Chapter 943: Fusion of Water and Fire; Two Poles Give Rise to Each Other; Surging Lake Shaken (I)
Luo Chen treated Black King and Heavenjade differently. One he left free to roam, the other he kept with him. This difference was not only because of their forms, but also because their cultivation paths had diverged completely since Heavenjade took human form.
Over the years, Heavenjade's progress in cultivation had been slower than Black King's. Even with Luo Chen's occasional guidance, she had only just reached the fourth stage of Golden Core. But there was not the faintest sign of dissatisfaction on her behalf. She knew exactly why Black King was advancing this fast. First, he had awakened a special bloodline ability. Second, he had consumed a great number of powerful demonic beasts, especially that Cliff Serpent corpse; after fully digesting it, only a single step stood between him and the late stage of the third tier.
As for Heavenjade, even though she was technically behind, she was in fact cultivating at tremendous speed, all due to the tailor-made Heavenspan Wing Art she had been granted by Luo Chen. Given more time, her progress would only accelerate further. She was no longer bound to the limitations of ordinary demonic beasts, which took centuries or even millennia to break through a major realm. Instead, her speed now matched that of a talented human cultivator.
Black King felt the same. He did not envy Heavenjade for being able to receive guidance from their master at any time. He had his own way of cultivating. It was crude and primitive, but he knew in his gut this was the best thing for him. His master also acknowledged this and left him to his own devices. When he was called over, it meant there was something to be done that only he could do.
As expected, Luo Chen said calmly, "It's nothing major. I just need you to do something in a bit."
Then, his gaze fell upon the young girl seated on Black King's back. She had bright eyes and pearly white teeth, and a vivid presence about her. Her turquoise clothes made her skin seem even paler, like snow under the moonlight.
Luo Chen pondered for a moment and captured a vague memory in his mind. "Are you... Zhang Jingqing?"
"Little Qing, hurry and greet Master," Black King urged
Zhang Jingqing stood up and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, my lord."
The Zhang family of Lotus Picking Island were technically vassals of Luo Chen. Whenever its members saw him, even if they did not address him as Master like Black King and Heavenjade, they would still bow their heads and respectfully call him "lord."
After she greeted Luo Chen, Black King asked in a deep voice, "Master, what do you think of her?"
Luo Chen quietly observed this girl whose very name had been chosen as a gesture of goodwill toward him. She was graceful, yet... pitiful. As he looked at her, he felt the passage of time. She was fourteen years old, which meant he had already spent a full fourteen years within the Society. Those years had slipped by faster than any other stretch of his life, so fast that nothing significant seemed to remain in his memory. In what felt like the blink of an eye, a newborn infant had already grown into a fine Qi Refinement cultivator.
Although the girl's middle-stage Qi Refinement spirit power was concealed, it still stood out like a sore thumb in front of his divine consciousness. Her concealment method seemed to be one he had once taught Black King and Heavenjade. It was something that Luo Chen had distilled from the many concealment techniques he had learned and was extremely effective. Even though Little Qing had only grasped the basics, she could already deceive Initiates. The fact that Black King had taught her such a method showed how much he truly cared for her. And now he was asking for Luo Chen's opinion?
Luo Chen smiled faintly and said, "Not bad."
The girl's tense expression immediately turned into one of joy. Even Adept Azure Yang, whom her father treated with utmost caution, had praised her! Yet upon hearing these words, Black King only let out a regretful sigh.
Moments later, Luo Chen turned toward the center of Surging Lake. "Heavenjade, take Little Qing with you. Things might get a bit intense later, so keep an eye on her."
Black King followed close behind. Once they were out of earshot, he could not help but say, "That kid has a pretty good aptitude, with dual water and wood spirit roots, and she's naturally sharp too. She is a real talent for cultivation."
Luo Chen replied calmly, "And what if she does? I'm not planning to take on any disciples."
The Black King snorted. "Oh? But you did take on Xu Muxian from the Flying Swallow Archipelago, didn't you? I don't think she's any worse, and she's sharp as well."
Luo Chen said indifferently, "He's only a nominal disciple. That hardly counts."
Then, he shook his head slightly. For someone so young to be so sharp and keen was not entirely a good thing. There is some truth in the old saying that sometimes, you can be too smart for your own good. Well... it's not that being smart is a problem in and of itself. Once you grow up and mature, being smart is certainly an advantage in every respect. But being overly precocious, seeing through worldly affairs too early, and harboring too many distracting thoughts is not good for a young person's development. In this case, it posed great risks to the foundational Qi Refinement cultivation.
