High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

Inside the Trading Hall, the stench of sweat from survivors mingled with the reek of blood.

Several hundred people were crammed together, and the atmosphere was heavy.

The City Defense Army soldiers were busy distributing fresh water and rations.

From a corner, the groans of the wounded came intermittently.

Han Feng turned a deaf ear to it all.

He was squatting in front of the Crystal Pillar at the center of the hall.

A wisp of silver-white Sword Essence danced on his fingertip.

He was performing a delicate operation on the complex Energy Circuits.

"Fengzi, what... what are you fiddling with?"

Wang Meng sidled up, his words muffled by the half-eaten piece of beef jerky in his mouth.

"Optimizing."

Han Feng didn’t even turn his head.

His fingertips sliced through the air, leaving behind silvery trails that lingered without dispersing.

The previous repairs had just been an emergency measure.

In his eyes, this standard Gaia Alliance Rune system was like a grade-schooler’s homework.

It was full of loopholes and redundant parts, a complete waste of Energy.

’They sacrificed too much stability for the sake of compatibility.’

’A foolish design.’

Han Feng muttered to himself, then abruptly tapped the Crystal Pillar with his finger.

VMMMM—

The Crystal Pillar let out a clear, resonant hum.

The light of the blue Shield above the hall suddenly solidified.

The flickering instability vanished, replaced by a solidity as thick as glazed glass.

Under his adjustments, the once-convoluted Energy Circuits had become simple and smooth.

Their operational efficiency had increased by more than thirty percent out of thin air!

"Done."

Han Feng brushed non-existent dust from his hands and stood up.

"Now, even if a Tier Two Peak Spirit Body Group came knocking, this could hold for an hour."

A few nearby students from the Spiritual Energy Ability Academy looked on, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Optimizing a Tier Three Defense Array with his bare hands?!

They were starting to suspect their textbooks were fake.

Zhang Hao walked over. His face was still pale, but the sharpness had returned to his eyes.

He glanced at the Shield overhead. Its indestructible quality put his mind at ease.

"Is the Array stable?"

"Yeah."

Han Feng replied, snatching the rest of the beef jerky from Wang Meng’s hand and stuffing it into his mouth.

"As long as another ’big eyeball’ doesn’t show up, this place is now the safest spot on Suspended Mountain."

A bitter smile touched Zhang Hao’s lips.

"Seeing something like that once is more than enough."

Han Feng swallowed the beef jerky and tugged at his tattered combat suit.

"Since everyone’s settled, I’m heading out for a bit."

The moment he said that, a dead silence fell over the area.

Wang Meng’s eyes went wide.

"Are you crazy?! It’s the Gloom Period outside! Going out now is like serving yourself up as takeout for those ghouls!"

"He’s right, Han Feng."

Su Yue also frowned, her cool and aloof face filled with worry.

"I know you’re strong, but there’s no need to rush."

Han Feng waved his hand dismissively and pointed to his temple.

"My current condition is a bit... special."

"I overate just now. I need to find a place to digest."

"Too many prying eyes here. It’s not convenient."

Zhang Hao’s expression grew serious.

"Do you have to go?"

"I have to."

Han Feng’s reply was firm and decisive.

’Foundation Establishment Empowerment!’

The three words burned like a fire in his mind.

The System had warned him that the Empowerment could trigger strange phenomena.

Doing it here in the hall was too risky, with too many variables.

"Do you need a Guardian?"

Zhang Hao’s hand was already on the hilt of his blade.

"No need."

Han Feng refused without a shred of politeness.

"If you guys came out now, you’d just be getting in the way."

"Guarding this place is the best support you can give me."

Zhang Hao was silent for two seconds, then clapped Han Feng heavily on the shoulder.

"Be careful."

He didn’t ask any more questions.

Truly smart people understood that everyone had their own secrets.

Especially a monster like Han Feng, who could defy the heavens and change his own fate.

"Don’t worry. I value my life more than anyone."

Han Feng turned and walked toward the hall’s side door, his figure resolute.

Outside, the sky had turned a deep, leaden gray.

An oppressive feeling, enough to make an ordinary Martial Artist’s spirit tremble, washed over him.

But Han Feng felt the newly formed Sword Bone inside him let out a series of excited, faint hums.

He stepped out of the Shield.

The thick, gray fog surged toward him as if it were alive.

