Chapter 89: Chapter 3: The 3 Universal Techniques
Although it sounded like paranoid nonsense, a part of what Su Zhou said was actually the absolute truth.
Before the Spiritual Energy Revival, the Awakened Level was the highest tier of Extraordinary combat power in this era. Even the leader of a global organization like the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association, or the Saints of the Righteous Country, were nothing more than this level.
The combat power of this level was simple to describe: taking a direct hit from an RPG without any preparation or armor would leave you either dead or in excruciating pain. Many mid-level members were likely only at the Spirit Awakening Level, unable to reach Awakening because the Spiritual Qi concentration wasn’t high enough.
But with the Spiritual Energy Revival, the concentration shot up. Cultivators who had been training for ten, or even dozens of years before the Opening the Heavens and Earth, could quickly reach the Awakened Level. Those who were already at the Awakened Level, like Professor Zhang Fucheng of Zhengyi Academy, broke through a minor realm on the very day of the revival, shattering a bottleneck that had held him back for years.
’The Spiritual Energy Revival happened over a month ago. By my most conservative estimate, they have to have more than five Awakened Level members. Plus, there’s no way they’d only use melee weapons. Even without heavy weapons, they’re a massive threat.’
Dexterously twirling the long spear in his hand, he fluidly shifted through various techniques, stirring up a howling gale around him. Su Zhou muttered to himself, "Unless I can get my hands on a suit of exoskeleton armor, revenge will be next to impossible. Tsk, what an infuriating thought. This really sucks!"
—But was exoskeleton armor really necessary?
"No, no, Su Zhou. You’ve had it all wrong from the start."
Yara tutted, wagging its tail like a human wagging a finger. "Why are you trying to compete with them in technology like ’exoskeleton armor,’ an area where they have an absolute advantage?"
"They have technology, but you have Divine Skills!"
"After you ate the Wisdom Fruit, didn’t I teach you the ’Universal Three Techniques’ that very day? They are the foundational techniques of all methods, capable of unleashing power in any world and any environment, as long as you have Spiritual Power in your body..."
If Yara hadn’t said anything, it would have been fine. But the moment it spoke, Su Zhou slammed the butt of his spear onto the floor, making it tremble, and started to complain. "Those so-called Universal Three Techniques... sure, they’re simple, and they have some power, I’ll give you that. But you’re telling me they can compare to firearms and exoskeleton armor? Are you kidding me?!"
As he spoke, he held out his hand, palm straightened like a blade. A faint, cyan-violet Spiritual Qi seeped from the edge of his hand-blade, coalescing into a translucent Qi Blade. With a swipe of his hand, the Qi Blade shot off, flying several meters before slowly dissipating.
Next, Su Zhou flipped his hand over. Spiritual Light surged beneath his fair skin, then condensed into numerous triangular Spiritual Qi structures, making his flesh as hard as corundum, tougher than iron.
Finally, he raised his wrist, stuck out his thumb, and poked himself in the stomach.
"One of them, ’Qi Manipulation and Sky Breaking,’ is basically just gathering Spiritual Qi and launching it efficiently as a Qi Blade. Forget not being able to hit things from far away—I can punch right through a tree just by infusing my fist with Spiritual Power. But this Qi Blade, even when I focus all my strength, can only cut half an inch deep at most."
"Then there’s ’Gathering Qi in the Body.’ It actively uses Spiritual Qi to reinforce the Holy Triangle structure and boost my defense for a short time. I feel like it could probably block a handgun bullet, but a slightly more advanced rifle would still tear through my flesh, to say nothing of automatic fire."
"And lastly, ’Refining Essence and Transforming Qi.’ You even called it ’Big Snake Swallowing Elephant.’ It’s really just using Spiritual Qi to enhance my digestive abilities... Do I look like I need help with that?!"
Su Zhou’s complaints were filled with genuine emotion; clearly, he had been holding them in for a long time.
’After eating the Wisdom Fruit, he knew Yara wouldn’t let him ascend to the heavens in a single step and practice God-Demon Skills he couldn’t possibly control yet. But did he really need to spend over a month polishing the ’Universal Three Techniques,’ three moves he’d already grasped in a single day? Wouldn’t it be better to learn something like ’War God’s Swift Spear’ or ’Blessed Liberation’?’
"My Contractor, do not underestimate these seemingly simple techniques. It is precisely because they are simple that they are easy to learn but difficult to master. Right now, you have barely scratched the surface."
Sensing Su Zhou’s dissatisfaction, Yara’s tone immediately grew serious. "The Awakened Level has three minor stages, corresponding to ’Condensed Spirituality,’ ’Extraordinary Physical Body,’ and ’Soul Clarity’—that is, a spirit that can command Spiritual Qi, a body impervious to heat and cold, and a soul that can perceive the Spirit Realm."
"You have long since passed these three stages—in fact, you were born having passed them. So what you need to do now is solidify your foundation and prepare to break through to the Extraordinary Rank. Not to mention, you want to single-handedly annihilate an Extraordinary Family with a legacy stretching back hundreds of years!"
