Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 80 – Understanding the Essence of the Blade

The Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast was equivalent to a Spirit Refining Martial Sect expert, with a limited range of divine sense coverage.

Luo Xiu pushed his speed to the extreme, leaving afterimages in his wake, making it hard to distinguish his true form.

Despite this, his speed was still no match for the Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast. This terrifying demonic beast could leap hundreds of meters in a single bound, ignoring any obstacles, toppling trees, and shattering rocks.

"Xuantian Transformation!"

Suddenly, Luo Xiu activated a secret technique, and his speed exploded in an instant, creating some distance between him and the Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast.

The Swift Sword Art itself was a special technique for exerting force, and applying it to movement techniques also had the wonderful effect of increasing speed.

With the addition of the Xuantian Transformation's boost, the speed Luo Xiu burst out with in an instant was comparable to some of the more formidable Spirit Refining Martial Sect experts.

However, after the speed burst, Luo Xiu felt his blood and qi fluctuating, and a sense of dizziness in his head, a result of the burden the Xuantian Transformation placed on his body.

But at this moment, he couldn't afford to worry about such things. If the Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast caught up to him, it would mean certain death.

Moments later, in Luo Xiu's perception, the distance between him and the Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast grew larger, as if the terrifying fourth-level peak demonic beast had given up its pursuit.

The Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast already possessed intelligence. It initially chased Luo Xiu simply because it was interested in this fast-moving prey. When it realized that this prey was escaping quickly, while other prey had taken the opportunity to flee far away, it abandoned the chase for Luo Xiu and turned to hunt other prey.

The Purple-scaled Golden-maned Beast was clearly not foolish enough to give up more prey for the sake of one.

Luo Xiu had anticipated this, feeling slightly relieved. He dared not linger in place, maintaining his fastest speed to get as far away from the area as possible.

Unknowingly, the sky began to lighten, and Luo Xiu felt that his cultivation had been significantly depleted. He found a hidden spot to recover.

He took out two formation disks from his storage ring, a fifth-level concealment disk and a defense disk.

Formation disks, also known as formation devices, were treasures refined by Formation Masters, with formations inscribed on them. Even martial artists who didn't understand formations could use Yuan Qi Stones to activate them.

For safety's sake, Luo Xiu directly used the fifth-level formation disks.

He had obtained the treasure trove left by Martial King Buchen, which contained many fifth-level formation disks, though none were offensive.

Half a day later, Luo Xiu had recovered to his peak state. He took out a simplified map of the Guanlei Mountain Range and discovered that after a night of fleeing, he had entered the heartland of the mountain range.

Here, he could encounter terrifying demonic beasts above the fourth level at any time. Luo Xiu also realized that his current location was very close to the Guanlei Temple.

After putting away the formation disks, Luo Xiu cautiously headed toward the Guanlei Temple. His pace was slow, and his perception was constantly extended. Upon detecting the presence of a powerful demonic beast, he would immediately avoid and detour.

Nearly a day passed, and Luo Xiu sensed a sharp, fierce aura rushing toward him.

Not far ahead was a mountain peak only a few hundred meters high, with a temple at its summit—the Guanlei Temple.

Centered around the Guanlei Temple, within a radius of about ten miles, the area was filled with sharp, fierce blade auras. In this region, crisscrossing ravines could be seen everywhere, with traces of unknown age occasionally emitting terrifying killing intent, making people shudder at the sight.

This was a secluded cultivation site for a powerful figure named Guanlei. Luo Xiu didn't know the cultivation level of this Guanlei, but to leave behind such ancient ruins, with terrifying blade intent lingering after countless years, he must have been at least a Martial Lord-level expert, right?

Gazing intently, Luo Xiu saw no other martial artists near the Guanlei Temple. After a brief contemplation, he stepped forward.

Luo Xiu's pace was not fast. He was currently only in the periphery, and although the blade intent was sharp, it did not affect him.

However, as he ventured deeper, the blade intent became increasingly fierce and sharp.

There were no demonic beasts near the Guanlei Temple, likely due to the pervasive sharp blade intent, causing the beasts in the mountains and forests to subconsciously believe that a powerful presence was in seclusion here.

Suddenly, Luo Xiu's steps halted, and the Shadow Sword on his back trembled violently, as if an invisible war blade was cleaving down on him.

"Clang!"

The War Sword was unsheathed, and Luo Xiu swung it forward, the black sword light as fast as lightning.

In Luo Xiu's mind, a figure appeared, wielding a war blade, exuding a terrifying killing intent, slashing out with a single stroke.

"Step, step, step..."

Luo Xiu retreated three steps, his face slightly pale.

What he sensed was a war blade cleaving toward him, but it was actually an illusion created by the lingering blade intent's realm.

The realm had transcended ordinary martial arts. Luo Xiu was still far from mastering his own martial intent realm, so in the confrontation of realms just now, he was instantly defeated.

At the same time, Luo Xiu noticed a blue rock not far ahead, with a blade mark on it.

The blade intent he sensed earlier emanated from the blade mark on that rock.

"Blade intent mark?"

Luo Xiu's pupils contracted, and he stepped forward again.

In a flash, the scene of a figure wielding a war blade appeared in his mind again, carrying an indomitable will, as if time had frozen in that moment.

"I can't withstand such a strike!"

