Guangling City, Jiangnan Avenue.
The Luo Residence!
In the training room, Luo Beichen arrived early in his Daoist robes.
He waited for about half a stick of incense.
Then he heard footsteps.
He looked over.
The old man who had appeared in his father's study that morning had arrived.
Luo Beichen bowed at the waist. "Greetings, Elder Gao."
"Just call me Sir."
Gao Lin clasped his hands behind his back and circled Luo Beichen once.
"What level is your Visualization Technique currently?"
Luo Beichen answered honestly, "Primary Level Three."
Gao Lin grunted. "You're cultivating Swift Wind and Thunder. This technique focuses on rapid advancement."
"Looks like the mentor who chose this technique for you has quite a discerning eye."
Luo Beichen said respectfully, "Yes. My mentor, Huang Yong, said that if I wasn't fighting a Death Match—"
"Then I should cultivate a technique that focuses on a solid foundation, such as Observing Mountains and Seas."
"But if I fight a Death Match, being one level higher gives me one more advantage over that Luo fellow."
Gao Lin said calmly, "That makes sense."
"Even if your foundation is unstable because of your rapid advancement—"
"You can cultivate other techniques later and return to fill in the gaps in your foundation. It won't be too late."
He paused, then continued, "Then do you know what technique your opponent is cultivating?"
"What level is he?"
Luo Beichen answered smoothly, "That Luo fellow is cultivating Observing Mountains and Seas. As far as I know, he's currently at Primary Level Two."
"He received quite a few Credit Points when he enrolled."
"After issuing me a challenge, he exchanged them for a large quantity of 'Calming Agents.'"
Gao Lin smiled. "The Death Match is right before him, yet he still let him cultivate Observing Mountains and Seas."
"Looks like his mentor has great confidence in him."
"With the aid of 'Calming Agents,' reaching Primary Level Two isn't particularly surprising."
"Although only one week remains, you must prepare for the worst. He might break through before stepping onto the arena and reach Primary Level Three."
Luo Beichen narrowed his eyes.
"Since he was recommended by Di Zheng, he probably received personal instruction from Di Zheng when it came to Combat Skills."
Gao Lin sat down cross-legged.
"Di Zheng's Combat Skills stem from two 'Basic Forms.'"
"One is Thunderclap, a sword technique."
"The other is Bone Shatter, a boxing technique."
"Both of them have given rise to many Combat Skills."
"For example, Thunderclap: Chaos and Thunderclap: Flash."
"And Bone Shatter: Seven Kills and Bone Shatter: Shattered Heart."
The old man seemed to know Di Zheng very well. Luo Beichen pricked up his ears, not daring to miss a word.
"Considering the time and your classmate's level in Visualization Technique—"
Gao Lin smiled. "Di Zheng couldn't possibly have taught him any derivative Combat Skills. He should have only taught him the two 'Basic Forms.'"
"I won't teach you any Combat Skills."
"There's only one week left. It's too late to teach you now."
"However, I'll teach you a set of footwork—or you could call it a movement technique."
Luo Beichen was somewhat puzzled.
Footwork?
What could footwork do?
Gao Lin smiled faintly. "Although footwork can't defeat an enemy directly, it's an important supporting method."
"It can also help you evade attacks."
"Some advanced footwork techniques even have other wondrous uses."
"For example, Bewildering Steps can interfere with an opponent's judgment."
"Void Treading Steps allows one to tread through empty space and come and go without leaving a trace."
Luo Beichen was shaken as he listened.
Only then did he realize that he had underestimated footwork.
Gao Lin stood and said, "The footwork I'm going to teach you is called Dragon's Roam Step. It will allow you to move with ease beneath your opponent's attacks."
"Then you can find an opening and counterattack, defeating your enemy with a single move!"
He raised his hand.
Then brought it down heavily!
Afternoon.
Training Hall.
The moment Luo Yan entered, he saw Wei Fenghua talking with another person.
That person had hard, cold, sharply defined features. He was none other than the commander of the Surface Exploration Legion.
Di Zheng!
"Luo Yan is here."
Wei Fenghua clenched his fist and coughed twice before asking, "Have you chosen your weapon?"
Luo Yan nodded.
He returned the tablet computer to Wei Fenghua.
The options he had selected were displayed on it.
"Star Splitter?"
Wei Fenghua nodded and put away the computer. "All right. I'll go collect it for you."
"Di Zheng will be instructing you this afternoon."
With that, the mentor left.
Di Zheng looked Luo Yan up and down.
Then he extended his hand and pressed it heavily against Luo Yan's shoulder.
Luo Yan involuntarily straightened his back.
From the strength in Di Zheng's palm, he sensed encouragement.
Di Zheng had probably already heard what had happened in the Forbidden Land.
But he didn't mention it at all.
Instead, he asked, "What is your cultivation progress in Visualization Technique?"
Luo Yan did not hide it. "Primary Level Three."
"I broke through not long ago."
A trace of surprise flashed through Di Zheng's eyes.
Then he said, "What I'm going to teach you today isn't a 'Combat Skill' or a 'Mystic Art.'"
"It's a 'secret technique' that stimulates your body and allows you to unleash your potential in a short period of time."
"It's called Soul Gate Opening."
Luo Yan said nothing, but focused his entire attention.
"The Daoist Cloud Pouch Seven Scrolls states that humans possess seven souls: Stinking Lung, Lying Arrow, Sparrow Shade, Devouring Thief, Non-Poison, Removing Filth, and Stinking Lung."
"The seven souls correspond in order to the seven seas of qi within the human body: the Primordial, Nether, Spirit, Force, Qi, Wisdom, and Surge wheels."
"'Soul Gate Opening' refers to stimulating and opening these seven seas of qi, thereby temporarily unleashing greater potential."
Luo Yan nodded and found that he could remember this knowledge with ease.
Di Zheng continued, "You'll be fighting a Death Match in one week, so I can only teach you how to open one of the seas of qi."
"When you have time in the future, I'll teach you the others."
After a pause, Di Zheng said solemnly, "What I'm going to teach you is the easiest to master and also the foundation of this 'secret technique.'"
"Opening the Essence Gate!"
"Now I'll demonstrate it once."
Di Zheng extended his hand and tapped each of his shoulders, then lightly tapped the center of his brow with a finger. "To open the 'Essence Wheel'—"
"We need to use Primal Energy to stimulate the two 'Jianjing Acupoints' on either side, then stimulate the 'Yintang Acupoint.' That will open it."
"Because beginners aren't proficient, they need to use external stimulation as an aid."
"Once you're familiar with it, you only need to use Primal Energy to break through the acupoints."
"And this is the state after opening the 'Essence Wheel.'"
Boom!
A surge of Primal Energy suddenly erupted from Di Zheng's body.
The Primal Energy pouring from him was visible to the naked eye.
Bright Yellow Light surged upward, causing his hair to flutter wildly.
At the same time—
Di Zheng released an astonishing pressure that pushed Luo Yan down until he was almost sprawled on the ground.
As Di Zheng drew a long breath—
The pressure and surging Primal Energy rapidly vanished.
"After opening the Essence Wheel, all of the body's functions—including the strength of your Primal Energy and the power of your Combat Skills and Mystic Arts—can be increased by roughly twofold."
Di Zheng explained, "Therefore, the more solid your foundation, the greater the room for improvement."
"But at the same time, Soul Gate Opening comes at a cost."
"The cost differs depending on which 'soul wheel' you open."
"The cost of the Essence Wheel is that your stamina and Primal Energy will be rapidly depleted while the state lasts."
"So, once you open it, you must finish the fight within a short time."
"You must decide life and death!"
Before you continue