Chapter 188: The Martial World of Silver Moon (I)

Chapter 188: The Martial World of Silver Moon (I)

Li Hao and Yuan Shuo stayed up all night reading. Wang Ming opening his supernatural lock left a lasting impression on the two. The professor mused over certain notions throughout the night. In the morning, he suddenly looked at his student.

“Wang Ming has seen five supernatural locks—one around each of his limbs and one around his lungs. From there, he set foot on the path of being a metal supernatural.”

Li Hao put down his book and looked at his teacher.

“If we look at it from the perspective of single elements, opening the lock of the heart would probably make one a fire supernatural,” Yuan Shuo continued.

Li Hao nodded, those were his thoughts as well. Thinking deeply, the professor gently rapped his knuckles against the table.

“What if all five elemental locks were opened?”

All five? Li Hao looked quizzical.

“Like you strengthening the five visceral organs—if someone discovers all five supernatural locks of these organs and opens them at the same time, what happens then?”

The young man thought for a moment and responded, “Neutralization between the five elements and then... equilibrium? And transmutation into internal force?” Li Hao laughed after voicing this theory. However, his teacher remained very calm.

“And why not?” he said apathetically.

Li Hao cut off mid laugh. What did his teacher mean by that?

Yuan Shuo tapped his head and sank into contemplation. “Even if the balanced five elements are internal force, they shouldn’t count as simple mysterious power. When I entered Dominator of Thousands, I sensed my internal force nurturing the five elements!” Caught in the throes of mental struggle, he looked at his student. “There is no path beyond Dominator! What can withstand tens of thousands?

“I’ve been thinking that the weaknesses of martial masters at this level lie with the internal organs. If my organs reach unparalleled heights—if I can cultivate them to the point where their locks naturally open, will there be a surge of strength like the supernaturals experience? Will I be transformed from inside out and enter a new domain?”

Yuan Shuo had felt Wang Ming’s surge of power all too clearly when the young man opened the lock on his left arm. The human body was a treasure trove! He didn’t want to forcefully smash the lock and cause his internal force to be devoured, his body occupied by external energy. What would it look like if his own organs were strong enough to open the locks?

“You’ve been nurturing your organs.” The professor looked at Li Hao. “Do you think your locks have become stronger or weaker?”

“Stronger!” Li Hao answered honestly and thought for a moment. “I could sense their existence before, but now they’re harder to detect! It’s like a wooden barrel has become deeper and can hold more energy, so it’s harder for my supernatural locks to appear.”

“Are they still there?”

“They are!” Li Hao nodded emphatically. “They must be. I would sense it if they weren’t.”

“Then what if your organs are strong enough to open the locks? If the locks can be opened normally, do you think you’ll erupt with power?”

The young man mused silently. This was unknown territory, it was difficult to say. From what his body told him...

“It’s possible!” Li Hao answered with reasonable confidence. “The five organs have absorbed so much elemental energy, but they’ve only grown a bit stronger. Where has all the mysterious power gone? Has it dissipated? Impossible! There must be a place inside the organs that stores all of this energy!”

Perhaps it traveled in the same direction as the ancients, but the details were most certainly his teacher’s own invention. Li Hao may not even be able to imitate his teacher due to the need to master five auras, but it was a way at least!

“Little Hao, I want to cultivate my five organs right now!” Yuan Shuo smiled toothily. “I shouldn’t see a change in strength in the short run, but I most likely won’t see further improvement if the five spirits do not break free of the viscera. So I think about it a little more... and probably first use the fire energy from Qiao Feilong to see if I can raise a fire heart ape.”

“As it should be, teacher!” Li Hao hastily said. “We have four hundred cubes of the five elements and two hundred unattributed left. Use it all, teacher!”

“I’d wanted to save them for you to swiftly strengthen the five organs after you ascend to Dominator.” Yuan Shuo glanced at the young man. “But now... we will not be short of them if I succeed! However, I’ll need a portion of sword energy too...”

“As you’d like, teacher!” Li Hao took out the small sword and offered it to his teacher.

Yuan Shuo might meet with powerful enemies in the ruins. Late Solars were strong, but if his teacher brought his full strength to bear as well as the stone blade and Incantation of the Blade of Blood, he might not lose. If there were powerhouses greater than Solar, however, he would be dead without a doubt!

He might stand a fighting chance if any one of the five viscera spirits could be formed. Of course, it’d be better if all five spirits could be nurtured. They didn’t have enough time for that though. There was only enough to try for a fire heart ape.

“I’ll make an attempt with one viscera spirit,” Yuan Shuo said. “If I fail, you should do the same if you have a chance to in the future! Equilibrium between the five organs might be the best result. One organ dominating the others might lead to drawbacks.”

“Don’t worry teacher,” Li Hao responded solemnly. “I have committed everything to heart. If you fail, I will kill all of your enemies and bring their heads to your grave when my spirits break free of their organs!”

Yuan Shuo threw his head back with laughter. Was this demoralizing? Not at all! Only gratification. Well said! This was how things should be. He would walk this path first and leave some experience behind for Li Hao. It would be a beautiful story if the young man succeeded and offered his enemies’ heads at his grave.

“I’ll take the sword and blade, as well as all of the mysterious power,” Yuan Shuo concluded. “Based on my calculations, I should see some initial results within five days. Go home and come back after five days. If I succeed, we will head to Rift Canyon that day. If I fail and my heart shatters, take everything and hand the real sword and blade to Hou Xiaochen. He will protect you!”

The real sword and blade! Plainly, Yuan Shuo felt that Hou Xiaochen had likely guessed that Li Hao had given him a fake sword. If the professor failed, there would be no one protecting Li Hao. Liu Long could not do so. The only one who could in all of Silver Moon was Hou Xiaochen.

“Teacher!”

Yuan Shuo laughed when his student wished to speak. “Go on! I would like to carve a path through martial dao myself. Inspiration has struck today. Since I have determined the direction, I should try it. Whether I fail or succeed, I will have a clear conscience!” He patted Li Hao’s shoulder with a benevolent smile.

Li Hao lowered his head, not saying a word. “Then... master... I will return home!”

Master...

In the world of martial dao, one who passed on knowledge was both teacher and master. Li Hao was just used to calling Yuan Shuo teacher as he’d learned civil subjects before, not martial dao. The habit stuck after he started learning martial dao, but today, he changed the honorific.

This was the first time, and it might be the last.

Both master and disciple were decisive sorts. Since Yuan Shuo had decided, Li Hao knew there was no stopping him. Neither did he have the right to. He sank to his knees and kowtowed.

“I await your emergence from seclusion, master! If you fail, I will go to White Moon City and keep a low profile for a few years. When I succeed, I will eliminate all of your enemies from this world!”

1. In Chinese medicine, the five viscera are viewed to store qi, whereas the six bowels of the gallbladder, small intestine, stomach, large intestine, urinary bladder and triple energizer deal with food and water. Qi fills an organ, whereas food and water congests the organ. They should be handled by the appropriate set of organs ?