Chapter 187: Opening Supernatural Locks (III)

Chapter 187: Opening Supernatural Locks (III)

A smiling Li Hao looked at Wang Ming. So what of Sunflare? He wanted to test what a newly ascended Sunflare without the aura of a martial master was capable of. There was nothing to fear about this level!

When it came to battles between Dominators and Sunflare, Li Hao was of the opinion that Dominators were more frightening. Sunflares just possessed stronger energy.

“That’s enough.” Yuan Shuo smiled to see the two young men bickering. “Little Ming, you should focus on controlling your mysterious power since you’ve just ascended. Don’t let the energy dissipate! Have you mastered the breathing method that I taught you?”

“I have!” Wang Ming hastily bobbed his head up and down. The simplified version of the Breathing Method of the Five Styles was easy to pick up, he’d learned it long ago.

“Operate the breathing method twenty-four hours a day for the next couple of days. While it’s not on par with my Breathing Method of the Five Styles, it’s better than the Night Watcher Energy Induction Method. Keep it going to reabsorb mysterious power that would otherwise dispersed. It will also somewhat suppress your supernatural ripples. If it isn’t a powerhouse or someone specifically paying attention to you, it’ll be difficult for them to discover that you’ve broken through.”

Wang Ming blinked. Operate the breathing method twenty-four hours a day? Supernaturals didn’t need to do so.

“Remember, have it in constant motion!” Yuan Shuo repeated. “Try to fashion it into muscle memory and sheer instinct, so that it operates even when you are unconscious or dead. This is something that martial masters must do. You are not one, but I hope you can do so!”

“There’s benefits to this, Ole Wang!” Li Hao quickly bobbed his head. “Continuous operation creates the same effect as holding your breath. Utilizing it through instinct will strengthen your body and keep you in a state of constant vigilance.”

“I understand, then I’ll try to do so over the next couple of days.” Wang Ming nodded.

“Stay here during that time and leave only when you exude the same amount of mysterious power as you did before. This will prevent you from being detected by others—it’s important to keep some aces in your back pocket!” Yuan Shuo’s ears suddenly twitched and he looked at Li Hao.

The young man was looking back at him. He’d also heard something; perhaps Liu Yan had arrived. They’d started off auspiciously tonight—Wang Ming had successfully ascended. If Liu Yan also made it to late Sunderer, then the weakest of the expedition team this time would be late Sunderer.

Li Hao even wondered if their group was strong enough to go head-to-head with some of the organizations joining the expedition. Two Dominators, one Sunflare, himself at peak Sunderer, and another late Sunderer... that made for a formidable squad!

“I need to leave for a bit!” Li Hao excused himself to his teacher’s nod.

Wang Ming wanted to say something, but Yuan Shuo cut him off. “Stay here and absorb some of the other four elements as well!” He plonked down a storage box. “There’s some of the others in here. Absorb them in minimal quantities.”

I’m a metal supernatural, what do I need other elements for? Wang Ming wondered with confusion. That will cause mysterious power to conflict with each other.

“Just absorb it!”

Very well then, Wang Ming recomposed his expression. He didn’t dare ignore Yuan Shuo even though they were technically of the same cultivation level now. The professor cut down Solars like he drank water. Wang Ming couldn’t do the same, not by far.

......

Outside the house.

Li Hao opened the door to see Liu Yan standing in the yard. The woman cast a quick look around and whispered, “Who’s here? I could sense a burst of cutting mysterious power from far away. Is it a Sunflare?”

“Guess!” Li Hao grinned.

She brainstormed for a moment and asked incredulously, “Has he really ascended?”

Everyone knew that Li Hao was going to help Wang Ming absorb the blood pearl, but... had the latter really succeeded in advancing? That was incredible!

Liu Yan closed her eyes and ceased thinking about the topic.

Li Hao seemed to have guessed something and asked carefully, “Does... the chief have a wife?”

He really didn’t know.

Liu Yan’s eyes snapped open and she looked at Li Hao.

“She’s dead!” the woman answered after a prolonged pause.

“......” Li Hao didn’t press for details. So Liu Long was also a widow? Did he occupy Liu Yan’s heart? The young man wasn’t sure of the details.

Everyone said that there was something between the two, but after entering the team, Li Hao found that there didn’t seem to be a special relationship between them. Liu Long treated everyone in the same caring manner. He didn’t pay particular attention to Liu Yan.

The young man put all of that out of his mind. If Liu Yan really did like the chief... that was just as well! The captain was a good man. Other than trying to play it cool by wearing a trench coat day in and day out, there didn’t seem to be anything bad about him.

I wonder what he does when he vanishes for a day or half a day every week? Is he taking care of a man’s needs?

Who knows!

Mm, a middle-aged widow. If that’s what he’s doing, that’d be normal too. But anyway.

Li Hao conducted some sword energy into Liu Yan’s body. There was nothing else for him to do after that. He watched and waited silently.

......

Liu Yan opened her eyes after roughly an hour.

“I’m almost there, I can almost project my internal force from my head. I’ve accumulated enough, now I need to consolidate for a bit. The eyes are the main issue...”

Li Hao gave an overview of what his teacher had taught him about strengthening the tear glands when he heard this. Soon enough, there was a crying woman in the room.

The young man swiftly backed out. It’d be impossible to explain himself if someone saw him in a room with a crying woman in the middle of the night. Outside the door, his teacher looked at him meaningfully.

“She seems... the captain...” A resigned Li Hao said softly.

“That’s normal.” Yuan Shuo inclined his head with a smile. “Someone like Liu Long is quite appealing. His brains just aren’t good for much. Other than that, there’s not much one can criticize about him.”

Li Hao laughed awkwardly. Likely everyone’s brains weren’t good for much in his teacher’s eyes, himself included.

......

No one said a word that night. Wang Ming and Liu Yan focused on consolidating their new cultivation level and growing accustomed to their new strength. Instead of resting, Li Hao and Yuan Shuo perused books of common knowledge, as opposed to martial dao. On the other hand, Li Hao strongly suspected a book from the third row hidden under his teacher’s book cover.

Liu Yan left first in the morning. Wang Ming stayed to further consolidate his level.