"Chchchch~~~"
Xiantian True Essence, like countless water droplets gathering into a trickling stream, was instantly devoured by Blue Flower the moment it touched it.
Inside Blue Flower Space.
As Blue Flower devoured the True Essence, a wisp of 'water vapor,' so faint it could barely be seen, slowly appeared.
In fact, unless Zhou Hao had been concentrating with all his might, he might not have noticed it at all.
If the Blue Flower Mist formed by devouring the Power of Taiyang and Power of Taiyin that had descended directly from the two Supreme Stars had looked like a faint wisp of smoke, then the vapor formed from devouring the True Essence in Zhou Hao's body was just a wisp of moisture—the kind that naturally evaporated from a cup of water that wasn't very hot.
"That's way too big a difference." Zhou Hao sighed. "Could this be called Blue Flower Water Vapor?"
A small wisp of Blue Flower Mist could let him cross two levels, allowing him to unleash the strength of a Xiantian peak cultivator while still at the Xiantian initial stage.
Could this Blue Flower Water Vapor have even half the effect of the mist?
That seemed doubtful.
"Still, it's better than nothing," Zhou Hao told himself.
But reality soon dealt him another hard blow.
Even if the Blue Flower Water Vapor was a little weaker, Zhou Hao could accept that.
But he had fed almost all his Xiantian True Essence to that Blue Flower Boss, and all he'd gotten were these three wisps of water vapor. They were so faint they looked ready to disappear at any moment.
What could he possibly do with so little?
"I refuse to believe this." Another High-Grade Origin Stone appeared in Zhou Hao's hand.
He had used exactly twelve stones for his cultivation this time, leaving only four in Mustard Stone Space.
He had originally planned to save them in case he ran into a fight and used up too much True Essence. A few stones would let him absorb energy and recover quickly.
But now he couldn't afford to worry about that.
More than recovering his True Essence later, Zhou Hao wanted to find out what that Blue Flower Boss could stomach and get a clear idea of the effects of Blue Flower Mist and Blue Flower Water Vapor.
That was what mattered!
The True Essence in Zhou Hao's body was continually devoured by Blue Flower, while the High-Grade Origin Stone in his hand supplied a steady stream of Heaven and Earth Essence.
Fortunately, Zhou Hao's God and Devil Body was a perfect body nurtured by Lunar True Water and Solar True Fire, and the meridians within him were sturdy enough to withstand it.
An ordinary Xiantian Lifeform on the Qi Refining Path would likely have damaged their meridians.
Crack!
As the last High-Grade Origin Stone was drained of its Heaven and Earth Essence and crumbled to dust, another thirty-six wisps of Blue Flower Water Vapor appeared in Zhou Hao's Blue Flower Space.
He watched as the thirty-six wisps of Blue Flower Water Vapor curled and tangled together, slowly merging into a slightly darker wisp. The three wisps he had refined first remained to the side, bobbing along like little underlings. At last, Zhou Hao had a rough idea of what to expect.
Using up all his Xiantian True Essence at the initial stage produced three wisps of Blue Flower Water Vapor. One High-Grade Origin Stone could replenish his True Essence about three times, producing nine wisps of water vapor.
In other words, after he absorbed the energy from four High-Grade Origin Stones and converted it into Xiantian True Essence, then fed it to Blue Flower, he could produce a wisp—or thirty-six wisps—of water vapor.
"That's a lot of High-Grade Origin Stones," Zhou Hao thought. "This had better not disappoint me."
Whoosh! Zhou Hao rose and left the meditation room.
He was going to test the effects of the Blue Flower Water Vapor.
Ten li north of Jade Dragon City.
Bang!
Zhou Hao kicked hard against the ground, shooting skyward like an arrow.
Whoosh~~~
At the highest point of his leap, True Essence surged out of Zhou Hao's body and formed a pair of wings. He glided like a bird toward a massive reef nearby.
Thud!
He landed safely.
Only, the hard reef beneath him now bore two craters.
"I'll have to learn a movement technique. What kind of immortal cultivator just runs and jumps around on the ground?"
Zhou Hao shook his head and pulled his feet out of the craters.
It was true that he had trained in Internal Martial Arts under his master, but its footwork was mostly for fighting. Even when running, it merely involved sealing the pores, controlling the strength throughout the body, and stimulating the body's potential to unleash the greatest speed and force with the least effort.
As for techniques like Flying Across Grass or Crossing a River on a Reed, those were things from wuxia novels and movies. At least, he'd never seen them in his previous world.
"The Martial Repository should have movement techniques. If not, I can always go find Master Jingzhi and sit through another day of lectures."
Sitting there like a well-behaved student had been agonizing, but what could you do when you needed a favor?
Boom! Crash, crash, crash~~~
The spot Zhou Hao had chosen was right on the coast of the East Sea. After the tide came in, the seawater pounded the reefs with a roar like thunder.
The coastline was dotted with reefs. After countless years of being battered by sea winds and waves, there wasn't a speck of soil—only towering, dark rocks.
