I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  Xiang Shaoyun's face turned ghastly as he listened, his will to continue down the same path wavering.

  Have I really made the wrong choice? Xiang Shaoyun asked himself.

  He had also seen a lot of ancient records depicting the failures of cultivating nine powers. However, he had assumed that the records only referred to a small portion of those who had tried. He thought that he would be different with his talent, creating a path unique to himself.

  But from what the gravekeeper elder had just said, since the ancient times, humanity had been trying to cultivate such physiques. Even the Dragon Phoenix Academy had done so before, and they had all failed.

  Anyone with a nine-star physique was a remarkable talent. Xiang Shaoyun was not stupid enough to believe he was better than all of them. Since all of them had failed, would he still have the courage to attempt something nobody had accomplished before?

  Perhaps it was as the gravekeeper elder said, it was a path of no return, something impossible to succeed. The Nine Heavens Celestial Physique was merely a legend left behind by the ancient humans. There was no way to even confirm if that physique had once existed before.

  "Then is it fine if I opt to cultivate one power now?" Xiang Shaoyun asked. Yes, he was finally scared. After all, he had filled his nine stars with different powers. Was it too late to give up now?

  Chapter 575: The Wondrous Ancient Mantra

  Had the gravekeeper elder told Xiang Shaoyun all that just to make him give up on cultivating nine powers? What he said next shocked Xiang Shaoyun even more.

  "I did not tell you all that to make you give up on cultivating nine powers. I only want you to know how hard this path is and to give you another chance to make your choice," said the gravekeeper elder.

  Xiang Shaoyun had not expected those words at all. He had thought that the elder had merely been trying to persuade him to give up and focus on only one power instead. But now, it seemed like the elder was still supportive of him cultivating nine powers. It greatly confused him.

  Xiang Shaoyun sank into thought, not knowing what to say. He had full confidence the gravekeeper elder was telling him the truth, yet he couldn't accept just giving up on the path he had chosen. What would be the best choice?

  The difference between the two choices was akin to heaven and earth. Either was an extreme option of an opposite direction. He sat there in contemplation for three days and three nights. During that time, he remained motionless and silent, his eyes shut in thought.

  The gravekeeper elder sat by his side and was in no hurry. At this time, the three birds within the astral cosmos sea suddenly started crying. They were no longer as small as before, with their wings reaching about two meters in length.

  From how joyful they looked, it was obvious they had gone through yet another breakthrough. During the past half year of residing in the astral cosmos sea, they seemed to have broken through many times.

  Xiang Shaoyun once tried to release them from the astral cosmos sea so they could get a breather at the outside world. But they would rather stay in the cramped astral cosmos sea than leave. He had long known that the three had benefited greatly from the nine-colored fog. That was why they had refused to leave. In fact, they were behaving exactly like Money!

  As Xiang Shaoyun looked at the nine-colored fog and the changes within the astral cosmos sea, a resoluteness he never had before suddenly rose within him. He opened his eyes, looked at the gravekeeper elder, and declared, "I will stick to my path!"

  The gravekeeper elder showed no reaction. He merely replied blandly, "Ok. Since you have made your choice, I hope you won't regret it in the future. After entering the Dragon Ascension Realm, it will be too late to change."

  "Yes, I have already considered this carefully," said Xiang Shaoyun firmly.

  "Good. Then let me teach you a mantra. Remember it," the gravekeeper elder went straight down to business. Without waiting for Xiang Shaoyun's agreement, he started teaching him a complicated and ancient mantra.

  "Separating the heaven and the earth, the primal chaos was born, the essence of the five elements, the stars moved, yin and yang were lacking..."

  After possessing a filthless soul, Xiang Shaoyun’s memory had improved considerably. The complicated ancient mantra was forcefully memorized, yet he couldn't understand its meaning. The mantra seemed to be depicting the changes of the world, yet it also seemed like a cultivation mantra. It was too complicated.

  "How much have you memorized so far?" asked the gravekeeper elder.

  "Everything, but I don't really understand it," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  The face of the gravekeeper elder shifted slightly, but since he was blind, no emotion could be seen within his eyes. He said, "This is an incomplete ancient mantra I had accidentally obtained. It depicts the evolution of the world, how the primal chaos gave rise to the five elements, the revolution of the yin and yang amid the universe, and the great dao. Perhaps the purpose of this ancient mantra is to enlighten one on the powers of the natural world. So long as you can understand it, you will gain a decent comprehension of the nine powers you cultivate. Perhaps it will help you see the light of hope on that path of no return you tread. If not even this mantra can help you, I can't do anything either."

  Xiang Shaoyun had guessed that the ancient mantra was important, but he had never imagined that it would be this important. He stood up and gave the gravekeeper elder a deep bow, expressing his gratitude.

  "You don't need to feel grateful at all. I am only doing this because I wish to one day witness a legendary physique personally," said the gravekeeper elder. "Also, I have already told those kids outside that I will be keeping you here for half a year. Spend this time studying the mantra. If you have any inspiration, you can look for me. We can discuss it together, trying our best to increase the tiny brightness you might find on your path of no return."

  Xiang Shaoyun nodded. "Yes, elder."

