42: Chapter 42 Sword Domain

Time flies like a white horse passing a crack; in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

Since becoming a disciple of Hong Tianyang, Su Yu's life had become extremely regular and tedious. Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the purple bamboo forest, he was already standing on the training ground outside Jinglin Garden.

There were no high-tech auxiliary devices here, no dazzling virtual projections, only wooden blades polished bright by the passage of time, and fallen leaves covering the ground.

"The blade is not an extension of your arm; that is complete nonsense from laymen."

Hong Tianyang still maintained his unkempt appearance, wearing big shorts, holding that purple clay teapot he had used for who knows how many years, sipping tea while watching Su Yu, who was sweating profusely.

"The blade is your intent, your soul, and the only scepter in this messed-up world with which you can make sense of things."

For the first few days, Su Yu did not understand.

He possessed the blade techniques taught by his father and considered himself to have already entered the hall of mastery in blade techniques.

It wasn't until one day when Hong Tianyang used only a withered tree branch to easily knock the alloy combat blade from his hand.

At that moment, Su Yu finally understood what it meant for "intent to precede the blade."

During these days, Hong Tianyang would often boast to Su Yu.

"Thirty years ago, I was just your age." Hong Tianyang lay on a rattan chair, his gaze drifting toward the distant east, his tone carrying a hint of reminiscence and a touch of arrogance.

"Back then, I was arrogant and proud, so I went alone with my blade, crossed the ocean, and went to that Cherry Blossom Country that worships 'blade techniques'."

"The people in that place are somewhat interesting. They are extremely paranoid, having honed their blade techniques to the ultimate 'killing art.' Things like Iaijutsu, Niten Ichi-ryū, Swallow Cut... they have all sorts of tricks."

Su Yu stopped his movements and listened quietly.

"I stayed there for three years. The first year, I challenged their 'hundred-man dojo sweep,' slashing from Kyushu Island to Hokkaido, breaking eight hundred samurai swords. Back then, they called me the 'Zhina Demon'."

A cold sneer curled the corner of Hong Tianyang's mouth. "In the second year, their Sword Saint couldn't sit still. He was an old monster at the half-step Star Lord Realm who challenged me to a duel on the summit of Mount Fuji. That day, heavy snow sealed the mountain."

"That battle lasted for three days and three nights. His blade was fast, fast enough to sever snowflakes. But my blade was heavier, heavy enough to crush mountains!"

"In the end, I comprehended a single strike. One strike split his 'Snow Country Domain.' From then on, whenever the martial arts world of the Cherry Blossom Country heard the three words 'Hong Tianyang,' they had to lower their heads by three feet."

Listening to his Master's narration, Su Yu seemed to see the snow-covered summit of Mount Fuji, where one man with one blade suppressed an entire nation with peerless grace.

"Kid, do you know why I'm telling you all this?" Hong Tianyang looked at Su Yu.

Su Yu pondered for a moment and tentatively said, "Is Master trying to tell me that true knowledge comes from actual combat?"

"Bullshit!" Hong Tianyang rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that I am incredibly awesome!"

Over the next two months, under Hong Tianyang's guidance, Su Yu began to try to integrate his emotions and will into his blade.

At the same time, as the number one academic institution in the Federation, Beijing Martial Arts University had terrifyingly abundant resource supplies.

With his status as a "Sequence" student, plus the various top-grade Medicinal Pills provided secretly by Su Wu, Su Yu's cultivation soared as if he were riding a rocket.

The Great Grandmaster Qi and blood within his body were constantly compressed and refined. Finally, when the first snow of winter fell.

Boom! A majestic aura surged into the sky within Jinglin Garden, shaking down the accumulated snow in the entire garden.

Great Grandmaster Middle Stage!

Su Yu stood in the snow holding a wooden blade. Although he had not yet fully condensed his own "Saber Intent," he had already touched the threshold of that door.

Villa No. 186. The wind and snow outside could not penetrate this temperature-controlled luxury mansion.

