Chapter 173: Legacy of the Sword Heart (19)

Those weren't tentacles—they were actual hands!

Except right now they were grotesquely elongated and deformed, their skin dark crimson. At first glance, they were almost indistinguishable from tentacles.

And since he had focused almost entirely on Fu Qian just a moment ago, he hadn't looked closely enough to tell the difference...

Feeling the anomaly spreading through his body, Li Weixuan's heart suddenly sank.

SAN Value -1

At the sudden change in Li Weixuan's expression, Fu Qian didn't hold back. He activated Visceral Attack.

A Visceral Attack buffed by Mythical Form.

He had waited a long time for this exact moment.

As his current ultimate move, Visceral Attack packed devastating power, but its activation requirements were exceptionally harsh.

The most critical condition was that his hands had to physically touch the wound—Fu Qian had tested it before, and no matter how dexterous his tentacles were, they didn't count.

Creating that kind of opening against someone in the Demigod Realm was no easy feat.

Especially when Li Weixuan had actually sensed the danger and began deliberately keeping his distance.

So after going all out to inflict that initial wound, Fu Qian had played along with Li Weixuan's kiting tactics.

After several exchanges, once Li Weixuan was convinced that keeping his distance made him perfectly safe, Fu Qian finally put his plan into motion.

He used the effects of Feast to rapidly deform his arms and disguise them as tentacles.

He only had one shot at this!

If he failed, not only would Li Weixuan be on guard next time, but the Academy had more than one demigod in its ranks. Reinforcements would surely arrive soon.

Blood sprayed across the sky!

The Visceral Attack, which had taken immense effort to set up, ultimately didn't disappoint.

Struck by the blow, the demigod Li Weixuan unleashed an earth-shattering shriek.

A Visceral Attack in Mythical Form didn't just multiply its lethality.

Fu Qian looked down at his withdrawn left hand.

Amid the various fragments of internal organs, his hand shimmered with a bizarre luster, as if every inch of its skin had drunk its fill of blood.

A faint, warm current flowed from it into his body, accelerating the healing of his own wounds.

In stark contrast, Li Weixuan's life force rapidly drained away.

A lifesteal effect?

SAN Value -1!

Fu Qian didn't hesitate. He activated Mythical Form again, and a Demigod Grade Air Bullet howled through the air.

The black ray struck Li Weixuan's head, silently corroding away most of his skull.

Convulsing violently, the newly ascended demigod and future Dean of the Academy slowly collapsed to the ground, his life force dropping to zero.

This guy really killed Li Weixuan!

Amid the deathly silence, Fu Qian shook off his hand. Ignoring Li Weixuan's corpse, he looked up into the distance.

Several staggering auras of killing intent were rushing toward him.

They got here fast!

Unfortunately, the task completion prompt never appeared.

Fu Qian glanced back at the crowd from the Sword Comprehension Institute, noticing that the sensation of the Swarm had almost entirely vanished.

Did it flee, or just hide?

Physical destruction probably isn't viable!

Fu Qian shook his head, confirming his suspicions.

He could already feel an invisible curtain rising around him. It was undoubtedly the work of the Academy's demigods, sealing off his escape routes before they even arrived.

The next moment, accompanied by a soul-freezing chill, the invisible curtain rapidly constricted.

"Do not attempt to resist. You have nowhere left to run."

An authoritative voice rang out.

"All right!"

Fu Qian casually replied, immediately activating Transcendence.

...

This was his first time using the skill since he acquired it.

The instant the effect triggered, Fu Qian felt his vision twist as his entire existence was rapidly ripped away.

"Why are there still people who haven't gone inside? Hurry up, don't waste time."

The familiar line rang in his ears.

Fu Qian looked up and saw a middle-aged man with messy hair glaring at him impatiently.

This feeling of actively loading a save state isn't half bad!

And compared to being ganged up on and obliterated by a bunch of demigods, at least I saved one point of SAN Value.

The only issue is that my reward seems to have been swallowed.

Even if I didn't finish the task, I still fought tooth and nail to kill a demigod!

Hopefully the payout is just delayed, otherwise this is a huge loss!

Just like last time, Fu Qian strode into the Sword Pavilion amid the middle-aged man's impatient urging.

He could basically confirm now that physical elimination was out of the question.

Still, it had just been a trial run; he hadn't harbored much hope for it from the beginning anyway.

Now it was time for Plan B.

In truth, Fu Qian had a crazy idea—if physical methods didn't work, he would use mental ones.

He could try to comprehend sword intent, become a member of the Swarm, and establish a mental connection with 'it'.

According to what 'it' had said earlier, it was impossible for him to comprehend sword intent. Because 'it' recognized his voice, 'it' would instantly reject a blasphemer like him.

Logically, there was nothing wrong with that reasoning—provided they were still in the previous Containment attempt.

Right here and now, however, the story had restarted following his Transcendence.

He did know of 'its' existence, but because he hadn't actually observed 'it' yet, 'it' didn't necessarily know that he knew.

Though it sounded convoluted, it represented an opportunity.

An opportunity to exploit the time difference, comprehend sword intent, and join the Swarm.

...

Ignoring the occasional strange looks cast his way, Fu Qian quickly ascended the stairs.

According to the guards, regular students were only allowed to move around below the third floor. Going any higher posed a certain level of danger, and only a select few—like Ji Liushuang—were permitted to continue upward.

Fu Qian's understanding of this was that the higher one went, the more dangerous the residual sword intent on the blades became. Regular students not only stood no chance of comprehending it, they might even get hurt in the process.

But that was only for regular students. Right now, what he needed was an even stronger stimulus.

In Fu Qian's view, this so-called sword intent was likely just a collection of special intuitions used when wielding a sword.

And as someone who had never used a sword before, it should theoretically be impossible for him to comprehend it.

However, considering that 'it' was currently hosting a massive sword intent giveaway, Fu Qian didn't think 'it' was strictly distributing it based on comprehension ability.

You simply needed to make 'it' notice you and recognize your obsession with sword intent. Then, 'it' might just bestow a gift upon you and reel you in as a member.

Yuan Xin and that guy Ruan Shuo were probably exactly that kind of case.

And as a task runner, Fu Qian believed his obsession was absolutely strong enough.

Because only by doing so would he have a chance to kill 'it' and complete the task.

With that aspect covered, adding a slightly more intense stimulus might just be enough to draw 'its' gaze.

As long as the gift was bestowed and he became a member of the Swarm, even if 'it' realized something was wrong with him later on, it would already be too late.

...

The fourth floor was even more desolate than he had imagined.

In fact, Fu Qian only saw one person: Ji Liushuang.

She was leaning blankly to one side, her gaze unfocused.

Sure enough, at this exact moment, she has already achieved Lucent Sword Heart!

Fu Qian paid her no mind. Instead, he scanned his surroundings and locked onto a black Greatsword that seemed to radiate the heaviest aura of killing intent.

Let's begin!

Without wasting any time, Fu Qian quickly stepped forward, concentrated all his mental focus onto the sword, and indulged his thirst.