Chapter 356: All sufferings have their rewards
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng stood next to Wang Lin as he watched his three other disciples silently.
Wang Lin was enshrouded in a black smog which was even darker and more desolate than the death aura. It contained the essence from the power of dual polarity and also embodied the philosophy behind the dual polarity of life and death.
Within the black smog, one could faintly see the eight natural elements - Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, Mountain and Pond - floating as they intertwined to construct a brand new world. But just as the world had formed, it would disintegrate under the pressure from the destructive force.
But the world did not disappear after its disintegration. Instead, it was reborned as a strong aura of vitality emerged within the black smog as it became stronger and increasingly concentrated.
Lin Feng watched the calm expression of Wang Lin and some old memories surfaced in his head.
He remembered when and where he first saw Wang Lin. That was when he was struggling to find his fourth disciple. Just when he heard news about Wang Lin and had rushed to Mount Hengyue to find him, Wang Lin had just admitted himself into the Hengyue Faction.
Wang Lin back then was recognized as someone with little flair and talent. Some even claimed that he might not have even began his road to cultivation after graduating from the Faction. The only reason why they kept him was because of the fear of a damaged reputation if Wang Lin were to commit suicide out of misery.
Within the Faction, Wang Lin had always been the joke as he was the target for humiliation.
But now, the previous loser was about to form his aurous core and to cross an obstacle that most people could only dream of in their lifetime.
And it was not the end for Wang Lin. In fact, this was only the beginning because upon attaining the Aurous Core stage, he would then begin to witness an astonishing acceleration in his training.
Before the Aurous Core stage, any training and improvement was highly reliant on the Innate Ability of the cultivator. Upon the forming of the aurous core, as long as the aurous core was of a high standard, the most important factor for fast advancements would then be Intelligence and Determination.
And these two factors were the strongest characteristics of Wang Lin. In fact, they were impossibly high, scoring full marks.
In addition, after the supplementation from the Supreme Rock Spiritual Altar, the Spiritual Replenishment Elixir and the Heavens-Patching Vine, Wang Lin’s Innate Ability had far surpassed his previous abilities.
And as for the quality of the aurous core, it was all dependent on today.
Finally, as the aura of vitality (within the destructive aura) had peaked, Wang Lin opened his eyes and the destructive aura which had enshrouded him transformed into an aura of vitality which was bursting into life.
The Dual Polarity had switched and the aura of life and death had swapped.
The spiritual altar which was on the aurous sea within him had a purple crucible above it. Now, the blur figure of an aurous core, which was inside the purple crucible, was being fed by the aura of vitality as the mana surged into the faint figure.
Slowly but surely, the blur figure became clearer and it began to emit a blinding glow before it transformed into an aurous core.
The aurous core had a strong purple-golden glow to it as it dazzled under the aura of vitality.
Upon the formation of the aurous core, Wang Lin instantaneously looked different, both physically as well as spiritually.
A light tremor from the aurous core released a thick cloud of black smog as though it was the beginning of a new universe. All the previous aura of vitality had once again transformed into an incredibly scary aura of destruction.
The dark and destructiv powers encircled around Wang Lin’s aurous core just like the dark clouds which engulfed the Sun on a cloudy day. But nevertheless, just as how the dark clouds would still not be able to negate the warmth from the Sun, one could still feel the power and aura of vitality from Wang Lin’s aurous core.
Lin Feng’s face broke into a satisfied smile as he nodded his head, "Good, very good!"
Wang Lin did not only form a purple pill aurous core but even generated an unnatural sight from the formation. This was the most perfect outcome possible.
Wang Lin’s determination and hard work had finally reaped its rewards in this moment. From today onwards, he would be on a road that would be much easier as compared to before. His talent and gifts would now surge out like a fountain as he would amaze the world with them.
Previously at the Spiritual Conference of Huanghai, Wang Lin had already changed the perceptions of everyone as he triumphed over Dao Yuting and Huo Chen with his status of a cultivator at the initial level of the Foundation Establishment stage.
But in Lin Feng’s eyes, Wang Lin’s performance then did not do enough justice to the potential that he had. He was still a pearl covered in dust. No one knew how good he could be back then.
And now, Wang Lin had finally remove the dust which he was covered in and had started to show the glimmer that truly belonged to him.
He shared similar methodology with Zhu Yi as both of them had accumulated much before they advanced in their training. However, Zhu Yi’s development had always been steady and continuous. Zhu Yi faced less difficulties as compared to Wang Lin who suffered a slow training speed. Wang Lin’s trajectory displayed a more explosive form of development just like a volcano with its slow build-up.
In such a short period of time, Wang Lin had leapt from the initial level of the Foundation Establishment stage to the initial level of the Aurous Core stage. Such a speed would indeed be astounding in the eyes of many.
Wang Lin stood up as the display of his aura showed a person who had become more reserved and capable of concealing his gifts and abilities. In that instant, both Master and Disciple remained silent but they shared a million thoughts with one another.
Only two years or so had passed in the outside world but it felt like ages for Wang Lin who had cooped up in the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World for too long.
When Wang Lin had just joined the tutelage of Lin Feng, Xiao Budian and the rest were already at Qi Disciple Level 8 and above. However, he had to chase after them all the way from Qi Disciple Level 1.
When he had finally attained the great circle of perfection at the Qi Disciple Level 12, Xiao Budian, Xiao Yan and Zhu Yi were already at the Foundation Establishment stage for god knows how long.
