Chapter 18: Starfall

Pfft! Titus spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion turning deathly pale. The once formidable Illusion Annihilation blade was now badly damaged, its power not even a thousandth of its peak. Yet, even so, Titus narrowly escaped death from its backlash. "If I could forge a blade soul, then perhaps I could wield the current power of Illusion Annihilation," Titus mused. Only through a unity of three elements and perfecting the Foundation Building could he hope to control the blade's power without succumbing to its backlash. After catching his breath, Titus slowly approached Victor. "Young Master, please don't kill me, I was wrong..." Victor, panic-stricken, struggled to move backward. Although a practitioner of Martial Cultivation, he was merely at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Left with a crippled left foot, escape was futile, let alone considering that Titus had just slain a Martial Cultivator of the Element Integration Stage. "You have been with my the Xenos Family for many years, and we have treated you well," Titus said coldly, looking at Victor. "If not for my family's aid, you would have frozen to death on the streets long ago." Realizing his inevitable fate, Victor, with a twisted expression, retorted, "The Xenos Family has been kind, but what of it? 'Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.' You're finished, and so is the Xenos Family. Do you expect me to die alongside you? Yes, I admit I was greedy. And for that, I shall pay the price." "I care not for my death, for my lineage is already secured. As for you and the Xenos Family, your end is nigh. Ha ha..." Victor laughed madly. "Titus, do you think you can escape? With the Skynet Sect's warrant out, there's nowhere you can hide. Just wait, your death will soon follow mine, though you might live a bit longer," Victor continued, his laughter growing louder. Titus watched him laugh, his expression unchanging. Victor's smile faded as he noticed Titus's indifference. "Why aren't you showing any despair? You're about to die! You should be depressed. Titus, you can't escape death. Are you feigning composure? You're scared, aren't you? I know you're terrified." Titus looked at the increasingly deranged Victor and spoke slowly, "Today, I was able to slay Simon of the Element Integration Stage. That means I can also kill Chloe." Hearing this, Victor froze, recalling that Simon was indeed a Martial Cultivator of the Element Integration Stage, effortlessly slain by Titus. Was Titus ever capable of this before? No! Titus, though once powerful, had never been terrifying to this extent. Slaying an enemy across a major realm was almost an impossible feat. Only the top disciples of major Sects could possibly achieve killing someone at the Element Integration Stage while being at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage. Now, Titus could do just that... "You should be on your way," said Titus. "Please don't kill me..." Victor began to panic. The Blade Gale swept across his neck, and Victor, clutching his throat, gasped a few times before falling to the ground lifeless, his eyes still filled with intense unwillingness to die. Titus found a hidden pouch on Simon's body. Inside, he discovered over sixty gold coins, numerous silver and copper coins. In addition to that, there were three bottles of mid-grade healing potions. This was a valuable find. Produced by the Skynet Sect, these were only supplied to Inner Sect disciples and officials. They were available to Outer Sect disciples too, but a single bottle cost twenty gold coins, equivalent to the price of a hundred-refined iron blade. Drinking one of the mid-grade healing potions, Titus soon felt a warm flow envelop his injured internal organs, easing some of the pain. Then, feeling around the deeper part of the pouch, Titus unexpectedly found a martial arts technique hidden inside. It was a Yellow-grade, superior Heavy Hammer Martial Technique. The heavy hammer was a less common weapon, and this technique was also a less common Weapon Martial Technique. Because of its rarity, even a Yellow-grade, superior Heavy Hammer Martial Technique would be equivalent in value to a mid-grade Yellow-grade popular Weapon Martial Technique in the outside world. After all, no one would change their preferred weapon for a Yellow-grade, superior Heavy Hammer Martial Technique. Moreover, cultivating such a technique would make it difficult to find a Mysterious-grade Heavy Hammer Martial Technique later on. "No wonder Simon's weapon was a heavy hammer; he wanted to cultivate this Heavy Hammer Martial Technique. It's a pity it's not a Blade Martial Technique," Titus lamented with regret. Just as Titus was about to look away, he remembered something. While the Heavy Hammer Martial Technique is most effective when used with a heavy hammer, it's not limited to just that weapon. Heavy weapons like a bronze hammer or a spiked club can also be used to execute the technique. However, the full power of the technique can't be unleashed with these weapons, at most achieving about seventy to eighty percent of its potential strength. Of course, that was before reaching the ultimate level. If cultivated to the ultimate level, even other heavy weapons like bronze hammers and maces could unleash the full potential of this martial art, transcending its original scope. After all, reaching the peak of martial skill transcends the conventional boundaries of martial techniques. The Horse Beheading Blade was also a heavy weapon... Cultivating the blade was difficult mainly because a blade could be both light and heavy; light as a willow leaf, or as heavy as a six-foot-eight Horse Beheading Blade. Typically, Blade Cultivators would specialize in one form, either light or heavy. But to reach the pinnacle of Blade Cultivation, one must master both, achieving a state where lifting light is like lifting heavy, and lifting heavy is like lifting light. Thus, mastering the heavy blade was essential. Titus had planned to cultivate the heavy blade later, but now it seemed there was no need to wait; he could start right away, cultivating both light and heavy blades. Cultivating other martial arts to the ultimate level wasn't common among Blade Cultivators, as it was time-consuming and redundant given the plethora of Blade Martial Techniques available to them. But Titus was not only lacking; he was in dire need of high-grade techniques. A Yellow-grade, superior Weapon Martial Technique was a rare find for Titus, as such techniques were seldom shared outside the Sect. After careful examination of the 'Meteor Fall' Heavy Hammer Martial Technique and going over it several times, Titus confirmed that it was suitable for cultivation and could be executed with the Horse Beheading Blade. Though at eighty percent power until reaching the ultimate level. But as a Yellow-grade, superior martial technique, even at eighty percent, it far surpassed the previously learned Yellow-grade, inferior Wind Shadow Slash. Once reaching the ultimate level, Titus would be able to unleash the full power of Meteor Fall with the Horse Beheading Blade. Meteor Fall had two moves, 'Stellar Brilliance' and 'Nine Star Collapse.' Stellar Brilliance, at its strongest, could reach nine layers, equivalent to a Mysterious-grade, inferior Weapon Martial Technique. Nine Star Collapse was even more powerful, but also more challenging to master due to its complex trajectory. However, this wasn't a problem for Titus. Subsequently, Titus entered the Ancient Wilderness to begin cultivating Meteor Fall.