From Abyssal Invasion to Bursting Stars with a Single Sword

At seven in the evening, as the sky grew dim, Lu Heng turned on the lights in the training room, took a sip of electrolyte water, and continued to battle against the last bit of proficiency.

After reaching a proficiency of (2999/3000) in In-depth Level swordsmanship, he had been battling for over an hour, but he couldn't achieve that last point of proficiency, as if his sword skill realm had come to a standstill.

This situation is actually a martial arts bottleneck, Lu Heng originally had insights from his past life, so he shouldn't have a bottleneck, yet he still encountered one.

Lu Heng's temper flared, the more he was stuck on that last point of proficiency and made no progress, the less he was willing to give up.

Even though he was famished, he wanted to overcome this barrier first.

In fact, in situations like these, finding a sword expert of the same level to spar with might just lead to a breakthrough.

Only, finding a nearly Conception Level sword expert was not so easy now.

Lu Heng thought for a moment, sat back at the table, and opened a video on the computer to watch.

The video was of a competition featuring the Fusang Swordsmanship champion Hideyoshi Tsugawa, and it was this battle that made him famous. After this battle, he became a widely recognized master of swordsmanship and received countless praises.

After carefully watching the video, Lu Heng also felt that Hideyoshi Tsugawa performed exceptionally well in the swordsmanship match, especially the Retreating Strike Technique he used when switching from defense to attack was very exquisite.

The video was taken three years ago. In three years, plus the Extraordinary Power he gained after the Abyss Descent, to what extent had this Hideyoshi Tsugawa improved?

Lu Heng closed his eyes and mentally simulated Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Retreating Strike Technique from the video, envisioning his own countermeasures.

If it were the moves in the video, it would be very simple for Lu Heng to deal with them; he wouldn't even need any special technique, he could just pinch the opponent's sword with two fingers.

Because the Hideyoshi Tsugawa in the video was just an ordinary person, he didn't have Extraordinary Power, and his Strength, Agility, and various Attributes were all at ordinary human levels.

Even as the pinnacle among ordinary people, he was still just an ordinary person.

Lu Heng, with a 62-point Agility contributing to his nerve reaction speed, could pinch Hideyoshi Tsugawa's sword with his fingers in the instant the sword tip reached him.

But now, Hideyoshi Tsugawa is no longer the one in that video.

The level of swordsmanship might not have changed much, but the Body Attributes would definitely have surged several times.

In other words, the current Hideyoshi Tsugawa's sword strikes would be many times faster than what was shown in the video.

Lu Heng played the video at double speed, directly jumping to three times the normal speed, and watched it again, his eyebrows raising involuntarily.

After the speed of the sword strikes increased, the oppressive feeling emitted by the swordsmanship also surged several times.

Moreover, three times the speed is probably still not Hideyoshi Tsugawa's current level; he must be stronger than three times the speed.

Lu Heng closed his eyes and mentally simulated Hideyoshi Tsugawa executing the Retreating Strike Technique, increasing the speed to four times, then to five times.

Through this method, he approximated Hideyoshi Tsugawa's current swordsmanship strength.

After simulating it, he could confirm that Hideyoshi Tsugawa's current level of swordsmanship was very strong.

Even top combat-powered close-range Superpower Users at the present stage would have difficulty passing three moves in front of him.

Lu Heng, with his eyes closed, repeatedly simulated in his mind Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Retreating Strike Technique at five times the speed.

Again and again...

Until he ingrained that move into his memory.

The Retreating Strike Technique in Fusang Swordsmanship is one of the moves in the Nine Forms Thirteen Strokes.

"Retreat" means to step back and dodge; the unique feature of this technique is that it launches an attack while retreating, so it requires very fast reactions.

Lu Heng stood up, closed his eyes and walked to the center of the training area, gripped the Aurora Blade firmly, and imagined Hideyoshi Tsugawa standing in front of him for a duel.

After a two-second standoff, Lu Heng made the first move, stabbing out a Cloud Piercing Style, the blade passing by the side of Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Tachi and aiming straight for his right shoulder.

Ha!

Hideyoshi Tsugawa reacted swiftly with a shout, stepping back to the left rear to dodge and immediately using the Retreating Strike Technique for a counterattack.

The retreat and counterattack occurred almost simultaneously.

When the Retreating Strike Technique was executed, the situation took a sharp turn, as Hideyoshi Tsugawa dodged Lu Heng's sword edge while his counterattacking strike was already slashing above the head.

Just then, because Lu Heng had taken the initiative to attack, his body was in a state of forward momentum, making it impossible to retreat and dodge Hideyoshi Tsugawa's incoming attack.

It looked as if he was about to be hit by Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Retreating Strike Technique.

In that split second, Lu Heng immediately employed a variation of the Cloud Piercing Style called Swallow's Body Folding, the sword light took a sudden turn, switching from a stab to a parry, and with a "clang" sound, deflected Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Tachi.

[Sword Technique Proficiency gained, proficiency +1]

[Sword Technique Proficiency: In-depth Level (3000/3000)]

[In-depth Level swordsmanship perfected, stepping into the fourth tier of Sword Skill Realm - Conception Level.]

Phew!

He had finally broken through.

Lu Heng abruptly opened his eyes, exhaling deeply.

At that moment, responding to Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Retreating Strike Technique, he had executed a variation of Cloud Piercing Style called Swallow's Body Folding, altering the finishing move of his sword attack.

But this time, the alteration was not for the purpose of attacking, but for defense.

