The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 27: Rigorous Magic Training

For several days in a row, Jiang Tang hadn’t seen Dongfang or Qiong Sang, and he began to worry, fearing that the two of them might cause trouble at Xian Zong. Fortunately, they returned after seven days of being missing; otherwise, Jiang Tang would have gone out to look for them. “Where’d you guys go?” Jiang Tang asked casually as he sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed. “We went out to have some fun, heh heh. Jiang Zi, what do you think we’d do if we ran into Yu Chang?” Qiong Sang chuckled darkly. Jiang Tang rolled his eyes and said, “That’s none of my damn business.” “Really? She’s been thinking about you!” Qiong Sang really knew how to rub salt in the wound. Jiang Tang smiled faintly and said, “That’s great—it just shows how charming I am.” “You’re shameless. I just don’t get it—you’re down on your luck now, so why would she still be thinking about you?” Qiong Sang grinned wickedly. Jiang Tang began to regret making his cat face look so lifelike. Just as he was about to respond with silence, he suddenly noticed a few lines of glowing text appear on the bulletin board. “Huh?” Jiang Tang paused in surprise, then immediately waved his hand to dispel the glowing text. He got out of bed and walked out of the building. “What does Senior Sister Ji want with me?” Outside the tower, Jiang Tang’s petite frame stood in stark contrast to Ji Yukui’s imposing figure. “Although there are only the three of us disciples on Black Reef Island, as your senior sister, I simply must see what you’re capable of. If you’re not up to par, you’d better withdraw from this grand competition—otherwise, you’ll lose all face,” Ji Yukui said coldly. “I’d say this isn’t really about testing my skills—it’s just an excuse to let off steam!” Jiang Tang had no idea where Senior Sister Ji’s anger was coming from, but she was clearly taking it out on him. “Enough with the nonsense. Make your move,” Ji Yukui snorted coldly. Jiang Tang looked at her with obvious disdain and said, “Oh my, Senior Sister, you’re only at the mid-stage of the Qi-Martial Realm. What if I accidentally knock you out with a single punch? What then?” With a whoosh, Ji Yukui’s massive form vanished from Jiang Tang’s sight. Without even looking up, Jiang Tang lashed out with a backhand strike. Instantly, his true qi took form, and a golden palm of light—at least a zhang long—slammed into Ji Yukui’s stocky body, sending her flying. However, in the very next moment, Ji Yukui landed lightly ten zhang away and stared at Jiang Tang in astonishment, exclaiming, “Golden Gāng True Qi—you’re a member of the Zhao family!” Jiang Tang gave no reply. He reached out into the void, and instantly, a thousand-jin boulder in front of him was seized by a golden hand that appeared out of thin air, which then crushed it to dust. “This… isn’t Golden Gangs True Qi. It’s even stronger than that. What kind of cultivation technique are you practicing, exactly?” Ji Yukui asked, her brows tightly furrowed. Jiang Tang gave a wry smile. “We may be senior and junior siblings, but we’re not exactly close, are we? You’re really digging for every detail…” “If you don’t want to say, then don’t.” Ji Yukui snorted coldly and turned to walk away. Jiang Tang shook his head. What he had used was an upgraded version of the Golden Gāng True Qi, but only he could produce it. Normally, Gāng Qi solidifies into a fixed form; even the Golden Gāng True Qi—which doesn’t disperse—cannot be reshaped. However, his divine sense was incredibly powerful, and having cultivated his divine consciousness, he could merge his divine sense and consciousness to effortlessly twist and reshape the Gāng Qi. No sooner had he returned to the tower than Dongfang said, ““I made some inquiries before we left. Next year’s Xian Zong Grand Competition is a grand event held once every thirty years. In addition to combat prowess, there are contests in talismanic arrays, spiritual herbs, alchemy, and artifact forging—and there’s no limit on how many you can enter. Therefore, Qiong Sang and I have decided that you’ll focus on the combat prowess contest, I’ll handle the talismanic arrays, and Qiong Sang will be responsible for spiritual herb identification. As long as we all make it into the top hundred, the rewards will be quite generous.” Jiang Tang shook his head and said, “The other categories are fine, but combat is no easy feat. I can’t use my techniques recklessly, and my Golden Gangs True Qi can only be concealed from low-level cultivators. Am I supposed to resort to hand-to-hand combat?” “Exactly—hand-to-hand combat,” Dongfang said, tossing a device resembling a tablet computer