Swallowing the Stars: The Wind Sword Master.

Chapter 7 A Surge in Strength

The next day.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, a middle-aged man who was unfamiliar with Ning Ze's family arrived at the villa.

"Mr. Ning Ze, this is the manual you purchased from the Limit House. You can retrieve the manual by verifying your identity using your fingerprint."

Ning Ze looked at the dark red alloy box handed to him and pressed the fingerprint sensor next to it.

"Ding. Verification successful."

The dark red alloy box was flipped open, revealing a secret manual and two CDs, representing the general outline of the manual, video demonstrations, and an explanation.

Ning Ze took out the manual and CD. "Thank you."

The unfamiliar middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Ning, this isn't your first time buying a secret manual, so you must be familiar with the relevant precautions."

"According to the rules, I'll repeat myself... the copyright of any martial arts manual belongs to its creator. The copyright holder of the 'Wind Slash' manual is Wu Daozi! Purchasers only have the right to learn it, not the right to pass it on. Copying the manual, selling it privately, or teaching it is strictly forbidden. Anyone who violates this rule will be hunted down by the Extreme Martial Arts School, the Thunder Martial Arts School, the Underground Alliance, and the government army!"

Ning Ze nodded seriously, "I will follow the rules." He certainly wouldn't dare to be careless about something like this.

The world is now divided into five major powers, whose official influence is self-evident.

Then there are the two top martial arts schools, the Limit Martial Arts School and the Thunder Martial Arts School. These two schools are located in every base city of the five countries. They were established by the two most powerful masters on Earth. In this base city where strength is respected, the status of the two schools is self-evident.

The remaining underground alliance, also known as the HR Alliance, was established by a group of ancient and powerful families and controls the world's rules and reputation—money.

The phrase "rich enough to rival a nation" is not a joke, but a fact.

The strong remain strong. Whether in war, disaster, or peace, these ancient families have remained unscathed, and their strength is truly terrifying.

If these three forces join forces to hunt them down, only a very few powerful individuals will be able to survive in the wilderness, accompanied by wild beasts.

After delivering the manual, the unfamiliar middle-aged man left.

Ning Ze returned to the cultivation room, sat down cross-legged, and began to study the manual.

His pupils constricted at first glance.

What came into view was a slightly darkened sword mark!

It's just a picture printed on paper, yet it gives people an incredibly sharp feeling.

The middle is dark and empty, and the sides are like countless messy straight lines, as if tearing everything apart!

A long sword involuntarily appeared in Ning Ze's mind, a sword with a chilling killing intent!

His heart was trembling uncontrollably.

"This sword... is completely unlike the light and agile style of the 'Swift Wind Sword Technique.' Instead, it feels extremely brutal; it's either you or me who dies... This is a sword of absolute killing!"

Ning Ze felt as if he had returned to the moment when he was desperately dodging the Shadow Cat Monster.

This sword technique is the ultimate secret between life and death, and it can unleash the potential of life!

Turn to the next page.

"The strongest defense is a strong offense!"

The handwriting is vigorous and flowing, giving people a sense of indomitable spirit.

"The sword moves with the momentum, striking with the flow; in the face of life and death, there is only one sword!"

"With a single sword strike, the fate of heaven and earth is sealed... Wind Without a Trace..."

"The core of the secret manual I created lies in only one thing: momentum!"

"Sword techniques are ever-changing, yet their essence remains constant; even amidst the raging wind, there is a single glance..."

"Gathering strength and momentum, the final strike is like the collapse of the heavens—a truly deadly blow!"

Ning Ze frowned slightly, his expression somewhat silent.

When this powerful Wu Daozi created this manual, his own understanding of swordsmanship had reached a new level, perhaps even several levels higher.

Perhaps due to his growing combat experience, his fighting style has also changed.

If the "Swift Wind Sword Technique" is slightly fierce, it is both agile and sharp.

