Chapter 465: Luo Feng’s Blade

In the Virtual Universe, at the Tiantian Bridge Plane.

Luo Feng, clad entirely in armor and battle boots, appeared at the center of the island. The supervisor of the Tiantian Bridge Plane, Bafen, was surprised to see him and chuckled, “It’s almost been ten years, right? Why haven’t you come to challenge the Tiantian Bridge even once? Your other companions—none of them miss a year without trying several times.”

“I’ve been cultivating and didn’t want to be distracted,” Luo Feng replied with a smile as he approached.

“Hmm?” Supervisor Bafen looked at the young man with black hair before him, sensing something different about him.

“I want to challenge the Nine-Heavens Tiantian Bridge. Can I go in now?” Luo Feng asked.

“There’s no one in the Nine-Heavens Bridge,” Supervisor Bafen replied with a smile.

“Thanks.”

With a single movement of his steps, Luo Feng vanished in a blur of motion—flash! flash! flash!—leaving behind a trail of illusions, while his true self had already arrived on the Nine-Heavens Tiantian Bridge.

“He feels different now,” murmured Supervisor Bafen.

…

The Nine-Heavens Tiantian Bridge stretched across endless seas, extending into the horizon of heaven and earth.

Luo Feng had long passed the first level, so he flew directly to the end of the second level. At the end stood a massive cloud of mist, which spoke aloud, “Choose your opponent—you may select either a warrior, a mental controller, or a mental illusionist. Defeat your chosen opponent, and you will have passed the second level of the Tiantian Bridge.”

“I choose…” Luo Feng slowly descended from midair, his sturdy boots striking the bridge surface. “A warrior!”

Whoosh!

A mass of black liquid shot out from the mist, rapidly condensing into a mysterious figure clad in black armor and wearing a mask. This figure carried two curved blades on his back, slightly taller than Luo Feng, exuding a sharp, fierce aura as he coldly stared at Luo Feng.

“Chi chi~~~” Luo Feng’s hand glided over his head, his palm emitting sharp sword qi that sliced through his long hair, leaving it neatly trimmed to a three-inch length.

In the real world, one’s appearance is automatically replicated in the Virtual Universe.

“Long hair really doesn’t suit me,” Luo Feng murmured with a smile.

“Hmph.”

The masked figure, carrying two blades on his back, coldly stared at Luo Feng. “Draw your weapon.”

“Gladly,” Luo Feng smiled. In an instant, weapons appeared in both hands. His left hand gripped a hexagonal shield—’Void Shield’—while his right held a blood-red blade—’Shadow Gold Blade’.

Yes!

Luo Feng intended to use his blade techniques to pass this second level. Having comprehended the first fundamental mystery of the Spatial Dao, he could now integrate it into any martial style—be it sword, blade, or even mental projections. This was the essence of the Dao; once understood, it could be seamlessly fused into any combat form.

“Hmph!” The black-clad warrior let out a cold snort. In a flash, he launched himself forward, like a bolt of lightning, drawing both blades from his back.

“Come on!!!” Luo Feng’s eyes flared with intense battle-lust as he charged forward.

Boom!

Luo Feng surged ahead, leaving behind an afterimage, while another figure appeared before the masked warrior.

“Burial!” With a sharp cry, Luo Feng’s right blade slashed forward with the force of splitting mountains and seas, reaching the masked warrior in an instant.

“Too fast!” The masked warrior was startled, hastily crossing his two blades to block.

Peng!

The masked warrior was forced onto one knee by the impact, then slid backward across the bridge, his knee striking the surface with a resonant hum that vibrated the entire bridge.

“Such power!” The masked warrior thought in alarm, then leapt upward.

Whoosh!

Soaring into the air, the masked warrior suddenly split into six illusions, each wielding two blades. Most eerily, each illusion displayed a different blade technique, all attacking Luo Feng at once.

“Hahahaha!” Luo Feng roared with laughter as he charged forward. “The Road to the End of the Heavens!!!”

Xiu!

His blood-red blade left behind only a faint, ethereal afterimage in midair as it swept through the six illusions. Five of them shattered instantly, leaving only the true body behind.

“Endless Hate!” In a flash, Luo Feng appeared above the retreating masked warrior. His right arm thickened, stretching his battle robe taut, the muscles beneath the fabric resembling coiled steel cables, exuding a brutal, frenzied aura. His blade crashed down onto the masked warrior’s desperate block.

Boom!

The masked warrior plummeted downward, crashing onto the edge of the bridge with a thud, spitting out a mouthful of blood before falling into the misty sea below.

“I refuse to believe this!” A roar erupted from the sea as the masked warrior howled and shot upward.

But Luo Feng dove down from the bridge, laughing wildly. “Then I’ll beat it into you until you do believe!”

“Shadow Play!”

“Broken Dream!”

“Endless Hate!”

“Endless Wandering!”

“Burial!”

“The Road to the End of the Heavens!”

Luo Feng seemed to transform into a ghostly warrior, appearing unpredictably before the masked warrior. His blade techniques were overwhelming—some fierce and brutal, others elusive and unpredictable. Each was terrifying in its own right, and used in rapid succession, they utterly overwhelmed the masked warrior, leaving him no chance to resist.

“I’ll need more time to finish him with just these six moves,” Luo Feng thought, standing atop the sea.

He was using the ‘Seven Shadow Blade Techniques’ that his Mosha Clan clone had been studying.

