Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy

This was Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy!

Cultivators relied on drawing the spiritual energy between heaven and earth into their bodies and using it for themselves to increase their cultivation. Generally speaking, ordinary cultivators could only use the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy they had absorbed into their bodies; they couldn't freely control the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

That was, unless their cultivation reached a certain level. Take flying, for example: it worked by borrowing the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to soar through the sky.

Among cultivators on the Azure Dragon Continent, there was a common saying: below Spirit King, one couldn't control it; below Spirit Venerable, one couldn't fly.

What "couldn't control it" meant was that, before reaching the Spirit King stage, one had no way to control the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

"Couldn't fly" was even easier to understand: if one's cultivation hadn't reached the Spirit Venerable stage, one had no way to soar through the sky. Of course, if one had a flying spirit beast, that was another matter.

But no one could have expected Yang Chengzhi to actually be guiding the spiritual energy between heaven and earth for his own use! How could Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang not be astonished?

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth was the most domineering force in the world. Cultivators below the Spirit King stage could only use it after absorbing it into their bodies through specific methods.

As the saying went, the spiritual energy inside cultivators below the Spirit King stage was called spiritual power; the spiritual energy inside cultivators above the Spirit King stage was called "spiritual energy."

That was why fights between cultivators below the Spirit King stage rarely had many dazzling displays. One reason was that their spiritual power wasn't enough to sustain them; another was that they had no way to use the spiritual energy between heaven and earth directly. Once fights reached the level of Spirit Kings and above, they became truly spectacular. Why else would the mighty ones change the weather whenever they fought? The Wind Cloud Two Saints could fight so fiercely that the Azure Dragon Continent went an entire year without rain. Wasn't it because they used the spiritual energy between heaven and earth? The stronger they were, the more of it they could use. It was said that the immortals of ancient times fought high above the heavens precisely because they feared draining all the spiritual energy from the Azure Dragon Continent.

There was no doubt that Yang Chengzhi's display had overturned everything Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang knew.

Even Zhou Zhuling and Yun Qingyang, who were watching the fight, gazed at the scene in confusion.

Ma Feifei was even more baffled. He knew this move of Yang Chengzhi's too, though he didn't make nearly as many gestures.

At that moment, Yang Chengzhi had become a person wrapped in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, and the light at his fingertips shone especially brightly.

Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang attacked several times, but when they realized they couldn't break through his defenses, they had no choice but to retreat and unleash their big moves.

A red, triangular flag appeared out of thin air in Junior Brother Wu's left hand. He channeled the spiritual power in his body, and the flag began to glow. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in the air, which had been converging on Yang Chengzhi, was immediately diverted, with some of it flowing into the red flag.

It was a Third-tier Spirit Artifact called the Spirit Gathering Banner. Its effect was to Absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy for a powerful attack, with strength equivalent to a strike from someone at Peak Spirit Master Stage Nine.

Senior Brother Zhang didn't bring out any spirit artifacts. Instead, he gripped his sword in both hands and continuously channeled his spiritual power into it. The sword, which had been white, began to turn red.

It was a high-level martial skill he had learned. Not only did it enhance the power of his sword, it also made his attacks faster.

The two exchanged another glance, each unleashing a strike and sending it toward Yang Chengzhi.

Yang Chengzhi held his skyward-pointing fingertips before his chest. His palms parted, carrying the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy with them as he thrust it toward the two men.

It was the first time Ma Feifei had seen a fight with built-in special effects, and he found it quite interesting. It was just that their effects seemed a bit over the top. Ma Feifei was a little worried the shockwaves might tear his house apart.

Boom!

A tremendous Tackle sounded. Ma Feifei saw the spiritual energy around the three of them burst outward before dissipating, and all three were sent flying by the force of the collision.

Ma Feifei counted three steps backward.

Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang, meanwhile, retreated a full five steps. Their faces were pale, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths. Clearly, they had come off worse in the fight.

"Looks like Senior Brother Yang's Harvest has been considerable lately." Senior Brother Zhang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared coldly at Yang Chengzhi. Two people at the peak of Spirit Master Stage Eight had joined forces, yet they still hadn't beaten Yang Chengzhi, who was only at the early stage of Spirit Master Stage Seven. It was hard for him to accept.

"But that alone isn't enough to beat us." Senior Brother Zhang looked Yang Chengzhi up and down. "How about this, Senior Brother Yang? Why don't you give us that spirit artifact that can gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy? We'll call the contest here. What do you say?"

An artifact capable of gathering so much Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy had to be a higher tier than the Spirit Gathering Banner—at least a Fourth-tier Spirit Artifact. Among all the Dragon Ranking students, only a handful possessed a Fourth-tier Spirit Artifact.

