Chapter 125: Ninefold Deathflash—Awakening the Killing Intent
The sky had barely begun to brighten when Su Tianhao stepped out of his home.
The sun was still just a promise on the horizon, dew and mist clinging stubbornly to the ground. The air was crisp, laced with the scent of early morning flowers, and the distant crowing of roosters created a quiet backdrop against the stillness.
Shadowfang was strapped firmly at his waist. His golden eyes gleamed with purpose.
He had spent the entire previous day and night learning and honing his devouring ability—and by nightfall had arrived at a startling realization. Every tree's essence carried a unique attribute. Some held revitalizing properties—healing, stamina, mental clarity. Others carried toxic traits—poison, acid, infection. Yet regardless of the nature of the essence, all of it could be refined into spiritual energy to aid cultivation.
What did that mean?
He was no longer restricted to devouring beast essences to grow stronger. His ability held far more potential than he had imagined.
By refining the essences of neglected and wild trees throughout Fei Wu Quarter, Su Tianhao had successfully stabilized his cultivation at the 1st level Martial Adept Realm.
Now it was time for the next phase—training.
His gaze swept the courtyard and stopped at the massive oak tree at its center—more precisely, at the bronze-colored training dummy standing beside it. Intricate patterns and distinctive markings were etched across its surface. The Martial Adept-level training dummy, gifted by the Patriarch. Once said to withstand the attacks of anyone below the Martial Adept Realm.
Su Tianhao smiled bitterly.
'I used to think I'd be training with it right up until the Qingyun Sect examination.'
He shook his head. Because of Blood Grin—because of that near-death experience and everything that followed—he had been pushed far beyond what he had ever expected of himself. The training dummy that was once an excellent tool had already been left behind.
As the saying goes: from ancient times till now, the fastest path to power has always been paved with hardship and blood.
Blood Grin had come to kill him. Instead, he had been the catalyst for a level of growth that no peaceful training could have produced.
He considered his current position carefully. Though he had just broken through to the Martial Adept Realm, his true combat strength was already equivalent to a 3rd level Martial Adept. At Peak-stage Martial Disciple Realm, every cultivator reached ten thousand pounds of raw strength—the absolute physical limit of the human body. The Martial Mark.
After reaching the 1st level Martial Adept Realm, a cultivator could amplify the Martial Mark by twofold using manifested spiritual energy, bringing full strength to twenty thousand pounds. At the 2nd level, threefold—thirty thousand. And so on.
That was why the Martial Adept Realm was considered the true foundation of cultivation—the point where practitioners became increasingly reliant on spiritual energy rather than raw physical strength alone.
But Su Tianhao was different.
At Peak-stage Martial Disciple Realm, his base strength had already reached twenty thousand pounds—surpassing the Martial Mark entirely. After breaking through to the Martial Adept Realm, he could now amplify that base by twofold—achieving forty thousand pounds of total power. A level only those at the 3rd level Martial Adept Realm could normally possess.
He wasn't exempt from the Martial Mark just because of talent or technique. The reason was simpler and more fundamental than that.
He was a dragon.
A single full-powered sword swing would damage the training dummy beyond repair. It was no longer suitable.
"Now that I've comprehended Killing Sword Sense, I should waste no time in reaching Great Success in Shadow-Splitting Flash and mastering the Third Form," he murmured, his voice quiet in the empty courtyard. "Blood Grin might be gone—but I have to be ready for whatever comes next."
'First, comprehend the technique. Worry about a training method after.'
With that settled, Su Tianhao turned and sat cross-legged before his home—deliberately not taking shelter under the oak tree's canopy. He needed the sun's heat and whatever harsh weather came to fall directly on his skin.
He had to do something about that complexion.
He settled into a perfect lotus position, closed his eyes, and turned inward.
His mind descended into the Nine Heavens Sword Scripture without effort—it surfaced the moment he reached for it, as familiar now as breathing. It had become a part of him. It represented his sword dao path.
He skimmed past the introduction without pause and moved directly into the First Layer.
Shadow-Splitting Flash.
His heart warmed reading through it again. This technique had saved his life more than once against threats far above his level. His respect for it had only deepened with every encounter.
He moved through the First Form—Flicker Edge.
Then the Second—Phantom Bloom.
And then—with Killing Sword Sense now comprehended—he pressed deeper into the technique's mysteries, his focus sharpening to a single point.
The Third Form.
After several long minutes of meditation, it crystallized.
---
Shadow-Splitting Flash — Third Form: Ninefold Deathflash
A sword strike that transcends timing. The blade moves in perfect harmony with the user's killing intent, delivering nine slashes in a single instant—so swift and seamless they appear as a single flash. Each strike carries the essence of death, guided not by thought, but by instinct refined through countless battles.
Only by mastering Ninefold Deathflash can one be said to have reached Great Success in the Shadow-Splitting Flash technique.
At this stage, a practitioner can slay opponents four minor realms above with flawless execution. When fused with Sword Sense and killing intent, this technique becomes a weapon of true terror—capable of eliminating enemies five minor realms higher.
And in the hands of one who has transcended Sword Sense and awakened Killing Sword Sense, Ninefold Deathflash reveals its true form—paralyzing even perception itself with speed and fear, allowing the slaying of foes six minor realms above. With a perfect ambush... even seven.
Note: The technique's effectiveness is drastically reduced if the opponent's killing intent vastly surpasses the user's.
---
Su Tianhao drew a sharp breath of cold air.
"I was expecting it to be stronger than Phantom Bloom," he murmured, golden eyes gleaming with awe. "but... I wasn't expecting this."
One line kept echoing in his mind.
In the hands of one who has transcended Sword Sense and awakened Killing Sword Sense, Ninefold Deathflash reveals its true form—allowing the slaying of foes six minor realms above.
What did that mean in practice?
With his current strength equivalent to a 3rd level Martial Adept—he could defeat and even kill a 9th level Martial Adept.
His breathing quickened before he caught himself and forced it back to stillness.
As the saying goes: strength above all else is a warrior's greatest delight and truest freedom.
The technique's note about reduced effectiveness when facing an opponent whose killing intent vastly surpassed his own didn't concern him. Even before Ye Shiming's killing intent—a 4th level Martial Master—he had remained calm and composed. How then could a 9th level Martial Adept's killing intent overwhelm him?
That said, nothing was absolute, and Su Tianhao had no intention of testing limits carelessly.
'Now that I've gained deeper understanding of killing intent, I should spend more time cultivating it,' he thought, wrestling his turbulent emotions back under control. 'If my killing intent grows stronger, Killing Sword Sense advances. And if Killing Sword Sense advances, my confidence in Ninefold Deathflash deepens.'
'Now isn't the time for daydreaming. This is the time to grow stronger.'
He suppressed the excitement and drove himself back into the technique.
The Third Form of Shadow-Splitting Flash didn't merely exceed expectations—it redefined what it meant to walk the path of the sword. It was not a technique of form or execution alone. It demanded the clarity of one who had embraced mortality and transformed it into a weapon.
Nine slashes. One flash. And a killing intent refined through blood and tribulation.
Su Tianhao was ready to walk that path.
As the sun climbed higher and golden light spilled across the quiet courtyard, his figure remained completely still—eyes closed, body motionless. But within, his soul burned like a blade being tempered through fire, each moment of stillness another stroke of the hammer bringing it closer to its final edge.