TL: Etude
The Silver-level Martial Technique called "Heavenly Extreme Slash" was created by Ye Tian. For others, it would take considerable time to comprehend this Silver-level Martial Technique. However, Ye Tian didn't have such hassles. His understanding of martial intent had already reached the sixth level. He could quickly master the Silver-level Martial Technique to perfection.
In the following days, Ye Tian devoted himself to comprehending the Heavenly Extreme Slash.
On the first day, he grasped the basics of the Heavenly Extreme Slash.
On the third day, he achieved the minor level.
On the sixth day, he attained the major level.
By the tenth day, he mastered it to perfection.
It took him just ten days to master a Silver-level Martial Technique to perfection—a feat considered impossible by other martial warriors. Even those with top-level martial talent, whose martial intent had reached the sixth level, would require at least a year to fully master a Silver-level Martial Technique. Ye Tian achieved it in a mere ten days. Such is the advantage of creating one's own Martial Technique!
After mastering the Heavenly Extreme Slash to perfection, Ye Tian's strength had increased manifold.
His physical strength had reached the level of 53 Elephants, and with the enhancement from his vital energy, it was equivalent to 106 Elephants. His pseudo-mystic-level strength talent could amplify his attack thirty times, and the Heavenly Extreme Slash could stack another twelve times onto that.
By these calculations, Ye Tian's strongest attack could reach a force of 38,160 Elephants.
"My one strike has reached 38,160 Elephants of force, even though I'm only at the Grandmaster level!" Ye Tian couldn't help but feel immensely proud of himself. The crucial point was his capability to exert such enormous power. Ordinary people, lacking a perfect foundation and unable to break the limits of Heaven and Earth, wouldn't be able to exert over a hundred times their attack power, regardless of how strong their talents were.
Ye Tian calculated, "The minimum physical strength at the King level is 150 Elephants, and at its peak, it's 10,000 Elephants. With enhancements, that becomes 20,000 Elephants. In this regard, my attack power has already surpassed that of King-level beings without special talents!"
One could say that among those at the King level, Ye Tian was exceedingly powerful. Furthermore, he also possessed top-tier speed talents. His speed was not significantly inferior to that of mighty King-level beings, although it paled in comparison to those at the Invincible King level.
"However, I still have the trump card of 'Spatial Blade.' Once I reach the peak of the Grandmaster level, I might even possess the combat power of an Invincible King!"
The Invincible King! This was the combat level Ye Tian had longed for in his dreams, and he was almost there. Given his rate of cultivation, it would only take a few more months.
Soon, he would have to prepare to leave the Demon Sea Base and head to the Super Base. For better talents, he had to move. During these months at the Demon Sea Base, he hadn't even managed to copy any superior talents. He had only copied some average ones like top-tier Wind Blade Talent from Yun Feng, high-level Thunder Talent, etc., which didn't significantly aid him in combat.
Of course, he also copied one decent talent, a medium-level Illusion Talent. While not especially useful in combat, it was quite effective for interrogating enemies.
But what Ye Tian truly desired weren't these talents; he was looking for Dawn Star-level cultivation talents, pseudo-mystic-level talents, or higher-level spatial talents and abilities similar to Life-Exchange or Soul Transfer. These were what he really wanted, yet he couldn't find them at the Demon Sea Base. Therefore, he was eager to leave the Demon Sea Base as soon as possible.
On this day, Ye Tian visited the Yue family. He wasn't there to see Yue Ling; instead, he came to pay his respects to the Yue family's only King-level ancestor— Lord Yue Ling!
Deep within the Yue family compound stood a classical small courtyard. This was where Lord Yue Ling resided. He preferred a quieter environment, which was why his living space was designed this way.
"Brother Yue, I apologize for disturbing you today," Ye Tian began.
"Not at all, young friend Ye. Your visit is an honor for me," Lord Yue Ling responded graciously.
Lord Yue Ling's face was filled with joy.
"Brother Yue, how did it go last time when you were investigating the matter for me?" Ye Tian asked expectantly.
Lord Yue Ling knew exactly what Ye Tian was asking about. The last time they had parted, Ye Tian had asked him to investigate a super-base, particularly how to gain entry into it.
"I've found some information," Lord Yue Ling said, his expression turning serious. "Getting into the super-base is not easy. They have high requirements for outsiders. If you just want to stay there for a few days, it might not be an issue, but if you want to become a resident, it's not just about having money; you need strength. Even those at the king-level often do not qualify to become residents of the super-base."
"The requirements are that high?" Ye Tian frowned.
"Indeed, they are. This is to maintain the dignity and talent level of the super-base. If a large number of people with low talent were to flood the super-base, although the population would indeed increase, the overall quality would decline," Lord Yue Ling explained.
Ye Tian nodded, accepting this reasoning. But what Lord Yue Ling said next shocked him.
"Ye Tian, strength is just one aspect. The real issue is that the internal dynamics within the super-base are incredibly complicated. It seems…" Lord Yue Ling hesitated, as if he were reluctant to say or even believe what he was about to share.
"Seems what?" Ye Tian urged.
"It seems that it's not just humans from our time who are there!"
Lord Yue Ling took a deep breath.
"What do you mean?" Ye Tian's face changed.
"I'm not entirely sure myself. I heard it from a powerful king-level individual, who in turn heard it from other king-level individuals. Apparently, someone in a super base saw people who were three meters tall, and humans with three eyes. But how can humans have three eyes or be that tall?"
Lord Yue Ling seemed to imply that this was impossible, but he also knew that there must be some basis for such outrageous claims to circulate.
Ye Tian pondered. Whether the super-base really harbored such strange, unmodern humans, he would only find out after he went there himself.
"Do you have a map to the super-base?"
That was what Ye Tian was most concerned about. With a map, he could make his way into the super-base. Without one, searching for it in the vast wilderness was tantamount to seeking his own death.
"I do, but only a rough location," Lord Yue Ling replied, pulling out a hand-drawn map. It marked a super-base—Zhonghai Super-Base, which was the same base that Yun Meng had gone off to explore.
"Thank you!" Ye Tian gratefully took the map. Then, to Lord Yue Ling's surprise, he tossed over a secret manual.
"This manual is my payment for your help. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay here any longer," he said, and left.
Lord Yue Ling initially wanted to return the manual to Ye Tian, but when he picked it up, he froze: "Silver-level Technique—Heavenly Extreme Slash!"
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the Heavenly Extreme Slash could simultaneously boost both attack and speed. When mastered, it could augment one's attack elevenfold and nearly double the attack speed (only Ye Tian could augment it twelvefold; others could only go up to eleven).
"This silver-level manual is truly priceless!" Lord Yue Ling trembled a bit.
Although the Yue family rarely had talents with an affinity for techniques, techniques and sword skills were essentially two sides of the same coin. Talents in sword skills could also cultivate techniques by making slight modifications, and still unleash about 80-90% of a technique's power.
Moreover, this silver-level technique would be extremely valuable to the Yue family, as they only possessed one incomplete silver-level technique manual.
"This payment is too generous!" Lord Yue Ling thought to himself, filled with gratitude.