Chapter 130
Chapter 130: Equipment Drive Techniques
March 4, 2018
Of course, Li Qing Shan understood the strength of the 6th level Qi Refining. For opening the Sea of Qi has been often compared to condensing a Demon Core. He has often understood how much his strength has actually increased ever since he condensed his own Demon Core. It was simply a qualitative change.
However, as for information on the enemy, there was never such a thing as knowing too much. He wanted to also know how humans managed to compete against demons. 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioners such as Zhao Liang Qing, were far too lacklustre. Qing Shan then humbly asked: “Then I humbly request for my lord’s advice!”
Zhou Wen Bin said: "The power of mankind lies not in the strength of merely one’s body. Or else, no matter in terms of True Qi or body tenacity, we would be unable to resist against even the simplest of demons. This much you should know!"
Li Qing Shan nodded: “The strength of humans lies in using tools." He clearly remembered in his previous life during his lessons on politics that his teacher mentioned about how the greatest difference between humans and animals lied in the invention and usage of tools. Even in this world of cultivation, this point remained the same.
Zhou Wen Bin’s eyes shined as he said: "Well said. But do you truly feel the importance of tools? Such as the Wind Severing Blade at your waist, do you feel that it has truly increased your strength?”
Li Qing Shan subconsciously touched the Wind Severing Blade, and then slowly shook his head. Although the Wind Severing Blade was a good weapon, but for him, it was not essential, nor did it cause him to have a qualitative increase in strength.
Zhou Wen Bin said: "Because you have not really learned how to use tools? Now this knife, to you, is merely like a beast’s claw and you are only able to use it instinctively. Those who are able to use their weapons to conduct artistic swordplay in the outside world are actually only merely stronger than wild beasts. "
Li Qing Shan leaned forward, picked up the teapot and filled a cup of tea for Zhou Wen Bin: "Then please don’t mind me asking, what can be regarded as true usage of tools?
"Like this!" Zhou Wen Bin’s eyes shined and a blade flew out from his sleeves. It rapidly swam around him, sometimes low and sometimes high, drawing a never-ending arc of light.
Under the afternoon sun, the blade reflected light frequently, causing the sides of the two to shine constantly.
The blade then rushed into the sky, piercing through the willow branches, causing the willow leaves to fall like rain. However, before this “rain” could fall, the blade then shimmered before it stabbed and caused the hundred willow leaves to be pinned to the bark of the tree.
Zhou Wen Bin then pointed in another direction, before the blade moved off again, skimming across the surface of the pool, just like a sharp pair of scissors, cutting the surface of the lake before disappearing into the water. In the next instant, the blade appeared from the duckweed on the shore and returned to the sleeves of Zhou Wen Bin.
Li Qing Shan stared at this scene until he became dizzy. If he did not turn into his demonic form, he would not have any way to resist this sword. He once saw at the Dragon Gate Sect Ancestral hall how fearsome a Flying Sword could be. However, that flying sword had no one manipulating it and only knew to go in a straightforward direction, enabling him to recognise that he had insufficient knowledge of the true power of Flying Swords.
Now, he could be considered to have finally understood that upon encountering a true Flying Sword, he did not have any chance at blocking this kind of attack. Because without the restrictions of the human body, the agility of the Flying Sword surpassed even the nimblest of swordsmen.
It could only be imagined that, if one met this kind of Flying Sword as a form of assassination and was unable to ward it off in one strike, then it would be like a spirited snake as it snuck its way to piercing one’s heart. One could end up not even seeing the enemy and lose the chance to fight the enemy to the death.
Unless you could resist the sharpness of the Flying Sword, or be faster than the Flying Sword, did you stand a chance against it. However, how many people could truly do such a thing? This was the true usage of tools. Humans were able to supress the demons through this aspect.
He had seen this way of using tools in the hands of the Sword Palace Fei Long Elder. Zhou Wen Bin’s sword in comparison to Elder Fei Long’s sword was far worse. But because the gap in their strength was too large, he could only see the sword slashes as rain and the sword Qi as rainbows, resulting in destruction on the level of natural calamities.
Back then, his mind was filled with thoughts on that fearful overwhelming power and he had not really thought much on the exquisiteness and fearfulness of the Flying Sword, and was not as shocked as he was now. A reason that he was more shocked with regards to the Flying Sword now was the fact that he himself could also use tools in such a way.
Zhou Wen Bin said: "The so-called usage of tools, can be regarded to be more of a common saying. A more accurate phrasing would be “Equipment Drive”. " Sword device are more common spiritual devices. In the world, there are thousands of spiritual devices, some can be used to kill enemies, some can be used to resist enemy attacks, and some can even be used to confuse the minds of others. To sum it up, there are thousands of ways to use items, but as long as you have enough True Qi, then you would no longer be limited by your limbs and can use multiple spiritual devices at once and killing people will be like taking candy from a baby.
“And all this, requires you to open up the 4 meridians of ying and yang, balancing the path of ying yang. Then, you need to clear the paths to your meridians and open up the Ying Yang Qi Sea. There’s even a saying that only Qi Refining Practitioners that have opened up their Sea of Qi are considered true Qi Refining Practitioners that have entered the path of cultivation. Anyways, for a 6th Level Qi Refining Practitioner to kill a 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioner is extremely simple.
The implication was that, for a 1st Level Qi Refining Practitioner such as Qing Shan, he should not even consider his chances at winning. Even with body refining techniques at the side, he would not be a match for Zhuo Zhi Bo.
Li Qing Shan sincerely said: "No wonder. Thank you, my lord, for your advice, but the reason I so choose to stay behind is not because I do not know my limits."
