Talented Martial Hero
Chapter 128 Improve Strength (Part One)

'lt has a strange aura that is different from that of a rule cultivator and a witcher, * Darren thought. As soon as Darren's curiosity about the black rune flared, it flashed across his eyes and disappeared as sudden as the light appeared.

'So the armor and bronze mask were originally parts of an intact defensive armor. And it couldn't perform its real power after it was broken apart, * he thought.

Darren came to the realization that if the war armor had remained intact, it might have had immense power. Even though he only had two broken parts, they could still greatly empower him and improve his strength by fifty percent! What more if he had the whole armor? He could only imagine the power it would have granted him.

"I better hide it from others. But the mask looks quite good on me. Maybe I can use it during the competition.” Darren murmured to himself. Darren put them into the Space Ring, so he could use them whenever he needed. He had a smile on his face, thinking how useful the ring he got from the test was

Soon, Darren arrived at the outer sect of the Holy Land

After he simply reported to the elder, Darren got a token which showed that he was an outer disciple. Unlike other ordinary disciples, though, Darren even got a big house from Outer Elder because Outer Elder wanted him to concentrate practicing his techniques.

After the news sank in, he started to think about his future plans as usual. He wanted to make sure that he was taking deliberate steps towards his goal

“Right now, the most important thing is the convention. I must win first place in that fierce competition. After that, I will start to prepare myself for entering the Wonder Realm, ' Darren thought to himself.

When Darren recalled how he broke through to the Mysterious Realm, he started to tremble with fear. At that time, he felt as though he would die at that moment. He was helpless and gripped by fear. It made him sick to even think about it. He wasn't proud of it, but it was a fact that he had to face.

If he couldn't combine the intents of sword and blade together before he arrived at the Wonder Realm, Darren was absolutely certain that he would not have another chance to survive the crisis. The odds weren't looking good in his favor.

'If I want to combine these two intents, I must try to keep a balance between them and use the power of the Primitive Stone. But right now, I am nowhere near possessing the blade intent yet. I should put more effort into my practice this time, * he mused.

After pondering over the matter for a while, Darren came to a realization that it was the paramount task for him to have the blade intent if he wanted to arrive at the Wonder Realm. Once he had that covered, everything else would hopefully fall into place. As for the Primitive Stone, since it only existed in the Raksa Sea, he didn't have to deal with it right now.

“But I don't know what my rank is in the Talent Roll. Mr. Xiao said that only the top one hundred cultivators in the Talent Roll are allowed to enter the Raksa Sea. There are so many things I need to deal with right now." Darren felt dizzy at the mere thought of it.

But still, he had high expectations for his future. He wondered how much his strength would improve if he was able to combine the intents of blade and sword together and reached the Wonder Realm. He was actually looking forward to it. In the test of the Black Cliff of Sword Intent, that extremely outstanding youth gave him a chance to combine these two intents together. So he had succeeded in using these intents to defeat the incomparable master who had black and white swords in his eyes. It showed that the blade and sword intents were so intense that they could beat the living daylights out of such a strong master.

Thinking of the possibilities, Darren felt that there was no time to lose. He immediately took out the Spectral Chop which he got from the Starry Tower.

That supernatural blade skill could be graded at sixth stage. When he succeeded in grasping the skill, his blade intent would be at the same level with his sword intent.

"That blade skill has six moves. The power emitted from it is tremendously powerful. And each stage in that blade skill includes a martial formula. You could have the real blade intent only when you have completely grasped them.” Darren murmured to himself. He skimmed through the blade skill again.

'If I could dedicate myself to practice, I believe that I can completely master it in half a year. But I can't concentrate my efforts on learning it right now since trifles always get in the way of my practice. I think maybe I should learn the formulas first. As for the moves, since they are a little difficult, I will save them for later, * Darren thought.

Pondering over the matter for a short while, Darren made his decision. Since he didn't have enough time to completely comprehend the skill, he had no choice but to give up something.

Darren then started to learn the six martial formulas.

"The blade intent is the soul of the blade cultivation. And it is the sign that indicates that one has arrived at a higher level wherein cultivator and the blade could unite as one. When one succeeds in this, the blade intent will greatly empower one's strength, so one will feel as though he is an invincible blade.” Darren murmured.

Darren closed his eyes and focused his attention on the words. Since he was a natural and had excellent talent in learning skills, he could easily comprehend the complicated martial formulas with his mind.

In the blink of an eye, a whole day and night passed.

Sitting on a quiet yard with his legs crossed, he meditated under a maple tree. His stance looked calm enough to allow his mind to absorb and nurture the information he was getting from the formulas.

A light breeze was blowing, then several maple leaves fell and swirled in the air, spanning around Darren like a tornado.

All of a sudden, a fierce and sharp power was emitting from Darren's body. Those leaves broke into pieces that were invisible to the naked eye and disappeared into the air.

"Ha-ha." His face broke into a smile and he opened his eyes, saying, "So that is how it feels when I unite my body and my blade.”

As Darren waved his hand, an icy blade appeared on his palm and a blast of cold air swept through his face, surprising him a little.