Chapter 101: Strength improved! Flame Slash reaches the Great Accomplishment Realm!

A flash of incomparable determination shone in Fula's unique heterochromatic pupils.

She let out a soft "Hmm," her voice faint but full of unshakable power.

For her, as long as she could accompany her master, no matter what difficulties and obstacles she would face, she would have nothing to fear.

After sending off the solemn-looking Bake.

Inside the study, only Roko, Martina, and Fula remained.

Martina looked at Roko, a hint of lingering worry in her clear white eyes.

"Roko, do you really have full confidence?"

"The Temple of Light is not so easy to deal with."

"Their foundation is deep, and their powerhouses are numerous, far beyond our imagination."

"Once they really free up their hands and target our Vanguard Valley with all their might, I'm afraid..."

Her words were left unfinished, but the meaning was self-evident.

A curve full of confidence curled the corners of Roko's mouth, as if carrying a hint of mockery.

"I know."

"The Temple of Light is indeed a behemoth."

"But our Vanguard Valley is not a lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

"If they want to bite off this hard bone of ours, they have to weigh whether they will break a few teeth first!"

"Besides, the Temple of Light doesn't necessarily have the time to deal with a small territory like ours in the border area right now..."

He walked to the desk and his slender fingers brushed lightly over the information about the unique forging technology of the dwarf race.

His eyes, at this moment, became incomparably scorching, as if flames were burning within them.

"Our biggest reliance now is our own constantly strengthening power."

"As long as we are strong enough, strong enough that no force dares to provoke us easily..."

"Then, we can firmly block all threats outside Vanguard Valley!"

Time passed quietly day by day in this kind of tense cultivation and busy territorial construction.

Roko's cultivation had never had the slightest interruption.

He devoted almost all the spare time he could utilize to the matter of improving his own strength.

Except for the core territorial affairs that had to be handled daily, he spent almost all his time at the drill ground.

During this period, he also followed Martina's suggestion and took some rare cultivation resources that he had brought from the Raymond family, as well as those collected through various channels later.

Those heaven-and-earth treasures containing pure energy were quickly refined by the 【Flame Griffin Breathing Method】 in his body.

It greatly accelerated his cultivation progress, making the Battle Qi in his body more condensed and majestic.

Finally, on a silent night.

The full moon hung high, and the cold moonlight spilled over the earth. On the drill ground, Roko was once again immersed in the cultivation of 【Great Sun Blazing Slash】.

The knight longsword in his hand seemed to be no longer a dead object at this moment.

Instead, it had turned into a fire dragon dancing in his hand, full of spirituality.

The sword moves were continuous, flowing like clouds and water, completed in one go.

The flames moved with his heart, sometimes violent like raging waves, sometimes agile like elves.

The air within the entire drill ground became extremely distorted because of the increasingly powerful scorching Battle Qi emanating from his body.

Even the bluestone slabs on the ground were faintly hot.

Suddenly.

Just as Roko thrust out a sword, and the flames at the tip of the sword condensed to the extreme.

A dazzling lightning seemed to flash across his mind.

A flash of inspiration exploded in his sea of consciousness like a thunderclap.

It was as if a heavy door that had been sealed for a long time and remained tightly closed had suddenly swung wide open before him at this moment.

His understanding of "Flame Slash" and his perception of the power of flames instantly rose to a brand-new,

unprecedented level.

It was no longer about deliberately urging the flames or controlling the flames.

Instead, it was letting the flames become a natural extension of his own body.

Becoming the most direct and perfect embodiment of his own will.

The sword is me, and I am the fire.

The fire moves with the will, and the will merges with the sword.

"So that's it."

"This is the real Flame Slash."

Brilliant light shot from Roko's eyes, bright as stars.

He took a deep breath, and the flame Battle Qi in his body circulated crazily at an unprecedented speed, even exceeding his expectations.

The knight longsword in his hand emitted a joyful humming sound.

Suddenly, his wrist flicked, and the longsword swung forward at a tricky and fierce angle.

"【Great Sun Blazing Slash · Flame Slash】!"

!

