Chapter 6: Offer of a lifetime
He looked at her in surprise. Although he has not heard of this Sky Palace, if it has the same name as the domain they were in, it was likely they are the top dogs.
"Do you plan to head there now?" he asked, seeing that she has little to no energy to move.
Seeing her face look like she was seeing an idiot he realized that he asked a stupid question.
"hehe... I mean how long do you think until you recover your energy"
"Maybe 1 week, but luckily I have this," she responded, taking out a yellow-looking pill from her ring. The mere scent of it seemed to calm the mind and carried a pleasant aroma. "This is a second-grade healing pill. It should help me recover my energy and restore my health." In truth, it was a third-grade pill, but she felt a little weary near him
He moved closer to the cave's entrance and sat cross-legged. "Well, I'll keep guard and practice while you rest," he declared.
She nodded and ate the pill.
Turning his attention to the missed notification he received upon healing her shocked him.
[Ding! Congratulations on creating the first-ever healing technique in the immortal world]
[Rewards: Energy Spear Technique, +5% Energy Control, Energy Resonance +6s]
The rewards thrilled him, especially the Energy Resonance. From his memories, currently, there is no known method for increasing one's talent for immortality, but perhaps this is simply because his knowledge is too limited.
"Maybe now, but with my epiphany phase, finding a way to increase talent shouldn't be too hard," he thought.
His interface now displayed:
[
Name: Jun Xiayou
Age: 15
Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level 1 (unstable)
Talent: High-Grade affinity (9 seconds)
Energy Control: 13%
Skills:
Azure Soul Cultivation Technique (Mastered/yellow-middle),
Blue Wave Movement Technique (Mastered/yellow-high)
Speed Slash (Mastered/yellow-top)
Energy Spear Technique (elementary/Immortal level)
Human harmonization healing technique(elementary/Eternal level)
Weapon: Midnight Shadow Sword (low level yellow)
Description: Homeless bum...
]
Looking at his panel, he was extremely satisfied, his talent had increased which meant the multiplier could stack on even more.
His energy control was even higher now which meant his proficiency in slapping young masters had increased as well.
Overall his strength has increased immensely. Going further down he arrived at the skill he received.
"WHAT!!!" His sudden shout startled Yinling who In a reflex of fear, scrambled backward, leaving her sword behind. His eyes widened in surprise at her reaction.
Locking eyes with her he saw them wide and brimming with raw fear, as if reliving a nightmare.
"Are you okay?" he instinctively asked, his voice laced with concern.
But she seemed not to hear him. Panic had taken hold, her heart pounding fiercely, her breaths short and rapid. With her energy drained, her attempts to move away were feeble and labored.
Seeing her in such a state worried him. It was clear that whatever left her seriously injured and near death left a psychological shadow that wouldn't be going anytime soon.
Approaching her cautiously, he called out, "Yinling"
Her panic only escalated, seeing her backing away faster and not listening, he went up to her grasping her shoulders and raised his voice, "YINLING!"
Their eyes met. Her tear-filled eyes told an unspoken terror that shook him to the core. This moment of realization hit him hard – these were not characters from a novel; they were real people just like him.
Subconsciously, he had been viewing this world from an outsider's perspective but seeing the raw fear in her eyes made something in his mind click.
Acting on instinct, he enveloped her in a reassuring embrace with only the sound of the rain accompanying them. It was the first time she had ever experienced such a gesture of comfort. The warmth of his hug was unfamiliar, yet it momentarily pierced through her fear.
However, as soon as the initial shock subsided, she pushed him away fiercely, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and defiance, "DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME!"
Her body had momentarily longed for comfort, but her mind was in turmoil, rejecting the closeness.
"I... I was only trying to help," he stammered.
Her response was sharp and laced with a desperate edge. "I don't need your help or your sympathy!"
She sat down to gather herself, turning away to hide the turmoil within.
Realizing his abrupt exclamation might have sparked her panic he apologized "Sorry… I just got distracted and remembered something. I didn't mean to frighten you."
Her face, a mix of confusion and frustration, hardly softened. Silently, she resumed her recovery.
Seeing her ignoring him, he shook his head and went back to the entrance of the cave. Sitting down, he looked at his panel and felt a little better.
