The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 785 - Breakthrough, Sixth Wave, Eager To Go Back Home

In a blink of an eye, ten days had passed!

Qing Shui had been investing his time on the cultivation of the Sword of Fifth Wave everyday. He would only stop to rest when he had exhausted himself completely. And during his rest, he would think about the problems with his method and the possible solutions to break through the 64th wave.

In the span of ten days, he had turned from someone with no resistance to the waves to someone with the immense strength to crash through the waves. Despite his newfound strength, he couldn't quite understand why he still wasn't able to break through the 64th wave…..

Suddenly, the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint came to mind - the technique that was closely related to the Nine Waves Great Buddha Palm. Qing Shui jolted when he suddenly had a thought, what if the Sword of Fifth Wave he had been using was actually the Nine Waves Great Buddha Palm all along?

He had sufficient power to break through the wave but he still couldn't do it. Qing Shui decided to take a good rest first before he would start to use the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint.

Good thing Qing Shui had never given up on the cultivation of the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint entirely. Right now, he had reached about 390 palms. His guts were telling him that if he were to break through to the 400th palm, then he might be able to break through to the Sixth Wave as well.

When Qing Shui had decided on one thing, he would do it immediately. And so, he prepared himself and ran a test with the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint. His powers had met with extraordinary improvements during his days cultivating in the sea waters, as well as cultivating inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

With that, he had already reached the power that was required to break through the 64th wave. He had strengthened everything he could but because the Fifth Wave was still stuck in a bottleneck - the unfortunate limit of the Fifth Wave Essence, he wasn't able to breakthrough the last wave.

Nevertheless, Qing Shui had already expected this outcome. When he had cultivated his Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint last time, it was at the mark of 350th palm. But in a span of one month, he had broken through to the mark of 390th palm. Because of that, Qing Shui speculated that the swift increase of the technique was due to his cultivation with the waves. Because the Wave Essence had improved, the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint was able to improve at godly speed as well.

Qing Shui was pleasantly surprised by the improvement. He felt that he would be able to allow the Wave Essence to break through to the Sixth Wave as long as he could reach the mark of the 400th palm.

Since the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was in his possession, he would be able to cultivate the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint sufficiently, which would save a lot of time. He still had a bit more time, nonetheless. However, Qing Shui wasn't willing to part with such a great location just yet, so he decided that he would leave after he had successfully broken through to the Sixth Wave. They had been here for a month already, so it wouldn't matter much if they stayed a bit longer than that. Besides, it wouldn't take too long as long as he had the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal to train in.

After two days had passed, Qing Shui had finally reach the 399th palm. However, he still couldn't link to the 400th palm no matter how much he tried. This had Qing Shui flustered and anxious.

Another day, another morning. Qing Shui had made the decision that today would be the last day they would stay on in the Southern Sea. There was essentially no more time allowance to stay any longer. If he still couldn't achieve a breakthrough, then he would go back home and wait for the breakthrough to happen slowly.

After numerous demonstrations of the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint, none of them worked. Qing Shui had never been one to be dejected but he could still be a little bit disappointed when he was met with numerous failures. When he looked up to the sky, it was already past afternoon, so he decided he would attempt one more time before departing for home.

Qing Shui took out the Big Dipper Sword and submerged half of his body into the cold waters, which surprisingly, felt quite comfortable. Then, he increased his aura and let out a long, blaring shout. With the Sword of Fifth Wave, he had broken a series of waves like a flash of lightning.

The mighty aura permeated to the surroundings from Qing Shui's body as he continued to burst through the waves. He moved in a flexible motion, yet with extraordinary vigor. Each time he had advanced to the next set of waves, he would circulate his force to the maximum, yet he did not waste a bit of his power as he sliced through the devastating waters.

Break break break…….

In a flash, he had reached the 64th wave. Qing Shui roared loudly as he welcomed the giant wave with the sword. However, the wave did not break and clashed its mighty waters toward Qing Shui. Despite the unsuccessful attempt, Qing Shui was still impressed that the wave was able to push him back to the starting point despite clashing with the power of immense force.

"Why? Is it because the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint hasn't had a breakthrough yet?"

After he had adjusted his emotions and regained his composure, Qing Shui faced the waves once again. He rushed toward a series of waves at a faster speed and as he reached the 64th wave, he could feel the Wave Essence diminishing a great amount. However, he could still feel the power inside him but in the end, he was not able to release it. The giant wave rose up like a towering mountain and poured down onto him with the force of a waterfall.

No, he wasn't convinced at all! He wasn't willing to give up, yet he knew that this was the limit of the Fifth Wave.

"I will reach a breakthrough for the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint now."

Qing Shui shouted abruptly and quickly used the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint on his exhausted arms. Then he rushed toward the wave with the Big Dipper Sword on one hand. He could feel his power increasing tremendously at a swift rate, which had also shocked Qing Shui for a bit.

Qing Shui didn't think that the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint this time would be articulated this fast. He tried to attempt the technique one more time in one breath, subsequently releasing an overwhelming power and aura from his body.

Break!

A tremendous sword Qi that was greater than the previous ones suddenly appeared and flashed through the wave, bursting the towering waters as the wave dispersed. Qing Shui could feel that he had lost a great amount of power in an instant but surprisingly, he felt quite relaxed and at ease. It was as if he felt satisfied from drinking a cup of refreshing water after not having one in ten years.

