Chapter One Hundred and Eighty – [Great Thousand Leaf Hands]
What Zuo Mo cultivated first was the [Great Thousand Leaf Hands].
The second half of the first chapter of [Great Thousand Leaf Hands] explained how to form the great thousand leaf hands. This Sky Yao was an amazing genius. He used the process of a plant growing to complete his spell.
The first step of [Great Thousand Leaf Hands] was to gather up the spirit that was scattered. This was not a problem to Zuo Mo, he easily accomplished it.
Next was to forge the gathered consciousness into “seeds.” This step was crucial. If one could not form “seeds,” they could not practice [Great Thousand Leaf Hands].
The steps to forge “seeds” seemed to be very complicated, but when Zuo Mo finished reading, a strange feeling arose.
This was the “dan nurturing” water method!
The Moisture Dan hadn’t brought much jingshi to Zuo Mo, but he had studied the water method. The wondrous process of the dan forming had left a deep impression on him, so when he saw the process of the “seed” forming, he instantly found similarities.
He didn’t know if this Sky Yao knew of the water method, but to have created such an amazing set of spells and to use a dan-making method with spiritual power, he was in awe of the elder.
Thinking about it, he twisted his mouth.
Pu Yao said he was a Sky Yao, but they were both Sky Yao so why was the difference so great? Pu Yao had taken out many kinds of spells, but he had never heard the other say that he had created any of them. Even more importantly, Zuo Mo didn’t think Pu Yao behaved like a Sky Yao. He was very suspicious that Pu Yao’s Sky Yao identity was just him boasting.
Knowing the water method, Zuo Mo didn’t have much trouble in forging the “seed.”
A few hours later, a “seed” had been formed.
This “seed” that Zuo Mo had gathered all his consciousness into was the size of a soybean, expanding and contracting as though it was breathing.
The most difficult part did not stop Zuo Mo. As long as he persisted in practicing this set of spells daily, after ten days, this “seed” would germinate.
However, since all of his consciousness had been used to create this seed, it was like his consciousness had disappeared. This caused Zuo Mo, who had relied on using his consciousness constantly, to feel extremely awkward.
Without his consciousness, Zuo Mo could not make dan, could not forge, but what made him jump in fright was that he could not use the [Skyring Moon Chime Formation].
Damn it!
He had made such a fatal mistake. It seemed that he had been too proud these past days.
Please, no one come in these next ten days.
To not cause terror in other disciples, he acted normally on the surface.
Gongsun Cha delivered a pile of materials to him, all of it taken from the body of the Blue Spiked Crocodile that Zuo Mo had killed. What was most attention-catching among the items was the hide of the Blue Spiked Crocodile and the seven blue spikes. The hide was pristine. It was rare to see such a perfect Blue Spiked Crocodile skin. The hide of a Blue Spiked Crocodile was outstanding material to make ling armor and the price on the market was very high.
What Zuo Mo liked the most was the seven blue spikes.
The seven blue spikes were rare water element materials, and they came from the same Blue Spiked Crocodile, which made them very appropriate to forge into a flying sword.
Zuo Mo’s set of five sword essence swords needed five flying sword with completely different attributes. It would take luck to gather all five.
He decided to forge the seven blue spikes into a set of flying swords suitable for him to use now.
But when he thought that his consciousness was completely used in creating the “seed,” Zuo Mo could only grimace.
———
Ten days later.
Zuo Mo focused all his attention on growing the “seed” using the chant from the [Great Thousand Leaf Hands]. After ten days of continuous change, the “seed” was now the size of a goose egg, its outer shell a glowing porcelain. It was possible to see a curled sprout inside.
Suddenly, Zuo Mo detected the consciousness inside the egg moving. The outer layer of the “seed” broke. The outer layer was composed of consciousness and naturally would not have made a sound, but to Zuo Mo it was like thunder.
His body seemed to be struck by lightning as it vibrated.
A tender sprout with a single leaf reached out of the broken shell.
The leaf of the tender sprout was extremely small. It appeared like the palm of a person, with all five fingers.
Everything in the surroundings flooded in clearly. This feeling of everything being in his grasp instantly made Zuo Mo feel secure.
Consciousness!
Without him detecting it, Zuo Mo found, to his shock, that his reliance on his consciousness had reached such a shocking step. The consciousness seemed much weaker than before, but as long as he had his consciousness, he could activate the [Skyring Moon Chime Formation] and he could guarantee his safety to some degree.
Finally calming down, Zuo Mo started to study his completely transformed consciousness.
His spiritual power had all turned into this little tender sprout. The little hand that was as round and tender as an infant’s was the only leaf on the sprout, but it was of great joy to Zuo Mo.
His mind moved and the leaf rippled, the five leaf fingers shaking. Quickly, Zuo Mo discovered the trick to manipulating the leaf fingers. The five fingers on the leaf became even more nimble. Zuo Mo was even able to control the five fingers on the leaf hand to do the finger motions of all kinds of spells. There was no sound when the leaf hand made the motions, the spiritual power and the ling power was completely different.