The ‘Seven Shadow Blade Techniques’ consisted of seven forms: ‘Broken Dream,’ ‘Shadow Play,’ ‘Endless Wandering,’ ‘Burial,’ ‘Ephemeral,’ ‘The Road to the End of the Heavens,’ and ‘Endless Hate.’ Of course, these names were Luo Feng’s translations from the Universal Language, attempting to capture their essence in Chinese.

None of the seven forms was inherently superior to the others.

Some were suited for battling multiple foes, others for stealthy assassinations, close-quarters combat, or sheer brute force—each exuded a distinct aura. Different masters would emphasize varying styles.

Among the Seven Shadow Blade Techniques, Luo Feng favored ‘Ephemeral,’ embodying the transient splendor of a night-blooming cereus.

When his Mosha Clan clone studied the ‘Shadow Play Manual,’ he focused on ‘Ephemeral,’ a technique designed for assassination. It was a dance of death at the tip of the blade, executed in close quarters with the opponent. In the universe, due to the incredible speed of experts, even warriors rarely stayed in close proximity.

‘Ephemeral’ was a technique for ultra-close-range combat—also known as ‘Body-to-Body Combat.’

Steel met steel, and in the fleeting span of a night-blooming cereus’ blossom, the foe’s life was claimed.

Because he had long focused on ‘Ephemeral,’ after comprehending the first mystery of the Spatial Dao, Luo Feng first integrated that insight into ‘Ephemeral.’ The other six forms of the Seven Shadow Blade Techniques had not yet been harmonized with this first mystery.

Previously, Luo Feng had relied purely on his decade of cultivation and superior comprehension of the Dao to overpower his opponent.

…

Luo Feng descended from midair and landed on the bridge.

“You won’t kill me that easily,” the slightly battered masked warrior, still holding his two blades, landed on the bridge as well, his eyes warily fixed on the young man before him.

“The blade technique I’m about to demonstrate is called ‘Ephemeral,'” Luo Feng smiled. “Dying to this move is an honor.”

“Hmph,” the masked warrior snorted.

Whoosh! In an instant, Luo Feng lunged forward, his blade shifting from a forward grip to a reverse grip. A dazzling arc of blade light illuminated the air!

“Ahh!” The masked warrior’s eyes widened in shock. “No!”

Vibrating with energy, the masked warrior’s twin blades became a flurry of afterimages, surrounding him in a defensive veil.

“Clang!” The beautiful arc of blade light struck the veil of blades.

“I blocked it,” the masked warrior thought with relief, then confusion. “Why did it feel so light?”

As Luo Feng’s ghostly form, accompanied by the sudden arc of blade light, approached the masked warrior—less than two meters away—his form shifted slightly, and the arc of blade light reappeared, slicing through the gaps between the blades before the opponent could react, piercing through the masked warrior’s throat.

Puh!

The blade’s tip flicked upward, cleaving the masked warrior’s head open in a spray of blood.

“Too fast—” The masked warrior’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could speak, he died, his body dissolving into black liquid that merged with the white mist.

Seven Shadow Blade Techniques—’Ephemeral!’

“Exactly. It’s all about speed,” Luo Feng flipped his blade, gently blew on it to scatter the droplets of blood, and smiled. “Ephemeral—following the most fundamental arc of spatial ripples. That blade is truly fast, truly ruthless!”

Having comprehended the first mystery of the Spatial Dao, Luo Feng’s blade now truly deserved the name ‘Ephemeral.’ The other six techniques were merely forms without essence.

“Third level!” Luo Feng looked ahead as the white mist dissipated, revealing the third level of the Tiantian Bridge above.

“I can’t be too flashy here. Blade techniques are the specialty of my Mosha Clan clone. I’ll use mental projections for the third level,” Luo Feng thought to himself. His Earthling body was strongest with mental weapons. He then shot upward, rushing along the third level of the bridge toward its end.

…

In the Chaos City, within the palace of King Tongnan.

Venerables Zhenyan, Tongnan, and Lonyu sat together.

“Are you leaving so soon?” Venerable Zhenyan asked in surprise.

“I’ve been in Chaos City for nearly twenty days. I’ve observed enough. Bolan and Ronjun are the most outstanding, while the others each have their unique traits,” Lonyu smiled lightly. “It’s time I return and report to the Venerable.”

Venerable Tongnan frowned slightly.

“Hmm?” Suddenly, Venerable Zhenyan furrowed his brows and let out a startled sound.

“What’s wrong?” Tongnan and Lonyu both turned to look at him in surprise.

“It’s that kid Luo Feng—he’s passed the second level!” Venerable Zhenyan couldn’t hide his joy. “Just now!”

“The second level?” Lonyu nodded. “Well, Luo Feng is one of the elites. He should have passed the second level long ago. Though he’s a bit behind others, it’s not by much. Wuka and Qianhuan passed the second level in their ninth year.”

“No, he passed it through close combat!” Venerable Zhenyan added excitedly.

“Close combat?”

Venerables Tongnan and Lonyu were both shocked.

Each expert has their own specialty—whether a controller, a warrior, or otherwise, they focus on one path. Yet Luo Feng, a prodigy, was known as a controller.

“He passed the second level purely through close combat? His close combat skills rival those of Wuka and Longyun!” Lonyu’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go to the Tiantian Bridge Plane.”

“Let’s go,” Tongnan agreed immediately, deciding not to leave just yet.

“Hahahaha! I told you he was special,” Venerable Zhenyan laughed heartily, thinking to himself, “This kid… his close combat is on par with Longyun and Wuka. Truly monstrous.”

Whoosh!

The consciousness of these three supreme beings instantly entered the ‘Tiantian Bridge Plane’ within the Virtual Universe Network.