Chapter 193: Revealing the True Form
Shen Wanyun and the others were deeply discouraged, and Si Yunxiang also felt somewhat unconvinced.
Qin Mu, however, thought it wasn’t that they were too stupid, but rather that the Grand Tutor of Yankang was too brilliant.
A genius of this caliber, appearing only once in five centuries, could grasp any principle as soon as it was explained, understand it instantly, and even comprehend many truths without needing any guidance.
But others didn’t possess his heaven-defying comprehension.
Even among geniuses, there were vast differences. Shen Wanyun and the others, though selected as the cream of the crop from countless scholars, either outstanding in talent or exceptional in insight, were far inferior when compared to a monstrous prodigy who appeared once in five centuries—one whose talent and comprehension were unmatched in the world.
What the Grand Tutor of Yankang found normal and simple required them to quietly ponder and slowly comprehend.
The gap in natural ability between them and the Grand Tutor was nearly an insurmountable chasm!
“Take Azure Dragon Primordial Qi, for example. Do you truly believe Azure Dragon Primordial Qi is of the wood attribute?”
The Grand Tutor of Yankang continued patiently to guide them. “Have you ever seen a real Azure Dragon? I have. The Azure Dragon I saw commanded wind and thunder, controlled water and fire—it wasn’t merely wood attribute. Besides, what is the wood attribute? If you pick up a piece of wood and take a bite, does that make it wood attribute? Just because the word ‘Azure’ is in Azure Dragon doesn’t mean you can assume its primordial qi is wood attribute. If you think that way, then you truly have wooden heads.”
The group was struck down once again, and even Qin Mu felt a sense of defeat.
Even he, with his “family heritage,” had naturally assumed since childhood that Azure Dragon Primordial Qi was wood attribute. But now, thinking back, when Horse Master used Azure Dragon Primordial Qi, there was no trace of wood attribute—only wind and thunder intertwined.
It seemed his previous understanding had indeed been flawed. Without guidance from someone like the Grand Tutor, such misconceptions would easily form.
“There are actually many techniques and methods for the Five Radiance Divine Treasury that can serve as references. Some are specifically designed to unlock the combat power of the Five Radiance Divine Treasury.”
The Grand Tutor of Yankang said, “The combat power of the Five Radiance Divine Treasury is quite astonishing. Of course, if you can’t master it, it doesn’t matter—it won’t affect your ability to break through other divine treasuries. It just means you’ll be a bit weaker in the future. This small gap will gradually widen over time. The more divine treasuries you cultivate and unlock, the greater the disparity.”
He drew two triangles in the air. One had a smaller angle at the top, the other a larger angle. Inside the triangles, he drew six parallel straight lines. “These seven lines in the diagram represent the strength at each cultivation level. The second line is the Five Radiance level. If you don’t train the Five Radiance level well, it’s like this—the second line is a bit shorter than others, and the third line is even shorter. By the time you reach the bottom of the triangle, the Divine Bridge level, you’ll be far shorter than others, with nearly half the difference in strength. If your opponent wants to kill you, it would only take one or two moves.”
This analogy was intuitive and shocking.
Two people might have similar strength at the Embryonic Qi and Five Radiance levels, but by the time they reached the Divine Bridge level, the gap would be enormous. Few had ever considered this, as most only focused on raising their cultivation realm.
Si Yunxiang suddenly asked, “Grand Tutor, what kind of line is yours? Compared to other Divine Bridge level sect leaders, how big is your angle?”
The Grand Tutor of Yankang casually drew a straight line in the air and said calmly, “I am this line. No matter how strong others cultivate, their angle will always be smaller than mine.”
He dared to say this because it was built on his heaven-defying talent and comprehension.
He had almost no weaknesses.
For others, it was seven parallel lines; for him, it was seven lines stacked together, making him inherently stronger.
“You can refer to the techniques for the Five Radiance Divine Treasury in the Heavenly Record Pavilion, such as ‘Records of the Earth Star’ by Elder Xuanqin, ‘Five Elements and the Dipper’ by Monk Yuankong, ‘Five Methods of the Year Star’ by Duke Weiguo, and ‘Five Essentials of Military Strategy’ by the Heavenly Strategist General. After reading them, you can solidify the foundation of the Five Radiance level.”
The people he mentioned were all high-ranking officials of the current dynasty. Elder Xuanqin was a woman serving as the Crown Prince’s Tutor, Monk Yuankong held the position of Grand Commandant, Duke Weiguo went without saying, and the Heavenly Strategist General was the renowned head of the Qin family.
These individuals were either from noble families or renowned masters, all at the Divine Bridge level as sect leaders.
The group quickly noted down the names of these techniques.
Shen Wanyun felt conflicted. He had originally planned to enter the Six Harmonies level during this training, but after hearing the Grand Tutor’s words, he steeled himself to suppress his realm further, intending to solidify his foundation before breaking through the Six Harmonies barrier after returning to the Imperial Academy.
Qin Mu was lost in thought. Suddenly, he recalled that some techniques in the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra seemed specifically designed for cultivating the Five Radiance Divine Treasury.
The Great Nurturing Demon Sutra contained a vast array of techniques, many of which appeared unrefined and not top-tier. These were often passed down to disciples of the Demon Sect.
Almost all the techniques and divine abilities in the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra had been disseminated, not hoarded, though some were obscure and easy to practice incorrectly, earning the sect its demonic reputation.
Qin Mu had never deeply studied these techniques before, but now, with the Grand Tutor’s guidance, he suddenly realized that the seemingly fragmented and unimpressive techniques in the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra were precisely the key to cultivation!
