Chapter 677: Chapter 676: Great Success
A cavern, a hundred yards in length and width, adorned with torches inserted into stone protrusions every ten meters along the wall. On the far left, numerous food and water sources were placed.
On the right, there was a bathing pool, a space of ten yards in radius, and by its side, a simple but sophisticated toilet facility.
This was Shi Xiaole’s retreat.
Glancing around, he found the conditions rather luxurious. Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but sigh, yet he also had to commend Zhu Ling’s thoughtfulness.
"The four martial arts techniques must be practiced in a certain order."
No matter the realm, internal strength has always been of utmost importance. But there’s a big problem. If he modifies his internal strength, his martial power will inevitably decline for a considerable period.
This was the primary reason for him choosing to retreat for an extended duration.
Once he had chosen the Dragon Gate Divine Skill, he placed the Divine Wind Movement second. With the enhancement from the Wind Sword Way, this martial art could almost instantly increase his combat power.
As for Xuanyin Twelve Swords and Effortless Seeking Technique, they would have to wait.
With clasped hands and a mind free from distractions, Shi Xiaole quickly immersed himself in training.
One day.
Two days.
Ten days passed.
Aside from occasional eating, Shi Xiaole just sat on a cushion, as motionless as a clay sculpture.
Gradually, a powerful aura began to seep through his pores, causing the atmosphere within the hundred-yard cavern to become oppressive.
The fifteenth day arrived.
A wave of energy propagated outwards, causing the cavern to rumble tremendously.
"This isn’t the right sensation."
While martial arts emphasises understanding, Shi Xiaole couldn’t perceive the concept of the Dragon Gate Divine Skill. Over the past few days, he had only managed to grasp the basics through intuition. The process was far from smooth.
Slapping his forehead, Shi Xiaole thought to himself, ’How could I forget? Wei Beihui had understood the Dragon Gate Divine Skill in a vortex of water, I should also be training in a similar environment to double the effect.’
He got up and walked out. In Shi Xiaole’s memory, there was an end of a tunnel near a large river.
The Tianqu River, one of the ten large rivers in Xuanwu State. Due to its raging waters all year round, most ships usually bypass it. Thus, the river remained wild and deserted.
That day, a middle-aged man with a wax-yellow complexion jumped into the river. He allowed the water to strike his body, succumbing to the flow.
"The force of the water vortex is tremendous, far surpassing my power. What I need to do is not resist it, but rather unite with it and use it as my own."
Shi Xiaole had never underestimated nature.
The falling force of a waterfall can shatter a Terrestrial Immortal into pieces. A small-scale landslide is also enough to force a Terrestrial Immortal to evade on the spot.
When humans are part of nature, compared to the vast universe, how insignificant is their strength!
Shi Xiaole didn’t know if anyone in the world could transcend nature, but at least at this stage, what he had to do was not fight against nature but borrow its strength.
He relaxed his body, allowing the rapid vortex to continually impact him. Shi Xiaole felt as though he had become one with the Tianqu River, experiencing its violent flow and vast expanse.
The days passed and the nights fell.
He didn’t know where he had drifted. Sometimes he would follow the waterfall down, sometimes rushing through the mountains, and sometimes, he would enter other large rivers. In this journey, a vague comprehension emerged gradually.
A month passed.
From Shi Xiaole’s head, an enormous energy column shot out, piercing the sky, tearing a huge hole in the clouds overhead, as the sound of roaring rapids echoed from within.
"It’s finally taking shape."
Shi Xiaole had to admit that he had continuously underestimated the top-grade martial arts.
He had thought that only after mastering the Dragon Gate Divine Skill, his martial strength would exceed his past strength.
But he now discovered that even the nascent stage of the Dragon Gate Divine Skill had increased his Vigorous Air’s strength more than before, raising both its intensity and endurance to a new level.
No wonder so many Terrestrial Immortals in the Martial World were eager to obtain top-grade martial arts.
"There are still a few months left. Let’s see if I can master it in one go."
With a shut of eyes, Shi Xiaole once again dived deep into practice.
The journey from the nascent stage to full mastery was a completely different concept than from the beginning to the nascent stage. The former was at least ten times more challenging than the latter.
Two hurried months went by.
Shi Xiaole had long drifted from the Tianqu River to other large rivers, gained some benefits along the way, but was still far from mastering the Dragon Gate Divine Skill.
Given his current progress, without a year or more, there was no hope of breakthrough.
Actually, his learning speed was already extraordinarily shocking.
Most Terrestrial Immortals would strive for decades in the hopes of mastering top-grade martial arts. There are even fewer who can reach perfection.
"Ten more days of practice."
Knowing that there was no hope, Shi Xiaole still refused to give up. After his mind became muddled, he would rest for a moment before continuing his analysis.
The prolonged overuse of brainpower caused the hair at his temples to turn completely white, devoid of any dark strands.
As quick as a flash, ten days passed.
"Three more days of practice."
Shi Xiaole pushed himself harder.
"Two more days."
He couldn’t accept failure.
"One last day."
...
"Grandpa, is that a man?"
Next to a canyon, a little girl jumped excitedly on the shore, pointing into the distance.
Beside her, several boys and girls of about the same age also ran to the edge of the shore, filled with curiosity, and began to shout.
An old man holding an erhu, with empty eyes, smiled and said, "The river is so rapid that some people would indeed be washed away, you must have mistaken it."