A flame sword gang that was more condensed, more scorching, and more dazzling than ever before sprayed out from his sword blade.

This flame sword gang was no longer the somewhat floating flame form with a few flickers as before.

Instead, it seemed to be composed of the purest, materialized flame crystals.

It was crimson all over, crystal clear, and countless tiny flame runes flowed within it.

It emitted a terrifying high temperature that made one's heart palpitate and almost burned the soul to ashes.

Wherever the flame sword gang passed, the air emitted sharp hissing sounds that it couldn't bear.

Even space seemed to produce a faint ripple because of this.

Boom!

At the end of the drill ground, the huge stone target that had been specially reinforced and was sufficient to withstand a full-strength strike from a Bronze Knight instantly melted and disintegrated upon contact with this flame sword gang, which seemed not very thick but contained extreme destructive power.

Finally, in just a few breaths, it completely turned into a pile of charred, fine powder.

A powerful, unprecedented sense of strength filled Roko's limbs and bones.

He could clearly feel that his application of flame power had reached a brand-new, masterful height.

【Ding! Congratulations to the host, the sword skill 【Great Sun Blazing Slash · Flame Slash】 has successfully broken through to the Great Accomplishment Realm!】

The night wind was cool, blowing away the faint burnt smell on the drill ground.

Roko slowly stood with his sword retracted, feeling the Battle Qi surging in his body, yet incomparably condensed.

That feeling of being able to control the power of flames freely and like an arm was clearer than ever before.

Flame Slash, Great Accomplishment.

This was not just a breakthrough of a small realm.

It was a qualitative change in his combat power.

He even had a strong premonition that with the Flame Slash at the Great Accomplishment Realm, he would have the power to fight even against a powerhouse at the peak of the Bronze Knight stage.

Even, beheading them was not just a pipe dream.

In the air, there seemed to be a distortion caused by the extreme high temperature when the sword gang passed by.

Fula stood quietly not far away, her heterochromatic pupils reflecting Roko's tall figure and the hint of joy that he couldn't suppress at the corners of his mouth.

She could feel the more powerful and restrained aura emanating from her master.

It was like a sharp sword out of its sheath, now slowly returning to its sheath, its edge completely restrained, yet appearing even more unfathomable.

Her silver-gray cat ears twitched slightly, silently sharing her master's joy.

"Fula."

Roko opened his mouth softly, breaking the silence.

"Hmm."

Fula walked with light cat steps to Roko's side, looked up at him, her eyes pure and focused.

"How does it feel?"

Roko's voice carried a hint of a smile and a hint of imperceptible exploration.

Fula tilted her head, seemingly experiencing it seriously.

After a moment, she said softly.

"Master, you are stronger."

"And warmer."

She was referring to the aura of the flame Battle Qi that Roko inadvertently emitted, which was now no longer so violent and outward-facing due to the improvement in control, but instead carried a hint of gentle warmth.

Of course, this was only for her.

For the enemy, that would be a destruction that burned everything.

Roko couldn't help but smile when he heard this.

He reached out, habitually wanting to rub Fula's cat ears, but stopped halfway, turning to pat her shoulder gently instead.

"We will both become stronger."

His gaze looked toward the direction of the Lord's Mansion study, his eyes becoming deep.

The improvement in strength brought greater confidence.

But it also made him realize more clearly that the challenges faced by Vanguard Valley remained severe.

The undercurrents of the Temple of Light, the Poison Scorpion Society, and the collapsing situation of the Kingdom were all like sharp swords hanging over his head.

"Let's go, it's time to discuss the next matters with Martina."

Roko took a step, and Fula followed closely.

The moonlight stretched their figures, leaving two interlaced shadows on the bluestone-paved ground.

Inside the study, the lights were bright.

Martina's snow-white long hair cast a soft halo under the light, and her clear white eyes were currently focused on reviewing the documents in her hands.

Hearing the footsteps, she looked up, and her snow-white fox ears moved slightly.

"Looking at you, it seems you have had quite a harvest again?"

Martina's tone carried a hint of laziness, but her eyes revealed sharp insight.

Roko sat in the chair opposite her, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Flame Slash, just broke through to the Great Accomplishment Realm."

