“Cough!” Wun Fan couldn’t stand the smell of smoke. He took a few steps back to avoid having to deal with it.
The great elder sat down on the stone chair leisurely as he started explaining, “My martial soul is an aura blade of excellent quality. Its characteristics include the ability to sense the presence of aura, control the flow of aura, turn aura into swords, manipulate swords with aura, generate aura with my sword, and much more.”
“Your father’s martial soul is a black sword, dark as an all-consuming night, lord of all shades. It is an excellent martial soul with the ability to create resonance between sword techniques with wildly different characteristics.”
“The second elder’s martial soul is a serpent sword, a snake lurking in the shadows, lethal when it strikes. It is an excellent martial soul. It has the ability to conceal the user’s sword intent until they strike the fatal blow. Every attack is unseen and unexpected.”
“As for the third elder? His martial soul is a gentleman’s sword. A true gentleman is of noble character and unrelenting grit, never to be kept on a leash. An excellent martial soul. Its characteristics include a bold and honest sword intent, making every strike broad and generous.”
The great elder hesitated for a moment as he said, “As for your sister…”
“Go on,” Wun Fan’s curiosity was written all over his face. His eyes were open wide and gleaming with interest. He often asked her what her martial soul was, but she always deflected by saying it was just flame. He had never been able to get her to tell him the truth. Of course, he was going to take full advantage of this opportunity to find out what it was.
The great elder sighed and said sullenly, “Her martial soul is twin-colored flames. The two flames each take up one eye, causing the eye to take on their color when she uses them. It is an exotic martial soul. As for its characteristics? We haven’t quite figured it out yet. However, every time Siu Lan uses the power of her martial soul, she will start to lose control of herself, even if someone else tries to restrain her.”
“Exotic?!” Wun Fan was stunned. He knew Siu Lan was a prodigy, but he didn’t expect her to be so extraordinary.
“Moreover, she awakened her martial soul when she was a novice Martial Mortal. She survived three tribulations with the help of the clan master and me,” explained the great elder. However, his expression was a little unnatural, as if he was recalling something unbelievable.
Didn’t that make Siu Lan one of those incredible individuals that the great elder just talked about?
Wun Fan thought about what he had witnessed this morning and came to the same conclusion about Siu Lan’s loss of control. After all, everyone had seen the fight. Siu Lan had lashed out at Wan Ching Yeung, the clan master, when he was trying to stop the fight. If such an incident had happened in another major clan, it would not have been surprising for the offender to be exiled.
Wun Fan really wanted Old Lei’s opinion if it was possible. Judging from the way he talked about himself, he was incredibly powerful and knowledgeable. If he was able to dismiss the injuries to his meridians as trivial, he might know a thing or two about Wun Siu Lan’s situation.
The great elder had been talking for a long time and was feeling a little tired already. He also had the New Year’s market-opening ceremony of the Wun Claan to attend tomorrow. Seeing as Wun Siu Lan had yet to wake up, he knew that he could not do anything to help either, even if he stayed. He could only leave her on her own.
He hesitantly muttered to himself, “She should be okay…”
He then called a maidservant over to look after Siu Lan and instructed her to send someone to tell him when she woke up. The great elder also told Wun Fan to go rest. After all, his injuries were quite severe as well and resting well was the best thing to do. In particular, the great elder almost flew into a rage again when he remembered that the doctor had said that Wun Fan would have to rest for an entire year to recover.
However, Wun Fan truly wasn’t worried.
Today was the first time he had used the Spiritstartler Ring in actual combat. He had not expected it to make him so powerful. That ability to replenish his aether increased his combat endurance tremendously. How else could an ordinary ninth-level Martial Disciple have taken on twelve other Martial Disciples of the same level?
This ability alone determined his combat style for the future. It meant that he would never have to worry about using up too much power. This made him feel like a billionaire laughing at all the millionaires out there. The millionaires may be spending money like a river, while he was spending money like a bursting dam.
“Wahahaha,” Wun Fan couldn’t suppress his joy and burst out laughing.
He had no doubts in Old Lei, who told him his injuries could be healed in a single day. He was curious how it could be done, though. Wun Fan dragged his injured body back to his room and changed into black clothes. He took off all the excess bandages, wincing in pain every time he accidentally brushed his many, many wounds.
“Gather the aether like clouds, guide the aura like mist; clouds and mist to the body, drop by drop they cumulate.”
