Chapter 847: Chapter 846: Power of a Dominant Level_1
Three Enlightenment Fruits, snow-white all over, floated silently in front of Shi Xiaole.
Just from the close contact, the three martial ways within Shi Xiaole’s body were already becoming restless. This restlessness was twice as strong as when he had come into contact with the root of enlightenment, although he did not know what the effect would be.
With intense anticipation and unease, Shi Xiaole grabbed the first Enlightenment Fruit and swallowed it without thinking. In an instant, the Enlightenment Fruit transformed into a wisp of ethereal breath that surged throughout his body.
"The Wind Sword Way is just a bit short of reaching seventy percent, let’s start with that."
Without hesitation, Shi Xiaole immediately stimulated the Wind Sword Way.
Whoosh!
Like a giant whale gulping water, the absorption speed of the Wind Sword Way was crazily unprecedented, almost as if it feared it would be stolen by the Martial Way of Life and Death. In just a few dozen breaths, it had absorbed half of the ethereal breath.
Hiss hiss hiss.
Invisible winds converged, shearing layers from the walls and the floor, creating a swirling tornado of stone debris.
At a certain moment, a transparent great sword burst forth from Shi Xiaole’s body, instantly grinding the debris tornado into the air, leaving not even a speck behind. The momentum was so sharp and wild, it was bone-chilling.
"The Wind Sword Way has reached seventy percent."
Shi Xiaole let out a sigh full of feeling.
For anyone to grasp a top-level martial way up to seventy percent was an incredible achievement.
The former Seven Stars Sword King, Zhuge Xuan, had only achieved a comprehension of seventy percent in the Seven Stars Swordsmanship, and yet he had successfully entered the ranks of Earth Immortals, taking the two hundred ninety-third position.
Under the same circumstances, Shi Xiaole’s strength was naturally much stronger than Zhuge Xuan’s. In other words, the thirty-two-year-old Shi Xiaole already possessed the combat power of the Earth Immortal ranking.
But this was far from the end, because the first Enlightenment Fruit still had half of its breath left undigested.
This time it took a full two-hour period.
The Wind Sword Way slowly improved to the middle phase of seventy percent.
Above the sea of consciousness, the blade and spine of the small azure sword were extremely clear, and even the tip of the sword emerged with a contour, flashing with a sharpness that could pierce the soul.
"So that’s how it is, the martial ways have an immunity to the breath of the Enlightenment Fruits and cannot be increased indefinitely. The Wind Sword Way is about to reach its limit."
He picked up the second Enlightenment Fruit and swallowed it.
As Shi Xiaole predicted, the absorption speed of the Wind Sword Way became very slow, and after absorbing a small portion, it completely stopped.
To this point, the Wind Sword Way was firmly at the middle phase of seventy percent. Shi Xiaole was quite satisfied with this result.
He had no wild hopes that the Enlightenment Fruit would raise the Wind Sword Way to eighty percent, as that was unrealistic. In fact, the martial way stages of most common Ninth Tier Earth Immortals were only in the middle to late stages of eighty percent.
If martial ways were so easy to improve, they wouldn’t be so rare.
Suppressing his stray thoughts, Shi Xiaole stimulated the Martial Way of Life and Death.
If the absorption speed of the Wind Sword Way was like a giant whale gulping water, then the absorption speed of the Martial Way of Life and Death could only be described as encompassing all rivers.
In just a few dozen breaths, ninety-five percent of the ethereal breath was cleansed by it. The Martial Way of Life and Death thus went from the middle phase of twenty percent to the peak of twenty percent.
Without pausing, Shi Xiaole swallowed the third Enlightenment Fruit.
This time the Martial Way of Life and Death absorbed eighty percent, moving from the peak of two percent to the early phase of thirty percent. From this, it could be seen that its absorption ability was far stronger than that of the Wind Sword Way.
