Chapter 62 - 54: Traceless Sword Technique, Sword Strikes Without a Trace

Chapter 62: Chapter 54: Traceless Sword Technique, Sword Strikes Without a Trace

Outer Path Fang Heng’s sword was fast—the fastest Lu Chen had ever seen. It was so fast that even though Lu Chen was fully prepared, he could only catch a glimpse of an afterimage.

SLASH!

As the Blood Sword swept past, a bloody line immediately appeared on Lu Chen’s cheek, welling up with tiny beads of crimson. A few locks of hair at his temples were severed by the strike, drifting through the air.

Fortunately, Outer Path Fang Heng’s blade merely grazed Lu Chen’s cheek, missing his vitals. Otherwise, this single strike would have killed him on the spot.

It was only because the one executing this Traceless Sword Technique was not Fang Heng himself, but the Outer Path Demon Fiend occupying his body. The speed of the Swordsmanship was only about half of what it should have been. Were it the original, even with Lu Chen’s prior preparations, he wouldn’t have been able to dodge the strike at all.

Even so, Outer Path Fang Heng had to admit that for Lu Chen to achieve this while only in the Qi Cultivation Stage, he truly possessed the capital to be arrogant.

But just this was not enough...

"You dodged the first strike, but I don’t believe you can dodge the second or the third!" Outer Path Fang Heng scoffed coldly. His right hand, wielding the Blood Sword, turned into a blur of afterimages as he relentlessly rained blows upon Lu Chen.

Perhaps he was slightly enraged that Lu Chen had evaded his initial attack. Because of this, his subsequent strikes intentionally avoided Lu Chen’s vitals. Every falling blade merely left moderate wounds on Lu Chen’s body. Though not fatal, these injuries inflicted agonizing, bone-deep pain.

His main goal was simply to torture his opponent.

Facing an Outer Path Fang Heng who had finally gotten serious, Lu Chen wanted to counterattack but couldn’t find a suitable opening. He had no choice but to desperately observe the opponent’s Swordsmanship while doing his utmost to dodge.

Seeing Lu Chen’s current wretched state, Outer Path Fang Heng couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha! So scrambling away like a miserable wild dog is this ’Dao’ you spoke of?

"Cry! Rage! And then, amidst your despair... die!"

Lu Chen offered no response to Outer Path Fang Heng’s provocation. At this moment, he was like a solitary skiff caught in a raging storm, struggling bitterly just to stay afloat.

However, he wasn’t completely devoid of opportunities. His Lotus Pupils spun continuously, recording every single strike that Outer Path Fang Heng unleashed.

Perhaps he had grown tired of playing, or perhaps he felt Lu Chen posed no threat whatsoever. Either way, Outer Path Fang Heng eventually decided to stop toying with him.

"Boy, some things can’t be achieved just by running your mouth.

"If Fang Heng was a coward, wasting his innate talent because he couldn’t put it to use...

"Then you, boy, are just a reckless brute. You might have decent talent, but you lack the proper respect for the strong.

"In your next life, remember not to indulge in cheap talk before an expert. Otherwise... you’ll only end up making a laughingstock of yourself."

As his words fell, Lu Chen saw a sudden flash of cold light. The reflection of the Blood Sword in his Lotus Pupils grew larger and larger until it pierced cleanly through his throat.

Gazing down at Lu Chen’s corpse, Outer Path Fang Heng felt an indescribable sense of unease instead of the joy he expected. He looked at the calm expression on Lu Chen’s face; something seemed wrong. Yet, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

"Impossible. This kid was merely a lowly Qi Refining cultivator, and he’s already dead anyway. What do I have to fear?

"That’s right, he’s dead. Completely and utterly dead..."

Outside the doors to the second floor of the Sword Pavilion.

[You have attentively observed the enemy’s Sword Skill and gained some insights. Unlocking new Skill: Traceless Sword Technique.]

[Due to your extremely high attainments in Sword Skills, the Traceless Sword Technique has been elevated to Proficient.]

