"Wow!"
The newly admitted disciples erupted in excitement.
"So this is the Way of Transformation!"
"What a powerful aura!"
As Spirit Runes appeared on their senior brother's body and his blood surged, everyone felt their horizons opening. At the same time, they instinctively felt as though they were facing a savage wolf.
This was no illusion. When Spirit Tamers used transformation techniques, they urged a Spirit Creature to possess their bodies, gaining its corresponding power. Ma Wenhua had already acquired the power of the blue-eyed gray wolf.
Amid everyone's gasps of amazement, Ma Wenhua lunged and clawed at a nearby boulder. With a harsh scraping crash, his bare hand left five claw marks in the hard stone, each roughly a foot long and an inch deep!
Had that struck an ordinary person, it would have ripped their belly open in an instant.
"Amazing!" Everyone exclaimed in wonder at the sight.
Ma Wenhua shifted positions in an instant, darting into the crowd at tremendous speed. The disciples saw only an afterimage flash past before he was standing in front of them. Before they could react, he had already circled behind them.
"He's so fast!" the disciples exclaimed again.
Among the crowd, Fang Qianyuan silently watched Ma Wenhua's demonstration.
His strength and speed have both increased considerably. And when he attacked and moved just now, blue light appeared around his hands and feet. That must have been caused by circulating Spirit Essence.
The Way of Transformation truly deserves its reputation as a spirit-channeling method for direct combat. The key is that the blue-eyed gray wolf he channels is itself a combat-oriented Spirit Creature. If he used another spirit, the effects should take a different form.
Fang Qianyuan did not realize that, while everyone else was shouting and exclaiming in amazement, his standing there deep in thought made him seem rather unusual.
Lan Mei noticed from beside them and could not help giving Fang Qianyuan a few more looks. Recognizing him as the prodigy who had stolen the limelight yesterday, she was somewhat surprised.
This junior brother remained so composed upon first witnessing a method of the Way of Transformation that he hardly seemed like a disciple from an ordinary mortal background. Whether this came from his temperament or an extraordinary background, it was enough to make her see him in a different light.
Could all prodigies be this unconventional?
After circling the crowd several times and demonstrating speed and agility comparable to a cheetah's, Ma Wenhua returned to his place beside Lan Mei. "You all saw that clearly, didn't you? That was a demonstration of the Way of Transformation. However, the Way of Transformation excels at one-on-one combat. Now Senior Sister Lan will demonstrate the Manifestation Path for you."
He paused, then added, "Actually, you've probably already seen it. When you first entered the inner courtyard, the people who summoned those wolf packs were Spirit Tamers of the Manifestation Dao!"
Lan Mei stepped forward without a word and formed the Hand Seal of Presence. Light immediately streamed outward, surrounding her.
One blue ray and ten gray rays landed before her. Within a breath, they passed from insubstantial to solid, and a blue-eyed gray wolf nearly thirty feet long appeared before everyone, accompanied by ten gray wolves roughly ten feet long.
"So that's what it was!"
They had indeed witnessed this before, and expressions of sudden understanding spread across their faces.
Ma Wenhua's expression grew solemn, his manner stern. "The road of cultivation is rough and treacherous. The vast majority of you will never become Earth Rank Spirit Tamers, so the tenth turn of the Human Rank will be your lifelong pursuit. But whether you aim for the Earth Rank or the tenth turn of the Human Rank, neither can be reached without a solid foundation. Especially at the beginning, you must avoid reaching beyond your grasp and chasing novelty."
"The methods Senior Sister Lan and I used are both related to the blue-eyed gray wolf. Since you haven't channeled a blue-eyed gray wolf, you neither need to nor can learn them. Keep your feet on the ground and begin by channeling a Swift Eagle!"
"Human Rank Manifestation Art methods manifest an incarnation of a Spirit Creature with a certain portion of its power. But for a low-ranking Spirit Creature such as the Swift Eagle, they can bring out almost all its power, making them just right for you."
As he spoke, he formed the Hand Seal of the Adept and summoned a magnificent Swift Eagle Spirit.
"The Way of Transformation and the Manifestation Path are two major schools and routes. Moreover, wolf-type Spirit Creatures and eagle-type Spirit Creatures are entirely different. Most people find it difficult to manage both at once, so keep that in mind in the future."
"Also, I'm sure you noticed my hand seals just now. These are the nine hand seals: Presence, Soldier, Battle, Adept, Unity, Formation, Array, Front, and Advance. You can perform methods associated with the Spirit Taming Art without forming seals, but using them makes drawing on your power faster and smoother. In battle, circumstances change in the blink of an eye, so unless you're extremely proficient, it's better to reinforce your techniques with hand seals. You'll need to gradually explore all this and practice diligently."
"Since each of you has only channeled a single Swift Eagle Spirit, a relatively weak Spirit Creature, the customary practice of this training courtyard is to have you choose the Manifestation Path and first learn to summon it successfully."
"This kind of Spirit Creature can be used to convey messages, but it is almost useless in direct combat. However, if you have a talent for the Transformation Dao, you can let a Swift Eagle Spirit possess you and cultivate the Eagle Eye Art. This is immensely helpful for archery or anything else that requires exceptional eyesight."
"If you cultivate both paths and use them flexibly, you can even share the Swift Eagle Spirit's vision while manifesting it. That is an extremely powerful scouting method."
Ma Wenhua and Lan Mei then taught them everything they needed to learn, including the relevant internal cultivation methods, circulation routes, and their personal experience. Afterward, they ended the lesson and sent everyone back.
Before leaving, Ma Wenhua said, "In ten days, we'll test your cultivation progress again. Work hard and don't slack off. If there's anything you didn't understand, you can ask one another or study your textbooks carefully. You all received your textbooks yesterday, didn't you? Those introductory texts were compiled from the cultivation experiences of countless disciples. Whatever questions you have are sure to be covered."
Ma Wenhua did not know that, after everyone else left, Fang Qianyuan remained where he was, looking thoughtful.
After pondering for a long while, he suddenly formed the Hand Seal of Presence and called in a low voice, "Swift Eagle Spirit, appear!"
An eagle-shaped mass of light flew out of the seal and hovered in the air. After several breaths, it passed from insubstantial to solid, taking the form of a Swift Eagle.
"Scree!" The Swift Eagle let out a long, excited cry, seemingly thrilled that Spirit Essence had shaped a body for it and granted it a brand-new form of life.
"Eagle Eye Art! Shared vision!" Fang Qianyuan first formed the Hand Seal of Soldier, then swiftly followed with the Hand Seal of Unity. He immediately felt a hot current surge from the Spirit Sea below his abdomen and pour into his right eye. Everything before his eyes underwent an earth-shaking transformation.
His left eye remained unchanged, seeing the scenery through normal human vision. His right eye, however, exuded an eagle-like sharpness, and even its pupil shimmered with golden-blue light resembling a vertical slit.
Fang Qianyuan focused his gaze. Leaves and insects a thousand feet away, previously indistinct, suddenly seemed to be right before his eyes, every tiny detail laid bare.
So this is a Swift Eagle's vision!
At a slight stirring of Fang Qianyuan's will, the Swift Eagle seemed to sense his intent. It gave a long cry and soared straight into the clouds.
At once, the view through his right eye became incomparably vast. It was as though he, too, had become an eagle flying among the clouds, looking down upon the earth. The exhilaration of experiencing it firsthand welled up in his heart.
This is the power of a Spirit Tamer!