Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Breath of the Sword Lv. 1

’System, do it!’

As the thought crossed Su Xing’s mind,

The Sword Dao Points on the system panel instantly vanished.

[Breathing Rhythm Lv. 5 (468/1000)] seemed to burst into flames. The characters began to melt and twist, gradually morphing into an indecipherable blob of black pigment.

In the span of just one or two breaths,

This blob of black pigment seemed to regain its vitality, rapidly coalescing and condensing into four faint words that appeared before Su Xing.

[Congratulations! Your profession skill "Breathing Rhythm Lv. 5" has been upgraded to "Breathing Rhythm Lv. 6".]

[Congratulations! Your profession skill "Breathing Rhythm Lv. 6" has advanced to "Breath of the Sword Lv. 1".]

Su Xing quickly glanced at the four words, "Breath of the Sword,"

Having learned from his last experience, he didn’t relax. Instead, he gritted his teeth and braced for the ensuing pain.

Sure enough!

A second later, Su Xing felt as if the crown of his head had been smashed with a sledgehammer. He grew dizzy as intense pain, accompanied by profound memories, flooded his mind.

In his mind’s eye, a small figure drew its sword over and over, constantly adjusting its "breathing rhythm." An unknown amount of time passed. Its "breathing rhythm" grew more and more perfect, and each of the figure’s strikes became increasingly sharp, until Su Xing’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

"So this is Breath of the Sword..."

It was as if Su Xing had comprehended "Breath of the Sword" all on his own.

Everything from those years of experience—from the breathing methods to the countless minute details—was seared into his muscle memory, bringing with it a sense of complete and thorough mastery.

Almost at the exact moment this feeling of mastery washed over him,

Su Xing’s body reacted in kind. A wave of weakness and hunger rapidly enveloped his consciousness. The intense fatigue emanated from every inch of his skin, every cell, making him feel that even lifting a finger was a monumental effort.

Su Xing gritted his teeth, his arm trembling as he reached for a ration biscuit at his side.

But just as he picked up the package, the CRINKLE of the wrapper was the last thing he heard before his mind seemed to suddenly shut down.

And just like that, inexplicably,

Su Xing collapsed back onto the bed, unconscious. Though his mind had gone dark, his body seemed to have been suddenly activated, beginning to operate and breathe in a strange, rhythmic pattern.

With each breath, a greatsword formed of faint white airflow began to coalesce in his abdomen. For now, it had barely formed the shape of a pommel; it was clearly a long way from being complete.

Time trickled by, one breath at a time.

Su Xing’s eyelids fluttered, a heavy, laborious effort. It took several attempts before he could finally pry open his weary eyes.

He glanced outside, a bit dazed.

A mirror-bright moon hung in the sky. Moonlight, as clear as flowing water, slanted through the window and fell across his face.

’Did I... fall asleep?’

Su Xing muttered, still bewildered. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

He scrambled out of bed, sending the large pile of food on the mattress CLATTERING to the floor.

Su Xing stood there, staring blankly at the food scattered across the floor. He had prepared it all to combat the hunger that came after a breakthrough, yet he hadn’t eaten a thing and felt not the slightest bit of hunger. On the contrary, he felt more energized and full of vigor than ever before.

This was different from his last breakthrough.

Mulling it over, Su Xing walked over to the mirror in his room and stripped off his clothes, which were soaked through with sweat from his sleep.

In the mirror,

a young man with black hair stood ramrod straight.

He was well-built, with long limbs. His muscles, perfectly defined, seemed pieced together, glowing with a captivating silvery sheen under the moonlight.

"Something seems... different..."

Su Xing ran his hands over his muscles. They seemed to have shrunk slightly from their once-brawny state, but they were much harder, each one brimming with terrifying explosive power.

Su Xing was certain this wasn’t muscle loss. In fact, his muscles felt denser and more refined than ever.

Su Xing clenched his fist.