"Surely you understand the dangers of being overambitious? Or are you willing to sacrifice a much broader future for a moment of satisfaction?"
"...I understand. Please, guide me!"
When the Snake Spirit got serious, it projected the aura of a great teacher. Although Su Zhou was impatient, he took a deep breath, calmed himself, and listened quietly to its teachings.
Yara also understood that if it didn’t explain the reasons clearly now, Su Zhou’s doubt would certainly slow his cultivation speed. So, it deliberately slowed its speech and began to explain in earnest.
"The Extraordinary Rank, which is above the Awakening Level, is also known as Innate, or Tongxuan, and has many other names in different systems. Its foundation lies in building the power within your body into a structure that is uniquely yours and most convenient for you to use. Then, using that as a base, you turn your body into an array, construct your own personal Spirit Realm, and connect with the great source of Heaven and Earth."
"Gathering Qi in the Body is the technique for this self-construction. Qi Manipulation and Sky Breaking is the first step toward later controlling the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. As for Refining Essence and Transforming Qi—having read so many Daoist Scriptures, surely you realize that a technique that greatly enhances eating, and thus cultivation efficiency, is the foundation for all of the above?"
Yara’s lesson was delivered with powerful conviction. "These three basic Cultivation Methods are the foundation of all techniques in the world. No matter which one of them you master to the level of Great Success, you can use it to achieve a perfect Awakening and reach the Extraordinary Rank!"
"I see! So that’s how it is!" Hearing this, Su Zhou’s eyes widened. The Wisdom Fruit had cleared his mind, and he immediately saw the limitations of his previous thinking. He had only been treating the three techniques as skills to be used in combat, which naturally made them seem somewhat useless.
But in reality, the ’Universal Three Techniques’ were a training method, a special kind of Cultivation Technique! Their true power would likely only reveal itself after a period of persistent practice!
Yara glanced at Su Zhou, who seemed to have had an epiphany and was frowning in thought, and couldn’t help but sigh. "Originally, I thought you could cultivate slowly at school, gradually uncovering the essence of these techniques on your own. That way, you would have developed a much deeper understanding of cultivation, and this early polishing is crucial for the later stages."
"But I was wrong about one thing. You are clearly not the type of person who can calm down, enter seclusion, and figure things out on your own to break through bottlenecks. Su Zhou, you need actual combat."
"The Evil-Devouring Demon Lord, as expected, can only truly grow through battles against evil. And while your world is certainly developing steadily, with very mature methods for handling problems, it’s precisely because it’s so stable that, for the short term, it lacks the most important things: ’combat’ and ’opportunity.’"
Having said this, Yara nodded slightly, seeming to have made up its mind.
"Start preparing, Su Zhou. If you truly want to gain the power to annihilate an entire Extraordinary Organization on your own before the year is out, then there is only one way."
As the Snake Spirit spoke, Su Zhou immediately realized what Yara was about to say.
And then, just as he expected, Yara flicked its tail, pointing to the silver pocket watch on Su Zhou’s desk. Its tone was calm. "And that is to go to an Otherworld—to cultivate with the resources of another world, and to fight the evil enemies of another world."
"I imagine that there, you should be able to transform these currently ’impractical’ techniques into your own unique Combat Skills."
"Really?! Awesome!" Hearing this, Su Zhou was overjoyed at first. He gripped the shaft of his spear, raised it high, and looked as if he was about to cheer.
’Some old Extraordinary Organization with a few hundred years of history? So what! I, Su Zhou, have Yara and the Celestial God Scale! I’m basically using cheats, and I can even go to another world to gather resources and hone my skills!’
’Saying I can’t annihilate your organization by myself?! Who do you think you’re looking down on?!’
But soon, he seemed to think of something.
And so, Su Zhou’s smile vanished. He silently raised his head and looked out the window.
Su Zhou said softly, "That’s right. Even in other worlds, there is evil that needs to be wiped out."
"Of course."
Yara said dismissively, "Order and chaos both restrain and promote each other. As long as civilization still has room to advance, the spiral of good and evil will never stop. It’s the same in every world. You don’t need to be so sentimental."
But this time, Su Zhou didn’t reply. He just silently picked up his spear and once again began to practice the ’Universal Three Techniques.’
’Yara was right. When it came to the path of the Extraordinary, he had barely scratched the surface. Even if it was for the sake of vanquishing evil, he couldn’t be overambitious. He needed to be down-to-earth.’
’Time to focus on cultivation!’
The time spent preparing for his first trip to an Otherworld was neither short nor long.
Time passed in a flurry of practicing Spiritual Skills and Martial Arts, and hunting a growing number of Evil Spirits and Resentful Souls. For most ordinary people, besides bugs becoming a little harder to kill, nothing much had changed in these first two months of the Spiritual Energy Revival.
The Extraordinary elements lying dormant within the general populace were gradually awakening in the increasingly dense Spiritual Qi. This process needed time to steep, and there was no telling how many ’Superpower Users’ it would catalyze in the near future.
Change was brewing. A transformation was waiting.
And then, on December 7, 2014.
Winter. Heavy snow.
All preparations were complete.
The crossing was about to begin.
