Super Combat Soldier

Chapter 1017: Chapter 1016: Living with Hope Is More Important Than Anything

The resilient determination of Little Shitou still brought some comfort to Ye Tianchen. Among the five disciples, the other four, Feng Chan, Cai Fenger, Ming Jue, and Tian Feng, all had extremely high talent and comprehension. Feng Chan, in particular, seemed to change every day, being the most talented among the five disciples. Ye Tianchen could almost see from the shadow of Feng Chan the image of him becoming a pride of the heavens, traversing the world.

However, Ye Tianchen was not a biased master. The reason he agreed to take Little Shitou and the other four as his disciples was because he felt the unwillingness of the more than one hundred villagers of Desolate Stone Village. Their anger, their grievance, their helpless despair of merely waiting for death, made him want to break the Curse Power for them, to give them the strength to defy destiny.

Indeed, in this cruelly bloody Martial Arts World where strength is paramount, being unable to cultivate is cruel to a Martial Artist. If a village couldn’t have even a little self-defense power, it would be even more pathetic, left to slaughter. The greatest sorrow in life is not watching oneself being killed without the power to resist but watching the people around you perish, being abused and bullied, without the strength to protect them; it is far more painful than being killed oneself.

Desolate Stone Village has existed since Ancient Times, an era so distant it cannot be traced back. It is said that during that era, the Ancient Alien Race was incredibly powerful, dominating most of the Martial Arts World, with the Demon Clan rampant, destroying heaven and earth. Though the Human Clan was weak, they had some power, no longer allowing the Ancient Alien Race and Demon Clan to bully them. It was truly a grand era, one where the outstanding talents and countless strong warriors left behind many legends, gave birth to many strong individuals, and created numerous powerful Martial Arts Divine Skills. However, the fiercer the competition in such a grand era, the more intense the bloody struggle, with battles everywhere, constant fighting and killing. Whenever a proud child of heaven emerged, it would cause mountains to collapse and the world to go dark. More so, the three major species, the Ancient Alien Race, Demon Clan, and Human Clan, vied with each other in unimaginably fierce conflicts. The entire Martial Arts World was in an era of boundless darkness, a Near Immortal era, a dark era that left too many legends and legacies, an era where it was hard to trace or verify any event...

Since the Ancient Times, the villagers of Desolate Stone Village have suffered from Curse Power and Bloodline Power for generations. Every newborn faced the pain of losing their parents. Despite this, they endured, always living in pain, with no one being happy. However, they were not discouraged, did not give up on themselves, and continued to live with the most optimistic attitude. This greatly shocked Ye Tianchen. When someone experiences the ups and downs of life, they might collapse and become worthless, let alone being born in a state of Curse Power and Bloodline Power, which could lead many to despair. But they didn’t. The villagers of Desolate Stone Village never did. They remained strong, making Ye Tianchen feel inferior, prompting him to help them, to become their friend, and their family, trusting each other and relying on each other!

Ye Tianchen was well aware of Little Shitou’s background. Little Shitou lost his parents right after he was born. Grandpa Shi told a kind lie to Little Shitou so he wouldn’t be sad and could live with hope, saying Little Shitou’s parents went out hunting and never returned, suggesting they might be trapped somewhere or captured by demons as slaves. This gave Little Shitou a glimmer of hope, believing his parents would come back someday. So, he would wait at the entrance of Desolate Stone Village every day for their return, confident that once he grew up and gained skills, he could find and rescue them!

”Giving someone hope is far more substantive than any other form of help. Growing up lonely and forlorn without parents, I understand that pain, so I should give Little Shitou hope and make him a true Martial Artist, setting him on the path of the strong!” Ye Tianchen thought to himself.

After releasing Little Shitou from the Holy Heaven Prison, Ye Tianchen removed the Chaos Qi shrouding Little Shitou’s head, allowing him to show his face and communicate.

