Chapter 130: Growth

On the massive projection screen, a brilliant, radiant sword beam twisted and flowed, instantly piercing through two high-level warriors.

Bai Yucheng hit pause. On the high-definition screen, the image froze, revealing the figure of Gao Wu, who was lunging forward with his sword. Only the weapon in his hand remained a distorted, blurry mass of bright light due to the activation of source energy.

Bai Yucheng felt a tinge of disappointment. He had searched for footage from multiple angles at the scene, and this was the clearest one available. Even so, Gao Wu’s speed was so extreme that the recording had lost too many details. Once paused, the loss of clarity was magnified, leaving both the person and the sword looking like a blur.

He turned to Bai Yushuang and Bai Dishan beside him. "What do you think?"

Bai Yushuang’s face was taut, her bright eyes filled with complex emotions. She was feeling deeply uncomfortable, perhaps even pained. She had watched countless battle videos of this incident, studying them repeatedly. From the various details, it was clear that the first two people Gao Wu killed were high-level warriors; reports from the front line had confirmed this.

While the video lacked clear detail, she was certain of one thing: in a single encounter, Gao Wu had swung his sword left and right, cleaving both high-level warriors in two. To an ordinary person, it might just look like Gao Wu was slicing through vegetables with effortless grace. But for a martial artist, the scene was terrifying.

The protective source energy fields of the two high-level warriors seemed to have no effect at all. Their weapons shattered upon the slightest contact with Gao Wu’s blade, unable to block him in the slightest. From the perspective of the engagement, Gao Wu had completely crushed them. As for the other five warriors, Gao Wu ignored their movements, relying entirely on his own source energy field to tank their attacks. When they exchanged blows, none could withstand a single strike from him.

Seven kills in under a second!

The event was filmed with standard equipment, as no one had prepared high-speed cameras. Even with multiple angles, the details remained elusive. No matter how many times Bai Yushuang watched the video, she felt a sense of frustration. Over the summer, she had trained desperately, and her source energy value had stabilized at two hundred. She had felt the gap between her and Gao Wu was closing, but now it seemed the chasm was beyond measure.

Bai Dishan was also discouraged, though he was calmer than Bai Yushuang. Furthermore, his relationship with Bai Yucheng was more distant, so he managed his emotions carefully. He thought for a moment and said, "I noticed that from several angles, Gao Wu’s eyes were glowing. He must have triggered some kind of secret technique."

"Yes, I checked with my uncle. Gao Wu indeed possesses a special spiritual talent." Bai Yucheng nodded. After the Qilin Cup, he had sought out his uncle, Bai Yan, primarily to inquire about Gao Wu. He knew that Gao Wu had already joined the Azure Dragon Academy.

The Martial Arts Academy of Anjing University was divided into four branches: Azure Dragon, White Dragon, Purple Dragon, and Yellow Dragon. The rivalry between them was fierce—that was the very purpose of their design. As the student council president of the White Dragon Academy, Bai Yucheng didn't care about the trophy, but he could not ignore the threat Gao Wu posed to his academy. This intense competition wasn't just about prestige; it involved the allocation of resources.

He had previously tried to warn the genius Yan Shanyue about Gao Wu, but she had seemed so indifferent that he couldn't say much more. Now, seeing Gao Wu openly slaughter warriors on stage, with the video circulating everywhere, Bai Yucheng felt a sense of unease. He had previously believed he could suppress Gao Wu, even if he was five years older and it might look a bit shameful to use his seniority. Now, it seemed that even if he abandoned all pride and stepped into the ring himself, he wouldn't be able to defeat Gao Wu.

Those two high-level warriors on stage might have had their minds corrupted by the Demon God, but their strength was not trivial. In fact, with the Demon God’s blessing, their power had been enhanced. By every metric, those two veteran warriors were stronger than him—each one of them was stronger! Yet, they were killed by Gao Wu in seconds.

Truth be told, when Bai Yucheng first saw the video, he thought it was a forgery. After confirming its authenticity, he was stunned. Having adjusted his mindset, he sought out Bai Yushuang and Bai Dishan, hoping to discuss the specifics. After all, they had both fought Gao Wu and should be able to see more.

Bai Dishan sighed deeply, "So, Gao Wu didn't even use his full strength at the Qilin Cup..."

