Chapter 653 - 271: Fusion, Right Inside Yuanchu Mountain
He looked around.
He saw that the paradise-like world, once filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, now had halos of different colors. The orange halo was the most intense, blanketing all of Yuanchu Mountain.
Chu Lingguang could see the orange halo flowing.
He even saw the orange halo enter the bodies of Zhang Xuan, Li Mao, and the others. With every breath he took, it also entered his own body, where it was completely absorbed by his Star System.
"Spiritual Qi!"
’So this is what Spiritual Qi looks like,’ Chu Lingguang thought, astonished.
CRACK!
Suddenly, Chu Lingguang heard a faint stirring.
His gaze shot toward the sound, and he saw a vine sprout from the ground near Zhang Xuan’s feet. As the Reincarnation Node drew closer, more and more vines were appearing from underground all over the world.
Chu Lingguang had been searching for these "bizarre things," hoping to help others complete their fusion.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t found any yet.
Now, after cultivating the Void Technique, he spotted the vine with his naked eye and had a completely new sensation. It was as if his eyes could penetrate the vine and see the energy flowing within its roots.
He ultimately determined that there was nothing abnormal about this vine. It was completely different from the other vines he had seen recently and had no bizarre aura.
’I get it now. The Demon Suppression Bureau’s Qi Sensing Technique is for finding demons, while Yuanchu Mountain’s Void Technique is for finding these bizarre things. Yuanchu Mountain is having us cultivate the Void Technique because they want us to help them find and eliminate all of them.’
’I knew it. Why would Yuanchu Mountain, always so paranoid about their cultivation skills getting out, suddenly have a change of heart, open their gates, and recruit so many disciples? They’re just using everyone to help them get rid of these bizarre things and prevent people from fusing with them.’
Realization dawned on Chu Lingguang.
He, Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and the others had always been suspicious of Yuanchu Mountain’s motives. Now, they had undeniable proof.
’Looks like I need to give the Qi Refining manual to the Seventh Prince soon.’
’He can tell everyone that fusing with a bizarre thing is an easy way to break through the True Martial Realm and enter the Qi Refining realm,’ Chu Lingguang thought to himself.
"For the next month, Zhang Xuan and I will teach you how to cultivate this Void Technique. I hope you will all do your utmost in your cultivation and not lose this opportunity to train on Yuanchu Mountain," Li Mao said.
"Follow me. This valley will be your training grounds and living area. Without permission, no one is to take a single step out of the valley. The area outside is filled with Restriction Arrays. If anyone trespasses and is killed by an array, they will have only themselves to blame. Don’t say we didn’t warn you."
Zhang Xuan guided the group into a valley.
Several Yuanchu Mountain disciples stood guard outside the valley.
The valley was vast and contained many buildings. Everyone was assigned their own room.
「Inside the room.」
Chu Lingguang brazenly activated the Void Technique.
Since this Magic Technique could find bizarre things, Chu Lingguang was eager to see what kind of existence Yuanchu Mountain would define as such.
Unfortunately, there was no abnormal aura within the valley.
He couldn’t even see a trace of the vines.
This made him very curious.
"Chu Lingguang!"
A moment later, Yan Zhen and Qin Yu came over.
A thought occurred to Chu Lingguang. He used the Void Technique, covering Yan Zhen and Qin Yu with it, but he found no trace of a bizarre thing’s aura on either of them.
He couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
’If a common Magic Technique like this could detect Yan Zhen and Qin Yu’s fusion with bizarre things, wouldn’t Yun Hong have been discovered instantly? How could he continue to hide within Yuanchu Mountain?’
"Don’t you think the Void Technique is strange?" Qin Yu asked.
Chu Lingguang glanced outside.
Inside Yuanchu Mountain, the three of them didn’t dare to speak carelessly. They were cautious about everything.
"This is a cultivation skill for finding bizarre things. Yuanchu Mountain wants us to use these bizarre things to trade for the opportunity to train here," Chu Lingguang said.
"Just as I thought," Yan Zhen said, nodding.
"Then we should..."
"We must train hard, master this Magic Technique as soon as possible, and serve Yuanchu Mountain," Chu Lingguang said, his voice firm and resolute.
"You’re right!"
Qin Yu and Yan Zhen nodded in unison.