Su Wu lay lazily on a soft leather sofa, holding a tablet computer, browsing the latest intelligence regarding the "Star Demon Cult."

Over these two months, the Star Demon Cult seemed to have vanished without a trace. The high-level mole hidden within Beijing Martial Arts University was also like a clay ox entering the sea, with no news to be found.

"The calm before the storm..." Su Wu rubbed his brow. He knew that the other party would never give up, and if they were not completely eradicated, Su Yu might be in danger again at any moment.

Just then, a series of rapid notification sounds suddenly rang out deep within his mind.

[Ding! Detected that descendant Su Yu has outstanding talent and, under the guidance of a famous teacher, has successfully comprehended the prototype of 'Saber Intent'! And has successfully promoted to Great Grandmaster Middle Stage!]

[fathers glory system judgment: The descendant has achieved a major Breakthrough in the Realm of martial will!]

[Host's Realm is synchronizing... Comprehension is synchronizing...]

[Congratulations to the Host! Cultivation has broken through to—Star Lord Realm Fifth Stage!]

[Congratulations to the Host! Based on the Perfection-level "Three-Fire Thunder Blade" and Micro-level techniques, the Divine Ability "Saber Domain (Initial Stage)" has been automatically evolved!]

Boom—!!! An invisible yet terrifyingly extreme fluctuation, centered on Su Wu, instantly swept across a hundred miles in all directions.

But this fluctuation was controlled extremely well by Su Wu; it did not cause damage to the material world but acted directly on the level of rules.

Su Wu opened his eyes abruptly. In that instant, his pupils vanished, replaced by two endless seas of blades.

"Star Lord Fifth Stage..." Su Wu slowly raised his hand, looking at his slender fingers.

If the Star Lord First Stage meant just having one's own "Star Vortex" and being able to perform rough Origin Qi output through intent, then the Fifth Stage was the pinnacle of refined control over this power.

The Star Vortex within his body had expanded by a full ten times, burning like a real star within his Dantian. That majestic Origin Qi was sufficient to support him in high-intensity combat for several months without exhaustion.

But what surprised Su Wu the most was the newly awakened Divine Ability—Saber Domain.

Saber Domain: After a Martial Artist comprehends a Concept, they can not only use it themselves but also externalize it into a Domain. Within the Domain, I am the blade, and the blade is me. Everything can become a blade, and the weapons of enemies within the Domain will be absolutely suppressed, while one's own attacks are increased tenfold!

Su Wu moved his mind.

Hum! Centered on the villa, the space within a thousand meters instantly underwent a strange distortion.

At this moment, if a Star Lord Realm powerhouse were to intrude into this range, he would discover with horror that every speck of dust floating in the air seemed to have transformed into the sharpest blade. Even the sound of the wind blowing had turned into the sound of blades slicing through skin.

"Rise." Su Wu tapped lightly at the fruit platter on the coffee table.

Swish! The stainless steel knife originally used for cutting fruit instantly turned into a stream of light, automatically disintegrating in the air into countless tiny metal powders. Under the enhancement of the "Saber Domain," each particle contained terrifying power sufficient to pierce through a Martial Saint's protective Qi and blood!

This was not just object manipulation; this was endowing dead objects with the attribute of a "blade"!

"What a powerful Divine Ability!" A flash of excitement crossed Su Wu's eyes.

"With this Saber Domain, plus my Perfection-level "Water Thunder Fire Incantation"... the current me, if I were to encounter a Star Lord Sixth Stage powerhouse, I'm afraid I wouldn't need to use my trump cards to fight him to a draw, or even... kill him!"

This was not blind confidence. The "Fifth Stage" produced by the System had a gold content far exceeding that of ordinary Martial Artists. His Foundation was perfect, his Martial Skills were at Perfection, and his Physical Body was the Supreme Chaos Body.

Fighting across ranks was as simple as eating and drinking for him.

"Yu'er, oh Yu'er, you really are Dad's lucky star." Su Wu restrained his aura and dispersed the Saber Domain. Everything inside the villa returned to normal, as if the terrifying situation just now had been nothing but a hallucination.