the man with the goatee was the weakest amongst them. He immediately rushed in his direction.
"Kid, thank you for delivering yourself to your death."
The man with the goatee laughed heartily. His curved blade descended quickly, producing layers of blade light.
It turns out he had been hiding his strength, and the third-rate superior blade technique that he used now was his hidden trump card to deal with foes.
"I think, the one who’s about to die is you."
Like the man with the goatee, Shi Xiaole had also been hiding his true ability. Holding his Qingfeng sword, he suddenly took a swipe and in the blink of an eye struck thrice.
Taiyue Three Green Peaks.
Under the enhancement of a perilous intent realm and the complete mastery of Fuyang Qi Skill, the power of Shi Xiaole’s sword was comparable to a full-powered strike of Lian Tu, the Bloody Hand.
The goat-bearded man was inferior to the Bloody Hand Lian Tu, and was unable to withstand it. He was stabbed in the throat by Shi Xiaole’s second attack, and lost his life on the spot.
"Second brother!"
The one-eyed man roared, his body surging with a wave of killing intent.
"Is this your swordsmanship?"
Wu Xiaoxian was rushing up the mountain, trying to share Shi Xiaole’s pressure. When she saw this wonderful sword, she was immediately stunned.
Creating an opening, Shi Xiaole pushed his abilities to the limits, quickly rushing down the mountain. The others saw this and desperately chased after him.
Even the swordsman and the scar-faced man stopped their fighting and pursued from two different directions.
With this, Wu Xiaoxian became the safest one. By the time she reached the bottom of the mountain and met up with Wu Taishan, Shi Xiaole and the others were already out of sight.
"Alas! This time, we have implicated Young Hero Shi. If something happens to him, I will feel too ashamed to meet Brother Fangsong in this lifetime."
Wu Taishan sighed deeply.
"Father, I think, Young Hero Shi will be fine."
Wu Xiaoxian said uncertainly, looking at the jungle in the dark night, praying silently in her heart.
Running through the woods, Shi Xiaole deliberately rushed into the dense and dark areas. Thanks to the terrain of Wanlin Mountain, he was not caught by the people chasing from behind.
However, the internal power of these people was indeed stronger than Shi Xiaole, and he didn’t have the advantage in speed. If this continues, it would be hard to escape the fate of being caught.
"This is not the way out, maybe I should take the initiative."
A thought crossed Shi Xiaole’s mind, his eyes slowly showing a glint of coldness.
"This chase is a waste of time. That kid is very cunning. It might be better if we split up to catch him and form a blockade."
Behind them, the old woman with a cane suddenly suggested after a long failed pursuit.
"Agreed."
The one-eyed man smiled coldly and immediately agreed.
There’s only one slice of cake, of course, it can’t satisfy everyone.
The advantage of splitting up is that it would leave Shi Xiaole with nowhere to run and also provide the best conditions for capturing him alone. As for who finishes the hunt, it will depend on their individual abilities.
Others had no objections, so these people immediately broke away in different directions and began their pursuit.
Just as they parted ways, the old woman with the cane let out a smirk, her speed suddenly increased, about 30% faster than before.
When you’re in the martial world, you always need to save some trump cards.
The old woman’s trump card was her impressive flying skill.
Her suggestion to split up was not only to make it easier to hunt down Shi Xiaole, but also to ensure her trump card wasn’t revealed, so as to not lose its effectiveness in the future.
"Young man, we need to have a little chat, you can’t escape."
The old woman with the cane crept up to Shi Xiaole in no time.
"Old woman, if I give you the Mist Flower, would you let me go?"
Shi Xiaole said without looking back.
"Smart boy... Fine, just throw the Mist Flower over here and I’ll turn around and leave."
A bizarre smile appeared on the old woman’s face.
As her words fell, Shi Xiaole obediently threw the Mist Flower over to her. The old woman laughed heartily, overjoyed as she reached out to catch it.
At the same time, the strange expression on her face turned sinister, and she fiercely swung her cane at Shi Xiaole’s back.
She could not leave this boy who had seen her flying skill alive! As for her previous promise, only a fool would keep it.
Just before the cane hit, Shi Xiaole swung a sword back as if he had eyes on his back.
"So you’re not completely stupid, but unfortunately, you overestimate yourself!"
The old woman laughed loudly, her left hand finally caught the Mist Flower, she was about to give it her all, suddenly her sight blurred and she felt a sense of force slipping away.
His!
A green flash rapidly pierced in, instantly penetrating the old woman’s throat.
"Old woman, don’t get ahead of yourself, didn’t you remember the hallucinogenic effect of the Mist Flower?"
Shi Xiaole withdrew his long sword, took back the Mist Flower from the hand of the bulging-eyed old woman who fell back unwillingly to the ground.
Although the Mist Flower was uprooted, it still had a certain hallucinogenic effect.
Thanks to Shi Xiaole’s strong mental capacity, and understanding the chaotic intent realm, he was able to resist. Others, when suddenly exposed, would be unavoidably stunned for a moment.
After searching the old woman’s body and finding nothing of value, Shi Xiaole quickly disappeared from the scene like a ghost.
After all, not all martial artists carry their valuables on their persons.
"Since you all want to hunt me down, I’ll take you down one by one."
Running away has never been the solution. With two intent realms at his disposal, Shi Xiaole was eager to test his current strength. From this moment on, he went from being the one hunted to the hunter.
"Where do you think you’re going, kid!"
A quarter of an hour later, the one-eyed man encountered Shi Xiaole and flew at him with a sword. He had amassed the most advanced qi absorption skill and was stronger than the goat-bearded man.
Shi Xiaole stood his ground, turned around, and swung his sword as well. It was an incredibly dangerous attack under one and a half reasoning realms – a thin line of survival.
Hisss.
A blood stain appeared on the one-eyed man’s throat. He fell unbelievably to the ground.
He never realized that Shi Xiaole had never fully revealed his true strength from the very beginning. He had just been wary of their numbers, and afraid of a group attack.
