Shackles of Humanity

The bright moon hung high in the sky as the four of them drank. They spoke of pleasantries and the state of the world, but mostly, they discussed the path of Body Techniques, occasionally getting excited and exchanging a few blows in a friendly spar.

The three Body Masters each specialized in different Body Techniques. Tuoba Ye had undergone an infusion of the Gold Element from the Five Elements. Gold governed offense, so the Body Techniques he cultivated excelled at unleashing Sharp Power, making his attacks unstoppable.

Xi Jinghui was the exact opposite. The Water Attribute Body Techniques he cultivated excelled at Force Discharge. Just as Luo Kai had thought, a body transformed by Water Energy was like an empty valley—it offered no purchase. The softest substance in the world could overcome the hardest.

As a member of the Tri-Eyed Race, Su Chengbo was born with a natural Light Energy Affinity. Although he didn’t flaunt his martial prowess, Tuoba Ye and Xi Jinghui were clearly wary of him. Furthermore, his knowledge was simply unparalleled. He could casually point out the key aspects of any Attribute’s Cultivation Technique, seemingly able to grasp them with ease. Even his understanding of Luo Kai’s self-created Azure Wave Force was far deeper than the other two. Clearly, his Cultivation had reached a state where he could comprehend all things through analogy.

And Luo Kai, naturally, was no ordinary person either. He had lived two lives, his previous one in an era of information explosion. He had dabbled in all sorts of fields—technology, science, and even philosophy. All Laws Origin from One Source; ultimately, all knowledge is but an exploration and discovery of the principles governing the universe.

His understanding of the path of Body Techniques was nowhere near as profound as the three Body Masters, but precisely because he wasn’t constrained by a conventional framework, he could unleash a greater imagination. He had a personal understanding of the Dharma Gate of mutual generation and inhibition between the energies of all things. When he learned of Tuoba Ye’s Main Cultivation Method, he casually remarked, ”All things mutually generate and inhibit one another. Within the Five Elements, Sharp Gold Produces Soft Water. The most ferocious force, when pushed to its absolute limit, will inevitably produce a soft, subtle effect. It’s the principle of extreme reversal. When you reach that point, you should be able to use a technique of generating force through layered progression.”

Tuoba Ye had been taking a large gulp of wine, but at these words, he froze, the cup at his lips. He stared at Luo Kai, his eyes gleaming. ”Don’t tell me you came up with that on your own.”

The other two also paused and fell into deep thought. Only after reaching the Body Master realm did one even begin to touch upon the Dharma Gate of mutual energy generation and inhibition, and they were still in the exploratory stage. They naturally understood the Five Elements Theory of Mutual Generation and Mutual Inhibition and were aware of the drawbacks of a single Attribute. However, they had absolutely no idea how to actually integrate other elements. They didn’t even know how to take the next step forward, yet this young man before them had casually revealed the way.

Luo Kai smiled and said, ”It’s just a theory. You’ll have to experience and research it for yourself to know for sure.”

Tuoba Ye tossed his wine cup aside, walked over, and gripped Luo Kai’s shoulders, exclaiming excitedly, ”You kid, you’re a true genius!”

”Hey, let’s keep the conversation friendly. Don’t get so worked up.” Luo Kai was startled and tried to push him away, but the older man was surprisingly strong. Without using his Qi and Blood Circulation skills, he really couldn’t budge him.

Tuoba Ye stared at him, grinning foolishly, then suddenly said, ”You’re not married yet, are you? I have a daughter. She’s still a bit young, but that’s alright. When we get back to Shangjing, I’ll introduce you two.”

Goosebumps broke out all over Luo Kai’s body. ’I can only imagine what the daughter of this overbearing man would be like.’ He quickly flexed his muscles and forcefully shoved him away, taking several steps back before saying, ”I just think of you as a friend. You shouldn’t get the wrong idea.”

”The Luo Family never took care of you anyway. Why not join my Tuoba Family? You can have your pick of the young girls in my family.” Tuoba Ye released his grip and stared at him eagerly.

Luo Kai calmed his surging Qi and Blood and said resignedly, ”If you keep this up, I’m just going to leave.”

”Alright, alright! We’ll talk more when we’re back in Shangjing.” Tuoba Ye raised his hands in surrender, returned to his seat, and gleefully took a huge swig of wine. The way he stared at Luo Kai was like he was gazing at a peerless beauty—full of undisguised desire. It made Luo Kai’s skin crawl.

