Chapter 242: The Map Revealed
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“This technique is truly exquisite, but 1 have a few questions. 1 wonder if you can answer them?”
Lu Zhichun stood in place, the more he thought about this Wind Gathering Technique, the more he felt its profound nature. If he could learn it, it would undoubtedly increase his combat abilities and even solidify his foundations.
However, because it was so exquisite, the old woman’s simple explanation made it seem too difficult to learn in one go. Moreover, Lu Zhichun felt that the old woman deliberately omitted some of the finer details.
These finer points, if left unexplained, wouldn’t necessarily hinder the practice of the Wind Gathering Technique if one had exceptional talent. However, it might extend the learning process. How long it would take depended on one’s innate aptitude.
This is aimed at those with exceptional talent. For those with average talent, these finer points aren’t explained, and they might never be able to grasp the Wind Gathering Technique in their entire lives.
For those with high aptitude, like Lu Zhichun, who had been able to raise his cultivation to the current Aperture Tempering realm level as a wandering cultivator, his talent was certainly above average. While he might not be on par with the true geniuses of sects, he surpassed the majority of martial practitioners.
Therefore, if Lu Zhichun were to ponder it himself, he might take ten days or half a month to grasp the basics of the Wind Gathering Technique. Afterward, he could practice diligently and gradually elevate his mastery of it.
But now, with the instructor right in front of him, Lu Zhichun had no reason to figure it out on his own. He could simply ask. If the old woman didn’t agree, he could consider other options later.
As a wandering cultivator, Lu Zhichun had no qualms about asking such questions. In the past, whenever there was an opportunity to enhance his cultivation, he would seize it.
Even though his spiritual wisdom was currently suppressed, the desire to improve his cultivation was deeply ingrained in Lu Zhichun’s character.
Hua Daohong was also watching the old woman closely. He had many questions about this Wind Gathering Technique as well. Let’s see if the old woman is willing to answer.
“No problem at all. Feel free to ask any questions,” the old woman replied without hesitation.
“Thank you!” A pleased expression appeared on Lu Zhichun’s face as he proceeded to ask his questions.
However, Lu Zhichun failed to notice that as he began his inquiries, the energy that had been subtly dissipating from his spiritual aperture had suddenly intensified.
If the energy dissipating earlier could be considered as a one, at this moment, it had surged to a five. Furthermore, as Lu Zhichun and the old woman engaged in their back-and-forth discussion, the rate of energy dissipation continued to increase.
Hua Daohong, seeing how cooperative the old woman was, also joined in the discussion of questions. The rate of energy dissipation from his spiritual aperture similarly escalated, keeping pace with Lu Zhichun’s.
The village chief, watching the scene with a smiling expression, observed how, in just a short moment, the auras of both Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong were rapidly diminishing.
What’s even more crucial is that this intense loss of cultivation, if it were in the past, even with Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong’s spiritual wisdom suppressed, their bodies would instinctively sound an alarm.
However, their current strong desire to comprehend this profound martial art, something that martial practitioners pursue throughout their entire lives, swiftly overwhelmed their natural instincts.
This is not the same as the hobbies and interests from last night. Hobbies and interests will always remain as such, whereas something you pursue for a lifetime can’t be compared to mere pastimes.
The village chief, who had been wearing a smile, suddenly felt that something was amiss. Chen Fei, on the other hand, showed no reaction. He didn’t join in or move closer. He simply stood there, staring ahead.
But in front of Chen Fei, there was a patch of grass. That grass seemed to hold some world-shattering treasure, capturing Chen Fei’s gaze completely and making him reluctant to move.
The village chief’s smile faded slightly. He noticed that the energy above Chen Fei’s head was also dissipating and being absorbed by the old woman, indicating that Chen Fei hadn’t learned the Wind Gathering Technique either.
As long as they hadn’t learned it and the instruction wasn’t finished, this energy dissipation wouldn’t stop.
Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong’s complexions had taken on an unusual hue, tinged with a hint of gray. This was nearly imperceptible in cultivators of their Aperture Tempering realm level.
This kind of situation typically only occurred when someone suffered severe injuries, when their essence was damaged, or when their lifespan was near its end, and they couldn’t fully contain their own power. However, right now, the two of them remained completely oblivious, wholly engrossed in mastering the Wind Gathering Technique.
As wandering cultivators, they were accustomed to handling everything on their own. Obtaining a profound technique through sheer serendipity usually meant they had to learn and comprehend it independently. They wouldn’t even consider discussing it with others because they couldn’t fully trust anyone.
The fear of others coveting their techniques made them patiently study every word and sentence in isolation.
Now, the fact that someone was willing to impart a technique without holding back was a feeling of sheer happiness for Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong.
They were so content that they had completely forgotten about everything else.
The offering of a high-level technique with the kind of treatment usually reserved for sect members had completely masked Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong’s instinctual warnings.
