Chapter 8: Spiritual Power Cultivation Method

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Spiritual Power Cultivation Method

"Fan Jie, don’t just stand there. Pass the ball."

"Keep your eyes on the ball! Why are you looking at me?"

"Practice makes perfect. Do a movement ten million times, and you’ll know how to stop the ball even with your eyes closed."

"From now on, we are a team. Whether we’re fighting one person or a whole group, all eleven of us will attack together. This is to build our tacit understanding..."

***

Inside the cave, aside from the ten people Li Ye had selected, everyone else stood aside, clearing the center space for the newly minted Fun Seeker team to train.

Fan Jie, Liu Guangsheng, and the others formed a circle, passing the ball back and forth with bizarre expressions on their faces.

It couldn’t be helped. Anyone would feel a chill down their spine if they were kicking their companion’s head around like a soccer ball...

"All of you, focus," Li Ye’s voice rang in their ears. "Train hard in peacetime, bleed less in wartime. This is the special training method of us Fun Seekers. The more synchronized the team members are, the faster your Spiritual Power will increase."

They knew Li Ye was evil, but this seemed a bit too extreme.

The cultivation methods of the Galactic Federation were just too bizarre.

What unsettled them the most was that this training method actually increased their Spiritual Power. It completely defied the natural order.

Fan Jie couldn’t help but ask, "Lord Li, does everyone in the Galactic Federation cultivate this way?"

"How is that possible?" Li Ye chuckled lightly. "I’m a Star Thief who practices an Evil Skill. I take shortcuts. How could orthodox cultivation methods increase Spiritual Power this quickly? If you aren’t willing, you can quit. If you don’t want the spot, plenty of others do."

"I’m willing, of course I’m willing! Lord Li, I was just asking casually." Startled, Fan Jie quickly plastered a smile on his face and delivered a powerful kick, passing the ball to Yu Fei.

Only an idiot would be unwilling!

In just this short amount of time, not only had his Spiritual Power increased, but even his Inner Strength had grown significantly. The progress was even more rapid than consuming rare heavenly treasures. As long as it allowed him to become a Grandmaster, he would gladly become a Demon!

"To succeed, you must first go mad," Li Ye continued. "Aside from training, there is an even faster way to boost your Spiritual Power: building up everyone’s fame. The greater your fame, the faster your Spiritual Power will increase. The wider our club’s reputation spreads, the faster your Spiritual Power will grow..."

The onlookers were dumbfounded. This method of cultivating Spiritual Power completely subverted their understanding of martial arts.

"Don’t use your lower-class mindset to comprehend the cultivation methods of an advanced civilization. Our cultivation aligns with the ultimate truths of the universe. It absorbs the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth for our own use." Seeing the confused looks in their eyes, Li Ye took the initiative to explain. "Do you know why Immortals need incense offerings?

"Incense represents faith and belief. The more followers an Immortal has and the wider their influence, the stronger their Magical Power becomes. The same principle applies to us. If you rely solely on your own cultivation, it would take an eternity to gain the power to move mountains and overturn seas.

"Why do you think I’d rather be on the Galactic Federation’s wanted list, hunted by millions, just to be a Star Thief? What I, Lord Li, want is exactly this fame..."

Upon hearing this, it suddenly dawned on everyone why Li Ye needed to suppress the entire planet.

Perhaps this was the only way his injuries could heal!

Otherwise, on this Primitive Planet of theirs where one could only cultivate Inner Strength, what else could he rely on to recover?

"Ambushing Shi Xiang will be our first real combat test." Li Ye intercepted their pass mid-air, lightly juggled the ball a few times, and passed it back out. "Tomorrow, I’m going to reorganize the club members. I will strive to have everyone utilize their unique characteristics within the team."

***

After settling on the club’s name, Li Ye’s physique underwent another significant leap forward. Realizing he was on the right path, he began to consciously integrate the characteristics of the soccer Team Emblem to train and coordinate the group before him.

First, it was to increase their strength so they could deal with the demons that could appear at any moment.

Second, it was to develop Derived Skills as quickly as possible. Only a Demon Hunter who possessed Derived Skills was a qualified Demon Hunter, capable of protecting themselves when facing enemies.

Third, only by establishing his own faction could he investigate and uncover the true nature of the demons that had landed in this world as quickly as possible.

