Free Web NovelChapter 516: Chapter 221: 34 Responding Powers
In that moment, Chu Lingguang had an epiphany, and it felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Although his Mental Realm remained unchanged, this newfound clarity of thought set him on the right path. He now truly understood that while he could challenge anyone and should learn from Yan Zhen, he couldn’t afford to lose his own Martial Arts Heart in the process. He couldn’t let the scramble for fame and fortune cause him to lose his footing.
He was different from the others; he had more time to burn. There was no need to get bogged down in the pursuit of temporary fame and fortune, unable to extricate himself.
Of course, this shift in his mindset was largely because he had already helped Guo Wei attain the rank of Grandmaster, thus repaying his debt of gratitude. If Guo Wei had needed him to defeat everyone in the Imperial Examination, Chu Lingguang would still have been willing to take that risk for him.
The debt was paid, but the bond between master and disciple remained.
With the burden lifted, Chu Lingguang was free of his worries.
The second assessment finally arrived.
During the third level of the Mental Realm assessment, Chu Lingguang failed to awaken a single response. He was pushed out of the top ten, surpassed by Tuoba Yunhong. Qin Yu once again took first place, and Yan Zhen secured second.
Chu Lingguang’s fall from the top five to outside the top ten led many to believe that the insights he had shared earlier were useless. As a result, he was left almost completely undisturbed in his subsequent training.
"He dropped out of the top ten!"
"Could we have been wrong about this guy?"
"He’s already fallen out of the top five. He’s got no chance of receiving special guidance now."
The two experts from Yuanchu Mountain were stunned by Chu Lingguang’s performance. They tossed his file to the floor.
It was as if they had already written him off.
The second assessment ended. Three days later, Chu Lingguang finally found a point of harmonious resonance among thirteen of the responses.
「Two days later.」
A completely new power finally manifested within Chu Lingguang’s body.
’This is a Bloodline Divine Ability.’
Chu Lingguang realized this power was awakened from within his bloodline, formed from thirteen of the bloodline-based responses.
He had already mastered one Divine Power that could bypass defenses and strike an enemy’s internal organs directly. To his surprise, this second Divine Power was a defensive one.
It was formed from countless fragments resembling bricks and tiles. It could manifest not only on the surface of his body but also up to five meters away. If a loved one were under attack, he could stand aside and use this Divine Power to block all incoming attacks for them.
However, Divine Abilities could evolve.
Upon its initial awakening, its range was only five meters, and the barrier it formed was quite thin—it could probably withstand three of Yan Zhen’s strikes at most. But if he continued to strengthen it, it might one day be able to block the full power of Yan Zhen’s Sword Momentum. It might even be possible to merge it with his own Spear Stance, imbuing his spear with both immense Attack Power and defensive capability.
In any case, the awakening of this defensive power brought Chu Lingguang a great sense of relief. It reaffirmed that his choice was correct. He should learn from Yan Zhen’s fearlessness in the face of any hardship, but he also needed to remain calm and patient when confronting those hardships. He absolutely could not let the pursuit of fleeting fame and fortune throw him into disarray.
The days passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, another twenty days went by. Only five days remained until the third assessment.
On this day, Chu Lingguang found the point of harmonious resonance among twenty-one different responses originating from his limbs and bones.
If he could awaken all twenty-one of these responses simultaneously, another powerful force would manifest within him. He didn’t know if the appearance of this power would allow him to break through his Qi Sea and successfully step into the True Martial Realm.
But one thing was certain: even if he couldn’t merge this new power with his Dantian Power, his overall strength would still reach a new level.
In the Imperial Martial Arts Examination, even if he couldn’t rank among the very top, passing the exam and becoming a Martial Scholar would be a simple matter.
「Five days later.」
The third assessment began.
Chu Lingguang failed to awaken the twenty-one responses at the critical moment.
However, by relying on the third level of the Unity of Heart and Strength and the power of the thirteen responses, he managed to maintain his rank. Had he awakened the other twenty-one responses, he would have charged back into the top five in this third assessment.
After all, even Qin Yu and Yan Zhen had only awakened forty-seven and thirty-nine responses, respectively.
The day after the third assessment concluded.
Inside his small room, a golden light seemed to emanate from Chu Lingguang’s limbs and bones. He had finally awakened all twenty-one responses at once, gaining yet another new power.
This power originated from his limbs and bones. Chu Lingguang felt that the constitution of his bones was now comparable to Profound Iron. The power generated from his bones alone was enough to shatter the six-layered Dharma Aspect and Qi Power Gang Shield of an ordinary Qi Sea Perfection expert with a single punch.
In addition, his speed had also evolved.
He recalled being at the National Border, watching the Little Prince run even faster than Little Red Horse. He had been utterly dumbfounded at the time. Only now did Chu Lingguang realize that the incredible speed and power of the Little Prince’s and Yan Zhen’s physical bodies were inextricably linked to the strength of their fundamental constitution.
Now, the power and speed erupting from his own frame far surpassed that of the Little Prince and Yan Zhen back then. The awakening of this power made Chu Lingguang itch for a close-quarters brawl with Yan Zhen.
For the first time, he felt that the power he could unleash with his bare fists and legs was no weaker than his Spear Technique.
When this physical power was combined with his Spear Technique, a single casual sweep of his spear would carry irresistible force. Chu Lingguang felt that as he was now, he could heavily injure Guer Khan and his entire group with a single thrust, or even kill them outright.
