Chapter 149 Practice

Linger directly put it on her wrist, liking it more the longer she looked at it.

This trinket indeed served no practical purpose and was purely decorative, but she simply loved it. Whether it was because of its luxurious feel or because it was a gift from Jiang Xiaotian, the smile on her face was impossible to conceal.

"By the way, what about the Flowing Flower Scroll?" After soaking in the joy for a good while, Linger finally remembered the main event. The bracelet was just a small item; the Flowing Flower Scroll was the real prize.

Jiang Xiaotian hurriedly retrieved it from the safe, along with a bamboo slip, and explained the situation surrounding them. Ultimately, it had been a close call, but as long as everyone was safe, nothing else mattered.

The mysteries of martial arts arts could not be unraveled in a single day, but Linger was able to quickly discern what these items were.

She prioritized examining the Flash of Thunder because, although Jiang Xiaotian claimed it was a martial art manual, it was written in Japanese, and no one could guarantee its authenticity. It was best to verify it first.

She infused her spiritual energy into it and immediately sensed a raging, violent aura of lightning surging from within.

Eastern martial arts differed from those of Huaxia; they pursued extreme perfection. They were either overwhelmingly tyrannical, or, much like ninjas, they pushed assassination to its absolute limits.

Clearly, this martial art was a pure killing technique, tyrannical to the extreme!

It was a swordsmanship technique that transformed internal force into lightning, capable of inflicting massive damage to both the body and mind of an opponent.

Jiang Xiaotian lacked internal force, but he possessed spiritual energy. He could execute it without needing to reach the Divine Realm. Of course, its power would certainly be somewhat diminished, but it was more than enough to intimidate others.

"It's a good thing. It just depends on whether you can learn it. Now let me take a look at the Flowing Flower Scroll. Everyone was trying to grab it based on your description, and it's made me quite curious," Linger said with a smile.

In comparison, the Flowing Flower Scroll was much gentler. As soon as Linger's spiritual energy entered it, she sensed that it was different from ordinary martial arts manuals. It felt more ancient, with a much older provenance. Although it possessed no substantive destructive power, its reservoir of internal energy was vast and boundless.

After inspecting it thoroughly, Linger still could not figure out what exactly it was, but she was certain that the Flowing Flower Scroll was an ancient martial art. It was definitely a worthwhile acquisition; one could only truly understand its nature after practicing it.

"You can try comprehending the Flowing Flower Scroll first. There's no rush with that Flash of Thunder thing; it's just a swordsmanship manual that anyone can learn eventually." Linger tossed both martial art manuals back. Her primary concern had been preventing any hidden traps that Jiang Xiaotian, in his foolishness, might not be able to handle, which was why she had inspected them beforehand.

Jiang Xiaotian did not hesitate. The moment he got his hands on it, he returned to his room to slowly study it.

Other matters could be set aside for later; who wouldn't be eager to grow stronger?

However, by nightfall, Jiang Xiaotian realized he had been mistaken.

How could it be so simple? The Flowing Flower Scroll was extremely complex, and he could not quite make sense of it.

It did not seem to be an offensive martial art. To be precise, it regulated one's breathing, continuously elevating the practitioner's physical and mental state to its absolute limit.

Jiang Xiaotian sat cross-legged, with the Flowing Flower Scroll and his smartphone floating before him.

The phone was being used to translate the Japanese text.

There was no way he could figure this out in a day or two, so he would absorb as much as he could today.

After completing the translation, he discovered that the Flowing Flower Scroll was divided into several stages, with the first stage focusing entirely on breathing.

Once one's breathing became disordered, the rhythm of one's footwork and attacks would descend into chaos. However, by practicing the Flowing Flower Scroll, one could permanently maintain the exact breathing frequency they desired, meaning that if you chose not to feel nervous, you simply wouldn't be.

Although it seemed useless at first glance, it was indeed a miraculous technique, because calmness could sometimes save a life.

Without mastering the first stage, the rest of the text remained incomprehensible. Thus, Jiang Xiaotian immediately began to chew over the concepts without a moment of delay.

By the early hours of the morning, while he couldn't claim to have made massive progress, he was already able to slowly quiet his mind.

The core principle of the Flowing Flower Scroll was slowness—everything had to be done slowly without any haste, bearing a striking resemblance to Tai Chi in its focus on self-cultivation and nurturing the spirit.

Yet, this technique was truly agonizing to learn. Unable to maintain his patience for long, Jiang Xiaotian soon stopped and ran out to the courtyard to chop tree leaves instead.

One had to balance work and rest. He genuinely wondered what the inventor of the Flowing Flower Scroll had experienced in life.

Drawing from his recent battle experience against Iigami, Jiang Xiaotian gained some insights into the swordsmanship Linger had taught him. Previously, he had visualized Iigami as a tree leaf, and it was only by executing that specific technique that he had managed to block the Flash of Thunder. Otherwise, given the opponent's speed, even with the divine sword in hand, he could not have guaranteed a successful defense.

