Distraction Technique

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue underwent Spiritual Power testing, and the results were astounding.

Xie Xie's Spiritual Power was twenty-nine, already quite an impressive result among his peers, approaching the middle stage of the Spirit Origin Realm. Tang Wulin's Spiritual Power, meanwhile, was forty-four, placing him squarely in the middle stage of the Spirit Origin Realm.

Their Spiritual Power had already given Wu Changkong a few pleasant surprises, but compared to Gu Yue, they truly paled into insignificance.

Gu Yue's Spiritual Power reached as high as one hundred and nineteen. It was outright beyond the scope of the Spirit Origin Realm.

Among the levels of Spiritual Power, the Spirit Origin Realm came first. Once the tested value exceeded one hundred, it entered an entirely different level, called the Spirit Connection Realm.

The Spirit Connection Realm meant that the mind connected with the spirit, and intent reached wherever thought went. Upon reaching this realm, one began to grasp the control of Spiritual Power, truly wielding one's own Spiritual Power for personal use, and could accommodate two yellow Soul Spirits or one purple Soul Spirit.

Only then did Wu Changkong confirm that Gu Yue's Martial Soul, Elemental Envoy, was very likely actually a rare spiritual-type Martial Soul, communicating with the elements through powerful Spiritual Power and putting them to her use.

Spiritual-type Soul Masters were the rarest and most sought-after in the world today, because they were the most compatible with mechas.

This also made Wu Changkong place even greater importance on Gu Yue.

Hu Fangyuan fared a little better, his Spiritual Power reaching ninety, likewise falling within the Spirit Connection Realm.

But compared with his consistently astounding performances over the past few days, his Spiritual Power was indeed somewhat more normal.

Ninety points of Spiritual Power would already count as outstanding among ordinary new students, but on Hu Fangyuan, it seemed rather unremarkable.

After all, ever since enrolling, this boy had constantly been reshaping everyone's understanding.

By comparison, ninety points of Spirit Connection Realm Spiritual Power truly did not amount to much.

When Wu Changkong received the test results, he too frowned slightly.

But after giving it another thought, he let it go.

Spiritual Power depended partly on talent and partly on acquired cultivation.

Hu Fangyuan was only nine, so having ninety points was already quite impressive. Moreover, the boy's precise Soul Skill control relied more on the unique qualities of his Heaven Refining Furnace Martial Soul; it was not necessarily all thanks to Spiritual Power.

Ninety points, the peak of the Spirit Origin Realm, just one final step away from the Spirit Connection Realm. At this boy's cultivation speed, breaking through to the Spirit Connection Realm was only a matter of time.

Wu Changkong put away the test results, already forming new plans in his mind.

Over the past few days, Hu Fangyuan had begun working on the aspect Wu Changkong had recommended to him: fine control of Soul Power.

It all began a few days earlier.

That evening, after special training ended, Wu Changkong had Hu Fangyuan stay behind alone.

The two stood in the center of the training grounds. With his hands behind his back, Wu Changkong looked at Hu Fangyuan and slowly spoke.

"You're already very proficient at using your Soul Skills. You alternate between your water and fire Soul Skills smoothly, with plenty of variation. But have you ever thought about using two Soul Skills simultaneously?"

Hu Fangyuan paused in surprise. "Simultaneously?"

"Exactly."

Wu Changkong nodded. "Your Water Refining Azure Furnace and Fire-Refined Scarlet Force focus on defense and nurturing, and powerful attacks and burning, respectively. If you could activate them simultaneously, letting water and fire work in harmony and combining offense with defense, your fighting strength would increase by at least thirty percent."

Hu Fangyuan frowned. It was not that he had never considered this, but activating two Soul Skills simultaneously demanded extremely high control over Spiritual Power and Soul Power. An ordinary Soul Master was doing well to become proficient with a single Soul Skill; using two simultaneously was simply impossible.

"Teacher Wu, that's very difficult, isn't it?"

Hu Fangyuan spoke honestly. "I've tried. When I activate two Soul Skills simultaneously, my Soul Power circulation falls into chaos. I can't control it at all."

"It's difficult, which is precisely why you need to practice."

Wu Changkong said evenly, "In Shrek City, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect possesses a secret art passed down through the generations, called the Distraction Secret Method. It can break the unwritten rule among Soul Masters, allowing them to control multiple Soul Skills simultaneously. Its highest realm is the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart!"