The two of them left Chu Lingguang’s room together. As they departed, two Yuanchu Mountain disciples were distributing food in the valley.
In the end, the One-Phase Skill that everyone learned upon entering Yuanchu Mountain was the Void Technique. They never saw the Qi Refining skill they had imagined.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Everyone was full of dreams about Yuanchu Mountain, constantly imagining themselves roaming freely within the sect like true disciples, able to browse the cultivation scriptures in the sect’s library.
But unfortunately, they were treated like livestock, only allowed to move within the confines of the valley.
Even the Royal Disciples couldn’t take a single step outside the valley.
"The Void Technique, also known as ’As Clear as Daylight,’ can detect all the demons and monsters in the world, helping you develop a pair of Eyes of Golden Flame."
"In a moment, I will bring something out to test you all. I hope to see the results of your past half-month of training," Zhang Xuan said.
He and Li Mao, two of Yuanchu Mountain’s Inner Sect Disciples, were responsible for teaching everyone how to cultivate the Void Technique.
After Zhang Xuan finished speaking,
Li Mao pulled a thick vine from a box. The vine landed on the ground like a green python, then plunged into the stone tiles, burrowed into the earth, and vanished from sight.
The crowd couldn’t help but release their Spiritual Power, trying to track the vine’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, their Spiritual Sense was completely unable to find any trace of it.
Chu Lingguang fixed his eyes on the ground.
His pupils grew hot.
A crimson halo appeared in his eyes. He saw the vine that had burrowed underground appear at the feet of Zhang Xuan and Li Mao.
「At the same time.」
A black energy flowed over the vine’s body. The energy was continuously Breathing and Exhaling, like a natural respiration.
’A bizarre thing?’
Chu Lingguang’s expression froze.
"Chu Lingguang."
Suddenly, Li Mao called out to him.
"I’m here," Chu Lingguang responded.
"Do you know where the vine is?" Li Mao asked with a smile.
He had a vivid memory of Chu Lingguang from their time on Mountain Rain Peak.
He had learned that Chu Lingguang was implicated with a demon, sent to the West Warehouse by Zhang Xuan, and had only gotten the chance to be assessed at Divine Valley Mountain with his help. Now that Chu Lingguang had finally made it into Yuanchu Mountain, he had been keeping a close eye on him.
He had just noticed the fluctuation of crimson light between Chu Lingguang’s brows and had called out to him on impulse.
"It’s right beneath your feet, teachers," Chu Lingguang said after a moment’s thought.
Half a month had passed. Since mastering the Void Technique was one of the requirements for staying on Yuanchu Mountain, Chu Lingguang saw no need to hide his ability.
He just had to make sure no one found out that he had learned it the moment he saw the cultivation manual for the Void Technique.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, both Zhang Xuan and Li Mao were very surprised.
THUMP!
Li Mao stomped his right foot, and the vine immediately shot out from beneath it, coiling around his arm.
The entire crowd was in an uproar. Many people stared at Chu Lingguang in disbelief.
In the past half-month, a few others had grasped the basics of the Void Technique, but no one had been able to cultivate it to Perfection like Chu Lingguang.
Other than him, no one could accurately determine the vine’s exact location.
"Can you find anything else wrong with the vine?" Li Mao asked, holding it up.
"This..."
Chu Lingguang hesitated.
"If you can identify what’s unusual about this vine, you’ll have an eighty percent chance of staying on Yuanchu Mountain," Zhang Xuan prompted.
Hearing this, Chu Lingguang’s eyes grew hot again. The crimson halo reappeared in his pupils. The black energy on the vine was Breathing and Exhaling like a Poisonous Snake.
Chu Lingguang once again saw a heart—a crimson heart—enveloped by that black energy.
’A bizarre thing?’
’It seems to have noticed me.’
Suddenly, Chu Lingguang sensed that the vine in Li Mao’s hand had a strong urge to leap into his body.
Li Mao, holding the vine, also frowned. He realized that if he hadn’t been gripping it tightly, it would have already shot out of his hand and rushed toward Chu Lingguang.
This was the sign of a bizarre thing finding someone to fuse with.
Chu Lingguang actually possessed such a powerful destiny.
One that could make a bizarre thing treat him like a priceless treasure, desperate to break free of all restraints and Locks to complete the fusion.
At that moment, Zhang Xuan’s eyes sharpened.