Chapter Nineteen: Psychic Energy Level Four

Thunder roared as the columns of water from the Thunderfall crashed into the Flying Dragon Pool below, shaking the earth with a deafening rumble.

Beneath the massive silver cascade, a small figure sat cross-legged atop a rock in a peculiar posture, practicing his breathing technique. Anyone who knew better would have laughed at this fool, for noise was one of the greatest obstacles to a spirit warrior’s internal cultivation. The thunderous clamor beneath the falls was enough to drive anyone mad—certainly not a place suited for inner training.

But Luo Chen was no fool. During this period, he had discovered yet another strange advantage to the altered version of the Aura Technique he practiced. Beyond its astonishing efficiency, it also boasted a remarkable resilience to distractions. For instance, now, once he entered the meditative state, the world seemed to fall silent. The roar of the Thunderfall was completely blocked out by the barrier of his mind.

His breathing gradually steadied. His heartbeat slowed, beating only once every five seconds. A gentle warmth separated from the air drawn into his chest, flowing steadily throughout his limbs and bones. On the middle finger of his left hand, a mysterious ring began to flicker, its light waxing and waning like a firefly in the night.

Expelling a breath of impure air, Luo Chen stood. This breathing session had taken nearly two hours, unusually long. The first session each morning—when the mind was sharpest and the ambient energy at its peak—always yielded the best results. The second session was much less effective, requiring four or five times longer, sometimes more, to reach saturation. Especially when the body was fatigued, the benefits became negligible. That was why most spirit warriors only practiced once daily.

For Luo Chen, the first session of the mutated Aura Technique each morning took over forty minutes. The second session lasted nearly three times as long, already a significant improvement over others. Thus, he could practice twice a day—yet another unique advantage of his altered technique.

He had once tried a third session in a single day, but the absorption of spiritual energy slowed to a crawl, forcing him to abandon the attempt. Still, he was content. That extra daily session brought undeniable advantages—a gift few could match.

It was said that some heretical techniques allowed for more than two sessions a day, but Luo Chen could not believe his mutated Aura Technique was evil. His breathing instructor, Hogg, had even guided him in private. If it were truly a forbidden art, Hogg would have noticed and put a stop to it at once.

As the session ended, the ring on his finger flashed for a moment, then went dark. Luo Chen had long since noticed this strange phenomenon after certain breathing sessions.

He raised his left hand, murmuring, “Buddy, just what are you?”

The ring gave no answer, for it was merely an object.

Luo Chen laughed at himself. “Am I losing it, talking to a ring?”

Although his session was over, Luo Chen was startled to find a faint warmth in his abdomen. Focusing his senses, he detected a gentle current, barely perceptible yet undeniably present.

Could this be what Instructor Hogg called ‘spiritual movement’?

Spiritual movement was the sign of breaking through from the third to the fourth level of spirit power. In cultivation, the divide between the first three levels and the fourth was vast. At the first three levels, spiritual energy was scattered throughout the body, lending strength to the muscles—allowing even a seemingly weak warrior to defeat brawny ordinary men.

But at the fourth level, a spirit warrior could gather the diffuse energy into a stream—a highly concentrated flow. Combat techniques drew upon this stream, unleashing attacks of tremendous destructive power. Before reaching the fourth level, spirit warriors could not practice these techniques.

In other words, only those who reached the fourth level of spirit power truly had the foundation to stand their ground on the continent.

Advancing from the third to the fourth level was a challenging process, and Luo Chen had been stuck at this bottleneck for quite some time. Now, sensing the legendary ‘spiritual movement,’ he was both excited and anxious.

Still uncertain, Luo Chen forced himself to remain calm and attempted to control the gentle current.

With a thought, the current surged, gathering warmth from all over his body as the latent energy within his limbs was drawn in. By the time the current reached his right hand, it had grown from a trickle to a small stream, its warmth intensifying so much that his hand grew hot.

Now Luo Chen was certain—this was indeed spiritual movement, for the energy could be directed by his will.

According to his instructor, the Aura Technique allowed one to form a spiritual current, but it was a mischievous thing. Without learning the more advanced techniques for controlling the energy—such as the Energy Command or combat skills—it could not yet be wielded to its full potential.

Though he had yet to learn how to truly control the stream, Luo Chen decided to test its effect.

His right hand burned with energy, the sensation growing uncomfortable, the spiritual power within begging for release. With a sharp cry, he shaped his fingers into a claw and slashed at a nearby scale pine.

The scale pine was a mutated plant, its species formed after energy from another dimension merged with Earth. It possessed incredible vitality, able to thrive even in the cracks of rocks, and its resilience was legendary—the red scales covering mature trees rivaled sheets of iron.

This particular pine was over ten years old, its trunk armored in crimson scales like a warrior in heavy plate.

With a ripping sound, several red scales were torn away by Luo Chen’s strike.

He was pleased. Even without any technique, relying solely on instinct, he had managed to rip scales from the pine—a feat in itself. If he learned true combat skills, he would become even stronger. The thought lifted his spirits.

The gulf between the third and fourth levels of spirit power was real—the difference in ability was clear. But it still wasn’t enough. Luo Chen knew he lagged behind many of his academy peers. He had to work even harder.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen strode once more toward the thunderous waterfall...

[The brothers ranked below are catching up fast. Every time I wake, I’ve lost a lot of popularity. Looks like the thieves really stay up all night watching the charts. Brothers, please throw your votes my way! Since making the list, I haven’t been knocked off yet, but it’s bound to happen sooner or later with so many masters among the newcomers. Still, let my golden streak last through the week, eh? Heh heh.]