bookbashuk 40. A two-pronged approach
40. A two-pronged approach
Xu Yan was shaken and couldn't wait to send his newly condensed true essence to his left wrist. As a result, not only did the size of the light gate expand slightly, but the sense of emptiness also decreased a bit!
Given time, its opening is expected!
Looking at the true essence again, although it was only a beginner's practice, it had already become much more refined. It moved at will, as easily as an arm or finger, and was no longer as rough as before.
It will just take some time to fully convert the true essence in the dantian.
However, while refining true essence is a good thing, it also loses the effect of tempering the body, which puts him in a dilemma.
Health is the foundation of everything, and he vaguely felt that a two-pronged approach might be better!
With He and Cheng present, Xu Yan stopped trying and, suppressing his excitement, quickly finished his practice, stood up, and bowed to them both, saying, "Thank you for your help, seniors! Thank you for passing on your skills!"
"Excellent, excellent, very excellent!" Master Cheng was extremely satisfied, his eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
He Tiannan also smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Cheng! Congratulations, Brother Cheng!"
"Hey, congratulations to you too!"
The two clasped hands in greeting, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
Xu Yan was suddenly confused. Why were these two people even happier than he, the person involved?
Is something wrong?
Master Cheng quickly suppressed his smile and took out another jade slip: "Mo Ting!"
Xu Yan didn't react at first, but after a moment's thought, she remembered it was her own handwriting and quickly replied, "Senior!"
"This is the foundational chapter of the True Technique of Thunder Control, which I will pass on to you as well."
Xu Yan was flattered and quickly accepted the gift with both hands, thanking the gift repeatedly.
Master Cheng smiled and stroked his beard, then said, "It's not that I won't pass on the later techniques, but rather that I don't know them myself."
"Huh?" Xu Yan was a little stunned. How come the cultivation manual he finally obtained was still incomplete?
Master Cheng looked somber: "My Shenxiao Sect's mountain gate has been destroyed, and my disciples are scattered in all directions. You'll have to find the remaining cultivation methods yourself."
"Thank you, Master..." Xu Yan seized the opportunity.
"Wait!" Master Cheng quickly stopped him. "I can't teach you anything, so it's inconvenient for me to be your master. I'll temporarily accept you as a disciple on behalf of my sect. We can formally enroll you after we find our lost fellow disciples, or... or if you have the opportunity to revive the Divine Firmament Sect in the future... Remember, when you're out in the world, you must not misuse the name of the Divine Firmament Sect!"
Xu Yan thought to himself: Is this person mistaking me for Liu Xiu?
Chosen One of the Planes! This is wonderful! This is wonderful!
He agreed immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
Anyway, I'll be able to return to the real world soon, so I agreed without any psychological burden.
For modern people, concepts like lineage and sect are too distant, and they don't think these restrictions are a big deal. If they can't be used, so be it.
He didn't even know which sect had destroyed the Divine Firmament Sect. If he accidentally stumbled upon it, wouldn't that be troublesome?
Ultimately, he still sees himself as an outsider and lacks a sufficient sense of belonging to this world.
Having said what needed to be said, Cheng and He didn't bother them any further. They left arm in arm, went to find a place to drink and chat, and reminisce about the past.
Xu Yan stayed alone in the quiet room, eager to continue cultivating, but instead of constantly circulating the Thunder Control True Technique, he kept switching between the two techniques to temper his body.
If He and Cheng were present, they would have been so angry that they would have vomited blood on the spot.
I've already taught you the true art of controlling lightning, so what else is there to be reluctant about with that broken technique?
Xu Yan didn't think that much about it; he just felt that Lei Diao's methods had their merits.
For example, he was quite looking forward to those wings outlined with true essence.
As for whether the remnant soul of the Thunder Eagle will backfire?
Haha, why are you worrying about things that are bound to happen?
He survived the possession, so even if there are still some remnants of his soul, what waves can he stir up?
I not only know calculus, but also linear algebra. That Lei Diao doesn't even understand basic arithmetic operations, so what makes him think he can fight me?
The next day.
The rising sun dispelled the morning mist in the mountains, and even before dawn, the mountain path outside Lichen Temple was already crowded with devout men and women waiting to worship.
Boom—
A faint rumble of thunder came from the direction of the back mountain, and everyone immediately looked over with curiosity.
Some people whispered among themselves, "Why is it thundering in broad daylight?"
"You're making a fuss over nothing. So what if it thunders? Celestial masters are incredibly powerful; exorcising demons, capturing ghosts, and slaying monsters are a piece of cake for them. My neighbor's nephew was haunted by a ghost, and they asked a celestial master to exorcise it!"
"In that case, it must be a divine intervention. Why don't we pay our respects to the immortal first, and then go to the back mountain to offer another prayer?"
"That's excellent!"
After a brief discussion, the group immediately decided to go to the back mountain.
Little did they know that the Taoist priests in the temple were prepared and calmly persuaded the devout men and women who planned to go to the back mountain to turn back one by one.
The old abbot is in seclusion on the back mountain; how can we disturb him at will?
The back mountain.
Xu Yan's eyes flashed like lightning as he stared at an old tree several feet away. He continuously compressed his true essence in his palm until it reached its limit and was about to slip out of his control before suddenly stepping forward and extending his palm directly at the old tree.
With a soft hum, a ball of azure lightning suddenly flew from the palm of the hand, landed on the tree trunk, and exploded into a shower of wood chips, leaving a charred hole more than half a foot deep.
Xu Yan stopped, shook his hand, and looked somewhat disappointed.
This is supposed to be a palm strike? It's not that powerful!
Master Cheng nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent, excellent! Your comprehension is indeed extraordinary!"
Xu Yan said helplessly, "Daoist Master, this palm lightning... its power is too weak, isn't it?"
"You're only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, what's the rush?" Master Cheng glared at him irritably. "Qi Refining is just the beginning of cultivation, merely the entry into the realm of mortals with some skills. Foundation Establishment is the formal beginning of the immortal path! Don't think you can be arrogant just because you have some skills!"
With a gentle tap, the charred bark of the old tree peeled off, revealing a charred cavity slightly larger than a fist.
Xu Yan chuckled awkwardly, feeling genuinely embarrassed.
He had taken the most solid and important step on his spiritual path, and he was indeed a little proud of himself.
Master Cheng waved his hand dismissively: "Continue!"
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Yan waved his hand, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, scorching a line on the old tree that stretched from the top to the ground. Branches and leaves snapped and fell like rain.
Although he had only a basic grasp of the Lightning Summoning Technique and the Palm Lightning Technique, he had already given some thought to these two techniques.
The advantage of the Thunder-Summoning Technique is its great power, but it is also very impressive and has a long wind-up. Therefore, it requires diligent practice to gradually increase the speed of execution.
The Palm Lightning is the opposite; it makes almost no sound before it's released, but its power is a bit lacking... However, does the Palm Lightning have to be released from the palm?
He concentrated for a moment, then without warning, flicked his finger, and a bolt of lightning the size of a meatball struck the old tree... and a small tree on its side.
Well, the power is so-so, and the accuracy is too poor. I need to practice more!
Having immersed himself in thunder magic for many years, Master Cheng immediately realized what Xu Yan had done: "What is this? A finger-flick thunder attack?"
Xu Yan quickly coughed twice: "This disciple prefers to call it... Flick of the Finger Divine Thunder!"
I apologize to Master Jin for borrowing his name!
We're all writers, and the things writers do... well, you know!