Ninefold Thunderblade, Fourth Stage!

Inside the trial room, Candace and Luo Feng's consciousnesses were almost simultaneously ejected from the virtual space. “I lost?” “I lost?” Candace was still wearing his dark blue helmet, his vision plunged into darkness. Yet, he didn't remove it, instead sitting there in silence. “How could I have lost? It's impossible, it shouldn't have happened! His arm was already broken, I had the complete advantage. That last strike… that final burst of speed…” Candace sat on the sofa, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles cracked and turned white. Hatred, he truly hated it! From Luo Feng's ultimate speed and blade technique, Candace understood one thing perfectly—Luo Feng's punch force amplification had surged significantly! “At the very last moment, the critical juncture, he actually turned the tables?” “How could something like this happen?” “A breakthrough in battle? And I had to be the one to witness it?” Candace's body trembled slightly. Firstly, because he had lost a full 10 billion Huaxia coins in this battle. After all, he was only the first heir of his family, not the family patriarch. This sum was substantial even for him. Secondly, because of his pursuit of a girlfriend, Candace harbored a seething hatred for Luo Feng, his 'love rival'! He had suppressed his fury for so long, and this was finally his chance to teach Luo Feng a lesson. Instead, he was the one taught a lesson! It was a humiliation! Finally, what filled Candace with the most bitter indignation was… He had intended to thoroughly humble Luo Feng, to make him feel the sting of losing a massive sum. Yet, not only did his opponent profit, but he also achieved a breakthrough! For Luo Feng's breakthrough in strength, Candace was undeniably instrumental! Of course, the more significant reason for Luo Feng's breakthrough was that he had already mastered the third stage of the Ninefold Thunderblade before even arriving at the training camp. He had trained diligently every day, never daring to relax, refining his power control and solidifying his foundation. Even without this sudden flash of insight, Luo Feng would have naturally reached the fourth stage within another three to five months. Nevertheless, achieving it three to five months ahead of schedule was a tremendous boon! This battle certainly played a role. Having lost both the battle and the bride, how could Candace not be furious? How could he accept this? “Challenge: Luo Feng wins!” The electronic voice echoed through the Ninefold Tower's ninth-floor hall, audible even within the trial room. Candace's body gave a slight tremor before he finally removed the dark blue helmet. “Candace, thanks for this one.” Luo Feng was already standing at the door. “Hmph.” Candace snorted coldly, rising from the sofa as well. Suddenly, a melodious ringtone emanated from Luo Feng's pocket. The sound made Candace's expression darken further, while Luo Feng, smiling faintly, pulled out his phone to check a text message. As expected, it was a deposit notification from the bank… a total of 20 billion Huaxia coins had been credited directly! 10 billion of that was the amount Luo Feng had previously transferred to the training camp's dedicated challenge system account. The other 10 billion was what Luo Feng had won! “Click!” The door opened. Luo Feng and Candace emerged one after another. They immediately saw the ninth-floor hall bustling with excitement, many Wargod instructors and prominent figures from the elite training camp looking astonished. After all, from the perspective of the Wargod instructors and the camp's elites, Candace had been the clear favorite to win! They all knew that Candace's movement technique and swordplay, combined with his artistic conception, had a synergistic effect! This was why, even though Luo Feng initially held a slight advantage in strength and speed, he was still overpowered and had his arm severed. “Luo Feng!” “Haha, Luo Feng, impressive.” Especially the Huaxia students, many gave him a thumbs-up or called out excitedly. Luo Feng walked over, smiling. In stark contrast, Candace's face was ashen, almost black. He barely managed a few words with some of the stronger students before quickly departing for his quarters. This time, Candace failed to vent his frustration and instead swallowed a bellyful of anger! Hatred! He hated Luo Feng, and he hated himself for losing! …Later that night. Luo Feng was alone in his study. Even after video chatting with his family, he couldn't suppress the joy bubbling in his heart. This time, he truly hit the jackpot! Earning 10 billion was secondary; the most crucial thing was that, in the final moments of this decisive battle, he had actually comprehended the fourth stage of the Ninefold Thunderblade! “This fourth stage of the Ninefold Thunderblade is indeed difficult. I grasped the first three stages quickly, but this fourth one, I couldn't break through it even back in Jiangnan Base City. Since coming to the training camp, my blade techniques and power control have improved significantly, yet I still couldn't make the breakthrough,” Luo Feng mused with deep emotion. During the battle in the virtual space, that scene of a water droplet creating ripples on the surface of the water… It was very similar to when he had comprehended the second stage of the Ninefold Thunderblade! “A water droplet, creating ripples! The important thing isn't the ripples, nor the droplet, but the mirror! The mirror-like surface of the water!” Luo Feng exclaimed. “Only when the water surface is perfectly calm, without a single ripple, will a falling droplet create the clearest ripples.” Punch force amplification was the same. The key to amplification wasn't the individual hidden forces. It was the entire network of tendons, bones, and muscles through which these hidden forces traveled! With this understanding, and his power control already vastly superior to before, Luo Feng directly comprehended the fourth stage! “The fourth stage!” “Now that I've comprehended the fourth stage, my punch force amplification has reached 