But three inches from his body, it was completely blocked by an invisible Sword Intent Barrier, unable to advance an inch.

His Ghost Bat·Modified Wingsuit unfurled.

With a light tap of his toes on the scorched rock, he shot vertically into the sky like an arrow released from a bow.

His hundred-meter Divine Sense spread out below like a giant, invisible net.

A few Demon Beasts wandering in the gray fog, several twisted Spirit Bodies crawling out from fissures in the ground.

In his eyes, they were nothing more than moving red dots on a map, no longer a threat.

Soon, he locked onto a solitary Floating Island ten kilometers away.

On the island was a natural, hidden cave.

After scanning it repeatedly with his Divine Sense and confirming there were no signs of life, Han Feng landed silently.

He quickly carved several warning and concealment Runes at the cave entrance with his Sword Essence.

Only then did he walk deep into the cave and sit down cross-legged.

’System.’

A pale blue panel materialized at his thought.

[Host: Han Feng]

[Cultivation: Meridian Passage Realm, First Layer (Sword Essence: 30/100)]

[Root Bone: Innate Sword Body·Basic Level (0/1000)]

[Spiritual Strength: 1035]

[Foundation Establishment Energy Reserve: 10000/10000 (Perfection)]

Looking at the energy bar that was so full it looked about to overflow, Han Feng’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

Ten thousand points of Energy!

This was the spoils he had seized from slaying a god in that bloody battle in the Illusion Realm!

It was his greatest trump card!

He closed his eyes, forcing his churning emotions down.

’Begin the Foundation Establishment Empowerment!’

The instant the thought formed.

BOOM!

It wasn’t an external explosion, but a magnificent roar originating from the deepest part of his soul!

The ten thousand points of Energy stored in the System were completely released.

The torrent of Energy was no longer as violent as before.

Instead, it transformed into a flowing, golden liquid as heavy as mercury.

It seeped into every corner of his body, flowing along his meridians.

Pain!

Not the sharp pain of tearing flesh, but a sore, bloating ache that sank deep into his marrow!

It was as if an invisible pair of hands was crushing every bone in his body, inch by inch.

And then recasting them with that golden Energy Liquid!

CRACK... CRACK...

A dense series of pops, like roasting soybeans, echoed from within his body.

The Sword Bone was being reforged!

Under the deluge of golden Energy, profound and intricate golden patterns began to appear on the surface of the originally sharp, silver-white Sword Bone.

They weren’t carved by hand, but were the natural manifestation of the Great Dao’s ultimate principles!

At the same time, the golden liquid permeated his marrow.

Marrow Cleansing and Muscle Tempering!

He felt his blood boiling.

Countless dark, foul-smelling impurities were forcibly expelled from his pores.

These were the deepest shackles of his Mortal Body.

Deep within his marrow, the newly-formed blood was no longer bright red, but had taken on a mercury-like quality.

It was heavy, viscous, and contained a terrifying amount of Vitality and power.

Every beat of his heart was as deep and resonant as a war drum.

Pumping this brand-new "Dao Blood" throughout his entire body!

This was a leap in the very hierarchy of life!

An evolution from a "Mortal Body" to a "Dao Body"!

[Ding! Root Bone is being reforged...]

[Innate Sword Body progress increasing... 10%... 20%... 30%...]

The aching numbness pierced straight to his soul.

Han Feng felt like a piece of iron being repeatedly hammered, forged and tempered a thousand times over.

His original meridians were violently widened and reinforced by the tyrannical torrent of golden Energy.

The mottled and violent Spiritual Qi from the outside world needed no guidance at all.

Like a shiver of sharks that had scented blood, it rushed madly into his body.

The moment it entered, it was crushed, purified, and compressed by his tyrannical [Innate Sword Body], transforming into the purest Sword Essence.

His aura grew stronger and sharper.

Before this tidal wave of Energy, the bottleneck of his Cultivation was as thin as a cicada’s wing.

CRACK!

It felt as if something inside him had shattered.

In his Dantian Qi Sea, the one hundred drops of Sword Essence instantly began to boil, split, and proliferate!

One hundred and twenty... one hundred and fifty... two hundred!

The expansion didn’t stop.

The High-dimensional Energy was still frantically widening his Dantian Qi Sea!

Two hundred and fifty... two hundred and eighty... three hundred!

