C6 This Slash Could Destroy All Thirty Years of His will and Spirit.
Bai Le dashed into the maple forest, desperately trying to evade the persistent Mutant Golden Giant Crocodile on his tail.
The crocodile bulldozed its way through the forest, the maple trees offering no resistance. It seemed determined to crush Bai Le under its massive bulk.
Intent Blade (low order)
Intent Value (100/100)
After roughly three minutes, the blade was ready!
A sudden impulse struck Bai Le, and he halted in his tracks.
He spun around to confront the eight-meter-long, three-meter-high behemoth.
The presence of the rare level beast was like a tidal wave, the pressure on Bai Le akin to a mountain collapsing before him.
Golden leaves cascaded around him like a torrential rain in the maple forest.
The giant crocodile closed the distance in a blink, leaping skyward, its monstrous jaws gaping wide as it lunged for Bai Le.
The wind screamed, death looming.
Bai Le shut his eyes.
This was the moment of truth.
"Intent Blade, appear!!!"
Clad in his combat dress, Bai Le spread his arms wide.
A surge of heat welled up in his right palm, and a brilliant white light burst forth!
A mechanically intricate long blade, sheathed and enigmatic, emerged slowly from the radiance.
The secret realm's wind, the lake water, the maple leaves, and even the twilight seemed to swirl and converge upon the blade.
Time slowed to a crawl.
Suddenly, it was as if the blade was the protagonist of the universe!
The spectacle had the entire audience leaping to their feet in unison.
The Intent Blade had barely revealed itself, and already it had caused an uproar!
"What is this?!!"
"It's a talent! A combat summoning talent! The kind that summons weapons!"
"Holy shit! Bai Le's awakened his talent! Standing up to a beast without flinching, that's badass! That's wild!"
"Damn, who was it that said Bai Le had no awakened talent?"
"Hahaha, where are the naysayers now? Feeling the sting?"
"My god..."
The scene's visual impact was overwhelming.
Lan Yuran shook with excitement, her hands trembling as she snapped photo after photo.
"This is too much, what a heartthrob of a high schooler!"
She believed this to be the most breathtaking moment she'd ever captured in her journalistic career.
Witnessing the emergence of a supreme talent, battling a rare level mutated beast!
"Check it out! Quick, find out what talent this is!"
Du Mei called out to her team, her voice brimming with excitement.
As an educator, she had encountered countless talents, including those capable of summoning weapons.
Like the A-class combat talents 'Demonic Dragon Spear' and 'Judgement.'
But a sword summoning talent was new to her, and the way it was summoned was nothing short of spectacular!
The senior proctor gaped in amazement.
This talent was unprecedented!
The blade had not even been drawn, yet it had captivated everyone.
But it was feared to be all show and no substance; it needed to be more than just a pretty sight—it had to pack a punch!
On the screen, Bai Le gripped his Intent Blade for the first time.
In an instant, a myriad of thoughts flooded into the sword.
The Intent Blade, resembling a katana, was slender and elongated.
Its scabbard glinted with a golden sheen against the backdrop of the golden maple leaves, exuding an air of grace.
Only Bai Le knew that this was not a mere talent.
It was his 'setting,' or more precisely, his 'sequence'—
A sequence more potent than any talent;
A sequence that transcended all rules!
"The first of the 24 Skysplitter Strikes, the Sword Drawing Style!"
Bai Le crouched on the ground, his left hand gripping the scabbard at his waist, his right hand poised on the hilt, ready to unleash the blade's power.
It was the quintessential high school maneuver taught in compulsory education—a basic, yet masterful, preparatory stance for drawing the blade.
With a crisp 'ting,' the blade was unsheathed, and with it, a torrent of blade energy.
Extreme Intent, Soul Devouring Slash!
This strike bore the weight of Bai Le's three years of solitary courage;
It bore the vivid landscapes of the secret realm;
It bore the keen edge of the Intent Blade's first emergence into the world!
Slash!
A dense weave of blade light, mingling with a cascade of leaves, formed a radiant barrier.
It surged towards the oncoming mutated golden crocodile.
The creature roared in fury, colliding with the barrier of blade light.
What followed was a sight to behold.
The golden crocodile was like a sausage fed into a grinder.
Its flesh and blood burst into countless golden particles, scattering in a spectacular display akin to fireworks.
Time itself seemed to stand still.
The descent of leaves, the breeze, and the audience's heartbeats all paused.
Who would have imagined?
With a single draw of his blade, Bai Le reduced the rare level vicious beast to dust!
Maple leaves continued their silent descent amidst a shower of golden rain.
Bai Le sheathed his sword.
The wind roared, causing his black combat uniform to snap and billow.
Except for the vanishing crocodile, it was as if nothing—and yet everything—had happened.
"Is this the power of the Intent Blade..."
"A single slash to vanquish the beast!"
Bai Le held his sheathing pose, eyes closed, savoring the residual might of the Soul Devouring Slash!
He doubted even a beast general could withstand his fully charged strike!
Internally, he was a whirlwind of emotion, but outwardly, he remained the epitome of serenity.
As the proverb goes, 'arrive with the fury of a thunderbolt, depart like the calm light of a still sea.'
Such is the way of the blade.
And so it is with man!
...
The Intent Blade, having delivered its breathtaking strike, transformed back into a white light and returned to Bai Le's palm.
His current status read:
Intent Blade (Low Order) (Summonable)
Intent Value (50/100)
The Soul Devouring Slash had depleted 50 points of Intent Value.
How to replenish this Intent Value remained a mystery.
When Bai Le's eyes fluttered open, he found himself back in the examination hall.
The martial examination was over!
He had blazed through the abyss level secret realm in just 13 minutes and 21 seconds—a record time!
"The title of top scholar seems within reach."
Bai Le exhaled a breath of relief.
A new prompt appeared before him:
[Achievement Earned (Bladelight Shadow, Maple Leaf Pause)]
[Achievement Reward: Ascending Book x1 (Elevate one martial technique of the host by one level)]
Elevate a martial technique by one level?
Even Bai Le, usually stoic, couldn't help but crack a smile at the reward.
...
Outside the venue.
Du Mei, Hou Chunhua, Lan Yuran, and the rest surged towards the examination hall's exit.
The rest of the martial examination paled in comparison.
After witnessing Bai Le's extraordinary slash, how could anyone be interested in the other candidates' performances?
It was child's play by comparison.
Unanimously, they all gathered, awaiting Bai Le's emergence.
Everyone was eager to witness the grace of Bai Le!
The crowd buzzed with excitement, hearts racing.
"A talent awakened! Exceptional martial prowess! Conqueror of the abyss level secret realm! The provincial top scholar title is as good as his!"
"Our Huthwaite High School is truly going to produce a provincial champion this time! We're making history!"
"Ahhh, Senior Bai is just too cool!"
"Wow, I recall hitting the basketball court with Senior Bai. Asking for his autograph now isn't too much, right?"
"This stroke of the blade severs thirty years of martial examination pride in Lanteglos!"
"Speaking of which, what exactly is the talent Senior Bai has awakened? Has anyone figured it out yet?"
