The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 41: Skill Realization, Trouble in the City
A notification flashed on his screen.
Allen opened his eyes, looking utterly surprised.
"Windwhisper Art actually leveled up to Level 2 so fast?"
Windwhisper Art was an Arcane Grade High Tier mental cultivation method. Leveling it to Level 2 required 50,000 experience points. He hadn’t actively practiced it at all before. Yet, just by staying in this space for less than half an hour, it jumped up a full level.
On top of that, leveling up Windwhisper Art granted him +1 Wind Element Insight. He could clearly feel that the wind elements around him had become much more familiar.
Even if he hadn’t unlocked any new skills, this gain was more than enough.
"Keep going!"
Allen was excited. He closed his eyes again, focusing on sensing the wind.
...
[Windwhisper Art has reached Rank 1, Level 4. Major Attributes +6, Mental Attribute +26, Wind Element Insight +1]
Time trickled by. It was hard to tell how long it had been, but another notification appeared.
Allen’s Windwhisper Art had reached Rank 1, Level 4, boosting his power significantly once again.
However, at this point, the speed of cultivating Windwhisper Art slowed down noticeably.
He checked how much experience Windwhisper Art needed for its next upgrade: 200,000 points.
At this speed, it would probably take at least half a month to level up again.
Allen suddenly lost the motivation to keep practicing Windwhisper Art.
"I wonder if I can unlock a skill?" he wondered with hope. Boosting stats was just a side benefit. Only unlocking a real skill would let him reach his full potential.
Windwhisper Art had leveled up, increasing his Wind Element Insight. Combined with the incredibly dense wind energy in this place, there was a high chance he could unlock a skill.
Allen closed his eyes again. This time, he stopped practicing and focused purely on sensing the wind, trying to unlock a skill.
Whoosh...
A gentle breeze blew by. He clearly felt the wind elements around him becoming lively, like playful Elves.
Allen felt he was close, but he couldn’t quite grasp the feeling.
Unlocking a skill is incredibly difficult for adventurers; otherwise, skill books wouldn’t be so precious.
...
Time passed slowly. Allen still couldn’t find a clue, and he started to feel frustrated.
"Darn it, is unlocking a skill really this hard?"
Allen was on the verge of giving up. Suddenly, the Basic Saber Technique popped into his mind.
"Right, unlocking magic skills is hard. But what about martial techniques?"
He thought this could work perfectly. His Basic Saber Technique was already at Rank 1, Level 5, yet he still hadn’t unlocked the corresponding martial art.
He stood up, made a mental move, and drew his Saber. He performed the Basic Saber Technique, letting the wind guide his movements.
Cold light flashed. Allen’s speed increased, but his movements became lighter and lighter, until he seemed to merge with the surrounding breeze.
His figure began to blur, surrounded only by countless streaks of cold light.
Hummm...
Suddenly, a piercing hum echoed, as if it would burst his eardrums. In the vast space, countless cold lights flashed and intertwined, whipping up a fierce gale.
Then, Allen’s figure reappeared. The wind died down, and the streaks of cold light vanished instantly.
[Ding! You have unlocked a new martial technique. Please name it.}
"Did it really work?"
Allen exclaimed, a look of pure joy on his face. As he recalled the move he had just performed, the name formed in his mind.
"This is a fusion of wind elements and Saber Technique. I’ll call it Tempest Slash."
[Name Accepted. Tempest Slash has automatically evolved into a Forbidden Spell: Heaven’s Punishment : Tempest Slash.]
[Heaven’s Punishment : Tempest Slash: Forbidden Spell | Level 1 (1/100,000) | Fuse your body into the wind and unleash a Saber Technique. Inflicts Wind Magic Damage equal to 50x your Spirit and Physical Damage equal to 100x your Strength. Costs one month of lifespan every 10 seconds.]
"This is a sustained ability!"
Allen stared at the details of Tempest Slash, completely stunned.
This wasn’t just a simple attack; after activating it, his body merges with the wind, making him incredibly hard to hit while simultaneously striking the enemy. It was both defense and offense.
Best of all, it could be maintained continuously. Since it cost one month of lifespan every 10 seconds, and his Art of Immortality had reached Rank 1, Level 2 (adding 300 years to his life), In other words, Allen can sustain the performance for more than six hours.
"If I met a demonic soldier now, I’d handle them easily. Even facing a Demon Guard, I could put up a fight!"
Allen’s confidence soared. He couldn’t wait to go out and hunt some demonic soldiers right now.
But the Hell’s Gate was already closed. All the demonic soldiers and Demon Guards had vanished, and Blackspire was now empty of enemies.
"I should head back."
Allen didn’t know how long he had stayed in this space. By now, the wind energy’s effect on him had faded significantly, so staying here no longer made sense.
He focused his mind and left the space, returning to the Academy.
When Allen asked the teacher guarding the ruins’ entrance, he was shocked to learn he had been trapped in the ruins for over half a month.
No wonder so many powerful experts go into seclusion for decades, or even centuries. When you’re fully immersed in cultivation, time just disappears.
