Chapter 124: Born Toward Death

During these days, Xiao Nan had been training within the Copper Mirror space. Although his primary goal was to grasp a glimmer of sword intent, it was not without other gains. At the very least, his mastery of the "Three Swords of Spring" had improved significantly without him even realizing it.

When he struck now, it was like the warm, vibrant spring of March, with flowers in full bloom. With a single movement, eight sword-blossoms appeared. They bloomed in succession, rotating back and forth, endless and incessant. If Jiang Yu of the Yuanjiang Four Seasons Sword Hall were to witness this technique, he would surely be green with envy. One had to know that when the Spring Sword style was perfected—at nine sword-blossoms—it represented the ultimate "return to the source." In all his life, other than his father, who had created the style, Jiang Yu had never seen anyone else reach the level of eight blossoms.

Xiao Nan’s spiritual perception was extremely acute. He could sense not only the strength of the Wolf-Beast Barbarians’ blood essence but also their fighting spirit and morale. Most importantly, when he attacked, he would always strike and immediately retreat against those barbarians who possessed the strength of a Second-Grade warrior, never lingering in a prolonged engagement. However, for those at the First-Grade level or those who hadn't even reached warrior status, he showed no mercy.

His sword light, like a rotating wheel and a surging tide, cut through the crowd of barbarians. Wherever there was chaos, that was where he struck. He had no desire to challenge the strong, nor did he possess any misplaced sense of pride; why bother cracking hard bones when he could easily eliminate the weak? Efficiency was the key—to wipe out their vital force and sow the seeds for his next move.

The Beast Barbarians might look like wild beasts, but they were not truly animals. They felt fear and panic. Especially since the incident was sudden and they were ill-prepared—some didn't even have weapons in their hands, merely swinging their fists to clash against Xiao Nan’s chrysanthemum-patterned steel sword. The outcome was predictable. If one were to look down from high above, one would see a lone fish darting wildly back and forth across the massive sacrificial plaza, churning the water into a muddy, unbearable mess.

Successive roars erupted everywhere. Xiao Nan didn't need to guess to know that some were shouting "Scatter!" while others were yelling "Block him!" He couldn't understand them anyway; his sword remained like silken rain, and blood blossomed in his wake. His mind was as calm as a still mirror, without a single ripple.

"Good..." Wang Yuanzhi watched Xiao Nan’s desperate charge, witnessing severed limbs flying and blood raining down under his blade. He couldn't help but clench his fist and shout. An observant person could hear the slight tremor and pain in his voice. "I wronged him; he is a true hero."

Sun Zhongli watched Xiao Nan’s figure, his eyes welling with tears. The surrounding aides and staff members were all silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing to be heard. Everyone knew this was the final act of madness.

On the monitoring screen, the perspective made it clear. Those Wolf Barbarians who had been slaughtered in a frenzy were beginning to retreat, leaving behind only the physically imposing ones with bloodshot eyes. There were over fifty of them. Worse still, behind them stood a Wolf Barbarian, two and a half meters tall, with massive proportions and long golden hair on his chest. He held a heavy, broad-backed saber that he swung like a door as he charged forward. As he moved, it was as if a flame ignited upon his body, a layer of bright red light patterns surging half a foot high. The black saber in his hand was also wreathed in flickering flames.

"Battle Qi!" A stifled gasp echoed through the command tent. "That barbarian is a Beast-God-favored warrior; he has mastered Battle Qi!"

Everyone’s complexion changed drastically. Sun Zhongli groaned in agony. If he had harbored even a sliver of hope for a turnaround, he was now completely desperate. As the principal of Yuanjiang No. 1 High School and a veteran Fourth-Grade warrior, how could he be ignorant of the barbarians' situation? He rarely spoke of it, simply not wanting to incite panic or affect the students' resolve. In truth, the reason human warriors were at a disadvantage despite the emergence of many experts was precisely because the Beast Barbarians had warriors who had mastered Battle Qi. It amplified their offense and defense, making their combat power terrifying.

These Beast Barbarians lived in an environment with triple the gravity; their innate physique was already superior to that of humans. Once they mastered Battle Qi, it was like adding wings to a tiger. Combined with the existence of their top-tier "deities," they were incredibly difficult to deal with. Generally, barbarians who cultivated Battle Qi were called "God-favored Warriors." In both status and strength, they were the elite among their kind. They were like the geniuses on the human side whose physical strength might be in the lower three grades, but whose spiritual state had reached the Fetal Breath realm or higher—they could not be judged by conventional standards.

The leaders of medium and large tribes usually possessed the strength of a Third-Grade warrior. With the addition of Battle Qi, they were unstoppable. Without the strength of a Fourth-Grade warrior, facing such a being meant certain death. Did Xiao Nan have Fourth-Grade strength? Clearly not; he hadn't even reached the First Grade.

The people in the Yuanjiang military camp could see the crisis on the surveillance screen, and Xiao Nan, with his clear, all-encompassing spiritual perception, could naturally sense it too. He felt as if he were submerged in deep, dark water; a heavy pressure filled his heart, making his head feel as if it were about to burst. His heart hammered like a drum, threatening to shatter. A wave of murderous aura surged toward him.

He didn't even have time to land a strike on the demoralized barbarians before him; he simply unleashed his sword at maximum speed. Countless vibrant sword-blossoms dissipated, transforming into fine, resilient threads of light. It was a dense web woven from sword light—impenetrable and as fluid as flowing water.

"The willows of March are like cotton, fine threads brushing against the shoulder!"

Amidst the boundless murderous aura, this profound spring sentiment held a tragically beautiful quality. A brilliant red arc of light crashed into the web of sword light with a deafening boom.

*Thump...*

Xiao Nan’s sword stance sank, his body dropped by a third, and his legs were driven into the mud. Immediately after, he braced his sword and pushed back, using the momentum to propel his body like a cannonball, sliding across the ground away from the strike. Along the way, four or five barbarians who couldn't dodge in time were sent flying, the sound of their bones snapping audible even over the chaos.

A deep trench of overturned earth appeared before them—the track left by Xiao Nan’s heels as he plowed through the mud. He reached out to touch the ground, flipped backward, and steadied himself on his feet. Blood welled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained cold and indifferent. He held his long sword in a reverse grip, his aura rising instead of falling as he prepared to face the towering, bear-like Wolf-Beast Barbarian head-on. His fighting spirit surged like a roaring flame, his momentum so intense that it could faintly stand toe-to-toe with the tribal leader.

No one knew that his limbs were numb and aching, his internal organs felt as if they had been churned, and his head felt as if it had been struck by a hammer, causing double vision. That blow had been vicious.