Chapter 92.1: The Power of Intent; Severing an Arm From Ten Zhang! (I)

"A Divine Strength martial artist!" exclaimed the elder of the Divine Fire Palace, his expression turning serious.

He wasn't afraid of offending an ordinary merchant association, but one backed by a Divine Strength martial artist was a completely different story. Even so, fire seeds were extremely important to the Divine Fire Palace. They had no choice but to act.

The elder took a deep breath, trying to feign calm. "Sir, the fire seeds are far too valuable—"

Schwing!

Before the Divine Fire Palace Elder could complete his sentence, Lu Changsheng drew out his saber and slashed cleanly through his neck.

Splurt!

The elder's head flew up into the air and landed on the dock with a dull thud. Blood burst forth in a violent spray, splattering onto the deck and spreading a heavy, metallic stench through the air.

Lu Changsheng’s gaze swept across the stunned faces of the Divine Fire Palace disciples. "Does anyone else dare to object?"

The disciples felt their legs weaken. A few stumbled backward, hearts pounding. For years, they had ruled Volcano City with cruelty and impunity, taking whatever they pleased, trampling over anyone who stood in their way. Now someone far more ruthless stood before them—an arrogant, cold, and unrestrained Divine Strength martial artist.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from afar. "The audacity! Do you truly believe that the Divine Fire Palace stands alone?"

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. In the distance, a figure hurtled toward the dock, moving with the intensity of a blazing comet. Their blood qi surged violently, rolling outward in waves that bore down upon everything in its wake. Their presence was unmistakable, impossible to ignore.

Another Divine Strength martial artist had arrived.

The disciples of the Divine Fire Palace, who only moments ago had been cowed into silence by Lu Changsheng, erupted with excitement.

"The Great Elder is here!"

"The Great Elder is also a Divine Strength martial artist."

"Now that the Great Elder has arrived, this man will pay for his arrogance."

With their own Divine Strength expert here, relief and triumph surged through their ranks. Against him, this Divine Strength martial artist who had cut down their elder without restraint would no longer act so willfully.

Lu Changsheng paid them no attention at all. His eyes remained fixed on the rapidly approaching figure.

One hundred zhang. Fifty zhang. Thirty zhang. Ten zhang.

The moment the Divine Fire Palace Grand Elder crossed into that final stretch of distance, a cold light flared in Lu Changsheng’s eyes.

Schwing!

Lu Changsheng drew his saber once more, the motion accompanied by a thunderous surge of blood qi within his body. The Third Transformation of the Divine Dragon detonated within him, like a sealed beast finally breaking free.

At the very moment the blade left its sheath, his seventy cauldrons of strength became two hundred and ten cauldrons of strength.

Lu Changsheng's strike was pure blood qi projection, raw and unrestrained. Although it did not reach two hundred cauldrons, it was infused with Wave Intent.

"This is..." The Divine Fire Palace Great Elder’s eyes widened in shock.

Boom!

As the strike landed, the Great Elder felt as though everything before his eyes had vanished. Only the roaring sea remained, cascading forward in endless waves, blotting out the sky as if it were about to drag him mercilessly into the boundless depths of the ocean.

Faced with such power, the Great Elder felt unbearably small. Divine strength was nothing more than a flicker beneath the bright moon when set against the power of heaven and earth.

Bang!

The blow blasted the Grand Elder backwards, severing one of his arms with a sickening crack.

The entire dock fell silent. The Divine Fire Palace disciples who had been cheering moments earlier now stood frozen, eyes stretched wide in disbelief. They could not believe that their Great Elder, a Divine Strength expert and a figure they thought to be untouchable, had been struck down by a single strike.

The Great Elder stood trembling, a look of shock painted across his face as his thoughts raced. Just a heartbeat earlier, death had brushed past him. Only the clear restraint of his opponent had spared his life. If that saber had come for his head instead of his arm, he would no longer be alive.

That just now... was that Intent?

The realization sent a chill through him.

Even the faintest trace of it should have been impossible for someone at the Divine Strength Realm, but there was no other explanation. If it was not Intent, how else would his opponent have struck him down from ten zhang away?

"Sir," the Great Elder said hoarsely, straining to compose his voice, "that was an extraordinary saber technique."

He stooped to retrieve his severed arm off the ground. Luckily, it was still whole. For someone at the Divine Strength Realm, such an injury was not serious. Without hesitation, he pressed the arm back into place. Flesh writhed and knitted together under his control, the blood and sinew reconnecting until the arm was whole once more.

This was why the Divine Strength Realm was terrifying. It was far beyond the limits of ordinary humans.

"Can we set sail now?" Lu Changsheng asked, his tone calm as if nothing had happened.

This had been his first true use of Wave Intent. He had simply wanted to see what it could do. so even he was surprised by the result. From such a distance, killing a Divine Strength expert with a single strike should have been impossible, even with two hundred cauldrons of strength.

But in that moment, under the amplification of Wave Intent, Lu Changsheng felt that if he had wanted to, he could have taken the elder's life with just that one strike.

In the end, however, he held back. There was no blood feud between him and the Divine Fire Palace, so killing their Divine Strength expert was unnecessary. Taking an arm was warning enough. And if it wasn’t, he could still kill him later.

"Let them through! From this day onward, whenever the ships of the Far Ocean Merchant Association enter Volcano City, the Divine Fire Palace is not to interfere!" The Great Elder’s voice rang across the dock, firm and unmistakable.

The memory of that saber strike still lingered in his bones, accompanying the chill that had settled deep in his chest. Turning someone of Lu Changsheng's caliber into an enemy would be suicide. Such a person was best treated as an ally.

The Great Elder did not know what connection Lu Changsheng had to the Far Ocean Merchant Association, nor did he need to. The man stood aboard a Far Ocean Merchant Association ship, and that alone was enough of a connection.

By giving the Far Ocean Merchant Association some benefits, the Great Elder hoped any lingering hostility could be quietly buried. As for the elder who had died earlier, he had not even reached the Divine Strength Realm, so his death barely warranted a second thought.

"Set sail," Lu Changsheng commanded the crew, sliding his saber back into its sheath and turning toward his cabin.

"Y-Yes! Set sail!" Sophie snapped out of her daze, joy surging through her so suddenly she nearly laughed aloud.

The Divine Fire Palace was a dominant force in Volcano City. And now, because of a happy misunderstanding, they believed Dao Shier to be a martial artist affiliated with the Far Ocean Merchant Association. More than that, they had openly declared protection. With the Divine Fire Palace standing behind them, the Far Ocean Merchant Association would face no obstacles in Volcano City ever again.

"Mr. Dao," Sophie said earnestly as she caught up to Lu Changsheng, "thank you for what you've done for the Far Ocean Merchant Association."

"I did it because I want to return to Zhanhai City," Lu Changsheng replied with a gentle smile. "If you truly wish to thank me, then never refuse me whenever I want to board one of your ships."

It sounded lighthearted, but Sophie understood the weight behind it. The Far Ocean Merchant Association's ships crossed vast seas, traveling tens of thousands of miles. A favor like this could actually be helpful to Lu Changsheng one day.

"Naturally, you're welcome aboard any Far Ocean Merchant Association vessel at any time," Sophie said and pressed a token into his hand. "This is an Esteemed Guest token. Everyone in the association recognizes it. So even if I am not present, with this token, you may board freely."

Lu Changsheng accepted the token without hesitation. Such tokens were granted only to the most distinguished guests, those who had offered the Far Ocean Merchant Association help of immeasurable value.