Zhang Jingqing's state of mind likely had to do with the state of the Zhang family. When Luo Chen first met Zhang Jiadi, he had taken the man for the type of character who was fierce on the outside but weak on the inside. Back then, it had been Wen Xiu, the last heir of a fallen cultivation family, who spoke confidently before Luo Chen and secured their relationship. Later, Zhang Jiadi gradually revealed the tendencies of a schemer. He gave his daughter a name to please Luo Chen and avoided offending anyone in his dealings. When he learned of an opportunity to latch onto the Zhou family of Coral Sea, he did so without hesitation. To that end, he married Zhou Shanshan and neglected Wen Xiu, even gradually distancing himself from the daughter he had once cherished most.
Luo Chen had never remarked on any of this, but he had seen it all clearly. After all, he had once been the same. The difference was that beneath his scheming, he still had limits he would not cross. Back then, when Mi Shuhua conveyed an intention for a marriage alliance through Sikong Shoujia, Luo Chen rejected it without hesitation. He knew that such alliances could not truly bind a person to a force, but they were a declaration. And once a declaration was made, every step that followed would be constrained.
Now, Zhang Jiadi stood as Luo Chen's subordinate, yet he was also the son-in-law of the Zhou family. As long as their interests aligned, there was no issue. But if conflict arose in the future, where would the Zhang family stand? Of course, Luo Chen did not bother with such petty schemes. For now, they were still useful to him, and through Zhang Jiadi, he could even draw benefits from the Zhou family. If disloyalty ever arose, he could simply deal with it decisively. From that perspective, Wen Xiu and her daughter gradually drifting away from the Zhang family was not a bad thing at all. But still, the whole situation left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Heh... I've been thinking a bit too far ahead. Luo Chen chuckled softly as he stopped within a stretch of water enclosed by scattered islands. The area was not large, only about a hundred li across.
"Master, what should I do?"
"It is simple. Use your devouring ability to gather the mist around and serve as the formation's eye."
Black King was a little confused about the "formation eye" part, but Luo Chen's command was clear enough, and he used his demonic ability without the slightest pause. As he opened his huge jaws, demonic energy poured out. Mist from dozens of li around began to rush toward him in a tide.
Luo Chen watched the scene unfold, and as he sensed the steadily mounting pressure, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Black King's devouring ability was truly formidable. If he continued powering up, its range might extend beyond a hundred li. That was probably why middle-stage Adepts seemed so powerless before him.
"Master, I'm almost at my limit!"
As Luo Chen waited quietly, Black King began to struggle. The waters had already turned into raging waves, with fierce winds howling like the end of the world. Luo Chen nodded slightly, then took a deep breath. He thrust his palm forward, and a tyrannical surge of fire-element mana erupted, its intensity matching the power Black King was unleashing. Water and fire met in an instant. The collision erupted with horrifying force as a shockwave tore through the air, and sounds of explosions rang out.
Black King's demonic power could not compare to the Heavenly Phoenix mana Luo Chen had tempered through years of cultivation. Yet he had also been improving his own power throughout the years, and as Luo Chen held back, Black King was able to match him.
Water and fire collided without restraint, and the energies spilled outward in every direction. Nearby islands disappeared without a trace. Surging waves swelled to tens of zhang, only to evaporate instantly. Even Black King showed fear in his eyes as he began to lose control of his own power.
"Master... did I do something wrong? Are you trying to kill me?"
Luo Chen did not reply. He simply stared at the point where water and fire collided. Suddenly, he sent out another stream of mana and began tracing patterns through the space again. In that same brief instant, he seized on the connection with Black King to guide his uncontrollable demonic power. As his influence took effect, the violent clash between water and fire began to ease. In its place, a subtle sense of fusion appeared.
He seized that moment of fusion as he drew the formation patterns faster. As Black King's strength began to falter, his eyes lit up. "Yes, that's it!"
In the next instant, he thrust both palms forward and forced the water and fire into complete fusion. A yin-yang fish appeared in the air, with one side black and the other red. The moment it formed, a wave of energy radiated outward from Luo Chen and Black King, stretching out across a hundred li and continuing to expand.
One hundred li, two hundred li, three hundred li...
