Chapter 252: Comprehension (II)

In Li Mengxi's eyes, the saber intent enveloping Heavenly Blade Peak was precisely the opportunity to comprehend true intent. Yet Brother Zhao seemed to be treating it as if it were a diagram for comprehending various true intents.

This guy really is...

Li Mengxi was speechless. After a brief pause, he decided not to go back and remind him.

There was also another possibility, which was that Brother Zhao Hao's ambition was enormous. It could be that he intended to comprehend multiple forms of true intent before advancing to the Force Transformation realm. Before advancing, the more true intents one comprehended, the better. Once the characteristics of true strength solidified, adding even one more characteristic would become extremely difficult and would require several times more effort than before advancing.

But everything had its gains and losses. The more types of true intent one comprehended, the harder it became to transform true strength. If the transformation succeeded, the time spent would indeed be far less than transforming true strength first and then integrating true intent later to add new characteristics. But that was only if the transformation succeeded.

When too many true intents were comprehended, the difficulty of transformation grew. If the transformation ultimately failed, everything would be for nothing. According to Li Mengxi, many talented martial artists suffered precisely because they were overly confident, refusing to advance to the Force Transformation realm and instead repeatedly trying to comprehend new true intents. In the end, they accumulated more true intents than they could control, leading to a failed transformation and a lifetime without hope of reaching the Force Transformation realm.

"Forget it. Brother Zhao must have his own reasoning." Li Mengxi shook his head and stopped paying attention to Lin Zheyu.

He paid attention to Lin Zheyu mainly because the man had saved his younger sister. He simply wished to help however he could. Li Mengxi turned around and looked at a few figures less than five hundred meters from the summit. Those figures, both male and female, all looked young. They wore luxurious embroidered garments and clearly came from extraordinary backgrounds.

"

Hah

... I will catch up and then surpass you all," Li Mengxi murmured as his gaze grew increasingly resolute.

At the foot of Heavenly Blade Peak, he had joked about racing Lin Zheyu and had never believed Lin Zheyu would surpass him. Li Mengxi's true opponents were the three martial artists near the summit. They were famous geniuses of Wuling City and the ones he sought to catch up to.

***

At the foot of Heavenly Blade Peak, Tang Weizhong watched Lin Zheyu's back with an unreadable expression. Soon, a subordinate hurried over.

"My lord, the Pei Family of Ruyang City has replied. Soulcall Tower has accepted the assignment, and their assassins set out last night," the subordinate reported softly.

Soulcall Tower was a well-known assassination organization in the Central Plains, specializing in all kinds of killing assignments. They were backed by powerful forces. A top sect's genius disciple had once been assassinated by them, stirring a huge uproar, yet the matter ended quietly. The sect did not pursue the issue further, and Soulcall Tower remained standing.

"Good. Have them continue keeping watch. Send this letter to Pei Yujiang," said Tang Weizhong, taking out a sealed message and handing it to his subordinate.

"Yes, my lord." The subordinate accepted the letter and quickly left.

After confirming that Soulcall Tower had taken the task, Tang Weizhong no longer concerned himself with the matter. He stepped forward and entered the shroud of saber intent, heading toward the summit of Heavenly Blade Peak. Zhao Hao was protected by the Li Family, which made it difficult to attack him directly. But if Soulcall Tower handled the assassination, the Li Family would have difficulty responding.

"

Hmph.

" Entering the range of the saber intent, Tang Weizhong lifted his head toward Lin Zheyu's direction and let out a quiet snort.

"Your lightness techniques and movement skills are indeed impressive, but your momentum is far too weak. Under this overwhelming saber intent, how much of your technique can you even use?" Tang Weizhong scoffed.

On Heavenly Blade Peak, every family and sect had experts stationed here, and the Li Family was no exception. He truly did not dare attempt to kill Zhao Hao in this place. But losing control due to deviation while comprehending the saber intent and harming someone by accident would be perfectly reasonable. Even if the Li Family intervened and ruined his excuse to make a move, Tang Weizhong still intended to disrupt the other party.

He wanted to prevent Lin Zheyu from fully focusing on comprehending the saber intent. His purpose was simply to make the other man uncomfortable. As long as the other felt unsettled, he would feel satisfied. Before Soulcall Tower carried out the assassination, Tang Weizhong intended to disgust the man first to vent the frustration in his heart.

***

Whoosh.

About a thousand meters above the foot of Heavenly Blade Peak, mountain winds howled fiercely.

