Douluo Dalu: Sword!

Chapter 2: Hunting for the First Spirit Ring!

Half a month on the road had changed Gu Lin.

The once ordinary boy now possessed a beauty that transcended his age. His skin, a result of the first layer of his cultivation, the [Moon Jade Skin], had a subtle glow and was tougher than leather, though soft to the touch.

His facial features were fine and harmonious, and his dark eyes gleamed with sharp confidence. Although he was only six years old, his height and stature made him appear approximately nine or ten without issue.

His clothes, once simple, were now in tatters, but neither the dirt nor the rips could hide the extraordinary aura he exuded.

He stood in the heart of a dense forest, on the border of Nuoding City.

Before him, a spirit beast circled with deadly grace: a Three-Eyed Shadow Cat, a creature approximately 600 to 700 years old, known for its speed and illusions. Its fur was black as night, and three malevolent green eyes stared at him.

Sshhhhiiiisssss!

The cat didn't wait.

It crouched and, in a blink, its form split. Three identical shadows darted towards Gu Lin from three different directions, claws sharp as razors ready to tear his flesh.

Gu Lin didn't panic. He activated the first layer of his eye technique.

"Firmament Eyes: Residual Light Vision!"

A subtle silver shimmer flickered in his pupils. For him, the world changed. Two of the attacking shadows left behind a faint and ephemeral trail of spiritual energy, like a streak. The third, the one coming directly from the front, possessed a much denser and more solid trail. It was the real body.

"There you are," he whispered.

Ignoring the illusions, he focused on the frontal attack. Instead of retreating, his feet exploded into motion.

"Starlight Flicker Steps: Comet Slide!"

Channeling a significant portion of his spiritual power, he lunged forward in a straight line, leaving a brief trail of silver light in the air. The movement was so sudden that he seemed to teleport for a meter.

Clang!

His sword, a simple tool martial soul still without rings, rose to meet the claws of the true Shadow Cat. Sparks flew and the impact made his arm vibrate violently, but his stance, strengthened by his developing [Stellar Iron Muscles], held firm.

At the same time, the two illusory shadows passed through where he had been an instant before, their claws cutting only air and some bushes. However, the speed of the triple attack was such that one of the illusory claws still managed to graze him. Three thin cuts appeared on his cheek. Blood welled up for a second before stopping, the vitality of his [Moon Jade Skin] already working to close the wound.

The Three-Eyed Shadow Cat regrouped into a single form, its three eyes glowing with frustration and surprise. It wasn't used to seeing its prey identify the illusion so easily.

Gu Lin felt a little short of breath. The "Comet Slide" was fast, but it consumed more energy than a simple dodge. He needed to finish this.

"My turn to test."

He advanced, his sword becoming a blur.

"Star Annihilating Blade Art: Stardust Trail!"

It wasn't a blow full of power, but of pure speed. He executed a direct and simple thrust. The tip of his blade, however, shone brightly, leaving behind an ephemeral trail of luminous particles, like comet dust.

The cat, relying on its superior agility, tried to deflect. But its eyes were instinctively drawn to the trail of light, a distraction that cost a fraction of a second. It was enough.

SHIIIING!

The tip of the sword didn't hit a vital point but opened a bleeding cut on the beast's flank. The blow was too fast to be truly powerful, but it served its purpose: to injure, annoy, and prove that the cat's speed wasn't absolute.

GRRRRAAAAWWWRRR!

Enraged and sensing its own mortality, the Shadow Cat abandoned all subtlety. With a roar that shook the leaves, it became a single black blur, a missile of fury and claws pointed directly at Gu Lin's throat.

This time, Gu Lin didn't use a named technique.

He couldn't afford the spiritual energy cost. Instead, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, his mind cold and calculating. His Firmament Eyes mentally traced the attack's trajectory, predicting the final arc.

He channeled all his remaining spiritual power into a single strike, not of speed, but of pure precision and strength.

Time seemed to slow. He spun his body, his sword moving in an impeccable upward arc that met the cat's neck at the peak of its leap.

Pu!

There was no screeching sound of metal against bone. Only a clean, silent cut. The Three-Eyed Shadow Cat's head flew through the air as its body fell inert.

Thud.

Silence.

Gu Lin fell to his knees, breathing heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat, feeling the throbbing in his meridians from the energy expenditure. Blood dripped from the tip of his sword.

But exactly at that moment, a magnificent light began to emanate from the corpse.

A ring of light slowly ascended. It was a bright yellow, but within it, an unmistakable purplish hue pulsed softly. It was almost nonexistent, but it was clearly there.

"A ring over 600 years old," Gu Lin observed, panting, but his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Perfect."

He wiped his sword and sat cross-legged beside the spirit ring. "That cat used illusions. I hope to get something similar. Mirror images would be incredibly useful for the first ability."

Closing his eyes, he guided the ring towards him. As soon as the ring touched his sword, a wave of wild energy invaded him. The pain was intense, but his will, forged in a previous life and strengthened by cultivation, was a fortress of steel.

He endured it, taming the energy and fusing it with his soul.

An hour passed.

When he finished, Gu Lin opened his eyes, feeling power flow through him. He stood up, summoning his sword. The first spirit ring, yellowish-purple, rotated silently around him.

"Let's see what I gained. Let it be the Illusory Shadow Strike!"

Sou!

He swung the sword horizontally. He expected to see illusory copies of his blade appear, like a control ability. But what happened, however, exceeded all his expectations.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With a single movement of his arm, five real and distinct cuts were delivered simultaneously. It was as if space had folded, allowing his single blade to attack five locations at the same time.

A tree in front of him now had a deep, smooth cut. A rock seven meters beside the tree split in two. A thick branch above him was severed. Two other cut marks appeared on the earth in different places.

Five attacks. Five positions. A single strike.

Gu Lin blinked, looking at the devastation. A slow, wide smile spread across his face.

"These... are not illusions," he said to himself, his voice filled with wild joy. "These are real strikes. They're not as powerful as a single concentrated blow but... Five real attacks for the energy cost of one."

He looked down at himself, the yellow spirit ring glowing softly. His plans had just received a significant upgrade. With an ability like this, his journey would be much, much more interesting.