Chapter 573 – The Road of a Martial Arts Master
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The third floor of Skysplit Tower, practice area –
This time, the practice area that Lin Ming arrived at was… the Concept of Fire!
The practice area for the Concept of Fire also cost a slaughter point every 10 days. Currently, Lin Ming had a great deal of slaughter points, so he could stay here as he wished.
Entering in, there was a vast expanse of space. In front of Lin Ming, the land was full of dark red rocks that extended to the horizon.
Between these rocks, there were unknown plants growing. These plants, without exception, all exuded a very strong and pure fire origin energy. Not too far away, there was a turbid crimson stream surging through. From afar, it resembled lava, but as one closed in they would notice that it was actually comprised of fire origin energy. A scalding hot wind blew off it. This heat itself was much hotter than normal lava; it was enough to directly scorch one’s skin to a crisp.
“This place is… a bit similar to the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm.”
When Lin Ming had first entered the Divine Phoenix Mystic Realm, he had also perceived the Concept of Fire through meditation. Now, he would repeat that experience again.
This river of fire origin energy seemed simple, but in truth, every wave, every ebb, contained Laws of Fire.
Lin Ming sat on a burning rock floating on the river, entering into the ethereal martial intent state. He completely invested his concentration into comprehending the Concept of Fire.
Slowly, Lin Ming submerged deep into this river of fire origin energy.
A vast fire energy continuously flowed into Lin Ming’s body from his acupoints. It made a random path through his meridians before discharging through his pores.
A faint trace of essence and comprehension stayed within Lin Ming’s body. As Lin Ming entered into the river of fire origin energy, he lost all sense of time…
“Burning heat… this is actually the movement of fire origin energy. The faster this energy goes, the more it impacts, the higher the temperature is. If I can stimulate this same situation with true essence, then the power of fire will also increase…”
This was a part of the truth that Lin Ming had become aware of before. But now, sitting through meditation, his understanding of this truth became even deeper!
Lin Ming didn’t know how long he sat in meditation for. The Purple Comet Spear seemed to come out of the spatial ring as if it had a mind of its own. Fire origin energy was stirred up the by the Sacred Flame Parasol Tree, brilliantly burning!
A spear shot out again and again. Fire origin energy rushed in all directions from Lin Ming’s body, fusing into the Purple Comet Spear. With the support of the Sacred Flame Parasol Tree, the might grew to another level!
After touching upon the threshold for the Gate of Healing, Lin Ming’s endurance had increased by a great amount; he nearly didn’t feel fatigue. He didn’t know how long he danced with his spear, but slowly, over time, understanding and comprehension seeped into his heart.
‘If I can combine the Concept of Fire with the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, what would that be like? If I can fuse the Concept of Fire and the Concept of Thunder together, and then pour that into the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, what would that be like too?’
As Lin Ming thought of this, his heart was stirred. He was impatient in wanting to test this out.
Combining any of the five element Concepts together was impossibly difficult. This was because normally speaking, a martial artist would only have a single sort of physique. Dual-attribute martial artists had nearly all vanished!
Even if they did have a dual-attribute body, it wasn’t easy if they wished to fuse Concepts together! But Lin Ming had the Heretical God Seed within him and his inborn fusion compatibility with thunder and fire reached a terrifying degree. Because of this, this impossibility could become a possibility!
If he solely fused the Concept of Fire into his spear, then he would be able to create a move on the same level as Chasing Thunder. But if he fused the power of thunder and fire together, then he naturally would be able to create an even stronger ability!
One just had to recall Thunderfire Annihilation to know this.
But, Thunderfire Annihilation was merely the most barbaric and primitive application of thunderfire. Every time Lin Ming used it, it would consume a massive amount of true essence. In fact, when Thunderfire Annihilation exploded, most of its energy was wasted. This energy turned into shock waves that shot out in all directions. But, the amount that actually struck the enemy was only a small portion of the total strength.
Using Thunderfire Annihilation just a single time would take at least 40 to 50% of Lin Ming’s true essence reserves. This was also the reason that Lin Ming did not dare to rashly use Thunderfire Annihilation. He could only wait until a battle reached its crescendo before using it as a final ending ability. Otherwise, if this attack failed, he would fall into an extremely dangerous and passive position.
But, if he could fuse the Concepts of Thunder and Fire into his spear, then none of that would be a problem.
This was a much higher level application of thunderfire. It was a much more clever and exquisite use than the primitive Thunderfire Annihilation.
If he was able to use this ability, he might even be able to get rid of Thunderfire Annihilation in the future.
Lin Ming looked at the Purple Comet Spear in his hands. This Purple Comet Spear was made from the union of Violet Electricity Spirit Bamboo and Sacred Flame Parasol Tree, both of them being peak high-grade earth-step treasures. He had obtained this spear a long time ago, but because of the limits in his cultivation, he hadn’t been able to use it to its greatest effect and allow it to shine. But now was the time. With this spear, he would be able to simultaneously increase the power of thunder and fire, fusing them together. It was as if the heavens themselves were helping him to fuse fire and thunder!
“The ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ is a style that was created by the Demon Emperor and it suits him the most. If I use it, then it will be greatly weakened from its true strength. Even so, I have comprehended many truths from the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’. I’ve understood the power of twisting, the power of traction, the Concept of Space, the Concept of Time, and in addition, because I cultivated the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, my own cultivation has greatly increased!
“But others’ techniques are still their own; they won’t completely suit me. I will take the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’ as my foundation and combine it with the Heretical God Force, creating a style that belongs to my own road of martial arts!”
When Lin Ming made this decision, he hadn’t realized that he had already unconsciously stepped onto the path of being a true martial arts master.
