A natural lightning strike was as powerful as a King's attack. After being struck more than 10 times and coughing up quite an amount of blood, Xiang Shaoyun finally sat down cross-legged weakly.
After facing over 10 lightning strikes, he had finally gained some comprehension of the Six Goldplate Manual, learning more about how to properly utilize it to protect himself. Additionally, his lightning bone, first star, and astral cosmos sea had also benefited from the lightning strikes, and his innate purple lightning had grown even stronger.
If Xiang Shaoyun only cultivated the power of lightning alone, just cultivating in this manner would let him break through at record speed. However, he had a big ambition, and as a result, he had to either satisfy the requirements of all the powers he cultivated or simply gather a massive amount of astral energy before he could attempt a breakthrough.
Xiang Shaoyun sat down with wounds all over his body and circulated his cultivation method to recover his exhausted strength. His wounds, however, did look quite bad and did not seem like they could be healed immediately. After resting for about four hours, he stopped meditating and took out a large number of herbs and spirit medicines. He crushed them all before bandaging himself up.
"Alright, let's move," said Xiang Shaoyun as if nothing had happened.
"Young master, you are not going to continue?" Devouring Ghost asked curiously.
"How can I continue in this condition? I'm better off contemplating the defensive technique as I wait for my wounds to heal before facing the natural lightning bolts again. I will only get optimal results by striking a good balance between work and rest," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"The young master is wise," praised Devouring Ghost with a bright glint in his eyes.
It was quite a surprise to him that Xiang Shaoyun was able to understand this concept so clearly at such a young age: knowing to strike a balance instead of charging ahead blindly. That kind of mindset was invaluable. The longer he stayed with Xiang Shaoyun, the more merits he could see in him.
Xiang Shaoyun stepped back onto Jin Wo's back again and said, "How long do we need to reach the Bloodsin City traveling at this speed?"
"At least half a year. If we can use teleportation formations, we will be able to reach it much quicker," Devouring Ghost replied.
"But only tier-5 and above organizations will have teleportation formations," Du Xuanhao chimed in.
"Half a year is not really that long anyway. We’ll keep flying at the same pace," said Xiang Shaoyun after thinking about it for a bit.
"As your command, young master," answered Devouring Ghost deferentially.
And thus, Xiang Shaoyun, Devouring Ghost, and Du Xuanhao continued heading toward the Bloodsin City on Jin Wo's back. Why were they heading to the Bloodsin City? It was on Devouring Ghost's suggestion. Apparently, Bloodsin City was a place Xiang Shaoyun would be able to grow his strength quickly.
As for why Xiang Shaoyun planned to not use the teleportation formations, it was because he wished to cultivate the Six Goldplate Manual to at least a basic mastery while on his way there. During their journey, he only did two things. He either tempered himself with natural lightning bolts or rested on Jin Wo's back.
Just like that, a month passed. Now, Xiang Shaoyun was already able to summon three natural lightning bolts at the same time and take the strikes head on with his body. He had also successfully formed the first layer of gold defense, allowing him to face a certain amount of lightning bolt bombardment without much trouble.
Presently, on a certain desolate mountain peak, Xiang Shaoyun was facing three lightning bolts with his upper body bared. A thick layer of golden energy was surrounding him, forming a thick iron wall surrounding several meters around him. The wall actually stood tall against the lightning bolts, and cracks only appeared during the third bolt.
Xiang Shaoyun had accomplished an extremely shocking feat, surviving three lightning strikes without harm. He raised his head and roared with laughter, "Haha, the Six Goldplate Manual is worthy of being a tier-5 battle technique. Just a tiny bit of mastery is already enough to protect me against natural lightning bolts."
Devouring Ghost appeared before Xiang Shaoyun like a specter and said, "Congratulations, young master, for your gains in cultivating the battle technique."
"After a bit more cultivation, I will be able to face six lightning bolts at the same time, reaching the second level and completing the defensive technique's first stage. At that time, I believe I will be able to gain some fame for myself even at the Bloodsin City you speak of," said Xiang Shaoyun confidently.
"Definitely. You are destined to stand at the peak of existence one day, young master," said Devouring Ghost respectfully. He added, "Young master, now that you have some accomplishment in your defensive technique, are you considering improving your other aspects?"
"Such as?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"Such as footwork intent, increasing the speed of your Overlord's Nine Nether Steps," said Devouring Ghost.
"Footwork intent!" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in alarm. He had comprehended the saber intent and was well aware of the benefits of comprehending an intent. But he had never thought of cultivating footwork intent.
It was not that he did not want to, but he had simply never thought of it. With Devouring Ghost's reminder, he suddenly had an urge to cultivate it.
"Yes. Footwork intent will be able to greatly increase your speed, giving you a massive advantage in combat. Absolute speed will never be defeated," said Devouring Ghost seriously. He pointed at a rock about one kilometer away from them and said, "Young master, look at that rock."
He had barely spoken those words when he suddenly vanished into thin air. With a flicker, he reappeared before Xiang Shaoyun with a rock in his hand. This was the same rock he was pointing to a moment ago. That was an astonishing movement speed.
"I had not used much of my strength, only utilizing my footwork intent," explained Devouring Ghost.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled helplessly. "But you are too fast. I couldn't see anything."
"Oh, I'll demonstrate it one more time so you can get a better look, young master," said Devouring Ghost awkwardly. He then tossed the rock away and suppressed more of his strength before he started moving one step at a time.
Xiang Shaoyun concentrated fully on observing Devouring Ghost's movements, not willing to miss even a slight detail. Devouring Ghost seemed to have transformed into a gust of wind. He drifted about, appearing here and there like a drifting leaf with an indeterminate trajectory.
Each step he took seemed so casual and simple yet easily brought him 100 meters away. He could also switch his direction at ease, leaving afterimages everywhere, confusing his possible enemies. This was his footwork intent, granting him the ability to traverse in all directions as he wished.
This was an ability Devouring Ghost had finally regained after taking some time perfecting his fusion with Linggu Haonan's body. Xiang Shaoyun stared at Devouring Ghost unblinkingly, imprinting everything he saw in his brain. To the side, Du Xuanhao did not miss out on this rare opportunity and stared at Devouring Ghost's each move with a sharp glint in his eyes.
After a while, Devouring Ghost stopped and asked, "Did you see that, young master?"
Xiang Shaoyun recovered from the reverie and said, "Yes."
"Good. There are three stages to this footwork intent. The first stage is 'moving like the wind', the second stage is 'shrinking space', and the third stage is 'so close yet worlds apart'. I am currently in the second stage, the shrinking space stage," explained Devouring Ghost, not minding that Du Xuanhao was listening in at all.