Clearly, Senior Brother Zhang had grown greedy.

Though Yang Chengzhi's face was a little pale, he looked much better than the two of them. He picked up the spirit sword on the ground, then waved his hand, and both spirit swords vanished. Only then did he glance at them and say with a faint smile, "The contest is already over."

At his words, Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang sneered. Seeing that Yang Chengzhi wouldn't cooperate, they said no more and prepared to take up their spirit artifacts and continue to Beat Up Yang Chengzhi.

But when the two tried to summon their spiritual power, they suddenly discovered that it had been completely drained from their bodies. They were empty.

"What's going on?" The two were stunned.

"Thank you for going easy on me, Junior Brothers." Yang Chengzhi clasped his hands in salute, turned, and walked over to Ma Feifei, who handed him the prize for the bet.

Ma Feifei looked at Yang Chengzhi and asked, "You just used a technique from the Nine Yin Manual, didn't you?"

The Nine Yin Manual contained a secret art called the Soul Seizing Great Method. It could seize the souls and spirits of the dead to increase one's yin energy, and it could also Absorb other people's power and spiritual essence. The spiritual power had been drained from Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang's bodies just like the internal energy of martial artists in wuxia novels, pulled away by the Soul Seizing Great Method.

At his question, Yang Chengzhi nodded. He gave Ma Feifei a very solemn, ninety-degree bow and said, "I'm deeply grateful for the shopkeeper's kindness."

That was right. Yang Chengzhi had learned not only the Art of Mutual Combat, but also the Nine Yin Manual! He had only just learned them, but it was already clear that the Nine Yin Manual was an exceptionally high-grade cultivation technique. Though he had learned all this from a book, Yang Chengzhi believed Ma Feifei had done it deliberately, writing the techniques into the book so he could study and understand them.

Yang Chengzhi finally understood why Ma Feifei had asked him to come read at his Bookstore, and why he had asked whether Yang Chengzhi wanted revenge. He had wanted to help him!

The kindness of passing on one's cultivation was like being reborn to one's parents. At that moment, Yang Chengzhi felt not only reverence and awe toward Ma Feifei, but gratitude as well.

Ma Feifei, however, hadn't given it much thought. After getting confirmation from Yang Chengzhi, he lowered his head and started scribbling on a sheet of paper, recording the hidden effects of each book provided by the system.

Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang still hadn't recovered. Having the spiritual power inside their bodies silently drained had completely overturned their understanding of the world. It was even more shocking than Yang Chengzhi gathering Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

After all, only those above the Spirit King stage could gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy without help, though spirit artifacts could also do the trick. But when it came to having one's spiritual power drained from one's body, even a Spirit Saint couldn't do that without being noticed—unless the victim had been knocked unconscious.

It was like having a hand cut off. There was no way you wouldn't feel the pain.

Yet Yang Chengzhi had done it, draining the spiritual power from both of them without their noticing.

"Could Yang Chengzhi have fallen into the Devil Dao?" Junior Brother Wu and Senior Brother Zhang suddenly thought. They exchanged glances, both seeing fear in the other's eyes.

The Devil Dao was the stuff of legend.

But only the Devil Dao had such sinister techniques.

Still, the two didn't voice their suspicions, much less act so foolishly as to confront Yang Chengzhi. Instead, they quietly put away their spirit artifacts and left the Bookstore.

"All right, that's enough. We've fought and watched. Everyone can get back to whatever they were doing." Ma Feifei rolled up his paper and pen, picked up his little stool, and returned inside the Bookstore.

Though Yang Chengzhi had just been through a fierce battle, he didn't go home. He took a book and sat back in the same spot as before, continuing his study of The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

Zhou Zhuling sat back down too, but she didn't open her book. Instead, she alternated between watching Yang Chengzhi, watching Ma Feifei, and looking around the Bookstore.

Ma Feifei and Yang Chengzhi hadn't avoided her while they were talking just now, so she had heard them clearly. She hadn't interacted with Yang Chengzhi, but she had heard a few things about him. More importantly, she had spent some time reading alongside him in the same Bookstore.

Zhou Zhuling knew very well how Yang Chengzhi's cultivation had changed.

I thought his breakthrough before was because he'd spent two years building up his strength. Now it seems it was probably because of the copy of The Legend of the Condor Heroes in his hands.

Big Brother Ma's Bookstore really is incredible. Who would have thought books could hold such profound secrets? They can purify spiritual power, suppress my illness, improve cultivation, and even help someone comprehend techniques!

What kind of person is he?

Zhou Zhuling gazed at Ma Feifei as he busied himself with his work, and for a moment, she was utterly entranced.