Carving.
Relentless carving.
Fang Yun carved nonstop inside the valley, mostly sculpting all kinds of magical beasts. Of course, nine out of ten were wind-aspected.
To Fang Yun, this wasn't about carving. It was about sensing the faint rhythms of the wind as he worked. It was magical, as though the wind itself guided his hands.
In the process, his perception of the wind grew sharper.
In the original story, Linley had improved his spiritual power through carving. Fang Yun was different. Though he carved as well, his focus wasn't on the carving itself but on the process. More precisely, he immersed himself in nature as he worked. It was less like he was carving and more like he was copying what the wind "carved" as it blew.
"Your carving keeps getting better, my lord."
Doham knew nothing about stone sculpture, but he could sense the changes in Fang Yun's work. It seemed more effortless, yet the results kept improving.
The sculptures also had a strange quality, as though all kinds of wind were blowing through them.
They were made of stone, yet they seemed to carry the wind. It was uncanny.
Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
The small valley had nearly become a stone sculpture gallery, with all kinds of magical beasts lining both sides. It had everything from the first-level magical beast Cuckoo to the Saint-level Seven-colored Divine Dragon. Every sculpture captured the feeling of wind, from a gentle breeze to a world-shattering hurricane. It was like a paradise of wind.
Any master sculptor who came here would be stunned by the sight.
Nearly every sculpture was of masterwork quality. Even in the eyes of master sculptors, this was incredible. Creating an outstanding work required more than skill; it also took a flash of inspiration.
That was why masters produced so few works: inspiration was so rare.
Yet every sculpture here had that quality. Hundreds, even thousands of masterworks!
"My lord, will you be carving today?"
The Doham brothers came over.
They had stayed here all six years, while Fang Yun had spent most of his time carving.
By now, they called this valley Stone Sculpture Valley. It had become a small wonder of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"I'll take a break for a while."
Fang Yun shook his head.
Over the past six years, he had experienced every kind of wind and become increasingly skilled at sculpting. He had thought that sensing that faint rhythm of the wind would let him enter the Wind mysteries. But now he was certain that even if he kept carving this way for another six years, he still wouldn't make a breakthrough in Wind. Cultivation depended too much on talent. Without it, even a chance encounter with the wind wouldn't be enough to make him grasp the mysteries.
Continuing like this would only waste time.
"Master."
Just then, Prequet flew in and hurriedly landed. "My elder brother sent word. Affleck of the Dark Church has found the Tiger-striped Secret Manual."
His elder brother was the Saint-level Thunder Dragon in the Sunset Mountain Range. He had visited Prequet a few times during this period. After learning that Fang Yun had asked the Dark Church to search for the Tiger-striped Secret Manual, he had taken an interest in the matter. He had helped search himself while also keeping an eye on the Dark Church.
But even after the Dark Church issued a level-one Black Blood Order, six years had passed without a single lead.
Finding a secret manual that had been lost for thousands of years was no simple task.
"The Tiger-striped Secret Manual?"
The Doham brothers' eyes widened, and excitement stirred in their hearts.
The Tiger-striped Secret Manual was the foundation of the Bolei Clan's rise. With it, the brothers would have no trouble reaching the Saint-level.
A clan with two Saint-level powerhouses would be extremely formidable. They might even restore the glory the Bolei Clan had enjoyed five thousand years ago.
"They found it?"
Fang Yun nodded, then said, "In that case, take the Doham brothers to the Dark Church."
The Four Ultimate Warriors weren't especially powerful in his eyes, but they had once been a dream of his. He had asked the Dark Church to search for the Tiger-striped Secret Manual simply because he didn't want the Four Ultimate Warriors to disappear altogether.
"Yes, master."
Prequet showed little reaction. With his speed, the trip to the Dark Church wouldn't take long.
"Get on."
Prequet spoke to the still-excited Doham brothers.
The brothers forced down their excitement and bowed formally to Fang Yun. "Thank you, my lord. Doham [Dohar] will follow you forever."
They knew very well that the Tiger-striped Secret Manual had been found entirely thanks to Fang Yun. And even if they trained with it, they would never match his strength.