Only when the amount of Sword Essence reached a full three hundred drops did the expansion of his Qi Sea finally halt.

"Hoooo—"

Han Feng exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The breath shot out like a white arrow, letting out a soft "PFFT" in the air.

It silently sliced a piece of rubble in front of him in two.

But this was not the end.

The body’s transformation was merely the foundation; the sublimation of the spirit was the true core!

The remaining golden Energy surged upward, following his spinal Dragon Bone, and poured straight into his Sea of Consciousness!

BOOM!

It was as if a sun had exploded in Han Feng’s mind.

His once-chaotic Sea of Consciousness was instantly illuminated by endless light, becoming crystal clear.

The feeling was like a person born blind opening their eyes for the very first time.

The world had completely changed.

Han Feng’s eyes snapped open.

The pitch-black night was rendered in perfect, layered detail before his eyes.

He could see a beetle a hundred meters away in a rock crevice, grooming its antennae, which were thinner than a strand of hair.

He could hear, from five hundred meters away, the imperceptible, life-filled pulse of a wild weed breaking through the soil beneath the ruins.

His Divine Sense exploded outward from him!

Fifty meters... sixty meters... eighty meters...

Finally, it stabilized at a full one hundred meters!

An unknown amount of time passed before the vast energy was finally depleted.

Han Feng slowly withdrew his power. The divine light in his eyes receded, and they returned to their usual calm and profound state.

But a closer look would reveal two miniature sword shadows, coiled and ready to strike, hidden in the depths of his pupils.

[Ding! Foundation Establishment Empowerment complete!]

[Congratulations, Host. Innate Sword Body has advanced (Middle Level, 34/10000).]

[Sword Essence reserve capacity increased: 100/100 → 300/300.]

[Range of Divine Sense increased: 50 meters → 100 meters (Perception accuracy increased by 200%).]

[Aptitude reconstruction complete. Spiritual Qi Affinity increased to Middle Level.]

Reading this series of notifications, the curve of Han Feng’s lips grew wider and wider.

With a thought, the System panel refreshed.

[Class: Swordsman]

[Cultivation: Meridian Passage Realm (Spirit Martial)]

[Root Bone: Innate Sword Body (Middle Level, 34/10000)]

[Sword Essence: 300/300]

[Spiritual Strength: 2000]

[Divine Sense: 100 (Range)]

[Passive Traits: Heart Clarity and Nature Seeing (Middle Level, 35/10000)]

[Cultivation Technique: Cyan Cloud Spirit Martial Technique (Entry Level: 35/1000), Three-Inch Heart Sword Observation Method (Mastery: 12/1000)]

[Skills: Sword Control Technique (Mastery), Body Technique·Spiral Charge (Mastery), Body Technique·Reversal of Heaven and Earth (Mastery), Lingxi Finger (Uninitiated)]

[Divine Power Module: Inactive (Future use requires self-accumulated Energy)]

[System Space: 1 cubic meter]

[All Things Identification (Basic Level)]

[Foundation Establishment Empowerment: Completed]

"Phew..."

Han Feng let out a long breath.

His Root Bone was now starting at Middle Level, his Sword Essence capacity had tripled, and his Spiritual Strength had broken the two-thousand mark.

It was now on par with, if not stronger than, some Divine Containment Realm Grandmasters.

The only regret was that the progress bar named [Foundation Establishment Empowerment] had turned gray and completely vanished.

This meant he could no longer use shortcuts like devouring a "Holy Infant" to charge his "Divine Power·Spirit Slash".

But Han Feng didn’t find it a pity.

The greatest significance of this Empowerment was that it had completely raised his upper limits.

His foundation had been solidified to an unbelievable degree.

He had even surpassed the so-called top Celestial Prides of the Inner City.

The road ahead was wide open.

Han Feng stood up and stretched.

CRACKLE!

A series of crisp pops echoed from his joints.

The feeling of power, as if he could crush a mountain with one hand, filled his entire being.

He knew this was an illusion caused by the sudden surge in strength.

But he was certain of one thing.

If he were to encounter that Golden Crowned Eagle King now, or even Li Wei who had summoned the "Eye of the Blood Sea"...

...he wouldn’t need to fight desperately anymore.

With just this reborn Dao Body and his terrifying Divine Sense that left nothing hidden within a hundred meters, he could utterly crush them!