by Dragon King
“Linlin, Lili, I have an idea,” Hao Ren said abruptly.
“We are listening,” they looked at him and said.
“Well.” Hao Ren’s face turned serious. “Last time when you measured the elemental composition of the Nature Essence in my body, my earth element was 7%, the lowest. However, the basic requirement of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll is to have a balance of the five elements. If I lower the amount of the other elements to that of the earth element, will it count as an equilibrium?”
“Gongzi, it’s a…” Lu Linlin thought for a while and said, “demolition of your current cultivation progress.”
“Can I try it?” Hao Ren asked. He knew that he could eventually gather enough Nature Essence one day, but it would take a long time. After all, Zhao Yanzi’s birthday was next week.
He had been thinking about this method for days. If he couldn’t gain a balance with a lot of Nature Essence, he could obtain one with less. It was like a chess game; you lost some pieces on purpose in order to increase the chance of winning the game.
“It’s harder to gather Nature Essence than dispel it. Are you certain about this, Gongzi?” Lu Linlin asked.
“Yes!” Hao Ren nodded.
“Then, I will teach you the Dharma Spell that could dispel some of the other elemental essences in your body,” Lu Linlin leaned toward Hao Ren’s ear and whispered to him.
The warm fragrance floated into Hao Ren’s ear, and her position seemed a bit too close for casual friends.
After memorizing the Dharma Spell, Hao Ren gently pushed Lu Linlin off him and said, “Got it; you guys can go now.”
“Farewell, Gongzi!” The Lu sisters smiled before turning around and leaving hand in hand. Their long braids of hair swayed across their slim figures.
“Sister, do you think Gongzi will be in danger when he tries it?” Lu Lili asked Lu Linlin in concern as they walked out of the dorm area.
“There is no guarantee of safety in cultivation. However, the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll is the safest technique, and I think he will be fine.” Lu Linlin raised her head, and her eyes sparkled. “Well, our Gongzi is an extraordinary guy. Cultivators usually put the most importance on their Nature Essence, but Gongzi dares to dispel it to gain a better chance at advancing. It’s quite possible that he will become influential one day.”
“Indeed. What Gongzi is planning to do follows the natural law of giving and taking. What he does is always within reason; no wonder I feel so comfortable around him,” Lu Lili said.
“You are such a blatant flatterer!” Lu Linlin reached out and pinched Lu Lili’s cute nose.
“I’m not! I’m just stating the truth…” Lu Lili tried to grab Lu Linlin’s slim arm.
They had been walking hand in hand, but now they began to play with each other, attracting the attention of the nearby students who thought that it was the most beautiful scene on campus.
Meanwhile, Hao Ren stood where he was and silently recited the Dharma Spell, that Lu Linlin had taught him, three times. Then, he checked his watch, walked out of the dorm area, and headed toward Su Han’s office.
On both sides of the roads, there were banners promoting the art exhibition. The fact that the school lent the entire first floor of the library to Qin Shaoyang showed its considerable support for Qin Shaoyang’s first personal art exhibition in China.
The Arts Faculty within East Ocean University had been an independent college that enjoyed a certain degree of reputation in China a few years before, but it was merged into East Ocean University recently. The Arts Faculty’s directors were all famous people in the art circle, and the faculty had maintained its strong academic strength.
However, the Arts Faculty had a building of its own and rarely crossed paths with other programs and faculties. It was more like an independent group.
Hearing that Qin Shaoyang would be holding a one-person exhibition, the girls in the Arts Faculty were all excited, and the school hoped to further expand the influence of the Arts Faculty through this exhibition.
After crossing the plaza in front of the library, Hao Ren entered Su Han’s office in the Administrative Building.
Su Han was cultivating with her eyes closed, and she remained silent after sensing Hao Ren’s arrival.
Not wanting to disturb her cultivation, Hao Ren sat down across from her. In the past, he came here to cultivate Nature Essence and increase his strength. However, he came to dispel some of the Nature Essence today. If Su Han had known about his purpose, she would have been astonished.
