Star Gate

Chapter 741: Rising From the Ashes (II)

Li Hao blinked as he suddenly recalled that the little tree had mentioned something related to core origin dao. He immediately sank his mind into the storage ring. “Senior Tree!”

“I’m here.”

“Senior, when you helped me comprehend core origin, you said that modern humans do not have core origin dao, but have something similar...”

“Yes, when you erupted with the aura and demonstrated domineering momentum, it gave me a similar feeling to the dao of the Initial Martial era. That time period didn’t have core origin dao either, but focused on weapons as their dao...”

“The aura?”

“Yes.”

Li Hao blinked. The aura! He grasped new understanding and didn’t bother bidding the little tree farewell before vanishing. He looked at where the character had broken.

“The word I drew seemed to lack a soul and appeared particularly weak and lifeless... But what if I incorporate the aura into it?” The young man promptly entered his organs with his mind, sensing their condition and the auras within. While their auras were silent, he could still sense a thing or two. The five supernatural locks were still alive—indeed alive!

They were unique to the point where one thought they were alive with a single glance. The aura was a living entity as well.

“Wind, wind aura... Vitality, spirit!” Li Hao instantly comprehended the concept. “We’ll always fall one step short in utilizing ancient martial knowledge because we lack core origin. But what if we can utilize the aura in its place? What if I replace core origin with the aura?

“The aura is martial dao understanding from the heart, a manifestation of martial dao. The aura is different from mind intent as the latter is just pure strength. Aura is not just strength, but a representation of great dao!”

He suddenly understood why Tyrant Blade had said those words to him before he left. When you understand the difference between aura and mind intent, then you might be able to set foot on a different path. The man seemed to have understood it long ago. Li Hao might have too, but not as clearly. His understanding greatly deepened today.

Battle Heaven, the little tree, Yuan Shuo, and the ultimate arts of Tranquil Star all brought many reflections to him, and yet he failed repeatedly when he followed ancient footsteps. It was a definitive sign that ancient martial dao was different from modern martial dao. The two were no longer one system, they were different!

If he walked the ancient path, he would soon reach some bottlenecks and thresholds.

“The aura is the greatest distinguishing feature of modern cultivators—or rather, martial masters! Supernaturals do not possess it, they’re just the simplistic accumulation of strength. Martial masters do, so their malleability is very high...”

Everyone said that supernaturals were less than martial masters, but no one could give a specific reason why. Today, Li Hao felt that he’d happened upon an important detail. The greatest difference and key to it all lay with the aura!

Countless martial masters were stuck at the threshold of comprehending the aura. One could not set foot into Dominator of Thousands without it. This destined the number of martial masters to be far less than supernaturals from the very beginning.

“So this means to say that if I comprehend the wind aura and incorporate wind energy in it, then use it to draw a character... That will make it different from the Tranquil Star methods. Will the aura contain the external force? The aura has its own spirit and isn’t just pure force...” It was like Li Hao had discovered a new continent!

He thought of something else in the next moment, his teacher, the Breathing Method of the Five Styles, and his teacher’s Refiner of Spirit cultivation level.

Yes, Refiner of Spirit!

Incorporating the aura into the supernatural locks and releasing the power bit by bit. Why did it seem so familiar? The ultimate outcome would be a supernatural lock under the martial master’s control. Wasn’t that the same result as what he wanted?

“That’s right! Teacher’s melding the five auras into the five organs to control the supernatural locks! I’m so dumb, why am I realizing this only now?” Li Hao smacked his head with self-deprecating laughter. He’d been brainstorming how to control his locks, didn’t his teacher have the answer?

He just hadn’t understood it when his teacher explained it before. Now that he deduced it from another direction, he came to the same conclusion. He suddenly felt that his teacher was amazing!

Not only that, but Li Hao’s overall comprehension had instantly deepened. So it turned out that all roads led to the same end!

“Then if I break the supernatural locks and fuse its power into one character, does that make it the same as a supernatural lock? The supernatural locks cannot be used in combat, but the art of Tranquil Star can...”

It was the same goal again, just through different means! That would make the final methods of supernaturals and martial masters alike all the same!

Li Hao grew agitated and excited. He suddenly wanted to talk to Yuan Shuo. Did a martial master fully control their supernatural lock after reaching Refiner of Spirit? Should he break the supernatural locks, or should he use the aura to control them and incorporate their energy to strengthen the aura?

