Chapter 630: The Phantom
Chapter 630: The Phantom
The space was eerily empty, and even the blood on the ground had vanished without a trace, leaving one to question if a battle had taken place here.
Chen Chuan was slightly taken aback but not overly surprised. When he had entered earlier, Talu had assured him not to worry about the corpses below, explaining that the senior would take care of them later.
This senior, of course, referred to the lifeform blocking the rift.
Talu also informed him that during the seclusion of past generations of Talu, they would sometimes remain unseen for a year or two, and during those times, no one but Talu was allowed to enter.
A Third Limit Combatant could go without food or water for an extended period without exhaustion, but it was still impossible to sustain themselves for that long. Whenever they felt hungry or thirsty, the lifeform beneath their feet would secrete a large amount of liquid and a substance resembling fungi to nourish them.
To be honest, these were secretions and growths from the lifeform's body, and the lifeform itself required "food" too. Most of its sustenance came from the other end of the rift, and it could also digest the bodies of beings that entered the rift from this world.
This was something hard for ordinary people to accept, but fortunately, Chen Chuan ate and drank normally every day, so he didn't need such sustenance.
Chen Chuan looked around, noticing the area was immaculate, and even the clothing and weapons of the few individuals had been absorbed or possibly repelled outside.
However, these individuals were of average strength, and their weapons were standard-issue from the Linenax Federation, holding little value for collection. So, their disappearance wasn't a significant loss.
Unbothered by this, Chen Chuan knew those individuals weren't much of a nuisance. To be honest, he had expected opponents like those from the An Yao Pavilion.
Warriors from such combat academies, regardless of their strength, possessed techniques and power that could undoubtedly inspire him.
Shifting his thoughts, he walked forward, but after a few steps, he sensed a peculiar change in the surrounding field.
Looking ahead, he noticed a person's shadow had appeared, faint and elusive, wearing a Single Stream Pavilion training uniform similar to Talu's attire.
The scene felt familiar.
The figure across resembled the active consciousness bodies of Hong Fu and Li Ying, with a phantom-like appearance yet seemingly real. As he pondered this, the shadow suddenly assumed a combat stance, causing Chen Chuan to raise an eyebrow.
However, the shadow didn't attack him but instead demonstrated a move, and with each execution, green luminescence flickered within the shadow.
After observing for a while, Chen Chuan realized this was likely a power technique of the Single Stream Pavilion, and the glowing spots were the force nodes of the altered tissue.
He recalled Talu's earlier words came to mind, mentioning that some of the Single Stream Pavilion's lost, profound secret teachings were here. Initially, he didn't understand the connection, but now it seemed related.
But why hadn't this appeared before?
Was it due to insufficient spiritual energy?
Not necessarily. The phantom had just appeared, so could it be assumed that absorbing those corpses triggered its emergence?
He nodded, as this was highly possible.
After the shadow repeatedly demonstrated the move several times, it slowly faded away, and the field sensation also dissipated.
He wondered if consuming those bodies was sufficient to trigger this or if there was another awakening method. He planned to discuss it with Talu when he returned to the surface tomorrow.
As his surroundings returned to normal, he walked forward and sat down at his original spot. With his approach, the twisted branches extended outward, and the light shone upon him once more.
This time, he immersed himself for a short while before hearing a rustling sound, like someone speaking at a rapid pace in hushed tones.
Moreover, a fleeting object passed through the light, and after a while, a shadow appeared at the entrance, seemingly trying to crawl towards his location.
Chen Chuan observed the shadow calmly. With his sitting position only a meter away from the entrance, the shadow might rush towards him at any moment. However, he remained unconcerned, as the lifeform below provided a barrier, allowing him to ignore it entirely.
The night passed.
At 5 a.m., Chen Chuan emerged from his meditative cultivation, checked his watch, picked up the Snow Lady Saber, and left.
Upon returning to the cliff, gusts of wind tugged at his clothing. The sound of flapping wings filled the air as Morning Cry descended from the sky.
Chen Chuan fed Morning Cry a specially formulated nutrient cream from the Wing Blade Company and patted it, prompting it to fly towards the training ground, where the children's joyful cries echoed.