So, "Wind Slash" has clearly evolved into a whirlwind tornado. Even defense is just a prelude; in reality, every sword strike is an offensive sword.

Once the momentum is established, its power is comparable to a terrifying celestial phenomenon, destroying everything in an instant. How domineering!

"The 'Wind Slash' is more refined than the 'Swift Wind Sword Technique,' and it contains techniques for generating power."

"An ordinary martial artist's full-force attack is 100%, while the Wind Slash controls its power to 70%. Since the initial power output is 70%, mastering the first level adds another layer of power, resulting in two 70% power stacked together, totaling 140% power. Mastering the second level adds two more layers of power, resulting in a 210% power stack..."

"only……"

Ning Ze narrowed his eyes slightly. He only had the first level of "Wind Slash," which allowed him to exert 140% of his power after mastering it, but this level of power was not high for him.

He has a strength of less than 2300kg, but when he exerts his full force, he can exceed 4000kg. That means he exerts at least 180% of his full force! That's 40% higher than when he has mastered the first level of "Wind Slash"!

When he exerted his strength, he didn't feel that his strength had increased to 70%. The only thing he couldn't be sure of was how much more strength he had after exerting his strength.

However, he had a vague feeling that the extra strength was probably no weaker than physical strength.

That's nearly twenty percent of the power!

"We'll have to test the exact amount of force needed. But I feel like it's quite simple to apply."

Ning Ze stood up, reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist, and slowly closed his eyes. The room was silent.

In my perception, a gust of cold wind blew in from the ceiling, spreading coolness and settling, swirling as it hit the wall behind me.

Ning Ze felt the energy surging within his body, and following the patterns of the wind, he drew his sword and slashed.

A silver-white arc of sword light flashed in front of him, and the longsword had stopped behind him.

Ning Ze opened his eyes, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and murmured, "That should be it?"

"It seems a bit weak?"

"Forget it, exerting force is one thing, sword techniques are another. This sword technique is indeed much more powerful than the 'Swift Wind Sword Technique,' and it is also extremely exquisite. I feel that there are many similarities between them, and I should be able to master it quickly."

"The accompanying movement technique is 'Swift Movement,' and there is also the accompanying guiding technique 'Seven Techniques of Spiritual Wind.' 'Swift Movement' is definitely a must-learn. It is not only much more advanced than 'Hundred Steps of Spiritual Rhinoceros,' but it can also be combined with sword moves to create synergy, and its power far exceeds one plus one."

"Is this the Seven Techniques of Spiritual Wind? Do I need a guidance technique? Even if I master the first level of the guidance technique, it will only increase the amount of cosmic energy that my cells can absorb by 40%. But I can continue to cultivate the Gene Energy Cultivation Method without needing to cultivate a guidance technique at all."

"Um?"

Ning Ze's eyes narrowed, his gaze filled with deep thought. "Guiding techniques can increase the upper limit of cosmic energy absorption by cells, and perhaps there's also a way to increase the speed of cosmic energy absorption!"

"Yes! The faster the absorption of cosmic energy, the faster the power will grow." His thoughts wandered, "Then... would simplifying the Five Hearts Towards Heaven posture work too? So that the body is constantly cultivating." Thinking of this, Ning Ze fell silent for a moment.

The Gene Energy Cultivation Method, also known as the Five Hearts Facing Heaven Method, is the only method on Earth for cultivating gene energy.

An ordinary martial artist might only absorb for ten minutes at a time before their cells become saturated with cosmic energy.

Even the strongest beings can only create guiding techniques to increase the cell's capacity to absorb more cosmic energy each day.

The key is to increase the upper limit of cellular energy absorption from the universe; there's no need to cultivate every moment.

There is no need to increase the absorption rate of cosmic energy.

But Ningze is different.

His cultivation limit has been reached; all he needs is a way to quickly absorb cosmic energy! That's the most difficult part.

"There are also movement techniques and sword techniques. If I practice them in a very simple way, then I am in the process of training every moment."