Originally, Cloud Piercing Style was an offensive maneuver, and its alteration into Swallow's Body Folding was also meant to attack.

Yet using an offensive maneuver for defense is itself a form of "alteration".

Previously, Lu Heng blindly pursued fierce attacks, which caused his swordsmanship to be stuck on the last point of proficiency. By switching from offense to defense, he finally achieved a breakthrough.

This was the enlightenment in the way of the sword.

After the breakthrough, Lu Heng's face showed a smile. This time, it was not just a breakthrough in swordsmanship, but also a mental one.

Sometimes, being too rigid can lead to breaking. Appropriate defense and giving up offense temporarily is the essence of a higher sword skill realm.

Lu Heng savored the process of the breakthrough when his stomach suddenly let out a fierce protest.

Looking at the time, it was already half past seven. To achieve the last bit of proficiency level, he had been fighting for one and a half hours.

Now he had finally broken through.

Lu Heng hurried home to eat, feeding his growling stomach.

...

The next day at noon.

Lin Zeyu was already prepared for action, with all his men arranged and just waiting for the right moment.

Just then, a small incident occurred.

Lu Heng received a joint invitation from Kenji Ono and Hideyoshi Tsugawa, which was to visit Kenji Ono's residence in Coastal and discuss swordsmanship with Hideyoshi Tsugawa.

Since a month ago, the Chunshang Group had not stopped trying to woo Lu Heng.

After all, not only was Lu Heng strong in combat, but also a Quenching Master. Whoever could recruit him would gain enormous support in the world of the Abyss Descent.

Upon seeing this invitation, Lin Zeyu said angrily, "This Kenji brat, doesn't he know that we've already signed a team contract? Still trying to poach people, is he delusional? Anyway, we are planning on making our move, so don't go, and just act directly."

Su Muyu also expressed some concerns, "I'm worried it's a trap."

After careful consideration, Lu Heng said, "The original plan remains the same. However, I'll accept this invitation."

"Ah? Then what should we do?" Lin Zeyu immediately frowned.

"Continue with the original plan. I'll go meet this Kenji Ono and Hideyoshi Tsugawa to see what they want," Lu Heng decided.

In the afternoon.

Lu Heng took the sedan sent by Kenji Ono and headed to a manor in Yue Ning District.

The manor was not large, but very distinctive.

Kenji Ono personally greeted Lu Heng at the entrance of the manor, "Welcome, welcome, Mr. Lu, your visit is a great honor."

Next to him stood another man dressed in ronin attire, Hideyoshi Tsugawa.

Lu Heng responded politely, then was led by the two men into the manor, where they had tea next to the garden in the tea room.

A woman dressed in kimono was kneeling on the wooden floor, beginning to prepare tea.

Lu Heng made no extra polite banter and got straight to the point, "Mr. Ono, what did you want to talk about by inviting me over today?"

Kenji Ono was not quite accustomed to such a direct way of talking and with a light cough, said,

"Mr. Lu is indeed straightforward, so I will be direct as well. I have some misunderstandings with the Lin Family, and to my regret, I have not been able to become friends with Mr. Lu.

"Therefore, I have thought of a win-win solution, hoping we can shake hands and make peace.

"Mr. Lu can mediate between me and the Lin Family.

"Additionally, I would like to invest in Mr. Lu. We could set up a Quenching service support company, with the Chunshang Group investing in full, but only holding 40% of the shares.

"Mr. Lu would join with technology shares, holding 60% of the shares. What do you think of this proposal?"

When Lu Heng heard this, he was somewhat surprised.

There was no denying it.

The proposal was very attractive.

However, having no time and energy to focus on managing a company, even if he were to start one, Lu Heng would end up hiring a manager to take care of it.

Company management was complicated, and with the Chunshang Group holding a 40% share, one could anticipate what might happen.

Lu Heng smiled without accepting immediately, nor refusing outright, and asked, "Is there more?"

Kenji Ono continued, "There is also the matter of the [Team Contract]."

Lu Heng reminded, "The [Team Contract] has already been used; it seems there's no room for negotiation on that."

Kenji Ono raised his hand, "Mr. Lu, don't be in a hurry to refuse. If I'm not mistaken, there are only three names signed on this [Team Contract] right now."

Lu Heng nodded in acknowledgment, "Yes, only three people have signed it so far."

Kenji Ono revealed a smile and continued, "This is the same as my previous proposal. I am willing to pay more than the auction price for the remaining two spots on the contract."

Lu Heng's eyebrows raised. By his words, Kenji Ono was willing to spend 6.5 billion to buy the remaining two spots on the [Team Contract].

If calculated this way, it meant that his side would obtain three team spots for free.

Moreover, there was a subtle point here.

Who gets the money?

Kenji Ono invited him, implying that if Lu Heng wanted to take the 6.5 billion, Kenji Ono would certainly not object.

However, if Lin Zeyu found out about this, he'd probably not take it well.

Lu Heng still did not outright refuse but instead asked, "Mr. Ono, who are you planning to give these two spots to?"

Kenji Ono nodded towards Hideyoshi Tsugawa and said, "Let me introduce this man here. This is Fusang's swordsmanship champion, Hideyoshi Tsugawa, a top ten contender in Fusang Swordsmanship.

"If you agree to this proposal, then Hideyoshi Tsugawa will become your teammate.

"Having a powerful sword expert like Hideyoshi Tsugawa, I believe you won't find a second superpower user team in the world stronger than yours."