The two then silently stared at one another, one firm and one in suspicion.
Zhou Wen Bin then said: "Since you insist, then I will not say much. If you need any help, you can go to the county office to find me, but you are Zhuo Zhi Bo’s subordinate after all, and I cannot flip on Zhuo Zhi Bo for you, so you should know your limits.”
Li Qing Shan laughed: "Of course."
Li Qing Shan’s relaxed casual attitude made Zhou Wen Bin feel as if he had simply made a mistake. Could it be that this kid had some powerful background?
"I now have one thing that I wish to ask of my lord. May I know where one can learn the Equipment Drive technique?" Li Qing Shan was greatly moved by Zhou Wen Bin's show. He instantly recalled how he had found the small handle-less sword in Zhao Liang Qing’s Hundred Treasure Pouch and that it was Zhao Liang Qing’s preparation for attaining the 6th Level of Qi Refining. Now that it fell into his hands, he would definitely have to put it to good use.
Zhou Wen Bin looked at him intensely: "Do you really think that the 6th Level of Qi Refining is so easy to breakthrough?”
Li Qing Shan said: "I will try my best." His eyes full of strong self-confidence, at least from a demons point of view, he has already reached this level.
Zhou Wen Bin did not doubt him, but rather, said: "Ordinary Equipment Drive techniques are well-known in the cultivation world. Teaching you this in advance is no issue."
Li Qing Shan curiously asked: "There are special Equipment Drive techniques?"
Zhou Wen Bin said: "The Hidden Sword Palace has its own unique Sword Drive techniques, not Equipment Drive, but Sword Drive. The Mysterious Ying Sect has its Ghost Manipulating Techniques, using ghosts as equipment. There are also Devilish paths that refine corpses to manipulate zombies. Every sect has its own Equipment Drive technique. I cannot know everything.”
Mysterious Ying Sect, Ghost Manipulation Technique! Li Qing Shan was moved. Thinking back to the book that he got from the hands of the Witch Doctor back then, wasn’t it the “Mysterious Ying Ghost Manipulation Technique”? These two definitely had some links between them. Perhaps clarifying the origin of the Witch Doctor would make Little An’s past clearer. He immediately asked: “Where is the Mysterious Ying Sect?”
This was common knowledge that everyone had to know in the Qing Province. Zhou Wen Bin casually answered in a few sentences and did not notice the strange face of Li Qing Shan.
Li Qing Shan wrote down eight characters, "Extremely Southern Land, Valley of Ten Thousand Ghosts," and for the first time learned about this superpower sect in Qing Province. However, without anymore information from Zhou Wen Bin, he did not ask any more questions regarding it.
His own strength was insufficient and was unable to travel to such a faraway place. Little An was unable to recall much and had not recovered his body of flesh. Underlying these numerous reasons, was Qing Shan’s selfish desire to never let Little An leave his side! He did not want to be alone again!
Although it was ridiculous, but this man that could transform into an over two Zhang tall monster that could easily crush humans like ants, had a heart like that of ordinary folks in the sense that he hated being lonely.
So, for the first time, when he had the chance to find out more about Little An’s circumstances, he lost his motivation to do so.
The sunlight was cut into pieces by the blade-like leaves of the willow tree, which sprinkled all over the body of the youth. He was not particularly handsome, but on his bronze chiselled face, there appeared a rare trace of doubt, but that was immediately resolved and he looked determined as ever to fulfil his promise and go with the flow.
Zhou Wen Bin then quickly taught him the techniques of Equipment Drive. The concept was not complicated, but it had strict requirements for one’s cultivation. After opening the Sea of QI, Qi Refining Practitioners still could not communicate with the Natural Spiritual Qi that easily. However, it was moving towards this direction as the practitioners began to be able to sense various types of items with spirits in them.
Of course, all things are spiritual. Even a flower or a blade of grass were of no exception. However, with greater spiritual Qi, the response would be stronger. Also, it’s not like one could manipulate the flora to hurt the enemy. Qi Refining Practitioners would choose a type of spiritual device and use their own body’s True Qi to refine it over time. This would be done until one developed a connection with the spiritual device and could manipulate it without contact, as if converting one self to become a magnet to move steel.
Li Qing Shan expressed his gratitude. The more common-sense things were, the more they were of help to him. Because this was common knowledge to Qi Refining Practitioners, it would be an essential foundation to their knowledge. He was but of common birth. Without a teacher, nor a sect, he had no chance to undergo such systematic education.
Zhou Wen Bin caressed his beard and laughed: "Is this going to be just empty talk?"
Li Qing Shan was shocked, could it be that this person wanted to be bribed?
Zhou Wen Bin hinted: "You should have had a lot of harvest last night. Such as some silver?" Li Qing Shan’s “borrowing” of the madam’s treasure pouch did not miss the eyes of Zhou Wen Bin.
Li Qing Shan was stunned: "But you, a dignified magistrate, a 6th Level Qi Refining Practitioner, governing the lives of hundreds of thousands, actually want money from a poor boy like me?”
Zhou Wen Bin said: "Why are you so loud? I didn’t even say I would take it off from you for free? Just because there are a lot of people, there are a lot of areas to spend money on. Those silver are useless in the hands of you. How about you give them to me and I exchange them with Qi Condensation Pills.”
Li Qing Shan was surprised: "What for?" Letting him use silver to buy Qi Condensation Pills. He would definitely be willing to. Unless he was planning on spending the money to purchase a “little sister” to accompany him, silver was mainly useless to him.
However, for a 6th Level Qi Refining Expert like Zhou Wen Bin, it was him who needed silver?