Strongest War Emperor

Deep in the vast mountains, night fell.

A waterfall over a hundred feet tall cascaded down from the peak, letting out a thunderous roar. A misty spray filled the air in all directions, shrouding the area in a hazy, ethereal fog.

Below the waterfall was a pool several hundred feet wide.

At the pool’s edge, Nalan Ziyun’s hands, wreathed in Spirit Light, danced up and down. She was controlling a Water Dragon as it soared and dove, practicing her Water Element Technique.

Not far from her, Shen Lang sat by a bonfire, roasting a fish. He recited aloud, ”The supreme ultimate moves and generates yang. When movement reaches its limit, it becomes stillness. Stillness then generates yin. When stillness reaches its limit, it returns to movement. One movement and one stillness are the root of each other. Divided into yin and yang, the two energies interact, giving birth to all things...”

”Water permeates all things; it can be hard or soft. Feng Rougangjin, Feng Gangrouhua. Power is gathered in the hand, but force is directed by the heart. When unleashed, it can shatter heaven and earth, sunder Yin and Yang, and destroy all that stands in its way. The defense of water is to use softness to overcome hardness, leaving no openings in any direction. It can be strong or weak, offensive or defensive. In intent, do not seek a grand form, for a grand form will surely be defeated. The fist has no intent, the intent has no intent, and within this lack of intent lies the true intent. Use the Power of Water to control your opponent’s body!”

Under Shen Lang’s guidance, the Water Dragon Nalan Ziyun controlled shrank in size, but it became far more agile.

Its speed increased, stirring the water in the surrounding pool.

Under the Water Dragon’s churning, the pool actually formed a massive, breathtaking whirlpool!

As the Water Dragon shot back and forth, its roars grew so powerful they even drowned out the sound of the waterfall.

”Water Dragon’s Roar, First Form: Dragon Hides in the Void!”

Following Nalan Ziyun’s sharp cry, the Water Dragon let out a sudden roar and shot across the water’s surface, hurtling toward the waterfall.

The moment the Water Dragon made contact with the falls, it instantly charged upward against the cascading flow!

BOOM!

A sound like the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt exploding echoed through the forest. The waterfall suddenly reversed its course and surged upward, creating a truly shocking sight!

”It’s... it’s that powerful...”

Nalan Ziyun stared dumbly at the scene. It was a long while before the waterfall began flowing down again, returning to its previous state. Only then did she run over to Shen Lang in a fluster.

”After using the Heart Method you mentioned to activate Water Dragon’s Roar, this was only the first move, but its power is already so immense. It’s simply unimaginable!”

Nalan Ziyun unceremoniously snatched a fish and started eating. ”Do you have any even more powerful Cultivation Techniques?” she mumbled indistinctly. ”Teach them all to me! My hands are itching to try them out!”

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. ”Being greedy and impatient is a great taboo in Martial Arts. Most Martial Artists can’t even master a single powerful Cultivation Technique in their entire lifetime, so what’s the use of giving you eight or ten of them? People often say that Thunder Element Techniques have the strongest Attack Power, but in reality, once any Cultivation Technique is mastered to its absolute peak and you glimpse the Laws of its Attribute, it can achieve the exact same level of power.”

”Of course there are techniques stronger than Water Dragon’s Roar, like the Profound Dao Sect’s Thunder Control Divine Technique. But Water Dragon’s Roar is the most suitable Cultivation Technique for your Physique, and it’s also much easier to start with. Otherwise, did you think you could unleash such power on your very first time cultivating and testing Water Dragon’s Roar?”

”If you were to cultivate the Thunder Control Divine Technique, you’d first have to undergo Thunder Power Body Forging, then absorb the Nine Heavens Thunder Power, and it would still take you two or three years before you could possibly unleash an attack this strong. In terms of sheer power, the force released by this first move of Water Dragon’s Roar has already reached the level of the Spirit Martial Realm Sixth Heaven... and your current Cultivation is only at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven. Are you still not satisfied?”

”Alright, alright, I was just saying! You’re nagging like a grumpy old woman... This Water Dragon’s Roar is really amazing! Once I’m full, I’m going to go practice some more. I can’t wait to see the next move!” Nalan Ziyun said, frantically gnawing on the roasted fish in her hand. The way she ate almost made Shen Lang’s jaw drop.

”I remember you saying you don’t like fish? You call wolfing it down like this ’not liking it’?” Shen Lang held his tongue for a while, but after Nalan Ziyun finished off a second fish, he couldn’t take it anymore.

Nalan Ziyun smiled shyly. ”I don’t like fish. There are too many bones, it’s such a pain to eat. But this boneless fish you roasted is really delicious... Ooh, I’ll have another one!”

”This isn’t boneless fish, it’s called ’Glazed Fish’... They’re about a foot long each, and you’ve already eaten two!” Shen Lang was about to lose his mind. ’Given the way she eats, she should be chubby, but how is that slender waist of hers even remotely related to the word ’fat’?’

’This woman can stuff herself without gaining a single pound. Heaven is truly unfair.’

”Huh? Didn’t you roast so many for us to eat? Stop wasting time and give me the last one... Mmm, I’m starting to think you were born to be a chef!” Nalan Ziyun mumbled, her mouth full.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. ”Keep eating. It’s not like you’ll burst... I’m going to cultivate for a bit.”

With that, Shen Lang walked to the edge of the pool and stepped out onto the surface of the water.

Seeing this, Nalan Ziyun was stunned. Still holding the bamboo skewer with the roasted fish, she walked over while continuing to eat.

A faint Spirit Light emanated from Shen Lang’s feet, and he was actually standing on the water’s surface!

”Aha! You little scoundrel, you really were hiding your Cultivation! You have to be in the Xuanwu Realm or higher to stand in the air, but you actually...” Nalan Ziyun’s eyes went wide, her beautiful gaze filled with shock.

