Chen Xiao's consciousness gradually merged with the cultivation technique of the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body. Time flew by, and in what felt like the blink of an eye, an entire morning had passed.
The sun blazed high in the sky. After sitting for two hours, Chen Xiao's palm finally moved almost imperceptibly. As he slowly opened his eyes, a hint of daze remained in their depths.
"This Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body truly lives up to its reputation as the Wind and Lightning Pavilion's foundational technique. It's incredibly exquisite. This movement technique places extremely rigorous demands on the soul. If one's Soul Power isn't sufficient, there's virtually no chance of success in cultivating it."
"No wonder so few people in the Wind and Lightning Pavilion can master it. Setting aside the need for a Spirit Realm soul, one at least needs to be at the Mortal Realm Peak to have any hope of success."
After studying the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body all morning, Chen Xiao gradually understood how to cultivate it.
With such high soul requirements, it was impossible for ordinary people to achieve it, except for those top-tier experts with exceptional strength. Even if their soul strength was sufficient, condensing a phantom body wouldn't be easy.
Like the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, even after condensing a phantom body, there were three tiers.
Minute, Proficient, and Mastered!
These three tiers directly determined the phantom body's strength.
A Minute-level phantom body would possess at most one-third of the main body's combat power, while a Proficient-level one would have about two-thirds.
As for the Mastered level, the phantom body could rival the main body's strength!
The more Chen Xiao looked at it, the more he felt it resembled a weakened version of the "One Qi Transforms Three Pure Ones" from the Great Thousand World.
"Control form with the mind, soul remains in the shadow..."
With his mind settled, Chen Xiao softly recited the key points recorded in the cultivation technique as he slowly stood up. A dazzling silver light flashed around his feet, and his eyes sharpened as his figure suddenly moved.
With that step, his figure appeared dozens of feet away like lightning, leaving four afterimages in his wake.
Witnessing this scene firsthand, Yang Lei, who had been so confident, was stunned speechless.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Forgetting his own predicament, Yang Lei exclaimed with wide eyes.
"That was clearly an incomplete scroll, how could he possibly cultivate the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body with it! Moreover, even the complete scroll for the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body wouldn't allow for mastery in just one morning! He's been painstakingly studying it for decades and has only reached the Minute level. How can Chen Xiao be so fast?"
Compared to Chen Xiao, Yang Lei felt deeply insulted, as if someone was pointing at his nose and yelling, "You're just a useless piece of trash!"
Little did he know, the same difficulty could be perceived very differently by different people.
Chen Xiao was already a Dou Zun expert. Coupled with his Soul Power, which had long since entered the Spirit Realm, the difficulty of the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body was not as terrifying in his eyes as it was in Yang Lei's.
Ignoring the flustered Yang Lei, Chen Xiao turned back to look at the afterimages he had left behind.
Among the four afterimages, three dissipated like wisps of smoke in the gentle breeze.
The last afterimage took significantly longer to dissipate, lasting for nearly three minutes before gradually fading into nothingness. Furthermore, Chen Xiao could sense a faint trace of soul fluctuation from this afterimage.
"I must leave a trace of my soul within the afterimage the moment it appears to condense a phantom body. I was too fast just now, causing the soul leaving to be a breath too late..."
Recalling his previous mistake, Chen Xiao was not discouraged but delighted. The most painful part of cultivating a Dou Skill was lacking direction. As long as there was a clear idea and the previous mistake could be identified, improvement was possible.
"Again!"
Chen Xiao concentrated again, continuing to execute the Three Thousand Lightning Movement. As the afterimages appeared, he left his soul within them, condensing phantom bodies.
Again and again, in a cycle.
And under the watchful eyes of the Heavenly Flame Honored One and Yang Lei, the afterimages he left behind could be maintained for longer periods, becoming more solid, yet there was still a subtle difference compared to a true phantom body.
Continuously activating the Three Thousand Lightning Movement consumed a significant amount of Dou Qi within his body, which was another reason for the difficulty in cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body. However, for Chen Xiao, the consumption was negligible, equivalent to having more opportunities to make mistakes. Watching his continuous attempts, Yang Lei's eyes flickered with envy. If he could cultivate without regard for such consumption, he would likely have reached the Proficient level by now.
Just as Chen Xiao was immersed in his cultivation, a silver figure finally arrived from the distant horizon.
The person's true age was difficult to discern; his face appeared quite young, but his hair showed signs of greying, subtly hinting at a touch of old age. Most astonishingly, he possessed a pair of silver-white pupils, which were extremely rare. Meeting his gaze involuntarily sent a shiver down one's spine.
His arrival was not concealed, so the three in the canyon spotted him immediately. The difference was that Chen Xiao and the Heavenly Flame Honored One paid him no mind, while Yang Lei became somewhat excited.
"Pavilion Master!"
Without daring to speak loudly, Yang Lei uttered a muffled call.
In an instant, the identity of the newcomer was revealed. This person was none other than the Pavilion Master of the Wind Thunder Northern Pavilion, Fei Tian, known as the Heavenly Thunder Child!
With a casual glance at Yang Lei, Fei Tian shifted his gaze, lingering for a moment on the Heavenly Flame Honored One and Chen Xiao. He had come because of the jade slip Yang Lei had crushed, but he was unaware of the specific details regarding Chen Xiao and the Heavenly Flame Honored One. As he observed them closely, Fei Tian could sense the extraordinary nature of the Heavenly Flame Honored One. Even as just a soul body, he felt a sense of threat, which was enough to prove that the Heavenly Flame Honored One could likely exert the strength of a high-level Dou Zong, comparable to his own. It was no wonder Yang Lei had been captured; given Yang Lei's Four-Star Dou Zong strength, falling into the Heavenly Flame Honored One's hands was entirely reasonable.
