Taking Shape

“Boom-crack!” Streaks of lightning, imbued with the might of heaven and earth, struck down one after another. Sometimes, two bolts of electricity would intertwine in the sky like coiling serpents, merging into a single, colossal flash. That lightning, possessing boundless celestial power, was something even Lord-level monsters wouldn't dare to experience. Its terrifying voltage would likely reduce them to ashes in an instant. “Fierce! Sharp!” “Destroy everything!” Luo Feng stood silently on the rooftop corridor, watching, and murmured. These past few days, Luo Feng had been diligently training his movement technique and blade art in that county town. In terms of movement, Luo Feng had barely managed to step into the ‘Micro-level.’ However, with his blade art, Luo Feng could only say that he had reached an astonishing level of power control. Slaughtering over ten thousand monsters, coupled with the Ninefold Thunder Blade’s inherently stringent demands on power, had made Luo Feng’s blade control far superior to even Wei Tie and Wei Qing. Yet, Luo Feng hadn't mastered the second stage of the Ninefold Thunder Blade, though he yearned to achieve it. This secret manual was incredibly potent; the first stage amplified one’s original strength by 1.4 times, while the second stage boosted it by 2.1 times. That was more than double the original power. In other words, a High-level Warrior could fully unleash the power of an Elementary Warlord! And the ninth stage of the Ninefold Thunder Blade? That was 7.0 times, or seven times the power! A High-level Warrior could almost unleash the power of a High-level Warlord! This was the heaven-defying aspect of the Ninefold Thunder Blade. However, currently, the only person known worldwide to have cultivated it to the ninth stage was its creator, Lei Shen himself. “Yes, this must be it.” Luo Feng, who had been pondering his blade art, saw the lightning bolts and felt a faint connection in his heart. Without hesitation, he immediately returned to the second floor to retrieve his Blood Shadow Battle Blade. Then, on the vast, rain-swept rooftop, Luo Feng, holding his Blood Shadow Battle Blade, began to practice his blade art in the pouring rain! In the distance, the lightning gradually became sparse. The secret manual explained that any Grandmaster of blade art would possess their own unique ‘intent.’ According to the manual, the higher one’s blade art realm, the higher the stages of the Ninefold Thunder Blade one could achieve. “This lightning…” In the torrential rain, Luo Feng began to swing his blade, again and again! Unlike before, Luo Feng’s current practice was a pursuit of that inner realization, that subtle insight into the lightning. The extreme condensation of power that erupted in an instant—Luo Feng’s blade flashed, whether in vertical chops, slashes, upward thrusts, or horizontal cuts, each like a streak of light. “Explode, explode, burst forth!” Luo Feng repeatedly tried to channel that sense of intent in his heart, making his body unleash layers of hidden force. “This should be it, but why can I only unleash one layer of hidden force, and not the second?” The rain was heavy, but Luo Feng was completely immersed in his world of blade art, oblivious to the downpour. That night, Luo Feng uncharacteristically skipped his Gene Original Energy cultivation, instead repeatedly performing the Ninefold Thunder Blade. In truth, the continuous blade swings had already exhausted his body. But Luo Feng didn't want to stop, so he merely rested briefly after each swing before unleashing another. The next morning, the rain had long stopped. A faint hint of dawn glowed in the eastern sky. The chill of autumn and winter was quite biting in the early morning, yet Luo Feng, soaked to the bone, sat on the corridor holding his Blood Shadow Battle Blade, his brow furrowed. “What am I still missing?” Luo Feng could feel it himself; he should be able to unleash the second layer of hidden force. Even the deep-seated hidden force within his muscles had been mobilized, but each time it seemed on the verge of success, it ultimately failed. Just a tiny bit more. “Ding-dong!” A drop of rainwater fell from the eaves of the corridor, landing on a puddle on the rooftop. Instantly, the calm surface rippled outwards, gently spreading in all directions. “Hmm?” Luo Feng’s heart stirred. In his mind, the scene of the destructive lightning bolts reappeared—sharp to the extreme! Yet, the ripple-like patterns caused by a single raindrop were incredibly gentle. “Rigidity cannot last!” “His physical constitution was already so strong, and the ninth stage required an explosive power seven times beyond his physical limits. If he constantly pursued the extreme