Chapter Forty-Two: A Blade Pierces the Heavens, Breaking Through Nine Layers
Yang Fan dashed out of the infirmary, and even after a long while, the uneasiness in his heart refused to dissipate.
This incident reminded him of stories he'd heard before—how, during school days, a boy had singed off a portion of a girl's hair. But compared to himself, Yang Fan thought those boys were amateurs.
He had shaved a girl's entire head bald.
Yang Fan dared not imagine what came after that.
It was terrifying...
Staggering, he returned to his dormitory, which he had left only moments ago.
He felt as though something was wrong with him.
Every time he left his room, it wouldn’t be long before he was back again.
His life, truly, seemed devoid of much meaning.
He stepped into the training room once more.
Yang Fan planned to properly study “Ninefold Berserker Heaven.”
Previously, he had only skimmed through it.
He hadn’t seriously practiced it yet, and since he had nothing else to occupy him, it was necessary to take a careful look at “Ninefold Berserker Heaven!”
He brought out the ancient, rustic tome.
Word by word, he began to read.
“Strength like stone, tendons and bones like knives, knives as sharp as autumn frost, cleaving gold and jade, fierce as a tiger, a single slash pierces the nine heavens!”
A combat technique; a strike that shatters ninefold.
Yang Fan felt his blood surge with excitement.
A single slash pierces the nine heavens.
He continued reading.
The Ninefold Shatter technique differed from the Thunderblade method. Thunderblade emphasized speed, pursuing the principle that all martial arts are invincible when swift. But Ninefold Shatter focused on drawing the blade and never turning back, seeking blood to prove valor. Its pursuit was relentless, a single decisive strike. Speed was unnecessary—what mattered was raw attack and destructive power.
As he read further, Yang Fan grabbed his now less-than-ideal Miao blade, his vital energy roared within, surging into his arms, and he brought the blade down in a powerful slash.
He no longer sought wrist speed, focusing only on the empty space before him.
His slash made the blade vibrate.
It was as if the air before him rippled.
Yang Fan was a bit astonished.
Was entry-level really this simple?
He recalled his training with the Thunderblade—he had swung the blade tens of thousands of times before achieving entry, and now, with the more powerful Ninefold Berserker Heaven, he had entered the Ninefold Shatter with his very first attempt.
The Ninefold Shatter was divided into five stages: entry at the first, mastery at the second, advanced at the fourth, and peak at the fifth.
Entry-level required one to slash and cause rippling in the air.
With his previous slash, Yang Fan clearly felt the blade's passage, and witnessed ripples and waves in the air.
He could hardly believe it, so he gripped the blade again, vital energy surging, and struck with force.
His arm was straight, his wrist steady as a mountain.
The tip touched the ground, and faint ripples appeared in the air before him once more.
Yang Fan was now certain.
Although he didn’t understand why it was so, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
As for Thunderblade, Yang Fan felt he shouldn’t abandon it.
He knew the wisdom of mastering many skills.
Even if Li Tian dismissed the Thunderblade, Yang Fan believed it still had its uses—especially for surprise attacks, drawing the blade instantly and silently, striking when least expected, in a flash. Yang Fan thought it was quite decent.
On the other hand, Yang Fan also noticed the enormous consumption of Ninefold Berserker Heaven, Ninefold Shatter.
After only two slashes, his vital energy was more than half depleted. Yang Fan estimated that, at full capacity, he could manage three slashes at most—no more.
As for the movement technique: Ninefold Step, and the defensive technique: Heaven Guard.
These required the opening of the Qi Sea and gathering breath before training.
Only after reading did Yang Fan understand why Li Tian, when gifting the techniques, only suggested replacing Thunderblade, never mentioning the Bowing Shadow.
Yang Fan had thought Li Tian valued Bowing Shadow, but now he realized he simply couldn't practice Ninefold Step yet—not because Li Tian thought Bowing Shadow superior.
Yang Fan then sat cross-legged, recovering his vital energy while leafing through the book.
...
Early next morning, Yang Fan crawled from bed, his eyes bleary.
He had stayed in the training room until past midnight before washing up and sleeping.
He now understood the might of Ninefold Berserker Heaven.
After several practices, his ordinary Miao blade was on the verge of collapse.
He felt that after a few more uses, this newly acquired long blade would leave him as well.
Precisely because the blade was nearly spent, Yang Fan had rested; otherwise, he would have practiced all night.
Each time his blade depleted his vital energy, he would recover through cultivation.
He could feel his dry body replenished with vital energy, its strength and density slightly increased with each cycle.
Yang Fan enjoyed this feeling—watching himself grow stronger step by step, what could bring more joy than that?
Today was the final round of the freshman tournament; Yang Fan was determined—he had to win first place, he had to obtain an alloy weapon.
Ordinary steel weapons were increasingly inadequate for him. Last night, had he not feared shattering the blade and having no weapon for today’s competition, he would not have rested at all.
