I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1685 - 124: Believe

It is to contend with the body until one achieves complete control over it, and thereby mastering spiritual power, mastering the unruly mind and its thoughts to coalesce a cohesive self-nature.

To thread all that is within oneself with the same will, rushing towards the place guided by that self-nature.

The might that results from this can tear open the heavens and cleave the earth.

If we regard the Mortal Realm as the first evolutionary transformation of the human body, then upon reaching the Grandmaster Realm, the body will have undergone three minor and one major transformation.

The first strengthens desires, the second births intentions upon movement, the third materializes self-nature, and the fourth transcends the levels of life.

And yet heaven is always fair, for the acquisition of certain things will invariably be balanced by loss in the unseen.

The tamed restlessness of mind symbolizes the waning of curiosity, the winter-proofed body loses its connection to the four seasons, those who subsist on qi instead of grain no longer yearn for the worldly life, and the practitioners of the void care little for the earth below them.

This continuous cycle of loss and gain always makes Tang Luo sigh, especially after undergoing the soul casting with Void Energy, he feels it profoundly.

The savage and obscure energy made Tang Luo’s physique "extremely" rough, so strong without spiritual power that it is absurd.

Such strength is, of course, wonderful in battle, but not necessarily in daily life.

Imagine everything around you is so fragile like bubbles, easily shattered by accident, the body can’t even feel external objects, for compared to the physique, everything else seems too frail.

The drifting of fallen leaves, the soft rain like wine, the delicacy of a lover’s skin—these are the prices most cultivators have to pay.

Desire originates from the frailty of the body; once the physical body completes its transformation into spirit, it is akin to reversing the control over the body.

No longer can one blame compulsion; for practitioners at the Grandmaster Realm, if they still desire women, it is indeed a genuine desire for women.

If they still enjoy wine, then it is truly wine they enjoy; if they are fond of gambling, then they truly are gamblers!

This is the underlying logic of self-nature, which can be concealed but not denied; only by confronting it can one find true happiness, which lies deep within the heart.

What lies deep in Tang Luo’s heart? Curiosity for cultivation, dedication to perfecting the martial path, and... Yun Xiu.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and for each Void Grandmaster who has just ended their four-yearly cycle of refining their essence back to the void, the conversation in the headmaster’s office is destined to be long and deep.

And at such times, an overly powerful physique is quite troublesome. What’s most important in a deep conversation? It’s freedom and passion!

To control a fiery body with cold spiritual power for unspirited motions is a sacrilege to the act of mingling!

The Void Grandmaster, adept at resolving issues, clenches his teeth and with resolve, deposits all spiritual power into the Star Core.

The body, regressed and no longer possessing the might of the Grandmaster Realm, finds joy – but what does this have to do with strength?

Inside the headmaster’s office sealed by the Illusory Spirit Formation, the two engaged in passionate discourse, even letting out a few high-pitched exclamations at the more moving parts of their conversation.

After the two exhausted their discussions and said all there was to say, Tang Luo walked over to the windowsill, pursed his dry lips, and said in a low voice, "I’ve been a bit too aggressive in refining my qi these past few days; otherwise, as your husband, I would never stop at this!"

Having a body no longer numb to sensations has its pros and cons; endurance plummets with a weakened body, yet happiness grows exponentially.

Hesitant in this dilemma, he comes back to his senses only to find his vital essence depleted, and glancing outside, realizes the day has only just begun.

He speaks bold but off-tune threats in hopes of steadying the ’enemy’ for a future battle, yet in his heart, he’s thinking of when to find his older cousin and get that secret manual.

In his youth, he was too confident, thinking martial prowess was enough without the need for technical aid. Reflecting now, he wishes he had taken it, to avoid the current embarrassment!

A misstep indeed, who would have imagined that the daughter of the esteemed Yun Clan would possess such exceptional skills? Rubbing his distended belly, Tang Luo is filled with regret.

"My husband is the most amazing."

Yun Xiu, embracing her man from behind, placed her face on his sweaty back and coaxed sweetly.

"Enough of that, your husband doesn’t need any insincere comfort."

That is what he said, yet the slight upturn of his lips still betrayed the heart of the Void Grandmaster.

Men are so simple, from the age of three to three hundred, they all love hearing others praise their prowess!

"Your husband has a matter he wishes to discuss with you."

Turning around, Tang Luo gently and softly said, cradling his wife in front of him, "You know about the disciples sent by the Langhuan Sword Master to cultivate the Five Elements Holy Spirit Foundation Building Method, right?"

"Mhm, Elder Du mentioned it."

Squeezing closer into the man’s embrace, Yun Xiu lifted her gaze to the shimmering stars and exclaimed, "My husband is truly remarkable!"

"Moderately remarkable, moderately remarkable."

After a modest self-deprecation, Tang Luo narrowed his eyes and continued, "The Sword Master has given us five years to complete Foundation Building. However, as you know, the complexity of the Five Elements Holy Spirit Foundation Building Method is quite high. It is a bit difficult to have those children without any basic knowledge succeed, which is why your husband intends to take a shortcut this time."

"Has my husband thought of a solution?"

Yun Xiu asked in awe, her admiration shining even brighter.

"It’s mostly due to Master Chen’s great capabilities; your husband merely came up with an idea."

Tang Luo said modestly: "Moreover, to implement it, I will need my wife’s help."

"What do you need me to do?"

The revised Illusory Spirit Technique and Illusory Spirit Array have become Yellow Rank techniques. Although they are not as effective as the original versions according to the test results, their biggest advantage is that they have become slightly easier.

But this is not what Yun Xiu needs to learn. What Tang Luo took out from his Void Stomach was the version before the improvement.

"Here, this is it."

Handing over the secret manual, the man waved his arms with excitement: "Ingesting the aura of the holy beasts, then by using illusion techniques and arrays, project the semblance of the Five Elements Spirits into the disciples’ Sea of Consciousness. Ordinary illusionists can only perform one-on-one and the effect is still unsatisfactory. If you do it, you can use the Thousand Arms Thousand Eyes Secret Technique, and teach five hundred disciples all at once!"

"But...but these are all Yuanzhou Sword Sect disciples. If we use illusions on them and the Xu Clan were to pursue the matter?"

Yun Xiu, who had truly experienced the terror of the Xu Clan, expressed her concerns.

"That’s why only you can do this, I can’t trust anyone else."

Tang Luo said earnestly: "These Xu Clan disciples are selected from various sword sects within Ying City. If they succeed in cultivating the Five Elements Holy Spirit Foundation Building, their future accomplishments will be immeasurable. If this task were to be entrusted to other illusionists, it’s unpredictable what personal motives might arise."

"Whether it’s leaving a mark during the process, sealing one’s own image into the Sea of Consciousness for future benefit, or even just the use of spirit synchronization to gain favor—common techniques among illusionists—if any of these methods were used on these children, and the Xu Clan were to pursue accountability, even the innocent would find it hard to explain."

"Unparalleled Academy is the cornerstone of Tang Clan’s rise, we cannot afford the slightest risk. Moreover, my lady will have to disguise herself as the dean in the coming days to teach without arising suspicion."

"Is my husband leaving?"

Yun Xiu asked cautiously.

"Not leaving, I will be in secluded cultivation in the back mountain."

Tang Luo shook his head, "The way to ’Seal King and Prove Dao’ is ambiguously described, your husband needs to calm his mind and study it carefully."