Star Gate

Chapter 562: The Windchaser Boots (II)

“So that means my master’s enemies are found everywhere, that all of the major factions are basically his enemies?” Li Hao asked incredulously

“Pretty much!” Hong Yitang laughed.

“Then how did my master dare leave the province a while back?” asked the curious young man. The world was such a dangerous place for his teacher! Granted, it didn’t turn out as bad as their imagination since Yuan Shuo wasn’t mobbed by the three great organizations or seven divine mountains as soon as he left.

“It was about time,” Hong Yitang explained. “Many people are facing a bottleneck. Your master might be able to help everyone resolve it, so letting him out at this stage is certain people’s tacit agreement.”

Li Hao understood! Unsealing, the five organs... Some people were thinking about his master’s Five Styles method.

Yuan Shuo was appropriately behind the times now, so he could be let out and maybe research the next step for everyone.

Li Hao snorted inwardly to himself, but frowned on the outside. “Why is everyone so confident in my teacher?”

“Your teacher...” Hong Yitang considered his response for a while. “His potential and talents are one thing, but they aren’t the greatest key. The key is that your teacher grasps too many ancient methods! You must know that he was one of the first martial masters to excavate the ancient ruins. He did so to further his cultivation, but he holds so many ancient methods that he keeps for himself. Many ancient records have become lost after encountering him.

“Perhaps you think it’s easy to train in the Five Styles, but the key is that it happens to be a method suitable for anyone and everyone. It’s appropriate for mundanes, for those with poor potential, for those with good potential. Anyone can practice it, there are no requirements!

“Have you found that the Five Styles is easy to start? But when you train other methods, do you find them difficult?”

Li Hao mulled over the question and nodded, he did to both. Whether it was the Ghost Shadow Sword, the Weeping Willow Sword, or Nine Forged Force, they were all hard to pick up. If it wasn’t for his dominant strength, he wouldn’t have done so easily either.

In comparison, the Five Styles really was much easier. He’d treated it as an exercise routine at first, then easily learned the Breathing Method of the Five Styles as a natural development. It was just a quick change to his breathing, one that occurred incredibly smoothly.

“When the Five Styles is trained to their utmost, one comprehends the five auras. That is the equivalent of training five of the ancient daos at once, and all being under the same method. You might not understand how difficult this is, but the powerhouses do.”

Li Hao looked at him with a frown. “Is that different from training five different methods and comprehending their auras?”

“Of course it’s different!” Hong Yitang shook his head. “You are the most noticeable example. Have you realized how difficult it is to meld your five auras together? Do you think you could fuse the five sword auras together if you didn’t have a unique sword intent acting as their general overview?” 

Li Hao shook his head. Not at all!

“You can’t do it as someone who is the equivalent of a Nova. Don’t you find it odd that your master has done it?”

Li Hao blinked, he’d never thought of that.

“That is the advantage of a singular method. Five methods under one, sharing the same origin. Otherwise, ordinary people are not able to meld five auras together. Two would be impossible, to say nothing of five.

“Your master completed training five methods and assimilating them when he was a Sunderer. That is naturally incredible.”

Li Hao nodded, but said after a while, “His strength...”

Was still too weak!

“What are you in a rush for?” Hong Yitang burst out laughing. “As opposed to worrying about him, you should think about your own five auras! What Yuan Shuo needs to do is simple—he just needs to strengthen the five organs and find an opportunity to improve his method during the process. Success will be his when the time is right!

“Once the five auras are fully combined, his Summoner of Spirit will be complete and he will be able to set foot into the next stage. But you?”

Li Hao blinked. Me?

“Can you swiftly complete the fusion of the five auras and enter the next stage beyond Summoner?”

The young man shook his head, not at all. He hadn’t even identified the inklings of a clue yet. He didn’t understand Summoner of Spirit that well, he just had a few guesses.

“So, what are you so worried about him for?” Hong Yitang laughed. “He might be greater than Nova once he progresses, he’ll be the same as us after he unseals himself. There’s no need to worry about him. You should think about yourself instead. At this stage, you can start thinking about your next steps!

“Is it the path of combining five auras as one? You have neither walked this path as far as your master, nor are you as proficient. You should really think about this, or you might surpass him in the short run with your current explosion of progress, but he’ll catch up again and leave you in the dust!”

Li Hao nodded thoughtfully.