Over the years, their awe of Fang Yun had only grown. It was their honor to follow someone so powerful.
Fang Yun waved a hand casually. "All right, go on."
In terms of attack and speed alone, the Tiger-striped Warrior was the strongest of the Four Ultimate Warriors. Even the Dragonblood Warrior was inferior by comparison.
What interested Fang Yun most, though, was whether the Tiger-striped Warriors gained an Innate Divine Ability after becoming gods.
The original story had never mentioned the Innate Divine Ability of the White Tiger Clan in the Infernal Realm, and Fang Yun was curious about it. Rayesjin had said that the White Tiger's Innate Divine Ability was even stronger than the God-Eater Rat's. Could the White Tiger Clan awaken the Innate Divine Ability in their bloodline, just like the Azure Dragon Clan?
If they could awaken it, then even if they couldn't unleash its full power, how could the Eight Great Clans have driven the Four Divine Beasts Clan into the Skyrite Mountains?
He would have to visit the Four Divine Beasts Clan and find out someday.
"Yes."
The two bowed respectfully once more, then leaped onto Prequet's back.
Prequet quickly took flight and headed for the distant horizon.
Dark Church,
Black Lion City, the Holy Capital.
Affleck looked at the Tiger-striped Secret Manual in his hands and felt a little relieved. Six years—it had taken six years to find it in a fallen clan.
The Dark Church had paid a heavy price for this manual. During those six years, they had even been on the back foot in their struggle against the Radiant Church.
Still, finding it made everything worthwhile.
"Your Holiness."
A black-robed cardinal bowed respectfully. "We've received word that Lord Fang Yun appeared in the Holy Union several years ago."
Finding out where Fang Yun had been wasn't especially difficult. The Doham brothers who followed him were easy to recognize.
"The Holy Union."
Affleck furrowed his brows.
If that was true, it would be troublesome. The Dark Alliance and the Holy Union had never stopped fighting.
Just then, Affleck suddenly looked up, wariness flashing in his eyes. A moment ago, a strand of spiritual power had swept past.
"A Saint-level powerhouse!"
Affleck immediately rose into the air and flew above the Church.
The Dark Church had many Saint-level powerhouses, but they were scattered across different regions. They rarely gathered in one place for long.
Even so, ordinary Saint-level powerhouses wouldn't dare come to the Holy Capital and cause trouble.
"A Saint-level magical beast!"
"It's a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus!"
"A Saint-level magical beast has come to Black Lion City!"
"Look, that's His Holiness!"
With Prequet's arrival, Black Lion City fell into chaos. Saint-level magical beasts were all immensely powerful and could easily destroy a city.
Affleck immediately spotted Prequet in the distance, with the Doham brothers on his back. He understood the situation at once.
After Prequet took the Doham brothers away, Fang Yun turned his full attention to Coiling Dragon in his mind.
Because just moments ago, the World Power had increased!
It had stayed at 1 all this time, but now it had suddenly risen to 2.
What had happened?
Fang Yun was puzzled.
He had always believed that the key to increasing World Power was to find a way to strengthen Blue Star as a whole. That was why he had sent Blue Star's lifeforms into the Coiling Dragon World: to let the Yulan Continent influence Blue Star.
But even after quite a few lifeforms had descended, the World Power hadn't increased.
So why had it risen now?
The Tiger-striped Secret Manual? That was the only thing Fang Yun knew had happened, but it seemed unlikely. Even if the Doham brothers reached the Saint-level, it wouldn't affect Blue Star in the slightest.
Could Blue Star's lifeforms have grown stronger?
Fang Yun's Highgod Sovereign Clone was on Blue Star, but he hadn't noticed any significant changes. There were more powerful people now, but not by much. Although Kawen, whom Beirut had sent there, was still around, he wasn't a lifeform native to Blue Star.
That left only one possibility. The Blue Star lifeforms who had descended onto the Yulan Continent had undergone changes during these six years, changes he didn't know about.
It looked like he would have to travel across the continent again.
Once he figured out why the World Power had increased, it would be much easier to increase Blue Star's World Power in the future. Then he might be able to Manifest a cultivation talent again.
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