Chapter 169 Overjoyed

Just a single sentence!

Upon hearing this, Lu Dong instantly felt as though an invisible yet truly existing thin veil, separating him from achieving minor mastery in the True Meaning of Resilience, had been slowly lifted at the corner.

Lu Dong was stunned on the spot.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses, staring fixedly at Luo Tian.

What about the rest... what about the rest?

What comes next?

It felt as though countless ants were swarming along his blood vessels into Lu Dong's heart, ceaselessly scratching and gnawing, driving an unbearable itch deep into his soul.

His breathing abruptly grew heavier, and Lu Dong's burning gaze locked onto Luo Tian without a single blink.

Within the Wind and Cloud Guard, exceptional talents emerged in endless succession, and every single person who managed to enter was a genius from their respective former factions. Spending years upon years in such a place, if one's strength growth failed to keep pace with others, the psychological pressure would be immense.

Even... over the long term, this could easily transform into an intangible bottleneck, leaving one's thoughts blocked and uninspired.

Under such circumstances, Lu Dong's yearning for progress was exceptionally intense.

Otherwise, why would he lower his pride, take the initiative to seek out Luo Tian, and address him as Senior Brother after just a few exchanges?

"Junior Brother Lu, excessive rigidity makes one prone to breaking; you should understand this principle profoundly."

Savoring the fragment of the True Meaning of Resilience he had just sensed from Lu Dong's primordial energy, Luo Tian discovered that Lu Dong placed too much emphasis on the attribute of sturdiness. When facing opponents inferior to himself in strength, he could certainly crush them through sheer might. However, sturdiness always had its limits. Although Wood-attribute primordial energy possessed considerable defense, Metal and Earth attributes were naturally superior by a margin, and even Water-attribute cultivators, once they comprehended the True Meaning of Ice Transformation, outmatched Wood-attribute primordial energy by a distinct degree.

Wanting to rely solely on the attribute of sturdiness as a universal solution for every situation was entirely unrealistic.

Once he encountered a powerhouse whose offensive power exceeded his own defense, he would immediately be penetrated straight through, likely losing his life within a few moves.

"Yes... yes, Luo... Senior Brother!"

Lu Dong nodded repeatedly. Although he had only recently decided to ask Luo Tian for guidance, Luo Tian had spoken merely two sentences, yet every single word was deeply branded into Lu Dong's heart, striking precisely where it hurt most.

This was not merely because Luo Tian's words were correct, but more importantly, because they hit the nail on the head.

Every point addressed the exact problems Lu Dong was currently facing.

To achieve this, even a Primordial Dan realm powerhouse would need to possess an extremely thorough comprehension of the True Meaning, and moreover, they would have to cultivate the exact same type of primordial energy as Lu Dong.

Yet, how could such an existence lower their status to guide an ordinary Pulse Flow realm cultivator?

Transitioning from the Pulse Flow realm to the Primordial Dan realm was exceedingly difficult. Even second-tier Primordial Dan-grade Primordial Spirit Pills were a gamble with nine deaths and one life; no matter how gifted a Pulse Flow cultivator was, there was a high probability they would perish right here.

Primordial Dan realm powerhouses had seen countless potential geniuses, and later on, the majority of those geniuses died due to various reasons. Only those powerful genius experts standing at the same realm were worthy of their attention.

His Divine Eyes had long since opened, and Luo Tian had already gained complete mastery over all of Lu Dong's bodily conditions.

While the True Meaning of Resilience undoubtedly existed, the attribute of sturdiness vastly outweighed flexibility, resulting in a severe imbalance between the two. The True Meaning of Resilience should not look like this.

"Think of a tree trunk. Unless it encounters an attack that truly and vastly exceeds the limits of its endurance, it will bend, yet it will never snap."

Luo Tian said slowly, deliberately weighting his voice to make it easier for Lu Dong to remember and quickly comprehend these words.

Lu Dong's eyes gradually lost their sharp edge, replaced by a deep look of contemplation.

"Consider vines as well. While their inherent material is undeniably tough and difficult to break, when subjected to external attacks, they do not rely solely on their own substance to resist. Instead, they bend and deflect force, understanding how to utilize the most appropriate methods to ward off harm."

Seeing Lu Dong's expression, Luo Tian knew he had already formed some insights, so he continued to guide him.

Strike while the iron is hot, and press forward with a single effort.

Even though he knew that comprehending the True Meaning could not be achieved overnight and that it might take multiple rounds of guidance to help the other party progress, Luo Tian, no matter how calm and steady he pretended to be, still hoped to make a resounding opening statement upon entering the Wind and Cloud Guard.

Luo Tian knew that having just secured first place in the assessment, this was the absolute best timing. Naturally, if he could take the crown once again during the upcoming training period, it would at least build up a cumulative boost to his reputation. However, if Ling Qinghe were to preside over it again, there was no telling what despicable methods he might resort to.

At that time, making a fool of oneself would be secondary; if he lost his advantage in rankings, or if they found an excuse to expel him from the Wind and Cloud Guard, that truly would be difficult to resolve.

Of course, this possibility was relatively small. After all, even Hua Beiqian had already taken note of him, and Ling Qinghe would find it difficult to go too far. Still, one must always prepare for the worst.

Lu Dong had already closed his eyes at this moment, yet the heaviness of his breathing had not diminished by even half.

Sturdiness, flexibility—this was the true essence of the True Meaning of Resilience.

The two needed to be balanced; favoring either side while ignoring the other was utterly unadvisable.

