Chapter 294: Testing the Sword
[Chapter 294: Testing the Sword]
Two days later, Linton awoke from his meditation, his power and spiritual awareness fully restored to their peak.
He summoned the sword from his inner energy center. "Go," he commanded. The sword obeyed, swirling freely inside the cave like a dazzling meteor.
Withdrawing the flying sword, Linton felt a surge of pride. From now on, this vast world was his playground.
This treasure hunt and sword forging expedition had lasted five months and was finally complete. It was time to head back.
But before leaving, he needed to thoroughly test the power of the sword.
Over 50 tons of gold in the cave had already been consumed by him, but the other treasures still piled in mountains. Their value far exceeded the gold he had taken -- easily over ten billion dollars, an enormous fortune.
Unfortunately, he had no space storage equipment; otherwise, he could have packed it all up at once.
No matter. The treasure was so secret and buried more than 200 meters underground that it was not easily discovered.
He remembered that in his previous life, the site wasn't discovered until 2011, so he still had plenty of time.
His overseas base could grow gradually. Once it became strong enough, he could arrange for them to come and retrieve the treasure.
After erasing all traces of himself from the cave, Linton left and returned to the surface.
...
It was midnight, perfect for testing the sword.
At his thought, the sword enlarged automatically and flew beneath his feet.
After Linton stepping onto it, the sword soared with him straight into the night sky.
They flew until they reached an altitude of 10,000 meters before Linton finally felt some pressure.
Having the flying sword made all the difference. Previously, relying on his physical body alone, his maximum flying height had been under 2,000 meters. With the sword, his flight altitude had increased fivefold.
At this height, he was above the cloud layer, where the air was thin. An ordinary person couldn't survive here, but for Linton at the Celestial Presence stage, it was no problem.
Looking around, the starry sky glittered while clouds drifted beneath his feet.
After enjoying the view, it was time to test speed. He pointed arbitrarily, gestured "Swift," and the sword shot forward like a meteor.
After half an hour at top speed, Linton estimated his flying speed at about 4,000 kilometers per hour.
If urgency called, he could push his energy to increase speed by 30%, but endurance would drop drastically, lasting no more than two hours.
That was incredibly fast -- more than ten times his unaided flight speed -- far exceeding the sound barrier of 1,224 kilometers per hour, reaching nearly Mach 3.
Even against the fastest supersonic jets, he was a strong match. At top speed, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Scanning with his spiritual awareness, he realized he had flown over 2,000 kilometers, traveling from southern India's Kerala to north Bihar.
Next, he planned to test the sword's attack power.
To avoid causing trouble, he would test away from people.
Lowering the sword to 1,000 meters, he surveyed the horizon. To the east lay an endless ocean.
Perfect. He'd find a deserted island in the sea to test.
Focusing his mind, the sword accelerated toward the vast eastern ocean.
About 400 kilometers offshore, he spotted a small island.
Flying above it, he noted the barren, uninhabited island was only 4 to 5 kilometers across, with its highest point about 20 meters above sea level.
Importantly, it was off all shipping routes. No vessels in sight.
It was an ideal location for his sword test.
Dismounting the sword above the island, he summoned it to grow to 10 meters long.
He focused 50% of his energy, slashing the island below.
"Boom!" A tremendous explosion split the island in half.
Gigantic waves erupted, and the two halves sank beneath the sea surface quickly.
Unbelievable! A small island of 4-5 square kilometers was completely destroyed.
He had only used half his power. To imagine the full strength of a sword slash -- it would be unimaginable.
Thank goodness it was a deserted island far from coasts and shipping lanes.
Otherwise, the impact could have drawn worldwide attention instantly.
He wondered if the Indian coastal defense or American satellites would notice such a disturbance.
Better leave quickly. He could also test his Underwater Movement Technique.
The sword shrank, returned to him.
He submerged into the sea, activated the Underwater Movement Technique, moving underwater toward the coastline.
Surprisingly, Underwater Movement Technique was much faster than Underground Movement Technique. They were in completely different leagues.
Underground, soil resistance slowed Underground Movement Technique speed to about 50 kilometers per hour, and the deeper he went, the slower he moved.
But underwater, water resistance was different; his speed easily exceeded 120 kilometers per hour with minimal energy use.
At full power, speed reached 180 kilometers per hour and was unaffected by depth.
He speculated this was due to the differing resistance between soil and water.
He then tested how deep he could go underwater.
Diving deeper toward the sea floor, at 100 meters, schools of fish swam vibrantly around him.
At 200 meters, still lively.
At 300 meters, conditions darkened.
At 400 meters, the environment was nearly lifeless and pitch black.
He descended 500, 600 meters...
Until 1,000 meters, an eerie silence surrounded him.
At 2,000 meters depth, he felt pressure pushing his limits.
This was his current maximum depth with his level of power.
Going deeper would require higher power.
Satisfied with the test, he ascended quickly to 10 meters below the surface, where he felt relaxed and calm.
Continuing Underwater Movement Technique, he rushed toward the shore.
Upon arrival, he saw military ships assembling at the harbor, and planes flying toward the island's direction.
The Indian military had discovered the island's disturbance and dispatched reconnaissance.
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