After returning to the Chu Family, Chu Hao gave the Red Iron to Uncle Yu, the old butler who knew an exceptional blacksmith, best known for crafting sharp swords. He himself went to the practice field, took out the Sword Manual, and spread it on the ground.
He didn't rush into practicing, but rather visualized each of the seven sword techniques in his mind, engaging in derivation.
The seven sword techniques, each faster than the last, with the final move perfectly combining power and speed. Combined with a sharp blade, it could even pierce through the defense of the Great Mahayana realm!
From this perspective, the power of swordsmanship seemed far superior to that of fist techniques! Even though the Izumo Sword Technique was only an intermediate swordsmanship, with a sharp sword, its lethality was absolutely devastating compared to the Mad Wind Fist.
Why then was the Mad Wind Fist considered an advanced martial technique? It made no sense for a higher rank to have less power!
Chu Hao stroked his chin, yet he could not fathom the reason behind this.
More than an hour later, Chu Hao picked up a wooden sword used for practice and waved it effortlessly.
Swish, swish, swish, as the sword shadows turned, his figure moved too, holding a wooden sword, yet exuding an astonishing chill.
If someone knowledgeable were watching, they would be extremely surprised, as Chu Hao had remarkably cultivated Sword Intent!
—Without Sword Intent, how could a thrust from a sword possibly injure someone?
Yet among ten people practicing swordsmanship, at most one could cultivate Sword Intent and become a true swordsman!
Chu Hao's movements became faster, with the wooden sword swinging, it even circulated arcs of cold light, bone-chillingly sharp!
"Very good, I have already mastered the first technique!" Chu Hao revealed a smile, his exceptional derivation ability performed brilliantly in cultivating martial techniques, "So, now to begin mastering the second technique!"
He completely lost track of time, continuously swinging his sword!
Late at night, Chu Hao stood before a wooden post.
He had already mastered the first six techniques of the Izumo Sword, but the last one was much more complex which looked like it would take another two or three days to comprehend and master.
Let's try the power of these six sword techniques.
Chu Hao took a deep breath and swiftly made his move, puh, puh, puh, puh, puh, his swordstrike speed was so fast, it was invisible to the ordinary eye, one could only hear faint sounds.
He suddenly sheathed his sword, standing proudly.
Bang, the entire wooden post suddenly split apart, breaking into several pieces.
In that instant, he had delivered at least dozens of strikes, even using a wooden sword, but with such rapid continuous stabbings, it had cut through the post!
If he had not been using a wooden sword, but a real sharp sword, what then?
Chu Hao couldn't help but look forward, the blacksmith had stated it would only take ten days to forge the sword!
He didn't force himself to learn the Izumo Sword Technique in one go; he took a bath and went to sleep.
Life at the academy continued as usual, and Chu Hao's strength also steadily increased. To others, his cultivation speed was enviable, almost like flying!
But Chu Hao was not satisfied.
Three doses of Strong Muscle Powder every three days, plus two pounds of ferocious beast meat every day, meant his strength increased by about 25 pounds daily, adding up to just over 9,000 pounds in a year. At first glance, this pace was indeed not slow, practically on the verge of reaching the Great Mahayana realm within a year.
However, a year later, when Eastern Cloud City would redecide the contenders for the Nine Great Nobles, what better way for him to revive the Chu Family than by reclaiming the nobility title?
This would also be the best punishment for Lin Yuqi, that opportunist woman!
Thus, Chu Hao needed stronger Spiritual Medicine, more ferocious beast meat, to help himself reach the strength of 100,000 within a year, become part of the Vajra Realm, and have the credentials to contend for the position of nobility!
The final technique of the Izumo Sword Technique took Chu Hao a full three days to completely master.
Once again, he stood in front of the training field's wooden post, his wooden sword held level, his gaze sharp, his body beginning to emit a powerful Sword Intent. If someone had seen him practice the Izumo Sword three days ago, they would realize his Sword Intent had at least doubled in strength now!
This represented his progress in the Sword Dao!
He stood motionless, like a boulder of a thousand years, but the Sword Intent he emanated grew ever more frigid, making the weather, which had been warming up, feel like it had reverted to the dead of winter.
Swish, the wooden sword swung out, like a grey, furious dragon, piercing straight towards the wooden post.
Thud!
The wooden sword deeply stabbed into the wooden post, then, with a snap, the entire post burst apart from the middle, turning into countless wooden splinters scattering in the air. The wooden sword also completely shattered, leaving only the hilt still clutched in Chu Hao's hand.
Chu Hao panted heavily, sweat rolling down his forehead.
This seventh technique of the Izumo Sword indeed had powerful effects, yet it also had many drawbacks.
First, the time to muster strength was very long, at least three seconds! Don't underestimate three seconds; during a life and death battle, nobody would give you three seconds to prepare! Moreover, after this sword was struck, the entire body's strength was depleted, creating a short window of vulnerability.
This also took about three seconds.
Chu Hao thought to himself that this swing must achieve something significant. Otherwise, it would be very bad for him!