And when Wang Lin finally progressed to the Foundation Establishment stage, all his fellow disciples had already formed their aurous cores.
He was always chasing after the shadows of his peers; in fact, the shadows seemed to be getting further for most part of the race. The sense of disappointment and despair would have eroded most people’s confidence and determination.
Subsequently, even Yue Hongyan and Yang Qing’s advancement overtook Wang Lin.
When Wang Lin was registered for the Spiritual Conference of Huanghai, he had almost become the laughing stock.
On first sight, many thought that Wang Lin was the weakest link in the Celestial Sect of Wonders. They felt that he was the only commoner among the bunch of savants. They believed that he was the only misjudgment that Lin Feng had made.
Wang Lin did not attempt to make any respond to their comments. He was not used to arguing with words. He believed in redeeming himself with his actions.
Lin Feng knew this better than anyone. He had observed every bit of effort which Wang Lin had put in as he saw how the youth transformed from a hopeless figure into the inspiring figure today.
It seemed that Wang Lin had finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
Wang Lin bowed slowly and gradually in front of Lin Feng before speaking, "Master, please continue to enlighten me in the days ahead."
Even though it was still the usual short sentences, Wang Lin’s usual stable voice had began to tremble at this moment.
It was all thanks to man in front of him who had led him into an entirely new world. It was Lin Feng who had stood firmly behind him despite all the snide remarks made at him. It was Lin Feng who had continued to nurture and guide him wholeheartedly despite all the opposition.
Lin Feng extended his hand and supported Wang Lin, before lifting him out of his bow. He smiled, "I have often mentioned this line, which is to always look back at the arduous path which you had treaded fondly after you have attained success."
"Never forget about the sacrifices which you have made because they will allow you to gain the next success with greater ease."
Wang Lin nodded his head fervently, "Thank you for your teaching, Master."
Lin Feng smiled, "You must have gained some new insights this time round, right?"
Wang Lin smiled in return, "I would still need your guidance, Master." As he spoke, Wang Lin activated his aurous core and his aura transformed into an unbelievable cold and dark one, which gave off a feeling of desolation and suppression. It was as though Hades had descended into the world of the mortals, turning our world into a living hell.
Lin Feng gave an approving look as he nodded his head gently. "It seemed that Wang Lin’s destructive stage of the River of Styx had become more powerful after attaining the Aurous Core stage."
Back in the Foundation Establishment stage, whenever Wang Lin entered into the destructive stage of the River of Styx, he could only convert his own mana into the destructive forces.
But now, the Aurous Core stage cultivator’s destructive force could corrode space and void upon his activation of the destructive stage. Wang Lin could smelt the space at which he was at along with the destructive aura, blurring the limits of the world around him.
And within this space or void, it was Wang Lin’s playground. As long as he fought within this place, any spells or attack would be exponentially more powerful.
And Wang Lin’s opponent would be suppressed by the endless destructive aura trapped in the playground. Any spell or mana would be ground to nothing by the destructive aura.
One could only imagine if Wang Lin were to improve, he could potentially create an independent little world with his own power. A world which was on the verge of pure destruction. Any enemy that was dragged into this world would have to suffer the wrath of endless destruction.
As Wang Lin brought his palms together, a pitch-black path that glowed in the center appeared in the middle of the void. It was none other than the Road to River Styx.
But the spell that Wang Lin had wanted to cast was not the Road to River Styx. In fact, the Road to River Styx was merely the beginning of the spell. At the end of the road, one could see a vast river.
The strange thing was how quiet the river was despite its powerful currents. It was nothing but a miraculous work of nature.
The river water was of a sunset yellow color as it radiated an energy which could cleanse and destroy all matter. It was none other than the domineering and strange River Styx Primordial Water.
After attaining the Aurous Core stage, Wang Lin could finally harness the true power of the Pearl of Styx. He could call upon a voluminous amount of River Styx Primordial Water and refine them with his mana to become his own novel spell.
River of Forgetfulness!
After the Road to River Styx, Wang Lin had invented a new technique, the River of Forgetfulness.
Lin Feng might not have come into contact with the river water but he could already sense the power radiating from it. It was constructed from the power of destruction and extrapolated from the intricacies of creation and destruction.
"The River of Forgetfulness is rumoured to be the boundary between the Road to River Styx and the actual underworld." Lin Feng nodded his head gently, "At the same time, it is also the point of intersection between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Wang Lin’s spell not only fully harnessed the power of the River Styx Primordial Water, it also merged the wisdom of both life and death."
After demonstrating the spell, the River of Forgetfulness, Wang Lin retracted all his mana back into his body as all aura of destruction vanished.
"Actually, I still have another spell. But as of now, it is still a sketchy concept." Wang Lin revealed a look of embarrassment. "I need to look into it a bit more before it can really materialize."
Lin Feng grinned, "Oh really? Now I am really looking forward to that occasion. But for now, I have an assignment for you."
After Lin Feng shared about the idea of taking in more disciples and spreading the way of Taoism to Wang Lin, Wang Lin nodded his head, "I understand, Master."
Lin Feng and Wang Lin walked out of the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World together as they headed towards the Tripitaka Block. As they neared the entrance of the block, Lin Feng’s brows raised as he revealed a smile. "Wang Lin, it seems like one of your peers has achieved something."