to Jiang Tang. Jiang Tang caught it and examined it closely, unable to help but chuckle to himself, though he quickly composed himself. Although this “fake” computer contained no elaborate graphics—only Chinese characters—it was filled with records of all kinds of spells. It documented their strengths and weaknesses, countermeasures, and even the hand seals required before casting—which astonished Jiang Tang immensely. “This is stealing techniques! If you don’t exchange for these spells at the Scripture Hall before using them…” Qiong Sang interrupted Jiang Tang sarcastically, “It’s not like you’re allowed to use them anyway.” Dongfang wasn’t in the mood for this and said bluntly, “Familiarize yourself with them as much as possible. When it comes to the Black Box drills, the use of puppets is prohibited during combat. We can’t help you—it’s all up to you.” “Damn it.” Jiang Tang’s cultivation progress was currently very slow; breaking through to the mid-stage would likely require another three to five years of arduous practice. But with the Grand Competition coming up next year, familiarizing himself with these spells would naturally be more beneficial to him. Without delay, Jiang Tang entered the Black Box to begin cultivating his spells. Dongfang, meanwhile, continued to eavesdrop on Qiong Sang’s training. There were plenty of spirit-imbued golem cultivators like them in the Xian Zong, but they usually focused on gathering intelligence—figuring out which disciples stood out, what skills they possessed, and how to handle them if they faced them in the Grand Competition. Of course, if they could learn by observation, they’d love to—but doing so requires keen insight and quick comprehension, something ordinary spirit-bound puppets—and Dongfang himself—simply couldn’t manage. Qiong Sang, however, could! This fellow had lived for 100,000 years and had seen countless cultivation techniques and secret arts. Moreover, he could peer into people’s minds—or, as Dongfang put it, receive their brainwaves. The only ones he couldn’t read were those who had cultivated to the Heavenly Man Realm and had completely transcended their mortal bodies, but there were simply no such powerhouses in this realm! With Qiong Sang’s explanations, Dongfang’s analysis and notes, Jiang Tang’s cultivation of spells progressed by leaps and bounds. Low-level spells that would take an ordinary disciple months to master, Jiang Tang grasped the essentials of in just three days and could use them proficiently within ten. At first, Jiang Tang had only practiced spells like the “Blinding Golden Light,” which was so dim it could barely be seen, and the “Light Arrow,” which dealt pitifully low damage but was remarkably effective against Yin ghosts. However, under Qiong Sang’s guidance, he realized just how limited his experience truly was! Tie Wu Yi had once said that Jiang Tang was unable to practice various martial arts; even when it came to spells, he could only practice those of the Yin-Yang category. Yet Qiong Sang had him attempt the “Tai Chi Gives Birth to the Four Symbols”! He was to manifest the Four Symbols: Green Wood, White Metal, Red Fire, and Black Water. At first, Jiang Tang thought it was nearly impossible, as it required the cultivation level of the Spirit-Martial Realm—something he was currently far from achieving. But Qiong Sang firmly assured him it wouldn’t be a problem—it was “manifestation,” not “spiritual transformation,” and there was a fundamental difference between the two. Manifestation merely took on a form without possessing a spirit, let alone any elemental attributes; it simply allowed him to cast spells. Although spells cast this way lack distinct characteristics—whether Water Arrows, Fireballs, Wooden Thorns, or Metal Qi—they are no different from his Light Arrow Technique: they have low destructive power and are effective only against Yin Ghosts and the like. However, in terms of speed, form, and range of attack, they were indistinguishable from genuine spells. “Now that you’ve mastered the Four Symbols spells, the next step is to explore the ‘Intent of the Dao’—that is, to embark early on the path of the Intent-Martial Realm and investigate the formation of the Four Symbols.” After hearing Qiong Sang’s words, Jiang Tang fell silent for a moment before saying, “But I don’t have a deep understanding of this at all. The Intent-Martial Realm is the most grueling realm of all; ninety percent of cultivators struggle to make any progress there even after spending over a hundred years.” “That’s true, but if you achieve enlightenment in a single moment, you’ll cross over directly.” After saying this, Qiong Sang yawned and continued, “Many people actually practice