Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques-Chapter 127.1: We Finally Meet After One Year, Tian Xin! (I)
Tian Xin sat cross-legged in his courtyard with closed eyes, quietly contemplating. He had been waiting many years for this moment, and the closer he came to achieving it, the less he desired killing.
What he required instead was inner stillness, and for that reason, he rarely acted in recent years and had taken even fewer lives.
No one would have guessed that a man on the verge of perfecting the Slaughter Intent was a man focused on cultivating the heart instead of killing.
Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the courtyard. "Tian Xin, how can you still sit so calmly at a time like this?"
A black-robed martial artist walked inside. However, Tian Xin did not respond. The visitor drew a slow breath and suppressed the agitation in his chest. "Tian Xin, did you know that Sheng Yuanyi is dead?"
Tian Xin opened his eyes. "Hm? Sheng Yuanyi is dead?"
"That's right. Dao Shi'er killed him and replaced his position in the Divine Strength Rankings. Dao Shi'er has also publicly challenged you to a duel three days from now. He will meet you at the place where you hunted down the Barbarian Slaying Squad a year ago.
"You've always wanted a worthy opponent. Now, one has appeared. Anyone who could kill Sheng Yuanyi cannot be weak. Will you go?"
The black-robed martial artist watched Tian Xin in silence, waiting for an answer. He knew Tian Xin almost never fought and did not even obey the Northern Barbarian Kingdom's orders.
The last time Tian Xin had acted was only because of the Dao Comprehension Pill. This time, there was no reward, so whether Tian Xin would act depended entirely on his own will.
"Sheng Yuanyi..." Tian Xin murmured. "I will go. Why wouldn't I? That Dao Shi'er is interesting. Anyone capable of killing Sheng Yuanyi must have real strength. Since he has openly invited me, what harm is there in meeting him?"
A faint smile appeared on Tian Xin's face. After so long in stillness, a ripple finally stirred in Tian Xin's heart. He felt this meeting was fated. For the longest time now, he had been seeking to perfect his Slaughter Intent, but it required fighting a worthy opponent.
Dao Shi'er, the man he had failed to kill, had publicly challenged him. Tian Xin believed this battle would allow him to achieve true completion of his Slaughter Intent.
"Good. Since you will go, it is settled then," the black-robed martial artist said. "Dao Shi'er has an ability that allows him to sense his surroundings, and it has been a major problem on the Northern Region Battlefield. If you can kill him, show him no mercy."
"Of course," Tian Xin said, closing his eyes again. "He escaped from my hands once before, but it will not happen again. In three days, I will kill Dao Shi'er."
The black-robed martial artist smiled. He had never liked Tian Xin's attitude or behavior, but he had never doubted Tian Xin's strength. If Tian Xin was going to make a move, then Dao Shi'er would surely die.
***
Inside his residence in Beiling City, Lu Changsheng flipped through the Heart Sword Art that he had taken from Sheng Yuanyi's body.
Despite the name, the Heart Sword Art was less of a sword technique and more of a mental secret technique that required a martial artist to condense all of their heart power into a single Heart Sword. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
The difficulty of learning this technique lay in grasping mental strength. Mental strength had no tangible form, and most martial artists could not even sense it, let alone shape it into a weapon. Hence, the Heart Sword Sect valued a very specific talent—the ability to perceive one's own mind.
For Lu Changsheng, however, this posed no obstacle. Heart power was closely connected to Intent. The stronger the Intent, the stronger the mind, and Lu Changsheng had already comprehended four Intents. He had long been able to control his mental strength. All that remained was transforming it into the Heart Sword.
It was a transformation that usually required long cultivation, but Lu Changsheng's Perception was exceptional. After studying the art, he quickly grasped its essence, and he began cultivating the Heart Sword.
From that moment on, his progress was astonishingly fast. Three days later, Lu Changsheng remained sitting motionless in his room. His breathing was steady, and his heart was calm, but his mind was growing sharper and sharper, like a blade being honed.
He opened his eyes, and a sharp light flashed within them. It's done. I've successfully transformed my mental strength into the Heart Sword—just in time to face Tian Xin.
Lu Changsheng pulled up the Status Panel.
[Status Panel]
Host: Lu Changsheng
Perception: 2866 (Praised by All)
[Skills]
Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique: Sword Crafting, 14 years, 3 months
Heart Sword Art: Progress 1% (Heart Sword)
Heaven and Earth Wind Intent: Progress 53%
Wind Sense Intent: Progress 72%
Starry Sky Waterfall Intent: Progress 11%
Wave Intent: Progress 25%
Lu Changsheng looked at the Status Panel. Heart Sword Art has been activated, and its progress is at one percent.
According to the Heart Sword Art, the Heart Sword had several stages, and the lowest stage was the White Heart Sword. Only after a martial artist perfected the White Heart Sword could it advance to the next stage, and each transformation would greatly increase its power.
The Heart Sword Art had tremendous potential and would remain effective even beyond the Divine Strength Realm. However, Lu Changsheng would have to cultivate the White Heart Sword to Perfection before it would evolve.
Aside from gaining the Heart Sword Art, Lu Changsheng's improvements were limited. The Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique had only advanced by a month, and the only noticeable change was the Heaven and Earth Wind Intent, which had risen to fifty-three percent.
Now that the Heaven and Earth Wind Intent had crossed the fifty percent mark, Lu Changsheng could faintly feel its transformation. He had not tested it yet, but he knew that this Intent alone would drive his strikes to an almost unbelievable speed.
Once combined with the Wave Intent, the power of his strike would increase as well. If these were not enough, he also had the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique as another attack.
After considering everything, including his current level of strength, Lu Changsheng was certain that he could kill Tian Xin today.
Lu Changsheng rose to his feet. He pushed open the door with a calm gaze that carried an unmatched resolve.
Outside, a dense crowd had gathered. Over the past three days, news of Dao Shi'er challenging Tian Xin had been spreading far beyond the city. Martial artists from every direction flocked to Beiling City just to watch the fight.
Lu Changsheng acknowledged them with a slight nod but said nothing as he walked straight toward the outskirts of Beiling City.
As he moved, martial artists cupped their fists in salute. Whether they had known Dao Shi'er before or not didn't matter, as all of them were familiar with him now.
"So that's Dao Shi'er."
"On the Northern Region Battlefield, only Dao Shi'er has ever dared to challenge Tian Xin."
"The battle between Dao Shi'er and Tian Xin will be the greatest clash between two Divine Strength martial artists. It can't be missed."
Lu Changsheng walked all the way to the city gates. The entrance was crowded, but when he arrived, the people there silently parted and opened a path for him, allowing him to step out of Beiling City.
Lu Changsheng moved toward the boundless grasslands of the Northern Region Battlefield, where countless martial artists had died.
Soon, he arrived at the appointed place. This was a place he would never forget. A year ago, You Shifei, Yang Zhen, Tong Xuan, and Tie Yuan had fallen here while protecting him.
Since then, the Barbarian Slaying Squad was never seen until now.