The silent Bai Yushuang suddenly spoke: "This means Gao Wu didn't suddenly experience a massive leap in power. That’s actually good news." She added, "At least it’s not quite as hopeless as it seems."

Bai Yucheng couldn't help but shake his head. Seeing the defeatist attitude of Bai Yushuang and Bai Dishan, he knew they had lost the will and determination to compete with Gao Wu. For a martial artist, that was terrifying.

He couldn't help but think of Yan Shanyue. The girl was a year younger than Gao Wu, yet she possessed a composure as steady as a mountain. He wondered what her take on Gao Wu was now. Had she been intimidated by his display of power? If Yan Shanyue and the others couldn't handle him, only the direct disciples of the true Grandmasters would be able to curb Gao Wu’s momentum.

Bai Yucheng couldn't help but sigh. The new semester hadn't even begun, and he already felt the immense pressure Gao Wu brought. He felt exhausted. *Damn it, I shouldn't have taken this student council presidency,* he thought. *No benefits, and if things go wrong, I’m the one who takes the blame.* He also felt his teachers were incompetent—why hadn't they recruited Gao Wu into the White Dragon Academy? That would have saved so much trouble.

The video of the slaughter at Changling was too viral. Even though public platforms had cut off the traffic and links, it continued to spread through private networks. Even Yan Shanyue, who was single-mindedly focused on her cultivation, had seen the video in her most private group chat.

The group consisted of only three people: her, Ye Chang'an, and Wang Ye. Although they belonged to different academies, they were peers who had all skipped grades to enter the university, each a genius in their own right, evenly matched. This had brought them together into a small, exclusive circle.

Without meeting in person, they held a heated discussion about the video in their chat.

"Very strong, truly very strong, but still below the level of a high-level warrior. He must have a special spiritual secret technique that interferes with source energy fields," Wang Ye concluded technically.

"That explains how he could instantly kill two high-level warriors. It makes sense," Ye Chang'an agreed.

Yan Shanyue added: "But his 'Roaming Dragon Sword Technique' is truly formidable. Using source energy to make his blade vibrate and twist like a dragon, the instantaneous burst of power can easily shatter the defenses of an opponent of the same rank. It is highly sophisticated."

"Indeed."

"A formidable enemy."

Ye Chang'an and Wang Ye both agreed. They acknowledged Gao Wu’s strength but did not believe they would lose to him.

"We all need to step it up."

"Let's not lose to this 'Big Brother'!"

"He's only a year older than us..." Yan Shanyue remarked, speechless.

"His martial arts talent is actually mediocre; he just seems particularly fond of injecting stimulants," Wang Ye sent a wry emoji.

"I am officially envious!" Ye Chang'an sent an emoji with glowing eyes. "Seriously, if I could just inject stimulants like crazy, I might have already promoted to Martial Master..."

"Let's work hard, everyone! We can't let a guy who just keeps shooting up drugs outdo us!" Ye Chang'an sent a pitiful emoji. Wang Ye replied with a determined, self-improvement emoji.

Yan Shanyue didn't want to engage in this pointless chatter. She put her phone aside, picked up her Tianxu Sword, and began to practice in silence. She believed that hard work always yields results. Martial arts might have shortcuts, but none lead directly to the peak. The path to the summit is always filled with thorns and obstacles. It is precisely because of this difficulty that so few reach the top. And it is for this reason that the climb is meaningful.

Gao Wu, or any other genius, was merely a fellow traveler on this path. Whether they ran fast or fell behind would not affect her determination or the rhythm of her progress.

Private traffic had the characteristic of being relatively concealed. No matter how much the video exploded in private circles, it left no trace in the public eye. However, as soon as Gao Wu returned to Dongjiang, he felt something was clearly wrong. His neighbors, who had always been close to him, now avoided him from afar. Some of the bolder ones came to greet him, but their smiles were tinged with caution. This made Gao Wu feel somewhat uncomfortable.

They were old neighbors; this was the first time he had seen them act so timid. He wasn't a monster, after all. Of course, there were some overly enthusiastic neighbors who cheered, "Xiao Wu is amazing! That was a satisfying slaughter!" But such people were usually dismissed as simple-minded by the rest.