3.5!” Luo Feng's eyes gleamed. “My trial tower level is 3.4, just a hair short… 3.4 multiplied by 3.5 is only 11.9! Just a tiny bit more. As long as my trial tower level reaches 3.5, my combat power amplification will exceed 12.” According to his contract with the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, if his combat power amplification reached 12 before August 1st, he would receive a full set of nine-series combat uniform and weapons, any complete set of secret techniques, and a portion of Dragon Blood valued at 80 billion Huaxia coins. This was an enormous reward! Not to mention the 80 billion Huaxia coins worth of Dragon Blood, just the secret techniques alone—Luo Feng would definitely choose the complete Ninefold Thunderblade secret techniques. One must know… the full Ninefold Thunderblade secret techniques cost 100 billion Huaxia coins, and even at half price, it's 50 billion. Moreover, the half-price discount required Four-Star Tier contribution points. Four-Star Tier! When could Luo Feng possibly reach that? But now, he could get a complete set of secret techniques for free! “A set of secret techniques, plus Dragon Blood, plus combat uniform and weapons. Even at half price, it would definitely exceed 100 billion Huaxia coins! If I had to buy it myself, when would I ever be able to afford it?” Luo Feng was filled with confidence. Now with greatly increased speed and strength! It was impossible for his trial tower level not to improve by even 0.1! “This month, I still have two trial tower challenges left, one tomorrow night, and one the night after!” Luo Feng thought to himself. “Tomorrow, the 30th, my combat power amplification will exceed 12!” Last month, Luo Feng ranked in the top 50. So for July, Luo Feng had four hours of trial tower time: one hour each on the 9th, 25th, 30th, and 31st. This schedule was precisely because the deadline for combat power amplification was midnight on August 1st, so Luo Feng naturally arranged an hour of trial on each of the last two days! “Combat power amplification 12!” “I will definitely achieve it!” …The next day, Luo Feng spent most of his time in the underground secret chamber, thoroughly familiarizing himself with the fourth stage of the Ninefold Thunderblade. After dinner, he began meditating, preparing for tonight's trial tower challenge. By 9:35 PM, Luo Feng arrived at the ninth floor of the Ninefold Tower. “Luo Feng.” “Luo, hello.” Many individuals—Black, White, and Asian—greeted Luo Feng with smiles. Luo Feng, in high spirits, returned their greetings with a smile before entering the trial room. …Lying on the sofa, holding the dark blue helmet. “I must succeed in one go!” “With the Dragon Blood, I can become a high-tier Wargod mental-force user within one or two months! An invincible existence among Wargods!” Luo Feng silently encouraged himself, then put on the helmet. …In the virtual space. An boundless expanse of silver alloy ground stretched out, with the only distant feature being a towering, colossal seven-story pagoda—the trial tower. Whoosh! Luo Feng appeared on the ground. “I want to take the punch force amplification level test.” Luo Feng called out. This punch force level test could be performed in any virtual space, be it the challenge room's virtual space or the trial room's space, simply by stating the request to the virtual space's intelligent system. Because the test was truly simple. Whoosh! A punch force testing machine materialized out of thin air beside Luo Feng. “Student Luo Feng, please proceed with the punch force amplification level test immediately.” The electronic voice echoed above the silver ground. Luo Feng stood before the punch force testing machine. In the virtual space, his body's normal brute strength was a standard 10,000 kg per punch, with an error margin of no more than 10 kg. He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly. With a low grunt! Luo Feng's right fist instantly tore through the air. Four consecutive hidden forces surged rapidly into his arm and fist, causing his punch speed to skyrocket. With a terrifying whistling sound, it slammed hard into the punching target. “Thud~~” The punching target emitted a dull sound and jolted violently. The number appeared on the display screen—“35080kg”. “Punch force amplification level 3.5. Congratulations, Student Luo Feng, your current combat power amplification is 11.9.” The electronic voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation. “11.9, just a little more and it'll be 12.” Luo Feng walked directly towards the distant trial tower, while the punch force testing machine dissolved into nothingness. Trial Tower, third floor. It was a desolate wilderness. “Third floor, Stage B trial, Student Luo Feng. Your objective is to eliminate 190 Beginner Tier Beast General Golden Vultures and ten Mid-Tier Beast General Golden Vultures within thirty minutes! Good luck!” As soon as the electronic voice faded, a dense swarm of avian monsters appeared in the skies above the wilderness. Avian monsters, the Golden Vultures, known for their ferocity, were all at least Beginner Tier Beast General level. “Bring it on!” Luo Feng had died countless times in this third-floor trial, under the onslaught of Golden Vulture monster hordes. Avian monster hordes were far more terrifying than land-based ones. Once caught by an avian monster's talons, a human could be lifted directly into the air, with no leverage to fight back, facing certain death against the monster swarm! Therefore, he absolutely could not be caught and lifted by their talons! “Caw~~” Piercing screeches filled the air. The Golden Vulture avian monsters dove from high altitude, a dense, golden cloud of them descending upon Luo Feng. No wonder many Wargod instructors remained stuck on the third floor. This time, no matter what, Luo Feng had to at least eliminate the majority of the Stage B avian monster horde to reach a level of 3.5. “I must succeed.” Luo Feng gripped his Blood Shadow Battle Blade, his gaze icy. Rumble~~~ The avian beast horde instantly enveloped Luo Feng, and the slaughter began!