Chapter 288 - 170: The First
He was the only one left sitting in the vast Learning Palace.
"Even if he doesn’t succeed, just the fact that he was the first to activate the Operation Technique and has held on this long means his performance today will be better than any of ours."
Sima Army pointed out.
"Talk to me again once he’s actually succeeded in merging them."
Fatty Qin said with a sneer.
"Yesterday at the Martial Arts Arena, Teacher Yun Hong said he had taken two packets of Heart-Devouring Powder and experienced the agony of his flesh being torn apart. Could that be why he’s able to endure the feeling of two forces pulling at each other inside his body?"
Jin Huang wondered aloud, staring at Chu Lingguang’s back.
"Commandery Princess Rushuang, are you here to see Chu Lingguang too?"
Just then, a small stir went through the crowd.
A tall, beautiful woman, flanked by two other female disciples, arrived at the entrance of the Learning Palace.
Upon seeing her, Fatty Qin, Sima Army, and the others all greeted her respectfully, even moving aside to make way.
The woman’s name was Zhao Rushuang.
She was a member of the Royal Family and Nobility, holding the title of Commandery Princess.
She gazed at Chu Lingguang’s back and asked, "How much time is left of what Teacher Yun Hong allotted?"
"Your Highness, there is a quarter of an hour left."
A woman behind her, whose waist token marked her as having D-grade Talent, replied. It seemed she had entered the Trial Ground to cultivate alongside Zhao Rushuang.
The rules here were strict.
Not even a Commandery Prince could get an untalented person in here to cultivate. Yet while Zhao Rushuang herself had A-grade Talent, her attendant also had the right to enter the Trial Ground and practice. Even if she only had D-grade Talent and would be kicked out after ten days, it spoke volumes about Zhao Rushuang’s extraordinary status.
"If Chu Lingguang hasn’t successfully merged the techniques in a quarter of an hour, go in and wake him. Tell him to stop wasting his energy."
Zhao Rushuang ordered.
"Yes!"
The D-Class Maid replied.
"Commandery Princess Rushuang, why are you helping him? I know Chu Lingguang is one of Mr. Du’s disciples, but from what I’ve heard, his direct master is just a common Martial Artist. Even though he managed to train Yang Shaorong, his status is nothing compared to ours. Now he’s here competing with us for cultivation resources. Why should you care if he lives or dies?"
Fatty Qin asked.
He had already learned that if someone failed to merge the techniques but stubbornly persisted, they could cause irreparable damage to their body. It could even make it impossible for the two Operation Methods to ever be merged.
Zhao Rushuang had clearly come to warn Chu Lingguang, to make him stop after the quarter-hour was up.
"None of your business."
Zhao Rushuang shot Fatty Qin a dirty look.
With that, she turned and left, leaving only her maid to stand watch.
Fatty Qin’s face flushed red. Zhao Rushuang’s talent was no less than his, and on top of that, she was a Commandery Princess. There was nothing he could do to her. Frustrated, all he could do was curse Chu Lingguang, hoping he would not only fail to merge the techniques but also suffer a cultivation deviation.
「Inside the Learning Palace.」
The sound from the goateed old man’s body kept echoing in Chu Lingguang’s mind. The two Operation Methods within him had become entangled and were slowly beginning to show signs of penetrating and merging with one another.
Imperceptibly, the sound from the goateed man faded from his mind. It was replaced by a completely new one: the sound of his own Great River Operation Method and Circulation Operation Skill fusing together, simultaneously directing both the Dragon Elephant and Qi Blood Power to circulate through his bloodline.
As the two Operation Methods merged, Chu Lingguang could clearly feel his Qi Blood and Dragon Elephant absorbing new energy during their circulation, like the classic game of Snake. The power of both began to transform.
Eventually, even his Flesh and Blood Power began to increase.
"Time’s up."
The D-Class Maid had been watching the time. The moment the quarter-hour was up, she impatiently lifted her foot to step into the Learning Palace.
She still hadn’t managed to activate the Great River Operation Method herself.
Yet here she was, wasting precious time to warn Chu Lingguang and keep him from getting hurt. What’s more, her talent was already at the bottom of the barrel. If she couldn’t merge the two Operation Methods within ten days, she’d be kicked out.
As a result, she resented Chu Lingguang for his behavior.
"HUMMM!"
However, just as her first foot crossed the threshold, before her second could follow, a peculiar humming sound emanated from within the Learning Palace, freezing her in her tracks.
Listening closely, she realized that the peculiar humming sound was coming from Chu Lingguang.
"He merged them?"
Sima Army and Jin Huang hadn’t left yet. Fatty Qin was also still around, waiting to gloat over Chu Lingguang’s failure. But who would have thought that a strange hum would suddenly emanate from Chu Lingguang’s body?
Before anyone could react, Chu Lingguang spread his arms. His Blood Dragon Elephant, Bloodline Dragon Elephant, and all of his Qi Blood Power, guided by the combined Great River Operation Method and Circulation Operation Skill, surged through his body, roaring like a mighty river.
Chu Lingguang felt a power that seemed ready to erupt from every inch of his being.
The branch channels of the meridians within him stirred restlessly, one after another, as if some power was about to awaken.
"BANG!"
Chu Lingguang stomped his feet.
The Chang Chun Pile Skill took root. Aided by the Pile Skill, the meridians throughout his body were strengthened, becoming incredibly tough. In the space of a single breath, his Day and Night Breathing Technique rapidly found a point of synergy with the newly merged Great River Operation Method.
The goateed old man had said that when the Great River Operation Method, the Breathing Technique, and the Pile Skill merged and found their points of synergy, they could awaken one Bloodline Dragon Elephant after another.
Now, Chu Lingguang had fused the Great River Operation Method with the Circulation Operation Skill, allowing him to control both the Dragon Elephant and his Qi Blood Power in unison. This had unexpectedly caused the branch channels within his body to respond, as if a Dragon Elephant Power was on the verge of being awakened.
Chu Lingguang had no intention of missing this opportunity.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground.
He used the Chang Chun Pile Skill to protect the bloodlines throughout his body while simultaneously trying to find the point of synergy between his Breathing Technique and the newly merged Operation Method. To his surprise, since the proficiency of each Skill had reached Perfection, finding the points of synergy between them was as natural and effortless as water flowing into a channel.