These seemingly scattered and unremarkable techniques included not only methods for the Five Radiance Divine Treasury but likely also for the Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Heavenly Being, Life and Death, and Divine Bridge levels!
These techniques were practiced by the various hall masters of the Demon Sect and passed down to the followers, thus forming the three hundred and sixty halls!
Previously, Qin Mu had regarded these techniques as useless and hadn’t integrated them into his unified cultivation method. But now, perhaps unintentionally, the Grand Tutor of Yankang had pointed him toward a clear path.
“The Overlord Body Three-Dan Technique has techniques but no methods, which is a significant flaw. Combining it with the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra might be a perfect match.”
Qin Mu was brimming with enthusiasm and immediately began to comprehend the cultivation methods for the Five Radiance level. These five methods were: the True Art of the Earth Lord Star, the True Art of the Wood Lord Star, the True Art of the Water Lord Star, the True Art of the Fire Lord Star, and the True Art of the Metal Lord Star.
Before long, he started attempting to integrate these five true arts into the Five Radiance level technique of the Overlord Body Three-Dan Technique.
Yue Qinghong and the others were consulting the Grand Tutor about swordsmanship. The Grand Tutor of Yankang walked and talked, answering every question without reservation. However, before they could fully grasp his words, he had already moved on, leaving them greatly frustrated.
The Grand Tutor didn’t speak too quickly, but they couldn’t comprehend fast enough and needed time to ponder. Yet they dared not say so, fearing they’d be labeled the worst batch of scholars again.
After Yue Qinghong finished asking about swordsmanship, Monk Yun Que inquired about Buddhist teachings. The Grand Tutor was also accomplished in Buddhism, having once entered the Great Thunderclap Temple to consult the Old Tathagata, so his explanations were naturally brilliant.
After Yun Que’s questions, Shen Wanyun asked about the integration of swordsmanship and combat techniques. He had trained under the Mountain-Breaking Sacrificial Official, who taught him the Seven Overbearing Styles and guided his swordsmanship, leading Shen Wanyun to walk the path of dual cultivation of blade and sword.
Si Yunxiang also sought the Grand Tutor’s advice on cultivation matters. The Grand Tutor treated her with considerable care, explaining in greater detail than he did for others.
When Si Yunxiang trained under the Young Patriarch, she had met him several times and had received his guidance before.
Wolf Slave hesitated for a moment before boldly asking about blade techniques.
The Grand Tutor glanced at him and asked, “A warrior from the Wolf Residence Kingdom?”
Wolf Slave nodded, feeling uneasy.
The Grand Tutor didn’t mind. “I teach without discrimination. I don’t care about your race.” With that, he guided him in blade techniques, speaking without reservation.
Soon, everyone fell silent, each pondering his words. No one spoke.
Although the Grand Tutor hadn’t said much, it was enough for them to contemplate for a while.
“Grand Tutor, have you studied demon cultivation?” Fox Ling’er broke the silence, sitting on the Dragon Qilin’s forehead and asking him.
The Grand Tutor shook his head. “I haven’t studied it.”
Fox Ling’er’s eyes lit up, and her voice was crisp. “I’ll teach you!” Her expression was very serious.
The Grand Tutor also replied earnestly, “May I ask for your guidance?”
Fox Ling’er then shared her cultivation insights with him, recounting what she had learned from the books in the Yongjiang Dragon Palace, including the Creation Spirit Art, mixed with her own understanding.
The Grand Tutor listened quietly. When Fox Ling’er finished, he suddenly said, “Demons don’t have divine treasuries, do they? From what you’ve said about these techniques and insights, there’s no mention of divine treasury cultivation.”
Fox Ling’er shook her head. “No. That’s why we work hard to cultivate into human form. Once we take human form, we become demon kings—very powerful!”
“I’ve met a few demon kings. They do have some peculiar abilities.”
The Grand Tutor said, “The Spirit Art Transformation you mentioned is very interesting. It seems capable of endless transformations.”
He then explained the Creation Spirit Art in detail. Fox Ling’er listened, increasingly engrossed. By the time the Grand Tutor finished, she snapped back to reality and exclaimed, “I was just saying I’d teach you, but now you’re teaching me instead!”
The Grand Tutor said, “Let’s be each other’s teachers.”
“Mm!” Fox Ling’er nodded emphatically.
The Dragon Qilin beneath her snorted and rolled its eyes upward.
Just then, specks of light suddenly appeared in the sky, flying toward them. The Grand Tutor glanced at them, his gaze landing on Qin Mu.
The specks of light converged and entered Qin Mu’s crown, flowing into his body. The light grew more abundant, gradually forming a fiery red stream.
Fox Ling’er touched it, and a small patch of fur on her paw was singed off. She quickly withdrew her paw.
Before long, Qin Mu’s aura suddenly surged. Flames swirled around him like fiery clouds.
Fox Ling’er was startled when she heard two *puff* sounds. Two horns sprouted from Qin Mu’s head. His nose gradually bulged and turned outward, emitting two streams of white smoke tinged with firelight.
Fox Ling’er screamed. Then came *crack* *crack* sounds as Qin Mu’s bones underwent strange changes. His thighs grew thicker, his body taller, and his muscles swelled outward with *bang* *bang* *bang* sounds. His body was covered in fire patterns, and a bull’s eye burst open on his forehead, right in the middle.
Then Fox Ling’er saw a bull’s tail hanging down from Qin Mu’s backside. His rear end also grew much larger, like a plump bull’s rump. The tail slapped twice, smacking against the fleshy buttocks—it must have hurt!
“Grand Tutor…”
Fox Ling’er was stunned. She turned to the Grand Tutor of Yankang and said, “My young master has revealed his true form! He’s not a fox spirit—he’s a bull spirit!”