Upon seeing the dried well, when Ye Tianchen saw the liquid-form Spiritual Energy inside, he thought of Little Shitou. Perhaps with the mysterious Chaos Qi and the powerful liquid-form Spiritual Energy, it could help Little Shitou successfully condense Martial Arts True Qi in his Dantian. However, at that time, Ye Tianchen didn’t immediately release Little Shitou from the Holy Heaven Prison because he was severely injured himself. His injuries hadn’t healed significantly. In that state, if Little Shitou faced any accidents in condensing Martial Arts True Qi in his Dantian, Ye Tianchen couldn’t intervene at his Peak condition and possibly couldn’t help Little Shitou. Ye Tianchen had never encountered someone like Little Shitou who couldn’t cultivate, and it was the first time he encountered such a situation. He didn’t know why Little Shitou’s Dantian was in such a state, unable to condense Martial Arts True Qi. Ye Tianchen didn’t know what unpredictable things might happen next, so he had to protect Little Shitou at his Peak condition.

”Now, don’t think about anything, immerse your mind, focus your Divine Thought, and slowly sense the Martial Arts True Qi in your Dantian. I will guide the powerful liquid-form Spiritual Energy from the dried well into your body. No matter what happens, don’t act rashly, just focus your Divine Thought on condensing the Martial Arts True Qi in your Dantian, shaping it into the form you visualize in your mind!” Ye Tianchen said seriously while looking at Little Shitou.

”Okay!” Little Shitou nodded earnestly.

Ye Tianchen glanced at Little Shitou. To be honest, he also didn’t know what would happen next. Wrapping Little Shitou in Chaos Qi, Ye Tianchen wanted to use the powerful and mysterious force of Chaos Qi, allowing Little Shitou to shape Martial Arts True Qi in his Dantian in this special state. However, it seemed ineffective. Otherwise, Little Shitou, who had been inside for three months, would have succeeded long ago, without waiting until now. So, Ye Tianchen wanted to try again. Would injecting this liquid-form Spiritual Energy into Little Shitou’s body, combined with the mysterious force of Chaos Qi, break the physical limitations, allowing Little Shitou to successfully condense Martial Arts True Qi in his Dantian?

Of course, there was another possibility, that this method was also ineffective, and it might even bring life-threatening danger to Little Shitou. But Ye Tianchen wasn’t someone indecisive. To break Little Shitou’s physical limitations, this risk must be taken. Although he didn’t know what would happen, Ye Tianchen was determined to protect Little Shitou fully.

At this moment, Ye Tianchen and Little Shitou sat cross-legged by the dried well. Little Shitou slowly closed his eyes, immersed his mind, and tried his best to sense the Martial Arts True Qi in his Dantian. Meanwhile, Ye Tianchen split a part of his Divine Thought, entering Little Shitou’s body. He needed to know the changes in Little Shitou’s Dantian at all times, so if a real crisis arose, Ye Tianchen could act to rescue him in time.

Splash!

Once Little Shitou was ready, Ye Tianchen sent a force of Divine Thought into Little Shitou’s body. At that moment, Ye Tianchen extended his right hand, closing his thumb and middle finger together, channeling a powerful Martial Arts True Power into the dried well. With a gentle move of his two fingers, a surge of milky-white Spiritual Energy burst from the dried well. The liquid-form Spiritual Energy was truly powerful, imbuing Ye Tianchen with an intense sense of vitality as it erupted from the well.

Swoosh!

This surge of liquid-form Spiritual Energy, guided by Ye Tianchen from the dried well, quickly entered Little Shitou’s body. Ye Tianchen didn’t rush it into Little Shitou’s Dantian to obtain powerful force and help condense Martial Arts True Qi there. Instead, he guided this surge of Spiritual Energy into Little Shitou’s head, slowing it down bit by bit, allowing it to pass through Little Shitou’s flesh and meridians, including bones, touching every inch of meridians and blood vessels in his body.

Ye Tianchen had two thoughts in mind for this approach. First, such strong Spiritual Energy could directly wash the meridians, a rare advantage. Given the opportunity to harness such formidable Spiritual Energy, why not seize it to transform Little Shitou’s entire physique? Second, such robust Spiritual Energy suddenly entering a person’s body would overwhelm not only Little Shitou but even Ye Tianchen himself. Therefore, if the energy were to directly enter Little Shitou’s Dantian, it might overwhelm him, possibly leading to self-explosion, a highly dangerous situation!

”Ah... so hot, so painful, Master...” Little Shitou was sweating profusely, his face pale, his little face twisted in pain.

”Maintain your composure, empty your mind. You can perceive nothing else now but the powerful force in your Dantian. Try to condense the Martial Arts True Qi therein, shaping it into the first pattern that comes to your mind...” Ye Tianchen said sternly, his brows tightly furrowed. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to cast your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)