Chapter 385: Chapter 372: The Cultivation of Power Control
"When a man gives a woman a gift, it’s usually a necklace, a ring, or a Jade Pendant... But I gave you a Locking Chain. Consider this petal as compensation."
Shen Lang said softly, "A chaotic era is coming. The entire world will undergo unprecedented changes. Demon Fiends will run rampant, and all life will be plunged into misery. But I will absolutely not let any of you be harmed..."
"A chaotic era..."
Nalan Ziyun didn’t quite understand what Shen Lang was talking about, but she could feel the weight on his heart.
"In the past, I was always naive, thinking I was powerful, or that I could become powerful enough to protect everyone around me. I always tried to shoulder everything myself..."
Shen Lang’s voice seemed to drift. "But a woman once told me that the people around me don’t all want to live under my protection..."
"They don’t want to hide behind me or sit on my shoulders. They want to stand side-by-side with me, to laugh and cry with me, to bear what I bear and feel what I feel..."
"Drip a drop of your Essence Blood onto this petal. Within a month, I will help you raise your Cultivation to the Xuanwu Realm. After you reach the Xuanwu Realm, separate a wisp of your Soul Thought and store it in the petal. Then, you will be able to control it completely."
THUMP!
The fruit dropped from the mouth of the mummy at the side. Tian Hao’s jaw hung open, revealing the unchewed pulp inside.
Meanwhile, Yan Qi and the others, busy nearby, didn’t notice a thing.
Nalan Ziyun clutched the petal tightly and buried her head in Shen Lang’s chest, murmuring, "You finally understand now, don’t you? How annoying your old high-handed ways were? You always hid everything in your heart, trying to bear it all by yourself. But whether it’s me, Dingdang, or your sister and the others, we all want to share everything with you—the laughter, the sorrow... all of it."
"I want to fight by your side. We weren’t born on the same day, but we can die on the same day."
"I will work hard on my Cultivation," Nalan Ziyun said, a resolve she had never felt before shining in her eyes.
Just then, a group of people approached from a distance, calling out greetings while still far off.
"Junior Brother, good morning!"
It was Shu Lan, Kou Xiaotian, and their group.
Four of them were the ones who had adventured with Shen Lang in Shuiyun Stream, while the other five included Jie Fengqing and Zhan Wuji.
These were the people who, from within the Concealing Array Shen Lang had set up, had clearly watched him cut down the experts from the Beast Emperor Palace, one slash at a time.
It was precisely because they had witnessed it all with their own eyes that they knew Shen Lang possessed a terrifyingly powerful Cultivation.
Just half an hour ago, these people had been summoned by the Sect Leader and ordered not to reveal anything about Shen Lang.
In return, all nine of them were taught the Superior Heart Method of the "Thunder Control Divine Technique" and received a large amount of Contribution Points.
When Xia Xiaoting mentioned that she had asked Shen Lang to guide their Cultivation last night and he hadn’t refused, not only did Jie Fengqing and the others cheer, but even the Sect Leader was grinning from ear to ear.
So, as soon as they were dismissed, they wasted no time in heading for Shen Lang’s residence.
However, while they were still far off, they saw an exceptionally beautiful woman embracing Shen Lang in a very intimate posture. Meanwhile, on a chair nearby lay something wrapped up tight like a rice dumpling, and their expressions all turned incredibly strange.
Nalan Ziyun stood up with poise, flicked her hair, and asked, "What are these people here for?"
"It’s nothing. I just promised to guide their Cultivation," Shen Lang said with a smile.
The people tending to the flowers and plants nearby immediately stopped, their burning gazes fixed on the scene.
Yan Qi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Junior Brother, if you’re going to teach them, teach us too! I heard all about it! Last night, you beat two Inner Sect senior brothers from the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven so badly they were looking for their teeth on the ground! You’re incredible!"
Kou Xiaotian and the others shot that lout a sidelong glance, their expressions clearly saying, ’What the hell do you know?’
’Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven is nothing! He cut down a Xuanwu Realm Fourth Heaven expert with a single slash!’
’If we told you, it would scare you to death!’
Shen Lang, still lounging in his chair, showed no intention of getting up.
He swept his gaze over them and said languidly, "The path of Martial Arts is one of stealing from Yin and Yang and seizing creation itself. Scarcely one person in ten million truly succeeds. Those who can truly glimpse the secrets of Martial Arts and stand at its peak are, without exception, individuals with wills of iron, far from ordinary. They fear no hardship or danger. They slash through every obstacle and endure countless tribulations, only then can they finally use their martial skill to attain the Dao."
"For those with weak wills, for those who cling to life and fear death, even if the most supreme Cultivation Technique in the world were placed before you, even if heaven-defying Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were placed before you, you would still be unable to comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth."
"So, I need to make a few things clear first."
"Don’t expect your Cultivation to soar just because I give you a few pointers. There’s no such master teacher in this world."
"All Cultivation depends on one’s comprehension, one’s fortune, and whether one works hard enough and can endure inhuman pain."
