Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 35: Lightning Magic and the Nine-Layered Lightning Blade

On the very night he obtained the "Ninefold Thunder Blade" manual, Lin Yun couldn't wait to begin practicing it.

In the training room of a villa in the Bright Moon Community of the Swallowed Star World, he held the Blood Shadow Battle Blade and practiced the eighteen basic sword techniques of the first level of the "Thunder Blade" over and over again. He strived for precision in every move and pondered every style repeatedly until his training clothes were soaked with sweat and his arms were so sore that he could hardly lift them.

Meanwhile, in the grove behind Ernst Academy in the Panlong World, his other body was doing the same thing.

Under the moonlight, Lin Yun, holding a fine iron short sword, sweated profusely in a clearing in the woods. Memories from two worlds converged and merged in his mind. The same sword technique was practiced simultaneously by two bodies, creating an incredibly wondrous feeling—as if one person had twice the time, twice the amount of practice, and twice the opportunities for enlightenment.

"The first move, Thunder's First Appearance—the blade slashes diagonally from the waist, the power originating from the feet, flowing through the legs, waist, back, and arms, and finally converging on the blade."

Lin Yun silently recited the key points of the sword technique in his mind, and his body moved accordingly. The battle blade tore through the air with a soft "whoosh". He closed his eyes and carefully felt the flow of power in his body - rising from the soles of his feet, passing through his calves, thighs, waist, back, and shoulders, finally reaching his wrist, and then flowing from his wrist into the blade.

He used all his strength in that strike.

But he could sense that the power was being lost during the transmission. Just like water flowing through a winding river, some of it would inevitably dissipate. From his feet to the blade, at least 30% of the power had been lost. If he could utilize this lost power, the blade's power could be increased by at least 30%.

This is the problem that the first level of "Ninefold Thunder Blade" aims to solve—through special power generation techniques, to "recover" the lost portion during the power transmission process and add it to the next strike, forming the second level of power.

The principle is simple to explain, but it is extremely difficult to implement.

Lin Yun practiced again and again, from dusk till late at night, and from late at night till dawn. He practiced each of the eighteen sword techniques no less than a hundred times. But the feeling of that "second layer of force" never appeared.

"There's no rush." ​​Lin Yun sheathed his sword, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.

Thor mentioned in the manual that mastering the Ninefold Thunder Blade requires immense patience and comprehension. Countless martial artists worldwide have chosen this sword technique, yet none have even mastered the first level. He's only practiced for one night; what's the rush?

The body from the Panlong World stopped practicing its swordsmanship, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate. Meanwhile, the body from the Swallowed Star World continued practicing in the training room.

Two worlds, one body resting, the other cultivating; one body contemplating and comprehending, the other putting it into practice. This is the greatest advantage of cultivating in both worlds simultaneously—time is doubled for him.

After practicing for three consecutive days, Lin Yun's progress was still limited.

He had mastered the eighteen sword techniques perfectly, executing each move flawlessly and seamlessly. However, he still hadn't quite grasped the feeling of "multiple forces exerted." He could sense the flow of power within his body, but he couldn't generate a second force after unleashing the first.

"Where exactly did things go wrong?" Lin Yun sat cross-legged on the floor of the training room, closed his eyes, and repeatedly recalled every word that Thor had written in the manual.

"The fundamental secret of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade is speed. But speed is not the goal, but the result. The real core is the technique of exerting force—to make the power resonate within the body, layer upon layer, one after another."

"Resonance..." Lin Yun murmured, a sudden flash of inspiration crossing his mind.

Resonance. Isn't this the most basic concept in physics? When two objects vibrate at the same frequency, the other will also vibrate when the other vibrates. If this principle can be applied to generating force—making different parts of the body vibrate at the same frequency—the force can be superimposed rather than canceled out.

"But how can we make different parts of the body vibrate at the same frequency?" Lin Yun pondered.

His gaze fell on the sky outside the window. Occasionally, lightning flashed through the clouds, and thunder rumbled across the horizon.

lightning.

Lightning.

Lin Yun suddenly remembered something. He closed his eyes and switched his consciousness to the Panlong World.

In the Panlong World, in the grove behind Ernst Academy, Lin Yun opened his eyes and stood up. He didn't pick up his battle sword, but instead raised his right hand and began to cast lightning magic.

"Raiya!"