Martina heard this, and the quill in her hand paused slightly.

A hint of imperceptible surprise flashed in her beautiful white eyes.

"Flame Slash at the Great Accomplishment Realm?"

"So fast?"

Every small realm breakthrough of the Great Sun Blazing Slash was extremely difficult, let alone the Great Accomplishment.

Roko's cultivation speed had already exceeded her expectations.

"Hmm, just lucky."

Roko said lightly, without showing off too much.

Martina put down the quill, leaned back slightly, and leaned against the back of the chair, looking at Roko for a moment.

"Battle Qi cultivation at the mid-stage of the Bronze Knight, combined with Flame Slash at the Great Accomplishment Realm..."

"Tsk tsk, Roko, with your current strength, I'm afraid even ordinary late-stage Bronze Knights are no match for you."

Her tone carried a hint of playfulness and a hint of sincere admiration.

Roko didn't commit, and instead asked.

"How is the situation in the territory recently?"

The relaxed expression on Martina's face converged a bit, and she sat up straight again.

"Not too good, not too bad."

She picked up a document on the table and handed it to Roko.

"This is the latest intelligence summary."

"The Temple of Light is becoming more and more frequent in Xin Feng Province, and the arrest warrants they issued targeting the so-called 'Poison Scorpion Society members' have increasingly specific descriptions, almost pointing at our noses and cursing."

"Although they cannot mobilize large-scale forces temporarily because the teleportation array was destroyed, this pressure always exists."

Roko took the document and browsed through it quickly.

Martina's side clearly had more detailed supplements to what Bake had reported before.

"What about the Poison Scorpion Society?"

"Still stirring up trouble in the dark; the situation in the Royal Capital is rotten, and several princes are fighting for the throne until they are bleeding; it is said that some princes have begun to secretly contact the Poison Scorpion Society, seeking their support."

Martina's voice carried a hint of coldness.

"The entire Black Kingdom is like a powder keg about to explode."

"Our Xin Feng Province, although remote, is also difficult to stay out of it."

Roko put down the document, his brow furrowing.

The situation was even more complex than he had imagined.

"Therefore, we need to strengthen ourselves as soon as possible."

His voice was steady and firm.

"Martina, how is the plan to attract refugees and expand the territory's population going?"

This was what he cared about most at the moment.

In chaotic times, population is the foundation of everything.

A confident smile curled the corners of Martina's mouth, and her snow-white fox ears shook proudly.

"Hmph, in this regard, you can rest assured when I handle things."

She picked up another thick stack of documents from the side.

"Ever since the trade routes with the Earl Adrian territory and the Red Leaf Forest Territory were completely opened, the prosperity and stability of Vanguard Valley have gradually spread throughout Xin Feng Province through those traveling caravans."

"Especially the news that Vanguard Valley can provide sufficient food and has extremely low taxes is a fatal temptation for those civilians who have been displaced by the war."

"Plus, Earl Adrian and Viscount Zewen are also intentionally or unintentionally helping us with publicity."

"Recently, a large number of refugees have been flocking to Vanguard Valley every day."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of excitement that could not be hidden.

"According to the latest statistics, the permanent population of Vanguard Valley has exceeded 50,000."

"And this number is still growing at a speed visible to the naked eye."

"50,000?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Roko's eyes.

This number had already exceeded his initial expectations.

"Yes, 50,000."

Martina said affirmatively.

"And, among them, there is no lack of craftsmen with special skills or scholars who know a little bit of writing."

"I have already followed your instructions to settle them properly and give them preferential treatment."

"Very good."

Roko nodded, expressing satisfaction with Martina's work.

"However, the rapid growth of the population has also brought some new problems."

Martina changed the subject, her expression becoming serious.

"The main ones are food and housing."

"Although the Red Leaf Forest Territory can supply timber continuously, and our food reserves are considered sufficient, if the population continues to grow without limit like this, it will sooner or later exceed our capacity."

"In terms of management, some signs of chaos have also begun to appear."

"After all, when there are many people, their minds become mixed." ===== CHAPTER 102 =====