These few words were indeed simple, and anyone could derive a basic understanding of them just from the literal names. However, everyone possessed their own way of thinking and fighting style. Lu Dong was someone who originally harbored an extreme desire for strength and cultivated exceptionally hard, which was how he managed to enter the Wind and Cloud Guard.

Yet upon entering, when confronted with individuals on par with him or possessing even greater talent and aptitude than himself, his mindset naturally suffered some imbalance, leading him to lean even more toward aggressive and violent combat styles, while his desire for rapid advancement grew increasingly intense.

However, Wood-attribute primordial energy itself was not as wildly violent and ferocious as Metal or Fire-attribute energy.

If one walked the wrong path in cultivation, problems would naturally arise.

Any talk of increasing one's strength would then become out of the question.

Having figured this out, Lu Dong's emotions inexplicably calmed down completely.

Lu Dong opened his palm, and a wisp of condensed Wood primordial energy swam outward, seemingly transforming into a vine. Using Lu Dong's palm as the earth, it extended upward along an invisible tree trunk, winding and spiraling like coiling dragons and agile snakes.

Of course, because the avatar-forming True Meaning he had comprehended had not reached a profound level, this primordial energy vine still bore heavy traces of raw primordial energy.

Luo Tian simply watched quietly, without speaking out to disturb him.

Abruptly, the primordial energy forming the vine rapidly retreated back into Lu Dong's palm. Instead of dissipating, it respectively sprouted into a tree and green bamboo.

Could it be...

Luo Tian's eyes lit up, and he cast a slightly surprised glance at Lu Dong, who maintained a solemn expression with his eyes still closed.

A breath of time later, the tree and the green bamboo had both basically taken shape. At this moment, an invisible gale seemed to blow past, causing the trunk of the tree and the green bamboo to tilt slightly to one side of their own accord.

The energy of the Divine Eyes had never dissipated, and Luo Tian had already discovered that Lu Dong's primordial energy now carried a hint of flexibility that was absent before.

Although each elemental law was divided into nine True Meanings, it did not mean they were entirely unrelated. On the contrary, because they originated from the same source, a change in one would inevitably affect the others.

Once this True Meaning of Resilience improved, the benefits to controlling the True Meaning and the avatar-forming True Meaning were self-evident.

Not only would it make the objects manifested by the primordial energy after transformation appear more realistic, but controlling them would also become significantly more effortless.

The deeper one's comprehension and mastery of the True Meaning, the closer one grew to the true origin of the law.

A flash of sudden enlightenment blossomed in Lu Dong's heart.

Simultaneously, Luo Tian's Divine Eyes could see that within Lu Dong's primordial energy, the True Meaning of Resilience was finally gradually trending toward balance, until the two aspects were evenly matched.

The True Meaning of Resilience, minor mastery!

A flash of wild joy swept across Lu Dong's face.

Do not underestimate this single step forward into minor mastery for the True Meaning of Resilience. When applied to actual combat, achieving minor mastery in both controlling the True Meaning and avatar-forming True Meaning meant that their unleashed power would be vastly greater than before.

"Senior Brother Luo!"

Lu Dong addressed him this time with absolute fluency, feeling profoundly grateful to Luo Tian and genuinely regarding Luo Tian as his guiding mentor in cultivation. "I..."

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Lu..."

Luo Tian also smiled faintly. The first step was undoubtedly a success; there was no telling when these members of the Wind and Cloud Guard would gather in groups to block his path for guidance.

Yet that was unlikely; the Wind and Cloud Guard only recruited elite talents, so gathering too many people at once might not be so easy.

"Senior Brother Luo's great kindness is something I, Lu Dong, have no way to repay. I..."

Lu Dong's expression was clearly stirred with emotion, evidently showing that his state of mind was exceptionally unsettled. "These five hundred merit points could never purchase such selfless guidance from Senior Brother Luo. I..."

"Junior Brother Lu, let's not speak of such things anymore!"

Luo Tian waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "If you truly wish to show your gratitude, send more junior brothers to seek my guidance."

Upon hearing this, Lu Dong's eyes even grew somewhat moist. He pressed his lips together, but said nothing further. Instead, he solemnly bowed to Luo Tian and turned to leave.

...

Ling Qinghe stood tall, gazing at the darkening night sky with shifting expressions.

His mood was undoubtedly very poor.

The one-month rookie training period was extremely rigorous and critically important; even Hua Beiqian would direct a portion of his attention here.

Naturally, Ling Qinghe dared not act arbitrarily. At the very least, he lacked the authority to casually announce the expulsion of any Wind and Cloud Guard rookie.

Yet, at the thought of Luo Tian—even though the brat remained expressionless—Ling Qinghe felt it was a silent mockery directed at him.

He was truly unwilling to let it go...

Just then, as if a thought struck him, Ling Qinghe's eyes suddenly lit up.

If it were that place, it should be feasible. As long as that brat Luo Tian was even slightly careless, he might very well die there. As for the others... if they passed, they passed; if they couldn't, so be it.

What the Wind and Cloud Guard wanted were merely elite talents. If one could not even pass the trials, what right did they have to speak of making a great stir in the world?

Having thought of this, Ling Qinghe hesitated no longer and immediately set off to find Hua Beiqian. Although that place was dangerous, it was not entirely impossible for him to persuade him.

Naturally, as long as he stood from the perspective of being entirely devoted to the public good rather than serving selfish desires, Hua Beiqian was very likely to accept his suggestion.

By that time...

Ling Qinghe heaved a quiet sigh of relief.

If Luo Tian's luck happened to be bad, then who on earth could possibly save him? (To be continued.)