Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4: A New Function of the Cheat
Zhou Heng had only come up in front of Ning Ri because he wanted to get a close look at Ning Ri’s aptitude for spells.
【Spirit Absorption Art】 was not difficult.
In Zhou Heng’s experience, after cultivating 【Spirit Absorption Art】 for half an hour, a third-level Qi Refining cultivator with ordinary aptitude for spells could usually raise the efficiency of a single acupoint’s absorption of spiritual energy by ten or twenty percent. One with strong aptitude might raise it by fifty percent. As for those with heaven-defying talent for spells, all kinds of things could happen. Some would directly complete the technique, while others would master all seven apertures within that same half hour...
But what was going on with Ning Ri?
The moment Ning Ri inhaled through his nose, that pulling force actually locked onto the spiritual energy on Zhou Heng’s body...
Although the gap in cultivation meant Ning Ri did not succeed, it was still enough to leave Zhou Heng utterly aghast—
What was this kid doing, cultivating an ability that was not even recorded in the jade slip???
Who taught you that?
When Zhou Heng shouted at him, Ning Ri hurriedly stopped inhaling through his nose and said, “Elder Zhou, I did not mean to.”
Zhou Heng replied, “Do not worry, I am not blaming you. I just want to ask how you cultivated that. Spirit Absorption Art does not say that you can absorb another person’s spiritual power.”
There was one thing Zhou Heng did not say.
【Spirit Absorption Art】 was an “original” spell he had extracted from the demonic spell 【Great Tempest Inhalation Art】.
The principle behind 【Great Tempest Inhalation Art】 was this: the refiner would increase the pressure in the target’s acupoints tenfold, a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold, causing blood to burst from the target’s entire body in an instant as the pressure in the acupoints soared. In that way, all of the target’s spiritual power could be squeezed out, achieving the effect of “instant refinement.”
Quite a few of the students under Zhou Heng had conditions where their acupoints did not function very well.
In order to help them, Zhou Heng had chosen to improve the Great Tempest Inhalation Art, reversing the pressurizing method and applying it to one’s own acupoints instead, thereby increasing the suction of the acupoints. It was also easy to learn, and far superior to the other acupoint-training methods on the market.
And once 【Spirit Absorption Art】 was cultivated to its limit, it naturally could, like the original version, absorb the spiritual power on another person’s body.
But absorbing ownerless spiritual energy from heaven and earth and absorbing spiritual power that belonged to another person were two entirely different circulation routes.
That route had not been recorded in the jade slip Zhou Heng had given him.
Because of that, he had never imagined that Ning Ri could absorb the spiritual power on his body.
His first thought had been that Ning Ri had practiced the original version of 【Great Tempest Inhalation Art】, but on second thought, that was not right either.
When he had reworked the text, he had changed the circulation route as well, and the route Ning Ri had just used was clearly Zhou Heng’s own “original” one.
Besides, he had just examined Ning Ri’s meridians himself and found not the slightest trace of demonic arts...
Faced with Zhou Heng’s question, Ning Ri said blankly, “I am not especially sure either...”
“I just felt that when I circulated Spirit Absorption Art, it would automatically pull in all the spiritual energy in front of me.”
Everything had happened too quickly, and Ning Ri had not had the chance to carefully confirm the effects of 【Spirit Absorption Art: 3】. The moment he activated it, it simply attacked everything indiscriminately.
That was exactly why he was so confused now.
Judging by what Zhou Heng was saying, after he had finished cultivating Spirit Absorption Art through the panel, it had developed an effect that was not even in the original spell?
His heart gave a jolt, and he immediately realized that his cheat definitely had functions he still did not know about...
“Automatically?”
Hearing that, Zhou Heng raised his brows slightly, as though he had discovered a whole new world. After a moment of thought, he said, “How about this? I will give you another half hour. Practice with a different part of the body, and I will take another look.”
Ning Ri said, “Elder Zhou, I have already finished practicing it. I can use Spirit Absorption Art with all seven apertures.”
Zhou Heng: “?”
His eyes widened slightly. “Really?”
“Really!”
