Chapter 447: Chapter 201: Unity of Heaven and Man, Biding Time for Revenge
Tirelessly releasing Potential Power, constantly harnessing it for attack or defense—this was something far beyond the current abilities of either Chu Lingguang or Guo Wei.
’My control over Potential Power should have reached the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man. Perhaps, just as Master said, I can use the Wind and Wave Power to obtain even more Potential Power,’ Chu Lingguang mused.
He had spent the last month in diligent, arduous cultivation for the sole purpose of reaching the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man and using the Wind and Wave Power to obtain more Potential Power.
Now that he had finally achieved it, how could Chu Lingguang be content with merely using the Wind and Wave Power to propel his small fishing boat? He stirred the power again. He heard a breathing sound, and his Spiritual Perception flared out, observing every dynamic of the Wind and Wave Power.
Gradually, Chu Lingguang discovered another form of Potential Power around him.
He saw ripples spreading across the Canal’s surface, fallen leaves and dead branches bobbing on the waves. A gust of wind blew toward him, and in that instant, everything around him seemed to slow down.
All motion seemed to become clearer, broken down frame by frame.
Chu Lingguang was startled.
The motion in his perception returned to its normal speed.
He stood stunned for a moment, then once again followed the Wind and Wave Power to sense the surrounding Potential Power. After a short while, he saw it again: the motion of the world around him was being broken down frame by frame.
"What... what is this power?"
Chu Lingguang was baffled.
He was certain that this phenomenon—the world around him suddenly breaking down frame by frame—was not caused by some transformation in his own Perception Power.
His Sea of Consciousness Power had already evolved.
His Spiritual Sense and perception had both transformed. What he could see with his naked eye had long since surpassed the level of mere quick reflexes; not even Xuanyuan Jinkang’s Sword Technique or Guer Khan’s strike, empowered by speed-based Potential Energy, could escape his senses.
But capturing dynamic details was a result of his Spiritual Sense being powerful enough. This new Potential Power, which he had discovered by following the Wind and Wave Power, seemed to make the dynamic world itself abnormally slow. It wasn’t just a side effect of his evolved Spiritual Sense being able to perceive every minute detail.
’Could it be... this is the Potential Energy of ’slowness’ itself?’
Chu Lingguang blinked.
If he hadn’t personally witnessed Guer Khan master both speed-based and light-based Potential Energy during their fight, he would have never known that Potential Energy could be augmented by forces other than pure strength—forces like speed and light.
’If I master this power of ’slowness,’ couldn’t I make an enemy’s attacks infinitely slow? As their power wanes, mine will grow. I could kill them in a flash, before they even have time to react,’ Chu Lingguang marveled.
’How can I master this power?’
’Since I discovered it through the Wind and Wave Power, I’ll probably need the Wind and Wave Power to use it, too!’
’Master has said countless times that cultivation is about gaining power from a response, and breaking through the body’s shackles via fusion.’
’I might not be able to fuse the Wind and Wave Power with ’slowness,’ but I should first get a response from ’slowness’ itself. Only then can I master it,’ Chu Lingguang muttered to himself.
Guo Wei had already taught him how to grasp and utilize a new form of Potential Energy once he had found it.
With his powerful Sea of Consciousness, Chu Lingguang seemed to be progressing through this step much faster than others would.
「By the time the small fishing boat drifted into the inner river, the sky had grown dark.」
Chu Lingguang stood at the bow and raised his Nine-foot Tyrant Spear. He moved the Long Spear gently. A single falling leaf was caught by an invisible force surrounding the weapon. Its descent slowed abruptly, taking twice as long to fall as the other leaves.
Within his perception, Chu Lingguang saw the fluctuations of the ’slowness’ Potential Energy. They were like ripples in water, forming a sort of mire that drastically slowed anything entering it.
Just then, a river breeze picked up. The branches of a willow tree on the bank swayed, sending a shower of leaves down toward the bow of Chu Lingguang’s boat. With a sweep of his Long Spear, he held it horizontally above the river. The leaves falling near the spear’s shaft noticeably slowed, as if an invisible force was holding the dozen or so of them back, gently scattering them onto the water’s surface.
’What would happen if my Potential Energy clashed with Guer Khan’s?’
A sense of anticipation grew in Chu Lingguang.
’Guer Khan’s Potential Energy can multiply the speed of his Sword Technique, while my ’slowness’ can drastically reduce an opponent’s speed. If our two powers collided, would his Sword Technique just approach me at a normal speed?’
"The matter of Clan Leader Xie entering the Great Yuan must not be revealed. The Prince sent him this time for a pivotal task. All of us must obey Clan Leader Xie’s orders without question. We cannot afford to slight him."
"I heard Clan Leader Xie is one of the Great Yuan’s most wanted criminals. Some Grand Yuan Martial Artists even went into Turkic lands to try and capture him."
"Clan Leader Xie gave the Day and Night Breathing Technique to the Turkic people. The Great Yuan hates him to the very bone."
"Quiet! Clan Leader Xie is the Prince’s favored man. Our success depends entirely on his help."
"Yes!"
...
Suddenly, a hushed conversation entered the range of Chu Lingguang’s perception.
To his astonishment, Chu Lingguang discovered six or seven foreigners gathered in a tile-roofed house about three hundred meters from the river entrance. They weren’t Turkic people, but men from Tianzhu.
’Clan Leader Xie... the Day and Night Breathing Technique?’
’Could it be... the person they were just talking about is Xie Xiaohuan?’
’Xie Xiaohuan has snuck back into the Great Yuan?’
’I have to tell Master immediately.’
This was completely unexpected. Chu Lingguang was both shocked and overjoyed.
"Let’s go!"
Just then, within his field of perception, the group of men from Tianzhu left the tile-roofed house together, picking up speed as they ran toward the outskirts of South City.
’There’s no time. They must be going to meet Xie Xiaohuan.’
’The Court won’t let Master move against Xie Xiaohuan. Rumor has it there’s a traitor within the Court, and until that spy is rooted out, Xie Xiaohuan is off-limits.’
’If Xie Xiaohuan has truly infiltrated the Great Yuan and I can capture him and force him to reveal the traitor’s identity, then Master will be able to ransom the people at Wolf Valley Pass. It would be my way of repaying his kindness,’ Chu Lingguang thought excitedly.
Watching the group from Tianzhu hurry away, Chu Lingguang thought for a moment and decided to follow them first. If he went back to inform Guo Wei now, he was afraid they would escape and he would lose the trail.
So, he used the Celestial Master Technique to conceal his aura and tailed them from a distance.
Over the past month of practice, Chu Lingguang had not only activated the Celestial Master Technique, but had also learned that this Cultivation Technique was essentially an upgraded version of the Turtle Breath Technique. It could do more than just hide his aura; it could also mimic other auras. For instance, when hiding in the bushes, he could make his aura fluctuate like that of a wild beast, making it far more effective for deception.
*(Yesterday’s missed update was completely unintentional. I didn’t get out of the hospital until 3 PM. Please be careful of the respiratory flu, everyone. It’s hit my hometown hard; pretty much everyone has it, and the clinics are swamped. It’s not so bad for adults, but it’s critical for kids and the elderly, who need to be on continuous IV drips.)*
