The notion I harbor feels utterly extravagant; perhaps an ordinary person would never attain what I have achieved in this lifetime.

Indeed, to become a Fiend Warrior at such a young age, and moreover, to rank among the top ten Fiend Masters—by all rights, I should be content. Yet, as my power grows, the opponents confronting me also become overwhelmingly stronger.

Through this period of ceaseless combat, I have become increasingly aware that my physical form, my spirit, and my comprehension of martial techniques have all struck an immutable, towering bottleneck.

No matter how fiercely I strive, it seems impossible to breach this invisible barrier.

My Dou Qi, my technique, my speed, my reflexes—all appear to have exhausted the potential for further increase.

I never imagined that one day the adversary I would face would be the terrifying, dread-inducing Thunder Warrior. How am I to contend with such a foe?

It is undeniable that astride the Great Mammoth King, even formidable experts like Jidu and Moluo Yinfeng fall before me.

In terms of raw combat strength, the combination of myself and the Great Mammoth King absolutely ranks as the pinnacle among Fiend Warriors.

But we are merely Fiend Warriors.

And I know with chilling certainty that on the Marfa Continent, there exist beings far superior to Fiend Warriors: the Thunder Warriors.

Jidu once told me that even if the Ten Great Fiend Masters—myself, Jidu, Moluo Yinfeng, and the others—were to join forces, we might still fail to defeat a single Thunder Warrior.

That is the sheer terror of the Thunder Warriors.

Their strength transcends what ordinary minds can possibly conceive.

In Jidu's own words, their might lies beyond the scope of human understanding.

Currently, my Black Flag Army appears victorious, our situation looking excellent. But I am acutely aware that the Moluo Alliance has not yet unleashed its true strength against us.

It is hard to fathom the chaos that would ensue once the Moluo Alliance's Thunder Warriors enter the battlefield.

Furthermore, the ambiguous stance of the Holy Word Church, the Bichil Empire, and the Cyan Moon Empire ignites a furious blaze within me. Although the strategies devised thus far seemed plausible, I have a gnawing sense that nothing will be so straightforward.

What must I do! Facing an opponent of the Thunder Warrior caliber, I know perfectly well that all schemes and trickery are futile. To escape the current predicament, I must possess the power to counter them—only then can I seize back the initiative.

Otherwise, no matter how cleverly we maneuver, we will ultimately be nothing more than puppets manipulated and controlled by the Church.

This is the cruel reality of the Marfa World: the most formidable power is invariably held by the Church. They stand at the apex of the ruling structure in the Marfa World, embodying absolute, supreme divine authority. Imperial power is merely a tool controlled by that divine mandate. And the moment this tool becomes disobedient or loses its utility, they will eliminate it without hesitation.

The Thunder Warrior is the executioner tasked with this duty.

It is akin to how the royalty uses Fiend Warriors to suppress the common folk; the Thunder Warriors are the Church's ultimate weapon for controlling the royalty.

Is it truly possible that a Fiend Warrior has absolutely no chance against a Thunder Warrior?

The thought jolted my mind, and suddenly, an image flashed through: Blood Tiger Luo Jiang, armed with only the Crimson Blood Demon Sword, nearly killing Jidu, who held the Blade of Destiny.

This gave me a faint, fragile glimmer of dawn in an otherwise dim and bleak path ahead.

Yes! If the Sword Spirit within the Dragon Shadow Sword can unleash power equivalent to the original Crimson Blood Demon Sword, then with my current standing as a Fiend Warrior, bolstered by the might of the Crimson Blood Demon Sword, defeating a Thunder Warrior might not be an impossibility.

One must recall that Blood Tiger Luo Jiang, relying only on mediocre personal strength amplified by the Crimson Blood Demon Sword, forced Jidu, wielding the Blade of Destiny, into a desperate struggle. This reveals the profound, latent power held within that blade.

The realization sent my heart pounding so fiercely I thought it might cease beating.

