Chapter 166 – Constantly Moving Forward

Demon Hunter Academy, Training Room.

This was a personal training room within the Demon Hunter Academy.

The Demon Hunter Academy had a total of ten training grounds and twenty training rooms. The training grounds were like open fields, accessible to everyone and covering vast areas, while the training rooms were exclusively available to the top hundred elite students and top-tier students—one of the privileges granted to them within the Academy.

Of course, the use of the training rooms was time-limited.

Across the two departments of the Demon Hunter Academy, there were two hundred elite and top-tier students, but only twenty training rooms, making it impossible to accommodate everyone.

Therefore, whenever an elite or top-tier student wanted to use a training room, they had to apply first, and then use the room in the order of their applications.

Under these circumstances, if an elite student secured a slot to use the training room, they could use it for twenty-four hours.

If it was a top-tier student, they could use it for forty-eight hours—twice as long as the elite students.

From this, it was clear that the Academy adhered to a merit-based system: the stronger the ability and the better the performance, the more privileges one would enjoy.

On this day, it happened to be Su Ming’s turn to use the training room, so he arrived early and closed the door behind him.

“Meeling!”

The moment Su Ming entered the training room and shut the door, Little Hai’er immediately emerged from behind him, letting out a cheerful cry as she dove into the room.

The reason was simple: there was a swimming pool inside.

Little Hai’er plunged headfirst into the water, swimming around joyfully.

“Hey, girl, this isn’t for playing—it’s for training,” Su Ming called out, albeit half-heartedly.

The reason there was a swimming pool in the training room was that it served as a facility for underwater combat training and obstacle training. The water level, flow speed, and even water pressure could be freely adjusted, making it highly effective for aquatic drills.

Unfortunately, Little Hai’er didn’t seem to take his words to heart, swimming back and forth in the water, her fishtail splashing countless droplets as if she were dancing—a rather pleasing sight, in fact.

“You… never mind.” Su Ming had intended to say more, but seeing how happy Little Hai’er looked, he decided to let her be.

After all, he wasn’t there for underwater training, and the pool would just sit empty otherwise. If Little Hai’er wanted to play, he might as well let her.

“Play if you must, but don’t run around recklessly, understand?” Su Ming chided with a hint of exasperation.

“Meeling!” Little Hai’er poked her head out of the water, nodded her little head, and then dove back in, transforming into a mermaid as she swam freely and delightedly.

“What an unqualified Phantom Demon,” Su Ming muttered, curling his lip.

Other Phantom Demons were like wild beasts, hunting everywhere for blood, even at the cost of harming lives and others. But this girl was nothing like a bloodthirsty Phantom Demon; instead, she resembled an utterly delightful pet, leaving one unsure whether to laugh or criticize.

Su Ming had previously wondered why Little Hai’er showed none of the cruelty and bloodlust typical of Phantom Demons.

Regarding this, Xu Qianqian had once offered an explanation.”The evolution of a Phantom Demon from lower to upper rank is itself a process of life metamorphosis. During this process, each Phantom Demon undergoes unique changes.”

“Therefore, every upper-rank Phantom Demon is a unique individual. Some retain certain traits from before their evolution, while others completely reverse these characteristics, transforming into entirely opposite features.”

“Perhaps Little Hai’er’s progenitor is the latter type.”

According to the analysis results from experts who examined Little Hai’er’s scales provided by Xu Qianqian, her progenitor should be an upper-rank Phantom Demon that evolved from a Foulwater Demon.

As an aquatic creature, the Foulwater Demon could survive in any water environment without discrimination – whether clean or polluted, even in sewage and drainage systems.

After successfully evolving from the Foulwater Demon stage, Little Hai’er’s progenitor might have completely reversed this indiscriminate survival trait, becoming pure, pristine, flawless, and immaculate.

Consequently, although Little Hai’er remains an aquatic creature, she can move through the atmosphere by manipulating moisture in the air, prefers clean water sources, and has lost the inherent bloodthirstiness and cruelty of Phantom Demons.

“Not all humans prefer eating meat.”

“Even though everyone knows meat is more filling and nutritious, there are many people who don’t like meat and prefer vegetarian diets.”

“Little Hai’er might be the ‘vegetarian’ type among Phantom Demons.”

Xu Qianqian had remarked this way.

This was merely speculation without guarantee or confirmation – at best, a casually formed conclusion.