The remaining twenty percent of the ethereal breath naturally went to the Illusion Martial Way. Unfortunately, due to the small amount, it wasn’t enough to raise the Illusion Martial Way to the middle phase of sixty percent.
Phew!
Shi Xiaole’s breath was long and powerful, suddenly fleeting like the wind, then unpredictable as life and death, then again bizarre and changeable. After several switches, it finally settled down completely.
This was not him showing off intentionally; it was because the three great martial ways had all advanced together, causing his spirit to momentarily be unable to adjust, temporarily resulting in this situation.
"My current strength in swordsmanship should have reached the top of the Eighth Tier, or perhaps even surpassed it."
Feeling his own body, Shi Xiaole smiled contentedly.
From the peak of the sixth tier to the middle phase of seventy percent, the boost in swordsmanship from the Wind Sword Way was definitely beyond imagination. At least by his estimation of spiritual strength, if he were to face the swordsman in black again, he could resolve the fight within fifty moves.
The surprises were not yet over.
Perhaps because of the improvement in the Martial Way of Life and Death, its conversion efficiency had increased significantly. After careful feeling, Shi Xiaole discovered that the amount of breath converted in a quarter of an hour was equivalent to the past three quarters of an hour, meaning it had doubled.
In other words, even if Shi Xiaole did not deliberately comprehend, the progression speed of the three martial ways would still be twice as fast as before!
If the Martial Way of Life and Death continued to improve, would it reach three times, four times, five times, or even more exaggerated multiples?
Shi Xiaole dared not imagine, but he vaguely realized he had found a path to rapid advancement. If used well, he could become a peerless master in an extremely short period of time!
After resting well for a moment and stabilizing his state, Shi Xiaole finally walked out of the cave to find only Madam Xi standing outside. Seeing him, Madam Xi couldn’t help but be a little stunned.
As an extreme Ninth Tier Earth Immortal, Madam Xi’s Orchid Martial Way had already reached the late phase of ninety percent. The Enlightenment Fruits helped her less than imagined, with even a large portion of the ethereal breath wasted.
However small, progress was still progress. At Madam Xi’s level, any bit of advancement was extremely precious.
However, Shi Xiaole, who possessed three Enlightenment Fruits, seemed to have absorbed them at an extraordinarily fast rate.
The two were not very familiar with each other, and with Madam Xi’s upright personality, they were at a loss for conversation for a while, creating an awkward atmosphere.
"Senior, I don’t know how much you know about the City Lord of Four Directions City?"
In the silence, Shi Xiaole suddenly asked.
Madam Xi gave him a puzzled look and thought for a long time before answering, "I’ve seen him a few times, but he was always wearing a golden mask, and moreover, the impression he gave was... very strange."
"Strange?"
"Yes! Later, I thought about it and realized it must be a matter of temperament. His temperament is very changeable, but a person’s temperament can’t be concealed or easily changed. This is something I really can’t figure out."
There was silence again on both sides.
Madam Xi had finished speaking, while Shi Xiaole was simply too shocked.
Under normal circumstances, it’s true that a person’s temperament can’t possibly change, but Shi Xiaole could because he possessed four martial ways. Could it be that...
"Eh, sometimes from certain angles, your figure really resembles that of the Four Directions City Lord."
Madam Xi’s surprised voice reached his ears, and Shi Xiaole turned his head to see her staring at him, about to speak when a graceful figure dashed out of the cave—it was Qu Ni.
Qu Ni had made considerable progress, advancing from the peak of fifty percent to the initial stage of sixty percent in her martial way, not forgetting to show off a bit. After receiving praise from Madam Xi, she giggled and then hid behind her, her enchanting eyes darting towards Shi Xiaole with indescribable charm.
Soon after, Pei Qiuyan, Zhang Xiaoting, and Su Bi also came out one after another.
In contrast, An Rumei was the slowest. Only after she explained did everyone understand that she had been researching a killing move and had completely lost track of time.
"Junior Brother Shi, how about we have a sparring match?"