Chen Fei stood still, oblivious to the changes in Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong. Even if he had noticed, he would likely have subconsciously ignored them. In this ancient village, only what the village was willing to reveal was acknowledged, while everything else was subconsciously disregarded.
Chen Fei’s situation was relatively better because he had absorbed the energy emitted by the villagers three times yesterday. His body seemed to have gained some resistance, but it was still easy for him to dismiss what was happening.
Yet, the words continuously flashing in his field of vision at this moment had caught his attention repeatedly. He glanced at them a few times, and, just as he was about to delve further, he subconsciously skipped them, intending to go discuss the Wind Gathering Technique with the old woman.
However, the words at the corner of his eye continued to flicker, drawing Chen Fei’s attention back again and again.
After repeatedly ignoring and being drawn in, Chen Fei finally subconsciously focused all his attention on that line of text.
“Discover technique, spend 40,000 silver coins to simplify Wind Gathering Technique?”
“Simplify?”
These two words were like lightning, piercing directly into Chen Fei’s mind. His eyes began to regain clarity, almost instinctively choosing to confirm.
“Wind Gathering Technique simplified… Simplification successful… Wind Gathering Technique -> Blowing air!”
“Blowing air?”
Chen Fei blinked, and the clarity in his gaze gradually faded. Although he couldn’t recall many things, he still used his mouth to blow out a breath in front of him, almost as an instinctual response.
“Wind Gathering Technique Experience +1!”
[Technique: Wind Gathering Technique (Entry Level 1/10,000)]
The village chief, who had been smiling at Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong as their auras steadily weakened and their cultivation gradually slid toward the Visceral Tempering realm, suddenly felt a disturbance. He turned his gaze toward Chen Fei.
Chen Fei, who had been in a daze just moments ago, now lifted his head. What was even more crucial was that the energy that had been dissipating from Chen Fei’s spiritual aperture had inexplicably stopped at some point.
Chen Fei then took a deep breath, causing his entire chest to swell. The lung capacity of a peak-level Visceral Tempering realm martial artist was not something people typically bothered to test.
But today, perhaps there would be an answer.
Chen Fei inhaled a full breath for several moments and then suddenly exhaled. It wasn’t a forceful exhalation; instead, Chen Fei left only a small gap in his mouth, allowing the air to flow out gradually.
With his organs and body tempered through the Visceral Tempering realm, and particularly with the enhancement provided by the Dragon Elephant Formation, this stream of air was like a sharp arrow piercing the patch of grass in front of him.
The patch of grass instantly shattered, and the ground beneath it was as if cut by a sharp blade, revealing a trench.
The village chief inexplicably watched Chen Fei, unsure of what he was trying to do. However, soon enough, the village chief understood because a surge of energy suddenly emanated from the old woman’s head, flying toward Chen Fei.
The village chief’s eyes slowly widened. Inhaling and exhaling, though peculiar, especially when done without any warning, was indeed strange, but at most, it was just unusual.
But as Chen Fei exhaled, he started to absorb the energy from the old woman’s body, which was utterly astonishing.
According to the village’s rules, this indicated that Chen Fei had learned the Wind Gathering Technique that the old woman had taught. Not only had he learned it, but he was also comprehending the essence of the technique at an extremely rapid rate.
In this game, if it were merely a matter of learning the technique that the village provided on an equal footing, it would mean locking away the energy inside one’s body to prevent it from being absorbed by the village.
So, even in what appeared to be an equal arrangement, the initiative and bias were entirely in favor of the village and its villagers.
Learning an entirely unfamiliar and highly intricate technique while one’s spiritual wisdom was completely suppressed was already an extraordinary feat.
Attempting to make remarkable progress in comprehension on the spot was utterly impossible. In all the years the village had existed, they had encountered many martial artists who could learn the technique on the spot, but none had displayed Chen Fei’s ability to delve so deeply into it in such a short time.
The old woman had originally been wearing a smile as she engaged with Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong, answering their questions and steadily absorbing the cultivation they emitted. The cultivation possessed by those in the Aperture Tempering realm was quite substantial, especially considering that she was absorbing energy from both of them simultaneously.
While explaining the Wind Gathering Technique, the old woman maintained the pattern of answering questions but surreptitiously left something behind with each response. These remnants were seemingly insignificant, often something that could be figured out upon further contemplation.
However, in the environment of the village that suppressed their spiritual wisdom, the time required to understand these remnants had been greatly extended.
Furthermore, the old woman retained a bit of information with each question, and as several questions went by, the accumulated remnants became quite substantial. They might have seemed trivial, but in the context of the village, they were potentially lethal to martial practitioners.
Unfortunately, Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong remained unaware at this moment. In their eyes, the old woman’s explanations had already been extremely detailed, and after each answer, they felt they had gained a deeper understanding of the Wind Gathering Technique.
In comparison to the painstaking process of comprehending every word and sentence on their own, this was much quicker, and both wandering cultivators were content.
All three parties were content until Chen Fei began blowing air, causing the old woman to sense the change, and her eyes immediately turned toward him..