At the very least, Su Ming had never heard of “vegetarian” Phantom Demons in the Spirit Demon Abyss. All Phantom Demons were bloodthirsty without exception.

Now suddenly being told he encountered a “vegetarian” Phantom Demon, Su Ming naturally took it with a grain of salt.

Nevertheless, Little Hai’er’s pure and flawless nature was quite endearing.

Therefore, Su Ming didn’t probe deeper, instead feeling that Little Hai’er should remain just as she was.

At most, he would tease the Young Miss Xu about it.

“In this day and age, if Phantom Demons can be vegetarian, then it’s perfectly normal for some humans to enjoy bloodsucking, right?”

His suggestive remark made Young Miss Xu immediately grab Su Ming’s hand and bite down without mercy.

“Indeed, these two have swapped attributes.”

Su Ming could only sigh helplessly.

After releasing Little Hai’er into the swimming pool, Su Ming came to an open space nearby.

He closed his eyes briefly, then flipped his hand to grasp a Saber that appeared out of thin air.

It was Firefang.

“Meeling!”

The mermaid girl in the water seemed to sense extraordinary spiritual energy, letting out a light cry before hiding underwater, only peeking with her small head to secretly watch Su Ming.

Su Ming remained with closed eyes, replaying in his mind a combat manual he had found in the Demon Hunter Academy’s Archive.

The book was titled—”Demon Blade.”

As the name suggests, this was a combat manual recording Blade Arts, specifically a technique known as the Demon Blade Art.

“The book records that the Demon Blade Art focuses on slaughter, possessing extremely strong offensive capabilities and explosive power, heavily dependent on the user’s physical condition.”

Su Ming contemplated silently.”If one’s physical condition is insufficient, no matter how exceptional their talent or how great their ability, they cannot master this Demon Blade Art.”

This particular Demon Blade Art imposes extremely high demands on physical prerequisites, which is why very few can successfully learn it.

The students at the Demon Hunter Academy are generally around the level of One-Star Hunters, and their physical condition naturally falls short of the requirements for practicing the Demon Blade.

“Perhaps even that Gao Xu doesn’t know this Demon Blade Art, right?”

Su Ming silently made his judgment.

The physical demands of the Demon Blade likely reach a level that lower-rank Professionals simply cannot achieve—only Upper-Rank Professionals would be able to meet them.

However, every Upper-Rank Professional has worked their way up from the bottom. Either they don’t use a saber, or they’ve already practiced another blade art during their weaker stages. By the time they become Upper-Rank Professionals, the blade art they’ve cultivated has already reached a very high realm—why would they abandon it to start over?

Thus, this Demon Blade Art has become an obscure technique: too difficult for the weak to master, and impractical for the strong to choose.

Yet, it is precisely this obscure blade art that Su Ming has taken a liking to.

“With my physique, transformed by the Nightmare Species bloodline and still far from fully remodeled, practicing the Demon Blade should barely meet the conditions.”

Su Ming became a Three-Star Hunter right from the start. Although he has learned combat techniques, he never systematically studied any blade art.

Now, Su Ming needs to learn a blade art, and he happens to meet the conditions for practicing this Demon Blade Art—how could he let such an opportunity slip?

“The Archive has many books on blade arts, and quite a few of them highly praise this Demon Blade Art. Many masters of blade arts even note in their writings that, in terms of offensive power and explosiveness, the Demon Blade ranks supreme among all blade arts.”

Unfortunately, gains come with losses.

While the Demon Blade boasts top-tier offensive power and explosiveness, it is precisely because of this immense offensive strength and high burst potential that it lacks room for maneuver.

In other words, this Demon Blade Art is severely lacking in defensive techniques—it essentially abandons defense, channeling all its power into attack and explosive power.

This is undoubtedly very dangerous.

In intense battles where every second counts, completely forsaking defense means that if an enemy lands a hit, the result would be severe injury.

“Fortunately, I’m not an ordinary Hunter—I’m a Dual Professional.The awakened spirituality of the Vision Mark has granted Su Ming exceptional observational and insight abilities, allowing him to detect opponents’ dangerous moves to the greatest extent. Whether advancing, retreating, or dodging, he can handle them with ease.

If not for this outstanding spirituality, even if his [Silver Arm] were immensely powerful, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Gao Xu’s movements during their fierce battle, let alone react to his actions.

