Chapter 16 - 12: Skill Fusion, Sword Unleashes a Dragon’s Shadow

Chapter 16: Chapter 12: Skill Fusion, Sword Unleashes a Dragon’s Shadow

Right after Lu Chen comprehended the essence of the Water Dragon Roar, his Skill Proficiency for the Water Dragon Roar began to rise at an astonishing speed.

After all, most other people cultivated behind closed doors—it was all theory and no practice. Lu Chen, however, continuously refined his Swordsmanship in actual combat, where every mistake cost him his life. The pain and visceral sensation of death allowed him to firmly remember every error he made, ensuring that by his next battle, his Swordsmanship would ascend to new heights.

While this method of Cultivation was undeniably efficient, he was the only one who could pull it off. If others tried to emulate him, they would need heaven-defying luck to survive against all odds time and time again; otherwise, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough to spare them from death. If not for the infinite resurrections available within the Dungeon, Lu Chen himself wouldn’t have dared to do this.

Recognizing the massive advantage of these infinite resurrections, Lu Chen was no longer in a hurry to clear the Dungeon. If this Dungeon were gone, where else could he find a training ground where he could fight without fearing the consequences? Where else could he find a perfect sparring partner like Ye Chenglin, who never held back?

...

The 300th tomb challenge.

"On the surface, the Water Dragon Roar is a type of Swordsmanship. But once practiced to a profound level, one realizes that it is actually a method of utilizing Spiritual Power," Lu Chen muttered to himself.

"Taking Spiritual Qi as the root and resonance for shaping, it forges the might of a hidden dragon.

"Swordsmanship is merely one manifestation of the Water Dragon Roar. As long as Cultivation remains, even a blade of grass, a tree, a flower, or a stone can serve as a sword.

"Perhaps this is the legendary realm of having no sword in hand, yet possessing a sword in the heart..."

After hundreds of battles, Lu Chen’s comprehension of the Water Dragon Roar had completely reached the next level. Reflected on his status panel, it meant his Water Dragon Roar had... finally reached Breaking Realm.

[Water Dragon Roar (Max): Breaking Realm]

[Effect: The sword strikes like a soaring rainbow, capable of gathering Qi to Transform into Dragon]

[Detected that "Skill: Water Dragon Roar" and "Skill·Sharpness Technique" are highly compatible. Do you wish to proceed with Skill Fusion?]

[Note: The fused Skill has a certain probability of unlocking a higher Skill Level]

"Breaking Realm isn’t the ceiling for Skill Levels?" Lu Chen was secretly astonished as he looked at the system prompt on the game panel.

Before this, he had always assumed Breaking Realm was the absolute limit for Skills. He thought that once a Skill reached this point, its Skill Level could no longer increase. But now, it seemed that Breaking Realm merely shattered the Skill’s original boundaries.

It didn’t mean a Skill could only go that far. Recalling how different Skills required vastly different amounts of experience to reach Breaking Realm, a sudden thought struck Lu Chen.

"Could my misconception that Breaking Realm is the limit stem from the fact that none of my current Skills are particularly profound? For truly mystical Techniques, they might be able to surpass Breaking Realm right from the start."

However, he decided to brush those thoughts aside, as they had nothing to do with him for the time being. It was better to focus on the present and see exactly what kind of pleasant surprise the Skill Fusion of the Water Dragon Roar and Sharpness Skill would bring him.

Lu Chen closed his eyes. The insights regarding the Sharpness Skill and Water Dragon Roar continuously intertwined in his mind until they finally merged, forming a brand-new Skill.

[Skill Fusion complete. You have obtained a new Skill... Dragon Roar Heaven-Breaking Strike]

[Dragon Roar Heaven-Breaking Strike: Breaking Realm 1/30000]

[Effect: Gathers Qi to Transform into Dragon; attacks carry a certain degree of Flood Dragon’s might, capable of intimidating all Demon Fiends and ghosts]

By the time Lu Chen opened his eyes again, he had fully absorbed the insights from fusing the two Skills.

"The Dragon Roar Heaven-Breaking Strike... possesses the resonant power of the Water Dragon Roar, roaring like a massive Flood Dragon with tremendous momentum," he murmured.

"It also contains the Qianjin Power of the Sharpness Skill, boasting unparalleled sharpness that neither gods nor ghosts can block.

"A Skill like this can hardly be considered a mere Technique anymore. It’s a bona fide Divine Technique.