He sat cross-legged and practiced the Wun Clan’s cultivation technique, absorbing aether from around him. The ordinary Martial Disciple would first have to refine the aether before they absorb it, such that it will not result in an accumulation of impurities in their aether. However, Wun Fan had the Spiritstartler Ring and had no such worries. All he had to do was funnel aether non-stop into the Ring.
He was just a menial porter, all he had to do was move aether into his body as fast as possible. Thus, Wun Fan began experimenting with different ways of breathing. In the past, Wun Fan would always take one single breath when absorbing aether, without doing anything to intentionally quicken his breathing.
However, things were different now. What he needed to do was increase the speed at which aether entered his lungs. As such, all he had to do was breathe as fast as he could. However, after a few attempts, he could feel pain in his ribs and diaphragm. It seemed like breathing fast also came with its own difficulties.
However, once he got used to this, he would be able to become stronger quicker. He had already lost three years compared to everyone else. He could only make up that difference by working harder.
“Hss…” It hurt, it really, really hurt. It hurt so much that Wun Fan almost cried out loud. It wasn’t just pain in his ribs and lungs. There was pain in his meridians as well. However, this was unavoidable pain. After all, there was a limit to a person’s natural lung capacity.
After a long time of breathing in and out, he opened his eyes, only to find that it was completely dark already. He looked at the water clock by the door. It was almost eleven. He called for Old Lei in his mind, “Old Lei, it’s eleven now. I’ll be counting on you.”
Old Lei had said that he would bring him to the mountain in the afternoon. He definitely had his own way of making that happen.
“Mm,” Wun Fan felt very safe and secure every time that ancient voice rang out in his mind. He realised that he actually liked hearing Old Lei’s voice.
Oh no, is this that Electra complex thing they talk about?
A dark green flame suddenly ignited on Wun Fan’s thumb and spread all over his body until he was covered in flames. They engulfed his shirt, but did not burn them.
“Ooooh…” This was the feeling of being filled with power. He could feel power from the top of his head to his very toes. Wun Fan felt like he was growing addicted to this feeling. He even mumbled to himself, “This must be the power of a Martial Colonel. Old Lei, will my father and gramps sense you while you’re giving out this aura?”
Old Lei rolled his eyes in disdain at Wun Fan riding on the power high like a junkie. He said scornfully, “Idiot, you think I would use the power of a Martial Colonel to get past those guards that aren’t even Innate Masters?”
Old Lei’s words were sharp and logical and for a moment, Wun Fan had nothing to say in return. He could only shut up. Honestly, ever since he came to this new world, he had not lost an argument with anyone apart from Wun Siu Lan, who mostly won by just being unreasonable. Old Lei was the only person who could make him shut up like this.
Hmph! So annoying!
“Relax your mind, don’t move your body.”
Wun Fan did as Old Lei instructed and realised that he was body was moving without him using any force. On a closer look, it was the flames that were controlling his body. More accurately, Old Lei was controlling his body with the flames.
‘Wun Fan’ stood on the spot for a bit, shaking his hands and kicking with his legs. After getting used to the body, he then pushed the door open. He walked out and jumped, leaping several meters into the air. He was several dozen meters away when he landed, far away from where he lived.
“Ao…!” Wun Fan was so excited, he almost couldn’t help but start howling out loud. This feeling was too incredible. He felt like one of those legendary martial artists in wuxia stories, crossing several miles with a single flip. It was amazing.
“Kid, this is just the start of the martial journey, don’t get carried away,” Old Lei wasn’t that excited. He couldn’t help but dampen Wun Fan’s enthusiasm when he saw him being so excited. He didn’t want him to think that this was the pinnacle of martial arts.
“Mm,” Old Lei’s words did not manage to throw a wet blanket on Wun Fan’s feelings. If anything, it made him look forward to his martial journey even more. He dreamed of himself being able to achieve miracles with just the turn of a palm. He remembered what Old Lei said to him about how the Spiritstartler Ring would bring him far more than this and he became exhilarated.
After three years of rock bottom, Wun Fan knew the importance of power all too well. He knew that martial power was supreme in this world and that life was worth less than dirt. How you were treated by others depended solely on how powerful you were.
In the end, power was everything. Becoming more powerful was Wun Fan’s only path if he wanted to protect the people dear to him.305Please respect copyright.PENANABJYZHuws6Z