Chapter 162 - Third Trial: Final

A gray shine "<Zero Absoluto>!" All the temperature of the place swooped down, freezing all the land surrounding a blue-haired old man who was panting with a pale face. Bai charged forward with his left sword, dark flames roaring from it "<All Sword: Inferno>!", his sword disappeared as the air combusted in black flames.

The colliding of such extremes temperature created a great quantity of dense vapor that covered all the battleground.

"Shinx!" the vapor was cut as Bai charged forward with a dark red sword. His flames not only were able to incinerate matter, with the combination of fire and slaughter, they also burned life itself.

The blue-haired old man's face became even paler, not being able to stop his life energy being burned. He was so weak that he was unable to put any defense towards Bai, Bai's sword piercing the man's heart.

"It was a good fight, even if I wasn't a worthy opponent." The old man closed his eyes falling to the ground, dying while wearing a smile in his face. Touching the ground, the man became dark blue particles and was absorbed by his double-edge, ice made sword.

Bai approached his swords at the ice sword, this being absorbed by Bai's swords. Bai made a solemn face "It was a good fight." He sat in a lotus position and started meditating closing his eyes and breathing profoundly in the middle of the fire and ice hell after the battle.

Each Fragment gave an increase in mental power and perception but as an external source, it wasn't truly his. He needed to ȧssimilate them and making them their own before being able to consider his.

There was also another peculiarity, he didn't know if it was normal or a special case for him as a possible inheritor, but he was able to resonate with the fragment, learning about the owner's own style. Like with the strength, he needed to train and make it his own before being able to use them effectively, it was the example of the Water Intent that he had learned from the guy at Slaughter City.

Opening his eyes, Bai could see that a new ice blue part, appeared in his swords "Only one fragment left". During his travel, Bai had obtained 5 new fragments, counting this. Most of them weren't too much difficult, of people at most spirit sage with Sword Hearts, this last considered the strongest of them.

With his spirit skills and sword arts, he would have been able to push Bai into a corner, but Bai had improved a lot in this little months. His breathing technique had improved by leaps and bounds, his spirit energy gaining unique characteristics, with his spirit energy stalled it was much easier to do.

After the improvement of his breathing technique, his comprehension speed shot up, being able to reach All Sword in his other Intents, even being able to fuse some of them at the cost of great mental exhaustion. He was able to fuse Retaliation with the more defensive nature ones and Slaughter with the offensive, for being able to fuse these two, there was a long road ahead, they were simply too opposed themselves, not even the sword domains that are easily fused could.

Bai stood up and flew to his next destination.

He finally arrived at a tall mountain, its top couldn't be seen hidden over the clouds. He could sense the fragment somewhere in it, and his instinct told him that it would be at the top. At the foot of the mountain, there was some vegetation and weak spirit beasts roaming, but as it ascended, the fauna became scarcer finally disappearing, leaving barren rocks.

Bai' sword slashed the air, cracking it, Bai's disappearing from his spot. For so desolated places, he would be easily seen and there might even be some trap around, so he used his Space Intent to hide himself.

Bai started climbing the mountain carefully. He could feel the oxygen's quantity and atmospheric pressure dropping at an unnatural level, especially when he crossed the clouds. There was also a sharp wind that threatened to cut him.

"There's no need to hide." A calm voice entered Bai's ears and resounded all around his body. "Crack!" Bai's Space technique was instantly broken, forcing him to leave. Bai started looking at his surroundings with concern. He couldn't sense anyone, this showed that the other was a higher level than him. He instantly decided his next step, scape! He was no rival for that unknown master, it would be better to escape now before it was too late. The problem was that it was already too late.

As Bai stepped back to start running away, he collided with an invisible barrier and he found the mountain completely surrounded by powerful tornados. He could sense it, this was an All Sword! And he could feel that the level was even higher than his uncle Sword.

"Continue forwards" The same voice resounded "Please, don't do any stupid act."

Bai gulped and starting climbing the mountain again, somehow much easier than before, like being pushed by an invisible force. Arriving at the top, Bai found a complete plane peak. It was over 100 meters wide and the ground was smooth and clean, someone had cleanly cut the mountain top creating this platform.

In the middle of it, an old man sat with his eyes closed. He had long white hair that fell to the ground covering all his body. He was extremely old, it seemed that with the minimum movement, he would crumble in dust. More than an old man, he seemed a skeleton with hair.

What Bai was more surprised was that he couldn't sense the man at all! He was able to see him, but if he were to close his eyes, it would be like he wasn't there. The old man had completely blended with his surroundings, this feat was only possible if he was least a super douluo, and not even all super douluos could arrive that far.

The old man opened his eyes, that in contrast with his body were full of strength "A young one. Oh, oh, oh!" the wind carried his voice, but he kept being immobile, his dry lips not even moving.

"Fush!" Suddenly, powerful tornados formed from nothing and charged towards Bai.

(I'm screwed) Bai could only think.