Chapter 342 - Fusion Elemental Energy
Beyond the noble doors were places as deep as the sea. With a thousand years of inherited history, the aristocratic families were full of mystery in the eyes of people.
In Silver Mist Sea, no clans could surpass the reputations of the Ling and Gong residences. They were the strongest giants, standing right at the top of the food chain. Then there were the Zeng, Fu, Jin and Zhong families. While they had shorter and less illustrious histories as compared to the Ling and Gong families, these four had a considerable amount of influence in Silver Mist Sea.
The Zhong residence had been declining over the past ten years and was left with only an vice division leader from the Infantry Division to keep up appearances. Many felt that if ten years was all it took for the Zhong residence to reach this state, another ten would eliminate them from the big four list.
But life was unpredictable. The sudden movement of Blood of God inflicted heavy damages on the Sky Edge and Infantry Divisions. The Infantry Division, specifically, first lost its division leader in battle, and later on lost its vice division leader due to severe injuries. Zhong Houjun then became the only remaining higher-up in the Infantry Division. He’d suffered pretty heavy injuries himself, but had been lucky to survive and recover fully.
During the reconstruction of the Infantry Division, Zhong Houjun instantly became a hot candidate for the new vice leader position. Be it in qualifications or abilities, no one else was on par with him.
The Zhong residence’s prospects immediately turned up and people were sighing over the family’s good fortune.
But this was just anticipation. No matter how popular a candidate was, it was a separate matter from being a legitimate division leader. Plus, due to the Elders Guild’s city expansion order, it seemed to the people that the Elders Guild’s priority would be to open up the Wilderness and not to rebuild the thirteen divisions.
Did the Avalon of Five Elements have the ability to rebuild the Thirteen Divisions? No one really knew.
The Zhong residence had tight security. In a deep corner of the courtyard was a darkroom.
"What’s the current situation?" an ordinary looking lady asked in a low voice.
Ai Hui and Duanmu Huanghun would be thoroughly shocked if they were here, because this voice was extremely familiar to them. It was the voice of She Yu.
She Yu had just arrived in Silver City.
No one knew that long before the blood catastrophe happened, the Zhong residence had already been infiltrated and seized by Blood of God. The reason why Infantry Division suffered such huge losses was precisely because Zhong Houjun coordinated with both internal and external forces. And with his injuries at that time, he had managed to fool people and remove suspicions.
And when one party became independent, the Zhong residence received an order from Blood of God to draw close to Jadeite Forest.
The news of Dai Gang and the ancient treasure immediately caught the attention of higher-ups in Blood of God. Because of She Yu’s outstanding performance in Jadeite Forest, she was once again given a mission. She wore a special mask that concealed her identity. Without elemental energy waves, no one would notice her.
Zhong Houjun was about forty years old. He had a squarish face, stately bearing and a natural mighty appearance. He said in a low voice, "We’re not too sure what the ancient treasure exactly is. We’re not the only clan getting involved. Quite a few fellows appeared at Karakorum previously. If not for Chu Zhaoyang’s moment of enlightenment, they might have gotten hold of it already."
"Chu Zhaoyang?" She Yu had been reading relevant reports and found this name rather familiar. "The Chu Zhaoyang who appeared at Great Wei’s Caravan?"
"Yes." Zhong Houjun nodded. "He has a mysterious background and is a sword expert. I wonder if his sudden appearance in Karakorum is coincidental or planned."
"We will find that out very soon." She Yu was interested in another matter. "Who is Chu Zhaoyang battling against?"
Zhong Houjun shook his head. "There’s no battle. Chu Zhaoyang has destroyed five of Karakorum’s sword formations consecutively. The abilities he’s displayed frightened every passerby away. Our people were there at that time and they witnessed the whole thing."
This piqued She Yu’s interest even more. "Oh, he mustn't be ordinary, to be able to scare people off with his skills. Any images?"
"No, they were all stunned and no one thought about recording anything."
She Yu nodded her head. "Must have been a spectacular sight. What’s the situation now?"
"According to inside news, quite a few people will take action in the next two days." Zhong Houjun asked, "Do we need to make a move?"
She Yu smiled slightly. "Do not be impatient. Let’s go watch how things play out first."
The lady before him was clearly average looking, but somehow her laugh charmed him greatly.
He did not know who she was but he knew that people from Blood of God were always mysterious and cold.
Karakorum Sword League. In a courtyard that stood on its own.
Regaining his senses after the pleasant Silverfold Plum surprise, Ai Hui thought back to what Hua Kui said about the reading of ancient books through the patriarch grass. He felt a sudden premonition.
This was completely different from what that old man had said.
"This set of notes should be kept in the seventh floor of the Hall of Ancient Records. The author’s surname is Xiao."
Where was the Hall of Ancient Records? Where was the seventh floor?
Both parties said completely different things, but thinking about how the old man had been imprisoned for so many years, it wouldn’t be surprising if the general headquarters had changed location in the past several decades.
