Catastrophe Card King

Leonard Churchill, though curious about who the “monster” was who could leave such a profound impression on a grandmaster for their entire life,

didn’t take these long-forgotten stories from decades or even centuries past to heart.

He just knew that the Old Man’s words were also meant for him to hear.

…

Ever since that senior agreed to impart Secret Skills, Leonard Churchill’s time had become much more fulfilling.

It wasn’t just the Secret Skill of Gluttony, but also everything about Martial Arts training. Whenever Leonard had questions, the other party would patiently explain.

With the exceptional Enlightenment brought on by the Joker’s Demonic Solution, Leonard was like a sponge soaking up water, crazily absorbing all kinds of transcendent knowledge.

But Leonard couldn’t stay on the seventh level of the mine for too long.

So every day, he could only drink a bit with Barre Shepherd, have some food, and then he would return to the fourth level to cultivate.

He focused on practicing various Control Air Secret Skills, as well as studying Classic Books, comprehending the Repulsive Force from Angel’s Feather, practicing Celestial Godfall during Meditation sessions, and practicing the newly mastered Secret Skill of Gluttony… and also Moonless Mind.

It must be said that the mine’s environment with its extremely high Spiritual Pollution was really an excellent training ground for Leonard.

The negative Mental Power became a great aid to his training, making his comprehension speed countless times faster than in the outside world.

This often allowed Leonard to enter that state of sudden Enlightenment, which made his efficiency at learning and mastering techniques extremely high.

Even Barre Shepherd, the grandmaster of legend, watched in amazement.

Techniques that others took months to learn, he could master skillfully in a few days;

some transcendence knowledge that was difficult for ordinary people to understand, he could comprehend more easily.

This also made Barre Shepherd find teaching him all the more satisfying.

After all, in the higher realms of Martial Arts, a lot of things require immense Enlightenment.

It’s not that if he’s willing to teach, others will definitely be able to learn.

But Leonard was an exception.

As long as he was willing to teach and the techniques were within Leonard’s tier of comprehension, the young man could learn them.

Sooner or later.

This greatly pleased Barre Shepherd.

After observing for a few days, he also realized it was because of the Clown Demon God’s influence.

Though at first when Barre Shepherd discovered that Leonard was practicing several of the Fifty-Two Demonic God Forbidden Techniques simultaneously, he thought it best to focus on just one.

After all, one’s energy is limited.

A jack of all trades is a master of none.

Especially in the eyes of a top-tier power like him, each Forbidden Technique from the Demon God Sequence is worth a lifetime of study for a card master.

Perfected to the extreme, there is no need for so many flamboyant Secret Skills.

But later he found out that this young man was actually able to excel at multiple Secret Skills at the same time!

Only then did Barre Shepherd realize that Leonard’s Professional Sequence was different from the ordinary “Demon God Sequence.”

His perspective changed, and he no longer thought of dissuading him.

And like that, nearly two months whisked by.

Leonard’s strength, compared to when he first arrived, was already worlds apart.

…

In the seventh level of the mine.

In the palm of Leonard’s hand stood a small bird.

It was still the Air Bird formed by the Cursing Spirit.

Although Leonard could now perfectly capture it in his hand, there was a new test.

The Old Man said that when he could prevent the bird from flying out of his hand, he would have comprehended the relationship between “Power and Air.”

Theoretically, as the bird takes off, its claws would push against the ground, and the airflow would change. If he could catch that instant of exertion,

and offset that force, the bird wouldn’t be able to take flight.

It’s like in combat, when an enemy’s fists or blades touch the body, sensing the exertion one could perfectly offset it.

This is the top technique in Air Skill fighting—listening to the force.

This is the entry point.

When truly mastered at the pinnacle, one could catch with bare hands anything deemed “Air, Power,” and even Laws.

But after many attempts, as soon as Leonard Churchill slightly moved his palm, the birds fluttered away with their wings.

