Throughout history, there has never been seen, nor heard of a yellow Dragon Bloodline!
The Dragon Bloodline of Lanling is yellow in color. What on earth is going on?
It was not only Ye Jingyu who was stunned, even Lanling himself was dumbfounded. He had read the related books of this world and knew that there were only seven types of bloodlines. Yet, he unexpectedly possessed the eighth type of bloodline—an unprecedented yellow color.
Suo Lun might be very impure, but he, himself, was as clean as water.
Was it because of his own physical condition, or because of Yao Xing? Lanling simply had no idea.
Moreover, the yellow color in the jade bowl was getting deeper and deeper, and then it suddenly shook violently.
A golden light burst forth and transformed the yellow bloodline into a golden one.
Ye Jingyu was completely lost for words. He quickly poured a bowl of pig's blood into the Dragon Spring Water, and instantly the golden yellow color shattered and disappeared without a trace.
Then, the two of them looked at each other in dismay.
After a long while, Lanling asked, "So... which type of Martial Arts should I practice?"
Ye Jingyu shook her head and said, "I truly do not know. A golden yellow bloodline is unseen and unheard of."
Lanling said, "Maybe it's because... I come from another world?"
"It's likely." Ye Jingyu said, "You must be careful when testing your bloodline in the future. Other than you, myself, and the young miss, no fourth person can know of this."
"I understand." Lanling asked, "What do we do next? Do we continue to train in martial arts?"
Ye Jingyu closed her beautiful eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes and said, "Train. There might be surprises in store."
...
"The first step of Martial Enlightenment is to sense the Dragon Force." Ye Jingyu said.
People in this world, more or less, all possess the power of the Dragon Blood. But for the vast majority, this power is concealed and unable to be perceived or felt.
Therefore, the first step in practicing Martial Arts is to discover and sense the Dragon Force.
The Dragon Force is a power that comes from deep within the bloodline, the foundation of Martial Arts in this world.
As long as there is some Dragon Bloodline, then the Dragon Force must be contained within it, hidden inside the bloodline. Only when the body reaches its limits and can no longer sustain itself, a surge of energy will emerge from deep in the heart and flow into every limb and bone.
This is somewhat similar to the potential in humans on Earth. For example, a mother who manages to lift a car in a moment of urgency to save her child. Of course, the potential in people on Earth is only instantaneous and emerges only in the most critical moments. In this world, Dragon Force lies within the bloodline and can erupt continuously and without end.
The existence of Dragon Force also gives the people of this world the source of their powerful martial capabilities. The so-called induction of Dragon Force is to feel and even introspect this power clearly with the mind. Only by spiritually introspecting and sensing the Dragon Force can one further control it.
"I do not know how high your spiritual talent is, but we strive to complete this first step of sensing the Dragon Force within this month." Ye Jingyu said, "In a month's time, you will enter the Royal City Academy."
Among the five major talents, spiritual talent is the most important, because Martial Arts is the process of controlling Dragon Force with the mind.
Lanling asked, "How long does it usually take for someone with a high spiritual talent to complete the sensing of Dragon Force?"
Ye Jingyu replied, "One month. Of course, I've seen those with the highest talent achieve it in half a month. And in the last century, there was one person with the highest talent who completed it in only ten days."
"Who was he?" Lanling asked.
"The northern overlord, King Dongli Jiang Shang." Ye Jingyu said, "Now his martial skills are at the point where he regards all beneath him as nothing more than small hills."
It is only in the recent decades that the Rage Wave Kingdom has become the hegemon of Central Earth. Meanwhile, the Dongli Kingdom has been the longstanding powerhouse in the north for hundreds of years, spanning eleven provinces, with a population of seventy million and an army of one million strong.
And King Dongli Jiang Shang himself is awe-inspiring, with even the monarch Ying Qu of the Flame Empire respecting him immensely.
Ye Jingyu's description left Lanling with an immense reverence for King Dongli Jiang Shang.
"Of course, the reason for Jiang Shang's awe-inspiring reputation is not just his martial skills, but his power, and the strength of the Dongli Kingdom." Ye Jingyu continued, "When you become Lord of Tianshui City, remember that as a high-ranking noble or lord, your personal martial strength is merely an embellishment. The wealth, army, and power you control are the fundamentals."
Lanling nodded and said, "I understand."
On this point, he was very clear. Once civilization and order were established in the world, personal martial prowess could hardly play a decisive role anymore.
The King of Rage Wave Kingdom, King Quo Bian, had only passable martial skills, but that did not prevent him from being one of the hegemons of Central Earth and the most outstanding king in the history of Rage Wave Kingdom.
The monarch Ying Qu of the Flame Empire was even less skilled in martial arts, but this did not hinder him from being the king of kings, the king of the world.
"All right, let's begin now," Ye Jingyu said. "First, you need to push your body to the limit so that the Dragon Force within can be stimulated."
Lanling couldn't help but doubt, as a person from Earth, could he possibly have Dragon Force in his body? All he had inside him was the influence of Yao Xing.
"How much strength can your hands muster?" Ye Jingyu asked.
"About a hundred pounds," Lanling replied.
Although he had a tough upbringing, he was, after all, raised in the city. Even though he started working at a young age, he did not often do heavy lifting.
Ye Jingyu fetched a stone and said, "This stone weighs a hundred and ten pounds, which should be the limit of your hand strength. Embrace this stone with both hands and squat in horse stance."