I forced myself to regain composure!

Unquestionably, Blood Tiger Luo Jiang had shattered the continent's long-established power hierarchy, and the Crimson Blood Demon Sword played the pivotal role in achieving this.

Power strong enough to challenge a Thunder Warrior is not unattainable. At the very least, the Dragon Shadow Sword in my hand possesses the potential to become the second Crimson Blood Demon Sword!

Dragon Shadow Sword! No matter what, I must make you reveal the overwhelming might you once held as the Crimson Blood Demon Sword!

Never before have I held such unshakeable conviction in my belief.

But how can I awaken the potential latent within the Dragon Shadow Sword?

Subconsciously, I probed the fluctuations within the Dragon Shadow Sword; they remained identical to the past, devoid of the sudden spark of conscious vitality I recalled sensing when conversing with Jian Li and Lu Tong. If I didn't remember it so clearly, I might dismiss it as an absurd hallucination.

With this thought, I reordered the chaos swirling in my mind.

Why does the same body, the same soul, exhibit such a vast difference in manifested power? The Sword Spirit remains the same spirit, and the sword body housing it was forged from the same materials. To use modern parlance, both the software and the hardware are identical. So why does the current Dragon Shadow Sword fall so far short of the original Crimson Blood Demon Sword?

Could it be that during the previous confrontation with the Blade of Destiny, the Sword Spirit of the Crimson Blood Demon Sword suffered a grievous injury from which it has yet to recover?

For a moment, I was stunned by the absurdity of my own theory.

Can a soul truly be wounded? I have no concrete experience of this, and thus cannot know if a Sword Spirit can be injured. However, since the Blade of Destiny was also crafted using the method of 'Soul Forging,' it is certain that both the Crimson Blood Demon Sword and the Blade of Destiny share the same mode of existential presence.

By this logic, in the clash between the Blade of Destiny and the Crimson Blood Demon Sword, beyond the destruction of its physical body, the fundamental Sword Spirit must have sustained massive damage. Only this explains why the current Dragon Shadow Sword differs so much from its former self.

If it is injured, then there must logically be a method to heal it. A grip on a solution seemed within reach, yet I had not the slightest clue how to proceed.

It seems I must seek out Lu Tong to thoroughly understand the path of sword forging; perhaps I can discover a way to restore the Sword Spirit's power there.

With a decision made, a measure of stability settled over me.

It appears it is time to see Yan Luo and the others.

I haven't had a proper chance to speak with them since our brief meeting yesterday in the Marshal's Hall!

Just as I stepped out of the Marshal's residence, I ran right into Long Xin and the others! Trailing behind them were a dozen young Swordsmen I didn't recognize.

"Grand Marshal, long time no see." Long Xin still carried that easygoing, big-sister swagger! Long Zhan and Long Qi beside her were unchanged, but Dong Guan and Jin Hong had grown significantly taller! Two years certainly made a difference for everyone! It was genuinely heartwarming to reunite with old companions.

Yet, the group seemed somewhat constrained.

"Heh! Boss, stop teasing me." I hurried over. "I was just thinking of looking for you, and here you are."

"Boss." Long Xin, usually so casual, jumped in surprise. "Don't startle me; I can't accept being called 'Boss' now."

"Why be so formal? I've only been gone for a short while, and now you don't recognize me." I understood—the vast gap between my current status and my past made it difficult for both me and them to adjust.

This is only natural human behavior, but the thought of companions with whom I once shared life-and-death struggles and adventures becoming distant, reserved, and estranged due to a change in status was deeply uncomfortable.

I clearly perceived strange expressions in the eyes of Long Qi and the others!

Unfamiliarity! Unease, mixed with a thread of expectation and excitement.

The dozen young Swordsmen trailing behind them were even more visibly tense and thrilled.

"After all, I am the second-in-command of the Roaming Dragon Gang." I looked at Long Xin with a slight unease. "Boss, you didn't perhaps expel me, did you?"

