Star Gate

Chapter 136: Li Hao’s Aura (I)

“Liu Long, you’re a martial master. You should understand even if my student doesn’t!” Yuan Shuo was very practical. “You know what it means to help someone cross into Dominator of Thousands, to become a so-called walking god. You know what it entails for the martial master rendering the aid.

“This idiot disciple of mine tells me to lend out a secret treasure and heal your wounds. You, too, know how difficult it is for a martial master to recover from years of accumulated injuries. How many martial masters have died at this step? It’s easy for him to speak of this when he doesn’t know the value of what he offers. Those who are not industrious do not know the importance of being thrifty! All he needs to do is say a few words!”

Yuan Shuo snorted with bemusement. “And he made the offer that all of the mysterious power can go to you? Are you kidding me? I can make an announcement right now that I’ll help someone break through to Dominator of Thousands in return for them killing three Sunflares for me. I ask you, Liu Long, won’t all peak Sunderers in the province come running to me and beg for the chance?

“And some of them will have already comprehended the aura, making it easier to help them than you!”

Eyes wide, Liu Long nodded. “Elder Yuan is right! Just that alone is sufficient to win the undying loyalty of a martial master devoted to martial dao! They will wholeheartedly commit themselves to the cause even if death is a possibility!”

Yuan Shuo was correct. Guaranteeing Dominator would entice all martial masters who still worked toward a brighter future. The professor was spot on when he said just that benefit alone should be enough to have Liu Long place his life on the line.

“I can personally forgo any distribution of mysterious power, but if the others are involved, I hope I can claim some for them. Not too much, just according to their contribution.”

Off to the side, Li Hao glanced at his teacher and forcefully kept his mouth shut. It’d been his teacher who said to give the mysterious power to Liu Long, but he’d suddenly changed his mind. What did his teacher have in store?

“I don’t need that bit of energy. In fact, you might need it more, so it doesn’t matter!” Yuan Shuo remained as coolly collected as before. “I say all this just to let you know that you should not take this for granted. My student may be unaware of the particulars, but you do!”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Liu Long rumbled. “I did not think too much about it before, so I have indeed fallen short in some areas. My apologies for the oversight, Elder Yuan! It is part of our duties to conduct this operation and some personal grudges are mixed in as well. I should not be taking any additional benefits, but sadly, I am incompetent and find it difficult to be up to the task as a Sunderer!”

He truly hadn’t thought everything through enough. He’d been shocked and overwhelmed by Li Hao mentioning that he could obtain thousands of cubes of mysterious power. After Yuan Shuo pointed all this out, the director subconsciously did find it slightly inappropriate.

“As a fellow martial master and the fact that you may soon be the second Dominator in Silver Moon, we should be frank with each other.” Yuan Shuo smiled. “Our lines of communication should be open so that we do not clash with each other and sow the seeds for discontent in the future!”

“Elder Yuan speaks truly!”

“The ruins will go to Li Hao!” declared Yuan Shuo. “You and I will split the mysterious power! Li Hao will not share anything else we find, that goes to us alone. Of course, if you find it unfair that Li Hao takes the ruins...”

“Not at all!” Liu Long answered firmly. “Although Li Hao has not officially bowed to me as his master, he’s already reached Thrice Forged in the Nine Forged Force. He counts as having inherited my family’s martial legacy. As you know, Elder Yuan, the Nine Forged Force has never been taught to outsiders. In that case, Li Hao growing stronger is the outcome I desire as well!”

Yuan Shuo inclined his head with a smile.

“It’s good that you agree! For martial masters like us, a martial heir is more important than anything else. We can set the rest aside for now, I will help you regain full health. Your arms must be the first focus as they are too damaged. As for whether or not you can comprehend the aura of the Nine Forged Force after they are healed, that is up to you. If you can smoothly break through to Dominator, then our partnership can continue. If you fail, then everything we said just now was just bullshit!”

“Of course!” Liu Long nodded and took a deep breath. He was both expectant and nervous. The state of his arms was the accumulation of years of practice. Did Yuan Shuo really have his ways to treat them?

The man didn’t know, but since Yuan Shuo had agreed to their collaboration, then he could give it a try. If it was a success... then... Liu Long couldn’t contain his agitation.

“Alright, we have no time to lose, let’s begin right away!” Yuan Shuo waved his hand and slapped Li Hao on the back. “Keep a secret lookout for us and order a few dishes. Tell people that I am setting out a spread for Liu Long. No one will dare peek in on us then!”

“Understood!” Li Hao quickly agreed and walked out of the house, rubbing his neck. The little jade sword was gone—it looked like his teacher had decided to draw on the treasure himself.

There was no need to reveal that it belonged to Li Hao and that Yuan Shuo wasn’t actually doing the director a favor. One should always be on guard against potential harm from others. While neither Li Hao nor Yuan Shuo felt that something would go awry with Liu Long, they still didn’t want to say that the treasure was Li Hao’s. Liu Yan and Chen Jian knew that the young man could call upon a bit of healing power, but they never mentioned it.

Some things needed to be played dumb about.

......

Outside the front door.

Li Hao took Panther with him. The little black dog hadn’t left with its owner—it wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to absorb more sword energy. Yuan Shuo kicked it out with a mighty shove. It followed morosely behind Li Hao.

The young man didn’t care what mood the dog was in. He walked to a kiosk before the gate—equipment left by the Night Watchers. There was a communicator inside.

Li Hao didn’t need to dial a number when he picked it up. “Prepare some dishes to pair with wine and send them in at lunch time. Keep an eye on the surroundings, don’t let anyone approach!”

