The warm sunlight streamed in through the window.
Inside the room, Ye Tian sat cross-legged, his hands resting on his knees, fingers pointed skyward.
With each gentle breath, a profound energy surged within him, akin to a mighty river coursing through eight main meridians.
The obscure ninth meridian had been partially opened, with only a small portion of impurities remaining; it would not be long before he could fully clear it.
"Whew!"
Moments later, Ye Tian opened his eyes, his gaze shimmering with brilliance. He leaped to his feet, stretching his body, a refreshing sensation enveloping him, as his vitality reached its zenith.
"Reaching the peak of the eighth level of martial prowess, my strength has notably increased. Indeed, engaging in fierce battles with formidable beasts is the quickest way to enhance one's abilities!" A flicker of excitement crossed Ye Tian's eyes as he felt the powerful energy surging within him.
During this time, his confrontations with various powerful beasts had accelerated his progress.
After battling the Purple Cloud Leopard yesterday, he sensed a breakthrough was imminent. After a night of cultivation, he had advanced from the latter stages of the eighth level to its peak.
Now, he was merely a half-step away from the ninth level; it wouldn't be long before he achieved a breakthrough.
Swish!
Ye Tian pushed open the door and shot out like a bolt of lightning, instantly arriving in the courtyard.
"Now that I've reached the peak of the eighth level, my Thunder Palm should be even more formidable!" Ye Tian mused, adopting a stance and swiftly striking the air with both palms, unleashing nine palm shadows that filled the sky, overwhelming in force.
Boom! Boom! Boom...
A series of explosive sounds erupted, deafening in their intensity, thrilling Ye Tian immensely.
Suddenly, he struck a nearby tree with a powerful palm, causing the trunk to shudder and leaves to rain down. With a resounding blast, the entire tree shattered and collapsed.
"Boom!"
Observing the fallen tree and the splintered trunk, Ye Tian's face lit up with excitement. The power of his Thunder Palm had indeed grown stronger; should he encounter the Purple Cloud Leopard again, he would surely be able to defeat it.
"Next, it's time to test my swordsmanship. These past few days, I have integrated the military knife techniques I learned in my previous life and am preparing to create my own style. It feels like it's finally taking shape."
Ye Tian returned to the room, retrieved the blood knife, and began practicing in the courtyard.
The military knife techniques were deadly and fierce, yet Ye Tian felt they lacked something. He attempted to blend these techniques together.
Remarkably, he succeeded, naming this amalgamated style "Slaughter," as it had been forged in the heat of combat against countless fierce beasts.
Now, "Slaughter" was beginning to take form, awaiting further refinement.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Ye Tian wielded the blood knife, his movements fluid and lightning-fast, constantly flickering in the courtyard. His strikes were like waves, layered upon one another, relentless and unending.
Each blow was a deadly strike, imbued with an ominous aura, the fierce energy making anyone who beheld it feel a chill that extinguished their will to fight.
"Crack!"
As the blade shimmered, Ye Tian darted past a large tree, producing a crisp sound as it fell.
The cut on the tree was remarkably clean, revealing the astonishing speed and power behind that last strike.
"Caw…"
A large bird flew overhead, intending to perch atop the tree, but startled by its sudden collapse, it squawked in alarm.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Ye Tian's gaze sharpened, and a flash of insight illuminated his mind. The remarkable feeling he experienced during his battle with the Purple Cloud Leopard resurfaced.
Swish! Swish!
The blade's intent shifted abruptly, an intense aura of killing intent surged from the knife, hissing through the air.
Ye Tian stood motionless, as if in a trance; he suddenly felt as if the blood knife had vanished from his grasp.
No!
It was more accurate to say that the blood knife had become a part of him, rendering it imperceptible; it felt as though he was no longer wielding the knife but his own arm.
This sensation of moving as one with the knife filled Ye Tian with exhilaration; his strikes grew increasingly ferocious, the killing intent soaring.
Finally, Ye Tian swung the knife, severing a distant tree with a clean cut through the air.
"Boom!"
The sound of the collapsing tree jolted Ye Tian back to reality, pulling him from that extraordinary state.
"What…" Staring at the tree that lay ten meters ahead, Ye Tian's eyes widened in disbelief. Was this truly his doing?
"A martial master can externalize their energy to unleash a blade's aura, yet I didn't release any aura just now…"
Confusion filled Ye Tian's eyes.
The martial artist reaches the master level, where their true energy becomes powerful enough to be externally projected. Whether for self-protection or offense, this capability is formidable. This is why master-level warriors are so formidable—ordinary martial artists cannot hope to compete with them.