As for Chen Xiao, who was focused on cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body, Fei Tian had a peculiar feeling. In his eyes, Chen Xiao at this moment was like a soul entity; he couldn't sense his specific strength but could feel his formidable Soul Power.
"He truly has some skill. No wonder he dared to suppress an elder of my Wind Thunder Northern Pavilion in Tianbei. However, no matter how capable you are, cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body so recklessly is seeking your own demise!"
Fei Tian spoke as if making a declaration to Chen Xiao and the Heavenly Flame Honored One, or perhaps talking to himself. As his voice fell, without any hesitation, a flash of lightning appeared beneath his feet, and he transformed into a silver streak, appearing before Chen Xiao. He curled his fingers into a claw and lunged towards Chen Xiao's throat.
"Pavilion Master..."
Yang Lei's heart raced, wanting to cry out a warning. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was struck in the chest by a palm from the Heavenly Flame Honored One, instantly knocking the wind out of him, rendering him unable to utter the rest of his words.
On the other side, noticing Fei Tian's actions, Chen Xiao's expression remained unchanged. He once again executed the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, instantly creating several afterimages and shifting his body a hundred feet away, evading the claw. Even though Chen Xiao was holding back a bit, the speed of the Three Thousand Lightning Movement was undeniable. With such a movement technique, Fei Tian wouldn't be able to touch even a corner of his clothes. Unless he used the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body!
Clearly, Fei Tian also realized this. Without much thought, he instinctively used the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body. His figure flickered, and two identical silver figures darted out from the sides, converging on Chen Xiao in a triangular formation. Chen Xiao noticed that Fei Tian was an Eight-Star Dou Zong, but these two phantom bodies only possessed the strength of around a Six-Star Dou Zong. This meant that Fei Tian's Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body was also not mastered; it was only at the Proficient level.
With his gaze locked onto the two figures presented before him as references, Chen Xiao felt as if he had received a divine revelation. He finally understood why the afterimages he condensed couldn't be maintained indefinitely. The truth behind it was now clear to him!
"Hahaha, so that's how it is, so that's how it is!"
Laughing heartily, Chen Xiao took a step forward, and an afterimage instantly appeared behind him. Unlike before, this time there was only one afterimage. This afterimage was in a peculiar posture, maintaining Chen Xiao's stepping motion. From 'him,' everyone present could clearly feel a surge of soul power emanating from within! This soul power had a distinct connection to Chen Xiao's true body, like a thread maintaining it, fundamentally different from the rootless floating entities of before.
"It's done, he did it!"
Looking at the afterimage, Yang Lei closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer. He hadn't expected that the reinforcements he had been waiting for would become an aid to Chen Xiao's cultivation. What an absolute pig teammate!
"The Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body must not be held by outsiders!"
Fei Tian, still unaware of the current situation, saw that Chen Xiao had condensed a phantom body, and his expression became even more somber. He unleashed the two phantom bodies without reservation, launching a fierce attack. His main body, meanwhile, headed straight for Chen Xiao's phantom body, attempting to obliterate it in one fell swoop.
"The phantom body has been formed, Fei Tian, you're no longer useful."
After a burst of laughter, Chen Xiao no longer concealed his strength. Facing the two attacking phantom bodies of Fei Tian, he advanced instead of retreating. With two casual finger flicks, he exploded them, turning them into a pile of silver light points. Chen Xiao beckoned, and the silver light points, drawn by his call, all fell into his hand. As these light points entered his hand, they transformed into a stream of information, flowing through Chen Xiao's palm and into his mind. After a brief scan, Chen Xiao confirmed that this was the complete cultivation method for the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body!
[Pre-paid for Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body, completion pending.]
As expected, the pre-payment information in his mind was immediately updated. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. After dealing with Fei Tian's phantom bodies, Chen Xiao's mind moved, and the distant afterimage transformed into an invisible light point that flew back, finally entering Chen Xiao's brow. This was merely a phantom body seed, possessing only the strength of a Dou Huang. However, the most difficult step in condensing a phantom body had been completed. From now on, Chen Xiao only needed to refine it, and his Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body could truly be used in combat!
Fei Tian's palm missed its target, and he immediately sensed that both of his phantom bodies had been exploded. Instantly, his gloomy expression was replaced by confusion. He looked at Chen Xiao, then at the Heavenly Flame Honored One, and finally fixed his searching gaze on Yang Lei. It was as if he was asking, "What in the world is going on?!" Yang Lei remained with his eyes closed, feigning death, unable to bear to look.
As Fei Tian was bewildered, Chen Xiao's voice rang out.
"Fei Tian, your Wind Thunder Northern Pavilion is truly accustomed to being overbearing in Tianbei. Since you don't want to reason, that suits me perfectly. My Purple Firmament Pavilion has taken a liking to Qifeng Mountain. I give your Wind Thunder Northern Pavilion three days to relocate."
"Three days from now, I will personally ascend Qifeng Mountain. If you have not moved by then, you will bear the consequences!"
His voice, infused with Dou Qi, emanated from Myriad Snake Gorge and continued to reverberate across the desert. In an instant, not only the two from the Wind Thunder Northern Pavilion but also merchant caravans passing nearby heard it, and all were solemn. The Wind Thunder Northern Pavilion, Fei Tian, the Heavenly Thunder Child! These names were well-known throughout Tianbei, recognized by everyone. And now, someone seemed to be issuing an ultimatum to this behemoth of the Tianbei region? At this moment, everyone knew that something major was about to happen in Tianbei!
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