[Traceless Sword Technique: Proficient (1/2000)]

[Effect: The ultimate fast sword technique. Traceless and formless, the blade draws no blood. Upon reaching Great Success, you will attain the Traceless Sword Shadow.]

"...The ultimate fast sword, huh?" Lu Chen muttered.

Sitting cross-legged in front of the doors to the second floor of the Sword Pavilion, Lu Chen recalled his recent battle with Outer Path Fang Heng.

Truth be told, the Traceless Sword Technique created by Fang Heng wasn’t actually all that special. He had simply simplified every move and stance to the absolute extreme, ensuring that every strike aimed directly for the vitals while avoiding any unnecessary movements. It wasn’t complex, but it was incredibly efficient.

For a man of a peaceful nature who disliked slaughter to create the ultimate killing Sword Skill—one had to admit how unpredictable the world could be.

And the reason the Traceless Sword Technique could achieve such extreme speed naturally wasn’t just because its sword forms were refined enough; it also relied on its unique circulation of Spiritual Power. Each strike mobilized the strength of the entire body, generating a terrifying burst of power in a minuscule amount of time. One could imagine that while such sword forms brought about extreme speed, they also placed a significant burden on the Cultivator.

Therefore, on the whole, the Traceless Sword Technique was a Swordsmanship meant for ending battles swiftly. If the user couldn’t defeat the enemy within a set time frame, they would exhaust themselves before the opponent even needed to retaliate.

In this regard, the Traceless Sword Technique shared many similarities with his Water Dragon Roar. This was also why Lu Chen could immediately elevate it to the ’Proficient’ level right after initially learning it.

"Though the Traceless Sword Technique is good, much like my Water Dragon Roar, its power relies heavily on my own Cultivation and physical constitution," Lu Chen pondered.

"And while Outer Path Fang Heng’s attainment in the technique isn’t as high as the original Fang Heng’s—hovering only around the Mastery Level Realm—his Outer Demon Body greatly compensates for the technique’s weaknesses, granting him vastly more endurance than the original.

"Furthermore, his Cultivation has reached the Foundation Establishment First Level. Both the density and quality of his Spiritual Power far surpass mine.

"Therefore, if I want to defeat Outer Path Fang Heng, a war of attrition is absolutely out of the question. I must possess the ability to kill him in a single strike to secure victory this time."

Facing a Foundation Establishment Stage expert like Outer Path Fang Heng, could the current Lu Chen pull off a one-hit kill? Although he couldn’t right now, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be able to later. His Traceless Sword Technique wouldn’t stay at the Proficient level forever. This was especially true when he had a Foundation Establishment Stage Outer Path Demon Fiend, who also cultivated the Traceless Sword Technique, serving as his sparring partner.

Lu Chen stood up. He first reapplied the Effects of three Talismans on himself: the Divine Movement Talisman, the Eagle Eye Talisman, and the Giant Strength Talisman. Then, he placed his Disciple Token into the groove beside the wooden doors, activating the entrance. As the doors to the second floor opened once more, Lu Chen calmly walked inside.

Although a massive gap existed between him and Outer Path Fang Heng, it hadn’t widened to a point where Lu Chen felt it was insurmountable. As long as he cultivated his Traceless Sword Technique to Breaking Realm, and then combined it with his inherently Realm-Breaking Level Water Dragon Roar Sword Skill, he would have every opportunity to punch above his weight and successfully challenge an opponent in a higher realm.

It was just that before achieving this, he would have to suffer quite a bit.

While others learned Swordsmanship by piling up time, Lu Chen was far more formidable—he learned Swordsmanship... by piling up his own lives!

If combat was the best teacher, then death... was the ultimate lesson! After all, others could only experience such a lesson once in their lifetimes. Lu Chen, however, could experience it countless times, ensuring that the next time he fought, he would never make the same mistake twice.

[Author’s Note: Right on time, finally on time today! Pang Hu is starting to write a stockpile of drafts today. The book should go premium next week, and when that time comes, I’ll be churning out ten thousand words a day!]