It could be said that in the battle against Gao Xu, the greatest contribution didn’t come from the astonishing power of the Silver Arm, but from this exceptional spirit that enabled Su Ming, with the capabilities of a Three-Star Hunter, to keep pace with Gao Xu, a Four-Star Hunter.

With this spirituality, even if he abandons defense, Su Ming can minimize the chances of being hit by enemies.

Moreover…

“My right arm already possesses amazing strength.” If I wield a saber and execute the famously powerful Demon Blade Art, it would undoubtedly be a nightmare for my enemies.”

Not to mention, the saber Su Ming wields isn’t an ordinary weapon—it’s a powerful alchemical weapon.Thinking this, Su Ming no longer hesitated and decided to practice the Demon Blade Art.

“If Gao Xu can earn the title ‘Qilin Blade,’ then it’s not too much for me to aim for the title ‘Demon Blade,’ right?”

Chuckling to himself, Su Ming mentally reviewed the various techniques of the Demon Blade Art and began practicing.

“Whoosh!”

That was the sound of the Flaming Saber slicing through the air.

Su Ming swung his saber in the training room, using his exceptional Spirit Art to sense and adjust his movements as he practiced.

“This strike is off—it didn’t follow the trajectory I envisioned.”

“No, I can’t exert force like this. Some muscles aren’t being utilized, so I’m not delivering my full strength.”

“Let me correct that and try again.”

“Still not right. The force should come from top to bottom, starting from the waist, not the shoulders.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Su Ming continued swinging his saber, muttering to himself all the while, his eyes growing brighter with each movement.

If someone skilled in Blade Art were present, they would be astonished by Su Ming’s terrifying rate of improvement.

As time passed, Su Ming’s strikes grew increasingly powerful, the sound of the Flaming Saber cutting through the air becoming so sharp it was nearly sonic. His proficiency with the saber visibly skyrocketed at an alarming speed.

This was all thanks to Su Ming’s extraordinary Spirit Art.

With his spiritual senses, Su Ming could quickly identify issues and make immediate corrections. The assistance of Spirit Art significantly boosted the efficiency of his saber training.

This was one of the unfair advantages of being a Dual Professional—unexpected synergies that complemented each other, elevating Su Ming’s strength beyond a simple sum of parts.

Su Ming gradually became immersed in this rapid progress in Blade Art, unable to pull himself away.

Until a sharp, aching pain suddenly shot through his arms and body.

“Hiss…”

Su Ming stopped swinging his saber and couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

At first, he was confused, but then he understood.

“Is my physical condition not strong enough to continuously use the Demon Blade Art?”

Feeling the soreness spreading throughout his body, Su Ming smiled wryly.

The Demon Blade Art placed extremely high demands on physical fitness. Su Ming had only barely met the requirements to use it—how could he practice without restraint?

However, Su Ming had no intention of stopping.

“Gulp!”

With a swallow, Su Ming, who had somehow produced a vial of alchemical potion, drank it down.

The potion’s effects coursed through his body, alleviating the fatigue and soreness in every part of him.

That’s right—Su Ming planned to use the alchemical potion to seize every second and master the Demon Blade Art as quickly as possible.

Longyao City was currently in turbulent times, with darkness stirring in the shadows and signs of chaos becoming unmistakably clear, giving Su Ming a sense of urgency.

To ensure he could protect himself in the face of any turmoil, he needed to grow stronger fast.

“Starting today, whenever it’s my turn to use the training room, I’ll dedicate that time to practicing the Demon Blade Art.”

“And when I can’t get access to the training room, I’ll study the two Advanced Spirit Arts—【Vast Karma Brahma Scene】 and 【Futian Falling Blossom】—striving to master them as soon as possible.””In his spare time, he could also study the power of the [Silver Arm] or combat strategies for dual professions.”

Additionally, the Red Vein Stone and extraordinary items that enhance Spirit Power, obtained from the package, must be taken continuously.

By advancing both the Hunter and Sorcerer aspects simultaneously, Su Ming would be able to grow stronger at the fastest possible rate.

“I hope my Demonization will Awaken soon as well.”

By then, with both professions reaching the level of an Upper-Rank Professional, Su Ming would undergo another transformation.

Imagining such a future, Su Ming practiced with his Saber even more diligently.

“Meeling…”

Little Hai’er watched this scene, tilting her head in confusion.

(End of Chapter)