A purple arc of electricity shot out from his fingertips, striking a large tree in front of him and blasting a fist-sized crater in the trunk.

"Lightning Chain!"

Purple lightning chains flew from his hand, wrapping around another tree, the electricity crackling and popping as it surged across the trunk.

"Thunder Prison!"

Countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, covering an area of ​​tens of meters in radius, with astonishing power.

Lin Yun practiced lightning magic again and again, from the lowest level Lightning Arrow to the sixth level Lightning Prison, relentlessly practicing each spell. He was feeling the power of lightning—that violent, swift, and unstoppable power.

What is the nature of lightning?

It's about speed. How fast is lightning? Three hundred thousand kilometers per second. Nothing in this world is faster than lightning.

It's an explosion. The voltage of a lightning bolt can reach hundreds of millions of volts, and the current can reach hundreds of thousands of amperes. That instantaneous burst of power can pierce the air, split a tree in two, and make the earth tremble.

It's resonance. Lightning isn't a single source of energy, but rather a superposition of multiple frequencies. As lightning strikes, it generates electromagnetic waves of different frequencies, some of which are audible to the human ear, while others are completely imperceptible. But regardless of the frequency, they all erupt simultaneously, superimposing to create a devastating force.

"Speed...burst...resonance..." Lin Yun murmured, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

He picked up his sword again, closed his eyes, and mentally simulated the power of lightning—that swift, explosive, and cumulative power.

Then, he drew his knife.

"laugh!"

The battle blade tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound. But this time, Lin Yun didn't stop. The instant he unleashed the first strike, he suddenly channeled his inner power, attempting to unleash a second layer of force—

"Snapped!"

The blade traced an arc through the air, and the sound of the air being torn apart was even sharper than the first strike, as if something had exploded on the blade.

Lin Yun opened his eyes, his eyes filled with surprise.

The second force! Although it was very weak, not even enough to significantly increase the power of the blade, it was indeed the second force! He felt it—at the moment the first strike was made, he caught the "node" of the power flow, and then unleashed a second wave of power at that node. The two forces overlapped on the blade, forming a small burst.

"Success!" Lin Yun clenched his fist, his heart pounding.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. This was just the beginning. The first level required the superposition of two forces, and he had only just touched the threshold of the second level. There was still a long way to go before the true "superposition".

But he found his direction.

In the days that followed, Lin Yun adjusted his training method. He no longer simply practiced swordsmanship, but instead combined lightning magic with the Ninefold Lightning Blade—

While practicing his swordsmanship in the Swallowed Star World, he would simultaneously cast lightning magic in the Panlong World, using his insights into lightning magic to verify the power generation techniques of his swordsmanship.

While practicing magic in the Panlong World, he would simultaneously practice swordsmanship in the Swallowed Star World, using the power generation techniques of swordsmanship to deduce the essence of lightning magic.

Two worlds, two forces, merged perfectly at this moment.

Lightning magic gave him a deeper understanding of the essence of "lightning"—speed, explosiveness, and resonance. The power generation techniques of the Ninefold Lightning Blade allowed him to translate these understandings into actual combat power.

The effect is immediate.

Three days later, Lin Yun successfully mastered the first level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade. He could unleash a second level of power while simultaneously slashing with the first, and the combined power of the two levels increased the strength to 1.4 times the original.

"Alright!" Lin Yun sheathed his sword and stood up, letting out a long breath.

But he didn't stop. The first level was just the beginning; he wanted the second, the third, and even higher levels. Moreover, during his sword practice, he vaguely sensed that his understanding of lightning magic was also deepening.

It was a very strange feeling—when casting lightning magic, he was no longer simply calling upon magical power, but could "sense" something deeper contained within the lightning.

That thing, the Dragonblood Warriors family calls it "momentum" in their secret manual.

What is "momentum"?

Lin Yun searched through the Dragonblood Warrior family's notes and finally found a vague description.

"Momentum is the rudimentary form of law. When a warrior or mage's understanding of a certain power reaches a certain level, they can touch the threshold of 'momentum.' Momentum is neither power nor skill, but an intuition about the essence of power. Those who have mastered momentum can achieve unity of mind and weapon, and unity of person and method when wielding the corresponding power, making their power far exceed that of others of the same level."

