Eric Xing noticed something, while looking at the seemingly simple paintings showcasing the traditional movements of the wood cutting blades.
'Aren't these just like the movement techniques in the later scrolls of the Thunder Emperor's Body technique?'
Feeling somewhat doubtful, Eric dug through the unorganized pile of parchment until he came accross a scroll he had only previously glanced at. It was the highest available leveled scroll for the Houtian level of cultivation.
Eric hadn't had the time to read every single scroll, and it was said that skipping too many levels in comprehension could lead to drawbacks in one's cultivation path, yet he had still skimmed through the entire collection while being bored and awaiting the last hidden presence to leave. Doing so wasn't harmful as long a he avoided trying to gain comprehension on a deeper level.
'Come on... where was it...'
The last scroll was not only the longest, it also had the smallest script and the most redactions of all. It was to the point where there was more missing than there was available. It was a miracle that chief Qianggong Zhufu Feng was able to reach his level of cultivation despite such harsh limitations.
'Ah, there you are.'
This part had stood out previously, not because of any illustrations - since cultivation scrolls were strictly text based - but because the tone had switched back to a more narrative one.
"There's nothing like moving one's body around while circulating primordial energy in order to get a feel for its flow. Sitting around and thinking too hard is a surefire way to distance yourself from your connection to the very thing you are trying to process."
'... I hate how similar I feel about this. Especially since...'
It was just too cocky.
Eric was a wholly unique existence in this world, as far as he knew. His body seemed both newborn and yet fully matured. It was as if it was formed of primordial energy, yet his pores and primordial veins were originally clogged and obstructed. All things considered, it made sense that his approach to cultivation had to differ slightly from others born of this world.
However, this former Emperor of Mount Qixuan, pioneer of most of the techniques practiced by the residents of this entire mountain, seemed to rebuke conventional cultivation in many ways.
Eric hadn't been in Lei Village for long, but it was very obvious that cultivation was almost absolutely done during meditation. With the only exceptions being certain comprehensions achieved during combat or other extreme circumstances. Those comprehensions being the result of hours, days and years in meditation.
This former Thunder Emperor had indeed ascended in the past, so maybe Eric had no place to think this way.
'But the fact that his sect fell from grace so harshly proves that his methods weren't repeatable... At least not by anyone born of this world.'
Eric's inner monolog continued to drone on, as he read the arrogant Emperor's bold claims, until he found the exact passage he was seeking.
"Fleeting Cloud Step movement technique."
This part had actually been left mostly in tact, thankfully. It described a series of stances and focused on the circulation of inner primordial energy. The process of which not only aided in combat, but also allowed the cultivator to gather and process primordial energy at all times.
"While this may lose out in terms of the comprehension of deeper truths, the constant absorption of primordial energy will allow the user to dramatically increase their quantity of inner primordial energy, thus allowing one to reach higher stages and break through bottlenecks even in the midst of combat."
"..."
'Why am I having flashbacks of that damned pig...'
Eric found himself troubled with how similar his experience, while running from the Primeval Boar, was with this description. He had originally gathered an excessive amount of primordial engery, after forcing open his primordial pores and veins, and had originally intended to smoothly break through the various levels of Strength Training over an extended period of time.
That had lined up with what he was taught when he had entered the cultivation hall, during his orientation. Gather primordial energy, circulate it according to the Thunder Emperor's Body technique, and guide yourself solidly through each bottleneck.
Fate had made it so Eric ended up bursting through each bottleneck in real-time at a frantic pace, forcing him to feel his way through each breakthrough almost on instinct.
It was crazy, it was reckless and it was dangerous.
'But it felt so natural...'
As Eric had thoughts that the former Emperor may actually have had a similar disposition to himself, he began looking through the details of the Fleeting Cloud technique.
'... Seems some things are similar, yet the instructional paintings are lacking in many ways.'
Eric had actually seen the movements in action earlier in the day before splitting off with Pen Yushui for introductory training.
It was quite the site to behold.
Three muscular men all held on to the ridiculously long handle of the equally ridiculously long blade. They held it perfectly parallel to the ground. The "one man" being the one closest to the blade, the "two man" being the one in the middle and the "three man" being at the very end.
It looked unnatural and awkward. Not to mention, it looked like they would only be able cut from one direction before having to reset themselves for their next swing. That, or they would have to spin in place, which would seem somehow sillier to Eric.
What ended up happening was the one man made a shout, calling the other two to move almost instantly. the one man pivoted his body, handle firmly in his grasp, while the two man made a wider sliding motion and the three man made an even wider sweeping motion with his back foot stretched out as far as he could manage. The blade cut cleanly through the tree, but a single cut was obviously not enough for the massive thing. Just as the blade finished passing through, something that had shocked Eric occurred.
The large, muscular men all dipped under the handle in various ways, moving faster than the blade itself and ending up on the opposite of the blade, catching it and doing the same motion in reverse, following the one man's shout.
The motion was so smooth, it was almost a dance.
That was what was depicted in those paintings. Those same movements were but a fraction of what made up the Fleeting Cloud technique, but they served their purpose brilliantly. All that was missing from the paintings was the circulation of primordial energy and basically ninety-nine percent of the other possible directions the technique described.
'It seems that this technique should be able to be utilized in every possible direction, even allowing one to change direction in mid air, when trained to the highest level.'
Flight was generally believed to be an ability reserved for those above the Xiantian level, a notion this bold cultivation technique clearly intended to fly in the face of.
Eric stood up, gathered all of his discarded items into his sack, slung the strap over his shoulder and popped a cultivation pill into his mouth. The warm sensation began spreading through his body and he immediately started circulating his primordial energy. Well, feeding it into the void was more accurate, but nonetheless. He decided to not let that discourage him as he began stepping in the way depicted by the Thunder Emperor's Body technique, attempting to force his circulation to match the description.
While it was considered reckless to skip levels in a technique, Eric wasn't too concerned. This movement technique was already being practiced, to some degree, by the wood cutters of this village.
His body was clearly not normal, compared to the local populace, either. He had a feeling that it could take, and may even require, a more unconventional and agressive approach to cultivation.
With that in mind, he preceeded to utilize the Fleeting Cloud technique while heading in the direction of the training grounds.