Chapter 45: Blind People are Not Easy to Push Around

In the following days, Su Chen had a new responsibility apart from going to the True Jade Pavilion to learn from Tang Zhen. Every day, he had to cultivate his new absorption technique and Origin Skills.

What’s important to note is that absorption techniques and Origin Skills served different purposes and are cultivated differently.

Absorption techniques would increase one’s cultivation base, increasing one’s strength by assimilating more Origin Energy. What improved was one’s holistic strength and Origin Energy levels.

Origin Skills were methods to use Origin Energy. What they honed was one’s combat ability.

The two shared absolutely no common ground. That is to say, cultivating an Origin Skill did nothing to increase one’s cultivation base.

The same could be said for producing Origin Stones.

Origin Stones were obtained by infusing one’s Origin Energy into a special stone that could hold it. However, using Origin Energy to do so was not the same thing as cultivating and would not increase one’s cultivation base. In addition, the pure Origin Energy in the body would accumulate impurities after it entered the Origin Stone. Thus, they could only be used to recover the Origin Energy that one used; they could not be used to increase one’s cultivation base.

Thus, creating Origin Stones would only grant one riches, but did nothing to increase one’s cultivation base.

If one viewed cultivation as a process of leveling up, then leveling up, combat prowess and riches were three horse carriages that were traveling parallel to one another. It was impossible to ride more than one at a time.

Of course, this didn’t mean that one couldn’t switch between them.

One could exchange Origin Stones for precious spirit herbs and medicine, which could be used to increase one’s cultivation. Cultivating a powerful Origin Skill and using it to kill powerful Vicious Beasts could also grant one riches. Increasing one’s cultivation base could similarly allow one’s Origin Skills to become stronger and increase one’s battle prowess.

The three could be considered to complement each other. As for which area to focus on and develop most, that depended on individual preference and selection.

Those who enjoyed doing business could infuse their Origin Energy to make Origin Stones as their capital. Those without entrepreneurial leanings and who didn’t want to take risks could spend their time absorbing Origin Energy and steadily advance. Those who loved battle would cultivate their Origin Skills. Although their cultivation bases were similarly important, they did not have as immediate a result as cultivating an Origin Skill.

Without question, Su Chen would pick the third route.

This was the most radical and dangerous route, but without question it was also the fastest way to gain strength and the most long-term focused route.

The path of an Origin Qi Scholar was a path of heroes in the first place. Only the strongest and bravest heroes could travel the farthest on this path.

As for Su Chen, he had an even simpler reason for choosing this path - the Origin Energy dots.

Only through battle could he utilize his ability to see Origin Energy lights.

Thus, for the most part, what Su Chen cultivated the most was the Flowing Wind Body Technique and the Soul Eye.

In only a month’s time, Su Chen’s Flowing Wind Body had reached the stage of small success.

His physical body had experienced a great increase in terms of strength. If he had the strength of ten horses at the ninth layer of Body Tempering, then once he had entered the Qi Drawing Realm, Su Chen had the strength of twenty horses. Now that he had cultivated the Flowing Wind Body Technique, in just a month of time Su Chen’s strength had increased by another ten horses. His speed and reaction time had also significantly increased.

Comparatively, his cultivation of the Soul Eye was much slower.

After a month of cultivating, Su Chen had only formed a preliminary Origin Energy talisman. He had not yet gotten to setting up the Origin Energy pattern.

Origin Energy patterns were a special component of using Arcana techniques. Origin Qi Scholars had to condense an Origin Energy pattern before being able to release the corresponding Arcana technique. Every Arcana Origin Skill had a corresponding Origin Energy pattern. Even people who cultivated the same kind of Arcana technique might have small differences in their Origin Energy patterns.

In comparison, current Origin Skills did not require any Origin Energy patterns; instead, it only required an Origin Energy talisman. During battle, one only had to activate this Origin Energy talisman to release the corresponding Origin Skill.

When compared to an Origin Energy pattern, an Origin Energy talisman was much more flexible, but the power they could produce was relatively lower.

In any case, ancient Arcana techniques mainly focused on long-range, explosive attacks. Current Origin Skills focused on adaptability, sustainability, and limiting Origin Energy waste.

Neither one was objectively superior to the other. It only depended on which one fit the situation. Current Origin Skills were better suited for the current environment, so ancient Arcana techniques slowly began to disappear.

However, the Improved Arcana technique that Su Chen had obtained was slightly different. It incorporated the benefits of ancient Arcana techniques and current Origin Skills. One had to construct both an Origin Energy talisman and an Origin Energy pattern, greatly enhancing both the flexibility and the strength of this Improved Arcana technique. However, the difficulty in learning them was extremely high, since one had to study not only the Origin Energy pattern but also the Origin Energy talisman.