Lin Zheyu practiced the Barbaric Ox Fist again and again, imagining himself clad in heavy armor as each punch burst forth with unstoppable power. His fist momentum, compressed back into his body, stirred restlessly as the Barbaric Ox Fist drove it. It wanted to surge outward, yet the momentum contained within the saber intent was astonishing. No matter how his fist momentum struggled, it was tightly suppressed within his body.

Barbaric Ox Charge...

Ox Horn Thrust...

***

Lin Zheyu kept training again and again. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his chest rose and fell as he breathed. Even without wearing heavy armor, the terrifying pressure of the saber intent pressed down on him, enveloping his entire body in a crushing force. It felt as though he were trapped in a swamp, and every movement required tremendous effort.

"

Hmm?

" Lin Zheyu's brows furrowed slightly. He looked toward the foot of the mountain and saw Tang Weizhong ascending at an astonishing speed, rushing directly toward him.

What is this man trying to do? Is he planning to act here?

Lin Zheyu glanced at the Li Family expert nearby, the same Li Guoyao he had met once before.

With Li Guoyao present, would that man truly dare attack? Lin Zheyu could not make sense of it. He stopped his training as blood qi surged through his body. After a brief consideration, he chose not to clash head-on. The opportunity to comprehend the saber intent was extremely precious and came only once each year. He had already lost several days before this, and he did not intend to waste what remained on disputes with the Tang or Pei Families.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Old dog, once my strength rises and I find the chance, you will be the first I cut down,

thought Lin Zheyu as he cast a glance at the snarling Tang Weizhong, who was rushing toward him, and a trace of killing intent flashed through his eyes.

But it vanished quickly. He looked toward the summit of Heavenly Blade Peak, moved his body, and began climbing rapidly. He had kept a slow pace earlier to comprehend the gradual changes in the saber intent. Now that he had climbed over a thousand meters and grasped the transformations of the true intent along the way, it was enough.

"Can I reach the summit in one go?" Lin Zheyu murmured while looking at the peak.

His comprehension of momentum and true intent was admittedly lacking. After all, he had cultivated for less than three years, and most of that time had been spent honing martial techniques and increasing his strength. He had little time to meditate deeply on fist momentum or true intent. But climbing Heavenly Blade Peak and comprehending the saber intent was not determined by how many true intents one had absorbed.

The height one could reach depended not only on momentum and true intent but also on mental resilience and strength of spirit. The stronger one's will, the more pressure of the saber intent they could withstand. Though Lin Zheyu lacked in true intent comprehension, when it came to mental toughness and spiritual will, he deemed himself stronger than most in the Marrow Refining realm.

Through constantly pushing his limits, Lin Zheyu's spirit and soul had been tempered repeatedly, becoming extremely tenacious. Later, when cultivating the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, he endured terrifying pain. After that, receiving the Primordial Origin Technique {Modified} subjected him to another round of agony akin to hell. Through cycles of tempering and suffering, his mental will had long since become unyielding.

***

On Heavenly Blade Peak, about a thousand meters from the summit, Li Mengxi stopped and panted heavily. Reaching this point meant climbing roughly two-thirds of the entire height. Anyone who made it this far was undoubtedly an elite among martial artists, possessing formidable willpower.

"Almost there... I am about to catch up to them," Li Mengxi murmured.

He planned to rest and gather more strength before climbing again. Once he reached his limit, that was when he would start comprehending. He had climbed Heavenly Blade Peak many times before and did not need to ascend step by step like Lin Zheyu.

Brother Zhao Hao is no longer there. How far has he climbed? Wait, what the fuck? Such sudden speed. Why has he suddenly changed his nature? For one comprehending saber intent for the first time, climbing step by step is the best way.

Seeing Lin Zheyu climbing rapidly, Li Mengxi felt something was off.

Based on what he knew of Zhao Hao's temperament, he should not have been this impatient. Suspicion filled Li Mengxi's heart, but upon seeing Tang Weizhong behind Lin Zheyu, anger surged across his face. Tang Weizhong indeed did not dare kill here, but making trouble and disturbing Brother Zhao Hao's comprehension was entirely possible.

"So it was this old man causing trouble. Does he truly think Heavenly Blade Peak belongs to the Tang Family?" murmured Li Mengxi with a furious tone.

But since the other man was only climbing quickly and had not made a move, he had no grounds to act. Even if he did, there was no good method. Comprehending saber intent required calm focus and complete immersion. Even if Li Mengxi sent someone to protect Lin Zheyu, it would do little good. If Tang Weizhong merely caused disturbances without attacking, even noise alone would disrupt Lin Zheyu's comprehension.