Now, with everything ready except for the right opportunity, as soon as he got the new weapon, he could leave the city for an adventure. With his current cultivation level, he, of course, couldn't go to places that were overly dangerous. He could only hover around outside, mostly gaining experience and expanding his horizons. It would be even better if he could incidentally kill a few ferocious beasts.
A peaceful life really didn't suit him.
On the ninth day, the Sharp Sword was finally forged!
Uncle Yu brought the sword back. When Chu Hao returned from the academy, he saw a three-foot-long sword quietly lying on the table. From the outside, it looked ordinary.
But the moment he drew the sword, a red light burst forth instantly, the entire blade as if forged from flames, flowing with red light, looking as if it had a life of its own. The glow wasn't very bright, but it was barely sufficient for illumination in an extremely dark environment.
Chu Hao plucked a strand of hair and let it fall towards the blade; the hair silently split into two when it passed over the edge!
Sharp enough to cut through hair!
Excellent sword!
Chu Hao couldn't help but swing the long sword a few times; it felt like wielding a light saber, absolutely spectacular visually! Moreover, the blade was light. With Chu Hao's current strength of over a thousand jins, it felt virtually weightless.
He hurriedly ran to the training ground. This time, he could no longer practice with wooden stakes. Instead, he fetched a large rock, calmed his mind and spirit for a moment, then suddenly thrust the sword.
A streak of red light flashed by, as swift as a meteor in the sky.
Crack!
This large rock instantly bore a deep, two-foot-long sword mark!
Chu Hao revealed a smile. What did this represent? Even when facing an opponent in the Great Mahayana realm, such a sword strike could inflict similar damage! Of course, a rock was inanimate and people were living; whether he could strike someone was another matter.
Moreover, the sword had only penetrated an inch, which wouldn't be lethal or even crippling no matter where it struck. However, it would certainly be effective against enemies in the Middle Mahayana realm!
Chu Hao couldn't help but feel an immense surge of confidence, shaking the long sword and saying, "This sword shall be called... the Red Shadow Sword!"
"I'll leave the city tomorrow!"
He had been preparing for this day for a long time and could leave at any moment. Now that the Red Shadow Sword was forged, he naturally didn't want to wait any longer.
He didn't take leave from the academy. Instead, he would act first and report later; Uncle Yu would only go to the academy to ask for his leave after he had left the city. This was obviously to prevent Liu Yang and Ma Long from secretly following him and attacking once he was out of the city.
Chu Hao was still quite weak; he needed time to grow, thus he was even more eager to obtain a large amount of ferocious beasts' meat. Otherwise, even if he could increase by 30 jins a day, it would still take ten years to reach the Vajra Realm, where he would truly fear no one.
Uncle Yu was naturally worried, but given Chu Hao's determination, he could only continuously remind him to be careful and take more precautions.
The next day, stepping into the morning sunlight, Chu Hao left Eastern Cloud City for the first time.
Even the previous Chu Hao had never left the city — for everyone, the area outside the city was a terrifying place, only those bold merchants, herbalists, and hunters would venture out.
Then there were the mercenaries, earning money by risking their lives, usually escorting merchants.
The nearest city to Eastern Cloud City was Yue City, located about 300 li north. Most of the area between the two cities was wilderness, with a section known as Blackwood Forest, a dangerous area.
The wilderness housed ferocious beasts, mostly from Lesser Mahayana realm, with few from the Middle Mahayana realm. Deep within the Blackwood Forest, many Middle Mahayana realm ferocious beasts were found, and the traveling merchants would usually prefer taking longer routes to avoid it.
Chu Hao decided to only skirt around the edge of Blackwood Forest this time; he still wasn't qualified to venture into such a dangerous place—although there were precious herbs like the century-old Spirit Ginseng and Poria in the depths of Blackwood Forest!
He left the city quietly, carrying a package filled with essentials for living in the wild. This time, he planned to stay in the wilderness for at least a month, tempering himself through real combat and bloodshed.
On Earth, he could be called a survival expert, but this world was full of changes. Many experiences turned out to be detrimental, making him resolve to discard Earth's "common sense" and start from scratch.
At the end of the day, he hadn't encountered a single ferocious beast, and because he was in the wild, he was also unable to perform a medicated bath to absorb the medicinal strengths of Strong Muscle Powder. However, that didn't matter—it was a good opportunity to completely clear the residual damage from the Strong Muscle Powder and restore his body to its optimal state.
At night, he started a bonfire and skewered a wild rabbit he had caught earlier; this was his dinner.
The wild rabbit began to emit a tempting aroma, making him eager to feast.
"Leave two legs for me!" Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out. Whoosh—a figure flashed, and a very slender woman also leapt over, bang—when she landed, the ground shook heavily, as if it were about to flip over.
Chu Hao, using the firelight to see, noted that this woman was at least 170 cm tall with long legs sheathed in black leather pants, sleek and captivating. Her buttocks were quite ample, arching into a perfect curve that under the reflection of the black leather pants, emitted a dazzling light.
Her waist was slender, her breasts protruding, and her face extremely alluring; her slightly curly black hair added a touch of sexiness to her.
No matter how you looked at it, this woman had nothing to do with a giant. How could she make such a loud noise when she landed?