Chapter 233: Chapter 223: Sky-splitting Slash
Two days later, Zhao Lin found Pan Yue to tell him his decision.
"Elder Pan, I want to cultivate the Wind Manipulation Skill!"
He had already finished reading the two martial arts classics, the Treatise on the Inner Classics and the Martial Arts General Outline. Although he was far from mastering them, he had gained a deeper understanding of the martial path.
His advantages over others were his power and speed.
His sense of smell wasn’t very useful in actual combat, and his hearing could only play a supporting role.
Of his three special attribute True Qis—Wind, Ice, and Thunder—his Ice Attribute techniques, the Celestial Frost Fist and the Three Yin Claw, were already quite refined and could serve as his main offensive methods.
Wind Attribute True Qi provided a boost to his speed, which was why Zhao Lin had chosen it.
In truth, he had always favored his Thunder Attribute True Qi; after all, no other attribute could match its offensive power.
Unfortunately, he could never find a suitable way to increase it. Even if he learned how to control it, with the small amount of Thunder Attribute True Qi in his Qi Sea, he could throw one or two punches at most before he was left helpless.
Furthermore, the Xingyun Sect lacked a complete lineage of Thunder Attribute Skills. It only had a single technique, the Thunder-Expelling Skill, which was incapable of unleashing the true power of Thunder Attribute True Qi.
This was because in order to develop a cultivation technique for a certain attribute, one must possess that attribute’s True Qi. Throughout the Xingyun Sect’s history, too few people had possessed a Thunder Attribute constitution, and not a single one had ever cultivated to the Primordial Realm.
After weighing his options, Zhao Lin ultimately chose to cultivate his Wind Attribute True Qi to further enhance his speed.
Martial arts were ever-changing, but they ultimately boiled down to power and speed. Technique, resilience, and mentality were merely icing on the cake.
With the Martial Assembly only three months away, Zhao Lin planned to focus his training on this single path.
Hearing Zhao Lin’s decision, Pan Yue smiled faintly. "I respect your choice. It’s as I always say: only you can truly know yourself."
"But I have a question. I measured your Wind Attribute True Qi, and it can last for five breaths at most. Why not cultivate the Wind Gathering Skill first, instead of choosing the Wind Manipulation Skill?"
The Wind Gathering Skill was a Basic Cultivation Skill that could increase the cultivation base of someone with a Wind Attribute constitution.
The Wind Manipulation Skill, on the other hand, could only control Wind Attribute True Qi.
Zhao Lin could increase his Wind Attribute cultivation by drinking potions, so naturally, he didn’t want to waste time starting with the Wind Gathering Skill.
But he couldn’t voice this reason, so he explained, "Elder, the Martial Assembly is only three months away. I don’t think my cultivation base would increase by much if I trained in the Wind Gathering Skill."
"I know it might seem like I’m rushing for quick results, but cultivating the Wind Manipulation Skill first will be immediately useful."
"As long as you know you’re rushing for quick results!"
Pan Yue teased him before nodding. "The Wind Manipulation Skill can increase the speed of your Body Technique, and the effects are immediate. It’s not a bad choice."
Seeing his chance, Zhao Lin decided to strike while the iron was hot. "I would also like to cultivate another offensive technique."
After absorbing the Wind Fox’s Essence Soul, his body had been further transformed. His meridians and acupoints had become quite attuned to Wind Attribute True Qi, and Zhao Lin felt he still had capacity for more.
The sect’s chief disciple, Xiao Jin, had only placed in the top thirty-two at the last Martial Assembly. This just showed how fierce the competition was. ’I have to push myself even harder!’
Pan Yue raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile. "Aren’t you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"
Zhao Lin answered honestly, "I will know my limits. If I haven’t achieved sufficient mastery of the Wind Manipulation Skill, I will not rashly cultivate another technique."
Pan Yue pondered for a long moment before finally agreeing. "Alright. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. You reached the First Layer of the Blood Realm at nineteen; perhaps you shouldn’t be judged by conventional standards."
"The sect doesn’t have many Wind Attribute techniques. There’s only the Wind Roar Fist, the Sky-splitting Slash, and the Wind God Leg. Which one do you want to choose?"
Zhao Lin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I’ve practiced fist, claw, and leg techniques, but I still lack a palm technique. What can you tell me about the Sky-splitting Slash?"
Pan Yue chuckled. "As it happens, there’s someone in our Leisure Cloud Hall who has practiced this technique. I’ll have him demonstrate it for you, then you can decide."
He turned to a guard and said, "Go find Hu Zun."
"Yes."
The guard hurried away and returned a short while later, leading a middle-aged man with a rosy complexion and a simple, honest face into the courtyard.
"Hall Master."
The middle-aged man bowed.
"Hu Zun, demonstrate the Sky-splitting Slash."
Pan Yue ordered.
"Yes."
Hu Zun acknowledged the order, retreated more than ten paces, and then, without any warning, chopped out with his palm.
A flash of green light appeared, and the projected energy formed a crescent-shaped slash over three feet long.
Even from ten paces away, he could feel a powerful gust of wind on his face.
Zhao Lin was stunned. "That’s not right!" he said, confused. "A Blood Realm martial artist’s energy can’t leave their body, or at least, not extend more than a foot. How can his energy travel so far?"
Pan Yue smiled without answering, his gaze telling Zhao Lin to think it over for himself.
Zhao Lin frowned in thought. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together and said, "I understand! His energy didn’t actually break the one-foot limit."
"It’s all because of the properties of Wind Attribute energy. It stirs up the airflow in the air, forming a Wind Blade."
Pan Yue laughed heartily. "Correct! That is the advantage of Wind Attribute True Qi!"
"Wind Attribute True Qi is difficult to control and has few variations, but this Sky-splitting Slash can expand one’s attack range."
"Although its offensive power diminishes beyond one foot, its might is not to be underestimated."
Since the Sky-splitting Slash was so formidable, Zhao Lin didn’t need to hesitate. "I’ll choose the Sky-splitting Slash," he said decisively.
’If I can learn this move, even if I can only achieve fifty percent of Hu Zun’s power, my own strength will rise to a whole new level.’
Pan Yue nodded. "Then it’s settled."
A question suddenly occurred to Zhao Lin. "Elder," he asked, "Liu Feiyang from the Li Yang Sect also has a Wind Attribute constitution. How come we’ve never seen him use this technique?"
’If Liu Feiyang had used this move during the sect’s internal tournament, he would have been incredibly difficult to deal with. Even if I could have won, it would have been a huge struggle.’
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