"Really? But it really looked like it just a minute ago."
The little girl, with her hands on her hips, was very doubtful. In such a short time, the ’person’ was gone. Maybe, just as her grandfather had said, it was something else.
The several children ran off to other places. The blind old man looked at the river surface and suddenly played the erhu.
The lamenting sound echoed in the canyon. The sound was interrupted by some check posts and sunk into the river. Shi Xiaole’s mind shuddered.
In an instant, the vortex around his body suddenly reversed its rotation. The infinite resistance was turned into an infinite boost, which merged with Shi Xiaole’s Vigorous Air. A great energy, fearless and powerful, was gathering in his chest. This energy turned into his shocking strike.
Bang!
The force of palm, passed by the river, actually successfully hit the giant stone hundreds of meters away. Above the giant stone was a 15-yard high cliff.
Swoosh.
The cliff collapsed into pieces and fell into the river, stirring up waves.
The children on the shore heard the noise, turned around, and just saw the scene of the collapse of the cliff, each one of them was surprised, with their mouths agape.
"Success!"
Shi Xiaole could not help but want to laugh out loud.
The initial success of the Dragon Gate Divine Skill allowed his strength to rise steadily. After it was fully successful, his strength increased dramatically. Together, his strength had increased by nearly 50% compared to before he began practicing the Dragon Gate Divine Skill.
You must know, Shi Xiaole’s Vigorous Air was originally more substantial than that of others. An increase of 50% on such a basis was equivalent to at least 60% to 70% of others.
Normally, even after ten years of hard work, such progress would be hard to come by.
And it wasn’t over yet. As the Dragon Gate Divine Skill was fully accomplished, the Vigorous Air condensed once more and the power of heaven and earth intruded into Shi Xiaole’s body again, filling him up.
His cultivation level succesfully broke through from the initial stage of the Divine Border Realm to the early stage of the second strata.
Swoop!
Shi Xiaole rushed out of the river and stood in the air, but he did not see any figures around.
"Eh, where did the person who was playing the erhu go?"
Without the sound of the erhu, Shi Xiaole would not have been able to break through. So he really wanted to thank that person in person, no matter if the person did it intentionally or unintentionally.
But it seemed like this person did not want to see him, or was everything just an illusion?
"Thank you for your guidance!"
After thinking about it, Shi Xiaole bowed to his surroundings and then landed on a shore a kilometer away.
He had nearly a month’s time left. He planned to practice the Divine Wind Movement here and then return to Wuling Villa to take charge.
...
"Grandfather, we have to leave again. Me, Goudan, Daya and Huanghua just got to know each other."
Behind them was the canyon covered by the jungle. The little girl was walking ahead with a downcast face, feeling quite depressed and sad.
"My dear granddaughter, you are the luckiest person in the world, but you are also the unluckiest one. Friendship comes to an end eventually. Alas! Your grandfather is doing this for your own good."
The blind old man sighed.
"I understand the meaning of grandfather, but I want to have friends."
The little girl murmured softly to herself.
The blind old man tightened his grip on the erhu in his hand, not saying a word.
...
Wuling Villa.
The fifth floor of Yinfeng Pavilion.
Xin Zhuliu and the three surprising people were seated at one side of a long table, on the other side sat four men and two women. However, if you paid closer attention, you would find that the atmosphere was a bit unusual.
"Thank you, everyone, for your help this time. Wuling Villa is deeply grateful."
Zhu Ling stood up, bowed to the six people across from her at the table.
About five months ago, when the news of the three great aristocratic families’ intention to harm Wuling Villa reached them, everyone in the villa was terrified. In accordance with Shi Xiaole’s command, Zhu Ling strictly prohibited anyone from going out. She announced that help would be coming soon.
Soon after, the Martial World Alliance indeed sent seventeen Earth Immortals. With their rigorous investigations, Qiu Yuansheng and others hiding in Maple Town were exposed. After a fierce battle, they quickly fled in all directions.
Lately, some more Earth Immortals responded to the call of the Martial World Alliance and came to Nine Heavens Mountain. Over the past few months, it can be confirmed that the Earth Immortals of the three great families have already left here.
With the misfortune resolved, Wuling Villa is of course endlessly grateful and also withdrew the Nine Profound Formation about a month ago. However, during this period, some unpleasant incidents occurred.
"No need for thanks."
Among the six people on the other side, a middle-aged man with long eyes waved his hand and smiled: "If you really want to thank us, why not let me have a look at your Nine Profound Formation?."
Zhu Ling pursed her lips.
The middle-aged man was not talking about knowing the power of the Nine Profound Formation, but knowing the nodes and structure of the Nine Profound Formation.
But how could the most important defense formation of a sect be casually shown to outsiders?
"I am willing to swear that I will only take a look and will never reveal any secrets about the Nine Profound Formation, how about that?" The middle-aged man said with a bit of urgency.
As the master of a branch of the Martial World Alliance, the middle-aged man had also founded a sect in Tian State. But because he didn’t know many people, the defense formation of his sect was only of peak Dragon Gate Realm level. After having seen the Nine Profound Formation, he was eager to try.
Fearing that he might offend Kirin, he did not pressure too much. Moreover, whenever he proposed it, he did so with a pleasant expression, promising various conditions in exchange.