Shen Lang said irritably, ”Who told you that you have to be in the Xuanwu Realm to be suspended in the air? And who told you I’m suspended in the air right now? There’s still water under my feet.”

He continued, ”After reaching the Xuanwu Realm, the Pill Sea solidifies into a Golden Core. One can then form Spiritual Wings from Spiritual Power, turning the ethereal into the tangible, and can even condense it into the shapes of dragons, tigers, and other fierce beasts. Once the Golden Core is formed, it opens the ’Mystic Gate.’ At that point, using the Golden Core as a medium and one’s vital energy as a guide, floating becomes effortless.”

”Xuanwu Realm Martial Artists float by relying on Spiritual Wings. The wings are just an external manifestation of Spiritual Power, a representation of one’s strength. For Xuanwu Realm powerhouses to be suspended in the air, besides using their innate Spiritual Power to go through Refinement and form wings after their breakthrough, those with exceptional control can also concentrate Spiritual Power in the soles of their feet and levitate that way.”

Nalan Ziyun asked thoughtfully, ”The wings refined after reaching the Xuanwu Realm are equivalent to a powerful Magical Treasure. Many Xuanwu Realm powerhouses can even use their wings for attacks. If it’s just a matter of gathering Spiritual Power at the soles of the feet, the difficulty should be much, much higher. Even Xuanwu Realm powerhouses would find it hard to do. So how are you doing it right now?”

Shen Lang slowly took two steps on the water’s surface before stopping. ”After one’s Cultivation reaches the Spirit Martial Realm, although one can’t yet refine wings, it’s quite easy to briefly manifest Spiritual Wings for a mid-air glide.”

”If you can control your power with extreme precision, walking on water and Floating in the Sky becomes an easy matter. My Cultivation is still in the Spirit Martial Realm, but over the past two months, besides the growth in my Cultivation and physical strength, my greatest gain has been my control over my power becoming far more precise. That’s the benefit of Cultivating with Blue Cobalt Copper.”

”Right now, if I were to remove the Blue Cobalt Copper, I could also briefly rise into the air.”

Nalan Ziyun was amazed. ”You really are a monster!”

Shen Lang said nonchalantly, ”Control over your power is sometimes more useful than just increasing your power. For example, if I used the same amount of power as you to execute the first move of Water Dragon’s Roar, the effect would be much stronger. Therefore, in your future training, you must also begin to consciously practice how to control your power. For the first step, place a wooden plank on the water’s surface. Then, without any extra weight, infuse Spiritual Power into the soles of your feet and stand on the plank.”

”Afterward, as your Cultivation improves, make the plank smaller and smaller until you don’t need it at all.” Shen Lang strolled leisurely on the water’s surface as he spoke. ”If you can achieve this before reaching the Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven, if you can control your power to this degree, the might of your every move will increase dramatically, even with the same amount of Spiritual Power. This is something that can only be understood through experience, not explained in words. You’ll naturally discover it when the time comes.”

”I see. I understand now!” Nalan Ziyun nodded, her expression serious.

Shen Lang could do this while carrying over ten thousand pounds of Blue Cobalt Copper. This made Nalan Ziyun eager to try it herself.

”Back at Qingfeng Stronghold, because you were wearing the Blue Cobalt Copper, your movements seemed even slower than mine, yet you easily defeated four Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven Martial Artists. Was it that simple just because your control over your power was that precise?” Nalan Ziyun suddenly asked.

Shen Lang shook his head. ”Of course, it’s not that simple. Power control is only one aspect. In battle, you must anticipate your enemy’s moves. If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move. If the enemy moves, I move first! When you can see through your opponent’s techniques and predict their actions, you can block and counterattack simultaneously. You can even forgo blocking entirely and suppress your opponent with a swift, powerful offense, seizing the initiative.”

”I’m carrying over ten thousand pounds of Blue Cobalt Copper, which greatly restricts my speed and stiffens my movements. But I can anticipate my opponents’ actions. So even under these conditions, I can still defeat them with very little power and minimal movement.”

Nalan Ziyun’s eyes lit up. ”Then how can I learn to anticipate the enemy’s moves and predict their attacks like you?”

After a moment of silence, Shen Lang said, ”Cultivation. Countless hours of Cultivation, countless punches and kicks. Through tens of millions of repetitions, you must transform your Fist Techniques and Leg Techniques into your own instinctual reactions. When sand flies toward your eye, you blink, and the sand is blocked. This reflex is innate. Through long-term training, our Fist Techniques and Leg Techniques can also reach this level of instinctual reaction...”

”When an opponent throws a punch, you don’t need to think. Deep down, you already know the trajectory of their movement, and your fists and feet can strike them down. Some people get too fixated on the power of Combat Techniques, only wanting to cultivate the strongest ones. They don’t realize that the true Combat Technique is freedom! The freedom of Martial Arts! To have no method as your method, to have no limits as your limits! Martial Arts is not a method for maiming others. It is a Great Dao, a wide and open path in pursuit of the true meaning of life.”

Nalan Ziyun’s eyes were full of stars. ”Wow, you little scoundrel, you’re so brilliant! You know so much...” she said in disbelief. ”If you spouted this stuff to other beautiful women, they’d probably throw themselves right into your arms, you know?”

”...” Shen Lang’s body swayed, and he nearly fell into the pool.

He hurriedly calmed himself and said as he reached the edge of the pool, ”After we get to the Profound Dao Sect, I’ll spend some time making some training equipment and creating an optimal training ground. I’ll set it up for you then. For now, let me demonstrate the second move of Water Dragon’s Roar.”

As he spoke, Shen Lang seemed to casually glance at the jungle not far from the edge of the pool.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes!