The Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword was the Li Family’s ultimate technique. It was also a Fire Elent Sword Skill, so it didn’t conflict with his current Cultivation Technique. After he integrated the Curved Sword Skill into it, his Sword Technique gained a trendous boost in power.
Li Tianyi had bought this Scroll on a whim. He even walked like a rich man, so of course, people would try to sell him things. The vendor was only halfway through an absurdly exaggerated sales pitch when Li Tianyi had impatiently bought one.
A smirk touched Li Tianyi’s lips as he saw Murong Dongwu’s strike. ’What a load of crap. The Ice Arc Sword Technique? That’s just a function of the sword itself. In terms of actual Sword Dao, it barely passes. What’s so impressive about that?’
But when the anonymous opponent executed their strike, Li Tianyi’s body went rigid, and a fire ignited in his eyes.
’This... What a magnificent strike! Isn’t this the exact opponent I’ve been searching for???’
Li Tianyi’s impulsive blood began to boil once more. He didn’t care if his opponent was real or fake; as long as they were willing to fight, Li Tianyi would gladly oblige!
Of course, this strike attracted the attention of more than just Li Tianyi. The various factions, large and small, all took notice, but no one knew who this "Master" was.
All anyone knew was that this person had appeared a little over a year ago and quickly beca "famous"—not for winning, but for losing. Then, all of a sudden, he started to win. Three matches, three strikes with the Curved Sword Skill. Moreover, anyone who watched all three consecutive matches would discover that his proficiency with the Sword Technique improved each ti.
By the third strike, it had reached a state of near-perfection.
Secrets were hard to keep at the Cultivation Academy, and curiosity was running rampant. It was hard to judge the "Master’s" true skill level, but how could soone who had lost the shirt off his back suddenly start winning?
This was especially true for those who had beaten him and treated him like a joke. ’If that "Master" can win, then pigs can fly!’ they thought.
No one knew if pigs were cultivating, but the "Master" had won.
Wang ng, however, had no ti to bother with this so-called perfection. Besides, he wasn’t extravagant enough to spend a Top-Grade Spirit Stone on a recording Scroll. He was busy pursuing his own version of perfection.
He had to at least reach what he considered the peak for his current stage. When you reached that state, you would just know it in your heart. When it’s there, it’s there; when you get it, you get it. And Wang ng knew, very clearly, that his Curved Sword Skill still had flaws.
Of course, Wang ng couldn’t have Fan Hong cover his duties forever. And sure enough, the mont they t, Fan Hong tried to pay him back.
"Wang ng, I really have plenty, more than I can spend. You know I don’t really have any expensive habits. We don’t need to owe anyone a favor."
Wang ng shook his head. "There’s really no need. It’s already settled. If we go back on it now, it’ll seem like we’re making a big deal out of nothing. Don’t worry, she’s not short on cash."
"Then let pay you back, with interest," Fan Hong said, knowing Wang ng was short on funds but not wanting to say it so bluntly.
Wang ng smiled. "I appreciate the thought. How about this: let’s buy so materials. We’ve been working so hard in the Alchemy Institute for days, but we haven’t used a single Pill Furnace yet."
"Ah, why didn’t I think of that? Great idea, great idea!"
Fan Hong grinned. In the past, even when he was dazed and confused, he had latched onto his reason for living: Chan Jing. Now his head was clear, but he had lost his purpose. For people of the Wood Elent, living required a goal to strive for. With his goal gone, Fan Hong didn’t really have anything he cared about. Then again, Wood Elent people could also go with the flow, unlike the persistent nature of the Earth Elent.
To be precise, they were the kindest.
Wang ng was now a staunch believer in Fan Hong’s Five Elents personality theory. If nothing else, the theory was incredibly accurate when applied to Fan Hong himself.
Kindness didn’t an they were stupid; it just ant they were more forgiving and considerate of others. Wang ng could tell that Fan Hong didn’t resent Chan Jing in the slightest. He might even be silently wishing her well.
’That’s sothing I could never do, at least,’ Wang ng thought.
Grandmaster Mi Dao, for the sake of the Spirit Stones, didn’t make things difficult for Wang ng and was a bit more cordial toward the two of them.
"I know it isn’t easy for you two. Once you’ve finished tidying up, feel free to use the facilities, but don’t break anything." He glanced from Wang ng to Fan Hong. "Then again, with your combined destructive power, the most you could probably manage is breaking a few pots and jars."
Wang ng and Fan Hong looked at each other, speechless. ’Do we really look that far from being experts?’
"Fan Hong, what elent do you think Dean Mi Dao is?"
Fan Hong stroked his chin. "The man is a bit cynical, but that’s likely a product of his environnt. His temperant isn’t rash, but you couldn’t call him steady, either. I’d guess he’s a dual Water-Wood Elent type. Those are good attributes to have. Water nurtures Wood, so it’s a great elental affinity. The man has a bright future, a good destiny."
Wang ng stared blankly at Fan Hong. The guy really had the air of a mystic charlatan. Still, he had to admit, it all sounded quite reasonable. He didn’t know how powerful Mi Dao was, but the man had managed to beco a Dean, which was no simple feat.
"What if soone is a dual-elent user, but their elents conflict with each other? Like Water and Fire?"
Wang ng asked, thinking of Hu Jing. She was likely a classic case of conflicting Water and Fire elents.
"Well," Fan Hong mused, stroking his chin, "people with conflicting dual elents tend to achieve great things more easily. However, they are destined to be unhappy. Simply put, they lack good fortune, unless they et soone with a perfectly complentary set of conflicting dual elents."
Wang ng was struck dumb. ’Maybe this guy isn’t so accurate after all.’ Moo Shan was tal, Fire, and Water, and his accomplishnts were extraordinary, but was he happy?
Moo Shan was lonely his entire life, and in the end, I was the one who obtained his Godhood.
’And Hu Jing... she seems really lucky. Her path has been pretty smooth. Is she happy? She ought to be. At least, she doesn’t seem to have any issues at the mont.’
Fan Hong, still warming to his subject, continued, "Let tell you, people with nurturing elents are easily attracted to one another."
Fan Hong faltered, because he thought of himself. Chan Jing was Water Elent, and he was Wood Elent, which was why he had fallen so hopelessly for her. anwhile, his love rival was tal Elent.
Wang ng knew Fan Hong was thinking about Chan Jing. "Ahem, so what about soone who has all Five Elents? Does nobody love them, or does everybody love them?"
Fan Hong chuckled. "Who do you think you are, a god? All Five Elents? Of course everyone would love soone like that. But usually, such a heaven-defying existence either gets struck by lightning or dies an early death. Even the heavens themselves would get jealous!"
Wang ng wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. ’Am I really that cursed?’
’Then again,’ he thought, ’if I hadn’t obtained the Godhood, I would have died several tis over already.’
Wang ng gave him a thumbs-up. "Fan Hong, you should go start your own sect soday. You could call it the Five Elents Matchmaker Sect!"
The two of them roared with laughter and began to seriously clean up the Alchemy Room. The rooms were used almost every day. Successful attempts were one thing, but with the failed ones, who knew what kind of ss they left behind.
However, the Pill Furnaces here were all made by the Star Alliance. It was hard to say what material they were made of. Furnace explosions were a common occurrence, especially for novices, but it was rare for anyone to actually destroy a Pill Furnace.
After all, back when Wang ng was studying under Zhou Feng, he had nearly blown up the man’s entire life savings.
Since they were planning to use the room themselves, the two of them cleaned up with exceptional speed. Before long, Fan Hong returned and pulled a heap of materials out of his Qiankun Bag.
"This should be enough, right? I bought over fifty of the most common types."
Wang ng gazed at the pile of materials. "How much did you spend?"
"Sixty-seven Top-Grade Spirit Stones. The shopkeepers were really nice and gave a discount, so they only charged sixty-five."
Staring at a smug Fan Hong, Wang ng looked to the heavens, speechless. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’it’s because of people like him that swindlers can thrive. If I ever open a shop, I’ll have to give custors like this the VIP treatnt.’
Wang ng selected a few of the materials he needed. He wanted to familiarize himself with the Pill Furnaces here first, so he couldn’t use the best materials right away.
Whether it was the thods Zhou Feng taught him or the ones used here, the basic rules of Alchemy were the sa: first, you had to master the temperant of your Pill Furnace.
Over on his side, Fan Hong was also full of enthusiasm. Having lost his purpose, he needed sothing to occupy his ti. He figured he might as well do whatever Wang ng was doing.
The two of them began. Wang ng started by stroking the Pill Furnace, infusing it with his Five Elents Fla and feeling out the furnace’s reaction.
...BOOM...
A loud explosion startled Wang ng. When he realized it hadn’t co from his side, he rushed to the next room. Fan Hong erged covered in soot, holding the remains of a Fire Gourd and looking utterly bewildered. "How... how did it explode?"
Only then did Wang ng rember: Fan Hong was Wood Elent, and his Cultivation Technique was a Wood Elent Cultivation thod. ’Using that kind of Elental Power to activate a Fire Gourd... if it didn’t explode on him, who would it explode on?’
After understanding the reason, Fan Hong plopped onto the ground. "Does this an I can’t do this?"
"You really can’t," Wang ng said with a wry smile. "But there is a suitable path for you among Pill Cultivators. It’s just not Alchemy, but rather using healing-type Magic. That’s much more suitable for soone of the Wood Elent."
’I can’t believe I forgot sothing so basic. Zhou Feng would laugh himself to death if he knew.’
"I’ll try one more ti. If it still doesn’t work, I’ll switch my focus."
Fan Hong took out another Fire Gourd. Then, accompanied by another loud bang, he scrambled out of the room again.
"No more! I’m done trying! This isn’t Alchemy, it’s a suicide attempt!"
"Suit yourself. You should probably go to the area where they teach about Arrays and figure that out first. I need to continue."
Wang ng returned to his Alchemy Room and spent so ti quietly getting a feel for the Pill Furnace. "When performing Alchemy, you must treat the Pill Furnace as an extension of your own body." That was what Zhou Feng had taught him. Even though they didn’t say that at the Cultivation Academy, Wang ng believed Zhou Feng was right.
He let his Pill Fla circulate within the furnace as his Heart Spirit enveloped it, sensing every part of the vessel. Wang ng imrsed himself in the process, gradually achieving a state of fusion with the Pill Furnace.
When Wang ng opened his eyes again, the way he saw the Pill Furnace was completely different. It was no longer an ordinary tool, but a friend. The feeling was deeply familiar.
He started his practice for the day with sothing simple, mainly to get the feel of it. Ergency Pills were a basic necessity everywhere; at most, different Refining Techniques would produce different effects.
Wang ng had even created his own Five Elents Pill to treat Five Elents Deficiency. He began the refining process with practiced ease, but this ti, he subconsciously tried to integrate his Heart Spirit, attempting to rge it into the forming Ergency Pill.
However, theory and practice were two entirely different things. They were two completely different diums. The concept was sound, but it seed impossible to implent.
After many attempts, Wang ng found it was an impossible task; he didn’t even know where to begin. He suddenly rembered that wisp of Divine Sense. Wang ng slowly released that trace of Divine Sense hidden within his Heart Spirit.
User Comments
0 comments from readers