The Science of Cultivation
Chapter 306: In Theory vs In Practice

As Li Lang fought more, he quickly learned about his capabilities in comparison to other Foundation Establishment experts. After all, there were currently over two dozen of them clashing, and they all varied in different stages of cultivation, too. It gave him a broad perspective for comparison.

The results were oddly predictable, yet still managed to surprise.

In the grand scheme of things, Li Lang was considered weak. Who could blame him? Not only was he in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he had also broken through less than a year ago. Combined with the fact that he hadn’t dedicated as much time as his peers to combat techniques, his overall strength was understandably weak.

If fighting ability could be accurately quantified, not even Li Lang’s greatest strengths would rate over fifty out of a hundred.

However, his actual performance was much better than what it was on paper. He may not be taking out several combatants in a flashy show of strength, but he was able to support his allies by distracting the enemies. In a broad sense, he acted as a force multiplier on a small scale.

Of course, such a discrepancy between his theoretical strength and actual performance piqued Li Lang’s curiosity. As he continued to harass the ambushers, Li Lang pondered the reason for the difference. If he could figure it out, it would clarify one additional variable that could aid both him and his students in their training.

Everyone here is a force to be reckoned with. I wouldn’t want to face off against any one of them alone.

Li Lang observed that the junior Radiant Wing Sect disciples with the same cultivation were struggling much more than he was. This was despite the fact that some of the Qi arts they fired had much more power than anything he had.

Seeing that the Thousand Change Sea Breath continued to be a stable bulwark for him, Li Lang directed some of his focus to his Qi sense. Dozens of Qi arts were constantly attacking and defending, while even more powerful signatures could be detected from the melee. The battle up close might appear simple at first, but every clash of blades sent out a turbulent wave of energy.

Martial arts were oftentimes more powerful and efficient than Qi arts. The strength of the latter lay in its utility and range. The former was almost always stronger thanks to being able to directly tap into the source of a cultivator’s power, while Qi arts required their user to expend a portion of their reserve. If Qi were electricity, martial arts would be powered by plugging into a fixed socket, while Qi arts had to use a mobile battery.

The battle continued without seeming to come to an end anytime soon. The ambushers had greater numbers, but the defenders had more coordination. Li Lang followed the group’s lead, fighting a slow and steady retreat. As the battle prolonged, he eventually made some astute observations.

I see. I thought it would’ve been some deep and multifaceted reason for my apparent overperformance, but it is actually quite simple. How could I have forgotten such a simple concept that I relied on throughout my time as an Energy Gatherer?

Li Lang grinned as he redoubled his efforts to debilitate his enemies. He was elated that his performance wasn’t due to a fluke or something outside his control.

The reason he was having a good showing was all thanks to the unique properties of his five-element cultivation technique. The five elements could work together to rapidly generate more Qi compared to others. A typical Foundation Establishment cultivator already had a colossal amount in reserve, allowing them to fight for hours on end. This was especially so for those who had high aptitude. However, they still had to be smart about this Qi expenditure when an instant victory wasn’t possible.

This meant the typical cultivator Foundation Establishment expert would hold back on how much energy they put into each attack. Only during decisive moments would they draw heavily from their spiritual sea to augment their attacks to the maximum. It was a concept Li Lang was quite familiar with, as he had abused it to overpower his foes when he had yet to break through.

The only difference was that catching enemies in the Foundation Establishment Realm off guard didn’t pay off as much. They all had a persistent layer of protection that didn’t need conscious efforts to put up.

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Nevertheless, Li Lang’s ability to constantly supercharge his attacks allowed his attacks to break skin despite his lack of power. It was enough to infect his enemies with poison.

Half a dozen silver needles swerved through the air under the backdrop of the constant fighting. The Radiant Wing Sect cultivators were quite interesting specimens for Li Lang to watch. They utilized showy moves that centered around the light attribute with a wing motif, but also made generous use of subtle Qi arts of the wind element that just shifted their momentum minutely. These small adjustments blended well with their fluid martial arts and made a huge difference at the right moment. It opened Li Lang’s eyes to new possibilities of training his students.

Replicating such masterful use of low-power techniques would be a great boon for most of his students who had only grade one or two aptitude. He wanted to pick their brains to formulate a proper training plan, but it would have to wait until they escaped.

“Someone find the insufferable pest controlling those needles and eliminate them already!” Li Lang heard one of the assailants shout out in frustration.

“We can’t move forward when you fools in the back are letting them support their allies unhindered. You better keep it together and start pulling your weight, or you’ll regret it after this!”

The enemies showed no attempt to hide their bickering, catching the attention of the orthodox cultivators. A fighting retreat was well within their abilities, but if one could help it, no one would want to retreat. They could see a crack expanding in the opposing force’s cooperation, an opportune weakness to exploit to their advantage.

Sharing an understanding gaze with each other, the Radiant Wing Sect disciples pushed back with everything they had. The momentum shift was instant. The prey suddenly became the predator as the righteous sect members aggressively pushed into their enemies.

It completely broke the rhythm they had established, causing the ambushers to react late.

Just as several rogue cultivators in the back were putting up various defensive measures against the oncoming wave of attack, needles flying low to the floor coursed through their position. They deviously targeted their footing, causing several people to fall to their knees. A decisive member even dared to slice a chunk off his calf, fearing the poison would disrupt them.

Unfortunately for them, not everyone was so decisive, even though they knew Recovery Pills could undo the damage in time. Still, what action they took didn’t matter. They were still distracted for a second, which could be fatal. It was.

Li Lang’s allies had sent out a barrage of blinding light. They expertly bypassed the melee and struck the distracted foes in the vitals, earning them new holes in their bodies. Once one collapsed, several more soon followed. It was like the domino effect, as the fewer people they had, the less resistance they could put up. The fight swung in one direction in an instant.

The battle quickly delved into a one-sided affair. The ambushers were now running for their lives. They stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed a few figures standing in their way.

Three Li Langs emerged from the shadow, putting up a barrier in their path of escape.

“Run them over, now!”

These assailants were more than capable of destroying Li Lang’s clones, but they didn’t have the time to spare. Just as they finished casting their Qi arts to clear the obstacles, Jing Song caught up.

“No more running, vermin! Time to do what you’re good for—dying!”

“Jing Song!” Mu Hanyue cried out from his heels. “We want to keep a few of them alive.”

The arrogant young man scoffed and swung his blade. Blood splattered on the ground as even more liquid gushed out of his victim. The other Radiant Wing Sect disciples made their move soon after as well, incapacitating the remaining foes.

Once it was done, Jing Song flicked a Recovery Pill into the mouths of those who were bleeding out and snickered toward his supposed leader.

“There, happy?”

“Very.”

Rolling his eyes, Jing Song swiftly made himself scarce. He wordlessly passed by Li Lang, who was heading in the opposite direction, and stood guard around the perimeter.

“I see you made some friends here,” Li Lang said as soon as he reached within earshot of Mu Hanyue. “Shall we have a chat with them?”

The righteous disciple nodded. “I’m curious about their origin as well. Why were they waiting to ambush us as we were on our way out? If they were in here the entire time, couldn’t they have slaughtered us when we were under this place’s illusion?”

“I have my guesses, but let’s hear it from their mouths directly,” Li Lang replied.

Like that, two people walked up to the captives with eyes that wanted to pierce through their targets’ brains to reveal all their secrets. It was enough to cause most people in the same position to panic, but these ambushers didn’t.

Their expressions remained stoic, glaring at their captors with a strange animalistic glint in their eyes.