  He could see that this elder was going to personally instruct him in the coming half year. His heart was filled with excitement, and he wished to live up to the elder's expectations. And thus, he cleared his mind of all thoughts and started comprehending the ancient mantra.

  As he repeated the mantra over and over in his mind, he increasingly understood how complicated it was. It focused on the dao of heaven and earth, the dao of primal chaos, and the dao of yin and yang. All three were the strongest daos in existence, and they were the most complicated and abstruse of all powers in existence.

  Initially, he was able to gain a superficial understanding of some of it, but when he tried deepening his understanding, he found that there were countless permutations, and it was very difficult to get a clear understanding of any sort.

  Half a month later, he asked the gravekeeper elder his first question, "What is the origin of heaven and earth?"

  "Some people say that heaven and earth were created by the ancient god. But the ancient god is the ancestor of humanity. As the saying goes, heaven, earth, and human. With heaven comes earth, and with earth comes human. Thus, we can reject that theory. What I understand from the ancient mantra is that heaven and earth originated from the power of the firmament," answered the gravekeeper elder.

  "What is the origin of the power of the firmament then?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "It is eternal."

  "Did the primal chaos come into existence during the creation of heaven and earth, or prior to the existence of heaven and earth?"

  "The period of time during the creation of heaven and earth was also a period prior to the existence of heaven and earth."

  "Does that mean that primal chaos took form during the creation, and prior to creation, it was a part of the firmament?"

  "It's good that you can understand that much. This is proof that you are working very hard on comprehending the mantra. Yes, according to the mantra, that's the case."

  ...

  One old and one young, they exchanged some thoughts once every few days. Often, Xiang Shaoyun would be t
he one asking a question, and the gravekeeper elder would be the one answering.

  Slowly, doubt cleared from Xiang Shaoyun's heart, allowing him to gain a deeper level of understanding of the mantra. It was most definitely a wondrous ancient mantra, one with a great significance. As Xiang Shaoyun mentioned numerous fresh points, the gravekeeper elder also learned something new.

  After all, Xiang Shaoyun had a filthless soul, pushing his intelligence to a freakish level. Each time he studied the mantra, he would have a different sensation, as if the mantra represented every single dao in the world, an all-encompassing mantra that contained everything in existence. Because of that, his resolution to cultivate nine different powers grew firmer.

  Chapter 576: Simply a Mess

  In a flash, three months passed. During the three months, Xiang Shaoyun had not left the gravekeeper elder once. Each time he felt like he was starting to get a gist of the ancient mantra, he would discover something new, making him continue his exploration indefinitely.

  Even the gravekeeper elder was astonished as he thought, There might really be hope for this child to be successful!

  "Alright. Your current understanding of the mantra is no longer any lower than mine. In the future, you will have to keep comprehending it yourself," said the gravekeeper elder. "Next, show me your battle techniques."

  He then beckoned in a random direction. A pile of bones rose and walked over.

  "Don't summon your puppet, and fight them with your own strength," said the gravekeeper elder.

  Xiang Shaoyun nodded and charged the group of skeletons. He was no longer apprehensive of everything like when he had first arrived. He was also curious as to how much he had improved after several months of cultivation since he had now reached peak ninth-stage Skysoar Realm.

  Although he hadn't actually focused much on his cultivation base in the past three months, his strength was still growing steadily. The passive growth was something that had started happening after he filled his nine stars with energy. That was why his physique was considered a freakish physique. Without the heavy armor constantly suppressing him, his growth would be even faster. As he approached the skeletons, he started using all the battle techniques he knew.

  Lightning Bolt Fist!

  Seven Scorching Sun Claws!

  White Tiger Manifestation!

  Six Goldplate Manual!

  Vicious Prison Finger!

  ...

  Xiang Shaoyun practically showed all the battle techniques he knew. He attacked the skeletons repeatedly, knocking them down again and again. However, there were too many of them. He couldn't completely destroy them, and there seemed to be an unending amount of them. Thus, fighting them was extremely exhausting.

  Fortunately, Xiang Shaoyun had solid foundations that allowed him to become stronger the longer he fought. He even used his self-created Havoc Dance. Although there was no energy circulating around the skeletons' bodies, each time they attacked, they would still create some energy flow.

  Xiang Shaoyun was able to accurately grasp those minute energy flows, allowing him to deal with all the incoming attacks appropriately and remain unharmed. During the battle, he found that the sensitivity of his senses had increased by more than five times and was comparable to late stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators.

  In fact, even that was a conservative estimation. Xiang Shaoyun knew very well that it was due to his newly gained filthless soul. As the battle raged on, he became even more engrossed in the battle and even drew his Overlord Skyslaying Saber and used the first three stances of the Nine Overlord Skyslaying Saber Technique.

  With his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps, he moved about freely amidst the skeletons while he swung his saber, destroying numerous skeletons. They couldn't deal any sort of damage to him.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  The attacks created numerous explosions everywhere, displaying an offensive might that was completely beyond the Skysoar Realm and was comparable to those in the Dragon Ascension Realm. The gravekeeper elder sat there silently; his eyes still appeared empty and blank, yet it felt like he was able to clearly see Xiang Shaoyun's every action.