In Luo Xiu's consciousness, the thought instantly arose, instinctively wanting to retreat. Earlier, he had retreated three steps because he couldn't face such a strike.

But this time, Luo Xiu forcibly suppressed the urge to retreat. Under the pressure of this indomitable blade intent, his face grew paler, and he felt as if he couldn't breathe.

So strong!

Luo Xiu was deeply shocked. If someone truly executed such a strike, he would be instantly killed, no matter how fast his sword was or how exquisite his movement technique, because that indomitable blade intent had completely locked onto him, leaving no escape.

Boom!

Because Luo Xiu didn't retreat, it felt as if the strike truly hit him, causing intense pain in his mind, followed by a mouthful of blood spurting from his mouth.

After spitting blood, Luo Xiu's face became even paler, but he still didn't retreat. The scene of that strike kept replaying in his mind, especially the indomitable will, giving him a vague sense of understanding.

With a slight flick of his wrist, the Shadow Sword leaped into his hand. He closed his eyes and swung the sword, the air ahead tearing with a hissing sound, black and white sword light surging forth, dispersing the fierce blade intent that had been pressing down on him.

Luo Xiu abruptly opened his eyes. The sword strike just now could be said to have imitated the strike containing the indomitable will. Although it was an imitation, it was stronger than the three sword moves recorded in the Aurora Sword Art, a fifth-grade martial art.

Luo Xiu felt a bit excited. If he could comprehend the mysteries of sword intent, transcending the realm of sword techniques and stepping into the realm of Sword Dao, how much would his strength improve?

However, Luo Xiu also understood that he was still far from comprehending sword intent. Imitating that strike was merely a superficial mimicry without the essence.

Calming down, his joy felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over it. Imitating others was undoubtedly a wrong path. What he truly needed to do was not imitate but to draw parallels and comprehend his own Sword Dao.

And he was far from reaching the level of Sword Dao. What he needed to do first was not to attempt to comprehend the mysteries of martial intent but to elevate his sword technique from the Major Achievement Realm to the Perfection Realm.

The realm of Martial Dao, like cultivation, required steady progress, step by step. Harboring the idea of directly comprehending sword intent from the Major Achievement of sword techniques and stepping into Sword Dao was a misguided path. It was essential to progress gradually, first perfecting his sword technique.

With this thought in mind, Luo Xiu continued to step toward the rock with the blade mark, the scene of that strike repeatedly appearing in his mind.

The closer he got to the blade mark, the more terrifying the indomitable blade intent became, as if his soul was about to be torn apart.

Immersed in this state of comprehension, the Shadow Sword in Luo Xiu's hand occasionally swung out, and under the pressure of this blade intent, his sword technique realm gradually improved.

Finally, Luo Xiu reached the rock, reaching out to touch the blade mark on it.

Vaguely, the indomitable will became clearer in his mind, as if a blood-soaked figure was roaring angrily at the sky in the torrential rain, refusing to yield to the whims of fate.

"Martial intent is the fusion of state of mind and Martial Dao?" Luo Xiu seemed to have an epiphany.

At only fourteen years old, he didn't possess such a state of mind, nor had his sword technique reached the Perfection level, unable to integrate his state of mind into his sword technique, transforming it into sword intent.

Comprehending blade intent and drawing parallels, Luo Xiu's greatest gain was gaining some understanding and personal experience of martial intent.

State of mind required experience, and Luo Xiu, being young, lacked that experience, not due to a lack of comprehension.

Just then, Luo Xiu's eyes narrowed, sensing a terrifying aura sweeping over him.

He looked up to see a figure in purple clothing flying through the sky, unaffected by the sharp blade intent surrounding the Guanlei Temple.

This was a man in purple, whose divine sense had just swept over Luo Xiu.

"A kid in the Innate Realm daring to come to the Guanlei Temple to comprehend blade intent, quite bold."

The man in purple merely glanced at Luo Xiu, then turned and headed toward the Guanlei Temple at the mountain's summit.

Watching the purple-clad man's departing figure, Luo Xiu breathed a slight sigh of relief. To fly through the sky near the Guanlei Temple, one had to be at least at the Martial King level.

If the Guanlei Temple were divided into three areas, Luo Xiu was only in the periphery, followed by the central area, and finally the Guanlei Temple itself.

The deeper one went, the stronger the blade intent became, with significant dangers. While comprehending blade intent, if one couldn't withstand the pressure, their soul sea would collapse, resulting in soul annihilation.

The purple-clad man was likely also here to comprehend blade intent, heading straight for the Guanlei Temple at the summit, indicating his Martial Dao realm was at an extremely high level.

Luo Xiu wasn't the first martial artist to come near the Guanlei Temple to comprehend blade intent, so the purple-clad man merely glanced at him and paid no further attention.

Continuing forward, the blade intent grew sharper, with blade energy appearing out of thin air, like a dense rain, enveloping Luo Xiu.

Each blade energy was potentially lethal. Luo Xiu was fully focused, the Shadow Sword in his hand flashing rapidly, shattering each blade energy.

Gradually, more people arrived near the Guanlei Temple, including Innate Martial Masters, Spirit Refining Martial Sect experts, and even Kings of Martial Dao.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a scream echoed from the mountain's base, as the head of a Spirit Refining Martial Sect expert exploded into a blood mist, the headless body falling backward, lifeless.