Gao Wu felt a bit bitter. Only the simple-minded were willing to be close to him now. People clearly misunderstood him; he was just ridding the world of evil, not randomly killing people. Facts proved that Shen An was right—Dongjiang was no longer a suitable place for him. This place was too small, so small that people’s perspectives were narrow, making them unable to understand a martial artist like him.

Gao Wu thought that now that he had money, he should take his grandfather to settle in Anjing. But the old man refused firmly. His reasoning was simple: Gao Wu and Shang Qingjun were grown up now, with their own lives and studies, and couldn't be with him every day. He had his own life, his own friends, and his own relatives—all in Dongjiang.

Gao Wu and Shang Qingjun understood this well. It would be easy to take him to Anjing, but they couldn't accompany him constantly. In Dongjiang, the old man could chat and joke with his friends every day, drink a little wine, play chess, and play cards—all with peers who had the time and shared a common language. This was a form of companionship they couldn't provide.

The grandfather also realized Gao Wu’s situation was special and urged him to go to Anjing University early to avoid the limelight. In a brief family meeting, they reached a consensus: the old man would stay in Dongjiang, while Gao Wu and Shang Qingjun would head to Anjing University. They would return during the New Year to visit, and then see whether they should move.

Back in his familiar bedroom, Gao Wu lay on the bed, the hollow in his high buckwheat pillow cradling the back of his head perfectly. The quilt and mattress emitted a familiar, indescribable scent; the creak of the bed frame when he turned was as timely and pleasant as ever; the glowing hands of the alarm clock on the nightstand pulsed with a faint green light, the ticking second hand looking so energetic and diligent. Everything was so familiar and comfortable.

The room wasn't large, but it was filled with the pains, warmth, joy, and comfort of his youth, as well as a thousand dreams after deep sleep. These would forever be carved into his memory, leaving a deep mark called "home." Thinking of leaving, he felt a sense of melancholy and reluctance. But a fledgling bird eventually leaves its warm nest to spread its wings. A youth eventually leaves home to venture into the distance.

Through the wall, Gao Wu could hear Zhou Hongying’s chirping voice. Staying in this old house for a while seemed to have made the wealthy girl unusually excited. Gao Wu couldn't help but smile, thinking he was being a bit sentimental. Even without this incident, he would have left for Anjing in September anyway.

Anjing, the political and economic center of the Northern Province, was a place where the powerful gathered and geniuses abounded. It was a larger stage where he would compete with the strong, shine, and write his own legend.

Thinking of this, Gao Wu opened his "Infinite Merit Book." The accumulated merit had reached thirteen million. The nine Demon God followers in Changling had provided him with two million. The viral spread of his slaughtering video had provided even more. At this rate, accumulating another ten million didn't seem difficult.

He took the suitcase from under the bed and retrieved the Wuji Divine Weapon. This small piece of metal weighed over sixty kilograms. For nearly two months, he had been refining it with the Vermillion Bird Divine Light Spell every day, but progress was slow. At this rate, it would take years to refine the Demon God aura and the Red Flame Golden Scale. The problem was that even if he refined it completely, he couldn't use the Destiny Sword to absorb it.

With the experience of upgrading divine spells, Gao Wu knew that upgrading the Vermillion Bird Divine Light Spell would bring a massive change. He should take this opportunity to refine the Wuji Divine Weapon.

As soon as the Destiny Sword touched the Wuji Divine Weapon, the latter melted into a red-gold light and merged into the blade. Through his Yin Spirit, Gao Wu could feel the Destiny Sword instinctively and greedily devouring it, even though the Demon God aura within was intense. The two became entangled; while the Destiny Sword seemed to have consumed the weapon, it was inevitably changed by it.

It was like a python swallowing an elephant—it had swallowed the mass, but the python was stretched into the shape of the elephant. Given the level of the Destiny Sword, if this continued, it would inevitably be assimilated by the Wuji Divine Weapon.

At this moment, Gao Wu poured all ten million merit points into the Vermillion Bird Divine Light Spell. The Vermillion Bird erupted in brilliant red light, letting out a soft cry. Its wings extended, churning up a sea of flames. The Yin Spirit hidden deep in his mental world emerged, merging with the Vermillion Bird’s divine light and the Destiny Sword. The incantations of the spell transformed into archaic, mysterious octagonal runes, covering the inside and outside of his Yin Spirit and the Destiny Sword alike.