Chapter 104: Shadow-Splitting Flash Small Success, 7th Level Martial Disciple
Three days passed in a flash.
During this time, Su Tianhao dedicated every waking moment to relentless training, forsaking sleep entirely. By day he practiced swordsmanship and pushed to deepen his mastery of the Shadow-Splitting Flash. By night he cultivated while simultaneously refining his comprehension of the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique.
Throughout those three days, he also worked to comprehend Killing Sword Sense. That profound breakthrough still remained distant—but his killing intent grew noticeably more refined with each passing hour, tempered by the memories of slaughter embedded within Yuexin's inheritance.
It was early morning in the hidden cave. Sunlight pierced through thick hanging vines in thin beams, casting shifting shadows across the stone floor. Birdsong filled the air, accompanied by the wild, untamed breath of the inner forest.
Su Tianhao sat cross-legged near the cave's mouth, bathed in golden morning light. His expression was serene. His figure utterly still.
In this moment, his mind was fixed on one thing alone—the Shadow-Splitting Flash.
Three days ago, after comprehending Sword Sense to Perfection, he had sensed he was only a single step away from Small Success in the technique. The excitement had been real then, though he had buried it and pressed on. Now, at last, he stood at that pivotal threshold. The second form had finally revealed itself—and the moment he read through it, those suppressed emotions burst forth like water through a broken dam.
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Shadow-Splitting Flash — Second Form: Phantom Bloom
A single sword strike blossoms into a flurry of afterimages mid-swing, like a storm of phantom petals caught in a violent gust. Only one of these countless illusions carries true killing intent—but it strikes with unmatched precision and devastating speed, completely impossible for those only three minor realms higher than the practitioner to follow.
Only by mastering Phantom Bloom can one be said to have reached Small Success in the Shadow-Splitting Flash technique.
At this stage, a practitioner can slay enemies three minor realms above their level with sheer speed and illusion. And in the hands of someone who has also mastered Sword Sense, the illusions carry a terrifying weight of intent—fooling not just the eyes, but the spirit itself. Such a warrior is capable of slaying opponents four minor realms above themselves in fair combat, and with the perfect ambush, one can even eliminate adversaries five minor realms above themselves.
---
Su Tianhao's eyes snapped open.
"So powerful," he murmured, the words escaping him before he could contain them. "Eliminate opponents four minor realms above myself..."
The implications settled slowly, each one landing with weight. The technique wouldn't show its full might now—the chasm between Martial Disciple and Martial Adept was too vast for that. But what about when he reached strength equivalent to a 1st level Martial Adept?
At that point, he would be able to kill 5th level Martial Adepts in fair combat. With an ambush, even a 6th level Martial Adept would fall beneath his blade.
His breathing quickened. "Compared to the first form, the second form is in a completely different league. And this is only the second—what about the third? The fourth?"
He stopped himself before his thoughts could run further. His mind returned to calm, reeling with quiet calculation.
Before now, he had worried constantly about how long he would remain trapped in this cave. Reaching strength sufficient to kill a 5th level Martial Adept from his current level was no small task—it would take considerable time under normal circumstances.
But this changed everything.
'Currently, I'm only one step away from the 7th level,' he thought, his expression settling into something cold and certain. 'As long as I reach Peak-stage Martial Disciple Realm, my base strength will reach twenty thousand pounds—equivalent to a 1st level Martial Adept. And at that point...'
His eyes flashed with quiet intensity.
"I will come for you."
The words were spoken to no one in the cave. But their target was clear—Blood Grin. The assassin who had come within a heartbeat of ending his life. That debt was recorded, and it would be repaid.
If any other Martial Disciple had declared the same intention against a 5th level Martial Adept, it would be like a mantis standing before a chariot—brave, perhaps, but nothing more than a prelude to death.
But Su Tianhao was no ordinary Martial Disciple. He carried the bloodline of a supreme dragon and the legacy of a Sword Saint. With the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique and the Shadow-Splitting Flash working in concert, killing a 5th level Martial Adept while still within the Martial Disciple Realm was entirely possible.
That certainty roused something deep within him—like a dragon stirring from a long sleep.
He settled back into lotus position, posture perfect, and dove inward once more. His mind surged into the depths of the technique, fueled by indomitable will, absorbing the knowledge and insights within like a sponge drinking in water.
Time moved quietly. Morning gave way to noon. Noon gave way to evening.
