Chapter 52: World Eater Breathing Method
Lan Xiaohuis self-destructive confidence left a good impression on me. I am sure if I had a mood attribute, it would be sky high now. Unfortunately, I do not. My mood is very simple and straight-forward. Either I am hungry, or I am not hungry. And, well, I am always hungry.
I need more Blood Points and Soul Points. But that is not my only hunger. I want knowledge. I want power. I want to see conflict, chaos and mayhem. I have not felt so much entertainment if it could even be called that as when Zhao Wei tried to poison my Lan Xiaohui, and her decision not to kill him was even more dramatic.
I wonder why it is this way this desire to see more of events like this? Perhaps this is what is called life.
Still, whether my sentient soul desires to live or not is ultimately of no concern to me. Beyond the embers of excitement and anticipation I feel, I approach my situation with cold calculation. These things are just distractions. My objective now is to reach the Foundation.
Lan Xiaohui opens her aperture and the flow of Qi falls into her at a rate that is considerably more impressive than before; as if reaching this new realm has allowed her to consume more of the Qi of Heaven and Earth.
By comparison, when my aperture opens it dwarfs hers. The inrush of Qi is so potent that the bubbling hot spring surface begins to revolve around us, as if we are the center of a whirlpool.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Immediately, I feel Lan Xiaohuis heart waver and tremble, introducing irregularities in the flow of Qi between us.
In all honesty, it surprises me as well, but only marginally. It is the natural consequences of possessing a talent called [World Eater]. Even though I still dont know what it does, I understand that it allows me the capacity to perform the function of its namesake, even though I cannot divine what that function is. But the mechanics of it are clear to me: My aperture can open wide enough to consume all.
[ Cultivation speed: 3,144 Qi/day. Efficiency: 1,012% ]
Even if I compare this result to my previous attempt, the efficiency numbers still do not match up. It is off by a significant margin for a nearly ten times increase in efficiency. Though I can see that there are many factors that could affect this such as the environment and the significant change in my breathing method.
I decide against giving her a warning. After all, we are inside a cave. How could lightning possibly strike here? It would be absurd.
Just as that thought crosses my mind, I feel Lan Xiaohuis heart waver even more. Dark storm clouds begin to form inside the grotto. Even though they are only a few meters in size, and rumbling with thunder, when I look at them through my perception, it is as if they blanket the entire world. This strange anomaly of perspective catches me so off-guard that I feel small and weak compared to those clouds.
And then I feel a new emotion. Anger.
Do you really hate me this much, Heaven?
I make a mental note that the next time I break through, I will bury myself deep underground.
Sword Qi rises off my surface, falling upwards and towards the clouds hovering nearly thirty steps above our heads, glittering in the darkness of the grotto with a profound light. Slowly, they form an umbrella above us, like a myriad of solar panels constructing a Dyson Sphere around a star.
Lan Xiaohui holds me tightly against her chest, and rests her head over my hilt, completely shielding me from the forming storm above my head.
Dont worry, she whispers, but I can hear the fear in her voice. Despite her bravery, I can sense her reluctance, but also the opposing force of conviction. I will protect you, no matter what.
I consider telling her that the lightning cannot harm me. My body is a perfect superconductor. The possibility of electrical damage due to waste heat generation is nearly non-existent.
At that very moment, I hit the bottleneck, and the massive amount of Qi revolving inside my body comes to a complete stop as if trying to reverse, and it exerts such a force that my entire body shudders, causing the hot spring to splash and generate large waves.
My very first pillar forms in that instant, rising from the sea of my dantian, and to me, it appears like a shining rod that materializes from nothing, made out of pure, crystallized-solid Qi. As its formation completes, it hums, creating another powerful vibration, and my Qi begins to revolve through my meridians once more.