In the morning, the kids in the village were all gathered around Ahna, who was very popular among them due to her intelligence and friendliness towards strangers.
Chen Chuan walked towards another direction and found Talu drinking coconut milk under a reinforced hut, with Olive Bo Lu by her side. He shared with them what he had seen after returning the previous day.
Olive Bo Lu was surprised and said, "Mr. Chen, I didn't expect your spiritual level to be so high! I heard from Talu that only when one's spiritual energy reaches a certain level can they see what's inside."
Talu admired Chen Chuan and said, "Yes, my teacher told me that the heritage is within, and only when I meet the conditions for cultivation can I see it."
Chen Chuan explained, "Since I also thought this might be your secret technique, I didn't examine the specific contents. You two can rest assured."
Talu wasn't worried and said, "Mr. Chen, the teachings inside are indeed our sect's secret heritage. As long as one meets the conditions and is a member of our sect, they can learn it. It's just that others won't be able to grasp the essence, but there's no issue with referencing and borrowing from it."
Chen Chuan nodded, but he still had no intention of learning. This secret technique required someone from the same lineage to fully utilize its power, and she was a woman, but the unique altered tissue required for this technique meant that others who learned it would never grasp its essence. However, there was no problem with borrowing and referencing it.
After sharing the situation with them, he walked away and once again sat in front of the Lotus Throne, allowing his mind to relax and focus after the intense cultivation.
Sitting here, his thoughts were both relaxed and concentrated, so during these days, he usually chose this time to contemplate his Heart Power.
After some time, he gradually formed some ideas.
Most people's Heart Power, in addition to combining with their Force, often needed to be paired with their own tactics to maximize their power.
The Heart Power he had encountered so far only had one type, because these people could only use a single force. However, he wasn't limited by this, and due to the uniqueness of the Zhouyuan Technique, his tactics undoubtedly had more variations and could even manifest multiple Heart Powers.
Moreover, using different forces in combat and flexibly switching between them during battle was the tactic he had been using all along, and he wouldn't give it up.
With this foundation, he needed to practice and choose among these Heart Powers.
His advantage lay in the strongest power and speed after combining the second self, allowing him to burst out with an unparalleled force that ordinary people couldn't match.
Even without the second self's empowerment, his current physical qualities were rarely surpassed by those he had encountered.
So, once he entered combat, what he needed was the ability to forge ahead relentlessly with an unstoppable force. This was his belief, and he had strong confidence in it.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a natural surge of power within his body. This power was both a force driven by his self-will and a manifestation of his spiritual focus.
This was different from the Heart Power he had used before, which didn't embody his beliefs and merely relied on the raw strength gained from combining the second self to cross that threshold.
But now, after the Heavengate opening and these days of spiritual cultivation, he had made significant progress and finally grasped this technique.
However...
He sensed this power and realized that this force needed to be tested in battle. Only through repeated practice, adjustments, and supplementation could he fully unleash its advantages.
At this moment, outside the practice area, under a hut, Olive Bo Lu was applying medicine and massaging a young man's muscles and bones. He was also instructing a youth on how to prepare and grasp the key points.
Post-practice recovery and maintenance were crucial, especially for those lacking in talent. They needed to pay extra attention to this aspect; otherwise, they might injure or disable themselves before even awakening their altered tissue.
As he was instructing them, he saw a young man with a backpack walking up the hill against the strong wind.
Olive Bo Lu was surprised because this was a messenger. Some islanders had relatives on other islands, and some students were even from other islands. Inevitably, there would be letters and sometimes even packages sent between them.
However, transportation on the island was inconvenient, so deliveries were usually made once every ten days. Now, during this strong wind period, traveling by boat across the sea was extremely dangerous. Why would the messenger deliver the mail at this time?
A bad feeling suddenly arose within him.
The messenger, drenched in sweat, climbed up the hill and reached the hut, where he wiped his sweat and searched his bag, taking out a letter with a black envelope and delivering it to Olive Bo Lu.
Olive Bo Lu's expression changed upon seeing the letter.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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