Ning Ze's voice became even colder. These methods simply do not exist on Earth. This is the fundamental difference between his methods of improvement and those of other martial artists.

"Greed will only lead to failure, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. For now, let's focus on improving our strength. Once we have the ability to protect ourselves in the wilderness, then we can think about these things."

Having said that, Ning Ze stood up and continued his cultivation.

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

On the table.

Ning Ze wolfed down his food, finishing a bowl of rice in just a few bites.

This sight left Ning Qianqian speechless.

"Brother, how come you ate so much this time you came back?"

Ning Ze, holding his rice bowl, grunted in response without turning his head, maintaining his eating rhythm without changing at all.

He wasn't quite sure how the system would enhance his strength, but training for a long time would be tiring, and with the understanding of how to generate power, cultivation consumed a lot of energy, making him hungry faster.

The saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." Fortunately, some of the food wasn't very expensive, so their family could afford it.

Ning Hua naturally understood what was going on. His mouth was practically stretched to the back of his head as he grinned. His son was a peerless genius, displaying both strength and exquisite movement!

"Eat slowly, you need to balance work and rest when you're cultivating," Li Wan said with a kind expression.

Ning Ze nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll be careful."

He was unconvinced. In the past, it was because his body had a limit to absorbing cosmic energy. He would cultivate four times a day, which would only add up to an hour of cultivation per day, and then his body would become saturated.

If one cannot cultivate genetic energy, then one can only cultivate swordsmanship and movement techniques.

Things are different now. He can improve as long as he cultivates, and there are no restrictions. The speed is far greater than before, and he can't stop cultivating at all!

"How's your practice of the manual that was delivered today going?" Ning Hua asked with concern.

"It's alright."

"It doesn't affect my power, but I still need to familiarize myself with the sword techniques for a couple of days."

Since no new sword skills have been created on the panel yet, Ning Ze can only answer based on his intuition.

Ning Hua nodded with a smile and didn't ask any more questions. It didn't affect his strength, so why worry about sword techniques? He had only just arrived and would be proficient in a few days.

Ning Qianqian pouted as she looked at her father, then quickly glanced at Ning Ze. She realized that her father seemed to have betrayed her! He was actually smiling at her brother the whole time?

She rolled her eyes, picked up a bite of food, and poked her chopsticks into her rice bowl several times.

She is currently finishing her second year of high school and will soon be a senior, but her strength is only 550kg. She is 50kg away from obtaining the title of advanced student at the martial arts school, and it is doubtful that her strength will reach 700kg before graduating from high school.

Even by his sophomore year, he was unlikely to become a martial artist, and his talent was far inferior to Ning Ze's. He was very envious of Ning Ze's talent.

Ning Qianqian pouted and said unhappily, "It's just exerting force, right? I can exert force without any problem!"

The force she mentioned can be considered force exertion, but martial artists previously focused on how to fully unleash their full power, concentrating all their strength in their fists or feet. However, the force exertion of martial artists afterward is multiplied!

Ning Ze continued eating without changing his expression, showing no intention of paying any attention.

This younger sister has always harbored a rebellious heart.

Even with his previous talent, he could have suppressed them with one hand, let alone now.

Most importantly, this girl is too stupid. She actually sided with her father. She can't tell who's the boss in the family!

Li Wan and Ning Hua exchanged a glance and smiled without saying a word. Ning Ze hadn't told this girl about Ning Ze's discovery of his power yet, otherwise, if that big mouth spread it around, everyone would know.

"I've finished eating, I'm going to cultivate now."

Ning Ze took a sip of water, then stood up and walked towards the training room.

Ning Qianqian was very unconvinced. So what if he had talent? He actually ignored her!

Her eyes darted around, and she smiled as she said, "Brother, do you feel like you've forgotten something?"

There was no reply, only a graceful departing figure.

Ignore her again!

Ning Qianqian clenched her fists, feeling quite angry!