Long Xin and the others looked momentarily stunned, then let out sighs of relief, which quickly turned into uncontrollable laughter.

"I told you so!" Dong Guan declared confidently. "Xingchen is still the same Xingchen; he hasn't changed a bit."

"Hahahaha." It was at this moment that I finally allowed myself to laugh heartily.

"Alright, boys, come meet your Second-in-Command," Long Zhan announced excitedly.

"Wow, so the rumors are true—the Blue Lightning is indeed the Vice-Gang Leader of our Roaming Dragon Gang." The dozen young Swordsmen behind them were all astounded, but more so by an unconcealed joy and elation.

They scrambled to push toward me. "Lan Chong pays respects to the Vice-Gang Leader."

"Fu Biao pays respects to the Vice-Gang Leader..."

Watching these flushed, excited faces, I felt a strange sense of elation. It also brought back memories of my early days venturing in the Swordsman world; I recalled seeing Long Yuan Feixue and Hu Xiao Shan Ye for the first time in Zhumu Temple, they looked just as eager as these men!

Youth! How wonderful it is!

For some reason, such a sentiment suddenly welled up in me.

Then I was startled by my own thought!

I realize I am barely eighteen. Even counting my past life, my psychological age is only twenty-seven. Why does my mindset feel like that of a fading old man, constantly yearning for past times? Especially those days spent adventuring on the Bichil Continent after leaving Apricot Village! The Skeleton Cave, Zombie Cave, Pig Cave, Centipede Cave, Zhumu Temple—familiar scenes flashed through my mind like a movie! The imagery finally settled on the Skeleton Cave, the moment Long Xin tricked me into joining the Roaming Dragon Gang!

I unconsciously glanced at Long Xin! I wondered how she managed to trick these dozen young men into joining.

Seeing my strange look, Long Xin seemed taken aback, then as if she understood, she instantly flared up in anger. "What kind of look is that? I'm the Chief Leader of the Roaming Dragon Gang; can't you have a little faith in me?"

"..." Everyone else looked bewildered, clearly not understanding the private joke between Long Xin and me!

Only Long Qi, Long Zhan, Dong Guan, and Jin Hong knew how Long Xin had coaxed me into the gang with just a few deceptive words. They struggled to suppress their laughter.

Jin Hong and Dong Guan were beside themselves with amusement, desperately covering their mouths to stop from bursting out.

"It's precisely because I know you too well," I murmured instinctively.

"Hehe, you don't know yet," Long Zhan said smugly. "The Roaming Dragon Gang isn't the small outfit it used to be. We're now a Rank 20 Eagle-tier major gang on the Bichil Continent, with over five thousand members!"

"What! An Eagle-tier major gang?" I was genuinely shocked, looking at Long Xin with disbelief.

"Don't think you're the only one capable," Long Xin replied matter-of-factly. "As the Chief Leader of the Roaming Dragon Gang, how could I let this prestige be constantly overshadowed by you, the Vice-Leader?"

I stood there, momentarily stunned!

It seems my string of accomplishments has dealt quite a blow to Long Xin!

"Hehe," Dong Guan chimed in mischievously. "Boss originally wanted to show off to you when you returned to Bichil, but she didn't expect you to have already become a Fiend Warrior."

"Exactly," Jin Hong added. "I thought this time I could finally boast a bit, but you just pulled even further ahead." Long Zhan, however, was more composed. "I've always said it: trying to compete with this guy is just asking for trouble."

"Then, we were inexplicably kidnapped..."

As we walked and talked, we finally reached my quarters!

I also learned the full account of what happened to them after we parted ways.

After separating from them on the Cyan Moon Continent, Long Xin and the others enjoyed a period of great glory upon returning to the Mengzhong Academy.

The battle in the Yellow Springs World had made the entire Bichil Continent aware that I, the famed Blue Lightning, was the Vice-Gang Leader of the Roaming Dragon Gang.