"Be down-to-earth, temper your mind, and persevere relentlessly. This is the first step. If you can’t do these things, everything else is just empty talk."
Zhan Wuji stepped forward, pounded his chest, and said, "Junior Brother, teach us! We’ll do whatever you say!"
"As a man, if you can’t even endure a little pain, how can you possibly practice Martial Arts?"
"Yeah, that’s right!" the crowd immediately chimed in.
"Very good," Shen Lang said with a wide grin. "Then let the Cultivation begin."
With a flick of his right hand, he sent out a surge of Powerful Qi, causing the bamboo stick Nalan Ziyun had discarded to fly from the ground into his hand.
The bamboo stick was about three feet long, no thicker than an index finger, and was just an ordinary piece of green bamboo from the mountain.
Holding the bamboo stick, Shen Lang pointed forward twice and said, "Those with Cultivation below the Spirit Martial Realm, stand on the left. Those at the Spirit Martial Realm or above, stand on the right."
SWISH! The crowd immediately split into two groups. There were about sixteen people in the Qi Martial Realm group and only nine in the Spirit Martial Realm group.
Shen Lang nodded. "For those at the Spirit Martial Realm and above, I will first teach you a Mantra. Then, you will go to the lake to cultivate. If you can take three steps on the water’s surface, you will have succeeded in the first part of your training."
"What? How is that possible!" everyone exclaimed in shock.
Jie Fengqing’s face fell as he said, "That seems impossible, doesn’t it? Although a Spirit Martial Realm cultivator’s Spiritual Power can leave the body, be molded into various shapes, and condensed into Spiritual Power Gauze Clothing, Walking on Waves should require at least the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven!"
The people around him immediately nodded vigorously in agreement.
Not counting Nalan Ziyun, most of the others were at the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven. There were only a few at the Spirit Martial Realm Second Heaven.
Asking a group like this to walk on water? Wasn’t this a joke?
Shen Lang shook his head. "That’s just a deeply ingrained idea in your minds. Walking on water is a demonstration of power control. If you can control your power down to the smallest degree, even someone at the Qi Martial Realm could stand on the water’s surface."
"As far as I know, among some of the races in the Barbaric Lands, many can do this even as children."
Everyone was dumbfounded. "Children? This sounds like something out of a story."
Shen Lang chuckled. "If you’re at the Spirit Martial Realm, then it goes without saying. As long as your power control is adequate, it’s laughably easy."
A bitter taste filled everyone’s mouth. "’Laughably easy?’ How could that be possible?"
Nalan Ziyun blushed and turned away. Aside from Shen Lang, she had the highest Cultivation here, already at the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, but even she couldn’t walk on water.
Seeing this, Shen Lang barked, "Just do as you’re told! What’s with all the chatter? If you have to question every single thing I tell you to do, do you even want to cultivate or not?"
As he spoke, he suddenly flew up from his rocking chair and landed lightly on the surface of the water.
"This type of Cultivation is, in fact, about condensing and controlling your power at your current stage, at your current Cultivation Realm."
"To put it simply, it’s to teach you how to precisely control your power."
"Take two people at the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven. If one of you can cultivate to the point where you can sprint across the lake’s surface at full speed, then when you use the same Techniques and Cultivation Techniques, your power will likely be several times greater than the other Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven Martial Artist’s!"
"Most people’s Cultivation, whether it’s enriching or refining their Pill Sea Spiritual Power, or strengthening their physical body, is all about increasing their power."
"However, those who know to cultivate precise power control are typically experts at the King Martial Realm or above. It’s only when they reach that realm and can manipulate the Heaven and Earth Primordial Power that they finally understand the importance of power control. But frankly, trying to start cultivating this after reaching the King Martial Realm yields half the results for twice the effort..."
Everyone was dumbstruck once again.
’You just said people only start to understand this stuff after the King Martial Realm, but you want us to start cultivating it now? Aren’t you just making things difficult for us?’
Shen Lang ignored their strange expressions and continued, "But if you start cultivating it now and carry it through your entire life, the benefits you’ll reap will be unimaginable."
"The seniors in most Sects understand the importance of power control, but they don’t have their disciples cultivate it. That’s because it is indeed very difficult, and they lack the corresponding Cultivation Techniques."
"But as I just said, I have a Mantra to teach you. Whether you’re in the Spirit Martial Realm or the Qi Martial Realm, you must learn it."
"The Cultivation of power control isn’t as simple as just controlling the Spiritual Power in the soles of your feet. You must learn to control the Spiritual Power throughout your entire body, making it move with your thoughts!"
Shen Lang recited the Mantra, and the entire group committed it to memory.
Yan Qi nodded vigorously. "I get it!"
Everyone was taken aback. ’This blockhead is that amazing? None of the rest of us get it, but he does?’
Yan Qi walked to the edge of the lake and stepped out...
SPLASH!
The lout fell headfirst into the lake, coming up looking like a drowned rat.
"What an idiot!" The group collectively rolled their eyes.