At this point, even Wu Changkong's voice carried a hint of admiration. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Distraction Secret Method was one of the continent's very finest secret arts.

According to legend, when cultivated to its utmost, the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart allowed one mind to perform seven tasks, controlling seven Soul Skills simultaneously with utterly terrifying power.

"The Distraction Secret Method..."

Hu Fangyuan's eyes lit up. This was practically tailor-made for him. He had the Heaven Refining Furnace, two water and fire Soul Skills, and Gu worms that needed activating. If he could learn to split his attention among multiple tasks, his fighting strength would absolutely soar.

"Teacher Wu, do you know this Distraction Secret Method?" Hu Fangyuan hurriedly asked, his eyes full of anticipation.

Wu Changkong shook his head. "The Distraction Secret Method is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's supreme sect-guarding art. It's never taught to outsiders. How could I possibly know it?"

He paused, then continued, "However, I have indeed encountered another Distraction Secret Method. Although it can't compare to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's, it achieves a similar marvel through different means."

Hu Fangyuan's eyes shone even brighter. "Then can you teach me, Teacher Wu?"

"No." Wu Changkong refused quite bluntly. "The Distraction Technique I practice is only passed on to disciples of the organization I belong to. You're merely a student of Eastsea Academy. I can't break the rules and teach it to you."

The smile on Hu Fangyuan's face immediately collapsed. After all that talk, he couldn't teach it to me.

Seeing Hu Fangyuan's disappointed expression, Wu Changkong's lips curved slightly. "However, I can give you a few directions to explore on your own."

"Really?" Hu Fangyuan immediately perked up again.

"Yes."

Wu Changkong nodded. "The Distraction Technique is, at its core, fine control over Spiritual Power and Soul Power. You can start from three aspects. First, practice controlling multiple streams of Soul Power simultaneously, letting each follow its own path through your meridians without interfering with the others. Second, practice dividing your Spiritual Power, allowing one mind to perform two tasks, three tasks, or even more. Third, practice minute control of your Soul Skills, breaking each Soul Skill down into its smallest components, then recombining them."

"If you can master all three aspects, the Distraction Technique will come naturally."

Hu Fangyuan listened attentively, committing every word to memory. Although he had no specific cultivation method, with a direction to follow, he could explore on his own.

"Thank you, Teacher Wu!" Hu Fangyuan nodded solemnly.

From that day onward, Hu Fangyuan began training his fine control of Soul Power.

He naturally knew that his ability to use two Soul Skills simultaneously depended primarily on the unique qualities of the Heaven Refining Furnace.

The Heaven Refining Furnace itself possessed both water and fire characteristics. Water Refining Azure Furnace and Fire-Refined Scarlet Force were both Soul Skills derived from the Heaven Refining Furnace, sharing the same source and roots, making it much easier than it was for ordinary Soul Masters to activate two Soul Skills of different attributes simultaneously.

But even so, truly activating water and fire simultaneously and linking them seamlessly required extremely powerful control.

If he could better practice the Distraction Technique and split his attention among multiple tasks, his combat ability would absolutely improve by leaps and bounds.

After all, besides his Soul Skills, he also had Gu worms to activate, making cultivation of the Distraction Technique all the more necessary!

Things were manageable for now. As a support-type Gu worm, the Moonlight Pearl Gu only needed nurturing.

Only the Copper Bone Gu needed activating, but what about the future?

In the future, there would be even more Gu worms, and he would even need to activate multiple Gu worms to execute combination killer moves!

Every Gu worm required him to spare some attention to control it.

Without the Distraction Technique, merely controlling his Gu worms could exhaust his Spiritual Power, let alone using Soul Skills in battle at the same time.

So he had to master the Distraction Technique!

Over the past few days, apart from regular classes and evening special training, Hu Fangyuan had spent almost all his remaining time cultivating the Distraction Technique.

That afternoon, Class Five was having a physical conditioning class on the field.

The blazing sun hung overhead, its scorching rays heating the ground. The physical education teacher blew his whistle, having the whole class run laps around the field. The new students ran until they were panting and drenched in sweat, their complaints filling the air.

Once Tang Wulin stopped participating in the running drills, Xie Xie took the lead at the front. Judging by Wu Changkong's occasional calls urging him on, however, Xie Xie's speed clearly left the teacher somewhat dissatisfied.