  After an unknown amount of time, the elder finally said, "Ok. That's all for now."

  Hearing that, Xiang Shaoyun quickly returned to the elder's side with his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps. He was dripping with sweat, completely exhausted from the battle. However, he could sense that the stars within his body had formed an unending cycle of circulation that helped quickly replenish his energy. That had never happened before.

  Looks like filling all the nine stars has finally helped showcase the advantage of my physique, thought Xiang Shaoyun with a smile.

  The unending cycle was the best tool for one to quickly grow and maintain one's condition during battle. Little did he know that this was only happening because the powers contained within his nine stars had also changed.

  In the past, he only had several unique powers within him, whereas the rest of his stars only contained regular energies. Thus, there was no balance between the stars, and because of that, such an unending cycle had never happened.

  "What do you think about your battle techniques?" asked the gravekeeper elder.

  Xiang Shaoyun thought for a bit and said, "Decent, I guess."

  "Hehe, looks like you are very happy with your usage of battle techniques," the gravekeeper elder suddenly laughed. His face then turned solemn as he berated, "What a mess!"

  Xiang Shaoyun had not expected that remark, and he turned somewhat sullen. He was proficient in many types of battle techniques, and he believed that he had a good understanding of battle techniques and actual combat situations. He wouldn't have prevailed over so many opponents in the past otherwise. He believed the gravekeeper elder had only given him that evaluation due to the elder's high cultivation level.

  "Hehe, looks like you're unconvinced," said the elder. "Watch."

  Right after he said that, seven figures appeared around them. All seven of them were the afterimages of the elder, and each of them was respectively demonstrating one of the battle techniques Xiang Shaoyun had used earlier.

  Xiang Shaoyun focused on the seven figures, and initially, he did not feel like what they were doing was any different from what he did. But the more he watched, the more alarmed he became.

  The figures were most definitely demonstrating the exact techniques he had used while battling the skeletons, yet the prowess they released was much greater compared to his versions.

  In comparison, if Xiang Shaoyun was considered proficient in those techniques, then the elder's grasp on those techniques could be considered perfect. Using the same techniques with a different application of force and some other minor tweaks had completely changed their prowess.

  Xiang Shaoyun's version of those techniques were cultivated in accordance to their learning materials. One could say that he was displaying a textbook version. As for the gravekeeper elder, his version was flexible, and each change of his seemed capable of pushing their might to the peak.

  In conclusion, the elder's changes had not only strengthened the techniques but had also simplified and turned them ingenious, allowing the techniques to flow together smoothly. He was displaying the techniques' perfect forms.

  Chapter 577: Dao of Tactics

  Only then did Xiang Shaoyun understand that he deserved the gravekeeper elder's remark of a "complete mess". The battle techniques displayed by the gravekeeper elder's afterimages weren't even used alongside any sort of astral energy.

  Only the forms of the techniques were displayed, yet that was enough to give Xiang Shaoyun a feeling of inferiority. With the absence of astral energy, one couldn't even say that the gravekeeper elder was merely using his higher cultivation level to embarrass Xiang Shaoyun.

  When the afterimages vanished, the gravekeeper elder looked at Xiang Shaoyun and asked, "Do you understand?"

  Xiang Shaoyun nodded deeply and said, "Yes. Thank you for your guidance, elder."

&nbs
p; He then bowed. In truth, he had the urge to take this elder as his master, but the other party did not seem to have such intention at all. Thus, he couldn't bring himself to mention it. Perhaps he could do so when a better opportunity arose. He had to become the disciple of this elder who was most definitely an ultimate expert with deep and unmeasurable strength.

  "It's your turn to demonstrate your battle techniques all over again," said the gravekeeper elder as he controlled the skeletons to attack again.

  Xiang Shaoyun hadn't even gotten the chance to properly digest what he had just learned, yet he had to start fighting again. He could only brace himself and charge the skeletons.

  Initially, he was still fighting in his usual style. But gradually, the images of how the gravekeeper elder had used his techniques surfaced in his mind, allowing him to slightly change how he fought.

  After changing his fighting style, his attacks had obviously become much simpler yet more effective, with an increase in might and incisiveness. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to reach the kind of perfection the gravekeeper elder had previously displayed.

  For three days in a row, Xiang Shaoyun had at least one battle per day with the skeletons. After each battle, he learned a lot. The battle techniques he displayed became simpler and simpler, his movements becoming smoother and smoother.

  For him to accomplish this in such a short period of time, he truly had freakish comprehension. Of course, the continuous battles had also dealt him a considerable number of superficial wounds. He looked rather sorry at the moment. He did not hate the gravekeeper elder for that. Rather, he was filled with gratefulness. Such a cultivation method was extremely helpful to him, allowing him to reap great benefits.

  The gravekeeper elder continued his teachings, "Any move is never unchanging. Just like the move prediction technique you used, any move that can defeat an opponent in the simplest and most effective manner is the strongest move. Don't be trapped by the limitations of stances. You will only by limiting yourself that way, and it will be very hard for you to reach the stage of transforming complexity to simplicity. This is simply the dao of details."