"At least you won't scream at me" he thought looking at the description of the skill.
[Energy Spear Technique: A technique in which the user can shape one's energy and compress it multiple times in the shape of a spear. They can instantly retract or expand the length to catch enemies off guard. It can defend and attack against cultivators 2 large realms above the user if mastered. ]
Seeing the description made him think. If his energy can be molded into shapes like in this skill, then perhaps it can be used for other things like coating his body to act as armor or even cover a weapon to make them more strong. Such possibilities excited him greatly.
According to the technique, he first had to image the image of a spear in his hand and truly visualize it in detail, while doing this you slowly pour your energy into your arm and out your hand.
Sounds easy but one mishap and you have to start all over again, they don't call these immortal techniques for nothing.
He started imagining holding a large spear in the palm of his hand and truly gave it life. He gave it weight, texture, color, sharpness, design, length, and width with precision.
After doing this he slowly guided his Qi into his arm and slowly out his arm to fill the image of the spear. If an ordinary genius were to try and do this, they would find that no matter what they did, their energy would not conform to his will.
This is simply because their control over their energy has not met the standard for this technique but that is only the minimum needed to get started.
On his first attempt, he found his Qi slowly shaping the spear but after 1 minute it seemed to dissipate. Frowing he soon realized why thanks to his 10,000 comprehension and improved at a visible rate.
He started with the structure this time and soon the inside of the spear, such speed would shock countless proud masters since immortal techniques are not meant to be this easy to get started with.
All this time while he was practicing this technique, his energy control was steadily increasing.
[Ding! Energy Control +1%]
[Ding! Energy Control +1%]
...
Soon 1 hour passed.
Opening his eyes and looking down at the translucent red-shaped spear in his hand made him feel odd. It was see-through but still tangible. Even with such a setup, he could feel the power emanating from this spear.
Noting the color, he read the color represents how much you have compressed your energy and the power behind it. It corresponds to the colors of the rainbow with Red being the lowest and Violet being the highest state.
Waving it around caused an air blast that made a huge slash on the wall of the cave almost causing it to collapse. Remembering he was not alone, he was too embarrassed to look back but kept watch to see if she was alright.
Remembering he could also retract and expand it but also keeping in mind he was not alone, he tried expanding it very very slowly in his mind.
BOOM
Instantly, the spear expanded dozens of times larger than its original length hitting the wall of the cave and destroying everything in its path leaving a trail of rubble in its path.
While he was quietly practicing, his companion in the background had been secretly observing him, feelings of anger, fear, shock, and envy had sprung in her heart.
She felt angry at him for making her relive that moment when she almost lost her life.
She felt fear of what her future had in store for her.
She felt envious of his strength, with such strength her life could have been way better than before. Her father would care for her, her sister wouldn't look down on her, and most importantly, she wouldn't feel so useless.
Seeing him condense what appeared to be a blob of energy at first but slowly over time becoming a spear greatly shocked her. Growing up she had never heard of the idea of shaping your energy into a weapon.
Such a concept seemed foreign to her, it never occurred to her or anyone she had met. It almost felt like an invisible shackle had been put on her and until now was released.
Now that she thought of it, why hasn't this concept of energy manipulation been explored or become a sensation, there are so many possibilities like armor, shields, etc...
Looking at him was almost like seeing her elder sister walking ahead of her leaving her behind. Such a thought terrified her, being left behind is something she never wants to experience again.
Having enough she got up, by now she had already recovered a little of her energy so she could now move more freely.
Walking near him she couldn't help but ask - "Ho- how are you able to do that?" she questioned.
Hearing someone talking to him he turned around and looked at her shocked face mixed with desperation "Do what? he replied.
"Don't play dumb with me! how were you able to create that" she pointed at the red translucent spear in his hand.
Realizing it was his spear she was referring to, he retracted it and within a fraction of a second, it dissipated.
"If you're curious, give me one good reason why I should tell you," he asked.
Struggling to contain her frustration, she knew he was right. Why should he share his secrets with her?
Sensing her hesitation, he offered, "Well... there is another method and If you're willing to try it, I might tell you."
Looking at his smiling face, she knew she was going to regret it but her curiosity won and you know what they say.
Curiosity killed the cat.
"Fine"