Chapter 182: The Correct Way to Cultivate a Spiritual Weapon!
"Last time I pinned you to the ground—do you really not know why? Do you have zero self-awareness?"
Jiang Lin, well aware of the principle that "moderate fitness attracts the opposite sex, but excessive fitness attracts the same sex," was firmly determined never to attract men. Never in this lifetime.
But because of the unique nature of the Forging Flame Art, he had no choice but to become a body-tempering cultivator. So, like it or not, Jiang Lin was always on guard around Xiao Yan. Unless absolutely necessary, he avoided physical contact with him—he was terrified the guy would start saying weird things and drag him down a questionable path.
And just look at him now—already talking nonsense every day. If Jiang Lin were even slightly nicer, who knows what would happen?
Thus, Jiang Lin routinely used fists and feet to correct Xiao Yan's mindset and prevent his "decline."
"Alright, alright! Can't we just talk like normal people? Quit hitting me!" Beaten into clarity, Xiao Yan clutched his head, crouched to the side, wearing a helpless expression.
"I was just trying to lighten the mood! It gets way too serious around here!" he protested.
"You took aphrodisiac powder and then jumped me from behind—do you have any idea how lucky you are I didn't just punch you into the afterlife?!"
Jiang Lin shot him a glare and ignored him after that, turning to Yun Zhi and calmly explained, "Last time was due to special circumstances. I couldn't let either of you move, so I chose positions that restrained you. This time, since we're all conscious and aware, we'll use a normal formation."
—A short while later—
Xiao Yan looked up at Jiang Lin, who now had him firmly stomped underfoot, confusion written all over his face: "This… This is what you call a normal position???"
"Stop messing around already," Yun Zhi said, watching the two clowns before her with helpless amusement. Though she didn't have to lie in Jiang Lin's arms again, she oddly felt both relieved… and a tiny bit disappointed?
The first time, Jiang Lin had held Yun Zhi in his arms with one hand to stop the drugged woman from squirming around or touching him randomly. Since she was not only a woman but a Dou Huang as well, it wouldn't have been appropriate for him to pin her down like Xiao Yan. If she had recovered and lashed out in humiliation, it would've been disastrous.
Jiang Lin had carefully used his spiritual sense to guide the crimson-gold Dou Qi like threading a needle through her blood vessels—not to have her actively cultivate the Forging Flame Art. Any errant movement from her could have misaligned the flow and caused internal injuries.
In the end, the three of them sat in a triangle formation, palms pressed together. Buzz! Jiang Lin's inner flame ignited once again—the dual cultivation + freeloader "triple cultivation" combo was back in action!
One week later, Jiang Lin's aura erupted. A magnificent, tangible robe of crimson-gold flame coalesced around him—
Seven-Star Dou Shi! Achieved!
"That kid's talent isn't even human!" Yao Chen's voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind the moment Jiang Lin broke through.
"Teacher, why do you say that?" Both Xiao Yan and Yun Zhi had broken from the triple cultivation state and were staring at Jiang Lin in awe.
"Perfect crimson-gold Dou Qi! Perfect Spirit Tribe bloodline! Perfect soul domain! Perfect comprehension! Paired with a perfect technique! Every one of those is an extremely rare trait—and they've all landed in him!" Yao Chen was stunned. He'd never seen anyone able to use this kind of method to rapidly cultivate the Forging Flame Art.
"Elemental affinity ratio is also a form of talent. Your fire-wood balance is top-tier, but his fire-metal combination is flawless. Fire refines metal, and metal tempers the body! No wonder there are rumors that the Spirit Tribe are descendants of imperial weapon forgers!"
"His Forging Flame Art has even refined his Spirit Tribe bloodline into something entirely new—erasing its limitations and raising its potential!" After days of observing Jiang Lin through this triple cultivation setup, Yao Chen had finally understood the uniqueness of Jiang Lin's bloodline.
If Jiang Lin had possessed a divine-grade bloodline, then once awakened, he would already be a Dou Zun or Dou Sheng. But that wasn't the case. His bloodline had been completely re-tempered by the Forging Flame Art. Or rather, it hadn't been erased—it had been transformed.
His Spirit Tribe bloodline had lost its ability to awaken, and among the Eight Ancient Clans, that was basically the same as losing the bloodline entirely.
"No wonder… No wonder! No wonder those rumors exist—this technique is too insane! No, insane isn't the right word. This technique shouldn't even be something humans are capable of cultivating." The more Yao Chen understood Jiang Lin, the more ignorant he felt.
"Xiao Yanzi, there are things I can't tell you yet, but understand this—standing next to you might be the sharpest blade ever forged by the ancient tribes. Whether he succeeds or fails, build a strong bond with him. If you one day inherit what he leaves behind, there will be a place for you on this continent." Yao Chen couldn't go into too much detail about the Spirit Tribe yet—Xiao Yan wasn't ready—but he did give him a second world mission, besides collecting Heavenly Flames: stay close to Jiang Lin.
Xiao Yan blinked. "..."
Keep building rapport? He was already getting punched and kicked by Jiang Lin on the daily!
If beatings counted as bonding, then Xiao Yan figured he was doing pretty well on that front.
Still...
First, he was supposed to inherit Yao Chen's legacy.
Now, Jiang Lin's too?
"Teacher, are we on some kind of inheritance-collection quest?"
"Hm? What nonsense are you babbling? The Spirit Tribe is probably planning something big. When you grow stronger, you must head to Central Plains. Once you get there, everything will become clear," Yao Chen replied.
As Xiao Yan and Yao Chen chatted, Jiang Lin successfully completed his breakthrough to Seven-Star Dou Shi.
After exchanging a few words with the others, he returned to the triple cultivation state.
In the blink of an eye, the promised half-month had passed. Jiang Lin withdrew from cultivation, and the trio exited the energy circulation.
Just as he'd hoped, Jiang Lin had reached the late stage of Seven-Star Dou Shi, nearly at the cusp of eight stars. But now he'd used up all his crystal pills and needed to refine a new batch to maintain his rapid cultivation pace.
Yun Zhi's presence had given Jiang Lin a completely new realization.
At this moment, he finally understood the correct way to cultivate the Forging Flame Art.
All this time, he had viewed himself as a human—thinking like a human.
But in truth, if he saw himself from the perspective of a spiritual weapon… the answer became very simple:
A spiritual weapon must be powered by multiple energy sources!
(END CHAPTER)
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