’My strength has definitely increased again.’

’This must be the effect of "Breath of the Sword,"’ he thought. ’It let me get through the breakthrough without feeling hungry and made my muscles more refined. It’s different from upgrading "White Line Slash," which just made them bigger.’

As for any other effects,

Su Xing hadn’t noticed any yet.

"I should take a shower first."

Su Xing wiped at the sweat on his body. The sticky feeling was uncomfortable. He stripped off his clothes, walked into the bathroom, and squeezed the body wash bottle, only to say with some frustration:

"Huh? Out of body wash?"

"Great. Now I have to go out in the middle of the night."

Su Xing gave himself a quick rinse with water, then rapidly threw on some clothes. He came out of the bathroom, packed the scattered snacks back into their box, and left the Sword Hall.

However, having learned from his last experience,

this time, Su Xing took his greatsword with him.

It was already around two in the morning. Besides the streetlights illuminating the desolate roads, the night was empty.

Along the way, Su Xing encountered a few sketchy-looking drunks,

but when they saw his physique and the greatsword at his waist, none of them seemed inclined to bother him. They all chose to give him a wide berth and continue their drunken rampages elsewhere.

Soon, Su Xing had bought body wash from a 24-hour convenience store.

He started heading back the way he came. The return trip was uneventful, and just as Su Xing was thinking his luck wouldn’t be that bad tonight,

he suddenly heard the sounds of a fight.

Su Xing was very familiar with such noises. Nearly every sparring session at the Sword Hall sounded like this. This fight, however, was faster, more ferocious, and the weapons involved didn’t seem to be swords.

Su Xing looked in the direction of the sound.

’It’s that lake again.’ He tightened his grip on his sword and started walking toward it.

If this were happening anywhere else, Su Xing couldn’t be bothered to get involved in such a mess. But the path ahead was the only way back to the Sword Hall; avoiding it would be difficult.

’Might as well see what’s going on.’

Su Xing followed the path paved with white stone bricks. The farther he went, the louder the sounds of battle grew. His expression turned grim, and he kept his right hand resting on the sword at his waist as he drew closer, step by step.

Su Xing’s vision was excellent.

He soon spotted two figures in the darkness.

One was dressed in black, the other in white. The figure in white held a long saber that reflected a sliver of moonlight onto his clothes. Su Xing could clearly see the design on the garment: several disemboweled people kneeling and kowtowing toward the character for "Spirit."

Su Xing had seen clothes like that before.

Another Spiritualist Follower.

Only members of the Spiritual Sect wore such bizarre clothes.

The other person wore a simple black tracksuit and wielded a crimson spear composed entirely of energy.

But the person’s face gave Su Xing a shock—it was his younger brother, Su Yu.

’Is Su Yu...’

’...on a mission from his organization?’

’Or did the Spiritual Sect target him?’

As Su Xing’s mind raced, the duel continued. One blow, two, three—the pair repeatedly clashed and broke apart. They appeared evenly matched, but Su Xing could see clearly that his brother was already losing ground.

With each exchange, several small cuts appeared on Su Yu, while the Spiritualist Follower remained completely unscathed.

"I suggest you surrender now. You might get off easy. Otherwise, when my organization gets here, you’re dead for sure."

Su Yu said, his tone mature and unfamiliar.

He sounded like a completely different person from the Su Yu who usually tagged along behind Su Xing, always calling him "Brother" or "Bro."

However,

he gave a slight cough after speaking, a clear sign that he was injured.

"Hahaha, you’re a pretty arrogant Tier One Sequence. This red spear must be your Sequence, right?"

"Don’t forget, I haven’t even used my Sequence yet!"

The Spiritualist Follower shot Su Yu a disdainful look, his lips twisting into a vicious smirk as he snarled:

"Right here, right now, I’m going to use the Divine Power He has bestowed upon me."

"And hold the grandest ’Filthy Rite’ in your honor!"