Shackles of Humanity

The waves still crashed against Wanghai Cliff. A unique frequency emanated from the vast, boundless sea—the infinitely majestic Power of Water. Luo Kai stood motionless before this immense power, the frequency of his consciousness permeating it. The sea began to churn, and countless streams of seawater converged on him. In an instant, the entire coastline was thrown into turmoil as monstrous waves surged forward.

The water molecules in the air gathered with the surging Sea Tide, flowing and swirling around each other. It was a tempest in the making; if this continued, it would likely form a hurricane that could sweep across the coastline.

...

The sea always has a way of easing one’s heart. Luo Kai gradually recovered from his sorrow. He returned to his ruined house, repaired it, and moved back in. He made a clay pot and planted Zilan in it. To communicate with Zilan, he had to achieve resonance with the Wood Element. Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to stimulate his Spiritual Power to connect with the Wood Element Energy, it showed no sign of responding to him.

He vaguely understood why. ’Wood Element Energy represents life force; its frequency is vibrant and uplifting. But my own Evil Qi is too strong, and my mood is too listless, so it’s hard for me to resonate with it.’

Luo Kai also tended to the nearby fruit groves and began to live a simple and modest life. Watching the unripe fruit grow on the trees calmed his Heart Spirit. In his spare time, he opened the cultivation notebook on Blood Energy. He had no intention of practicing it; he just wanted to gain a deeper understanding of Dark Energy.

Unlike Light Energy and Elemental Energy, Dark Energy was a latent energy that couldn’t be seen or touched, making it very difficult to find a way to utilize. But human ingenuity is limitless, and some wise individuals figured out a method to condense Blood Energy Essence. Through this essence, they could filter out the Dark Energy contained within living beings and attempt to harness it.

Energy itself isn’t inherently good or evil; some energies are just more violent in nature, while others are gentler. This, in turn, affects the Cultivator’s personality. The nature of Dark Energy is rather gloomy, which can make a Cultivator’s personality become dark and narrow-minded. On top of that, its cultivation method was extremely radical, requiring the consumption of large amounts of blood from living creatures, which is why it was rejected by human society.

Luo Kai extended his Spiritual Will into his own body, observing its changes at the most minute level. ’Ever since I consumed the Blood Energy Essence, fine threads have appeared on each of my red blood cells. I still don’t know the specific effects.’

After a long while, he withdrew his consciousness from his body and frowned in deep thought. ’If I map Light Energy and Dark Energy to a person’s bloodlines, then Dark Energy must focus on strengthening the Nine Yin Meridians. If the Yin Qi in the body becomes too heavy, one’s temperament will turn sinister and wicked, and one’s gender becomes ambiguous—just like the Vampires of legend. It’s better not to practice this stuff, unless I can find another cultivation method for Light Energy.’

...

That evening, Luo Kai stood on a reef, letting the waves wash over him. The method for Canglang Body Refining was very effective. Unfortunately, the tide was now unable to move him in the slightest. But he could increase the power of the Sea Tide.

The frequency of his consciousness radiated from his body, guiding the surrounding waves to gather around him. The waves grew increasingly violent, crashing against the reef with a thunderous roar. Some of the more fragile reefs were instantly shattered.

Luo Kai increased the output of his consciousness frequency, focusing the power of the Sea Tide on himself. As one wave fell, another rose, sweeping toward him in endless layers.

The endless waves battered his body, washing over his every cell, and cleansing his very soul...

He opened his eyes. His ink-black pupils lit up with specks of starlight, as if a Star System was slowly swirling within them.

The Stars reflected in the sea echoed the starlight in his eyes. Strands of brilliant silver light rose from the surface of the water, swarming to surround him. It was the purest Water Energy.

The majestic and powerful Water Energy soothed his Mind Spirit, diluting the sorrow and pain in his heart.

After a long while, Luo Kai let out a long breath. A warm smile appeared on his face as he looked at the specks of starlight swirling before him. ’All things have spirits. These specks of starlight are the Water Element Spirits. Every Elemental Master must refine and cultivate their own essence of Spiritual Energy.’ At this moment, he had finally refined his very own Elemental Essence.

He gently closed his eyes. The surrounding Essence of Water revolved around him, seeping into his body. A cool sensation spread through his body and mind. With a single thought, he directed the essence Energy scattered throughout his body into his kidneys. In the Five Elements, the kidneys belong to water; they are humanity’s most important filtering organs and also secrete various hormones to cope with complex situations.

As he retracted his consciousness, the surging waves subsided. Luo Kai stood quietly on the reef, watching the tide gradually calm before him. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he casually threw a punch at a nearby rock. Initially, he used only the power of his arm. Midway through the punch, his shoulders and chest began to exert force, followed closely by his waist and abdomen.

With a loud BOOM, the hard reef was shattered by his punch. Luo Kai was stunned, staring blankly at his own palm. He had only casually mimicked the motion of the Sea Tide with his punch and never expected the power to be so immense.

He furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought. ’The Fist Power of the Mighty Dragon Fist emphasizes an all-out burst. When I accelerate my Qi and Blood Circulation, the Fist Power is naturally unstoppable. But it has a major weakness: every strike requires a short charging period, the burst of power is short-lived, and the stamina consumption is enormous.’

’And yet, the punch I just threw didn’t use my full strength, but its power was in no way inferior to the Mighty Dragon Fist.’

He threw another punch. This time, he started with only ten percent of his strength. Before the force could dissipate, he tensed his muscles again, using twenty percent of his strength to boost the initial Fist Power. He continued to drive the Fist Power forward like this without interruption, making the force greater each time, layer upon layer, endless...

The surrounding reefs became casualties of his Fist Power practice. ROARING sounds were constant as rock fragments flew everywhere. Luo Kai began to increase the speed of his Qi and Blood Circulation. He then extended his consciousness frequency to stir up the tide once more, using his newly comprehended layered power technique to clash head-on with the endless waves.

The more he fought, the more excited he became, letting out continuous long roars. The speed of his Qi and Blood Circulation rose uninhibited to its peak. His body began to expand, and his clothes instantly tore to shreds as he transformed into a four-meter-tall giant. At the same time, he activated his Spiritual Power to assist his Fist Power. Spiritual Will Power is an omnipotent force that can greatly amplify anything one wishes to achieve. His Fist Power grew stronger and stronger, and each punch he threw was accompanied by the faint sound of wind and thunder.

Time passed. Before he knew it, Luo Kai had been living there for over a month. Every day, he would go to the shore to refine the Essence of Water and practice his newly comprehended power technique.

This power technique was learned by simulating the movement of the waves, building on the foundation of the Mighty Dragon Fist. Through the Dharma Gate of force propulsion, it could infinitely increase the kinetic energy of a strike. He named it Azure Wave Force. When unleashed with full power, its might surpassed even that of the Mighty Dragon Fist.