There are some new things introduced in the chapter. In previous chapters, there was the energy cultivated which is called ling energy. It resides in the body in “channels” which is a network of vessels, see acupuncture points on google, spread over the body. The new concept is the consciousness or spirit/spiritual power. Essentially, it is the “power of the mind”. Both consciousness and spiritual power are used interchangeably. Spiritual power/consciousness isn’t the same as the soul, which is a whole other kettle of fish.
The other new thing is the sword strike. It’s a terrible translation and I’m only using it because I cannot think of any other way of translating it. Essentially, it is a bolt of energy, embodied with the sharpness and shape of a sword. This is in contrast to sword essence which is more like an “understanding of the sword”. This will appear in later chapters. Each person will have their own “essences of the sword” which means they have different attributes. Think the swords in Bleach.
Chapter Six Highly Dangerous
“s.h.i.+xiong has come.” Fei Yun enthusiastically gave a greeting. He was wearing the light yellow robes of all the disciples of the Everything Pavilion. It was just the front had been rolled up and tucked at the waist.
Zuo Mo’s voice was friendly: “You’re on duty today?”
“s.h.i.+xiong has to look after me.” Fei Yun chuckled. He was clear. This zombie face was a large account among all the outer sect disciples. Most of his sales came from this person.
Wu Kong Sword Sect was far from Dong Fu and it was exceedingly troublesome to make a round. The Everything Pavilion had been set up to ease the way for everyone. There wasn’t much high-level inventory sold at the Everything Pavilion but for outer sect disciples, it could basically fulfill their needs. Even if the prices were slightly higher than Dong Fu, but it was much more convenient and everyone became used to buying what they needed here.
Even for Zuo Mo who had a flying paper crane, it was troublesome to go to Dong Fu.
The two were familiar and he wasn’t courteous: “Anything good lately?”
“There’s a few first-grade talismans but I’m afraid it isn’t what s.h.i.+xiong wishes for.” Fei Yun smiled as he answered. Upon familiarity, he had experienced Zuo Mo’s shrewdness. He rarely would buy something that he didn’t need.
“I’ll take a look.” Zuo Mo didn’t refuse.
Fei Yun took out some talismans. Zuo Mo flipped through them one by one.
A bangle color orange, carved from an entire piece of fire jade, could increase the ability of the use to control flames. Zuo Mo put it to one side. This bangle was useful for those who made medicine. He didn’t need it. And the price of ten pieces of second-grade jings.h.i.+ was too expensive and not useful enough.
The following few items, he put them down as well.
Only a yellow copper ring, he examined for a long time.
“s.h.i.+xiong is interested in this ring?” Fei Yun saw hope and started to urge: “[Golden Sword Ring], first-grade gold element talisman. Only need to input gold ling energy until it is full and then it can release three sword strikes. The power is astounding and overwhelmingly strong. The important part is, the price is great. Just five pieces of second-grade jings.h.i.+. A talisman, five pieces of second-grade jings.h.i.+, there’s no other place.”
Fei Yun ran on, hyping the [Golden Sword Ring]
Zuo Mo didn’t speak. He adjusted his energy and diverted ling energy towards the ring. If it was like before, he couldn’t use the ring. But now, he learned [Aged Gold Energy] and could turn his ling energy into gold ling energy so he could use the ring.
Fei Yun saw an inkling and quickly closed his mouth to avoid distracting Zuo Mo.
The ling energy continued to pour into the ring, the dark yellow copper ring started to glow. Zuo Mo was shocked. No wonder it was a talisman. The majority of the ling energy in his body had been given and it barely managed to fill one third of the ring.
His mind moved and he fused together his fingers, pointing at the ground.
Hua!
A gold colored sword strike came out, hitting the stone ground. Crack! Fragments of stone sprayed and an extremely thin and deep hole was left in the stone.
The sword strike was so penetrating!
Xiuzhe under zhuji would have difficulty blocking it. The power behind this talisman was enough. The only flaw was that it could only store three sword strikes. But thinking about it, if it didn’t have this flaw, would the talisman be the price it was now?
Fei Yun came over: “How does s.h.i.+xiong feel?”
Zuo Mo was satisfied inside but nothing showed on his face: “I’ll buy it.”
Fei Yun cheered: “s.h.i.+xiong has good eyes!”
Zuo Mo handed over a list filled with materials: “Do you have these?”
Fei Yun took the list and scanned. He said, shocked: “s.h.i.+xiong wants to make a [Ling Exciting Hoe]? Why waste the effort? I have a pretty good quality product. If s.h.i.+xiong wants it, I’ll give s.h.i.+xiong a realistic price.”
“I want to make one. It’s a kind of comprehension.” Zuo Mo replied.
Fei Yun paused and then said solemnly: “s.h.i.+xiong’s words are reasonable. This one is in awe. I have all of these materials. s.h.i.+xiong, just wait for a moment.”
Coming out of the Everything Pavilion, Zuo Mo had spent most of his jings.h.i.+. Buying the [Golden Sword Ring] wasn’t an impulse out of the blue. When he had achieved the eight level of lianqi last night, he had decided to buy a defensive talisman. Two years, from liangqi level three to level eight. Such speed, it would astound people.
Based on what he saw, he had pretty good talent but not to such a terrifying degree. The biggest credit should be that section of ling vein!
His cultivation of lianqi level eight couldn’t be concealed from others. If it landed in the eyes of those with ideas, all kinds of conclusions would form. But the thing about the ling vein was that it couldn’t become public.