Allen left the Academy and headed straight for the City Lord’s Mansion.
It had been half a month since the demons attacked. The city was bustling with life again, but traces of the previous battle were still visible everywhere.
"Mr. Allen."
From an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, a figure emerged and hurried over.
Allen blinked, recognizing the person. It was a shadow guard from the City Lord’s Mansion.
Curious, he asked, "What’s going on?"
The guard nodded, his expression grim. "The City Lord ordered me to tell you to leave Blackspire immediately and head to the Chaos Zone."
"What about Lilia?" Allen frowned. Something must have happened while he was gone.
The guard hesitated, then shook his head. "The City Lord forbids me from saying more."
"Speak!" Allen’s voice turned icy. "If you don’t talk, I’ll go to the City Lord’s Mansion right now, and I won’t be bound by your orders."
"Mr. Allen, the City Lord only does this for your own good..."
Allen ignored him and started walking toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
"Mr. Allen!" The shadow guard panicked, rushing after him. "Fine, I’ll tell you. The priest escaped and ran into people from the Saintlight Academy. Your Heaven-Cursed class secret is exposed. The City Lord’s Mansion is now under their control. Lord Lucas is being investigated, and Miss Lilia has been imprisoned."
"Saintlight Academy?" Allen was confused. "Why are they here in Blackspire?"
The Saintlight Academy was one of the top three academies on the continent, located in the Divine Kingdom’s capital. It was far away; how could they possibly be here?
The shadow guard shook his head. "I don’t know the specifics either, but they are targeting you now. Fortunately, no one knows you entered Quinn’s Manuscript, but they won’t keep this secret for long. You must leave immediately."
Allen didn’t stop, his brows furrowed. "How many people did the Saintlight Academy send? What is their strength?"
"A hundred-knight squadron. The leader is only at Stage 4 cultivation, but he has four Ascetics under his command. We can’t defeat them." The shadow guard didn’t hide the truth.
Both the Ascetics and the Knights of Light were the Church of Light’s combat forces.
However, Ascetics were even more powerful and mysterious. Usually, they practiced hard in the deep mountains, rarely mixing with the outside world. It was said that a powerful Ascetic could match the strength of a Cardinal Bishop.
"What cultivation stage are those four Ascetics at?" Allen knew these four were the biggest threat.
The shadow guard replied, "Two are at Stage 5, and two are at Stage 6."
"Stage 6?" Allen frowned, his expression growing serious.
If they were only Stage 5, he was confident he could handle them. But facing Stage 6 experts, especially Ascetics known for their fighting skills, would be tricky.
Allen thought for a moment and asked, "If I lure those four Ascetics out of the city, can you save the City Lord and Lilia?"
"Mr. Allen," the guard said, "Lord Lucas just told you to leave."
Allen sighed in exasperation. The shadow guards of the City Lord’s Mansion were absolutely loyal, but they lacked flexibility.
He spoke coldly, "Do as I say. As long as you save Lilia, I have a way to kill those Ascetics."
It had been over half a month, so Lilia’s injuries should have healed significantly.
With his combined strength and Lilia’s recovery, they would dominate the air. Even against Stage 6 Ascetics, they had a good chance to win.
After a moment of thought, the guard said, "If those four Ascetics aren’t here, we can save the City Lord and Miss Lilia. However, doing this would go against orders."
"Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens. Immediately spread the word that I’m in the forest outside the city. As soon as those four Ascetics leave, rescue the City Lord and Lilia." Allen gave his final instructions. Without waiting for an answer, he quickly ran out of the city.
"Sigh."
The shadow guard sighed helplessly. If Lord Simon were still here, there wouldn’t be so much trouble.
Both Simon and the City Lord were at Stage 6, easily enough to hold off two Stage 6 Ascetics.
Shaking off his worries, he immediately sent people to spread the news that Allen was in the woods outside the city.
...
City Lord’s Mansion.
The place was now under the control of the Knights of Light. Both Lucas and Lilia were locked up.
Before long, news reached the mansion that Allen had appeared in the forest outside.
"Blackspire is full of hidden talents," a young man said, holding a short staff. His face was proud and aloof as he spoke calmly. "Silas, lead the squadron to capture this Allen. Remember, I need him alive!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Lord Lucian, you shouldn’t," the priest hurriedly spoke up. "This Allen is incredibly strong. If he goes all out and unleashes a Forbidden Spell, I’m afraid these Bright Knights won’t stand a chance. To be safe, it’s better to let those four elders handle it."
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Young Lucian frowned, looking disdainful, but he still glanced at the four thin, old men in gray robes standing beside him.
"We will follow your orders," the leader said softly, his eyes lowered.
"Since that’s the case, please have Elders Cassian and Lysander go," Lucian said, turning his attention to two other old men behind them.
These two were at Stage 5. Catching a fresh graduate who had just awakened his class should be easy, even if he was from the Heaven-Cursed Class.
More importantly, Lucian had witnessed Lucas’s terrifying power. Without two Stage 6 Ascetics guarding him, he wouldn’t feel safe.
The two named elders nodded slightly and turned to leave.
