Chapter 576: Simply a Mess
In a flash, three months passed. During the three months, Xiang Shaoyun had not left the gravekeeper elder once. Each time he felt like he was starting to get a gist of the ancient mantra, he would discover something new, making him continue his exploration indefinitely.
Even the gravekeeper elder was astonished as he thought, There might really be hope for this child to be successful!
"Alright. Your current understanding of the mantra is no longer any lower than mine. In the future, you will have to keep comprehending it yourself," said the gravekeeper elder. "Next, show me your battle techniques."
He then beckoned in a random direction. A pile of bones rose and walked over.
"Don't summon your puppet, and fight them with your own strength," said the gravekeeper elder.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded and charged the group of skeletons. He was no longer apprehensive of everything like when he had first arrived. He was also curious as to how much he had improved after several months of cultivation since he had now reached peak ninth-stage Skysoar Realm.
Although he hadn't actually focused much on his cultivation base in the past three months, his strength was still growing steadily. The passive growth was something that had started happening after he filled his nine stars with energy. That was why his physique was considered a freakish physique. Without the heavy armor constantly suppressing him, his growth would be even faster. As he approached the skeletons, he started using all the battle techniques he knew.
Lightning Bolt Fist!
Seven Scorching Sun Claws!
White Tiger Manifestation!
Six Goldplate Manual!
Vicious Prison Finger!
...
Xiang Shaoyun practically showed all the battle techniques he knew. He attacked the skeletons repeatedly, knocking them down again and again. However, there were too many of them. He couldn't completely destroy them, and there seemed to be an unending amount of them. Thus, fighting them was extremely exhausting.
Fortunately, Xiang Shaoyun had solid foundations that allowed him to become stronger the longer he fought. He even used his self-created Havoc Dance. Although there was no energy circulating around the skeletons' bodies, each time they attacked, they would still create some energy flow.
Xiang Shaoyun was able to accurately grasp those minute energy flows, allowing him to deal with all the incoming attacks appropriately and remain unharmed. During the battle, he found that the sensitivity of his senses had increased by more than five times and was comparable to late stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators.
In fact, even that was a conservative estimation. Xiang Shaoyun knew very well that it was due to his newly gained filthless soul. As the battle raged on, he became even more engrossed in the battle and even drew his Overlord Skyslaying Saber and used the first three stances of the Nine Overlord Skyslaying Saber Technique.
With his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps, he moved about freely amidst the skeletons while he swung his saber, destroying numerous skeletons. They couldn't deal any sort of damage to him.
Rumble! Rumble!
The attacks created numerous explosions everywhere, displaying an offensive might that was completely beyond the Skysoar Realm and was comparable to those in the Dragon Ascension Realm. The gravekeeper elder sat there silently; his eyes still appeared empty and blank, yet it felt like he was able to clearly see Xiang Shaoyun's every action.
After an unknown amount of time, the elder finally said, "Ok. That's all for now."
Hearing that, Xiang Shaoyun quickly returned to the elder's side with his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps. He was dripping with sweat, completely exhausted from the battle. However, he could sense that the stars within his body had formed an unending cycle of circulation that helped quickly replenish his energy. That had never happened before.
Looks like filling all the nine stars has finally helped showcase the advantage of my physique, thought Xiang Shaoyun with a smile.
The unending cycle was the best tool for one to quickly grow and maintain one's condition during battle. Little did he know that this was only happening because the powers contained within his nine stars had also changed.
In the past, he only had several unique powers within him, whereas the rest of his stars only contained regular energies. Thus, there was no balance between the stars, and because of that, such an unending cycle had never happened.
"What do you think about your battle techniques?" asked the gravekeeper elder.
Xiang Shaoyun thought for a bit and said, "Decent, I guess."
"Hehe, looks like you are very happy with your usage of battle techniques," the gravekeeper elder suddenly laughed. His face then turned solemn as he berated, "What a mess!"
Xiang Shaoyun had not expected that remark, and he turned somewhat sullen. He was proficient in many types of battle techniques, and he believed that he had a good understanding of battle techniques and actual combat situations. He wouldn't have prevailed over so many opponents in the past otherwise. He believed the gravekeeper elder had only given him that evaluation due to the elder's high cultivation level.
"Hehe, looks like you're unconvinced," said the elder. "Watch."
Right after he said that, seven figures appeared around them. All seven of them were the afterimages of the elder, and each of them was respectively demonstrating one of the battle techniques Xiang Shaoyun had used earlier.
Xiang Shaoyun focused on the seven figures, and initially, he did not feel like what they were doing was any different from what he did. But the more he watched, the more alarmed he became.
The figures were most definitely demonstrating the exact techniques he had used while battling the skeletons, yet the prowess they released was much greater compared to his versions.
In comparison, if Xiang Shaoyun was considered proficient in those techniques, then the elder's grasp on those techniques could be considered perfect. Using the same techniques with a different application of force and some other minor tweaks had completely changed their prowess.
Xiang Shaoyun's version of those techniques were cultivated in accordance to their learning materials. One could say that he was displaying a textbook version. As for the gravekeeper elder, his version was flexible, and each change of his seemed capable of pushing their might to the peak.
In conclusion, the elder's changes had not only strengthened the techniques but had also simplified and turned them ingenious, allowing the techniques to flow together smoothly. He was displaying the techniques' perfect forms.