of rigidity, how could his body endure it?” Luo Feng excitedly stood up immediately, holding his Blood Shadow Battle Blade, and directly swung a strike forward. When the blade first moved, its speed was only relatively fast. But in an instant, the blade’s speed surged! Then surged again! Increasing twice consecutively! The blade sliced through the air! “Boom~” A sonic boom echoed. Luo Feng’s right arm swelled almost instantly, noticeably thicker than his left. “This is it.” Luo Feng retracted his battle blade, a look of joyful surprise on his face. In that moment, the subtle muscles of his body rippled like a disturbed water surface, naturally unleashing two consecutive layers of hidden force. The Blood Shadow Battle Blade, imbued with these two layers of hidden force, instantly soared to an astonishing speed, like a flash of lightning! The second stage of the Ninefold Thunder Blade was finally mastered! With just his blade art, Luo Feng could now unleash the power of an Elementary Warlord. Coupled with his Micro-level movement technique, even an average Elementary Warlord might not be able to match him. In his euphoria, Luo Feng went downstairs, immediately called for breakfast, happily finished it, and then prepared to cultivate his Gene Original Energy. “No, wait.” Luo Feng shook his head. “My current strike is powerful, but it’s just brute force.” He immediately picked up his Blood Shadow Battle Blade again. “I can unleash two consecutive layers of hidden force, and I can completely control the frequency between them. This will make my blade speed even more unpredictable.” Luo Feng began to swing his blade in the training room. Because he could unleash two consecutive layers of hidden force, Luo Feng’s battle blade would have two bursts of acceleration. This was the difference between a practitioner of the Ninefold Thunder Blade and an ordinary blade user. “Whoosh~ whoosh~” The battle blade moved erratically and mysteriously. Strike after strike! Luo Feng’s mind repeatedly replayed the scene of lightning striking down from the sky, and the scene of raindrops creating ripples. He pursued this feeling, swinging his blade again and again! What he needed was his *own* blade art! The Ninefold Thunder Blade only provided him with a technique for exerting force. The ‘intent’ of blade art needed to be comprehended by Luo Feng himself; what suited him best was truly the best. And only when his realm was sufficient could his body withstand the force exerted by the Ninefold Thunder Blade without sustaining damage. Immersed in this act of creation, physical fatigue couldn’t dampen Luo Feng’s mental exhilaration. He swung his blade repeatedly, and his blade art became increasingly erratic and swift. Even as the battle blade cut through the air, the blade itself subtly vibrated due to the two accelerations, creating faint shockwaves. Luo Feng had no idea how much time had passed… “Whoosh!” A streak of blade light flashed past, like electricity and mist. There was a hazy, dreamlike sensation, but in that fleeting moment, the lightning-fast strike had already vanished. “That’s it!” Luo Feng finally smiled. That fluid, effortless strike allowed his muscles to remain relaxed, instantly unleashing hidden force, but then returning to a relaxed state immediately after. This alternating state of tension and relaxation would also allow Luo Feng to sustain combat for longer periods. “In terms of blade art levels, I’ve surpassed the basics and touched upon the realm of ‘intent,’ even if it’s just the fringes.” Luo Feng was overjoyed. What should his blade art be called? “Since I comprehended this blade art by observing lightning bolts, then this blade art shall be called…” “Thunderbolt!” Luo Feng finally had his own blade art. “My Thunderbolt blade art, though just a beginning, I will continuously refine its ‘intent’ in the future.” Luo Feng murmured, glancing down at his communication watch. It was already past two in the afternoon. He hadn’t realized he had been pondering his blade art for nearly 20 hours since last night. “In a few days, the Fire Hammer Squad will gather. My blade art and movement technique have also made some progress, so I’ll go back and rest for a few days.” Luo Feng, in a joyful mood, ate lunch, packed his belongings, and took a train from the supply base to Jiangnan Base City. Over fifty days of training, and the deaths of over ten thousand monsters, had elevated Luo Feng’s movement technique and blade art to new heights. And the blade art ‘Thunderbolt’ he created was now finally taking shape. Although it was still rudimentary and shallow, its creator was only 18 years old. No one could say what heights this ‘Thunderbolt’ blade art would reach in the future!