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and eat! After you finish eating, go to the martial arts gym to train! If you don't reach the advanced student level this summer, see how I deal with you!"

As soon as Li Wan spoke, Ning Qianqian immediately lowered her head and focused on eating.

Their family was well-off. After twenty years of training, Li Wan was at least a martial artist. Although she was only a beginner warrior with a strength of less than 1700 kg, suppressing a mid-level student was as easy as playing around.

Time flies.

A week has passed.

The top floor of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

Ning Ze stood calmly in front of the punching power testing machine, his body slightly hunched. The next second, he unleashed his power and punched the punching target hard, making a muffled thud.

"drop……"

The punching power testing machine displays a value of 2802 kg.

Ning Ze's gaze remained calm; he showed no surprise at this number.

[Host: Ning Ze]

[Level: Intermediate Warrior 2803kg]

[Cultivation Skills: Gene Energy Cultivation Method "Five Hearts Facing Heaven"; Guiding Technique "Seven Techniques of Spiritual Wind"]

[Combat Skills: Swift Movement - Mastery 473/10000; Wind Slash - Expertise 455/10000]

The new advanced cheat codes have replaced the previous ones.

His test result was slightly lower than the panel by 1kg, which is normal. Even punching power testing machines cannot guarantee that the displayed data is absolutely correct. There will definitely be errors in the decimal places, let alone when the human body's strength is fully mobilized.

Ning Ze cultivated for a week, practicing gene energy for 14 hours a day. Because he would get tired, he only practiced swordsmanship and movement techniques for 6 hours a day.

For the past week, he has felt himself becoming stronger every moment. This rapid improvement has made him obsessed with training, and he has gained 500kg of strength.

He only sleeps three and a half hours a day, but fortunately his physical fitness is at the intermediate level of martial artist, so it doesn't affect his health.

Today, he has had the "Wind Slash" for a week, just to come and try it out.

"Boom!"

The punching target on the punching power testing machine kept shaking, and the display showed the value again—3903kg.

A slight smile appeared on Ning Ze's lips.

"When I unleash the first level of 'Wind Slash,' I am already close to the strength of a high-level warrior, and I can hunt monsters normally with my uncles."

"Next..."

He glanced around; no one else was exercising.

With a slight adjustment of his posture, Ning Ze once again slammed his fist into the punching bag of the punching power testing machine. The display showed a value of 5595kg.

The instant he saw the number, Ning Ze threw a punch. With a beep, the monitor refreshed its display—2783 kg.

Ning Ze stepped forward and reset the punch strength testing machine to zero, deeply shaken.

His strongest exertion reached a staggering 5595kg! That's close to 5600kg!

That's twice his strength!

His strength was actually twice as much!

Even though he had expected it, Ning Ze's heart was still very unsettled. He was applying the power of all the secret techniques on Earth in layers.

The first type, similar to "Wind Slash," has 70% of its original power, which increases by 70% with each level of cultivation.

Alternatively, there's another way to boost power. The base strength can be fully utilized, with the first level increasing it by 20%, 30%, or 40%, up to a maximum of 40%, which translates to a power increase of 1.2, 1.3, or 1.4. Each subsequent level also increases the base strength by 20%, 30%, or 40%.

He exerted 100% of his own strength! And then added another 100% using his power-generating techniques!

The calculation formulas for both types of force application are suitable for him.

Because his exertion is no longer calculated in terms of percentages, but rather in terms of multiples!

"I absolutely cannot reveal my power generation techniques unless it is a crisis."

Ning Ze turned and left calmly; there was no longer any need to test his speed and reaction time.

His movements are incredibly precise; even without exerting force, his reaction speed is definitely above that of a high-level warrior, exceeding his own strength by a whole level.

He is naturally good at speed, with a base speed of close to 60 m/s. If he exerts his strength, his power can reach 5600 kg, and his speed can reach close to 80 m/s.

(End of this chapter)