Ai Hui only hoped that he would be blessed enough to find Senior Xiao’s notes.
But before that, he needed to analyze [Fusion Elemental Energy] first, since it was required to active the patriarch grass.
Because of the old man, probably, Ai Hui’d always felt that the Assembly of Patriarchs wasn’t very strong. It had a loose structure and nothing to offer, except that they were more familiar with Blood of God.
But now, Silverfold Plum made him realize that the assembly was wealthier and more imposing that he’d imagined. And the fusion elemental energy that he’d never heard of shocked him even more.
Fusion elemental energy wasn’t any type of elemental energy but a blend of the five elemental energy types.
This subverted everything Ai Hui knew.
How was this possible?
Who could simultaneously train five kinds of elemental energies? Even training two was unheard of. The current five residences and eight palaces system was extremely mature and there would be different Circulatory Cycle Revolutions, but there wasn’t any inheritances that required practicing two or more types of elemental energies.
Ai Hui was scared witless. It was as if he was reading dark books from dissenting sects.
Fusion elemental energy believed that everyone had five elements in them and no one was purely of one elemental energy type, so it was only natural that they practiced all five elements.
The way to practice it was even stranger. It had something in common with the system of five residences and eight palaces. No. To be precise, their only similarity was that they both had five residences.
Other than that, they had nothing else in common.
Fusion elemental energy required the practitioner to train five residences of the heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney simultaneously. What was more odd, was the fact that fusion elemental energy trained only the residences but not the palaces, as if the eight palaces did not exist.
Such peculiar way of training elemental energy actually existed. It was simply unheard of and Ai Hui felt that it really widened his horizons.
The five residences formed the ring of five elements, where elemental energies engendered one another in a marvelous cycle.
A continuous deepening of fusion elemental energy would form ring patterns, like that of a big tree’s age rings. The five elemental ring patterns could rinse incessantly and temper the practitioner’s body, gradually channeling every organ and flesh into the five elemental ring patterns, allowing it to grow and multiply infinitely.
When the whole body was fully consisted of the five elemental ring patterns, the process was complete and known as [Fusion Body].
Inside a [Fusion Body] was an endless circulation of the five elemental ring patterns, and any elemental energy that entered the body would blend into the ring patterns, restraining all elementalists.
Ai Hui was lost for words, his face clearly in shock.
This was a completely different train of thought, but Ai Hui did not find any loopholes within it.
The Assembly of Patriarchs’s five elemental ring patterns had thoroughly subverted the system of five residences and eight palaces.
The more amazing thing was that practicing fusion elemental energy did not clash with the practicing of five residences and eight palaces at all. Seeing this made Ai Hui realize why such a powerful training method was unheard of. No one would notice as long as the practitioner did not use it.
The old man wasn’t loyal. He knew of such an amazing training method but chose to keep it quiet.
Ai Hui decided to blackmail the old man when he got back. He must extort something from him at least.
The book Hua Kui gave him covered only the basics and nothing too radical. He figured that he would have to continue contributing to the Assembly before he could get better information.
The Assembly of Patriarch’s abilities far exceeded Ai Hui’s expectations.
Aristocratic families were powerful because they had control over absolute arts. They constantly modified and deepened the absolute arts, making them more formidable but easier for practitioners to grasp.
In this world, those with bigger fists would live better. Aristocratic families possessing absolute arts could nurture elementalists with big fists more easily.
Creating a training system would increase the Assembly’s might. The exceptional disguise of fusion elemental energy smelled like a conspiracy to Ai Hui.
The book Hua Kui gave him had only a few thin pages, covering the most basic of the basics.
The training of fusion elemental energy was simpler and smoother than Ai Hui’d predicted.
Four hours later, Ai Hui opened his eyes and could feel his long suppressed heart, liver, spleen and kidneys becoming stronger, as a faint wisp of elemental energy flowed between the five residences.
Fusion elemental energy had a very unique aura that brimmed with an intense life force!
That was the aura of life, which was completely different from the elemental energy he had been training in the past. He had never felt such a solid breath of life. Even his body became livelier and more agile.
The fusion elemental energy that he had just trained was extremely weak, but sufficient to activate the patriarch grass.
The only wisp of fusion elemental energy was channeled into the patriarch grass.
The patriarch grass glowed faintly. Each leaf had another layer like a velvety halo of light and Ai Hui was captivated. A fog that came from nowhere engulfed the surrounding walls and furniture and a spacious and solemn lobby took shape rapidly amid the fog.
It was hazy in the lobby due to the surrounding fog. It moved very slowly and fuzzily.
There was someone standing in the middle of the lobby. Upon seeing Ai Hui, he said with a slight smile, "Hi, Swordsman."
Ai Hui could tell from one look that it wasn’t a human but a sand puppet standing before him.
Swordsman was Ai Hui’s name within the Assembly of Patriarchs. Other than Hua Kui, who knew his real identity, the other members only knew him as "Swordsman".
The sight before him was so illusory yet real.
Ai Hui was dumbfounded.