Chapter 271 - 166: Chasing the Wind
The next morning, Chu Lingguang saw off a large group of people who had come to thank him and wish him farewell, including Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family, Butcher Hu, Li Yishan, and Mr. Niu.
For ordinary folk, exemption from taxes and corvée labor was an immense kindness.
Even Mr. Niu had come, leading a ewe, wanting to give the entire animal to Chu Lingguang. Master Hei went even further, taking out a treasured heirloom—a piece of armor he had been saving for Hei Hu—and giving it to him.
Chu Lingguang had reaped a rich harvest.
After everyone had left, he checked his panel information.
Favors: 17921
Chang Chun Pile Skill (780-2000)
Great River Operation Method (0-4000)
Mixed Element Skill (0-10000)
Flying Leaf Lotus Spear (455-6000)
Primordial Bloodline (0-12000)
Wind-Chasing Step (0-6000)
(Remaining Lifespan: 120 years)
The day he defeated Samba, Chu Lingguang had gained over eleven thousand Favor Points and obtained a Cultivation Technique capable of evolving his bloodline, the Primordial Bloodline.
This time, by helping Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family, Butcher Hu, and the others, he had earned another six thousand-plus Favor Points in one go and acquired the Body Technique, Wind-Chasing Step.
His Favor Points had now accumulated to 17,921.
It was the first time Chu Lingguang had seen his Favor Points exceed ten thousand, and it was also the first time a Cultivation Technique requiring more than ten thousand points—the Primordial Bloodline—had appeared on his panel.
Faced with so many Favor Points, Chu Lingguang wished he could max out all his Martial Arts at once, but unfortunately, he was still far from having enough.
After weighing the pros and cons, he ultimately decided to max out the Chang Chun Pile Skill and the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear first.
First, there was the Chang Chun Pile Skill. Combined with the Day and Night Breathing Technique, it could help him both awaken more Bloodline Dragon Elephants and strengthen his bloodline. ’Strengthening can’t compare to evolution,’ he reasoned, ’but a resilient bloodline will let me better unleash my Dragon Elephant Power when the Dragon Elephants are in motion.’
Therefore, improving his Chang Chun Pile Skill was a must.
As for the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear, that went without saying. It was Guo Wei’s signature technique, and Chu Lingguang would have to master it sooner or later. He had only just managed to grasp the first level of the Flying Leaf Lotus Spear: Thrust!
He couldn’t let it fall behind.
’If I can fully comprehend this Spear Technique, Guo Wei will be happy for me.’
Next, Chu Lingguang considered the Great River Operation Method, a Cultivation Technique he had obtained when helping Mr. Liu and Landlord Zhang. Having already mastered the Circulation Operation Skill, he knew how important Operation Techniques were, so he had to cultivate this one as well. ’I wonder if the Great River Operation Method helps the circulation of my Dragon Elephants or my Qi Blood.’
With his remaining Favor Points, Chu Lingguang turned his attention to the Primordial Bloodline, planning to spend them all on that.
’First, the Primordial Bloodline can evolve my bloodline. "Evolution" and "strengthening" might sound similar, but their effects are worlds apart.’
Strengthening just made something stronger on its existing foundation, whereas evolution caused a qualitative change from a quantitative one. The difference in their point values alone showed the importance of the Primordial Bloodline.
As for Wind-Chasing Step, it was a Body Technique.
Until now, Chu Lingguang had only grasped the Basic Body Technique; he had never cultivated any other. It wasn’t that Guo Wei wouldn’t teach him or didn’t know any. Rather, many forms of Kung Fu already had their own integrated Body Techniques.
Whether it was the Basic Spear Skill, the Iron Mountain Saber Technique, or even the Iron Mountain Fist, they all contained elements of Body Technique. For a Martial Artist of Chu Lingguang’s level, there was no need to deliberately cultivate powerful Body Technique Martial Arts.
The idea of relying on a profound set of Body Technique Martial Arts to kill silently and move without a trace in combat only existed in novels.
Even in a high-stakes setting like the Provincial Martial Arts Examination, a Body Technique was merely the icing on the cake.
Those who could truly use a Body Technique to kill without a sound were already Martial Arts masters in their own right. Even without a profound Body Technique, they could easily crush others.
On the path of cultivation, Body Techniques were mostly used for escaping and dodging.
At Chu Lingguang’s current level, the most important thing was to build a solid foundation: awaken more Bloodline Dragon Elephants, condense more Qi Vortexes, and let the bloodline and flesh throughout his body evolve.
It wouldn’t be too late to cultivate Body Technique Martial Arts after he had solidified this foundation and possessed a Dantian Qi Sea.
Wind-Chasing Step was good, but it wasn’t the skill he needed to improve the most right now.
As for Mixed Element Skill, that was an Inner Power Heart Method only the Imperial Family and high nobility could practice. He was about to go to the Trial Ground, where he would face more powerful and high-status opponents. ’This makes it even more imperative that I don’t practice this Inner Power Heart Method,’ he thought. ’If I’m exposed, I’ll be in big trouble, and I’ll drag Guo Wei, Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family, and everyone else down with me.’
Thus, his panel information changed.
Favors: None
Chang Chun Pile Skill (2000-2000)
Great River Operation Method (4000-4000)
Mixed Element Skill (0-10000)
Flying Leaf Lotus Spear (6000-6000)
Primordial Bloodline (7196-12000)
Wind-Chasing Step (0-6000)
(Remaining Lifespan: 120 years)
Chu Lingguang noticed that even though several of his Kung Fu skills had reached Perfection, his lifespan hadn’t changed. ’It seems I’ll have to cultivate an Inner Power Heart Method before it’ll increase again,’ he mused. ’Of course, it’s also possible my lifespan has just hit a bottleneck.’