"A Skill approaching Divine Communication... truly a Skill approaching Divine Communication."

Lu Chen’s assessment was spot on. Fundamentally, his Flood Dragon Heaven-Breaking Strike was now a Special Divine Technique exclusive to him, not an ordinary Technique. After all, even if regular Techniques could achieve the feat of using Qi to Transform into Dragon, they were merely superficial forms lacking true essence.

However, his Flood Dragon Heaven-Breaking Strike genuinely carried the might of a Flood Dragon, as if a real Flood Dragon had descended.

"It looks like it’s time to settle things with Ye Chenglin once and for all," Lu Chen thought. He pushed open the heavy Bronze Gate and stepped back into the familiar underground karst cave.

"Who. Are. You?"

Hearing the question he had already heard hundreds of times, Lu Chen replied calmly, "Handyman of the Cyan Cloud Sect, Lu Chen."

"Cyan Cloud Sect... Cyan Cloud Sect..."

For some reason, Ye Chenglin remained bewildered for a long time this time around. When clarity finally returned to him, the gaze he fixed upon Lu Chen was more serious than ever before.

Furthermore, his next words were something Lu Chen hadn’t heard in any of their hundreds of previous encounters.

"You... are very strong."

Ye Chenglin walked down from the mountain of corpses, standing face-to-face with Lu Chen on level ground for the very first time. This was his show of respect to Lu Chen. He raised his sole remaining right arm and made a gesture of invitation.

"Seventieth Generation True Disciple of the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Ten Thousand Talisman Peak, Ye Chenglin. Fellow Practitioner, please... enlighten me."

Recalling his hundreds of previous battles with Ye Chenglin and witnessing the man’s current change, Lu Chen felt a whirlwind of complex emotions. He had a premonition that this might be the very last battle between him and Ye Chenglin.

Although Ye Chenglin had no memory of those hundreds of clashes, Lu Chen remembered them vividly. And through those hundreds of fights, Lu Chen had come to understand the burden Ye Chenglin carried. This was a man who, even in death, continued to protect his Sect, willingly enduring endless solitude.

Despite being a Magic Corpse, in Lu Chen’s eyes, he embodied a Practitioner more than anyone else. From beginning to end, Lu Chen had never seen a hint of hesitation in him. His Dao Heart was firmer than anyone’s.

Looking at Ye Chenglin, Lu Chen bowed politely and said, "Fellow Practitioner, please enlighten me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Chenglin immediately waved his hand to draw Talismans. His drawing speed was so fast that afterimages actually appeared. In an instant, more than ten Thunder Talismans were completed and released from his hand.

Facing these Thunder Talismans that he was intimately familiar with, Lu Chen could handle them effortlessly without much preparation.

The Thunder Talismans tore through the air, striking toward Lu Chen with the fury of thunder. Amidst the flashing lightning and roaring thunder, Lu Chen gracefully darted back and forth between the barrage of Talismans, his movements as fluid as Flowing Clouds and Water. His relaxed and effortless demeanor made it look as though he wasn’t dodging bolts of lightning, but rather gentle drops of rain.

Seeing that the Thunder Talismans weren’t having much of an Effect on Lu Chen, Ye Chenglin quickly changed tactics. His drawing speed accelerated once more, and a far more complex Talisman radiating incredibly dense Spiritual Power began to coalesce in front of him.

Talisman: Five Thunder Heavenly Prison Technique!

Lu Chen looked up. At some unknown point, a small patch of thunderclouds had appeared right above his head. Lightning constantly flickered within the thunderclouds, accompanied by muffled roars of thunder.

Looking at this completely unprecedented Talisman, Lu Chen’s heart remained unruffled. After all, once one’s Power reached a certain level, they would have ample confidence even when facing the unknown.

Even after summoning this thundercloud, Ye Chenglin’s Thunder Talisman attacks didn’t cease. While dodging the ongoing barrage of Thunder Talismans, Lu Chen unsheathed the Magic Sword from his back. He then leaped into the air, charging straight toward the thunderclouds looming overhead.

Dragon Roar... Heaven-Breaking Strike!

"ROAR!!!"

At this exact moment, an ear-splitting roar echoed throughout the cavernous underground tomb.

The sheer force of this sound actually caused the mid-air thunderclouds to tremble violently, as if this Dragon Roar had truly been unleashed from the maw of a Flood Dragon!

...