Chapter 75

Jing Hao did not fly at full speed, clearly taking into account Tang Tian's poor third-stage lightness skill. This also gave Tang Tian the opportunity to closely observe Jing Hao's lightness skill. Jing Hao's forward movement was very distinctive, straight as if measured by a ruler. When he needed to turn, he would change direction and continue in another straight line. When he needed to make a large turn, it felt incredibly strange, as if he were a robot, moving in jerks and stops.

Jing Hao noticed Tang Tian observing his lightness skill and said, "The lightness skill I practice is called [Ruler Step], which moves in a straight line."

"What do you do when attacking?" Tang Tian asked curiously. "The opponent can easily defend, right?"

"Exactly, but the biggest feature of a straight line is the shortest distance. The [Ruler Step] is fast, and if you can increase your speed to a certain level, even if the opponent knows your intention, they can't defend," Jing Hao said calmly.

"How fast is that?" Tang Tian was a bit surprised. Everyone knew that a straight line was the shortest, but in martial arts, straight-line attacks were very rare. They were too easy for the enemy to predict, and once your intention was seen through in battle, it meant you were at a disadvantage.

"Fast enough," Jing Hao glanced at Tang Tian's lightness skill, frowned slightly, and produced several Soul Warrior Cards. "Here are a few lightness skill cards. See if you like any of them."

Four fourth-stage Soul Warrior Cards, all Silver Cards: [Treading Flowing Light], [Great Peng Wings], [Bagua Step], and [Thousand Forest Swing].

"[Treading Flowing Light] emphasizes speed and is also suitable for long-distance travel. [Great Peng Wings] has a good flight height, and if used with specialized martial arts, its power increases. [Bagua Step] is complex and focuses on shifting positions, but it's hard to master. [Thousand Forest Swing] is suitable for dodging and flying in complex terrains. Each has its pros and cons," Jing Hao explained.

Tang Tian thought for a moment. "I'll take [Bagua Step]."

He had a bronze mechanical ostrich for long-distance travel, and the other two lightness skills didn't fit his fighting style. Only [Bagua Step] suited his close-combat expert style.

Jing Hao didn't ask more and handed [Bagua Step] to Tang Tian.

As they continued forward, Jing Hao's expression became serious and alert, and his hand rested on the sword at his waist.

Sss!

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed in the darkness. Tang Tian was startled, feeling a gust of foul wind rush toward him. The speed and suddenness were so great that he didn't have time to react.

A cold light suddenly bloomed in front of Tang Tian.

The dark shadow was cut in half.

Jing Hao's sword was already back in its sheath.

Only then did Tang Tian's hair stand on end, his face changing dramatically. If it hadn't been for Jing Hao, he would have died! He looked down at the black shadow, which had been cut in half, with black wings on one side.

"It's a Deep Ground Bat," Jing Hao's voice reached Tang Tian's ears. "A fifth-stage Star Soul Beast, very fast. Look for the soul core."

No wonder it was so terrifying, a fifth-stage Star Soul Beast!

Tang Tian's face was still pale, but he forced himself to calm down. He quickly found the Deep Ground Bat's soul core, about the size of a soybean, black and shiny. He handed it to Jing Hao, who shook his head. "Keep it, I don't need it."

Tang Tian didn't argue and took it. Only now did he realize how fast Jing Hao's sword had been!

He took a deep breath, and his armor appeared, a dark blue that emitted no light in the darkness. He tightened the gloves on his hands.

"Let's go," Jing Hao said without further ado and continued forward.

Tang Tian followed closely, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. He asked softly, "Are there many Star Soul Beasts here?"

"Many," Jing Hao replied. "At first, we thought there was a secret treasure here. Later, we found out there were too many Star Soul Beasts. It's still manageable here, mostly low-stage ones. The deeper you go, the more powerful the Star Soul Beasts become. Even the big shots in the guild dare not enter. No one knows what's down there."

Low-stage...

Tang Tian felt a bit depressed. He had almost been killed by a low-stage Star Soul Beast...

Fortunately, they didn't encounter anything terrifying on the rest of the journey. Suddenly, Tang Tian noticed several pits of various sizes not far away. The smallest were less than half a meter wide, and the largest were over ten meters in diameter. Tang Tian could clearly feel that the energy concentration in these pits was much higher than in other areas.

Noticing Tang Tian's gaze, Jing Hao said, "Those are energy pools."

He continued forward without stopping.

Tang Tian was a bit puzzled. Weren't they energy pools? He could see that these energy pools were undoubtedly the best places to cultivate true energy, with energy concentrations far exceeding those outside. If this were outside, such places would have been seized by major forces. Only in such a dangerous and dark underground area were they left untouched.

