Chapter 55: Lightning and Ice Rain
"Old Chen must have done it on purpose!"
"How could he, a military Sinoong, fail to control the Method?" Zhao Xing rubbed his slightly sore shoulders, watching as a layer of frost melted into the water. "It must have been influenced by my Magic Arts, causing him to have a nightmare, and he doesn't want to admit it. Did he hear me call him Old Chen?"
Zhao Xing had just seen Chen Shi's face full of distress, not knowing what had happened, and in a moment of urgency, he called out Old Chen. Dreams, in this world, are not uncommon occurrences; he was worried that something had happened to Chen Shi.
"One day, I'll surpass Old Chen, and by then, Little Chen..." Zhao Xing smiled slightly, patted his shoulder, and walked away leisurely.
Daytime is not suitable for practicing [Yin Wind] Magic Arts, so Zhao Xing postponed it to the evening. Grasping the earth's pulse and capturing the Yin Wind from the ground is quite challenging. But even without reaching a full turn, its power is extraordinary. This Magic Arts is essential for Zhao Xing to master, and he must excel in it.
"The Yin Wind Method not only harms people but is also a necessary condition for cultivating certain [rare] items."
"For example, the Soul Returning Grass, which is extremely difficult to grow without Yin Wind, but with it, can mature faster."
In the early morning, he would cultivate the young pear trees, making them [lush and vigorous]. After leaving, he went to the Department of Agriculture, where Zhao Xing practiced lightning summoning in Xue Wen Zhong's backyard.
Old Sinoong is quite strong in the Thunder Method, and in terms of control and finesse, Chen Shi might not necessarily be stronger than Xue Wen Zhong.
"Summoning Thunder and striking Thunder are just a step apart, and that step is controlling the direction of the Thunder's dispersal."
"In fact, the Thunder Magic Arts already produce considerable Thunder power, but there's no Method to break free from the constraints of the Cloud. Even if it breaks free, there's no Method to act according to the practitioner's will."
"To summon Thunder, you need to strengthen your control over the Cloud, directing the Thunder's power to tilt out at a fixed angle," Xue Wen Zhong patiently explained.
"So the key to summoning Thunder isn't striking Thunder, but controlling the Cloud?" Zhao Xing looked at the Cloud Layer in Xue Wen Zhong's palm and couldn't help but nod.
Old Sinoong's teaching method is indeed unique. After decades of immersion, he has developed his own understanding of Magic Arts. Three feet of heavenly Thunder, Cloud control in the palm, this skill is enough for someone to study for a lifetime.
To shrink the Cloud to this extent, the Thunder's power not only doesn't diminish but increases, resembling the 'Thunder in the Palm' Zhao Xing had seen in a wuxia novel!
This is the effect of delving into a Magic Arts, constantly breaking through limits.
How many turns has Old Sinoong's Cloud control and Thunder summoning reached? Even Old Sinoong himself might not be clear.
The straw men moved swiftly, their bodies agile. Made from Yuan straw, they ran continuously in the courtyard, seemingly avoiding something.
The Cloud Layer overhead covered the entire backyard, occasionally striking down a bolt of lightning.
"Boom!" The Thunder struck a straw man, and after a flash of light, the straw man caught fire and collapsed to the ground.
Not just one, but many more were still jumping around, hiding in various places.
The straw men weren't made by Zhao Xing, but by Xue Wen Zhong. Hitting them was quite troublesome.
Their movement speed was too fast. By the time Zhao Xing aimed, the straw man had already moved to another position.
"Unless it's a chaotic strike with a large coverage area, my hit rate is too low, only about thirty percent," Zhao Xing thought.
But Old Sinoong wouldn't let him do that, because the straw men were also confined within the Thunder Cloud's range, meant to train his proficiency.
Who wouldn't know how to do a chaotic strike? What's the point of practicing then?
"If you can destroy seventy percent of the straw men before noon, your Thunder summoning Method will have reached a new level," Xue Wen Zhong said.
He had a good grasp of Zhao Xing's aptitude and comprehension, so the straw men he released were all very fast and agile.
Zhao Xing wasn't discouraged, slowly finding his rhythm. The experience of controlling as a player in the previous life and the current control of Magic Arts were quite different, but in the gradual blending, he also regained some of his touch.
[You have performed the Thunder summoning Method, Magic Arts proficiency +20]
[You have performed the Thunder summoning Method, Magic Arts proficiency +30]
[You have performed the Thunder summoning Method, Magic Arts proficiency +45]
"Boom!" "Boom!"
Fully immersed, Zhao Xing's hit rate gradually increased.
When the clock showed noon, all the straw men in the backyard had turned to ash.
"Phew~" Zhao Xing glanced at the panel.
[Thunder Summoning: Intermediate Magic Arts]
[Proficiency: 1025/9999]
[Effect: Summon Thunder to strike enemies]
"I've reached seven turns in Thunder striking and nine turns in Cloud control. The previous Magic Arts are already so pure, yet it took a whole morning to gain just one turn. Although the proficiency cap hasn't changed, the difficulty has increased significantly compared to the initial stage," Zhao Xing thought.
He felt it was a bit slow, but Xue Wen Zhong was quite satisfied, giving Zhao Xing the afternoon off to arrange his own schedule.
The afternoon's destination was the Chen Mansion.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Shen Zhui was waiting in the Chen Mansion's courtyard.
"Brother Zhao, please."
"Brother Shen, please."
The two stood twenty meters apart, then once again began their game of chase.
This was their third duel.
The opening was no different from the previous two times.
Zhao Xing still used Cloud control, Thunder striking, Rain casting, and Rising Wind simultaneously.
Shen Zhui was already familiar with his routine and immediately pursued after ten breaths.
However, after the Rain fell, Shen Zhui felt something unusual.
"Why is this Rain so cold?" Shen Zhui had only run a few steps in the Rain when he felt something was off.
He looked up, watching the water droplets drip from his bamboo hat onto his brow.
"Ah~" Shen Zhui couldn't help but shiver.
Cold, it was too cold.
It felt like this wasn't summer Rain, but winter Rain.
Shen Zhui even felt like he needed to put on more clothes.
"What kind of Rain is this? It's completely different from the previous two times."
"I must use Yuan energy to resist the cold invasion, or it will greatly affect my mobility."
Although each drop of Rain had a minimal effect, it was a continuous accumulation.
Shen Zhui knew he had to act quickly.
On the other side, Zhao Xing, who was hiding, calculated while holding a straw man.
"Against Shen Zhui, I can't use Yin Wind easily. After all, he's not Chen Shi, and he can easily resist it. So, only Ice Rain and Thunder summoning Methods are available."
"First, reduce his mobility, then use Thunder to strike him."
Yin Wind harms the soul, Ice Rain harms the body.
"Ice Rain Magic Arts also utilize Yin attributes, but it's much easier than Yin Wind. Water is inherently Yin, and by guiding it with Yuan energy and eliminating the Yang attributes in the Cloud, Ice Rain can be formed."
Old Sinoong taught Thunder summoning, pointing out that the key lies in controlling the Cloud. Zhao Xing applied this logic to Ice Rain Magic Arts, and indeed, it was easy to grasp.
"Splash~" The Rain fell on his hand, and Zhao Xing felt the coldness.
Although he had just started, and the proficiency was far from a full turn, as long as he dragged it out long enough, it would greatly deplete Shen Zhui's Yuan energy and reduce his mobility.
A game of chase? Here, Zhao Xing wasn't just running away!
Previously, he had no offensive Magic Arts, but now he did, so he certainly wouldn't just wait to be caught!
(End of Chapter)