Chapter 124 – Violent Wind Tunnel
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In the northwest reaches of Zhou Mountain, there was a natural mountain valley. The entrance of the mountain valley faced the north, and spanned a thousand feet. As it extended inwards, it became increasingly narrow. The entire mountain valley was in the shape of a funnel, and it continued into the hillside until the width was only about 10 feet or so.
When gale winds blew from the north of Zhou Mountain, they were blocked by Zhou Mountain and formed a tremendous wind pressure and air current that flowed down the funnel shaped valley. As it went inwards, and the mountain valley became narrower, the speed and pressure of the wind increased with each step!
Before the Seven Profound Martial House was established, this mountain valley had been named Gale Valley. Inside the valley were large rolling stones that blew everywhere, and humans and livestock found it hard to stand firm.
After the Seven Profound Martial House was established, the Xiantian masters, who had decided to use the local environments, set up a large array in this crazy wind valley. Not only did this raise the speed of the wind, but the wind current and direction became unpredictable. Undercurrents were everywhere, and there were even strong heavenly winds that could harm the body.
This was one of the seven major killing arrays of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning. This was the Violent Wind Tunnel.
The Violent Wind Tunnel was primarily used by martial artists to practice their stability and footwork. To a martial artist, solid footwork was the most basic, entry-level martial arts. To begin on the path of martial arts, one had to first practice their balance. Even Lin Ming, who had not received a formal martial arts education, had to begin by practicing the basic horse stance.
However, Lin Ming came to the Violent Wind Tunnel today not to practice his stability, but to practice his movement abilities.
To practice one’s movement in the Violent Wind Tunnel was something that a common disciple would be unable to imagine. This was because no matter how fast one was, it was impossible to hide from the wind. No matter how astonishing one’s speed, in the Violent Wind Tunnel, the person would always be pinned down and hindered by the fast wind.
To practice one’s movement, a disciple would usually choose the Boulder Slope array of the seven major killing arrays. The Boulder Slope had innumerable rocks flying around; a martial artist would use these to practice their dodging skills and movement speed. Before, Lin Ming had gone to the Boulder Slope to take a look, and saw that the Boulder Slope truly was a good place to practice one’s movement. However, it was not suited to the ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’.
When one practiced movement in the Boulder Slope, the truth was that the main aspect a martial artist trained was their reaction speed, strength, and true essence body coordination.
If these points were practiced well, a martial artist would simultaneously have extremely quick speed and nimble movements.
However, it was hard to find a movement ability that could achieve both extreme speed and flexibility. For instance, ‘Swan Feather Fall’, ‘Heaven Passing Ladder’, ‘Cloud Hanging Rope’, and other such movement abilities stressed speed and light work above all. These skills were fastidious about keeping the body as light as a swallow. Once true essence was revolved, they could leap several dozens of feet high and easily catch a flying bird. This speed was very fast.
But then there were movement abilities like ‘Seven Star Drifting Cloud’, ‘Lost Steps’, ‘Six Foot Step’, and ‘Seven Despairing Steps’. These movement abilities stressed flexibility and dodging. For instance, in ‘Seven Star Drifting Cloud’, one’s feet traced the pattern of the Big Dipper, like treading on clouds, and their footwork was light like treading on clouds. After the Large Success stage was reached, one could take seven steps at once, and it would be impossible to tell which step was first or last. Within these seven steps one’s speed would be able to reach the extreme. These movements focused on dodging; they were very effective in close-range fights.
If a movement ability had a superiority in one movement aspect, then it could be considered a top-grade manual. If a movement ability could be superior in both aspects, then that would be a best-grade manual. However, that kind of movement ability would only be passed down to the core disciples of the Seven Profound Valleys.
But after Lin Ming read the general outline of ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’, he realized that even achieving the pinnacle in both of these aspects of movement was still quite ordinary.
The truth zenith of movement abilities not only needed to achieve the summit of both of these aspects, but most importantly, they had to integrate the concept and law into its movements.
To be able to integrate one kind of concept perfectly into one’s movement was already considered extremely precious and rare, even in the Realm of the Gods. But that mighty elder’s ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’ actually managed to integrate two concepts, the concept of wind and the concept of void.
The Golden-Winged Roc was also known as the Nine Day Leviathan Roc. It was a wind attribute god beast that was the ancestor of ten thousand winds. The legends said that the Golden-Winged Roc ate flood dragons as food, and its degree of formidability was similar to the True Dragon and True Phoenix. This wind attribute god beast’s concept of wind was undoubtedly the best.
As for the concept of void; that was instantly comprehended by the mighty elder that had created the ‘Golden Roc Shattering the Void’ when he had seen the Golden-Winged Roc pierce through space and enter the limitless void.
The concept of void was an extremely illusory ideal. At the moment, it was a too far away from the current Lin Ming; he could only touch upon the concept of wind.
And the best place to practice the concept of wind was of course the Violent Wind Tunnel.
“What? Junior Apprentice Brother Lin would like to enter the seventh level of difficulty?” The deacon senior apprentice brother who guarded the Violent Wind Tunnel stared at Lin Ming with wide eyes. He thought that he had misheard for a moment.
The Violent Wind Tunnel was divided into 12 different sections, and the individual difficulties of each section could be adjusted. The seventh level was a difficulty that the Earth Hall disciples that were around rank 100 on the Ranking Stone would use. Now that Lin Ming had entered into the upper echelons of the Heavenly Abode, he should have started at the tenth level of difficulty.
It had to be known that Zhu Yan had used the tenth level of difficulty to practice. The top ten disciples of the Heavenly Abode often used the eleventh level to practice.
As for the highest twelfth level, no one was actually able to withstand the raging winds inside. Even Ling Sen could only persist for an incense stick of time.
If today Lin Ming had decided to enter into the tenth level of difficulty, or even the eleventh, then the deacon would not have been so surprised. But what kind of existence was Lin Ming? He was a potential future core disciple who would challenge Ling Sen, Ta Ku, and Zhang Guanyu, and yet he had chosen the seventh level of difficulty. This really puzzled the deacon, so he asked, “Junior Apprentice Brother Lin, the seventh level of difficulty is usually used by the lower-order disciples. Is Junior Apprentice Brother Lin cracking a joke with me?”
Lin Ming smiled and said, “I’m positive I want to open the seventh level; not a joke.”
“Alright.” The deacon senior apprentice brother shrugged and opened the difficulty to the seventh level. After all, the time was his; it was his choice what difficulty he wanted to set. At lower difficulties he could also save true essence stones.
After the path to the Violent Wind Tunnel opened, Lin Ming instantly entered.
As soon as he entered the Violent Wind Tunnel, Lin Ming immediately heard the sound of roaring, rumbling winds as if there was thunder inside. Especially in nearby regions, there were some people who had opened the tenth level of difficulty and above. The fierce roar of that wind was like an army of a thousand soldiers roaring as they charged forwards. Just by listening to that sound, one could imagine the horror inside.
But Lin Ming was only at the seventh level of difficulty in the Violent Wind Tunnel, and it was a relatively calmer environment. With his cultivation, he could easily walk in the Violent Wind Tunnel.
Lin Ming arrived at the middle area of the Violent Wind Tunnel. This far in, the wind speed was modest. He stopped, closed his eyes, and began to fully feel the bone-chilling cold mountain wind as it blew upon him.
The word ‘concept’ sounded vague and intangible.
In the Sky Fortune Kingdom, if a martial artist wanted to comprehend the ‘concept of wind’, he would not know where to start. What was the ‘concept’? It wasn’t something that was one could easily grasp.
But after Lin Ming swallowed that soul fragment, he had attained a clear understanding of what a concept was. Of course, to comprehend it, one had to rely on oneself.
The ‘concept’ was in truth a law. It was a force of nature; once it was comprehended, one could control a core of power.
In the wide world, everything had its own inherent laws.
For instance, water would flow to the lowest valley; fire would rise to the highest peak. Yin and Yang supported and restrained each other, and life and death and so forth. These were the most basic of laws.
Extend the law deep into the soul and control the origin of all things. This was what a ‘concept’ meant.
For Lin Ming to comprehend the concept of wind, he did not need to resist the wind, but to harmonize and conform to the wind, and feel the power of the it.
If Lin Ming utilized his true essence, coupled with his formidable physical strength and the support of Penetrating Rainbow, he would easily be able to resist the tenth level of difficulty, and even challenge the eleventh level of difficulty. However, these things held no significance for him.
He had chosen the seventh level of difficulty. After coming to a complete stop, Lin Ming stopped resisting the force of the wind, and allowed his body to completely relax. Then, without any anxiety, he was sent flying by the fierce winds.
Lin Ming continuously adjusted his body in the air, adapting to the wind and borrowing its strength. However, from the very beginning, he no way of crossing the threshold.
Peng!
Lin Ming heavily collided against the rocks. Even though his body was physically strong and he was protected by true essence, he still felt his dizzy as his blood surged inside him.
Lin Ming stood up, integrated with the wind once more, and was once again thrown up by the wind, hitting the wall.
He continued this experiment again and again, and hit the rocky wall again and again. Lin Ming had already lost count of how many times he had hit the wall. He suffered multiple bruises, and was covered with cuts and wounds. His face had multiple abrasions and his clothes were ripped to shreds. He was almost naked; it looked quite awful.
Lin Ming had already informed Wang Yuhan that he would not be going to the Inscription Association today. In one breathe he had made an appointment at the Violent Wind Tunnel for 8 hours; he would use the entire time to feel the power and majesty of the wind.
This was a completely masochistic method of cultivation. Even though Lin Ming had stocked up fully on medicines, he still ended up with such an embarrassing appearance.
“I really was negligent, I didn’t think that my clothes would be ruined like this, and I didn’t bring any spare clothes with me.” Lin Ming forced a smile and shook his head. He prepared to ask the deacon senior apprentice brother to fetch some clothes for him.
At this point, it was approaching the afternoon. The deacon senior apprentice brother was bored and in a very blasé mood as he sat in meditation. From time to time again he would pay attention to Lin Ming. Lin Ming had made an appointment for 8 hours, from morning until dusk. With such a long time, he had only opened the seventh level of difficulty. What was Junior Apprentice Brother Lin thinking? Could he not handle a higher level? Or was he going inside to play?”
“Playing around? No… that’s impossible… Junior Apprentice Brother Lin simply doesn’t have the personality of a 15 year old boy. What is he doing in the Violent Wind Tunnel?”
The deacon senior apprentice brother thought about this for a long time and still did not understand, so he decided to forget about it.
“Those high-status people really give me a headache. Time in these seven major killing arrays is just so precious; many martial artists are reluctant to come even once every several days. Occasionally when they do come, they might even bring several companions with them, and each person would use half an hour. But then this Junior Apprentice Brother Lin has ten full days he can use every month, so he doesn’t treasure such valuable time and made an appointment for 8 whole hours in one ago. I can’t believe he only opened the seventh level of difficulty; even though we are both people it still irritates me. Ah, so exasperating.”
The deacon senior apprentice brother was sighing with emotion, when at this time, Lin Ming emerged from the Violent Wind Tunnel and asked, “I’m sorry Senior Apprentice Brother, but could you help prepare me a spare set of clothes?”
At the moment, Lin Ming was in less than rags; he was almost naked. If he practiced any more, there would just be no way for him to go back to his cabin.
As the deacon looked at Lin Ming who had suddenly appeared in rags and his dirty body covered with countless wounds, the deacon senior apprentice brother could only stare dumbfounded, his jaw dropping low enough that an egg could be stuffed inside.
He didn’t respond for a long time, until he finally recognized that this young dirty man with a beggar’s appearance was Lin Ming!
This… this…