Chapter 126: Creating a New Soul Skill Once Again—What Is Wind?
Welcome our new Patrons: Alejandro Delgado, Alexander Pearce and arima1f! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to 'Chapter 232: The Pattern of the Phoenix Transformation, Seven Treasures Transcend with Luster' on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
------------------------------------------------------
Within the governor's mansion, on the training grounds.
Dai Chengfeng stood silently, holding his halberd. His soul power surged around him as a pair of dark azure wings made of wind unfurled behind his back.
Three massive "wind tornadoes" erupted violently from the ground, with Dai Chengfeng at their center. The entire training ground was stirred into chaos by the powerful gusts of wind, sending dust flying everywhere.
However, just as everyone assumed the technique would soon take shape, an unexpected change occurred.
After spreading out for several meters, the three raging winds suddenly began to shake violently without warning. Cracks appeared in the tightly rotating walls of wind, causing them to completely lose control.
Buzz—
Following this, a sharp whistling sound rang out as the winds began to collapse rapidly from the top.
The pillars of wind dispersed into chaotic currents that scattered in all directions. The lightning-like glow dimmed and faded, and within the blink of an eye, the previously fierce wind columns vanished without a trace, leaving only a cloud of lingering dust to mark what had transpired.
"Did he fail?"
Dugu Bo frowned slightly, a flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Zhu Fan, however, smiled confidently, his lips curling upward. "It's only… just beginning!"
"Only… just beginning?"
As he spoke, Zhu Fan suddenly paused, struck by a sudden realization. He chuckled awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face.
"This phrase sounds so familiar…"
"I see now that my understanding of Chengfeng still isn't clear enough. If he were someone who would back down in the face of Xu Guotao's influence, he wouldn't have created such a powerful soul skill as the White Tiger Overlord Spear!"
"After all, I know exactly how many failures he endured before finally succeeding!"
"Chengfeng, Uncle was wrong!"
Zhu Fan sighed softly, fell silent, and gazed pensively at the resolute figure on the training ground.
Meanwhile, on the training ground—
Dai Chengfeng still stood silently, holding his halberd. Watching the three whirlwinds that had suddenly shattered, his brows furrowed slightly, and his deep eyes filled with contemplation, yet not a trace of discouragement could be seen.
"To lift like a tiger leaping from the mountain, swallowing rivers and devouring skies;
To seize like an eagle striking a rabbit, swift and unstoppable;
To block like a boulder obstructing a river, steady and unyielding;
To grasp like a dragon seizing a pearl, precise and ruthless;
To entwine like a snake coiling around a tree, flexible and adaptable;
To surge like angry waves overturning ships, overwhelmingly powerful;
To encircle like a rainbow piercing the sun, smooth and flawless;
To loop like a dragon playing with a phoenix, agile and graceful."
"Previously, I relied on the verse 'to lift like a tiger leaping from the mountain, swallowing rivers and devouring skies' from the spear manual left behind by Xiang Yu, combined with my first soul skill—the Innate Origin Metal Qi—to create the first form of the White Tiger Overlord Spear: City Destroyer."
"Now, after combining my long-term insights into spear techniques with newfound clarity of mind, I've finally reached another breakthrough…"
"But why did the whirlwinds suddenly shatter?"
"I thought I had perfectly combined my third soul skill with the phrase 'to surge like angry waves overturning ships, overwhelmingly powerful.'"
"What went wrong?"
Dai Chengfeng was full of confusion, muttering softly to himself.
"Since I can't figure it out, I'll try again!"
With that, Dai Chengfeng flipped the halberd in his right hand. His eyes burned with determination as his soul power surged like a torrential tide, flowing ceaselessly into the weapon.
In an instant, a violent wind rose on the training ground, shaking the surrounding air with a buzzing hum.
The muscles of Dai Chengfeng's right arm tensed, veins bulging. He raised the halberd high above his head, its tip pointing toward the heavens. Soul power and the Nine Profound Winds flowed along the shaft like serpents, emitting a dark azure glow.
"Third soul skill, stabilize!"
Flap, flap, flap—
In a flash, the Nine Profound Wind Wings on Dai Chengfeng's back flapped, stirring the surrounding air into small vortexes.
These vortexes intertwined and merged, gradually forming three even larger wind columns that erupted from beneath Dai Chengfeng's feet.
The wind columns carried sand and gravel, emitting a sharp whistle…
"Kill!"
This time, Dai Chengfeng's movements were even smoother, each pose brimming with power and intensity, his momentum growing stronger…
The three whirlwinds instantly swept forward…
One meter…
Two meters…
Three meters…
Until they reached three meters away.
Buzz—
Once again, the sharp whistling sounded as the winds began to collapse rapidly from the top.
The result remained the same as before.
"Again!"
Dai Chengfeng let out a low growl and swung the halberd once more.
Failure followed failure…
But despite the repeated failures, Dai Chengfeng believed that each attempt brought him one step closer to success.
And indeed, that was the case.
The whirlwinds, which had initially extended only three meters, now stretched to ten meters.
Yet in the end, they still collapsed and failed.
Time passed.
By the time Zhu Yan came to report that the residents and soldiers of Wu'an City had been pacified, Zhu Fan had gone to handle the reopening of the Dujiangyan project.
Dugu Bo and Ye Renxin shook their heads. Led by the maidservants, they took Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan to dinner first…
And eventually, everyone succumbed to exhaustion from the journey and fell into a deep sleep.
Only Dai Chengfeng persisted!
Above, the bright moon hung high in the sky, its cold light shining down like silver.
On the training ground, only Dai Chengfeng remained—no audience, no spectators.
"Always missing something?"
Drenched in sweat, Dai Chengfeng muttered softly, his gaze fixed intently on the halberd in his hands.
He quietly reflected on every step of the process—from the application of the verses to the flow of soul power, from the connection of moves to the control of the soul skill—not overlooking any detail.
"No!"
At this moment, Dai Chengfeng suddenly realized something.
"I've been trapped by the name of the Overlord Spear Technique all along."
"The second form isn't City-Crushing, nor is it tied to the Innate Origin Metal Qi. Wind, by its very nature, is flexible and ever-changing!"
"I've been blindly pursuing overwhelming force, neglecting the essential characteristics of wind."
"To encircle like a rainbow piercing the sun, smooth and flawless; to loop like a dragon playing with a phoenix, agile and graceful…"
"Ah, so that's what it means! No wonder it comes from Xiang Yu, the Western Chu Overlord!"
At this moment, enlightenment finally dawned on Dai Chengfeng. A look of excitement spread across his face.
"Let's go again!"
Dai Chengfeng lightly flicked the halberd in his hand, as if conversing with the wind. His soul power no longer surged forth recklessly like before but instead flowed gently and rhythmically, like a babbling brook in the mountains.
Though it seemed soft, it contained boundless strength.
The next moment,
Dai Chengfeng's body turned slightly, and the halberd traced an elegant arc through the air, as fluid and perfect as a rainbow piercing the sun.
At the same time, he skillfully channeled the power of his third soul skill, allowing his soul power to coil around the halberd like a nimble dragon.
This time, as he exerted his strength again, a gentle breeze began to stir in the air. The breeze gradually gathered, forming three dark azure whirlwinds.
Unlike before…
This time, the whirlwinds were no longer violent and fleeting but carried a sense of agility and enduring vitality. Lightning flickered within them, blending seamlessly with the gentleness of the wind.
"White Tiger Overlord Spear, Second Form: Soaring Gust!"
Dai Chengfeng called out, his voice brimming with confidence!
He knew—this time, he had absolutely succeeded!
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow