Chapter 16: Progress at Last

Chapter 16: Progress at Last

16

Progress at Last

I

The moment Hao Zhen sat down, Tian Jin asked, There were a couple of cultivation methods in Ke Lis spatial ring, right? Can I have a look at them?

Instead of answering, Hao Zhen directly produced the three cultivation method jade slips from his spatial ring.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

What has your experience with the Blazing Light Method been so far? Good? Bad? Tian Jin asked as Hao Zhen handed him the jade slips.

Rather bad, I think, Hao Zhen said.

After giving him a nod, Tian Jin closed his eyes.

Cultivation methods were nothing more than collections of incantation and images that cultivators needed to chant and visualize in order to establish a connection with their crux, allowing them to use the spiritual power emanated by it. Like virtually everything magical, they were divided into grades, corresponding to what spiritual realm they were usable to.

In theory, the Blazing Light Method Hao Zhen was using wasnt any worse than the cultivation methods Ke Li had, as they were all red-grade, and as such could all be used up to the eleventh level of the Red Spiritual Realm. There was no such thing as sub-grades, either. All cultivation methods of the same grade were equally effective. That didnt mean, however, that they were all equally difficult to comprehend.

From what Hao Zhen had heard, a cultivator could find a particular cultivation method incredibly easy to comprehend, easily memorizing its incantation and images, and another cultivation method of the same grade almost impossible to memorize. Because of that, it was ideal for cultivators to try using as many different cultivation methods as possible until they found the one that was right for them.

Hao Zhen didnt think his aptitude with the Blazing Light Method was outright terrible, but it definitely wasnt good. Sometimes he forgot part of its incantation, and it took conscious effort to keep the chant going in his mind. On the other hand, he had heard that if he managed to find the perfect cultivation method for him, hed be able to chant it subconsciously, without even thinking. As for the images inside it, Hao Zhen didnt even bother trying to visualize them.

Visualization was by far the hardest part of cultivation, and Hao Zhen was completely unable to reproduce even a fraction of the Blazing Light Methods images in his minds eye. This was part of the reason his cultivation speed was so slow. You could only use a cultivation method to its full potential if you could properly visualize all of its images successively while chanting its incantation. If you couldnt do so, your control over your spiritual power and the rate at which you absorbed spiritual energy wouldnt be nearly as great.

All right. Tian Jin opened his eyes. It had been less than a minute since Hao Zhen had handed him the three jade slips. This one is probably the easiest one, he said, handing Hao Zhen one of the jade slips back, and then the other two. These two are pretty similar to the Blazing Light Method, so I dont think youll have much luck with them. Tian Jins spatial ring then flashed, and a dozen or so jade slips appeared in front of him, all of which he handed to Hao Zhen. Have a look at these ones, too.

Hao Zhen looked at the pile of jade slips in front of him, then back at Tian Jin. He almost asked him where exactly he had gotten so many cultivation methods from, but then remembered who exactly he was talking to. He wouldnt be surprised even if Tian Jin said that some of them had dropped from the sky, falling into his coincidentally open and outstretched hands. Instead, Hao Zhen decided to ask something else. Out of curiosity, whats your affinity with these cultivation methods?

At that, Tian Jin frowned, hesitating. Finally, he sighed. About the same, really.

That being? Hao Zhen asked. He was almost certain of the answer, but he still wanted to check.

I Id say its about perfect.

Sure enough. Hao Zhen had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. How much did you memorize of the three cultivation methods I handed you just now?

All of them, Tian Jin said, no longer hesitating now that he had already revealed the truth. He looked at Hao Zhen with a mixture of anxiousness and expectation.

Hao Zhen gave Tian Jin a blank look, and once it became clear that Tian Jin hadnt been joking, he simply shook his head, incredulous. Tian Jins talent was even more absurd than he had thought itd be. In a couple of seconds, Tian Jin had done what took the average cultivator several years. This insane level of talent sealed the deal. If there had been any doubt left in his mind about his theory that Tian Jin was some kind of protagonist, the revelation just now had erased them. Maybe Tian Jins level of talent was common in violet-grade organizations or something, but in a red-grade sect like the Blazing Light Sect?

Hmmm. Hao Zhen narrowed his eyes. It looked like Tian Jin wasnt all that fine with this, after all. Still, Tian Jin didnt seem too bothered by it, and Hao Zhen really need to get some practice with the skill, so he decided to continue. Once again, he willed Tian Jins arm to move, and this time there was no resistance as Tian Jins arm rose up to chest level.

Hao Zhen then tried moving Tian Jins other arms, then both arms at the same time. Through it all, Tian Jin had a strange expression on his face. Instead of going any further, Hao Zhen decided to check whether Tian Jin was still okay. Everything all right?

Yeah, Tian Jin said, looking up at him. It just feels a bit weird, my body moving on its own, now that Im not resisting it. You can keep going.

Nodding his head, Hao Zhen went on to try to move Tian Jins legs, and before long he had Tian Jin walking around the stage.

Over the next few hours, Hao Zhen explored the limits of what exactly he could do with Ethereal String Puppetry, also trying out some commands instead of direct controls, which were required if he wanted to also control Tian Jins ability to use his spiritual power. As it turned out, he could use Ethereal String Puppetry to make Tian Jin do virtually anything Tian Jin could do himself. The moment Tian Jin started putting up even the smallest amount of resistance, however, Hao Zhen found himself completely unable to affect his actions in any way.

They had already expected this, however. Even Ke Li, who had been a level higher than Tian Jin couldnt fully control him, so there was no way Hao Zhen, who was a step lower, would be able to pull it off. Nevertheless, Hao Zhen spent some time practicing his ability to fight back against Tian Jins attempts to resist, and although they didnt make much progress on that front, they did make some.

They had to take a couple of breaks for Hao Zhen to recover his spiritual stamina, and after the fifth one, Hao Zhen decided to call it a day. Even though Tian Jin seemed like he could still go for a couple of hours, Hao Zhen had also expended quite a lot of mental stamina trying to impose his will on Tian Jin. Moreover, Hao Zhen was already quite pleased with how the day had turned out. Considering how pathetically he had performed earlier, when Tian Jin tried to test his combat ability, it felt nice to make progress in other areas. He wasnt a lost cause, after all.

Hao Zhen also didnt want to hog all of Tian Jins time. After all, Tian Jin also needed to cultivate and do his own training.

In their breaks, Hao Zhen showed Tian Jin the swords, pills, and talismans in his spiritual ring, and they went through them one by one. As it turned out, the swords were indeed magic artifacts of the lowest quality, only barely better than mundane weapons. Tian Jin also recognized all of the talismans and explained each of their uses. As for the pills, only some of them were familiar to him, so they decided to ask Duo Lan about them later, as she was supposed to be some kind of alchemy genius.

Duo Lan being brought up reminded Hao Zhen of the matter with Bao Yun, and now that they were done for the day, Hao Zhen decided to broach the subject. He hadnt been able to think of the right way to put it yet, but he figured that it wouldnt be wise to delay this conversation any further.

What exactly do you think of Bao Yun? Hao Zhen asked, directly, not bothering to skirt around the subject. He already figured that being straightforward was for the best with Tian Jin.

They were still on the stage, sitting down, having been there all morning already.

Senior Sister Bao? Tian Jin repeated. He frowned, confused. What do you mean?

Well, Im pretty sure she

Tian Jin suddenly went still. Give me a moment, he said. He then stayed quiet for a few seconds before saying, Duo Lan just sent me a sound transmission. He stood up. She has something important to tell us, and wants us to head over to her place right now.

Something important

Frowning, Hao Zhen also got to his feet. Did she say what it was about?

No, Tian Jin said, but she didnt seem particularly worried or concerned. Anyway, you were saying something about Senior Sister Bao?

We can talk on our way, Hao Zhen said, shaking his head.

Yesterday, Tian Jin had said that Bao Yun mentioned that there was something important she had to prepare forsomething Tian Jin would learn about soon. Now Duo Lan had something important to tell them. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but maybe

They set out, heading to Duo Lans house.