The Flowing Wind Body Technique was not so bad. Passive Origin Skills were not very complicated, so they were relatively easier to cultivate. However, the Soul Eye was an exemplary model of combining the two routes.

After cultivating for a month, Su Chen could barely activate the Soul Eye. Every time he activated it, he had to spend lots of time and energy to do so. He was far from being able to use it as he wished. As for determining any additional effects that the Soul Eye would have on his own eyes, he had placed that to the side for now. It would require a certain level of understanding and experience of Origin Skills in the first place.

What truly made Su Chen excited, however, was his improvement in the Snaking Mist Steps.

One time, when he was practicing the Snaking Mist Steps, Su Chen unintentionally infused his Origin Energy into it. Unexpectedly, the speed of the Snaking Mist Steps drastically increased.

The Snaking Mist Steps was originally a kind of Origin Skill, but it could only be used to its full potential when one possessed Origin Energy. Otherwise, it could not have been considered one of the Gu Clan’s three absolute techniques. His Origin Energy talisman had already been formed when he had been initially practicing it. However, it had gradually been awakened after he became an Origin Qi Scholar. However, techniques like the Su Clan’s Flaming Tiger Fist could not establish a talisman while still in the Body Refinement stage. If he wanted that technique to become an Origin Skill, he would have to cultivate it.

This also meant that Su Chen had three Origin Skills. His strength had increased in leaps and bounds from how he was before.

Unfortunately, the level of his cultivation base basically had not changed.

A month and a half ago, Su Chen was in the first layer of the Qi Drawing Realm and had twelve Yellow Stars. A month and a half later, Su Chen was still in the first layer of the Qi Drawing Realm and still only had twelve Yellow Stars.

This was the outcome of focusing all one’s efforts on cultivating Origin Skills.

However, Su Chen did not care. He had devised a plan long before this.

Today was a good day to execute it.

The sky was clear, and the sun was shining bright.

Su Chen returned from the True Jade Pavilion. Just as he got off his horse carriage, a footboy came to greet him, “Fourth Young Master has returned.”

Ever since he had beaten Su Qian and crippled Mo Dayan, then further beaten Yan Wushuang, Su Chen’s name had begun to flourish. At the very least, underlings no longer dared to provoke this Young Master.

Even if the other party was a “blind person”, they were not someone that could carelessly be provoked.

Of course, those of the same status as him might not care.

Just as Su Chen had answered and was going to head through the door, someone else walked out of it, directly running into Su Chen.

It was Su Qian.

Perhaps there was something that he was rushing to do, but Su Qian’s head was lowered as he was rushing somewhere. He didn’t expect that he would actually crash headlong into Su Chen.

Originally, this matter wasn’t really a big deal. However, Su Qian’s expression sank. “Damned blind man, only knowing how to block the road.”

Although he had inadvertently blurted it out, it was something that he had suppressed for many years in his heart. Thus, he didn’t think very much about it when he spoke.

Perhaps even if he had thought about it, Su Qian may still have said this anyways.

Although Su Chen had beaten Su Qian before, Su Qian always believed that Su Chen had only been lucky. If they had another opportunity to exchange blows, he definitely would not lose.

It was this belief that made Su Qian believe that he was still the strongest among the Su Clan’s third generation, even though Su Chen had painfully beaten Su Yue and crippled Mo Dayan.

Upon hearing Su Qian speak, Su Chen’s eyebrows raised slightly. “What did you say?”

“I said ‘you damned blind person, you’re blocking my way. What, are you not satisfied?” Su Qian replied, his expression full of provocation.

So what if I call you a damned blind person, what can you do to me?

However, he silently retreated a few steps.

Su Chen acted as if he hadn’t noticed. He thought for a moment, then said, “Although I received a small amount of benefit from my last trip to the Scarlet Mountain Range, I’ve always been a little regretful that I never obtained a Cloud Bat. You know that was the reason why I had chosen the Scarlet Punishment in the first place.”

Hm?

What did he mean, saying this now?

Su Qian did not understand.

Su Chen had already spoken, “What I mean is that I want to go there again.”

Su Chen’s expression suddenly changed.

Su Qian retreated again.

But it was already too late.

In front of him, Su Chen suddenly morphed into a shadow. In an instant, he had closed the distance between him and Su Qian, directly slamming into Su Qian’s bosom.

His left hand had already latched onto Su Qian’s throat. Su Chen laughed darkly, “I’ve got you now.”

Su Qian was extremely surprised. He was already being extremely careful, but why was it that no matter how he tried to evade it, he was still instantly grabbed?

In the next moment, Su Chen’s Iron Fist had already been directed towards Su Qian.

Directly slamming into the bridge of Su Qian’s nose.