Chapter 81: The Sword Prodigy of the Salvatore Family (Part 2)
The Sword Prodigy of the Salvatore Family (Part 2)
Therefore...
Failure wasn’t an option.
Damien silently tightened his grip on his sword.
Everything he possessed today...
His cultivation.
His resources.
His future.
Had all been given by Victor.
He would never disappoint that trust.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the black-robed elder.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
"Old dog..."
His voice was calm.
Yet every word struck like a blade.
"You dare speak of destroying my Salvatore Family?"
"What audacity."
The elder’s mouth opened.
Then closed again.
For several seconds...
He couldn’t find a single word.
A thirteen-year-old...
Who had already comprehended Sword Intent?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
He himself was a sword cultivator.
He understood better than anyone how impossible such a feat truly was.
How many geniuses had spent decades pursuing Sword Intent?
How many peerless talents had died unable to touch that final step?
Yet this child...
Had already accomplished it.
The elder suddenly remembered something.
His eyes widened.
"The sword prodigy..."
"The one everyone’s talking about..."
"The Salvatore Family of Aurelia City..."
His breathing became uneven.
"So..."
"...it’s you."
Damien didn’t bother answering.
Instead...
The coldness on his face disappeared completely.
A bright smile appeared.
He sheathed his sword.
Turned around.
Then respectfully cupped his fists toward everyone inside the hall.
"Junior Damien Salvatore..."
"...acting under the Patriarch’s personal orders..."
"...has come to assist our Blackstone City branch family."
Every member of the branch family froze.
A Patriarch...
From the main family?
Austin looked completely stunned.
Damien’s smile widened.
His eyes landed directly on Austin.
"And you must be Brother Austin."
"I’ve heard much about you."
"You’re every bit as remarkable as the Patriarch said."
Austin blinked several times.
His thoughts became a complete mess.
This terrifying little monster...
Was actually his younger clansman?
And...
The Patriarch had spoken about him personally?
For some reason...
The frustration and humiliation crushing his heart suddenly became lighter.
The Salvatore Family...
Hadn’t abandoned them.
Not even for a moment.
Damien walked over cheerfully and stood beside Austin.
Then he smiled.
"Brother."
"Leave this old dog to me."
"After I deal with him..."
"We’ll have plenty of time to talk."
The words were simple.
Yet they carried absolute confidence.
The black-robed elder’s face darkened instantly.
"Insolent brat!!"
The black-robed elder’s furious roar shook the entire hall.
His robes billowed violently without wind as a vast sea of crimson True Spiritual Power erupted from his body.
The floor beneath his feet cracked apart.
Pillars trembled.
The pressure alone was enough to suffocate ordinary cultivators.
The Whitecliff Family servants hurriedly retreated, fear flashing across their faces.
Even Nellie Whitecliff narrowed her eyes.
She hadn’t expected such an insignificant trip to Blackstone City to encounter a monster like Damien Salvatore.
Her expression gradually turned solemn.
If this child was allowed to mature...
The Salvatore Family would undoubtedly produce another terrifying powerhouse.
No...
Perhaps an even greater existence than that.
Damien, however, remained perfectly composed.
His youthful face showed no trace of panic.
Instead, he slowly raised the longsword in his hand.
A clear sword cry echoed through the hall.
Shing—!
The blade reflected a cold silver light.
Sword Intent flowed along its edge like living water.
Every strand carried a terrifying sharpness.
Even before striking...
It already felt capable of severing heaven itself.
The elder instinctively tightened his grip.
His instincts warned him.
This child...
Was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Damien slowly pointed his sword toward him.
His voice remained calm.
"Draw your weapon."
The elder’s expression darkened.
"You arrogant little beast!"
"I’m a Great Perfection Celestial Gate Realm expert!"
"And you’re merely at the Great Perfection Spiritual Awakening Realm!"
"Do you truly believe that comprehending Sword Intent makes you invincible?"
Damien merely smiled.
His black eyes were astonishingly clear.
"If I cannot even challenge someone stronger than myself..."
"Then how can I become worthy of serving beneath the Patriarch?"
Those simple words left everyone speechless.
Austin looked toward Damien with complicated emotions.
Challenge someone nearly an entire major realm stronger...
Without the slightest hesitation.
Without fear.
Without doubt.
This...
Was the confidence of the main family’s supreme genius.
Even Akeno, hidden within the mysterious black ring, nodded slightly.
"This child’s heart..."
"...is flawless."
"There isn’t the slightest hesitation."
"No wonder Victor values him."
The moment Victor’s name crossed her mind...
Her beautiful purple eyes softened unconsciously.
A faint smile appeared.
It disappeared just as quickly.
Outside...
The wind suddenly picked up.
Leaves danced through the courtyard before drifting into the hall.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Everyone knew...
The battle was about to begin.
The elder slowly raised both hands.
Endless crimson True Spiritual Power gathered around him.
It condensed into countless blood-red streams that wrapped around his arms like venomous serpents.
A sinister aura spread throughout the hall.
The surrounding temperature seemed to fall.
Many younger disciples instinctively shivered.
"This brat..."
"I’ll cripple him first."
"Then I’ll drag him back to the Crimson Abyss Sect."
"I’m sure plenty of people would be interested in a thirteen-year-old Sword Intent genius."
Thinking this...
Cruelty flashed across his eyes.
His murderous intent no longer remained hidden.
Boom!!
His figure suddenly disappeared.
The marble floor exploded beneath his feet.
In less than a heartbeat...
He appeared directly before Damien.
His palm swept downward.
The surrounding blood-colored True Spiritual Power condensed into an enormous crimson claw.
It descended with terrifying force.
The violent pressure distorted the surrounding air.
Austin’s pupils shrank.
"So fast!"
But Damien...
Never moved.
His calm eyes quietly observed every movement.
His previous life had taught him countless things.
His current life had given him endless opportunities.
Under Victor’s guidance...
His vision had long surpassed cultivators of the same realm.
The elder’s movements...
Looked surprisingly slow.
"So many openings..."
Damien thought silently.
"No wonder Patriarch said combat isn’t determined by cultivation alone."
The next moment—
His sword moved.
No flashy movements.
No unnecessary flourishes.
Just one perfectly clean slash.
A streak of brilliant white Sword Intent burst forward.
It carried neither hatred...
Nor killing intent.
Only absolute sharpness.
Heavenly Sword Intent.
The sword followed Heaven’s order.
It judged all equally.
Boom!!