"The reason why the peak experts of the Saint Realm are so powerful is that they not only master the power, but also comprehend the basics of the laws from that power. As for the God-level experts, they have completely mastered one or more profound laws."

Lin Yun closed the note, his heart surging with barely suppressed excitement.

Momentum—the threshold of the law.

His understanding of lightning magic has now reached a critical point. When casting lightning spells, he no longer needs to consciously chant incantations or mobilize magical power; instead, with a mere thought, lightning arrives in response. It feels as if the lightning is a part of his body, an extension of his will.

Is this what power is?

To verify his judgment, Lin Yun unleashed a powerful lightning spell in the grove behind the mountain.

"Thunder Prison!"

Countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, covering an area of ​​dozens of meters in radius. But this time, Lin Yun did not stop. The instant the lightning struck, he swiftly swung his battle blade—

"Thunder Blade, First Level!"

The moment the battle blade slashed out, a purple arc of electricity shot out from the blade, intertwining with the lightning striking down from the sky. The two forces collided and merged, unleashing a dazzling light.

"boom!"

A huge crater had been blasted open in the ground ahead, with debris flying everywhere and dust billowing up.

Lin Yun stood there, panting heavily, but his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement.

He did it.

That last strike wasn't just the application of the first level of the "Ninefold Thunder Blade" technique; it also incorporated the power of lightning magic into the swordsmanship. The speed, explosiveness, and resonance of lightning were perfectly combined with the swordsmanship's power application, resulting in a power far exceeding that of pure swordsmanship or magic.

More importantly, in that instant, he clearly sensed the existence of "momentum".

It was a profound and mysterious feeling—lightning was no longer the magic he cast, but a part of his body; the sword was no longer a weapon in his hand, but an extension of his will. With a thought, lightning appeared; with a thought, the sword flashed. Lightning and sword became one in his hands, inseparable.

"This is momentum," Lin Yun murmured, a slight smile playing on his lips.

In the original story, Linley reached this level when he was an eighth-level warrior and an eighth-level mage, on his way to the O'Brien Empire while crossing the Monster Mountain Range. But he, who is now only an eighth-level mage and a sixth-level warrior, has already touched the threshold of "momentum".

This is not just a matter of talent, but also the advantage of cultivating in two worlds simultaneously. The cultivation systems of the two worlds corroborate and promote each other, allowing him to progress faster than anyone else on the path to comprehending the essence of power.

"However, this is just the beginning." Lin Yun sheathed his sword and took a deep breath.

Momentum is merely the threshold of the laws. Only by crossing this threshold can one truly grasp the surface of the laws. And above the laws lie profound mysteries, fusion, and... godhood.

The road ahead is still long.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

Two worlds, two bodies, the same path to becoming stronger. He has plenty of time, plenty of patience, and advantages that others cannot match.

Lin Yun closed his eyes and switched his consciousness to the Swallowed Star World. In the cultivation room of Mingyue Community, his other body had just finished a day of cultivation.

"Keep going," he told himself.

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Yun reappeared in the grove of trees behind the mountain. Holding his battle sword, he practiced the sword techniques of the "Ninefold Thunder Blade" over and over again, while continuously casting lightning magic, fusing the two powers together.

Having mastered the first level, he began his assault on the second.

The core of the second level is to unleash a third layer of power based on the first level. In other words, when slashing out, not only must the second layer of power be added, but the third layer of power must also be unleashed at the instant the second layer of power explodes. With the three layers of power combined, the power is increased to 2.1 times the original.

The difficulty has more than doubled.

Lin Yun tried again and again, and failed time and time again. But he did not lose heart. He knew that this skill could not be mastered overnight; it required daily accumulation and practice.

His advantage is that he has two bodies and two worlds to practice in at the same time.

His body from the Swallowed Star world diligently practiced swordsmanship in the training room, while his body from the Panlong world practiced magic in the grove behind the mountain. The insights from the two worlds converged, collided, and merged in his mind, causing his progress to far exceed that of ordinary people.

He firmly believes that it won't be long before he can break through to the second level, or even the third or fourth level.

More importantly, as his understanding of the Ninefold Thunder Blade deepened, his comprehension of the laws of thunder also improved rapidly. Reaching the realm of momentum was only the first step. He needed to build upon that foundation and go further, truly touching the threshold of the laws themselves.

By then, his strength in both worlds will have undergone a qualitative leap.