The Nature Essence slowly circulated in Hao Ren’s body while he began to activate the five elements one by one with the Dharma Spell taught by Lu Linlin.
He placed the elements into spheres and displayed them in mid-air half a meter away from his chest. From left to right, they were metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
The amount of earth element was the lowest at only 7%. Hao Ren cautiously dispelled the extra wood element through his fingertips bit by bit. Right now, it was at 11%.
He focused all of his attention on the process, knowing that it would be hard for him to replenish it if he accidentally released too much of it. If he released too much, he had to lower the amount of the other elements further accordingly.
Hao Ren stopped releasing wood element when he felt the amount was right. Then, he began to adjust the amount of the metal element which was at 12%. By now, his face was covered in sweat, very different from his relaxed state in the past cultivation sessions.
When the metal element was adjusted, Hao Ren turned to the fire element and water element; the latter had the highest percentage and thus took a longer time than the others.
Feeling that the amount of water element in his body dropped from the original 54% to the insubstantial level of the earth element, Hao Ren felt a bit regretful.
After all, that was the majority of his strength, and he had accumulated it through intensive cultivation.
Sweat flowed down Hao Ren’s chin and dropped onto his knees. Feeling that the five elements before his chest had almost reached the same level, Hao Ren began to make some minor adjustments cautiously.
Just like a water reservoir, it was hard to obtain water but quite easy to release it. Hao Ren released the Nature Essence in his body back into nature, and it would be hard for him to get them back into his body.
After a long period of time, Su Han opened her eyes slightly and saw that Hao Ren was soaked in sweat. For a moment, she thought that he had gotten into a mad and chaotic state. After she sensed no strange energy surge on him, she relaxed.
Dashes of dim red, blue, white, and green light were released from Hao Ren’s body.
“What is this guy doing?” Su Han was puzzled.
“Done!” Hao Ren who was sitting cross-legged opened his eyes suddenly.
With the balance of the five elements, his body experienced a fantastic sense of freedom!
At this moment, layers of cloud gathered in the sky above the Administrative Building.
“Ugh? Is he breaking through to Kan-level? He’s so fast…” Alarmed, Su Han looked at Hao Ren.
After detecting what was in the sky, even Su Han who usually maintained a calm composure was stunned.
Small Lightning Cloud Tribulation!
149 Don’t Underestimate Your Enemy
Almost immediately, the pure white clouds above East Ocean University turned dark.
“Damn! What’s the matter recently? Are there demons lurking around our school? How come the weather here is so abnormal?”
“The clouds are weird, and none of the meteorologists came out with an explanation!”
“Is it possible that someone is ascending into the heavens?”
Within East Ocean University, the students were talking animatedly among themselves under the black clouds.
Boom!
A dash of lightning flashed in the clouds followed by a dull thunder.
There were no bright lightning bolts, but sparks of
silver light in the clouds transformed into light arrows that were unnoticeable to the mortal beings and shot into Su Han’s office.
“Here they are!” Su Han raised her hands in a hurry and spread out her array formation.
However, the lightning arrows pierced through the five elemental defense array formation and shot toward Hao Ren.
With Hao Ren’s current strength, he absolutely couldn’t see the source of the lightning arrows. Like an ordinary mortal being, he couldn’t even detect them!
Su Han drew her long sword and activated Ice Frost Scroll to block them.
Clap! Clap!
The lightning traveled along her sword and numbed her arms a little.
Boom! The scattered lightning in the room combined into a thick lightning bolt before crashing onto Hao Ren’s head.
Hao Ren felt as if countless electrical currents entered his body.
The first level of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll: Five Elemental Array!
Hao Ren sat upright while the scattered five elemental essences in his body turned into five elemental pillars.
The 24 vertebrae on his spine corresponded with the 24 Qi; the 12 sections of the trachea corresponded with the 12 Chonglou, and the 18 coils of small intestines corresponded with 18 level of hell.
