Chapter 15

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...

Duke Zhiting, who is not yet forty years old, looks even younger. He is broad and plump, with a pale face and no beard, standing at about 1.7 meters tall and weighing around 300 kilograms. He was supported out by four beautiful maids, looking like a large, greasy white ball.

Seeing the stunningly beautiful Soning Bing, the Duke's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Soning Bing, I greet you, Duke." Soning Bing bowed.

"Get up, get up..." The Duke's smile almost overflowed from his chubby cheeks. He hurriedly quickened his steps, wanting to lift Soning Bing up, his narrow eyes almost shooting out light.

"They say there are two most beautiful women in the capital, one is Zhining, and the other is you." Duke Zhiting said with a dreamy smile. "In my opinion, Zhining is far inferior to you. How can she match your mature charm?"

"Duke, you are joking." Soning Bing said.

With the support of four maids, Duke Zhiting plopped down on a huge golden throne like a mountain of flesh and said, "Speak, what brings you to me?"

Soning Bing said, "My younger brother Solon is having difficulty passing the final exam at the Capital Academy this year, but he must inherit the title and the position of Tian Shui City Lord. So I ask for your help, Duke."

Duke Zhiting laughed, "Why don't you ask Duke Zhiwei? He is the governor of your Southeast Province."

Soning Bing replied, "I would rather come to you."

"Good judgment, good judgment." Duke Zhiting clapped his hands, then he put away his smile and said, "However, Miss Soning, your request is not easy. You know, many people in the royal family are eyeing Tian Shui City."

This frivolous Duke spoke quite directly, as he himself is a member of the royal family.

Soning Bing took out three deeds and said, "I am willing to offer these three deeds in exchange for your help, Duke."

Immediately, a maid took the three deeds and handed them to Duke Zhiting. He opened them, and his eyes lit up instantly, forgetting to leer at Soning Bing. In his eyes, nothing could compare to the allure of gold.

The value of these three properties was worth tens of thousands of gold coins. Duke Zhiting had received countless bribes, but almost none were as generous as this.

After all, a large city with hundreds of thousands of people only collects less than 20,000 gold coins in taxes per year, and an ordinary family of a few people would never save up ten gold coins in their lifetime.

He closed his eyes slowly, weighing whether he could handle this matter.

Why did Duke Zhiting receive the king's favor and trust? Because he had no political ambitions, almost no involvement in royal power, and was extremely loyal to King Zhibian.

When Zhibian and several princes were vying for the position of crown prince, the struggle was extremely brutal, even to the point of bloodshed.

Almost all the adult princes were involved, and brotherly affection was long forgotten.

At that time, Zhiting was just a few years old, but he not only escaped the struggle for the crown prince position but also gained all the brotherly affection of King Zhibian.

Because Zhibian had been too ruthless in the struggle for the crown prince position, he seemed to want to make up for all his guilt on his youngest brother Zhiting.

And Zhiting behaved very obediently, always acting cute and innocent in front of Zhibian. This younger brother was like a son to him.

So, would intervening in the position of Tian Shui City Lord be considered political involvement? Would it make King Zhibian unhappy?

Indeed, there were people in the royal family who wanted to take away the territory of Tian Shui City, such as the future crown prince Zili. As for King Zhibian, he had never expressed an opinion.

If he took on this task, he would offend the future crown prince. If he didn't, the tens of thousands of gold coins were too tempting.

After much consideration, the scales in Duke Zhiting's heart gradually tipped towards the gold coins.

After all, he only had eyes for the king, not for anyone else. As for Zili, he would wait until Zili became king to kneel and lick his boots.

He opened his eyes and said, "Alright, I will take on this matter."

Soning Bing was inwardly delighted. Although Duke Zhiting was greedy, his reputation for keeping his word was excellent. Once he took on a matter, he would always complete it.

"Thank you, Duke." Soning Bing knew very well that once Duke Zhiting took on this matter, it would mean opposing Zili.

"It's nothing, I only have eyes for His Majesty the King, I don't care about anyone else." Duke Zhiting smiled.

"Then I will take my leave." Soning Bing bowed, unable to bear Duke Zhiting's lecherous gaze any longer.

...

Early in the morning, Lan Ling began learning the second step of martial arts enlightenment with Ye Jingyu, the Dragon Power Activation.

Normally, the bloodline power only surges from the heart when the body reaches a certain limit and cannot bear it anymore.

However, in battle, one needs to be able to use Dragon Power at any time. Waiting until the body reaches its limit to activate Dragon Power is too late.

Therefore, the purpose of the second step, Dragon Power Activation, is to use the mind to activate the bloodline Dragon Power at any time without the body reaching its limit.