Suddenly, Long Xin and the others became the focus of attention throughout the Swordsman world.

Of course, old enemies who held grudges against me also came looking for them!

Fortunately, Dong Guan had strong backing; Lu Tong was his uncle, and with the backing of the Star-Moon Alliance, Scarlet Moon Manor, Flowing Cloud Manor, Dragon Shadow Manor, and the Moon Sect, Long Xin and the others managed to escape harm, using the confrontations to gain notoriety instead!

The other members of the Roaming Dragon Gang also became famous figures in Bichil's Swordsman circles, leading to a surge of new recruits eager to join.

Coupled with the strong support from alliance gangs like the Moon Sect and Dragon Shadow Manor within the Star-Moon Alliance, the Roaming Dragon Gang rapidly developed into a substantial Rank Nine gang during that time.

Then came the Battle of Yuncheng, and I became a Fiend Warrior!

As the saying goes, when the tide rises, all boats lift.

Because of my transformation, the Roaming Dragon Gang once again became the center of attention in the Bichil Swordsman world. After all, achieving the level of a heavily armed general like a Fiend Warrior is the ultimate dream for every Swordsman.

For a small gang like the Roaming Dragon Gang to produce such an astonishing figure was a world-shaking event!

Nearly half of the younger Lightning Swordsmen felt immense pride in joining the Roaming Dragon Gang, which overwhelmed Long Xin and the others. In less than two years, the small gang grew into one of the continent's notable Eagle-tier major guilds! They even joined the Star-Moon Alliance!

Just as Long Xin and the others were preparing to make their mark, they were abducted by a group of mysterious individuals!

It was only later they discovered that their kidnappers were elite spies planted in Bichil by the Demon Dragon Royal Family. The reason for the kidnapping was simple: they knew my true identity. Since I had met Shen Yin with them on the Cyan Moon Continent, they served as irrefutable proof that I was not the true son of Jiu Yao Chongyang!

Long Xin and the others were furious enough to go mad!

Fortunately, the Demon Dragon Royal Family was aware of their close relationship with me, and Shen Yin’s connection provided some restraint. Instead of harming them, they were admitted into the Demon Dragon Royal Family’s Royal Academy for advanced study—though this could also be seen as a form of enforced house arrest.

To Long Xin and the others, this unexpected turn of events was met with both shock and joy. On the Marfa Continent, only direct imperial descendants were permitted entry into the Royal Academy. No nobleman, regardless of status, received such an opportunity, much less the personal tutelage of the Divine Matriarch.

This greatly delighted Long Xin and the others, who aspired to nobility, so they settled in the Demon Dragon Royal Academy to continue their studies. Not only that, but they also joined the Royal Family's specially established Dragon Guard Battalion, undergoing specialized training. From the moment they joined the Dragon Guards, they became elite disciples of the Demon Dragon Royal Family.

Only recently, with the rise of the Black Flag Legion, the Sealed Demon Continent became the second theater for the confrontation between the Holy Word and Moluo factions.

To fill the troop shortages, Jiu Yao Chongyang issued a conscription order for Swordsmen to join the legions. Of course, these orders were not solely directed at the Swordsman world; all nobles on the continent were obligated to contribute to this war effort.

Long Xin saw this as a prime opportunity to distinguish herself and voluntarily requested to return to the Bichil Continent to rally the local Swordsmen to join the newly formed legions!

To everyone’s surprise, the Divine Matriarch agreed!

It must be noted that the Bichil Continent was able to rapidly muster such a large army of Swordsmen largely due to the efforts of Long Xin and her companions!

However, as they spoke of the capture of Shen Yin and Shen Xu, everyone grew somber.

I could clearly sense the anger and resentment brewing within Long Zhan and Long Qi; perhaps this was the primary reason they committed themselves to joining the Dragon Guards and appearing here.