Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Exceptional Talent

Before dawn the next day, Shen Hao got out of bed. These days, he slept less and less; three hours at most was enough, unlike before when he could still laze around in a daze. Now, as soon as he woke, he just couldn’t fall back asleep.

Opening the door, he saw Xia Nu was up even earlier, carrying a bucket of hot water out from the kitchen.

"Ah! Master, you’re up so early today? I’ve prepared hot water, please wash up first."

After getting himself together and having breakfast, Shen Hao headed to the backyard, ready to officially begin cultivating the Earth Escape Skill today. Xia Nu, meanwhile, happily left the house carrying a box on her back.

He flipped open the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman, skipping straight past the Qi Refining Chapter at the front and turning to the relatively pristine "Gathering Spirit Chapter," where the "Great Five Elements Skills" took up most of the content.

The book said: Earth Escape, one of the Five Elements Escape Skills. Capable of merging with earth-based substances to achieve wondrous escape. To study it, one must first sense the Earth Spirit Qi, then gather it with God, and then use a technique to command it...

Shen Hao instructed his family not to disturb him in the backyard, then sat on the ground, feeling the touch of the earth beneath him. The scent of morning dew lingered in his nose, instantly calming his mind. Following the book’s instructions, he began to use his soul to sense the "Earth Spirit Qi," one of the Five Elements present in nature.

At first, this kind of cultivation method—so ethereal that no words could precisely guide him—left Shen Hao clueless. He didn’t know if he understood it at all. For a full half an hour, he couldn’t sense even a trace of so-called "Earth Spirit Qi."

After trying repeatedly for a long time, he finally realized that "sensing" wasn’t just about quieting the mind, but required cooperation between the Sea of Consciousness and the body’s True Qi. Then, by actively using the key incantation of the Earth Escape Skill, he could attract the Earth Spirit Qi from Heaven and Earth. Only when there was a certain concentration of Earth Spirit Qi nearby was it truly the optimal time to sense them.

Once he understood, it was much easier—like sitting in meditation, Shen Hao sat there, as silent as a stone.

Another hour passed. If anyone had been there, they would have noticed a faint layer of dust forming around Shen Hao—look closely and there was a grainy quality to it—suspended in the air, neither scattering nor settling back into the ground. It was truly a rare sight.

Suddenly, Shen Hao’s cross-legged body seemed to vanish from sight for just a heartbeat, then reappeared in the blink of an eye. It looked like an illusion, but in reality, Shen Hao had truly "disappeared" for an instant.

His eyes flew open and Shen Hao could not suppress the excitement in his heart. Not only had he successfully sensed the Earth Spirit Qi just now, but on his very first attempt to use the Earth Escape Skill, he’d succeeded. For a fraction of a breath, his entire being merged with the ground beneath him. Even though it lasted only a split second, that mysterious sensation left him calling it unbeatable fun!

Shen Hao didn’t know how shocking it was that he could master the Escape Skill in just two hours. No one had ever mentioned such rumors to him. He simply thought everyone was like this.

Afterward, Shen Hao’s playful side emerged—like a kid with a new toy, he spent the rest of his time experimenting with the Earth Escape Skill in the yard, stopping only when most of his True Qi was exhausted and he was still not satisfied.

By then, Shen Hao could already move several feet underground after merging into the earth, and at a speed as fast as thunder!

Escape Skills are all about being "swift" and "unpredictable."

Based on his personal experience, the Earth Escape Skill is absolutely first-rate for fleeing and saving one’s life. Used in battle, it could also produce unexpected, winning results. Shen Hao felt even more fortunate he’d made this choice.

At the same time, Shen Hao felt an itch in his heart. If just one Escape Skill was already so amazing, far beyond his earlier understanding, then what about the other techniques in the "Great Five Elements Skills"? Were they just as magical and practical?

Treating it as a break and to clear his mind, Shen Hao picked up the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman again and continued reading. This time, full of curiosity, he skipped past the Escape Skills and flipped directly to the attack and defense techniques.

The Five Elements basic techniques always include both attack and defense aspects.

For attack, the most famous is the Thunder Technique that derives from "Wood"; at Yellow Level, there’s the basic and crude Palm Thunder. Or the Fireball from the "Fire" line.

For defense, everyone knows about the Stone Wall Skill and Stone Skin Skill of the "Earth" element.

Besides attack and defense, there are many auxiliary skills. The "Great Five Elements Skills" total thirty, yet this is only a small subset of the Five Elements basic arts. Maybe the author liked to exaggerate and shamelessly flatter himself, which is why he chose such a grand name for the book.

Shen Hao was now studying Thunder Technique. He had once used a Thunder Charm engraved with Thunder Descent Skill to kill an enemy in a desperate situation—so naturally, he was especially fond of Thunder Technique.

Compared to the mysterious nature of Escape Skills, basic attack skills focus on being "fast, precise, ruthless." Their power is more direct and visible, and they’re even easier to wield than Escape Skills.

Shen Hao became engrossed, and unconsciously, using his Sea of Consciousness and True Qi, he began to follow the book’s instructions to channel Thunder Creation.

When he came back to his senses, cold sweat covered his back.

"Phew! That was close!"

According to the book, a Cultivator who’d just entered the Gathering Spirit Realm could only learn one technique; any more would harm the soul and meridians, and with the least carelessness, they would destroy their own foundation and fall back into the mortal world—a punishment too dreadful for words.

Shen Hao’s breathing was rapid for a long while before he calmed himself, so startled by his own recklessness. If he’d crippled his Cultivation future due to one careless mistake, he’d probably have beaten himself to death.

But after settling down, Shen Hao found that he hadn’t experienced any discomfort as the book described. Thinking back, everything had happened easily and naturally, with no sense of "awkwardness."

"Why didn’t anything happen? Could it be..."

Shen Hao subconsciously thought of a possibility: his Soul Strength and meridian strength had already surpassed what was typical for the Gathering Spirit Realm. Even though he was only at the Gathering Spirit Realm First Layer, he could probably cultivate more than one technique!

In the past, Shen Hao knew he was talented in cultivation, but it didn’t count as truly exceptional. But now, with the peculiar Black Beast Tattoo on his chest, he realized he was probably more than just exceptionally talented—it was something far greater. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Turning this over in his mind, Shen Hao couldn’t suppress his excitement. He wanted to test if he really could, as he suspected, train in more than one technique at the Gathering Spirit Realm First Layer!

Thinking so, he took a deep breath and once again began to circulate his True Qi, following the book’s method for Palm Thunder, guided by his Sea of Consciousness.

He was extremely cautious, so the process of channeling Thunder Creation was slow. Sweat appeared on his forehead from nervousness. At the same time, he kept close watch on his condition, planning to stop immediately at the slightest discomfort.

But right up to the moment when a streak of pale white lightning flashed in Shen Hao’s palm, he still felt no overload or burden on his soul or meridians from practicing a second technique. In fact, he felt completely at ease the entire time.