Chapter 206: Racing Against Time, Loyal Female Guard
That evening, after eating, taking his medicinal bath, and resting for an hour and a half, Tang Wen opened his eyes.
He took a moment to assess himself and found that most of his energy had returned.
He got dressed and entered the Cultivation Secret Chamber again.
"Young Master, are you going to cultivate again?"
Worry was written on Liang Yu’s charming, oval face.
Tang Wen didn’t turn around. "Yes. The Azure Stone Slab is very effective for me. I should make the most of it while I have it."
Liang Yu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but held her tongue.
Tang Wen was preemptively setting expectations for her and, by extension, for Shui Yun and the others behind her.
’If you ever find out that my Spiritual Power is exceptionally strong...’
’...don’t be surprised, and don’t be suspicious.’
’If anyone asks, just say it’s because of the Azure Stone Slab.’
’What’s that? Others have used it and didn’t get the same results?’
’That’s because they’re just too weak!’
’Within the Black Water Gang, the difference in treatment between an Extraordinary Powerhouse and a talented Martial Artist is significant.’
As an Extraordinary, Tang Wen was beginning to look down on the resources available to Martial Artists.
’If I were to announce that I’m an Extraordinary right now...’
’...there’s an eighty percent chance I’d be locked up and brutally interrogated.’
’One step ahead makes you a genius.’
’Ten steps ahead makes you a madman, a spy, someone with ulterior motives hiding their true strength!’
’I can’t be too aggressive.’
’But hiding it forever isn’t in my best interest either.’
’The best plan is to train in Martial Arts like a madman.’
’Establish the persona of a genius.’
’Then find opportunities to reveal my strength little by little.’
Of course, "little by little" was relative to Tang Wen’s perspective.
To others, the speed of his progress in Martial Arts Cultivation would still be despairingly fast.
Only by doing this could he earn the full support and resources of the Black Water Gang!
He continuously refined the plan in his mind.
Upon reaching the realm of a Seventh Grade Extraordinary, one needed to cultivate their Superpower and Spiritual Power to a certain level before they could attempt to break through to the Sixth Grade.
Generally, when one’s Spiritual Power was developed enough to easily toss a boulder weighing ten thousand jin, they were considered a Peak Extraordinary.
At this point, they could try to break through to the Sixth Grade.
But the success rate was not high.
If one could cultivate any Spiritual Meditation Method to the Great Success stage, their chances of breaking through to the Sixth Grade would increase dramatically.
The Meditation Technique Tang Wen obtained from the Bai Family was more advanced than ordinary ones.
If he cultivated it to Great Success, he would only need to raise his Dark Ability to become a bona fide Sixth Grade.
’Hmm, so...’
’Once I achieve Great Success in the Spiritual Meditation Method, I can publicly announce that I have Awakened the Dark Ability.’
’I’ll pretend to be an Innate Awakener to scam some resources.’
’Once I reach the Sixth Grade, I’ll announce that I’ve become an Extraordinary and scam another wave of them.’
Having made up his mind, Tang Wen began practicing the Eight Vajra Techniques to stretch his muscles and awaken his body’s vitality.
Then, he curled up on a clean, fragrant mat, clutching the Azure Stone Slab to temper his Spiritual Power.
Twelve ancient pictographs arranged themselves in his Sea of Consciousness in rows of three.
The first nine were pitch-black and substantial.
The last three runes were gray, thin, and small, looking very "unhealthy."
The Sea of Consciousness connected to a spiritual lake.
A bubble expanded, and the twelve runes held it steady.
Then,
the first nine pitch-black pictographs flickered faintly.
The last three flashed crazily.
The first nine were like picky eaters, merely nibbling at a grand feast.
The last three, however, were like a giant who hadn’t eaten in three days and finally stumbled upon a free banquet, rolling up his sleeves and digging in!
The speed of their feasting was comparable to the efficiency of an old lady shoveling leftovers from a buffet into a plastic bag.
Half an hour passed.
Tang Wen awoke.
[Essence: 16.98]
Compared to last time, the growth of his spiritual value had slowed somewhat.
’It’s probably because I only strengthened a smaller number of pictographs this time.’
He got up and went to the door of the training room.
In the mirror, his eyes were glowing, as if he were Sun Wukong who had just leaped out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
He couldn’t go out in this state.
Fighting back his hunger, Tang Wen turned back into the training room and took out the hidden Instant Step Visualization Stone Slab.
