"99,999!"
Blade-light flashed.
With a single slash, the head of a straw dummy fell to the ground.
Mo Wu wiped the sweat from his forehead for a while, then slowly let out a long breath.
Over the past several dozen days, he had not allowed himself even the slightest slack.
Relying on the safe house's "whatever you need, it provides" property, he had opened an entrance to a place called the training room. Since then, he had spent all his time here, swinging his blade endlessly at straw dummies.
When he was thirsty, he went to the bathroom to drink water.
When he was hungry, he drank the potions he had exchanged for earlier.
When he was sleepy, he didn't even mind the dirt—he just lay down on straw and slept where he fell.
Because of that, his improvement over these days had naturally been tremendous.
His physical abilities had increased by a full twofold.
His swordsmanship had also grown far more refined.
Sun Breathing had advanced to Lv3, and he could now use it with complete ease. The first twelve forms flowed naturally from his hands.
Thunder Breathing hadn't improved as much, but through occasional practice combined with Sun Breathing, it had still successfully reached Lv2.
The power of his Mixed Breathing had also risen significantly, and he had even developed a move of his own called Scorching Thunder.
But despite all that, the thing Mo Wu had devoted the most thought to was still the Thirteenth Form of Sun Breathing—
The technique that continuously cycled through the first twelve sword forms:
Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form: Twelvefold Ring
"Hiss!"
Clenching his teeth, Mo Wu sucked in a sharp breath, tightening both hands around the Nichirin Blade as he held it before him, preparing to test the Thirteenth Form once again—a form he had been attempting over and over for the past several days.
Scorching breath poured from his mouth and nose.
Mo Wu swung forward, and his figure blurred on the spot before appearing in midair.
"Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form: Twelvefold Ring."
Dance.
Clear Blue Sky.
Raging Sun Mirage.
Fake Rainbow.
Solar Heat Haze.
Burning Bones, Summer Sun.
Sunflower Thrust.
Solar Dragon Wheel.
Setting Sun Transformation.
Beneficent Radiance.
Sun Halo Dragon, Head Dance.
Flame Dance.
As the Nichirin Blade moved, the first twelve forms of Sun Breathing came alive one after another in Mo Wu's hands.
The fire ignited by the twelve consecutive slashes lit up the entire training room.
The scorched fragrance of straw spread outward.
Ash fluttered down through the air.
Mo Wu's mouth and nose filled with the smell of smoke and flame.
And after releasing the final move, Flame Dance, Mo Wu immediately attempted to loop back into the First Form: Dance.
Blazing fire wrapped itself around the Nichirin Blade.
Both his hands trembled as he tried to force the sword under control.
But—
Clack.
The Nichirin Blade slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.
He stopped where he stood.
The connecting Dance that should have bridged the forms together still failed to emerge, while his arms had instead gone numb from exhaustion.
Fragments of straw dummies littered the ground everywhere.
They had once been whole training targets, but now, amid the flames, they had been carved into all shapes and sizes.
Some had lost their heads, which rolled away into the corners.
Some had their arms or legs severed and scattered across the training room.
Without exception, every one of them was slowly burning, like demons crumbling into ash.
"Am I pushing too hard?"
Picking up the Nichirin Blade from the ground, Mo Wu sighed.
He reset his stance, forced control over his exhausted hands, and swung once more.
"100,000!"
"As long as the blade endures, tempering never ends!"
"One hundred thousand sword swings completed."
"Milestone unlocking…"
"Ding."
"O wielder of the blade…"
"Miracle granted: state reset, strength increased, speed increased, stamina increased."
"Miracle granted: Sun Breathing Lv4."
"Miracle granted: Thunder Breathing Lv3."
"Miracle granted: Demon Slayer Mark."
"Continue onward toward the next milestone on the path of Great Feats."
That ethereal voice he hadn't heard in a long time rang out once more, and the moment it appeared, it delivered Mo Wu a huge "surprise."
All his exhaustion vanished.
His mind, body, and spirit returned to their peak.
His physical abilities once again rose by a dramatic leap.
And yet—
A trace of worry hung on Mo Wu's face.
There was no joy in his heart.
Holding the pale blade upright before his face, he looked at the red mark that had suddenly appeared on the upper right side of his forehead, like a flame burning on his skin.
Great. Now I'm definitely not living past twenty-five.
If one day he got carried away in battle, he would probably activate the mark instinctively. At that point, his life force would most likely begin draining away in huge chunks.
Forget twenty-five.
At this rate, surviving the year might already be a miracle.
What kind of joke is this?
Retiring as a reincarnator at twenty-five and going to work as an NPC with Lin Dong?
Sighing inwardly, Mo Wu touched his smooth forehead, feeling as though he had suddenly aged fifty years.
He opened another passage from the blazing training room into the bathroom and slowly walked inside.
By his estimate, the next world instance would begin soon.
After taking a shower, he stepped back out from the bathroom passage, which now opened directly into his room instead of the training room.
Mo Wu frowned and glanced at the clock beside the bed.
00:05:13
Only five minutes left?
Pulling the Dream Notebook from his chest, Mo Wu made use of the last five minutes to think hard.
He still had over a thousand Dream Points left. If he didn't spend them, it would bother him.
After a moment's thought, he picked up the pen and began writing rapidly.
"Exchange for a talent or skill under 1000 Dream Points that can significantly increase strength."
Skills:
Dragonblood: 500 Dream Points
Temporarily doubles strength and speed. Heavy strain on the body.
Kaio-ken: 800 Dream Points
Temporarily increases all physical attributes without restriction. Heavy strain on the body.
Expansion Jutsu: 200 Dream Points
Consumes stamina to enlarge body parts. Small increase in strength. Light strain on the body.
Talents:
Strength to Lift a Cauldron: 200 Dream Points
Gradually unlocks bodily limits through growth and training.
Nine Oxen and Two Tigers: 500 Dream Points
Gradually unlocks bodily limits through growth and training.
Looking at the so-called Dragonblood and Kaio-ken, Mo Wu's vision darkened.
He naturally knew where those two abilities came from—one from Dragon Ball, the other from Dragon Raja.
And their shared characteristic was obvious.
They burned your life away.
Dragonblood could drive the mind into bloodthirsty madness and shorten one's lifespan.
Kaio-ken didn't have that madness drawback, and its enhancement was even comprehensive.
But it was even more life-burning than Dragonblood.
Even Saiyan bodies could barely handle it.
Back in his previous life, some people had theorized that the reason Son Goku died relatively young was at least partly because of the long-term physical damage caused by the Ultra Divine Water and Kaio-ken.
"What kind of nonsense is this…"
Mo Wu seriously suspected the notebook was deliberately listing these abilities in the hope that he would die faster and be replaced by a new owner.
The time remaining was nearly gone.
There was no way he had enough time to rewrite the question.
And he still wasn't sure whether the notebook could even be used inside mission worlds. After all, the notebook currently still had two big words beside it—
Unlocked
Putting check marks beside Dragonblood and Nine Oxen and Two Tigers, Mo Wu took a deep breath and gave the clock one final glance.
As if by coincidence, the countdown hit zero at that exact moment.
00:00:00
Anchoring instance world…
Heart That Comprehends All Things activating…
One Piece — Anchor successful.
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