However, if he used finger motions with the leaf hand, its nimbleness far surpassed Zuo Mo’s own finger movements. He could control the leaf hand to complete many highly difficult and almost impossible finger movements. If he used his own fingers, he definitely could not do them.
The five fingers on the leaf hands could lengthen and change shape according to his will. Zuo Mo marveled at it.
Zuo Mo played with the leaf hand until he was exhausted mentally. When he stopped, he noticed something he had missed before. The difficulty of controlling the leaf hand had become much easier than before. He wouldn’t dare to even think about doing such delicate changes before.
The area covered by his consciousness was much smaller than before. In the beginning, he had thought that his consciousness had weakened, but he understood after studying the leaf hand. At the moment, the root of the leaf hand was still inside the “seed.”
The great majority of his spiritual power was still in the goose egg sized “seed”. The amount of consciousness that had transformed into the sprout was only a small minority. If all the consciousness inside the “seed” turned to leaf hands, his consciousness would return to the same level as before. The broken “seed” was like soil right now, the leaf hand taking its nutrients from it to grow.
In the span of one day, the tender leaf hand sprout grew a little bigger.
When all of his consciousness turned to leaf hands, the speed the leaf hand grew would then be affected by the rate his spiritual power grew.
Zuo Mo had a direct measure of the benefits that the [Great Thousand Leaf Hands] gave him. Even though the area covered by his consciousness was much smaller than before, but the clarity of the area covered by his consciousness was much higher.
This benefit had a direct connection to dan-making and forging.
Zuo Mo’s control of fire had increased to another level. He had a strong impulse to forge a flying sword now, but he suppressed it. His consciousness had not recovered to its peak.
The growth of the leaf hand was not fast, but it was steady. Zuo Mo wasn’t in a hurry, he had many things to do.
Like practicing the first three moves of [Little Thousand Leaf Hands].
Zuo Mo had already learned the first three moves. Pu Yao teaching him personally did have some effect. These three moves were either exquisite or powerful so he naturally would not let up, and continuously practiced them. He needed to practice them to the point that he could execute them with a thought.
However, he was far from that step.
What he felt strange was the light at his fingertip when he drew the characters was a faint white light, and not the bloody red of Pu Yao. However, the effect of the completed move did not change. Pu Yao could not find a reason for this, so Zuo Mo, seeing it was not detrimental to casting the spell, threw it to one side.
Zuo Mo still had not discovered the relation between this [Little Thousand Leaf Hands] and the leaf hands.
———
It was night, the moonlight streaming down.
A completely golden figure was at the edge of the black lake, his feet bare, and his legs apart.
Zuo Mo was using [Vajra Profound Sutra]. Small strands of earth energy burrowed into his body through the soles of his feet. The earth energy was thin and felt cold. As it spread through his body, he felt unspeakably pleasurable. As the threads of earth energy entered his body, his muscles became even more strong and hard. Zuo Mo’s body was filled with silence and vitality, just like the great earth.
He opened his eyes. Glancing at his palms, a faint mountain peak tattoo could be seen.
He shook his head. When Pu Yao sucked away the earth energy from his body, the mountain peak tattoo would once again disappear.
Each day, he had to go through this. He had naturally found some trends. The mountain peak tattoo on his palms should be the symbol of the mountain physique. The stronger the body, the richer the earth energy in the body, the clearer it would be. Each time after he absorbed earth energy was the time it was most clear.
A suction suddenly appeared inside his body. The earth energy that had just spread through his body was like a school of fishes that was attracted by bait, moving through every one of Zuo Mo’s muscles and bones.
An expression of pain came into Zuo Mo’s eyes.
It didn’t need his control, his body instinctively rebelled, resisting the departure of the earth energy. It wanted to keep the earth energy, but the suction was so powerful that the earth energy continuously gathered there.
Pu Yao took all the earth energy inside his body.
Weakness flooded in, but he could not faint because of the pain. His body felt like it was being pricked by needles all over, each muscle and bone was in pain.
Zuo Mo understood the reason.
Absorbing earth energy, and then having Pu Yao drawing it away. In the entire process, Zuo Mo’s body was like a man that had just gotten a treasure after struggle, but suddenly was robbed. It instinctively would defend and try to take it back. But since the enemy was too strong, in the conflict, his body was wounded.
He had to go through this process daily. The pain could be imagined.
It was torture!
The damned gravestone! Each time, Zuo Mo gritted his teeth as he bore the pain. At the same time, he repeatedly cursed the damned gravestone!
In this period of time, he would run to the sea of consciousness when he had the free time.
The result was that the gravestone didn’t take any action after the words had popped up.
Listening to the words, Zuo Mo, who had been trusting of the gravestone, was furious. He finally understood. He had trusted the wrong person!
No, he had trusted the wrong stele!
Translator Ramblings: No one mentioned it so I’m really curious. Did anyone else think that the Void Pass Pu Yao showed Zuo Mo seem like what he used against the five jindan a long time ago in Dong Fu?
Also, the Sky Yao who made the Thousand Leaf yao arts would have been before the water method for dan-making was invented. Zuo Mo doesn’t know enough history for these things.