Tie Zhu stared at the shattered pieces of the elemental tracer on the floor in disbelief. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Meanwhile, Wang Yazhu's mind was racing with the implications of Tie Zhu's incredible talent. It was already unheard of for someone to be compatible with every single element, however he never would have guessed that Tie Zhu would have such incredible talent in every single one of them. It was a level of talent that surpassed even the most powerful cultivators he had encountered in his long life.
As Tie Zhu tried to process what had just happened, Wang Yazhu composed himself and spoke up. "Not bad," he said, his voice calm and measured. "It seems that you are somewhat compatible with every element, so you can choose from a large range of different techniques."
Tie Zhu's eyes widened in amazement. He had known that he had control over multiple elements due to his beast core, but he had never imagined that he would be compatible with every single one. He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of all the different techniques he could learn.
"However," Wang Yazhu continued, "in saying this, I would not recommend you learn a lot of different techniques. Instead, learn a few of them until you can fully master their power. That's because having a technique that you have mastered will be infinitely more powerful than having many techniques that you have barely learned."
Hearing that he had an affinity with all the elements he could not help but feel excited thinking about all the different techniques he could use. However when he heard Wang Yazhu's second sentence he was quickly brought back to reality as what he said had made sense.
"Then which techniques do you recommend that I learn first?" Tie Zhu replied eagerly. He did not feel too let down as he would likely have more time in the future to master whatever techniques he wanted.
Wang Yazhu paused, considering his words carefully before speaking. "Given that you have only just started cultivating, you may need to rely on surprise attacks to overcome opponents stronger than you. Fortunately, the treasures within the spatial rock provide ample opportunity for such tactics. Lightning or spatial techniques would be your best bet for catching your enemies off guard." As he spoke, a tinge of envy crept into his voice. It was a rare gift to be able to choose one's abilities without limitations, and Tie Zhu's innate talent was the envy of many.
"Although Lightning techniques can be extremely destructive they can also serve many other purposes from providing a protective armor to greatly increasing your speed to unprecedented levels making it hard for enemies to defend themselves. On the other hand when it comes to actually catching your opponents off guard spatial techniques are in a class of their own. Although it may seem at first that spatial techniques are mainly utility based they can actually be extremely powerful, however to completely master them is extremely difficult." Wang Yazhu continued as he directed Tie Zhu towards a location in the spatial stone where he had stored many powerful techniques he had come across.
"This Jade slip here contains the Rift Splitter technique which is divided into different levels. I can't tell you too much about it apart from that it allows you to create rifts in space that can not only act as portals but extremely dangerous weapons where you can use them to spatially slice apart almost anything caught inside by forcefully closing them." Wang Yazhu explained. Although he had collected all different types of techniques he had never really bothered studying Spatial techniques as it would have been completely useless for him.
As he instructed Tie Zhu about the general principles of elemental techniques he also gave him Jade slips for the Phantom Step spatial technique and the Overlord Lightning Formation technique. Despite those techniques not being the most powerful in his entire collection they could all be considered peerless with respect to the standards of Earth. The reason for this was because Wang Yazhu did not specifically search for these techniques but they had still somehow ended in his collection.
Wang Yazhu couldn't help but feel a tinge of worry that he had provided Tie Zhu with techniques that were too advanced for his current level. It would be unfortunate if Tie Zhu became overwhelmed and couldn't make any progress. In such a scenario, he would have to resort to teaching him darkness, water, or wood techniques, which he was more familiar with.
After eagerly listening to Wang Yazhu's instructions on the fundamental principles of elemental techniques, Tie Zhu couldn't contain his anticipation any longer. With a wave of his hand, he delved his consciousness into the jade slip containing the Rift Splitting Technique, eager to learn its secrets. Despite Wang Yazhu mentioning that the technique was divided into different levels, Tie Zhu was only able to access the first tier of the technique. He couldn't help but wonder if he would be able to unlock the remaining stages after he had fully mastered the first one.
As Tie Zhu delved deeper into the intricacies of the Rift Splitting technique, he pored over every word, committing them to memory as he marveled at the immense power it held. He soon realized that, in order to fully utilize the technique, he needed to exert a great deal of control and focus. Creating the initial Spatial Rift was one thing, however he could also forcefully close them, slicing almost anything caught inside.
As he read on, he discovered that the technique was not without its limitations. The more resistant an object caught inside a rift was, the more Spiritual Essence he would need to expend in order to slice through it. He also learned that he could manipulate the movement of these rifts, but doing so required intense concentration.
The complexity of the Rift Splitting technique was not lost on Tie Zhu. The actual process of creating spatial rifts involved forcefully tearing through the fabric of space with threads of spiritual essence.
After closing his eyes, Tie Zhu took a deep breath, clearing his mind as he prepared to transform his spiritual essence into spatial threads.
* * *
"Huff... Huff... Huff.." Tie Zhu lay flat on the floor, panting heavily after more than two hours of relentless effort. He had been trying to transform the spiritual essence within his Dantian into spatial threads, but every time the essence turned a slightly grayish color, it would scatter almost instantly. Each failed attempt left him feeling as if he had run a marathon, but he sensed slight progress despite the exhaustion.
Although he had previous experience transforming spiritual essence into fire threads, that was largely due to the meat that he had eaten had come from a fire elemental creature.
Refusing to surrender, Tie Zhu made another attempt to create a spatial thread. This time, he sensed that his spiritual essence was gradually transmuting into a dim, silvery filament, and he persisted in feeding it with a steady stream of his spiritual essence. As he continued to do so, the faint, translucent silvery thread began to shift, becoming darker and more substantial.
Feeling that it was somewhat reminiscent of the fire threads he created earlier in the day, Tie Zhu quickly followed the instructions on creating a spatial rift, imagining the thread weaving together to form a complex pattern that would allow him to tear a hole in the fabric of space. With each breath, he felt his thread grow stronger, coalescing into a tangible form that he could manipulate.
He opened his eyes and extended his hand, summoning a surge of spiritual energy. He felt the thread begin to form, weaving together in a complicated pattern. As they grew stronger, he focused his energy on a single point, tearing a hole in the air in front of and the space next to him to create an opening and exit for the rift.
Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he tried to maintain his concentration and control over the spatial thread, when suddenly two tiny pea sized holes appeared in the air crackling with energy! Tie Zhu felt a surge of excitement as he realized that he had succeeded in creating his first spatial rift.