How to achieve this? By performing a mental deception, making the brain and nerves believe that the body has reached its pain limit even when it hasn't. Then, repeating this hundreds or thousands of times. Eventually, the nerves and brain will form a memory point, turning it into a conditioned reflex. As soon as the mind touches this memory point, the bloodline Dragon Power will be instantly activated.

This principle is simple and scientific.

For example, when a sharp, hard object strikes your knee, it will be extremely painful. Repeating this pain over and over again, eventually, even without the actual strike, just thinking about it will bring the pain vividly to mind.

Ye Jingyu said, "There is also a chant for this, but it is quite long, about three to four hundred characters. I will recite it once, and you should memorize it."

Then, Ye Jingyu began reciting the "Suffering Chant."

The content of the chant is very straightforward, describing oneself as a slave, with shackles on the hands and feet, building a pyramid tomb in a vast desert. The sun scorches, the body is weak, the hands and feet are bloody and raw, carrying huge stones, climbing steep and sharp cliffs, and enduring the terrible lash of the whip.

In short, it describes the extreme limits of physical pain.

After a few repetitions, Lan Ling had completely memorized the entire chant and had a detailed image in his mind.

Ye Jingyu said, "What you need to do now is to recite the chant over and over again, immersing your mind completely in the world of the chant, feeling the pain as if you were there."

Lan Ling asked, "How long does it usually take to complete the second step, Dragon Power Activation?"

Ye Jingyu replied, "More than a month, and it has nothing to do with talent. The brain and nerves need thousands of repetitions to form a conditioned reflex point."

Saying this, Ye Jingyu applied a special drug under Lan Ling's nostrils.

Instantly, a strange fragrance rushed into his nostrils, making Lan Ling feel dazed and disoriented, similar to the effects of a drug on Earth.

Then, Ye Jingyu began reciting the chant in his ear, over and over again.

Lan Ling also recited it repeatedly, constantly imagining the scenes in the "Suffering Chant," putting himself in the place of the suffering slave. Despite having the Demon Star inside him, he still wanted to try the ordinary method of cultivation.

Lan Ling was completely immersed, and due to the drug, he was also completely dazed and had let down his rational defenses.

However, there was still a clear consciousness in his mind, so it was impossible to fully immerse himself in the world of the "Suffering Chant" as if it were a dream.

One, two, three times...

After countless repetitions, more than two hours had passed. The only result was failure. Lan Ling could not fully immerse himself in the world of the "Suffering Chant," and the Demon Star did not appear, let alone activate any Dragon Power.

Ye Jingyu said, "Don't be discouraged. This is inherently difficult. Even those with high mental talent need a month. Moreover, the younger you are, the easier it is to complete. The older you are, the more clear-headed and determined you are, making it harder to deceive yourself."

That's true. The younger, the better for the three steps of enlightenment. They are usually done around the age of ten, and Lan Ling is already almost twenty.

Lan Ling also clearly felt how difficult it was. To believe oneself to be the slave in the "Suffering Chant" and to feel the pain of facing death as if it were real, how could that be possible? And it had to be as real as a dream.

Lan Ling continued to try, again and again.

Another hour passed, not only without success, but his mind became increasingly clear, finding it more and more absurd, making it even less likely to succeed.

Lan Ling even felt that continuing this way would just be a waste of time.

So, he closed his eyes, entered the mental illusion of the "Inverted Moon Chant," and called out in his heart, "Demon Star."

Instantly, a faint light appeared deep in the illusion, which was the Demon Star.

"What do you need, Master?"

Lan Ling said, "I want to activate Dragon Power."

"Understood." The Demon Star contracted, and a surge of power burst forth. Then it said, "Master, I have very little power left. You need to kill enemies quickly so I can absorb enough energy."

Saying this, the light of the Demon Star disappeared.

Lan Ling opened his eyes and said to Ye Jingyu, "I... have already completed the Dragon Power Activation."

Ye Jingyu's eyes widened in shock, "This, this is impossible. Dragon Power Activation is about repeated stimulation, not talent. Even with high talent, it takes a month."

Saying this, Ye Jingyu grabbed Lan Ling's hand and said, "Try to activate Dragon Power once, I can feel it."

Lan Ling ordered the Demon Star to release energy in his mind. Almost simultaneously, the Demon Star lit up, releasing countless threads of energy.

Instantly, Ye Jingyu felt this energy. Then, she was completely stunned, looking at Lan Ling in disbelief, "You, you are truly a monster."

The second step of Dragon Power Activation, which usually takes a month, was completed by Lan Ling in just one day.

Ye Jingyu was completely at a loss for words to describe her feelings.