incorrectly. You don’t have to wait until the Yiwu Realm to begin contemplating the Four Symbols—you must do so from the very beginning. If you wait until the Yiwu Realm to consider these things, it will be far too late. So, I’m not telling you to break through overnight—I’m advising you to proceed step by step. Once you reach the Spirit Martial Realm and transform the Four Symbols of Spirit, then advance to the Intent Martial Realm and comprehend the Four Symbols, you’ll truly master the four great elements—Wood, Metal, Fire, and Water. Defeating enemies will be a breeze, and if you enhance your power with demonic energy, defeating opponents of higher tiers will no longer be a dream.” Jiang Tang knew all too well how difficult it was to defeat opponents of a higher tier. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he could easily handle a peak Qi Martial Realm cultivator—he had the advantage of time, place, and circumstances on his side. Besides, when it came down to raw strength, he was simply picking on a pushover. Even if a Spirit Martial Realm cultivator’s power were drastically diminished, they wouldn’t be at the mercy of a Qi Martial Realm cultivator. But when facing a true Spirit Martial Realm cultivator, Jiang Tang would be utterly overwhelmed—let alone actually defeating an opponent of a higher realm. But if he continued training the way Qiong Sang suggested… “I’m in Xian Zong now—am I not supposed to cultivate the Golden Core?” “Of course you should. The Golden Core path is very powerful, especially after refining it a dozen or so times. Once you successfully break through, the strength of your Yuan Ying is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine. It’s just that the weakness of the physical body is a well-known fact. Immortal cultivators’ body-refining techniques follow unorthodox paths and simply cannot compare to the bodies of martial cultivators, which have been tempered through countless trials. Neither can be abandoned.” “Then what exactly is the Spirit Transformation stage?” Jiang Tang was completely baffled. Qiong Sang immediately replied with exasperation, “An immortal cultivator’s Golden丹 is condensed from spiritual energy. Can’t you condense the Four Phases? Then shatter the Four Phases丹 to generate the Four Phases True Spirit? Do you know why the Golden丹 needs to be tempered?” “Alright, don’t say anymore—it’s too far-fetched.” Jiang Tang wasn’t one to set his sights too high; he still felt it was more reliable to take things one step at a time. Of course, he still followed Qiong Sang’s advice and began to contemplate the laws of the Four Phases. He believed he couldn’t rely on Dongfang for such profoundly mysterious matters—after all, even Qiong Sang couldn’t explain it in words and could only tell him to calm his mind and sense the transformations of the Four Phases. In the end, after several days of fruitless attempts, it was Dongfang who came to his rescue. The composition of Wood, the composition of Metal, the composition of Water, the composition of Fire, and so on—Dongfang explained it all with such conviction that Jiang Tang was left speechless. “You don’t need to understand the profundities—otherwise, you’ll be putting the cart before the horse. Let’s start from the very beginning: Wood requires nourishment, and nourishment requires energy. This energy comes from your qi vortex, so it’s straightforward. Try using the power of the Demon Spirit to grow a tree, a blade of grass—even moss will do. It must be lifelike, down to the meridians and grain. The key is to cultivate it gradually: How do leaves and buds grow? How do flower buds bloom? Under what climatic conditions do they undergo changes? For example, in water…” Jiang Tang had made no progress in comprehending the essence of Wood through meditation over the past ten days, but after hearing Dongfang’s suggestion, he gained some insight in just three short days. Wood—the key lies in “birth”! This also led him to discover that demonic energy possesses a formidable vitality! But Dongfang had known this all along, and Qiong Sang had understood it tens of thousands of years ago. In his words: “Demon is merely a label! Because of their power, they inspire fear—and those who do so are destined to be either gods or demons.” But if Jiang Tang hadn’t reached this realization, no matter how these two explained it, he wouldn’t have truly grasped it. He would have simply assumed that after becoming demonic, his body’s regenerative ability was terrifying—without understanding why that was the case. For now, Jiang Tang’s understanding remains superficial, but with this foundation laid, he firmly believes that one day he will fully comprehend everything!