CHAPTER 51: NEW SWORD ART

He looked across the area.

Ten circular meditation zones were arranged on the field. Each one glowed softly and was surrounded by a protective barrier.

He stepped into one.

The grass shifted under him. The space around the platform warped slightly. Light bent, and time seemed to slow.

Golden wind started to blow.

The Reality Essence reacted to his presence.

Particles began to gather—some were raw Spirit Qi, others had different energy signatures. One stream twisted into pure Cerulean Mana—refined and stable.

"So this is a Cultivation zone," Tian Lei said.

Each of the ten meditation circles could generate a different type of energy. They could produce whatever form of energy a cultivator needed.

Tian Lei chose only two to start with.

One provided Spirit Qi.

The other provided Mana.

He gave a satisfied nod and vanished once more.

A second later, he was back on the first floor.

The library welcomed him again. Glowing script symbols floated softly around him, as if waiting to help him find what he needed.

He walked past the usual cultivation techniques, past the other manuals, and headed for a next area.

This was the section for Divine-Grade techniques.

Naturally he can get more powerful tecniques, but he also need fuel to use them, although his Spirit Qi reserve is vastly more than it should be at his level but even with it he can only use the Divine Grade technique safely.

That’s why he chose the Divine Grade technique, at his level they were satisfactory.

He started scanning the titles. They were written in floating jade and sealed with powerful spiritual marks.

Then—he stopped.

One jade slip gave off a faint golden glow.

Its name was:

Nine Divine Dragons Sword Art

Tian Lei narrowed his gaze at the jade slip in his hand.

"Hmm. This looks like a more advanced version of the Nine Dragon Sword Art from the Heavenly Sword Sect," he muttered to himself.

The memory of that sect—the one that had betrayed him—rose in his mind. Back then, even getting access to a Spirit-Grade technique like the Nine Dragon Sword Art had taken him more than half a year of hard labor. He had to do chores, run errands, clean filthy training halls, participate in endless sparring matches, and scrounge for every sect point he could manage. All of that... just to earn something that wasn’t even that powerful.

But now?

Things were different.

He could choose any technique he wanted, regardless of its grade. No begging. No exhausting work. No hoops to jump through.

"I really am blessed now," he whispered quietly. But then his gaze dimmed slightly.

The one person he had wanted to share this feeling with... was gone.

He shook his head and looked away from the Nine Divine Dragons technique. It was strong, definitely worthy of its status. But not what he needed at the moment.

He needed something deadly.

Something that could kill in silence.

His eyes moved across the rows of glowing jade slips—until one pulsed gently, catching his attention.

Vanishing Reaper Art

He raised an eyebrow.

"A stealth-based sword technique..." Tian Lei murmured. "Not designed for direct battles. More like something an assassin would use."

That was exactly what he wanted.

Why fight a strong enemy face-to-face when you could strike before they even knew you were there?

It was efficient. It was clean. It was perfect.

Without hesitation, he selected the jade slip and exited the tower. Outside, the skies were overcast. The air was cold and still—an ideal atmosphere for training something like this.

He sat down under the cloudy sky and began learning the Vanishing Reaper Art.

As expected, his ability to understand advanced techniques made things simple. He didn’t face any difficulties. There was no need to revise, repeat, or reflect.

By the end of the third day, he had completely mastered the technique.

Not just in theory.

Even his soul understood it instinctively. His body moved as if it had trained in the art for years.

Time to test it.

Tian Lei stood and summoned a group of training dummies—dozens of them, all shaped from his spiritual energy. These weren’t just static targets. Each one moved at high speed, darting and weaving through the air with advanced movement techniques, simulating real combatants trained in evasive swordplay.

In front of him, it looked like a battlefield of moving shadows—each dummy acting like a skilled assassin, flickering and shifting with unpredictable rhythm.

But Tian Lei didn’t react.

He didn’t move.

He just waited.

His hand tightened slightly around the hilt of his training sword.

Then—he disappeared.

For an instant, there was nothing.

And in the very next blink, he reappeared at the far end of the field.

The training dummies were still moving.

Everything looked normal.

Then—

Thump.

One after another, their heads fell to the ground.

Smooth, clean cuts. No hesitation.

The bodies took a few more steps before collapsing entirely, as if their minds hadn’t yet realized they were dead.

Ten dummies. Gone in an instant.

He gave a satisfied nod.

"Good," he muttered.

With a quick flick of his hand, the broken pieces disappeared. Then, with a bit more energy, he summoned a new batch—this time doubling their speed and giving them stronger reaction capabilities and defense patterns. Now they looked like berserkers with precision—they moved aggressively, unpredictably, and faster than before.

Still, Tian Lei didn’t adjust his stance.

He took a breath.

And vanished again.

There was no trace. No energy spike. No ripple of Qi.

It was like he had ceased to exist.

Then—a shimmer.

He appeared at the edge of the field, sword lightly resting at his side.

Silence fell again.

Until—

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Each dummy’s head hit the ground in perfect order.

Exactly like before.

No delay.

No signs of a fight.

No survivors.

The entire field had been cleared... in less than a second.

Tian Lei glanced over the scene calmly, then flicked his fingers again—removing the remnants from the field.

"Vanishing Reaper Art: Flowing Soul."

His voice was quiet, but firm.

"Only one move," he said under his breath, eyes drifting back to the fading script in the sky. "But probably the strongest single-move sword technique I’ve ever seen."

He examined the jade slip once more, eyes sharp.

There were no hidden follow-ups. No extra steps. No evolution path.

Just one perfect strike.

And that one strike?

Its lethality was absolute—especially for its level.

Tian Lei stood relaxed, sword at his side. The blade didn’t vibrate or glow.

"One strike that ends the battle before it even begins..." he murmured, nodding slowly. "That’s more valuable than a dozen flashy techniques."

He stepped forward again and summoned the next set of dummies—this time giving them unpredictable movement patterns, advanced defense scripts, and increased spiritual resistance.

The entire field burst into motion like a storm of shadows.

Dozens of figures danced, ducked, twisted, and shimmered. They blurred through the training ground, aiming to counter anything that tried to lock onto them.

But Tian Lei?

He didn’t even blink.

He just watched. Then disappeared into the silence.