I Can Merge Techniques

This Sword Technique fused the nimbleness of the Seven-Star Bead Slash with the ferocious essence of the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber, and was officially named the Star Thunder Saber by Cao Feng.

It had now become the strongest Sword Technique within the Seven Stars Gang, aside from the Nine Tribulations Blood Prison Saber. It was the signature martial art of the gang’s core members, one that everyone vied to master.

After all, Chu Fan and Li Qingxue were the only two in the entire Seven Stars Gang capable of absorbing Evil Qi to practice the Nine Tribulations Blood Prison Saber.

Others, even if they wished to learn it, lacked the required constitution and opportunity.

Just as everyone was immersed in their training, completely focused, Chu Fan slowly emerged from the courtyard and stepped into the Martial Arts Arena.

Everyone stopped what they were doing in unison. Their gazes, a mixture of curiosity and awe, all converged on him.

Chu Fan approached with a calm expression, his steps steady.

What was different from usual was the greatsword he carried on his back—it was as wide as a door panel, its body plain and unadorned.

A dark light swirled across the greatsword’s surface, emanating an indescribable sense of weight and pressure that made one dare not look at it directly.

"Huh?"

Swaying her graceful hips, Cyan Snake was the first to glide over to him.

Her pretty eyes filled with curiosity. "Didn’t you spend one hundred thousand taels of silver just the other day to have a top master from the Celestial Workshop custom-forge that Demon Blade for you?"

"So how come you aren’t carrying it around like your prized possession today? Why’d you swap it for this big, clumsy hunk of iron?"

At her words, a mysterious smile touched Chu Fan’s lips, and a playful glint flashed in his eyes.

He didn’t answer directly. Instead, with just a thought...

"SHHHHHHH—"

A strange, flowing sound erupted. Before everyone’s eyes, the seemingly immense greatsword on his back instantly disintegrated, dissolving into countless fine grains of sand.

The sand swirled around his body like a living river, spinning rapidly with a horrifying, grating sound.

"Oh, so it’s made of sand!"

Seeing this, Cyan Snake rolled her eyes flirtatiously. Her tone was one of playful complaint as she said coquettishly, "You had to be so mysterious about it! You scared me for a second. I thought you’d gotten your hands on some ancient Divine Weapon."

"Step back. Don’t get too close," Chu Fan said calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The words were barely out of his mouth when the swirling sand coalesced into a giant hand. It waved impatiently in Cyan Snake’s direction, the lifelike motion akin to swatting away a fly.

Cyan Snake gave a delicate huff, though she wasn’t angry. Twisting her serpentine waist, she retreated a dozen or so steps to watch from a distance, her eyes still filled with curiosity.

Seeing that the crowd had backed away to give him enough space, Chu Fan slowly raised his right hand.

As he moved, the giant hand of sand instantly changed form. With a sharp CLANG that echoed in the air, it solidified into a broad-bladed great-saber—its form utterly different from the greatsword before, and far more ferocious and imposing!

Under the dim lamplight of the Martial Arts Arena, every grain of sand forming the blade’s body shimmered with the cold, hard light of crystal, and a biting Cold Qi radiated from it.

Its sharp aura was almost tangible!

An incomparably sharp aura radiated from the Sand Blade—one so potent it seemed to slice through the very air, forcing everyone nearby to instinctively hold their breath.

Then, Chu Fan clenched his fingers into a fist and swung his arm down in a sharp, clean chop—a single, decisive motion without a trace of hesitation.

As if obeying an invisible command, the hovering Crystalized Sand Blade moved in sync. It descended with the force of a thunderbolt, viciously striking the Profound Iron Giant Stone in the center of the Martial Arts Arena. The stone, the size of a millstone, was wrapped in several layers of tough rhinoceros hide.

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar erupted as the Sand Blade fell. The incredibly hard Profound Iron Giant Stone was instantly cleaved in two!

Stone fragments rained outward in all directions, striking the ground with a rapid-fire CLATTER as dust and debris filled the air.

In that instant, the entire Martial Arts Arena fell deathly silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Gods... Oh my gods!"

"S-Such terrifying power!"

"Is that Fan’s Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique? That power... It’s just horrifying, beyond anything I could have imagined!"

"Using sand as a blade to sever a Profound Iron Giant Stone in a single strike... that’s not an ordinary martial art anymore. That’s a Divine Technique!"

After a moment of silence, Zhao Tianxing, Li Qingxue, and the others stared at the shocking scene before them. Their faces were masks of unconcealed shock and elation as they burst out in gasps of amazement.

They knew Chu Fan’s Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique must have undergone an earth-shattering improvement.

But they had never imagined it would become *this* powerful!

Previously, Chu Fan had mostly used this technique for distracting his enemies. While its forms were ever-changing and its attacks had a Ghostly Appearance, it had never displayed such overwhelming, unstoppable destructive power.

To think that it had become so terrifying!

Haaa...

Chu Fan was quite satisfied with the result.

He waved his arm, and the imposing Sand Blade instantly dispersed. The myriad grains of Crystal Sand swirled in the air before rapidly converging into a giant shield. It was over two meters tall and about three feet thick, and it floated silently before him. The sand on the shield’s surface flowed slowly, exuding the steady, reassuring presence of being Immovable as a Mountain.

His gaze slowly shifted to Li Qingxue, who stood not far away. His eyes held a clear signal.

No words were needed. With just a single meeting of their gazes, Li Qingxue understood perfectly.