Chapter 296 - 277: The Pathetic Mortal

Chapter 296: Chapter 277: The Pathetic Mortal

"Oh, so Sun Long is competing. It seems all our worries were for nothing."

Someone in the crowd sighed, their face a mask of relief. It was as if all their prior tension and anxiety had vanished in an instant.

"Then it doesn’t matter. Since Sun Long is fighting, it makes no difference who the other two from our clan are. We could send up two dogs and still win."

The chatter in the crowd grew louder. The previous doubts and arguments ceased the moment Sun Long’s name was mentioned, replaced by a light and cheerful atmosphere.

Jiang Xu’s heart stirred as he watched this unfold.

’This Sun Long... Who is he, exactly?’

’Why does everyone react like this at the mere mention of his name?’

’Is he really that incredible?’

Just then, a few young Cultivators looked bewildered. Being young, they didn’t understand the significance of the name Sun Long.

Seeing the young ones’ confusion, a more knowledgeable, older Cultivator immediately stepped forward to explain things to them enthusiastically.

After listening for a while, Jiang Xu finally understood.

It turned out there was much more to Sun Long than met the eye.

The man was nearly fifty, yet his Cultivation was still at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

His Spirit Root wasn’t bad—it was an Earth Spirit Root, a type of Dual Spirit Roots. Compared to the vast majority of Cultivators, his aptitude was considered high.

Logically, someone of Sun Long’s age shouldn’t still be at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

With the aptitude from Dual Spirit Roots, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm wasn’t necessarily easy, but it shouldn’t have been that difficult for anyone even moderately hardworking.

In fact, Sun Long had already reached the Qi Cultivation Late Stage before he even came of age.

However, just a few days after returning from his travels, he discovered something was wrong.

No matter how much Spiritual Qi he absorbed, he couldn’t raise his internal Spiritual Power beyond a certain threshold.

The moment it surpassed that threshold, all the Spiritual Qi he had just absorbed would leak out, unable to remain in his body.

As a result, Sun Long’s Cultivation became permanently stuck at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

For the next twenty or thirty years, Sun Long and the Sun Clan invested a massive amount of time and resources, visiting renowned healers and masters across the land to find the cause of this bizarre phenomenon.

They suspected it was some strange illness or that he had been framed and secretly poisoned.

But no matter how hard they tried, the problem was never solved, and Sun Long’s Cultivation remained stagnant.

After realizing he had hit a cultivation bottleneck, Sun Long did indeed go through a period of despair.

He was tormented, feeling lost and hopeless about his future.

But Sun Long refused to succumb to despair. The path of Cultivation was not a single, straight road. He chose to face reality, adjust his strategy, and forge a new path.

He first tried various auxiliary cultivation methods like Artifact Refining, Alchemy, Talisman Making, and setting up Arrays, hoping to improve his overall capabilities.

Unfortunately, despite his immense efforts, Sun Long showed no particular talent in these areas. His progress was slow, and the results were disappointing.

After numerous setbacks, Sun Long decided to study Magic on a whim, only to discover he had an extraordinary aptitude and control for it.

The speed of his progress in Magic astonished even himself.

Sun Long threw all his passion into the Cultivation of Magic. Day after day, year after year, his mastery of Magic gradually reached astonishing heights.

And so, he began to seek out Magic everywhere, along with any other miscellaneous Cultivation Techniques and Secret Techniques he could find. He turned none away.

Sun Long was a Cultivator from the Grand Elder’s own lineage and a close blood relative, granting him high status and unrestricted access to the Scripture Pavilion.

He had long since mastered everything inside, save for a few of the ultimate Clan-Suppression Techniques and Cultivation Techniques.

In his remaining time, he would search the various islands for even more Magic.

From that point on, Sun Long’s life became centered on researching all kinds of Magic and Exotic Techniques.

He used his privileged status as a direct descendant of the Grand Elder’s lineage to frequently visit the clan’s Scripture Pavilion.

The pavilion housed countless precious Cultivation Classics.

Aside from the handful of top-tier Cultivation Techniques and Magic designated as clan treasures—which couldn’t be viewed without special permission—Sun Long meticulously studied nearly every other volume in the Scripture Pavilion. Through constant practice and reflection, he internalized and mastered a vast array of ordinary and even high-grade Cultivation Techniques and Magic.

Even so, Sun Long was not satisfied.

With a heart hungry for knowledge, he often used his free time to leave the main island and travel to the surrounding affiliated islands.

He visited reclusive families, befriended Cultivators from all regions, and collected rare Exotic Techniques and Ancient Texts scattered throughout the world.

Whether it was a Secret Technique passed down orally among villagers or a long-forgotten ancient heritage, he would tirelessly pursue anything that could deepen his understanding of Magic.

And so...

Sun Long, with his unique understanding and exquisite mastery of Magic, repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary prowess in countless battles.

He fought many opponents whose Cultivation was higher than his own Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

Yet, by leveraging his flexible and versatile use of Magic and his profound tactical insight, he frequently worked miracles in battle, turning the tide time and time again.