Chapter 201 - 195: Touch Spirit
’This is amazing.’
Yu Changsheng clicked his tongue in amazement. He could even feel the Yun Que’s reluctance to see him go, leaving him utterly astonished.
With the aid of the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique, a sliver of his Divine Sense reattached itself to a Koi Carp in a stream on Beast Taming Peak.
The Koi Carp possessed considerable Spirituality. Seeming to sense Yu Changsheng’s presence, it flicked its tail lightly and swam upstream.
"Hello there, little Koi Carp."
Yu Changsheng chuckled, greeting it with a thought.
The Koi Carp blinked, its tail swishing even faster.
"Can I ride on you for a bit? Take me for a spin."
Yu Changsheng continued to project goodwill. The Ten Thousand Spirits Technique circulated faster within him, and specks of light from the surrounding world surged into his body, bringing a wave of clarity to his Sea of Consciousness.
The Koi Carp bobbed its head up and down in agreement. Its bright red scales were beautiful, shimmering under the refracted sunlight in the water.
Yu Changsheng smiled faintly. He attached the sliver of Divine Sense, imbued with his own spirit, to the Koi Carp’s head. With a single thought, the Koi Carp began to swim, and Yu Changsheng’s perspective shifted, becoming that of the fish.
’Is this the world through a fish’s eyes?’
Yu Changsheng marveled as the underwater scenery naturally appeared in his mind. The stream wasn’t turbulent, and the water was very clear. As his vision switched, a cool sensation from the water spread through his entire body, as if, in that moment, Yu Changsheng had truly become the Koi Carp.
Of course, this was a sensation Yu Changsheng could choose to block.
The water’s surface glittered calmly. Before long, the current quickened slightly, and the feeling of this change was transmitted synchronously to Yu Changsheng’s Sea of Consciousness.
’Being a fish isn’t so bad.’
Yu Changsheng thought lazily, the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique inside him circulating even more smoothly.
"Shh... keep it down. Look, what a big Seven-Colored Koi Carp! We’re in luck, this thing is delicious."
"Yeah, yeah, watch me spear it. Heh heh, we’re having grilled fish tonight. The meat on this little guy must be incredibly tender."
Suddenly, two dissonant voices drifted from the bank. Yu Changsheng frowned slightly. Looking up through the water’s surface, he saw two young disciples from Beast Taming Peak looking down, their eyes meeting the Koi Carp’s.
The Koi Carp blew some bubbles. One of the disciples held a tree branch sharpened at one end. A faint green light emerged from his palm and spread over the branch, its sharp aura disturbing the water and sending ripples across the surface.
"Stupid fish, it’s not even running."
The disciple chuckled. The next moment, he suddenly put force into his hand, and the branch shot toward the Koi Carp at high speed. At such a close distance, it took but an instant. The branch transformed into a streak of green light, pierced the water’s surface with a splash, and plunged toward the Koi Carp at the bottom of the stream.
’Heh, in your dreams.’
Yu Changsheng let out a cold laugh. A sense of life-and-death crisis was transmitted from the Koi Carp to his own senses. Their feelings were synchronized. Faced with this danger, Yu Changsheng’s thoughts moved. While circulating the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique to soothe the Koi Carp, he also smoothly took complete control of it.
’Touch Spirit, Spirit Control!’
A sharp glint flashed in Yu Changsheng’s eyes. His Divine Sense transformed into spirit. Aided by the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique, and without any resistance, the fish’s tail whipped forward, churning up the water. The force propelled the fish’s body forward at incredible speed, turning it into a blur that narrowly grazed past the branch.
CRACK!!
The next instant, the branch missed the Koi Carp and plunged directly into the rockbed of the stream. The rock cracked, and the branch stood embedded in it, straight and stiff like a javelin in the water.
One could only imagine the force behind it. If Yu Changsheng hadn’t taken over, the Koi Carp would have surely met a violent end.
"What the hell?"
The two disciples were stunned. They stood frozen on the spot, eyes wide, completely dumbfounded and in disbelief.
As the fish dodged the attack, the sense of mortal danger dissipated, replaced by a wave of anger that flooded Yu Changsheng’s entire being.
’You think this is a game?’
Yu Changsheng sneered as rage burned within him. And so, the fish’s tail whipped violently underwater with a roar, sending water splashing everywhere. The immense reactive force launched the fish high into the air, flying out of the water while the disciple was still in a daze.
SLAP!!
The fish’s tail whipped again in mid-air. It flew right in front of the disciple’s face, and before he could react, it swiftly slapped him across the cheek.
The sound of the slap was crisp and loud. The blow was powerful, and the disciple’s cheek instantly turned red, a clear imprint of the fish’s tail visible on his skin.
The other disciple stared, his expression completely blank.
After accomplishing this, the Koi Carp quickly dove back into the water. It turned back to the two disciples and blew a few bubbles, as if in defiance, before finally swimming away.
"What just happened?"
After a long moment, the disciple finally came to his senses. He touched his swollen, red left cheek, utterly baffled.
"That Seven-Colored Koi Carp... was it mocking us?"
After a moment, the other disciple swallowed hard and said dazedly.
"Has the world gone mad? That’s just a Tier One First Layer utility-type Spirit Beast! It actually countered me?!"
The slapped disciple’s expression was vacant. When he finally snapped out of it, his face was a mask of disbelief.
Due to his own Cultivation level, the Koi Carp’s strike hadn’t caused him any real harm. The fish-tail print on his face also faded quickly.
But while the attack power was zero, the humiliation was off the charts.
"Did we just see a ghost?"
The two looked at each other, speechless. A shiver ran down both their spines in unison.
’Amateurs.’
Yu Changsheng snorted coldly, feeling much better. As the Koi Carp continued to swim around happily, he could sense that after this incident, it felt even more affectionate toward him, and controlling it had become second nature.
After savoring the feeling for another moment, Yu Changsheng withdrew from that state. He retracted his Divine Sense, slowly opened his eyes, and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
’The Ten Thousand Spirits Technique is a cultivation technique that draws upon the spirit of all things in heaven and earth, allowing one to grow close to all creation and become one with the world...’
Yu Changsheng murmured, lost in thought.
’It perfectly complements my Spirit Beast Affinity Physique. They enhance and support each other. No wonder Master said this was the most suitable Cultivation Technique for me.’
Yu Changsheng took a deep breath, a smile touching his lips. ’Yes, this Cultivation Technique is good. It’s interesting. However, the reason I can sense All Things so smoothly is probably in large part because I’m within the Wanxiang Sect...’
’And I am naturally blessed by the Wanxiang Sect’s destiny, which is why it’s been so easy. If I were outside, it would likely be much more difficult.’
Understanding dawned on Yu Changsheng. Just now, when he was using the Ten Thousand Spirits Technique to perform Touch Spirit, his Seventh-Layer Destiny Spirit Platform had slowly begun to heat up. It must have been playing a role.
Yu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned and thought to himself:
’And... when I was using Spirit Control on the Koi Carp, my emotions felt off. Why... was I so angry?’