In the Realm of the Gods, since ancient times, those martial artists that could truly approach the peak of martial arts had all carved their own path, creating their own martial arts road. For instance, the Supreme Elder that had first created ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’, had done so by watching the savage battle between a Golden-winged Roc and a True Dragon. Then, using 60 years of closed-door seclusion, he had finally created the elementary form of ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’.
However, since ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’ fell into Lin Ming’s hands, the speed of it was greatly reduced from its full potential. This was due to Lin Ming’s limited comprehension of Concepts as well as this movement technique not being entirely suitable for him.
Emulating others always meant one reached the end of that river. The martial artists of Sky Spill Continent had already defended their legacies and inheritances that their ancestors left behind, regarding them as the most precious and valuable treasures. But without evolution, these legacies would slowly decline, fading away and degenerating into something inferior.
This was also the reason that the legacies of Sky Spill Continent’s Holy Lands usually last 10,000 to 20,000 years.
But, within the Realm of the Gods, the true Holy Lands had inheritances that lasted a million years, or even several million years!
This was because they all had peerless talents of their generation. These were haughty, arrogant, lofty existences that could carve out their own path of martial arts, establishing an even more brilliant future through the foundation laid by their predecessors. Through this, the legacy of these Holy Lands could soar to yet another level!
However, one couldn’t blame the martial artists of Sky Spill Continent for being short-sighted. To establish one’s own martial arts was simply far, far too difficult. Even if one did, creating something on the level of the ‘Divine Acacia Power’ or some other inferior cultivation method, it still would never compare to the resources that the young heroic elites of the Realm of the Gods had, and their unique, advantageous environment.
Originally, with Lin Ming’s cultivation and environment of growth, it was nonsense to say he could create his own set of martial arts. But Lin Ming had the Magic Cube, and the Magic Cube had an endless supply of soul fragment memories that contained countless cultivation methods, secret skills, and martial skills!
Using this as the basis and mastering these abilities through his own study, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Lin Ming’s conditions were far better than those of any genius from the Realm of the Gods.
If the former Lin Ming was compared to other outstanding young elites of his time, then his only advantage would be in the thickness of his true essence. In terms of strength, cultivation methods, or martial skills, he would be far surpassed by others. By the current Lin Ming was far ahead of any other young talent of his age. Not just that, but it was the difference between the heavens and earth.
The current Lin Ming hadn’t thought that far. What he wanted to do now was to fuse the Concepts of Thunder and Fire into his spear, as well as fusing in the two top cultivation methods, the Heretical God Force and Great Desolate Halberd Art.
Such a fusion, even if he was only able to attempt it a bit, would provide endless benefits to the current Lin Ming!
Xiu! Xiu!
In the empty space, spear light burned with boundless flames, as dazzling as the noon sun. The spear shadows all wove together in the same place, forming a gorgeous net of light without a single gap!
In an instant, the flames disappeared. The energy on the spear suddenly changed into the power of thunder. Thick arcs of electricity crawled on the spear like purple snakes, wildly, crazily dancing!
Fire!
Thunder!
These two types of energies swapped back and forth again and again, faster and faster!
The fierce savagery of fire and the extreme speed of thunder. If both of these forces could be fused together, then one could obtain the ultimate striking force and speed; the destructive force of this attack could be imagined!
Lin Ming lost count of the days he practiced for, or the numerous times he had exhausted his true essence, putting himself in danger.
Even so, Lin Ming didn’t say anything further. He would only take out 100 high-grade Blood Demon Crystals and revolved the ‘Great Desolate Halberd Art’, wantonly absorbing the rich energy and blood vitality within. In less than an hour, his true essence would be supplemented, but a great deal of the energy within the Blood Demon Crystals would be wasted.
But Lin Ming didn’t care. The reason he used so many Blood Demon Crystals in such a disposable manner was all in order to save a few more minutes returning to his peak state, maintaining that faint hint of enlightenment. This could be said to be the cost of practicing this way!
After all, Lin Ming had obtained a great deal of Blood Demon Crystals after killing Hong Zhong. But, these periods of insight were fleeting. If he missed it once, then who knew when the next time would be.
Like this, this crazy practice lasted for several months.
Lin Ming’s spear strikes contained an inherent Concept of Thunder and Fire that became increasingly primed. The ground under his feet had already torn apart. The billowing river of fire origin energy had already doubled in width!
Woosh!
A brilliant light cut across the sky like a rising sun. Lin Ming’s form disappeared, fully integrating into the spear, becoming a complete, organic whole. He was like a meteor impacting forwards!
In the blink of an eye, dozens of miles passed beneath him. Lin Ming crashed into a mountain peak.
Sii—!
Rock melted. A hole dozens of feet wide appeared in the mountain peak, completely passing through the mountain that was several miles thick. Through this massive hole, one could see crushed stones and dripping hot lava following all the way through.
By fusing the Concept of Fire into this spear strike and pouring all of his will and blood vitality into this strike, he was able to achieve effects on a similar level to Chasing Thunder. Lin Ming decided to name this move Chasing Sun.
What Lin Ming had used a moment ago was not just Chasing Sun, but a strike that also contained a hint of the Concept of Thunder. Although it hadn’t fully fused together, it had begun to take shape!
If he continued to improve this, completely integrating the Concepts of Thunder and Fire together, then this would become Lin Ming’s mightiest killing move, one that surpassed Thunderfire Annihilation. Not just that, but it wouldn’t consume too much true essence, and even rarer, its speed was extremely fast. It was basically impossible to defend against!
Lin Ming put away the Purple Comet Spear. As he looked to his own dantian, he mumbled to himself, “I didn’t notice, but my cultivation has already reached the peak of the middle Xiantian realm. I’m only missing a single step before I can enter the late Xiantian realm. In these last months of practice, my benefits have been too great.”