Summoner of Spirit, Refiner of Spirit... Was the next step to break free of the locks?

“If the Breathing Method of the Five Styles is compatible with both aura and supernatural lock, then aura and mysterious power should have no problem with each other...” Li Hao suddenly felt the dawn of a new age upon him! His teacher already had the answer!

Of course, it was different from his. He had gone through another process to deduce to the very end and return to the same point. Two vastly different methods had given the same answer. It gave Li Hao many new revelations.

He took out a transmission pendant and furiously input messages into it. Yuan Shuo was so carefree that he didn’t give Li Hao a chance to contact him. But the young man was no fool. If he couldn’t reach his teacher, he would look for Jadelight Sword!

Li Hao had shoved a transmission pendant at him last time when Jadelight left. It was part of the Silver Moon system, not Li Hao’s own communication system. This was why he rarely used transmission pendants.

“Paging Martial Aunt Wu, paging Martial Aunt Wu!” Li Hao finally received a response after several messages.

“What is it?”

“I need to communicate with my teacher.”

After a while, in which a new person took hold of the pendant—well, Li Hao didn’t know if someone else was on the other end. Two words floated onto the surface pendant after a while. “Get on with it!”

It was done! That was his teacher, alright!

“When the five auras are melded with the five organs, are they meant to break free or ultimately become one?”

......

Within Silver Moon territory.

Yuan Shuo had been irritated that Li Hao somehow had a connection with Jadelight Sword. He blinked at the question. He’d clearly explained Refiner of Spirit to Li Hao. The five locks needed to be completely assimilated into the five auras. The auras would nature the locks, and the locks would nurture the auras. That was Refiner of Spirit.

But Li Hao now asked about the step after that. Yuan Shuo himself hadn’t set foot on that path, so how would he know what to do? He could only speculate. Both possibilities that his student spoke of were possible.

“It’s hard to say which it should be. Whether it should break out or continue as one depends on the situation. I can’t give you an exact answer either.” Yuan Shuo was loath to hold a conversation when it pertained to martial dao. Their communication might be monitored by others. But since Li Hao asked, he still responded.

“Auras have their own spirit, right?”

Yuan Shuo burst out laughing. Do you know that only now?

“Of course! Take the auras of the Five Styles, for example. The aura springs from the heart and martial dao. The essence of martial dao naturally contains the spirit.”

Li Hao was silent for a moment before sending, “Can the aura control the amount of energy coming in and out, as well as the level of eruption of internal force?”

“No shit!” Yuan Shuo frowned. Did his disciple still not know that at this stage of his cultivation? The old man drooped when he thought of how Li Hao’s auras were silent now. Perhaps... the kid wanted to return to being a martial master. But it wouldn’t be that simple! Was he trying to find a way now?

Yuan Shuo was a bit depressed and regretful. He wanted to curse at Li Hao’s silly questions, but softened his tone. “The aura is a type of overall control. The strength of the aura determines your upper limit, so it naturally contains a modulation function.”

“Can the aura and mysterious power coexist together?”

Yuan Shuo sank into deep thought, taking a long moment to consider before answering, “They should. Mysterious power is a type of energy and the aura is not. Mysterious power clashes with internal force, not the aura! Mysterious power and the aura are the same. The aura is an independent existence, but it needs stimulation from internal force. Internal force can count as a type of fuel for the aura.”

“Then can mysterious power be the energy to stimulate the aura?”

Yuan Shuo sank into deep thought and scrunched his forehead together. “Internal force can stimulate the aura because it is born inside the body. It’s the same origin as the aura. Mysterious power is an external resource that is not from the same origin, so it will prove hard to stimulate the aura.”

“Then can I bring mysterious power inside the body and assimilate it into my flesh and blood to become one with it?”

Yuan Shuo raised an eyebrow. His disciple was asking ever deeper questions. He tugged on his mustache and pondered the question. Could mysterious power be incorporated into the body and used in place of internal force?

The strength within mysterious power partially came from the outside, and partially came from the supernatural locks. Why did mysterious power come to be in the locks?

What would happen to the martial master once their lock fully shattered? Would the energy inside the lock replace internal force? Or could it be made into one?

Off to the side, Jadelight glanced at Yuan Shuo. The old man seemed to be caught in a quandary as he scratched his head. It was rare to see Yuan Shuo in this state. He usually carried himself with an omnipotent ease. Had he encountered a thorny issue today?