Elder Subtitle Zhou Heng’s pupils contracted—
This kid with stones in his acupoints had such heaven-defying aptitude for spells?
He immediately said, “Then switch to a different acupoint and show me.”
Ning Ri immediately did as he was told—
He sharply sucked in a breath of cold air:
“Hiss!”
The mouth was one of the seven apertures. At that moment, a large amount of spiritual energy was immediately drawn into Ning Ri’s mouth along with that inhalation...
Zhou Heng once again felt that familiar pulling force.
But this time, Ning Ri had noticed it too.
When he circulated the technique, Spirit Absorption Art clearly had two different circulation routes.
And those routes were precisely the ones not described in the jade slip.
Joy rose in Ning Ri’s heart—
It seemed that his cheat really did have some surprises he had never known about!
Then, under Ning Ri’s deliberate control, the pulling force directed at Zhou Heng appeared for only an instant before vanishing.
Seeing that Ning Ri had truly cultivated 【Spirit Absorption Art】 to this level, Zhou Heng’s pupils contracted again. Then his expression tightened, and he fell silent for a long while.
Just when Ning Ri was beginning to think Zhou Heng had stopped responding altogether, the elder finally continued, “I...”
“I finally understand why your aptitude is so poor.”
Ning Ri froze. “Why?!”
Zhou Heng said earnestly, “Perhaps the Heavenly Dao intended to keep things in balance. Your aptitude for spells is too heaven-defying, so your overall aptitude had to be limited somewhat.”
Ning Ri paused. But my aptitude for spells is actually this bad too.
Still, he did not know what to say to Zhou Heng, so after standing there blankly for a moment, he finally forced out one sentence: “...Why is the Heavenly Dao so cruel?”
Zhou Heng said, “That is simply how immortal cultivation is. It is enough to understand it.”
“All right, back to the main matter. You have already obtained the qualifications to participate in the disciple trial. Rest for two days, then take part in it at Kite Plaza. Little Stele will bring you there.”
Hearing that, Ning Ri immediately said in delight, “Many thanks, Elder Zhou.”
Little Stele was Li Cheng.
After finishing his assessment on Zhou Heng’s side, Ning Ri left with Li Cheng.
Only after Ning Ri had completely disappeared into the distance did Zhou Heng finally stop suppressing himself. A look of utter horror appeared on his face as he muttered,
“Just where did this monstrous genius come from?”
He suppressed his cultivation down to third-level Qi Refining cultivator, then sharply sucked in a breath of cold air: “Hiss!”
【Spirit Absorption Art】 activated.
The spiritual energy from all directions surged into his mouth...
Seeing that, Zhou Heng stood dumbfounded. “His acupoints are worse than mine, yet after circulating Spirit Absorption Art, he actually absorbed more spiritual energy into his body than I did?”
“In other words, his Spirit Absorption Art is stronger than mine!”
“He only practiced my spell casually for half an hour, and he already made it stronger than mine? To put it another way, he improved my spell!”
“So which one of us is actually the author of this spell?!”
...
“Ning Ri!”
Two days later, at Kite Plaza, an elder in a bright gray robe was calling names.
The moment he heard his name being called, Ning Ri immediately answered, “This disciple is here!”
The gray-robed elder looked toward Ning Ri, a strange gleam in his eyes, then gave a slight nod. “Mm. You are the third.”
Behind the gray-robed elder was a whirling portal of light.
Ning Ri was the third to enter.
He knew that this was the place of the disciple trial.
Ning Ri immediately nodded. “Yes! This disciple understands!”
Beside him were twelve other disciples who were participating in this trial with him.
Among the thirteen Probationary Disciples set to participate in the disciple trial, Ning Ri drew the most attention and discussion of all, because the impurities in his acupoints and his frighteningly strong aptitude for spells had already become widely known.
In the viewing stands nearby, some twenty to thirty Inner Sect and Outer Sect disciples were seated here and there. There were also five gray-robed elders, including Xun Cang and Zhou Heng, both of whom had already met Ning Ri.
At that moment, Zhou Heng was asking the testing stele beside him, “What has he been doing these past two days?”