It is rumored that some extraordinary master-level warriors can unleash a single strike that sends their lethal blade aura slicing through enemies several meters away. With a single swing of their sword, their unstoppable sword energy can pierce through massive boulders. Yet just moments ago, Ye Tian had managed to sever a tree ten meters away with a single swing, despite not perceiving any blade aura emanating from his strike. In fact, Ye Tian hadn't even felt the true energy surging from his body. Clearly, the reason for the tree's severance was not due to blade energy.
"How strange! That wondrous sensation from yesterday, which allowed me to injure the purple cloud leopard, has granted me such power again today. What could this phenomenon be?" Ye Tian furrowed his brows, filled with confusion and curiosity. He sheathed his blood knife, intending to consult the elder of the Martial Arts Pavilion later. Although he did not understand this extraordinary feeling, its immense power hinted at the possibility of a new means to enhance his strength further. Ye Tian was eager to explore any method that could aid in his advancement.
In the main hall, Ye Tian quickly finished his breakfast and rushed to the Martial Arts Pavilion. "Father, remember to notify Uncle Ba that we won't be hunting today!"
"You lazy brat! Trying to slack off again!" Ye Meng called out in discontent, watching his son's retreating figure.
Suddenly, Lin Mei's voice rang out from the courtyard. "What's the matter?" Ye Meng was startled and hastily set down his bowl to rush outside.
The courtyard was in disarray, with three toppled trees and evidence of fierce blade marks scattered everywhere, along with various palm imprints. "What on earth have you done? Are you trying to demolish the house?" Ye Meng exclaimed, realizing that Ye Tian had been practicing martial arts in the yard.
The boy showed no restraint; now at the eighth level of martial arts, this small courtyard could hardly withstand his vigorous training. "Alright, you should clean this up," Lin Mei said with a wry smile, though she felt a surge of happiness at her son's growing strength, which meant greater safety for him.
At the Martial Arts Pavilion, dozens of young people were coming and going. Upon seeing Ye Tian, they greeted him enthusiastically, their faces brimming with admiration. Ye Tian had become a figure of great significance in Ye Family Village, idolized by the youth and serving as their target to aspire toward.
"Ye Tian, why aren't you off hunting today? Come sit with me!" A familiar voice called out as soon as Ye Tian stepped into the pavilion. It was the elder of the Martial Arts Pavilion.
Ye Tian smiled slightly and turned toward the voice, noticing two people seated across a stone table—one was indeed the elder, while the other was Ye Feng.
"Elder, Uncle Feng is here too!" Ye Tian greeted them both respectfully.
"Come, sit down," Ye Feng smiled, gesturing toward a nearby stone bench. Ye Tian complied and took a seat.
The elder looked at Ye Tian with curiosity and said, "You don't often come here without reason. What brings you to seek the help of this old man? Haha!"
"Elder!" Ye Tian replied with a wry smile.
"Alright, Uncle, stop teasing him." Ye Feng interjected, helping him out.
Ye Feng turned to Ye Tian and asked, "So, what's the matter? I'm curious why a training fanatic like you isn't off battling fierce beasts."
Ye Tian sighed in exasperation; his recent challenges against various formidable beasts had become the talk of Ye Family Village. Due to his relentless pursuit of strength, he had earned the nickname "Training Maniac."
"Uncle Feng, Elder, the thing is, yesterday during my fight with the purple cloud leopard…" Ye Tian recounted the extraordinary sensation he experienced the previous day. He refrained from mentioning the remarkable feat of severing a tree from ten meters away, as it seemed too incredible for others to believe.
"Did you feel as though the blood knife moved like an extension of your arm?" Ye Feng inquired, his brow slightly furrowed as his eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"I think I've encountered this sensation before…" The elder also frowned, deep in thought. Suddenly, he lifted his head with a bright gleam in his eyes and exclaimed, "I remember seeing something similar in an ancient text! Wait, I'll fetch it for you!"
With that, the elder hurried over to a distant row of bookshelves.
"Indeed, having an elder in the family is akin to possessing a treasure!" Ye Tian felt a surge of excitement. He had approached the elder out of mere curiosity, never expecting the elder to possess such knowledge.
"Ye Tian!" At that moment, Ye Feng, who had been deep in thought, spoke up, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Uncle Feng!" Ye Tian looked at him curiously, wondering if he had unearthed some significant insight.
"It's the sword intent!" Ye Feng declared with enthusiasm. "Ye Tian, do you realize? If I'm not mistaken, you have comprehended the sword intent!"
"Sword intent?" Ye Tian was taken aback, having never heard the term before.
"Exactly, it's the sword intent!" At this point, the elder returned, his face animated with excitement as he held up an ancient parchment. From its appearance, Ye Tian could tell it was quite old.