The sheer time it demanded spoke to the technique's complexity. When Su Tianhao had first comprehended Flicker Edge, it had taken only a few hours. Phantom Bloom demanded far more—existing in a completely different league. But he remained patient. The rewards far outweighed the challenge.
As the saying goes: great rivers carve deep valleys not by force, but by steady persistence.
---
The sun dipped low, its golden rays softening as long shadows stretched lazily across the cave floor. The air grew cooler, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and blooming wildflowers. A gentle breeze whispered through the cave entrance, rustling Su Tianhao's azure robes like the last breath of a fading storm.
Birdsong slowed, replaced by the distant calls of nocturnal creatures stirring to life. The world outside seemed to hold its breath.
Bathed in the gentle glow of twilight, Su Tianhao remained seated—his mind deep within the currents of the Shadow-Splitting Flash, unwavering and still as the coming night. Yet despite the outward serenity, sweat traced steady lines down his temples, his brows furrowed deeply. Even his back was soaked through despite the cool air—as though he were locked in brutal combat somewhere deep within his own consciousness.
Time drifted forward. He did not move.
Night arrived. The sky shifted into a blackened canvas lit by countless stars, and the moon rose high above Dragonspire Forest, casting pale silver light over a world that had fallen into complete stillness—only crickets and the low rumbling of distant creatures breaking the quiet.
---
Within the shadowed cave, Su Tianhao's figure remained motionless, half-bathed in the moon's ethereal glow. His silhouette was the only thing visible in the pitch-black chamber.
Then—his furrowed brows eased. Like the first gentle breeze after a long, relentless storm, the tension left his face. A quiet, satisfied smile touched his lips. His eyes snapped open, a flicker of brilliance flashing through their golden depths.
"Shadow-Splitting Flash, Small Success," he murmured, voice calm—though his clenched fists betrayed him completely.
He was excited. How could he not be? Phantom Bloom was now his. And that technique would undoubtedly become his greatest trump card against Blood Grin.
"Strike the iron while it's hot," he said, fierce determination sharpening his features.
With swift movements, he retrieved his storage pouch and produced a pill bottle. Inside—four Essence Refinement Pills. He had started with seven; three had already been consumed during his breakthrough to the 3rd level Martial Disciple Realm.
Time to put the rest to work.
He tipped three pills into his palm, leaving one in the bottle, and swallowed all three without ceremony. With the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique, recklessness of that kind carried no risk.
The pills dissolved the moment they touched his tongue—like morning dew under the first rays of sunlight. Their medicinal essence surged through his body like a raging river, strong and relentless. Such force would have overwhelmed an ordinary Martial Disciple, but Su Tianhao sat composed in perfect lotus position, expression calm and focused.
The torrent reached his dantian.
The dormant vortex roared to life.
It swirled violently, and under the intense pull of that devouring force, the once-unruly essence was instantly tamed—drawn in completely, devoured without resistance. Within seconds, gentle streams of flawless spiritual energy began flowing outward from his dantian into his meridians. Su Tianhao guided it deliberately through the pathways of the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art.
With his comprehension now nearing Small Success, the circulation had grown far more efficient. Within minutes, the pills' energy was fully refined and absorbed.
And then he realized—it still wasn't enough.
"As expected," he muttered, mouth twitching. "Greedy physique."
He was already a single step from the 7th level, and three Essence Refinement Pills weren't sufficient? With a wry smile, he retrieved the final pill from the bottle.
"I hope you'll be enough," he murmured, golden eyes fixed on the gleaming pill.
He swallowed it. The medicinal energy dissolved quickly—but this time, he wasn't relying on the pill alone.
"Devour!"
Whoosh!
The wind stirred to life as spiritual energy surged toward him from a twenty-meter radius, drawn by an invisible, overwhelming force. It howled like a tidal wave—yet the vortex devoured it greedily, unaffected by the chaos swirling around it. His body became a raging furnace, refining the very world around him.
Then—
BOOM!
An explosive tremor detonated from within, followed by the phantom roar of a dragon reverberating through the air. The ground itself shook. Nearby spirit beasts scattered through the forest in a frenzy, tails tucked and fleeing from the pressure.
"Finally," Su Tianhao said quietly, a faint smile settling on his lips. "7th level Martial Disciple Realm."
With his goal achieved, he allowed himself to ease gently to the ground, surrendering to the exhaustion that could no longer be held back. The mental strain of comprehending Phantom Bloom had taken its toll—and it had been patient enough to wait until now.
Tonight was not for cultivation, meditation, or sword comprehension.
Tonight was for rest.