Chapter 48: Thunderous Palm

Chapter 48: Thunderous Palm

"We're here," Lan Yin announced as they moved from the busy street packed with mortals to one that seemed exponentially calmer. A few people were watching them closely, seemingly situated like guards, and they were all cultivators of a higher realm.

William could still see the crowd of mortals going about their daily lives, but none of the sounds reached him. He tried to find what could be blocking the noise as he walked with Lan Yin to an old woman who was dozing off on a chair inside a wooden structure that was barely big enough for her.

[Name: Li Meiying | Level: ?]

Seeing grassy land in the middle of a city was jarring, causing it to stick out like a sore thumb when surrounded by opulent buildings.

"Greetings, Senior Li," Lan Yin said as she reached into her robes to pull out a familiar card made out of red jade. The old woman blinked her eyes open tiredly to see the pass before lazily pointing her finger up, making an opening in the ground.

"Thank you," Lan Yin bowed before motioning for William to follow her down the steps into a well-lit chamber. In contrast to the nearly empty area outside, the chamber was packed, with people clustered in groups while chatting casually.

William blinked rapidly at the burst of light before shutting off the system's auto-reveal to avoid the blue text from irritating his eyes. He had already done that for mortals but hadn't needed to for cultivators since he had never seen them packed into such tight spaces. If he had to guess, he would say around a hundred people were in the chamber.

Lan Yin glided through the crowd, nodding at a few people here and there before reaching what seemed to be a reception. “My Junior Brother would like to rent a room. Wei Liang, how long do you want to cultivate?"

[Name: Zhang Xuanlong | Level: ?]

"Is it possible to practice my Martial Skills instead?" William asked hopefully, getting strange looks from Lan Yin and the man behind the counter, Zhang Xuanlong.

"Are you sure?" Lan Yin asked, "The cultivation rooms here are equivalent to what our Sect offers for Outer Court disciples."

That reinforced his decision. William had zero interest in cultivation when the room was at that level. Learning one of the Martial Skills he had picked would equal five hundred hours of cultivation.

"I'm sure, Senior Sister."

"Very well," Lan Yin nodded, before addressing the man who continued to stare at William in confusion, "Do you have a room with an illusionary array available?"

"Of course," Zhang Xuanlong sounded as if the question shouldn't even be asked, "However, this little brother should reconsider. Martial Skills are not at all important this early in your cultivation."

"I didn't ask for you to give my Junior Brother a lecture," Lan Yin warned with narrowed eyes.

Zhang Xuanlong immediately lowered his eyes in acquiescence before stepping out from behind the counter to lead them to the room.

"The next time you want to visit, you can use your Sect pass to gain free entry, along with the pick of the room you may want."

"... I can pick whichever one I want?" William repeated, more than a little surprised, "How long can I use them?"

"As long as the Qi inside that room is sufficient for your needs," Lan Yin gave him a slight smirk, "There are plenty of benefits you will find for being a member of our Sect, Junior Brother."

William wondered if prospective disciples were given a brochure of these benefits or if it was simply a known fact. If it was the former, he needed to get one as soon as possible, but it was likely the latter. With the massive scale of the Jade Healing Sect's operations, it would be hard not to know of them.

"I do," William confirmed. There really wasn't much to the skill other than the ability to instantly shift his Qi to his palm right at the moment of attack.

"Good, focus your Qi to your palm, but do not attack!"

William nodded to himself and closed his eyes, grasping the energy slowly circulating through his meridians. A significant advantage he had found about his cultivation technique was the ease at which he could command his Qi. The fact that it was all concentrated into his lung meridian seemed to be helping with that greatly.

"Very good, Junior Brother!" Lan Yin praised, "There is a consistent flow of Qi focused in your palm. That level of control will help you greatly with more complex skills. Now, attack!"

With a rough grunt, William thrust his palm forward, releasing the gathered Qi in an explosive burst, or at least, that was his intention.

[-5 Spiritual Energy]

[-25 HP]

He yelped in pain as the Qi was expelled in areas other than his palm. A close look at his hand showed no damage, but that was only on the surface. It was likely the damage was underneath.

"That was a good first try, Junior Brother. Your Qi was a little volatile at the moment of the attack, but you almost have it. Try again."

His arm felt like it was on fire, but after the pain William had learned to push through, it was nothing. He commanded his Qi and prepared to attack.

Once more, William thrust his hand forward with his palm open. He maintained his Qi at the level approved by Lan Yin to ensure the desired outcome was achieved.

The air in front of his palm shimmered as a small explosion was heard from his palm, with slight wisps of Qi slowly leaving his hand like steam.

[-5 Spiritual Energy]

[Side Quest Completed | Learn the Martial Skill - Thunderous Palm]

[+500 XP]

[Cultivation Info Added | Martial Skills]

William blinked in shock, unable to believe this was all it had taken. With the skill only having a twenty percent compatibility, he imagined that learning it would be a long and painful grind.

"That's odd. You have clearly learned it, but the attack is so weak...."

William heard Lan Yin's muttering and instantly understood what that compatibility meant. It wouldn't stop him from learning a Martial Skill, but it would be horribly underpowered. However, he had to admit his attack seemed plenty powerful in his eyes.

It didn't matter in the end. The three skills William picked will have to do until he could get something that fits him better.

"Senior Sister, could you help me with the other two as well?"