After countless failed attempts, he could not help but complain to the old man not far away, sipping his wine, “Senior, how could birds possibly not fly away in my hand—isn’t it true you’re deliberately making things difficult for me?”

Barre Shepherd responded lazily as well: “Blaming others when you haven’t grasped the knack for it yourself?”

The two had become very familiar with each other over the past month or two.

They would often joke and tease each other.

Although the Old Man had a strange temperament, he did not have an air of superiority and was good to Leonard Churchill in every respect.

Leonard Churchill was never pretentious either.

Their relationship seemed one of passing on knowledge and learning, but it was more like a friendship that transcended age.

Teasing aside, the Old Man did teach him real stuff, and he went on to say: “If you really can’t comprehend, then knock on the copper bell to feel the vibration. And that what’s-its-name, Two-pole Collapse of yours—don’t embarrass yourself anymore. You must at least display four layers of force to have mastered penetrating force… when you meet a real high-tier master, once you start, the force in your hands should penetrate wherever it touches. Fancy tricks will only get you killed faster… The foundation of the martial path is no more than ‘Power’ and ‘Air’. When your realm is higher, you’ll eventually come into contact with ‘Intention’. That requires fortune and comprehension, and cannot be rushed…”

“Oh.”

This was valuable information. Although Leonard Churchill still looked unconvinced, he listened very seriously.

But when the conversation turned to “Intention,” his thoughts were stirred again.

Each day he came to the seventh level of the mine, he encountered those mutated miners who were like lunatics trying to comprehend martial skills in levels five and six.

He had indeed realized they were formidable long ago.

But after over a month of learning, and having his eyes opened by a real Air Skill Grandmaster, he found… those “lunatics” were even more incomprehensible than before.

The more he understood, the more he felt awe.

Although those miners were not of a high tier, the “Intention” they comprehended was extremely bizarre.

With that in mind, Leonard Churchill’s curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “Senior, what exactly is ‘Intention’? And what Fist Intention have you comprehended?”

He had asked a few times before, but Barre Shepherd never paid attention to those questions.

Some things are not good to delve into too early.

But this time, when Leonard Churchill asked about his own Intention, the Old Man seemed interested, glanced at him, and said, “Me? Hehe… Do you really want to see it?”

Leonard Churchill felt that the look in the Old Man’s eyes foreboded something unsettling, but he was indeed too curious.

Those lunatics had comprehended such powerful “Fighting Intent”.

What, after so long in the mine’s most severely contaminated seventh level, had the senior comprehended?

Leonard Churchill had an intuition that it must be an incredibly remarkable “Fist Intention”.

Feeling that the Old Man truly seemed willing to share this time, he nodded and asked with anticipation, “May I see it?”

Upon hearing that, the Old Man’s eyes became hazy, and with a smile that was not quite a smile, he said deeply, “Very well, I’ll show you a view from the pinnacle of the martial world.”

Is it coming?

Upon hearing this, a sense of awe spontaneously surged in Leonard Churchill’s heart.

Before he could dwell on where this reverence came from,

Suddenly, as if a Demon God descended, an indescribable aura swept in like a collapsing mountain.

The originally skinny Old Man was still sitting there, but his aura was now completely different, rising higher and higher.

With an imposing air that radiated without anger, an indescribable high-tier aura pressed down on Leonard Churchill’s soul, causing it to tremble. It was as if he were facing a God, and a deep sense of lowliness surged from the depths of his soul, making one immediately feel the urge to prostrate in submission.

“Dragon’s Might? Divine Power?”

Leonard Churchill was not unfamiliar with the Might of high-level creatures and immediately thought of Dragon’s Might and the pressure of the Weeping Angel.

While he felt great terror, he immediately corrected himself, “No! This is that high-tier Intention Realm Master Merlin spoke of!”

In that instant, Leonard Churchill finally realized what terrifying thing this unremarkable-looking Old Man had comprehended.

He…

He was the legendary Demigod spoken of in myth, one who could possess Divine Power!

This was what Master Merlin said might be a realm beyond the Sixth Tier!