Trump Card

Trump Card

What was qi, and what was sorcery?

Ever since he had witnessed that other "star-filled sky," the question had taken deep root in Xia Fan's mind.

To outsiders, he might have seemed incomparably diligent, spending every spare moment cultivating. But while cultivating qi, he had never stopped thinking and exploring. Though there had been very little he could do at the time, he had not followed his master's teachings word for word. Instead, he had tried as many different approaches as possible.

For example, to trigger a complete sorcery art, a catalyst or material was indispensable. Such things often bore a direct or indirect connection to the art itself, with no fixed requirements. If that connection was regarded as consciousness reacting to matter, then how far did its scope extend? A small piece of beeswax could cast Palm Flame, and so could a large handful of wood shavings. The latter simply produced a far weaker effect, with almost no practical value. That was why everyone chose the former as the standard ingredient—not because it was irreplaceable.

Could there be a material more suitable than beeswax?

Xia Fan did not know.

He had not had the energy to study every sorcery art, especially during his wandering years.

Over several years, he had researched only one art.

Of all the techniques his master had taught him, it was the only one that could truly be called an offensive method: the "Zhen Technique."

—Another three Mei dropped one after another from Demon's belly.

Even without looking up, Xia Fan knew whom those empty black ropes would come for.

He did not even have time to reach for a talisman.

In at most one or two seconds, the Mei would surround him on all sides. Even if he somehow dodged them, he would never escape the combined strangulation of several ropes.

Without a Talisman to guide it, this could at most be a Double Technique.

But Xia Fan had no room to choose.

Without hesitation, he reached for his neck and tore off the pendant hanging there. After handing over the medicine bundle, this was the one item he had kept separately, turning it into a pendant to carry with him in case of emergencies.

Xia Fan believed that this material was a catalyst unique in all the world, one no one but him had ever used.

This was also his trump card!

Xia Fan raised the Pendant. In his mind, he had already constructed the entire process of the art—

"Zhen Technique, Gui Shen—Thunderclap!"

For an instant, he felt the Mei had already lunged before him, while the black ropes overhead were only inches away. Yet before the might of nature, they were scarcely different from stillness. The next second, both were still within arm's reach, but an incomparably dazzling blue light arrived after them and yet overtook them, abruptly flooding his entire vision!

"Lightning strike?" Ba Xingtian revealed a flicker of surprise.

A white scar suddenly appeared in the pitch-black night, as if splitting the sky in two. Its point of impact was the breach in the city wall.

It came swiftly and vanished swiftly, disappearing almost in the blink of an eye. Yet it was no illusion. With an earth-shattering blast, all of Qingshan Town seemed to shake!

After the thunder rolled past, new flames emerged—from within the city wall. At first, they were only scattered sparks, but they swiftly spread into a raging blaze. Under the lightning strike, every wooden beam had been ignited. Heat waves and thick smoke rolled upward through the breach until fresh flames burst forth atop the wall.

A gigantic torch had suddenly appeared in the middle of the West Wall!

The brilliant light stripped the shadows from everything. The Mei climbing the wall seemed frozen in place like statues, while Demon wailed and struggled in the flames, trying to break free and flee. But before this fire fallen from heaven, all its efforts were doomed to be futile.

Proctor Shen Chun naturally understood why his superior was surprised. Among all sorcery arts, the Zhen Technique was among those mastered by the fewest people. Not only were those gifted for it scarce, but actual users were scarce as well. This was not because the Zhen Technique was weak. Quite the contrary, it was more effective against Evil Spirits than the Li Technique, hence the saying: "When a startling thunderbolt appears, demons and evils flee with ease." The Zhen Technique's greatest problem was its catalyst. Among the recorded lightning arts, their materials all basically involved Lightning-struck Wood. Regardless of quality, Lightning-struck Wood cost at least as much as a Body-Height Gold Leaf. Because it was so difficult to gather, with even years of poor luck yielding not a single encounter, studying the Zhen Technique was like taking one step forward only to find ten thousand obstacles.

From learning a sorcery art to mastering it required repeated practice. If its catalyst was so rare one could not even lay eyes on it, how could there possibly be many people who used it?

Yet the lightning strike before them was immensely powerful, nothing like the work of a novice. Instead, it seemed like the result of a thousand hammerings and a hundred temperings.

As a mere Sanmen examinee, what resources could Xia Fan possibly have had to study the Zhen Technique? Either he had lied about his background, or his luck had reached the heavens and he had happened upon a tree struck by lightning somewhere. But Shen Chun did not think the latter likely. After all, the price of Lightning-struck Wood was right there. If an ordinary person had such an opportunity, merely selling the wood in batches would earn enough to live on for several lifetimes. Why would they still need to take the Scholar Examination to become a sorcerer?

"My lord..." He was about to suggest thoroughly investigating Xia Fan when his superior's hearty laughter cut him off.

"Hahahaha, this Scholar Examination is truly the most exciting one in all these years!" Ba Xingtian clapped his hands, apparently caring not in the least how a Sanmen practitioner had mastered the Zhen Technique to such a degree. "I thought that once the wall fell, we might force this fellow to show what he could do. Who would have thought he would choose to strike first, preventing the situation from sinking into the mud? And he did it so brilliantly! His courage and methods are both first-rate!" With that, he looked toward the short man. "Well? You cannot find fault with him this time, can you? Though the materials needed for the Zhen Technique may be rather difficult to obtain..."