He turned his attention elsewhere.
Time was short. After seeing off Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family and the others, Chu Lingguang set off on his Little Red Horse with Guo Wei and Hei Hu. He followed Zhuoyi and Lord Xu to the county seat first, where he said goodbye to Guo Wei and Hei Hu before continuing on with Zhuoyi toward the Trial Ground.
The Great Yuan Dynasty had a total of three Trial Grounds.
The largest Trial Ground was in the Imperial City.
The other two were located in the Northern Territory and the Southern Domain.
The Trial Ground Zhuoyi was taking Chu Lingguang to was the one in the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory was vast. The Mazhou Governor’s Mansion, the Qiling Governor’s Mansion, and the Taihu Governor’s Mansion were all considered part of its domain. However, the Trial Ground was not located within any of these three Governor’s Mansions, but within the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Northern Territory.
Without a guide, not even Guo Wei could get in.
Zhuoyi was only responsible for escorting Chu Lingguang to the entrance of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. From there, someone else would lead him inside.
Ever since Chu Lingguang had defeated Samba and unlocked his third-level Dharma Aspect, many factions had been monitoring his movements. When Zhuoyi led him out of Baiyang County, many of them figured out his destination.
Yan Chengdu had already returned to the Qiling Governor’s Mansion by this time.
He was sitting face-to-face with Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen said, "Mr. Du is quite generous, sending Chu Lingguang to cultivate at the Northern Territory Trial Ground. It seems Du Juan must have put in a good word for him."
"Big Brother, you’re one of Commander Wei’s men. Mr. Du and Commander Wei..."
"Factional disputes are still too premature for both me and Chu Lingguang to worry about. Don’t consider that for now," Yan Zhen interrupted. "I’m actually quite interested to see if Chu Lingguang can last the full three months in the Trial Ground."
With Wei Yongguang’s help, he too had once gone to cultivate in a Trial Ground, but he had gone to the Imperial City Trial Ground. The competition there was even more brutal; not long after entering, he had nearly been kicked out.
Yan Zhen knew that three months was merely the maximum time Mr. Du had managed to secure for Chu Lingguang. Whether he could actually last that long would depend on his performance and strength.
"Eldest Brother, Little Brother has gone to the Trial Ground."
Inside the General’s Mansion, Wang Chao had just received a message by carrier pigeon from Guo Wei. He handed the letter to Yang Shaorong.
"Mr. Du actually gave the spot to Little Brother."
Yang Shaorong’s face was filled with shock.
Having been an official in the court for many years, he knew as well as Guo Wei how important the Great Yuan Dynasty’s three Trial Grounds were. Even he had only been fortunate enough to enter the Imperial City Trial Ground for a month after participating in the Imperial Examination, achieving a dazzling result, and receiving an imperial appointment.
For Chu Lingguang, at his young age, to be able to go to the Northern Territory Trial Ground—even if only for three months—was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But after the shock, Yang Shaorong’s expression turned to one of worry.
"Brother, is something wrong?" Li Murong asked.
"As far as I know, Mr. Du originally intended that spot for his adopted son, a man named Du Wushuang. He’s around the same age as Yan Zhen—young, aggressive, and ruthless. Since Little Brother took his spot, he certainly won’t let it go."
Yang Shaorong held a high and powerful position, so he knew quite a bit.
"Even if Du Wushuang had all the courage in the world, he wouldn’t dare ruin Mr. Du’s plans."
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the courtyard.
"Greetings, Governor! Your humble subordinate has failed to welcome you properly."
Yang Shaorong was startled. The visitor was none other than Zhang Tao, the Governor of the Qiling Governor’s Mansion.
"Greetings, Governor."
Wu Feihong, Li Murong, and Wang Chao also hurriedly bowed in greeting.
"No need for formalities. This official just learned that your Little Brother has been sent to the Trial Ground to cultivate by Mr. Du. I came specially to offer my congratulations," Zhang Tao said with a smile.
"My lord, it seems you know that Du Wushuang is going to cause trouble for Lin Guang."
Yang Shaorong heard the unspoken meaning.
"It’s just a child throwing a tantrum. It’s not a bad thing for them to cross hands a bit. But you don’t need to worry. Even if Du Wushuang is stronger than Chu Lingguang, he wouldn’t dare stop him from entering the Trial Ground. If he tried, Mr. Du would be the first to punish him," Zhang Tao said as he sat down.
"Governor, is there any way to stop Du Wushuang?" Wu Feihong asked.
"Stop him? Why stop him? The more you try, the more defiant Du Wushuang will become. It’s better to just let them have a go at it. Don’t worry. Mr. Du was in charge of the last Turkic Mission’s visit. Since Chu Lingguang defeated Samba, Mr. Du was spared from censure. So, Chu Lingguang won’t be treated unfairly," Zhang Tao said with complete confidence.
Yang Shaorong also understood the reasoning. It was precisely because the matter was related to Mr. Du that he had Du Juan deliver a Great Returning Pill to Chu Lingguang and then send him to the Northern Territory Trial Ground.
"My lord’s sudden visit must mean you have another idea in mind," Yang Shaorong said with a smile.
"Sigh, I know that you martial brothers are displeased about me giving your Little Brother that Frenzy Pill to consume..." Zhang Tao said with a sigh.
"Your subordinate wouldn’t dare," Yang Shaorong said, bowing hastily.
"The deep bond between you martial brothers is plain for all to see. I didn’t come here to reprimand you, but to lend your Little Brother a helping hand," Zhang Tao said, gesturing for them not to be nervous, his expression turning mysterious.
(Sorry, I admit this Chapter is short!)