Xi Jinghui and Su Chengbo said nothing, but their gazes toward Luo Kai were also filled with fervor. The word ”genius” was no longer sufficient to describe this young man; he was simply a monster.

Su Chengbo asked with a gentle smile, ”Luo Xiaoyou, would you be interested in attending Shangjing University?”

Luo Kai was stunned for a moment. Of course, he wanted to see the birthplace of humanity’s Body Techniques in this era. He pointed at himself and asked, ”Am I qualified?”

”Qualified? You could even be a professor, no problem!” Tuoba Ye grew excited again and shot Su Chengbo a wink. He understood Su Chengbo’s intention. This kid’s personality was clearly a bit reclusive—or rather, not reclusive, but more like the choice of a ’person cultivating the Dao.’ A higher-level philosopher who remains alone, not because he desires solitude, but because he cannot find his peers in the world around him.

This kid was clearly one of a kind. If they didn’t find a way to keep him in Shangjing, he would likely run off to some corner of the world by himself again, and finding him would be difficult.

Su Chengbo’s expression remained unchanged. He took a light sip of red wine and said, ”As it happens, I need to handle my little sister’s enrollment when I get back. You can come with me to meet our teacher then.”

”Won’t that be too much trouble for you?” Luo Kai didn’t like being indebted to others. The enrollment slots for Shangjing University were clearly very limited. The Xingma Kingdom, while not large, was still a country, yet it had to fight in a combat tournament just to secure five spots.

But Tuoba Ye quickly interjected, ”It’s no trouble at all. For our teacher, it only takes a single word.”

”May I ask who your teacher is?” Luo Kai was a bit curious. Someone who could teach three Body Masters was definitely no ordinary person.

A look of reverence appeared on all three of their faces. Xi Jinghui answered solemnly, ”Our teacher is the current Patriarch of the Yun Family. He is also King Bo Han of the Dongyuan Upper Country, the president of Shangjing University, the honorary chairman of the Body Technique Association, and Saint Master Yun Shan.”

Luo Kai felt a little dizzy from the long string of titles. However, when he heard the name at the end, he remembered that the person Shui Su had asked him to find was also named Yun. ’Could they be related?’ he wondered. He couldn’t help but mutter, ”His surname is Yun, too? Why does his title have the word ’Saint’ in it?”

His voice was quiet, but the other three heard him. Su Chengbo hesitated for a moment before saying, ”As for why he has the word ’Saint’ in his title, you’ll understand once you meet our teacher.”

Before they knew it, the sky began to brighten. A red sun rose from the surface of the sea, and the yacht gradually sailed into an archipelago.

Inside the cabin, Tuoba Ye’s two subordinates hadn’t slept all night. They had been eavesdropping on the lofty discussion above. For them, listening to Body Masters discuss martial arts and the Dao was an immense benefit, and the more they listened, the more their curiosity burned—an itch they couldn’t scratch. They wanted to go up and ask questions but didn’t dare.

The young man who was always holding a sniper rifle, Xu Yang, now leaned over to Xiaohu’s ear and whispered, ”Xiaohu, do you think that guy upstairs is really that amazing?”

Xiaohu quickly shushed him. Only after sensing no reaction from above did he whisper back, ”Amazing? He’s more than that. Didn’t you hear the Instructor say he’s sparred with all three of those Body Masters? A Martial Artist who can fight a Body Master... that’s unheard of.”

”We’ve been to so many countries with the Instructor, and all the Martial Artists we’ve met were mediocre. A small country like the Xingma Kingdom simply doesn’t have the resources to produce someone that powerful.”

Xu Yang was still skeptical. The training of a Martial Artist wasn’t something one could accomplish alone. Genetic Potions, various Body Refining Herbs, and advanced training methods were all indispensable. No matter how talented someone was, it would be difficult to unlock their body’s potential without these things.

Xiaohu’s expression turned grave. ”Some people are beyond our imagination. When that man first arrived, the elemental fluctuations around him were incredibly intense. I felt an immense pressure from him. That’s a phenomenon we Elemental Masters only experience when we encounter conflicting Attribute frequencies. If I’m not mistaken, that man is also a very powerful Water Elemental Master!”