Sounds of assent came from the other end; Li Hao didn’t bother finding out who it was before he hung up. Standing outside the kiosk, he played with a surge of internal force, gently propelling another surge from his body and instantly completing a second layering.

Projection of internal force, external layering of said force.

“This is just playing with the technique, it’s not aura!” Li Hao was still mulling over what the aura was. Whether it was external or internal layering of his force, it was all directly tied to the Nine Forged Force.

The aura was also termed the consciousness as it touched upon the mental level.

This level of the mind... is also recorded in ancient texts. It’s known as intent, mental force, and by other names. Accumulation before utilization, it is derived from the heart and makes the wielder invincible!

The ancient texts say that in the ancient civilization, whoever resolutely believed they were invincible could call upon something like an aura, even if they hadn’t fully comprehended it. The only concern with this method was that they were crushed by defeat in the first instance of failure. Never did they recover from a stumble in an invincible aura.

Li Hao mentally paged through the many books that he’d memorized. Aura did not necessarily have to personally observed or imitated in the manner that his teacher and others had done. Some of the ancients created their own unique aura.

There were those who firmly believed they were invincible and held that belief from start to finish. They believed it even when they died—this was aura.

Some decided to cultivate an invincible aura—they nurtured their auras from the mindset of assurance of victory to invincibility. Once their areas were complete, they swept the lands and never lost a battle. They reached the apex with such an aura.

Those were all different from the ones that his teacher employed.

Different eras have different training methods, but they all share something in common. They bring their auras down on their enemies! To nurture an aura, one needs to foster qi and bring it forth from the inside!

Powerhouses were such not just because of the physical damage they could bring to bear, but also because of their mental fortitude. Those weaker were immediately smashed when the aura was unleashed.

How should I accumulate my aura? Li Hao’s thoughts turned back to himself. Befriend the tigers in the mountains like his teacher? Or observe the sea like Liu Long and watch a tidal wave rear to the heavens? Or do as the ancients did and walk the path of invincibility? Or should he just build the faith that he was invincible and would win every fight?

He looked down at Panther, at where the little black dog was playing with its claws. It seemed to want to imitate Li Hao and complete one instance of external layering... But it couldn’t project its internal force since it wasn’t a Sunderer. It would be more effective to practice layering its farts.

“Panth, are you a martial master dog or a supernatural dog?” Li Hao snorted. Panther didn’t seem to be a supernatural, so was it a martial master instead?

“Arf arf!” The young man didn’t understand the response, but judging from the superior look it cast at the ground, it seemed to want to become an invincible dog.

“Aura... consciousness...” Li Hao ignored the dog. “What kind of aura should someone who keeps a low profile like me learn? Invincibility and the path of being undefeated? That’s impossible, I’m not one of the ancients and don’t have their training environment. No one can suppress the heavens for me and make peers fight me on an equal footing. No one can quell enemies for me...”

That would not work. The aura of invincibility required a strong clan with a strong patron, one that could subdue the land. His opponents would fight him on whatever terms he demanded! Or in times of peace, people would spar in friendly matches.

If Li Hao challenged Red Moon Sunderers in their current society... their Solars would run out the next second and crush him underfoot. He would have to eat the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to challenge someone in their home. There was no possible outcome other than being beaten to death!

“If that’s a no-go, then I have to comprehend the aura of nature,” Li Hao murmured to himself. “Respect must be given to heaven and earth, nature is also incomparably powerful. I have no right to gaze upon the strength of nature as a Sunderer! Not even Dominators or those stronger have the right, to say nothing of me.

“Therefore, I can only seek to comprehend it! Tigers are less than heaven, earth, and nature. If I compare the Five Styles and Nine Forged Force, the power of a tidal wave is stronger than that of a tiger. Of course, it also depends on how it’s used. It would be a joke if a tidal wave turned into a foot bath!

“Panther, what kind of strength in nature have you seen used in both land and sea? I’d like to comprehend that kind... As much as the waves roil over everything, they cannot destroy the earth. The same goes for hurricanes and lightning—they can break through the sky but do nothing to the earth...” The young man fell into deep contemplation.

“Humans walk the earth and the earth has existed for eons. No matter how mountains topple and land cracks, the earth remains. True danger often comes not from the sky or sea, but from the earth!”

He suddenly thought of earthquakes. When earthquakes occurred, they shook the ground and sky from inside out. Mountains fell, fissures opened, and all life trembled. He’d witnessed it once before, he really had!

A small earthquake struck Silver City once. Though minor, it still resulted in deaths.

Martial masters stood on the ground and even flight supernaturals must land at times. Li Hao stared at the soil beneath his feet, seeming to understand what he needed. No one could forever live in the skies! Only the aura and strength of the earth was unceasing and inexhaustible.

He stomped on the ground, erupting with three layers of internal force. A hole appeared in the dirt. Panther imitated his actions and slammed its paw down, shaking the ground and slightly numbing Li Hao’s foot. The dog was likewise jittery from Li Hao’s stomp.

Pausing, the young man looked at the dog, which looked back at him. Stomps and paw slams abounded as they had a grand time. Panther was playing, but Li Hao was not. Who says that the Nine Forged Force was a result of the waves? Liu Long felt that waves built upon each other, so he sensed the aura of the waves!

In the meantime, Li Hao felt that it was the layering of tremors. The waves were such, and so were earthquakes! Powerful earthquakes came in waves and their destruction matched that of a tidal wave’s.

“Earthquakes are earthquakes!” Having once observed such momentum, Li Hao’s heart still pounded when he thought back to it. He made up his mind when his thoughts traveled here.