An Rumei approached Shi Xiaole, her cool voice tinged with an eagerness to try. Her killing move was nearly complete, and she couldn’t wait to test its power.
The junior sisters couldn’t push her to her limits, and she had many reservations about fighting with the martial uncle. Shi Xiaole was clearly the most suitable one.
"Yeah, let’s do it."
Qu Ni was the first to cheer.
Pei Qiuyan and the others also grew interested. On one hand, they wanted to see the senior sister’s killing move, and on the other, they were curious to see how much Shi Xiaole had progressed.
"Since Senior Sister An has invited me, it would be disrespectful of me to decline."
After considering for a moment, Shi Xiaole accepted. He also needed a sparring partner and could use An Rumei to test his exact strength.
On two mountain peaks a hundred meters apart, each stood a person.
"Senior Sister An, be careful."
As soon as he said that, Shi Xiaole thrust his sword forward. Pei Qiuyan and the others only saw a blur— they couldn’t even see how he drew his sword.
"Seventy percent of the Wind Sword Way?"
An Rumei was shocked.
Madam Xi’s expression also changed slightly.
Both women were far more knowledgeable than the average person and roughly knew about the potency of the Enlightenment Fruit. Generally speaking, a martial way at the peak of sixty percent could only digest one Enlightenment Fruit, and it was good enough if it could improve by a minor realm.
But what was going on with him? They had never heard about the combined effects of the Enlightenment Fruit.
They had no idea that martial ways were related to mental quality, and as Shi Xiaole’s mental quality was unparalleled in the world, his absorption of the Enlightenment Fruit was naturally far superior to others.
Holding back his Wood Sword Way to seventy percent and his cultivation to the seventh tier of the Divine Barrier Realm, An Rumei swung her sword as well.
Seeing this, Shi Xiaole was so scared that he quickly withdrew fifty percent of his power, only using the remaining thirty percent to counter.
Block!
When their swords collided, An Rumei felt an immense force coming from the blade, causing her hand to tingle and her sword nearly flew out of her grip. She was forced to retreat hundreds of meters.
"What, she’s fallen behind from the first strike?"
Pei Qiuyan and the four women were stunned.
Although An Rumei’s talent fell a bit short of the six prodigies, at most by half a step, no one of the same level had ever managed to pressure her so quickly from the first move.
"Lan Hua Hui Si Sword."
An Rumei was a proud person; she wanted to know how great the gap was between her and Shi Xiaole at the same level. The situation turned out to be even worse than she imagined. Lifting her brows, An Rumei immediately brought her power to a full hundred percent, her long sword trembling with countless blue Sword Qi flowers.
Hisss, hisss, hisss.
With a few casual strokes, the blue Sword Qi flowers shattered. Shi Xiaole spotted three flaws in An Rumei’s technique, but he didn’t strike. Instead, he feigned a miss and passed by her.
"Duan Qing Mu Lan Sword!"
An Rumei bit her lip and with one strike, several petals fell, carrying an atmosphere of absolute detachment and finality.
Shi Xiaole, enveloped by the Sword Qi, wasn’t in the slightest bit of a hurry. In his peer group, an opponent had yet to be born who could make him anxious. His long sword flicked effortlessly as if it were an extension of his arm.
Thump, thump, thump.
The petals shattered one after another.
"How could this be so easy?"
Su Bi screamed.
The Duan Qing Mu Lan Sword was a supreme skill of the Illusion Orchid Tower. It was normal for Shi Xiaole to break through it with another supreme skill, but she couldn’t accept that he did it with such ease, as if it were as simple as eating or drinking.
Madam Xi shook her head in silence.
An Rumei’s talent was well recognized, but she seemed to have forgotten who Shi Xiaole was.
Sparring with a stronger opponent highlighted Shi Xiaole’s aptitude, but only a match with someone of the same level could truly make people realize just how dominantly strong this young man was.
For An Rumei to fight someone of the same level was entirely self-humiliating.