The common saying was right. Easy to avoid the daylight robbery, hard to defend against the arrows from the dark shadows. Not afraid of a thieve stealing, afraid of a thieve thinking. If the news that he achieved level eight of lianqi, there would be many that would be thinking about him.
He resolved to decrease the time he spent out in the following days. He would stay home and ponder the jade stick. He had just started on [Art of Aged Gold]. Not even saying the third level, he was still very far from the second level. But he also knew that paper couldn’t enclose a flame for long. He couldn’t hide the fact that he achieved level eight lianqi for long.
This [Golden Sword Ring] was to prevent accidents from occurring.
He had never seen an incident of kill and rob for treasure but he had heard of many. Carefulness wasn’t a bad thing.
Forging [Ling Exciting Hoe] was one of his ideas from long ago. When he had just known that there was a thing called forging, he was filled with interest for this strange art. But he had never had the chance. Just a while ago when Xu Yue s.h.i.+xiong taught them how to make [Ling Exciting Hoe] and [Thousand Threads and Needles Pouch], now he could try to start forging.
He brought the materials needed but he didn’t start forging immediately. He just broke into the eight level and his status wasn’t stable. Another way of saying it was that he wasn’t familiar with the present ling energy he had now. He put the majority of the time on [Art of Aged Gold]. Other than going to the medicine fields once a day, he basically stayed home the entire time. When he made rain for others, he didn’t put his all in. Just like before, he would show an exhausted appearance after each time.
After a few days, no one had managed to find that he reached the eight level of lianqi.
Zuo Mo’s heart finally landed. Sometimes he would think, were his fears groundless? But out of prudence, he would spend some time each day using [Golden Sword Ring], and would always make sure that the ling energy in the ring was full.
Thankfully everything was calm and no accidents happened.
He squatted in the ling fields of the yard, his right hand on a stalk of ling grain, his eyes closed. The faint gold of [Aged Gold Energy] quietly slipped into the ling grain. He could feel the [Aged Gold Energy] effortlessly travelling through the body of the ling grain.
Suddenly, a series of fluctuations came from the [Aged Gold Energy]. Zuo Mo’s mind roused. He found his goal!
It was a crowd of aphids.
The calm [Aged Gold Energy] was like a shark that smelled blood, furiously rus.h.i.+ng at the goal. Through the information that the [Aged Gold Energy] pa.s.sed along, Zuo Mo could clearly feel the tyrannical state of the aphids and the intense rejection it had towards the [Aged Gold Energy].
Consciousness to consciousness. Zuo Mo, who had never been attacked, lost control of the [Aged Gold Energy].
Forcing himself to calm down, he didn’t retreat from the furious and tyrannical consciousness of the aphids. A cold light flashed through his eyes. He pressed the [Aged Gold Energy]. Already roaring to go, the [Aged Gold Energy] leapt towards the aphids!
[Aged Gold Energy] was like numerous grains of tiny sand. They surrounded the aphids and continuously left tiny wounds on the aphids.
These half-clear aphids might be hard to distinguish with the naked eye, their consciousness also extremely small but they could merge the consciousness of every aphid together to form a mind thousands of times larger than their single minds. Their spirits were filled with brutality, destruction and ruin!
Other than that, they kept on secreting a colloidal solution to heal their wounded body.
This was a great and fierce battle!
Zuo Mo hadn’t thought a trial run of [Aged Gold Energy] would turn out like this!
He completely forgot this was a normal trial run. His mind was immersed in this battle, immersed in that lump of [Aged Gold Energy]. He put all his effort to sustain the [Aged Gold Energy] and ran again and again at the aphids.
No one else would be like him, putting their consciousness on the [Aged Gold Energy]. It was just too dangerous.
He had never been in battle. His consciousness was extremely fragile. Just one slip, it was easy for his consciousness to be scattered by an even stronger consciousness. Any other person might become insane from doing so. But the brutal consciousness from the merging of the aphids didn’t overcome Zuo Mo’s consciousness but aroused the viciousness in Zuo Mo’s bones. He was like a provoked lion, crazily leaping at the enemy!
In the natural world, the weaker were afraid of the stronger.
When Zuo Mo’s consciousness became even more crazy and fierce, the aphids with their low intelligence instinctively felt fear.
The battle which had been deadlocked quickly leaned towards Zuo Mo.
The [Aged Gold Energy] continued to tear. One by one, the aphids were torn to shreds. Everywhere it pa.s.sed, it would only leave behind a heap of the powder of the aphids. It was actually very strange. The [Aged Gold Energy] that was extremely damaging to the aphids were gentle and harmless to the ling grains.
When the very last aphid was killed, Zuo Mo finally came out of the desperate killing. It was like he had been taken out of the water. His entire body was soaked in sweat. He panted heavily, his eyes like an wild animal, glaring viciously.
After another while, the viciousness in his eyes finally left. He couldn’t carry on and sat down on the ground.
At this time, he felt the fear come on.
“No wonder there aren’t many ling plant farmers. If they aren’t careful, they would die easily!” As he panted, Zuo Mo patted his chest. Before, he had a.s.sumed that farming was a safe profession. But he didn’t think it would be so dangerous!
He didn’t have any energy left so he sat in the ling fields before he struggled up and moved to the seclusion room.
He needed to replenish ling energy. All the ling energy in his body had been completely wrung out, not a drop remaining.
He didn’t know if it was that he was exhausted but he very quickly entered a meditative state.