Contemplation Method Martial Arts were a huge drain on Spiritual Power.
The Azure Stone Slab increased Spiritual Power.
The Instant Step Contemplation Method rapidly consumed Spiritual Power.
A perfect closed loop!
Immersing his spirit, Tang Wen experienced the Contemplation Method over and over.
Instant Step—just as the name implies.
When executed, the effect was like the Instant Teleportation skill in a video game.
However, in practice, the distance moved was very short.
Footwork, Body Technique, Superpower, and Spiritual Power—all had to be combined as one to instantly move the body and successfully execute an Instant Step.
The Contemplation Method played over and over like a looping video.
Tang Wen went from having an overflow of Spiritual Power to seeing it almost completely depleted.
The Spiritual Power in his Sea of Consciousness ebbed and flowed like the tide, rising and falling dramatically.
Yet, he still didn’t have a clue.
Instant Step truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most difficult Profound Techniques of the Dark Division.
According to Li Zi, Instant Step was the single most difficult skill to learn, bar none.
She could at least grasp the basics when studying Ghostly Shadows.
But she had all but given up on Instant Step.
After two days of study, Tang Wen found that he felt much the same way.
There was no other way; he could only watch it again and again.
The difference was, the old saying, "Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear," actually worked for Tang Wen, thanks to his Experience Panel.
For the first time, Tang Wen had zero confidence he could master an Ultimate Skill on his own.
But his subconscious told him: ’Just go all out and grind. Get the experience. Leave mastering the beginner level to the Experience Panel.’
Day and night blurred inside the room.
Whenever he reached the point of exhaustion, he would sleep for an hour or two.
After waking, he would clutch the stone slab and temper his Spiritual Meditation Method. Martial Arts Training was addictive.
Five days passed in a flash.
On the sixth day, it was time for breakfast, but Tang Wen didn’t come out.
Liang Yu came down and saw him meditating.
She didn’t disturb him, so Tang Wen missed breakfast.
The same thing happened at noon.
Finally, in the evening, she couldn’t help but call Tang Wen out to eat.
"Eat?" Tang Wen turned his head slowly.
Liang Yu jumped in fright when she saw that his eyes were completely bloodshot.
"Young Master, you can’t train anymore! You need to rest immediately! No, eat first, then rest right after."
She was speaking incoherently.
Tang Wen turned his head back. "There’s only one day left to use the Azure Stone Slab. Pushing through one more day is nothing. I’ll be fine."
Just as he spoke, his stomach rumbled.
"I really am hungry. The roujiamo I taught the chefs to make—have they learned how? Bring me twenty of them."
"But, Young Master—"
"Just go!" Tang Wen interrupted.
’To train, to fight for resources, you have to risk it all.’
After finishing the roujiamo, he lay down on the spot and dozed off for a bit.
A Maid came down to clean but didn’t manage to wake him.
Once she was done, Liang Yu was about to leave with the Maid.
Suddenly, she saw Tang Wen open his eyes again, pick up the Azure Stone Slab, and resume his Cultivation.
Liang Yu froze, a mixture of heartache and admiration welling up inside her.
’The Young Master is so talented, yet he works so hard!’
’Liang Yu, oh Liang Yu, you must take good care of the Young Master.’
At this thought, she couldn’t tell which emotion was stronger.
She left the Stone Tower to find the Hall Master.
"What brings you here?" Shui Yun was in her medicinal bath.
Inside the bathroom, the steam was thick and hazy. The beauty’s casual movements revealed skin as translucent as jade.
Liang Yu lowered her head and recounted how Tang Wen was training like a madman, racing against time to use the Azure Stone Slab.
Before she could finish,
the temperature in the steamy bathroom plummeted.
"You can’t even take care of one person. What good are you?" Shui Yun’s tone was as cold as the sudden drop in temperature.
Liang Yu knelt to beg for forgiveness.
"Forget it. At least you knew enough to report it. Fine, let’s leave the Azure Stone Slab with my junior brother for another seven days."
"This... Won’t that be difficult for you?"
After all, the Azure Stone Slab belonged to the gang.
It wasn’t Shui Yun’s private property.
According to the schedule, the Azure Stone Slab was supposed to go to the Eldest Young Master next.
Keeping it for another seven days...
The Eldest Young Master would probably explode with anger.
He was not known for being broad-minded.
Liang Yu regretted coming.
Not only had she put the Third Mistress in a difficult position, but she had also made an enemy for the Young Master.