"You'll do."
Zhou Hao walked up to a reef nearly ten zhang across and more than three zhang high.
"First, let's see how much damage I can do with my physical strength alone." Zhou Hao raised his right hand, clenched it into a hammer-like fist, and slammed it into the reef.
Thump~~~
The reef trembled slightly. A small crater marked the spot where his fist landed, with faint cracks around it.
"Hard as stone." Zhou Hao shook out his right arm.
The reef was connected to the underground rock formation beneath it. Pounded by seawater year after year, it was as hard as iron.
"Let's see how much more powerful I get with Blue Flower Water Vapor." Zhou Hao sent a wisp of consciousness into Blue Flower Space and drew out a wisp of Blue Flower Water Vapor. It flowed into his right arm, and he struck again.
Thump~~~
This time, the reef shuddered violently. Another crater appeared beside the first, about three feet across.
"My strength has nearly doubled." Zhou Hao grinned.
Don't underestimate a doubling in strength. He hadn't used a single fist technique—he'd done it with brute force alone.
If he used a fist technique as well, or even a weapon...
Thump, thump, thump~~~~
One crater after another appeared across the surface of the reef he'd chosen for a target.
In the end, Zhou Hao took the Red Gold Copper Rod and smashed the reef into rubble with a full-force blow.
"Although it can't make me cross a level like Blue Flower Mist, at least as long as I have True Essence, I can keep producing it."
Zhou Hao nodded, feeling pleased.
Only a few wisps of mist remained in Blue Flower Space. He was saving them for a critical moment, when he needed to unleash strength beyond his level. They were his trump card.
But now that Blue Flower Water Vapor could be produced by devouring Xiantian True Essence, he could use it whenever he wanted in a fight without worrying that it would be gone for good once he ran out.
It would be perfect if Blue Flower Water Vapor could send him into the 'no thought, no desire' state of enlightenment like the mist.
"Let's find out." Zhou Hao's eyes lit up. He swung the Red Gold Copper Rod with both hands and began practicing the Chaotic Cloak Staff Technique, which he had learned from Yuan Lie.
Comprehending the Dao wasn't as simple as sitting and staring at flowing water or blazing fire. He had to practice a skill to bring his heart closer to the Dao before he could attain insight.
He had previously comprehended the True Meanings of the Dao of Flowing Water and Blazing Fire while continually practicing the Innate Taiji Fist, surrounded by the surging water and raging flames formed from Lunar True Water and Solar True Fire. Only then had he comprehended them in the 'no thought, no desire' state.
If he merely entered that state, at most his mind would become more serene.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Facing the night wind from the sea, the Copper Staff in Zhou Hao's hands blurred into countless afterimages. The gusts stirred up by his swings made the air along the shore grow increasingly chaotic.
The Chaotic Cloak Staff Technique he had learned from Yuan Lie hinged on one thing: chaos.
As the saying went, 'Wind has no constant force, and water has no constant form.' When used, its boundless staff shadows struck with immense power, accompanied by chaotic gusts. It was best suited to heavy weapons like staffs, whips, and maces.
God-Devil Body Refining experts excelled at close-quarters combat, making the technique a perfect fit for them.
The technique looked wild and frenzied, but it consisted of six moves.
They were: Howling Gale, Splitting Wind and Slashing Waves, Wind Sweeping Away Scattered Clouds, Swift Thunder Fierce Wind, Wind-Agitated Lightning-Shock, and Yellow Wind Mist Veil.
The last time Zhou Hao had fought Yuan Lie, Yuan Lie had shaken up yellow sand to form a cloud of dust. That had been the Yellow Wind Mist Veil move.
As Zhou Hao practiced the staff technique, his consciousness drew a wisp of water vapor from Blue Flower Space and merged it with his soul.
"How wondrous."
The moment the Blue Flower Water Vapor touched his soul, Zhou Hao sensed how it differed from the Blue Flower Mist that had put him into the 'no thought, no desire' state.
The 'no thought, no desire' state was like sudden enlightenment. He forgot everything, even himself. He had no thoughts at all, and his mind aligned with the Heavenly Dao itself.
This wisp of Blue Flower Water Vapor, by contrast, cleared his mind and sharpened his awareness of the world's every pulse. Yet he could still sense his surroundings, have thoughts and ideas, and think.
It would be a mistake to underestimate this state. For countless cultivators—even the peerless figures at the Earth Immortal and Heaven Immortal realms—Heaven and Earth Origin Power was easy to obtain. What was truly rare was improved insight, which let them comprehend the Dao of Heaven and Earth more effectively.
"This move, Howling Gale, should go like this. It'll be more powerful, and I can build momentum as well."
"No, that's not right. The most important thing about Swift Thunder Fierce Wind is the word 'swift.'"
Countless flashes of inspiration surfaced in Zhou Hao's mind. With each repetition, he grew more proficient in the Chaotic Cloak Staff Technique.
The sea wind howled...
Beneath the moon, a lone figure seemed never to tire.
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