There was a saying that one could be a thief for a thousand days, but one could not guard against a thief for a thousand days. Once he knew what the enemy was, he would hold much more initiative in his responses, whether attacking or defending.

***

Unity, struggle, enterprise, glory, soccer, fame...

Li Ye exploited the Team Emblem’s effects as much as possible. Only by understanding a demonic artifact could one maximize its utility.

The Demon Hunting Bureau had only been developing demonic artifacts for a little over two years. The taboos they had summarized were not necessarily correct. Treating those taboos as the absolute truth and fearfully hesitating to use the artifacts would only end up getting him killed.

Out of over two hundred Time Travelers, only eight had survived. This was enough to prove that the rules set for Demon Hunters were not suitable for Time Travelers. The Demon Hunting Bureau was originally crossing the river by feeling the stones anyway; otherwise, the taboos wouldn’t have been changed time and time again.

To survive, he had to have his own considerations. After all, paths were forged by people walking them.

As for losing his mind to the artifact, that was temporarily outside the scope of Li Ye’s concerns.

Compared to those natives who abandoned their principles at the slightest temptation, Li Ye felt his willpower was already strong enough. At least up until now, he always knew exactly what he needed to do.

***

It was midnight, and a bright moon hung high in the sky. Li Ye and the others lay in ambush by the side of the unavoidable road at the foot of Cangsong Ridge, quietly awaiting Shi Xiang’s arrival.

Under the empowerment of Demon Power, the nighttime scenery was as clear as day.

Liu Guangsheng and the others followed behind Li Ye. They stared intently at the forest path, their confidence multiplying.

Besides the injured, the rest of the people had also been called out by Li Ye to ambush both sides of the road and act as spectators. Li Ye had assigned them a very shameful task: to cheer from behind when Liu Guangsheng and the team attacked.

Thinking about what Li Ye had arranged for them to do, these Martial Artists, who were somewhat famous in the Martial World, felt exceptionally humiliated.

But upon recalling the promise Li Ye made about them being reserve players, every one of them decided to throw caution to the wind.

Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships could one rise above others. If it meant they could cultivate Upper Spiritual Power, what did shouting a few slogans matter? After all, Sect Leader Liu and his group were even kicking a human head!

They needed to get used to the cultivation methods of an advanced civilization.

***

Meanwhile, the injured people left behind in the cave had also gathered together. After Li Ye led the others away, these men had quieted down, sitting around the campfire and looking at each other in silence.

"Hu, do you think that Lord Li is reliable?" asked the swordsman, his voice muffled. His face had been kicked by Li Ye and was nearly disfigured, and he was directing his question to the beggar, Hu, whose calf was fractured.

"What can we do if he isn’t?" the old beggar snorted. "He’s captured everyone’s hearts. Moreover, that Spiritual Power is truly somewhat bizarre."

"Hu, have you ever thought about what we should do if his arrogance ends up provoking a Grandmaster?" the swordsman asked, his face full of worry. "Even if everything he said is true, he is heavily injured after all. Let alone a Grandmaster, even an Innate Master could probably handle him! He’s temperamental and unpredictable. Do you guys really think he’ll kindly help heal our injuries?"

Another bout of silence followed.

After a long while, a man who had been hit by a Groin Kick spoke up with a hoarse, bitter voice. "Actually, I don’t believe him. He already stated it clearly: we have to be useful and serve him well before he bestows Spiritual Power upon us. But in our condition, how could we possibly compare to the others? Even if we sold our asses, he probably wouldn’t be interested..."

"That’s what I was thinking too. I was only playing along earlier to stay alive," another person sighed and said. "Liu Guangsheng and the others have gone mad. They are being completely led by the nose by that Demon."

"So what do we do?" the old beggar said. "Every one of us is injured now. Even if we flee, we won’t get far. That Demon is ruthless. If he discovers us, nine times out of ten, we’ll lose our lives."

The swordsman pondered for a moment. Looking around at the crowd, he said, "In my opinion, we should just play along for now and observe how he treats his subordinates. If he is truly worth following, there is no harm in staying with him. If things go wrong, it won’t be too late to leave then.

"However, we must also leave ourselves a backup plan. If things become untenable, we need to send word out. Today’s grudge cannot just be brushed aside for nothing. Everyone, let’s brainstorm and discuss how to deal with that Demon..."