Carrying his nearly expired Miao blade, Yang Fan left his dorm and headed for the arena.
...
Today, the freshman tournament venue was abuzz with excitement.
All the new students were present except Zhou Yiyi; even some senior students came to watch.
News had spread among the seniors yesterday.
A student among this year’s freshmen had awakened a talent.
Yesterday, he was drawn into combat, but turned the tide with his abilities.
In fact, not only new students, but many seniors had never seen an awakened one—except Ouyang Yunlei, of course.
They were all eager to understand, wanting to know the abilities of the awakened, to see whether awakened ones or cultivators were stronger.
When Yang Fan entered the arena, everyone turned to look at him.
Yang Fan stood at the entrance, feeling awkward.
Never before had he been stared at by a thousand pairs of eyes; he felt at a loss.
Why were they looking at him? Yang Fan had a rough guess.
It was nothing more than his awakening, nothing more than his lightning.
He could hear their whispers.
“So this is the awakened one among you freshmen?”
“Yes, senior, this is Yang Fan, he awakened. Yesterday when he unleashed lightning, Zhou Yiyi fell instantly. Amazing!”
“Hmph, I’d like to test his lightning myself, see if he can knock me down in one strike!”
“Haha, senior, don’t joke. You’re already at the third rank—he’s no match for you.”
...
“So this is Yang Fan? He actually awakened. Meng Yuan, after the match, ask him if he’d like to join our club.”
“Yes, president.”
...
“Sihua, how are you feeling now? Still want revenge?”
“Hmph, so what if he awakened? Sooner or later, I’ll beat him.”
“Talk big, Xie Sihua. He beat you without even using his abilities—how can you say that?”
“Mu Qingshan, you loser, didn’t you get beaten too? At least I made him suffer—what about you? Two slashes and you were down.”
“So what if I lost? I admit it, do you?”
“You...”
...
Yang Fan listened to the commotion around him, feeling helpless.
Naturally introverted, he was uneasy with so many eyes on him.
He shuffled over to an empty chair.
Quietly, he waited for the competition to begin.
On the second floor of the arena, Xiao Minghe, Zhang Weiguo, and Zhou Haifeng were still present.
They watched the noisy students below, and Yang Fan seated in a corner.
Zhou Haifeng said, “Are we really letting this guy compete? Is it necessary? My daughter isn’t here—this kid would be first even without his abilities, so why bother?”
Xiao Minghe replied, “Originally, I didn’t want him to participate, but if we just give him first place or exclude him from the rankings, it won’t convince anyone. So let him compete—what’s the harm? It’ll remind these youngsters that they’re not strong enough yet.”
Zhang Weiguo said, “Exactly. In recent years, students entering the Magic City Cultivation Academy have grown increasingly arrogant, thinking just getting in makes them geniuses. Previously, each class had outstanding students, but still many didn’t accept it. Yang Fan this year is different. As both a cultivator and an awakened one, his strength is on a whole other level—perfect for humbling these newcomers.
The relic battles have been stable these years, giving us time to train new cultivators, but these newcomers have fewer chances to enter the relics. Too little life-and-death struggle, their spirits are too high—if this continues, it won’t be good!”
Zhou Haifeng nodded, “Indeed. When the academy was first founded, second-rank students went to the relics to fight. But in recent years, the battles have stabilized; apart from the fixed conflicts between the two realms every so often, there’s been no large-scale war. Fewer new cultivators enter the relics—some reach the fourth rank without ever entering. That’s not good!”
As the three spoke, the competition downstairs was about to begin.
The top ten from yesterday entered the arena under the judges’ instruction.
Each had their own area, each guarding a ring.
All freshmen could challenge any of these ten without restriction.
If the challenger won, they replaced the defender and had to accept further challenges.
After guarding the ring ten times, one’s ranking in the top ten was confirmed. Once all positions were set, they could challenge each other to determine final rankings.
At the judge’s command, the competition officially began.
Students continually challenged the other nine areas.
The most prominent were Mu Qingshan and Jiang Xiaoyi.
Mu Qingshan was seething after the previous days. He had been eliminated by Yang Fan in the second round, and if the competition hadn’t allowed another chance, he would have been devastated.
Mu Qingshan chose a peak first-rank martial apprentice to challenge.
Seeing a second-rank martial artist coming to bully him, the apprentice’s eyes flamed with anger—he’d been bullied himself, and now he was about to bully another? Had he never heard, “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself”?
Jiang Xiaoyi, having been defeated previously by Jiang Chao, was also dissatisfied. He was the first to enter the arena, challenging another peak first-rank among the ten.
The difference in level allowed Jiang Xiaoyi to quickly prevail.
He easily defeated the peak first-rank.
Meanwhile, Yang Fan felt bored.
No one came to his area.
Word had spread from the infirmary—yesterday, Zhou Yiyi, who fought Yang Fan, ended up bald, electrocuted.
Anyone who had considered challenging Yang Fan quickly lost interest; after all, no one wanted to walk around the academy bald.