“I can tell that your sword auras are a bit disorderly and confused, they haven’t been put in order,” Light Sword offered from the side. “Like you said, they’re just stitched together. You can try organizing them now and strengthening them one by one, then combine them. That could be a possibility.

“In addition, you seem to comprehend auras very quickly. You can consider learning a few more. You might not match your master in terms of quality, but you can surpass him in terms of quantity.

“The Ghost Shadow Sword is a dark energy sword technique. If you’re willing, I can teach you the Light Sword, as well as the Thunder and Lightning Sword...”

Li Hao blinked, stared at her, then shook his head. Not learning that! I don’t want the Light Sword technique!

“The Light Sword technique doesn’t affect men,” the woman sighed, having guessed at his thoughts. “I am a woman, which is why certain conditions occurred after I started practicing it. My yin and yang were not in balance. I might be able to change that around if I can train to the peak of the Ghost Shadow Sword, but that method was lost with the death of its wielder. Yuan Shuo should have taken it.”

Because Li Hao knew it.

“Is this what happens at the extremity of the Light Sword technique?” asked the young man. Did one turn into a man? In that case, it wouldn’t affect men and he was tempted by what Light Sword spoke of.

If melding five sword auras together was a bit disorderly and still less than his master's system, what if he kept increasing the number? How about six? Seven? Or eight sword auras? But where would he keep them?

His limbs? His head? There were supernatural locks in all of these areas, so it wasn’t out of the question, but Li Hao was suddenly fearful. He wasn’t concerned about the five organs because his teacher had done it, but it was still nerve-wracking to attempt something for the first time on his own.

The young man was forced to think of the matter more deeply as it might truly be a feasible possibility. He could keep everything under control for now as there was much he needed to improve for the time being. He could continue strengthening his body, his organs, and fully meld the five auras. Each breakthrough was an advancement for him.

Although his locks continued to be insatiable, he could still try infusing them with energy and thinking of more ways to build the five bridges. Li Hao was not yet at the end of his path. There was still a road ahead for him.

The three sword wielders gathered together to discuss some cultivation reflections. At the end, Hong Yitang said, “Let’s take out the Windchaser Boot for a look since Li Hao’s here. He might be able to use it. Otherwise, you’ll have seized it for nothing!”

Li Hao was also curious, but he hadn’t asked about it. Since Hong Yitang brought it up, Light Sword was equally straightforward.

“I served the Xus for twenty years for this... ai!” She sighed when she brought it out. It was a green boot that appeared very ordinary—the same as Li Hao’s Stellaris.

“This Windchaser Boot...” Li Hao raised an eyebrow. “Does your Light Sword have any connection with the Windchaser Boot? Does the dark attribute suppress your light attribute?”

The boot should contain the wind attribute to his eyes—it didn’t look like the dark attribute.

“No, it’s that this boot has the energy of darkness!” Light Sword shook her head. “So I think it might be a dual attribute of wind and darkness. The one who used it back in the day might have wanted to craft a pair of boots that could walk through the darkness, so it should have the wind attribute as well.”

Dual wind and dark attributes?

“Did you want to extract the energy within to suppress your light attribute?”

“Not suppress, but to combine!” Light Sword explained. “The Light Sword is suited for men to cultivate. If women try, complications easily occur. The best way to resolve them is to balance yin and yang. However, my sword intent is so strong that regular dark energy is useless! It’s instantly smothered when it enters my body. Only dark attribute treasures like these ones from the ancient civilization can produce power that helps me balance.”

She hesitated at this point. “Xu Feng cultivates the water attribute—the extremity of water is ice. It carries a hint of the dark attribute, so he’s able to extract some energy from the boot. If Xu Feng lived to metamorphosis, he could’ve extracted sufficient energy to balance out my yang.”

Li Hao nodded after some thought. Perhaps! He couldn’t be bothered with thinking about Xu Feng. The guy was dead. He rarely thought of those he’d killed. Instead, Li Hao looked curiously at the boot.

There was only one of it and it seemed very unremarkable in hand. There was nothing special about it. That had also been the case with the blade of the Zhangs. When Li Hao operated the Breathing Method of the Five Styles, a faint energy wafted out and surged into his body.

“You can extract the energy?!” Light Sword exclaimed with shock.

Li Hao glanced at her, chiding her for her astonishment. But he had to say, there was something odd about the breathing method. It seemed able to encompass and extract any energy. Other breathing methods did not seem to have this effect.