Over the course of the night, out of ten leaves, he managed to slice through at least three or four. Whether influenced by Iigami or not, his cuts were reasonably smooth and even.

Compared to his previous nights of reaping zero results, this already counted as rapid progress.

At this rate, it probably wouldn't be long before Jiang Xiaotian could wield the techniques proficiently.

Over the next few days, he immersed himself almost entirely in the two martial arts manuals. Whenever he grew tired of practicing the Flowing Flower Scroll, he would switch to testing the Flash of Thunder.

Swordsmanship was easy to learn, but why was it easy? Because it was pure. The Flash of Thunder pushed tyranny to its absolute extreme. It required no fancy techniques; if you had ten parts of strength, you exerted all ten to guarantee maximum destructive power.

It emphasized transforming the sword into lightning, the person into a sword, and fusing the three into one so that everything in its path could be cleaved.

Jiang Xiaotian suddenly wondered: could the Flowing Flower Scroll be integrated into this? Since the scroll itself was a supportive martial art designed to complement everything rather than being used in isolation, what would happen if the Flash of Thunder were augmented by the Flowing Flower Scroll? Its power would likely ascend to an even higher realm, wouldn't it?

However, these were mere thoughts for now, seeing as he hadn't truly mastered anything yet.

Jiang Xiaotian had bought several wooden swords online specifically for his practice.

If he used the divine sword, a single moment of carelessness could cost him his house.

Although the Flash of Thunder was notoriously difficult to learn, it was especially challenging for Jiang Xiaotian. Influenced by Linger, his spiritual energy had always manifested as flames; trying to convert it into lightning now naturally left him feeling somewhat lost.

Attempt after attempt yielded only occasional sparks of electricity, which paled terribly in comparison to the dazzling display of fire and lightning Iigami had unleashed.

Seeing Jiang Xiaotian working so diligently, Linger felt a swell of gratification, though she was deeply curious. "What's gotten into you? I don't remember you ever being this motivated before."

Jiang Xiaotian chuckled foolishly and offered no reply.

That was because he had previously been like a frog at the bottom of a well, believing the Divine Realm to be the absolute limit. The fact that he could kill martial artists in the Divine Realm made him think he was nearing the peak.

Yet, Ling Tianzhi's words had awakened him, making him realize that there were mountains beyond mountains, and that the Divine Realm was far from the pinnacle—it might merely be the starting point.

If he didn't work hard to elevate his strength, his future would consist entirely of being beaten to a pulp.

Jiang Xiaotian had not forgotten his ultimate objective; he was determined to become a super powerhouse, strong enough to shake the very world.

If he achieved that, he would finally have the qualification to alter the relationship between the Dragon clan and humanity, and he would enable Linger to walk openly under the sun in this world!

He kept all of this locked deep within his heart without uttering a word, serving as the driving force behind his relentless efforts.

Furthermore, Iigami was also in the Divine Realm, yet possessed such terrifying strength. Online figures like Ling Tianzhi and the ancestor of the Ouyang family were existences he currently could not defeat, figures he could only look up to with awe. How could he possibly justify not working hard?

With this thought, Jiang Xiaotian once again quieted his mind and concentrated, channeling the Flash of Thunder within his body.

At that moment, his spiritual energy surged, forming a sea of energy in his Dantian that churned like misty clouds crackling with thunder and lightning.

As he sustained the martial art, the bolts of lightning multiplied, and a crackling sound echoed around Jiang Xiaotian's body. Anyone approaching him now would feel the ubiquitous static electricity in the air.

He was ecstatic—he was finally making some headway, even though this static electricity was still light-years away from the countless bolts of lightning Iigami could summon.

Unwilling to give up this opportunity, he continued to maintain the state with all his might, eager to see the absolute limits of his potential.

"Zzz—" A series of electrical humming sounds rang out, and yellow sparks of lightning began to leap across Jiang Xiaotian's body.

They were brimming with power, yet they did not harm him, directing their hostility entirely toward his enemies.

Linger had appeared before Jiang Xiaotian at some point, watching him with a mixture of curiosity and pleasant surprise. "Not bad momentum you've got there!"

Jiang Xiaotian remained silent; if he spoke, the power he had labored so hard to condense would immediately fall into chaos.

If he could incorporate the Flowing Flower Scroll to assist him, executing the Flash of Thunder wouldn't require him to stand in place and build up force the way he was doing now...

"Not bad, not bad at all. Come on, hit me," Linger said, carefully removing her bracelet to set it aside before rolling up her sleeves.

Jiang Xiaotian was utterly dumbfounded.

Yet Linger was completely serious. Moreover, the current Jiang Xiaotian was no longer the clumsy young man of the External Realm; his strength was formidable and should not be underestimated.

With a single thought, a pair of fiery dragon horns sprouted atop Linger's head.

"Let me test you out!"