Chapter 240: Daemonic Gale

Special abilities had always been the greatest asset of a warrior, and a warrior with a special ability would be heavens and earth apart from the average combatant. This was especially true for high-ranking warriors who possessed unmatched powers. Some said that if a warrior was able to achieve the limits of their special ability, they would very well have the power to destroy worlds. While such a statement was quite an exaggeration, it was also the best way to describe just how strong warriors with special abilities were.

To determine just how powerful a warrior was, one must look first at their special ability’s type and rank. Usually, the higher the rank of a warrior, the greater their combat strength, though that was of course not an ironclad rule.

Take for example Xia Fei’s speed ability; though it was one of the two most common special abilities in the universe, achieving a high rank with it would provide an explosive combat strength that surpassed most opponents of an equal rank to his.

Speed ability users were not exactly powerful in terms of their combat strength in initial stages. For example, if a Primary Star Light rank speed ability user and an equally common strength ability user of the same rank in cultivation were to fight, it was the strength ability user who would emerge victorious ninety percent of the time.

However, if both parties had reached the Star River rank, the speed ability user would no doubt have the upper hand. Even Legendary and Eternal rank strength ability users would not be a match, for the speed ability would acquire a speed that was close to 10,000m/s upon reaching Star River rank, and such high speeds would only be described as a blur even if a wind speed switch was used. Aside from a handful of special ability users that could counter a lightning-like speed, there was essentially no one else who could match up, and even if there was no way for the speed ability user to win the fight, speed ability users with high cultivation would still be able to retreat, thereby undefeatable from the start.

Aside from the type of special ability, a warrior’s combat techniques were also important. When both parties were of equal strength, a warrior practiced in higher-tier combat techniques would no doubt have the initiative. Xia Fei had demonstrated this in the past when he relied on Sly Thrust and fought the stronger Chen Dong to a draw; that match was the very embodiment of having an advantage in terms of combat techniques.

Xia Fei finished reading Fangyuan’s information and suddenly felt this uncontrollable pulsation inside him. That previously drowsy brain of his quickly became clear as every cell in his body brimmed with energy.

He began to look forward to watching Fangyuan’s performance, even having the slightest desire to go for a few rounds with the person. This could probably be chalked to a warrior’s instinct.

There would always be particular enemies who could draw anticipation from him, and Fangyuan was no doubt one of them because he had the so-called terrifying ability, daemonic Gale.

Xia Fei had once read about this legendary special ability. Among all the possible special abilities that could catalyze in humans, there were only a few that could compete with a speed ability user in terms of speed, and daemonic Gale was one such special ability.

It would hardly be anything special if it merely gave a boost in speed. After all, there was no lack of speed ability users in this universe, and furthermore, daemonic Gale ability users were fifty percent slower than pure speed ability users of the same cultivation rank.

However, just as the name of the special ability suggested, daemonic Gale would not merely provide a boost in speed but would also provide another characteristic beyond speed: daemonic power.

The term ‘daemonic’ often referred to a certain aspect of an ability user experiencing a comprehensive augmentation. Perhaps it could be their strength or reinforcement of their skeleton. There were plenty of possibilities, but one thing was for sure, and that was Fangyuan would be hiding another offensive power at hand aside from a speed that matched Xia Fei’s own.

This was similar to someone possessing two abilities. The speed portion could be used for defense and/or evasion, while the offensive portion could be used to kill the other party. Plus, a warrior’s combat prowess would also see a corresponding increase when their speed became augmented.

The Xia Fei who did not possess psychokinesis was completely different from the Xia Fei who currently did, and according to Phantom’s conjecture, his combat prowess had increased by four times after gaining psychokinesis.

This was most definitely a very surprising sum. Arithmetically speaking, dual ability users ought to only see twice an increase after obtaining an additional special ability, but it just so happened that Xia Fei’s first ability was speed.

The speed ability might not be as amazing as psychokinesis, but it was no doubt the best auxiliary ability in the universe. A successful team would most definitely require a speed ability user of high cultivation rank with them.

After Xia Fei became a dual ability user, it was as if he possessed the combat capabilities of a small team, allowing him to do reconnaissance, assault, or even defensive operations. He was essentially the perfect complement of a small team by himself for combat purposes.

What made it even more envious was the fact that these abilities were all found in just one person.

A team would often need several years’ time in order to cultivate a level of cohesion, familiarizing themselves with the characteristics and tactics of one another. Unless they were like the Ling triplets, possessing a sort of connection to one another, a team would need to spend many years together training alone.

Meanwhile, Xia Fei completely lacked such worries. Since he was the owner of two different abilities, there was nothing to coordinate as he had full control of how both his hands were used.

Even the Ling trio’s coordination had no way of competing with Xia Fei’s, and it was even less necessary to mention any other teams out there.

It was the consideration of all these factors, of his combat prowess having increased by four folds, that resulted in Xia Fei possessing much more poise than before.

Conversely, the chubby youth by the name of Fangyuan shared similar characteristics with Xia Fei for he was also in possession of both speed and strength; this was not mentioning how he had probably learned quite a lot of secret combat techniques given how powerful his sect was as well.