After about an hour of winding paths, Tang Tian was dizzy.

Suddenly, Jing Hao slipped into a small crack. The crack was so narrow that he had to turn sideways to get through. Such cracks were common in the underground, and Tang Tian quickly followed.

After passing through the crack, Tang Tian was stunned by the scene before him.

A bottomless abyss, with countless tiny blue light orbs slowly floating upward. These orbs were so numerous that they formed a sea of blue. They continuously rose from the depths of the abyss, gradually dimming and eventually disappearing.

These grain-sized blue light orbs were born, shone brightly, and then vanished.

"These light orbs are energy," Jing Hao's voice was unusually excited. "Cultivating in such a place will greatly accelerate your progress. Above is the energy pool. The energy concentration here is hundreds of times higher than in the energy pool."

"How can there be such a magical place in the world?" Tang Tian asked, stammering.

A light orb floated to his face, and he reached out to catch it. The orb felt slightly cool, and the moment it touched his skin, a refreshing sensation entered his body, invigorating him.

"I don't know," Jing Hao's eyes showed a rare fascination, but he quickly regained his composure. "I found this place by chance. These energy orbs have no attributes, and their energy level is around fourth-stage, perfect for your current level. They are not very helpful to me, but they are still much more effective than outside. Start your cultivation."

With that, Jing Hao sat down to meditate.

Seeing this, Tang Tian also sat down.

As soon as he started his cultivation technique, several light orbs were immediately attracted to him.

Tang Tian was completely focused, feeling an indescribable comfort. A steady stream of true energy flowed into him, and in no time, his fourth-stage dantian was full. Tang Tian stopped absorbing the light orbs and began to circulate the true energy in his body along the meridians.

[Four Heavenly Dragons] had not been cultivated for long, and the meridians involved in the technique were not fully developed. Tang Tian's true energy acted like a drill, struggling to move through the meridians, gradually widening them. This process was extremely slow, and as it progressed, his true energy was quickly depleted.

Tang Tian, as usual, restarted his cultivation technique, repeating the process.

Tang Tian finally understood why Jing Hao was so confident. The abundant energy orbs here greatly reduced the time it took for his true energy to recover.

Indeed, it was a holy land for cultivation!

Tang Tian quickly immersed himself in cultivation.

On the fifth day.

Jing Hao opened his eyes and looked at Tang Tian, who was meditating nearby, with a hint of surprise. Even Jing Hao himself found ten consecutive days of cultivation exhausting. Long periods of cultivation were extremely monotonous and tiring for the mind.

So, Jing Hao usually returned to the base to rest for a few days after every five days of cultivation, which was his limit.

Not long after, seeing Tang Tian open his eyes, Jing Hao said, "I need to go back to the base to rest. What do you plan to do?"

"I'll continue cultivating. I brought some dry rations," Tang Tian said firmly.

Jing Hao didn't object, only saying, "If you feel too tired, rest well. Cultivation is not something that can be achieved in a day or night."

"I'm fine, I'm not tired," Tang Tian said truthfully. For him, five days of continuous cultivation was not much.

Seeing Tang Tian's determination, Jing Hao didn't force him. "It's safe here, don't leave the crack."

"Okay!" Tang Tian agreed seriously.

After giving his instructions, Jing Hao turned and left.

Tang Tian stood up and stretched, his body feeling numb from sitting for five days. He practiced a few boxing forms to get his body moving again, then entered the light gate.

"Uncle Bing, have you ever seen a place like this before?" Tang Tian couldn't help but ask Bing.

Bing nodded. "Yes. This is an energy crack. Our battalion had one, but not at this base. I remember that the main use of our energy crack was for body washing."

"Body washing?" Tang Tian was intrigued by the term.

"Yes. The human body is very mysterious and varied. Some people are naturally very unaffectionate towards energy, so their cultivation progress is very slow. Even if they cultivate true energy, their bodies will automatically reject it. In severe cases, they can hardly cultivate martial arts at all. However, these people often have talents in other areas."

"Do I belong to this category?" Tang Tian pointed to his nose.

"No, you don't," Bing explained. "Your body doesn't reject true energy. Your so-called poor talent is due to your balanced affinity for the five elements. To be honest, I find your current martial arts strange. In our time, someone like you would be the best choice. We believed that only a balanced five elements would not be easily countered."

"Really? So I'm that amazing!" Tang Tian's eyes sparkled.

"I still know too little about current martial arts and can't provide more explanations," Bing said honestly. "You don't need body washing; your body is very affectionate towards energy."

Tang Tian looked disappointed.

"Oh, I remember, energy cracks can also be used for soul refinement," Bing suddenly recalled.

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Ha! Finally finished before midnight!

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