"It is merely Lightning-struck Wood. Even if he wanted Meteorite Iron or Soul Jade, so what?" The short man was unconcerned. "Do you think I lack such external things?"

"True enough." Ba Xingtian stroked his beard. "But I have heard that those whose Innate Nature excels at the Zhen Technique tend to be fierce and hot-tempered, difficult to get along with. The more gifted he is, the harder he may be to control."

"Would that not be even better?" The short man gave a soft laugh. "If he could be manipulated by anyone, then anyone would do. How could I possibly surpass my brothers and sisters? There is only one pity..."

"What is it?"

"He is not a Listener."

The two looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter together.

Only Shen Chun listened with trepidation, his back turning cold. With the short man's attitude, did it not seem that if Xia Fan were a Listener, he would take him regardless? Compared to that, the question of how Xia Fan had acquired Lightning-struck Wood was not worth mentioning at all. Had he known earlier, Shen Chun truly would not have wanted to accompany the two of them to observe the Scholar Examination at close range. Yet Lord Ba Xingtian was his direct superior. Who said speaking frankly to one's face was not another form of trust? Thus, no matter how heavy the burden felt, he could only remain where he was obediently.

"Enough." Ba Xingtian stopped laughing and instructed Shen Chun, "The examination ends here. Tell those below to reactivate the grand formation and clean up the aftermath."

"Now?" he asked in surprise. "It has only just passed midnight..."

"There is no point in continuing. Even Demon could not cross the wall. Do you think those Mei are of any use?" The other man waved a hand and turned toward the stairs. "This is enough."

The instant thunder resounded over Qingshan Town, Li also snapped awake from her chaotic thoughts.

She pressed a hand over the bandage on her wound and slowly walked to the sealed window. Through the boards nailed over it, the Fox Demon could vaguely see flickering firelight not far away.

Had they even used the Zhen Technique?

She could almost imagine how fierce the battle outside must have become.

This was humanity's examination—gathering every Qi-Inducer and making them give their all in a drill that nearly mirrored real combat. Only the victors could cross that threshold and become members of the Bureau of Military Affairs. From this alone, one could see just how unfathomably vast the behemoth she faced was.

When Xia Fan had invited her to go with him to Shangyuan in the Capital Region, she had discovered that the strongest feeling in her heart had actually been fear. She could put on a brave front with her words and refuse to yield before him, but she could not deceive herself about what she truly thought. Even Li herself found it surprising. She was clearly not even afraid of death, yet at the thought of approaching so soon the monster even her master had not dared resist, she could scarcely sleep peacefully.

It was as if this fear came from the depths of her soul.

Li had considered leaving without saying goodbye after her wounds healed. Xia Fan's abilities were nowhere near enough to keep watch over her anyway. The road to Shangyuan was long. As long as she told him everything she had heard before they parted, it could not count as breaking her promise—after all, was that not what he wanted? It was not as if he truly wanted to stay with a Fox Demon.

Revenge against the Bureau of Military Affairs had to be planned for the long term...

Until that clap of thunder rang out.

In Li's eyes, the examinees of this small town were both timid and clumsy. Most of them chased profit, and under ordinary circumstances she would not even have spared them a glance. Yet even this group would wager everything for a passing slot, throwing themselves into one desperate fight after another, battling through Great Desolation Evil Night to this point. That will was like thunder, wrenching her out of her hesitation and second-guessing.

That was right. So what if she worked with a sorcerer?

So what if she went to the Capital Region?

What she wanted to do was nearly impossible to begin with. Would following the rules and making long-term plans truly be of use?

Someone willing to interact with a Yao was an opportunity rarely seen in a thousand years. She should seize it properly instead of wavering like a chess piece caught between moves.

The Bureau of Military Affairs in the Capital Region was indeed terrifying, but if she wanted to find her master again, facing it head-on was something she would have to do sooner or later. Otherwise, no matter how many examinees she frightened away, she would never shake its foundations.

As a Yao, Li had thought she would never feel favorably toward thunder. Yet at this moment, she unexpectedly felt that this thunder was not so bad after all—

If human examinees could press forward without looking back, how could she lose to them?

When the blue light dispersed, the Mei no longer existed. A huge gash had appeared in Demon's belly, and black qi erupted from it alongside its wails, as though it were its blood.

Xia Fan lowered his hand. The sensation of the Pendant still lingered between his fingers.

That was the answer he had found over years.

For the Thunderclap of the Zhen Technique, was there a material more suitable than Lightning-struck Wood?

A Magnet wound with copper wire was.

Red Copper alone would not do, nor would just any Magnet. Only by drawing the former thinner and thinner, then winding it tightly around the latter circle after circle, could such a remarkable effect be achieved.

If that connection was also one form of consciousness reacting to matter, Xia Fan felt he had vaguely touched its very edge.

Perhaps it was just as he had thought before—

His common sense was operating in a form he did not understand.

And if he wanted to unravel that answer, he had to go to the Bureau of Military Affairs.

Only one update today. Two updates resume tomorrow.