The heart was referred to as Jianggong; the lungs were referred to as Huagai; the tongue was referred to was Huachi, and the feet were referred to as Yongquan!
(TL: Most of these are Chinese Daoist and Traditional Medicine Jargons)
Cultivate using lightning!
The balanced five elements were able to take on the lightning directly!
The lightning entered Hao Ren’s body and remained silent.
Meanwhile, the dark clouds scattered, and the sky was clear again.
Looking at Hao Ren in astonishment, Su Han put away her long sword and rubbed her numb arm.
“Is it the legendary Lightning Cultivation?” she thought, “Strengthening the body with Heavenly Lightning and drawing power from Earthly Lighting! Stand beyond the five elements, dominate them, and use them with ease! The Lightning Technique that could break any elemental techniques! The Lightning Cultivation that would allow the cultivator to advance in levels and realms through Lightning Tribulations!”
Astonished, Su Han looked at Hao Ren who was still regulating his breath with his eyes closed.
“Is it possible that the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll is not at all a Five Elemental Technique nor a Sword Cultivation Technique but a Lightning Cultivation Technique? The Lightning Cultivation Technique that could attract the lightning in nature with the aid of the five elements?”
A moment later, Hao Ren opened his eyes. A light appeared in his eyes before returning to the depth of his body.
“Su Han, did I make a breakthrough?” Hao Ren asked.
“Let me see…” Su Han forced a calm expression onto her face before walking over and taking Hao Ren’s arm in her hand.
The five elements were evenly placed in his body, pure and clean. Although the Nature Essence was still weak, he had laid a solid foundation for future cultivations.
After the initial strengthing by the Heavenly Lightning, the five elements in his body were no longer chaotic but well organized.
The more Su Han checked, the more surprised she was. She was so shocked that she forgot to let go of Hao Ren’s arm.
“How is it?” Seeing that Su Han didn’t let go his arm, Hao Ren asked anxiously.
“Oh. You’re ok,” Su Han responded and released his arm.
Her fingers were smooth and soft as if they were boneless.
Anxious about his cultivation progress, Hao Ren didn’t seize the opportunity to savor the feeling of being held by her.
If it had been another man, he would have been beside himself while Su Han held his arm for so long.
“Just ok?” Hao Ren was disappointed. He had focused all of his attention onto directing the lightning in his body and worked hard to keep the aggressive energy under control. However, Su Han’s words made it sound insignificant.
Of course, if Su Han hadn’t warned him, Hao Ren wouldn’t have prepared himself and would probably have his meridians destroyed by the Heavenly Lightning.
“The Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll is different from the technique that I cultivate. However, I can feel that your strength is still weak, and you’ve just reached Half Kan-level,” Su Han explained.
“Half Kan-level?” Hao Ren froze for a moment.
“Your body has improved, but your Nature Essence is not strong enough for you to be considered a Kan-level Cultivator. Your essence is very pure, but it is so weak that it’s barely noticeable!” Su Han didn’t sugarcoat her words.
With his spirits dampened, Hao Ren sighed.
“It seems that the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll is a Lightning Cultivation Technique that is very powerful, but you must be tested by the Heavenly Lightning each time you advance your realm. The Heavenly Lightning will get stronger each time. If you can’t defend it, you will be turned into ashes!” Su Han continued.
“Turned into ashes?”
Hao Ren, who had been pleased with the elevation of his realm, suddenly felt like his heart was breaking.
“And no one can help you block the Lightning Tribulation, including the Lu sisters. The Light Splitting Sword Light Shadow Scroll is a five elemental cultivation technique, and you will be fine if you progress slowly. However, you must take risks if you want to elevate your realms,” Su Han said.
Hao Ren did some calculations and thought, “Since just lowering the five elements to 7% had triggered a Lightning Tribulation, then…”
“Besides, the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll requires you to cultivate the five elements simultaneously. After you reach Zhen-level, if you want to continue, you’ll need to find a Mystic Crystal. However, it’s challenging to find a five elemental Mystic Crystal nowadays,” Su Han said.
