Chapter 234: Fighting or Hiding?

“Rain Shower Sword Technique.”

“Apparently, it is supposed to allow a cultivator to turn rain into a shower of swords.” Senior Brother Yuan Shen explained as he passed the jade slip to Senior Brother Qing An, who quickly went through its contents.

“It's an intriguing auxiliary technique,” Senior Brother Qing An commented. “I’ve seen long-range and wide-area targeting sword techniques before, but this one definitely demands the least power.”

“But it's also a lot less precise,” Senior Brother Yuan Shen argued. “Not to mention the absurd requirement of needing actual rain to transform into swords.”

“That's why it takes less spiritual energy. Summoning rain isn’t as hard as creating a barrage of swords,” Senior Brother Weilong remarked as he took hold of the jade slip. “Hmmm. Just as I suspected,” Senior Brother Weilong said, handing the jade slip to Senior Brother Zhen Hao. “It would pair very well if one were to get their hands on a rain summoning technique to use alongside it.”

Senior Brother Zhen Hao, after scanning through the jade slip, immediately declared, “I would like to practice it. It would be a sight to see in a battle, if nothing else.”

“Do you even have a rain summoning technique?” Senior Brother Yuan Shen asked.

“I am sure the sect has a few,” Senior Brother Zhen Hao dismissed the concern easily. “If not, there is always Master.”

“Make a copy of it, Zhen Hao,” Senior Brother Qing An casually said, grabbing a manual off the table. “I would also like to give it a try.”

“You have a rain summoning technique?” Senior Brother Zhen Hao blinked in surprise.

Senior Brother Qing An just smirked without looking up from the manual. “There is always the sect. Or Master.”

Senior Brother Yuan Shen snorted as they all went back to working through the pile of techniques.

Meanwhile, Yang reached for another manual and flipped through the first few pages, immediately slamming it shut, catching everyone's attention.

“Another hidden gem, Junior Brother?” Senior Brother Qing An teased with a smile.

Senior Brother Yuan Shen got a mischievous smile on his face. “Doesn’t look like it from his expression.”

Before he could articulate an answer, Senior Brother Zhen Hao snatched the manual from his hand. After scanning it for a few seconds, he let out a booming laugh. “It's a dual cultivation manual.”

The others chuckled as Yang’s face grew even more flushed, even the usually stoic Senior Brother Fan Xiao.

“No need to be so embarrassed, Chen Yang,” Senior Brother Weilong consoled him. “This is a natural part of life.”

Yang didn’t respond, refusing to provide his Senior Brother with any more entertainment at his expense, and just grabbed another technique.

Time passed like this in silence as they worked through the pile, sorting and categorizing the techniques. There weren’t many useful ones, which was not really a surprise considering the cultivators they were liberated from were all at Foundation Establishment or lower. It was understandable that his Senior Brothers wouldn’t find anything of much use.

There were a few techniques, mainly weapons-based, that his Senior Brothers pointed out to him, but none piqued his interest. He already had a speed handicap, so he had to carefully consider where to spend his time and energy.

“Chen Yang,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao called out as he extended a jade slip towards him. “This one is well suited for you.”

Yang accepted it and thanked Senior Brother Fan Xiao. Since he had already said so, Yang would try it even if he didn’t like it. But as he read through the jade slip, he realized it was really suitable for both the Thousand Element Technique and his personality.

Manifold Spirit Concealment Art.

The requirements for advancing it were both demanding and varied, but Yang was already walking the path of fulfilling those requirements, so practicing this technique would just be the cherry on top.

It was a concealment technique, an element-based one.

The cultivator must cultivate a particular element to conceal themselves within an environment dominated by that element. If he cultivated water qi, he would be able to be completely invisible in water. Same to fire, wood, and other types of qi.

Most cultivators had access to limited types of qi, and even then they were restrained by the time required to cultivate them, rendering techniques like this niche at best unless one was already cultivating or had access to elemental qi.

Yang, on the other hand, already had a technique to gather all kinds of qi, including the simple elemental ones. If he practiced this on top of that, he would be practically invisible in all types of environments.

Instead of being able to fight people of higher realms with some heaven-defying technique, walking unrecognized right under the noses of those big shots would be far more to his taste.

Clearly, Senior Brother Fan Xiao had gotten to know him very well in the time they spent in the secret realm.

Yang looked at Senior Brother Fan Xiao and cupped his fist in front of him. “Thank you, Senior Brother. This really suits my temperament.”

“Really? Now I am curious. Let me have a look as well, Junior Brother." Senior Brother Qing An extended his hand, and Yang passed him the jade slip.

Senior Brother Qing An let out a snort as he shook his head in amusement once he was done examining the technique. “Truly a match for you, Junior Brother.”

“Is it really that good?” Senior Brother Yuan Shen asked as he threw a manual on the table and reached out for another one.

“It is good, but the requirements are too stringent for any of us to cultivate it to its full potential,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao explained.

“It basically allows a cultivator to erase their presence from others, even from higher-level cultivators in specific environments, as long as the cultivator has cultivated that specific type of elemental qi,” Senior Brother Qing An explained.

“Specific element qi?” Senior Brother Zhen Hao grinned. “Then it will go well with Master’s Thousand Element Technique.”

“Chen Yang may even be able to completely become invisible if he manages to gather enough types of qi,” Senior Brother Lu Feng added thoughtfully.

Senior Brother Yuan Shen whipped around to look at him. “What do you mean? How would he do that?”

“While the technique mentioned elemental qi for specific elemental environments,” Senior Brother Lu Feng explained. “If he masters light, air, water, and earth, along with whatever type of passive qi is also present in that environment, he should, in theory, be able to become completely invisible even in a normal environment.”

Senior Brother Yuan Shen deflated. “It may as well be impossible. While air, water, and earth are easy enough, light is simply too difficult to cultivate. Definitely not worth the effort it will take just for the ability to hide from higher-level cultivators.”

“That's why I only called out Chen Yang,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao said dryly. “He already has to practice the Thousand Element Technique. This will complement it very well, giving him an additional benefit from something he would be doing regardless”

“While the ability to conceal ourselves is something we all are able to do just by restraining our spiritual presence, we are completely exposed to cultivators of higher realms,” Senior Brother Lu Feng said. “While too much trouble for most cultivators, the ability to remain unseen from everyone is a precious skill.”

“The only thing that matters in the end is survival.” Senior Brother Lu Feng looked at Yang as he smirked. “It doesn’t matter if you do so by fighting or hiding. In the end, the one who lives is the ultimate winner.”

“As for light, if one day you manage to master fire, air, water, and earth elemental qi, I would take you to a place where you can cultivate light qi.”

“You know a place where one can cultivate light qi?” Senior Brother Weilong asked, looking impressed.

Senior Brother Lu Feng nodded. “I stumbled upon it years ago, but it was of little use to me or any of our brothers, so I never went back.”

“I would like to accompany you as well when you take Junior Brother there,” Senior Brother Zhen Hao said.

“When? Not if?” Senior Brother Lu Feng asked, amused.

“I have full faith in Junior Brother Yang’s obsessive nature.” Senior Brother Zhen Hao smirked and turned his gaze towards Yang. “He’ll cultivate this technique to its peak.”

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