"Yes," Lanling crouched in a horse stance, his arms encircled as if embracing.
When Ye Jingyu placed the 110-pound stone in his hands, Lanling's body suddenly dropped heavily, nearly sending him to the ground.
Maintaining a horse stance was already uncomfortable enough, and now he had to hold a 110-pound stone. Within just two seconds, Lanling could no longer bear the weight, and his entire body wobbled unsteadily.
"Hold on forcefully, wait for your body to reach its limit," Ye Jingyu said.
Lanling trembled all over, drenched in sweat like syrup, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.
Just then, a wave of heat surged from deep within his heart, flooding into his limbs and bones. The pain throughout his body was instantly relieved, replaced by a comforting warmth.
"Do you feel it?" asked Ye Jingyu.
"I feel it," Lanling replied, recognizing the force as familiar, yet he didn't know whether it was the power of Yao Xing or that of his bloodline.
Continuing, Lanling said, "I merely feel it, but cannot sense or introspect it."
"Next, we will practice the 'Inverted Moon Mantra' for Dragon Force sensing," Ye Jingyu instructed.
The "Inverted Moon Mantra" is the most basic element of Martial Arts in this world, permeating one's entire Martial Arts career. It is instinctively utilized in every battle. To be precise, the Inverted Moon Mantra is a method of concentrating the spirit.
"Next, recite the mantra after me and immerse your spirit completely in the world of the mantra," Ye Jingyu said.
Ye Jingyu began to recite the mantra, and Lanling followed suit.
"Still waters mirroring the moonlight, a flawless orb untouched…" These forty words depicted a serene scene of an inverted moon in water.
"A boulder smashes down, surface shattered, the reflected moon bursts…" Another set of forty words, indicating a stone plunging in, completely disrupting the moon's reflection in the water.
"I wish to gather, to restore the moon's wholeness, the wind does not cease, the waves do not halt, wondering where to borrow strength…" This segment of thirty words portrayed the desperate attempt to calm the ripples and restore the moon's reflection to its full circle, yet feeling utterly helpless with neither limbs to act nor force to borrow.
Lanling memorized the 110-word mantra after only a couple of repetitions.
"Use your mind to imagine the scenes described by the mantra, then completely immerse your spirit in it," Ye Jingyu said.
This was simple. The mantra was straightforward, with clear imagery that made it easy to delve into.
With his eyes closed, Lanling's spiritual world was engulfed in darkness, save for a patch of water and its inverted moon. The surface was tumultuous with restless waves, and the reflection lay in broken shambles.
He desperately wanted to calm the water, but the wind persisted, the waves continued. His investment was merely an intangible spirit, lacking limbs to affect the surroundings and filled with helplessness.
"In the world of the Inverted Moon Mantra, what do you feel the most?" asked Ye Jingyu.
"A sense of powerlessness," Lanling responded.
"Right, a sense of powerlessness," Ye Jingyu affirmed. "So, your spirit will desperately search for power, and at this moment when Bloodline Dragon Force surges from your heart, after searching thousands of times, this force will be sensed by your spirit. You'll be able to introspect your Dragon Force and see it as a colored light. Whatever color your bloodline is, the light will be of that color."
Lanling was amazed. The principle of Dragon Force sensing was both simple and profound, and filled with stringent logic.
"Once you sense this power, borrow it bit by bit, accumulating it until it's enough to calm the entire water surface and restore the moon's reflection to its entirety," Ye Jingyu explained. "When you accomplish this, it signifies the completion of Dragon Force sensing, and also marks your first completion of the spirit concentration process."
Quieting the moon's reflection in the water is one of the most essential elements for all Samurai. Only at this moment does one consolidate all concentration and achieve total focus.
Next, in the horse stance with a weight of forty pounds in his hands, Lanling silently recited the "Moon Reflection Skill" mantra, eyes closed, wholeheartedly immersing his spirit in the world created by the mantra, earnestly wishing for the wind and waves to cease, for the moon's reflection to be restored to perfection.
His body reached the extreme of pain every few seconds, then Bloodline Dragon Force would surge from the depths of his heart, filling his limbs and bones.
His spiritual power desperately searched for any strength to be borrowed.
Again and again, Lanling lost complete track of the time.
And Ye Jingyu simply sat aside, watching over him.
Half an hour, two hours, two and a half hours, four hours passed!
Ye Jingyu was somewhat astonished. A beginner's Bloodline Energy should be exhausted after just over two hours, so why could Lanling continue to support himself without end?
Lanling, immersed in the Spiritual Illusion of the moon's reflection in water, kept seeking and searching.
Yet, he couldn't find any trace of Dragon Force, nor see any gleam of light.
Just when he was nearly losing hope of sensing the Dragon Force in the short term, suddenly he felt as if a faint light flickered in the boundless darkness. Then, he quickly pursued it with his spirit.
In the limitless darkness, his spiritual power chased for who knows how long until he finally saw the source of the light.
It was a nearly transparent light, vaguely golden, composed of thousands of strands of energy, pulsating slight as if alive.
Lanling was overwhelmed with surprise!
But then, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Master, I've told you that you would need me." This light energy directly infused consciousness into Lanling's mind.
Indeed, it was Yao Xing. Lanling was immediately filled with mixed emotions.