This youth was two stages higher than Xia Fei, reaching the Intermediate Star River rank. He was someone who similarly possessed two types of abilities, with the only difference being how Fangyuan had a single ability with two functions, while Xia Fei had two abilities combined as one.

If Xia Fei was the only person in the universe who had two special abilities, that would mean Fangyuan’s daemonic Gale would be the closest existence.

That was why Xia Fei had felt an uncontrollable excitement when he saw what type of special ability Fangyuan possessed. If they were to cross swords, sparring dual abilities against dual abilities would most definitely make for a very exciting match.

The cigarette wedged between Xia Fei’s right hand slightly trembled as his pupils dilated rapidly. Phantom could very clearly see the signs that Xia Fei’s interests had been piqued.

“So do you wish to fight a round with this Fangyuan person?” Phantom asked.

Xia Fei nodded, not denying the fact. “Yes. After all, his special ability isn’t any different from having dual abilities. If we fight, the match will definitely be much more exciting.”

Phantom nodded. “The daemonic ability line is slightly rare, and he has a higher cultivation than you, but you’re a bonafide dual ability user, while he’s one that evolved into one. It’s really hard to tell who will win or lose if you two clash.”

Xia Fei did not say a word in response. Indeed, the daemonic ability line that Phantom mentioned had an unreliably wild historical record, classifying daemonic Gale as the unique Daemon type.

It was said that the inheritors of Daemon type special abilities were from extremely unique bloodlines in ancient times when a non-human race lived together with the human species. These people looked similar to humans in every way, but they shared a different origin. They called themselves the Daemon Eye race, while humans called them Daemons.

Later, due to humans continuous growth as the Daemon Eye race gradually waned, a small portion of the Daemon Eye race tried to intermarry with humans, giving birth to mixed-blood descendants of both the Daemon Eye and the human race.

These children born of these unions looked just like humans, but they had a stark difference in terms of the special ability they acquired. It was rumored that there was a certain chance for these mixed-blood offsprings to inherit the Daemon ability line, while it was impossible for normal humans to do the same.

Xia Fei’s eyes shone with a fiery light as he looked at Fangyuan who was standing next to the ring.

Perhaps Fangyuan had sensed Xia Fei’s fighting intent, but the chubby youth actually turned to look at Xia Fei haughtily. Xia Fei was very ordinarily looking, the sort who was largely forgettable, and was hardly as outstanding as Fangyuan.

However, that sword by Xia Fei’s side was anything but and could even be called ferocious.

It was taller than Xia Fei’s frame, and two blood-red grooves ran down its blade, along with an innumerable amount of sharp curved barbs.

Even a man with poor eyesight could make out just how outstanding Bloodthirsty Screech was due to the overtly savage appearance. Even though Xia Fei had just placed it to his side and was not moving it, it still gave off that destructive aura.

Xia Fei’s combat suit and his longsword were equally barbaric and unruly, giving off a very heavy sense of oppression when put together. Adding the fact that Xia Fei had a head of salt and pepper hair, which contradicted his actual age, and his calmness which could be likened to tranquil water, Fangyuan committed all these to memory with just that one glance, certain that Xia Fei would be an opponent worth fighting.

A diabolical smile appeared on his round face. Fangyuan thrusted out his right thumb at Xia Fei before slowly turning it down to point to the ground.

Xia Fei of course understood such a universal hand gesture, and he could feel his fighting spirit swelling in his chest. He got up from his seat with a start, resting his left hand easily on the handle of his sword.

Only a second passed, and Xia Fei let go of his hand from the sword somewhat unwillingly. He sat himself down anew, resuming his state as a stranger in the crowd.

“What got into you?” Phantom asked.

Xia Fei helplessly smiled. “I forgot in that moment of impulse that this is the Assassin Sect’s matter and has nothing to do with me, so all I can do is sit down here and watch the show.”

Phantom pouted. “How could you say that? You’re an envoy of the Assassin Sect and can be considered as someone of the sect.”

Xia Fei stayed silent, his eyes looking right at Fangyuan without a hint of fear, a silent spark bursting forth.

There were thousands present here in the sparring field, and Xia Fei’s actions were hardly out of line, so not many paid attention to it.

However, Craneshadow, who was seated by the east, had seen this scene very clearly with his two eyes. He stroked his beard with one hand as he pondered on something.

Craneshadow knew very clearly about the trump cards Xia Fei held. From the information that Darkshadow had provided, Xia Fei might very well be a rare dual-ability user, his cultivation close to Star River rank. Furthermore, he seemed to have used some ultimate move that even he did not fully comprehend when fighting against the silver giant python, which Craneshadow speculated to be a sort of ocular technique.

He shook his head and dismissed the ridiculous thought he had come up with. At the end of the day, Xia Fei was not a disciple of the Assassin Sect, and he could not possibly go seek an outsider for help to do battle on behalf of his sect.

The sparring field got noisier and noisier as more people arrived. No one had noticed a pair of pure-white eyes that were looking through a small window, watching everything happening in this gathering. They belonged to Craneshadow’s sect brother, Shadowless.

What was strange about this was that Shadowless ought to be a sightless blind man, so what could those pupil-less white eyes even see?