Su Han’s words reminded him of the trouble he might encounter in the future. He had not considered the Mystic Crystal when he chose the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll.
“Anyway, you are still far from it. Maybe you’ll never need to worry about it,” Su Han said lightly.
On the one hand, she wanted to give more warnings to Hao Ren. On the other hand, she felt like Hao Ren wouldn’t be able to reach a high realm. She knew that her thoughts were contradictory, but she felt like it was her responsibility to warn him.
Hao Ren’s moods rose and fell with her words.
He checked his watch before standing up and saying, “Time is almost up. I should go now.”
“Ok.” Su Han nodded.
Hao Ren was striding to the door when Su Han said, “You don’t have to worry about Qin Shaoyang. As long as you are wearing the necklace I gave you, he would know that you are under my supervision and won’t dare to touch you. Of course, things will get tricky after you reach Kan-level.”
“I haven’t broken through to Kan-level yet, have I?” Hao Ren turned his head and asked her.
“If I said you haven’t, then you haven’t,” Su Han threw the words at him as she stood beside the desk with her head turned facing the window.
Thinking of Lu Linlin’s words, Hao Ren was silent for a moment before taking his leave.
Su Han was one level higher than Qin Shaoyang in terms of realms. However, Su Han, who was a diligent cultivator but an inexperienced fighter, probably was no match for Qin Shaoyang in terms of combat strength.
Anyway, it was a fight between the Inspectors, and it was not his place to interfere. He just thought that Su Han sometimes looked lonely.
Sighing slightly, Hao Ren walked out of the Administrative Building.
Since he left all the tutoring materials at Zhao Yanzi’s home yesterday before he went to the Art District with her, he went to her house today empty-handed.
Like before, he arrived at Zhao Yanzi’s home around half past six, and he could smell the mouth-watering a
roma of dishes.
The people, who Hao Ren admired and appreciated the most, were those who had excellent cooking skills, and Zhao Hongyu was undoubtedly one of them.
However, when he pushed open the door and entered, he found that the house was crowded.
Besides Zhao Yanzi and her parents, there was Zhao Yanzi’s Third Uncle, white-haired and amiable-looking Lu Qing, short Elder Sun in traditional attire, and many others.
In addition, a large group of bodyguards in black suits were standing around the sofa.
Lu Qing nodded at Hao Ren when he saw him come in, and his frown indicated that he was deep in thought.
“Ren, you can go and have dinner with Zi. We are in the middle of a discussion,” Zhao Hongyu said to Hao Ren.
“Ok…” Hao Ren answered before walking to the dinner table. Zhao Yanzi was already at the table, eating silently by herself.
Hao Ren walked over and sat beside her before filling his bowl with rice. Zhao Yanzi didn’t look at him; her ears pricked up as she listened attentively to the conversation in the living room.
“This time, West Ocean is well prepared. It’s said that Oldman Zeng, who has not come out of seclusion cultivation for hundreds of years, will appear. I think they won’t go back empty-handed,” an Elder, whom Hao Ren was not familiar with, said.
“If they want to fight, then we will fight! We are not afraid of them!” Zhao Kuo yelled.
“Elder Zhao, be quiet!” A female Elder in simple indigo-colored clothing glared at him with her eyes. Zhao Kuo shut up immediately, though only temporarily.
“I think we can agree to everything they have asked for except the one thing related to Zi,” short Elder Sun looked up as he sat on the sofa and said to the people in the room.
“But this time, the Dragon King went in person and invited Elder Mu who has not come out for more than 300 years. Whatever the West Ocean wants, they will have to consider the force of the Wood Elemental Dragon Clan and won’t be daring enough to engage in a fight,” a younger Elder said.
“Elder Mu is alone and doesn’t represent the Wood Elemental Dragon Clan; the most he can do is to surprise them at the birthday party. However, he will return to the mountains eventually. The Wood Elemental Dragon Clan loves to hide in the mountains and forests and doesn’t want to involve themselves in our conflicts.”