The sense of contentment was indescribable. With the split-second combination of exhausted Fifth Wave and the Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint that had reached a bottleneck, he had finally achieved a breakthrough, just like that. The raging waves of the sea may have contributed to the breakthrough as well.

For a breakthrough to occur, the power must be prioritized, which would then be followed by opportunity and experience. The stronger the barrier and the bottleneck of the technique, the greater opportunity one would require to achieve a breakthrough. Everything has a connection - sometimes one small step or action could lead to a higher possibility of breakthrough. Sometimes, one would never be able to achieve a breakthrough in their lifetime regardless of their effort or experience.

Qing Shui was shuttled back to the starting point by the wave, making it seem like everything was a dream. However, he knew the breakthrough did happen but to prove his point, he decided he would use the Sword of Fifth Wave once again.

Qing Shui was able to release his sword with ease, demonstrating a power that was obviously stronger than the Fifth Wave. One difference in level between the Wave Essence could bring about a radical change to the situation. If his power were to increase, the Wave Essence would follow as well.

Break break break!

As expected, he had obtained the Sword of Sixth Wave. With the devastating power of the Wave Essence, he felt as if he could destroy a mountain effortlessly. Moreover, whenever he needed to use the Sword of Fifth Wave, it would take some time before it could be released. Qing Shui was pleased to know that the preparation time had been shortened for the Sixth Wave. This was more or less the same time needed for the Fourth Wave or perhaps even shorter than the Fourth Wave itself.

Qing Shui was extremely satisfied with the Sixth Wave, knowing that he had acquired a powerful killing move to be used for future battles.This overbearing Wave Essence was no joke, it could instantly wipe out an opponent of similar strength in an instant.

Sixth Wave, one wave after another…….

After that, Qing Shui began to demonstrate one round of Thousand Buddha Palm Imprint. As he had expected, he had finally reached the 400th palm successfully.

After staying in the waters for a while, he decided to return to the beach using the Nine Continent Steps. He flew up to the air and flashed forward a hundred thousand li in an instant.

When the time was right, Qing Shui brought the Fire Bird and went straight into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. It was already midnight when he finally came out from the realm. Without hesitation, he quickly flew toward the north to meet up with Cang Wuya and the others.

Dawn was looming as Qing Shui landed on the beach where the seniors were staying. Even though it was still practically night time, a lot of people had already gone out to the sea. It was a common occurrence as they preferred to go out when the sky was still dark. There were men and women on the beach too. As for what they were doing, it was already quite obvious from the sounds they were making on the quiet beach…….

The tent was still in good shape when he arrived. He activated his Spiritual Sense to check on the elders. After knowing they were safe and sound, he decided to lay on the beach so that he wouldn't disturb their sleep. The sounds of the waves crashing to the shore were calming to his ears. When he thought about leaving here after the sun had come up, he was eager and anxious. If he could, he would go back to the Greencloud Continent straightaway at the fastest speed possible.

After Qing Shui had finished practicing his morning Taichi Fist, Cang Wuya and the elders walked out from the tent. When they saw Qing Shui in front of them, they were visibly shocked. Cang Wuya asked in surprise: "When did you come back?"

"Not too long ago." Qing Shui chuckled.

"How did it go?" asked Cang Wuya with concerned eyes.

"Hmm, not bad." Qing Shui had essentially affirmed that he was successful with his breakthrough, albeit indirectly.

"When are we going back?" asked Cang Wuya.

"Now."

"Alright!"

Before the time to drink a tea was up, all of them had already hopped onto Fire Bird and made their way to the Southern Sea Country. Cang Wuya saw the anxiety on Qing Shui's expression but stopped himself from asking about it. He had finished what he came to do and now it was time to go home.

It would still require a bit more time to go home even though they were traveling at the fastest speed possible. No wonder a lot of people found that going on a journey like this would be difficult, particularly those who already had a powerful flying beast in their possession - they knew it all too well about travelling to far places that would take months to travel.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. Qing Shui and the elders were on their way back to the Greencloud Continent. A month ago, they had gone back to the Southern Sea City from the Southern Sea to say their brief farewells to Old Man Wuma, Old Man Tantai, Old Man Ye and Ye Guyan before departing for home.

Qing Shui could see a confused expression through Ye Guyan's eyes when he came back to say his farewells. He couldn't quite understand why such a strong beauty like her would reveal the emotions of sadness and vulnerability to him. He didn't know the answer and he didn't want to find out why either.

After they had departed from the Southern Sea City toward the border of the Southern Viewing Continent, Qing Shui questioned himself on when he would be back again. Then he recalled the conversation he had with Ye Guyan before he was about to leave the Southern Sea City.

"Qing Shui, will you come back to the Southern Sea City again?"

"Perhaps!"

"Mm, if I go to the Greencloud Continent one day, can I look for you?"

Qing Shui was surprised by her question but gave her a smile and said: "Of course you can."

"Okay. Take care on your journey. Have a safe trip." Ye Guyan smiled as she waved goodbye to Qing Shui.

Qing Shui was still puzzled over their conversation. He had become good friends with the members of the Ye Clan, so if she were to come to the Greencloud Continent, she would have to look for him. After all, the only friend she knew in the Greencloud Continent was none other than himself.

Initially, he thought he had exaggerated his understanding of the conversation. He had no problem turning away from everything that had happened in the Southern Sea City and of course, he wouldn't allow himself to grow attached to the city once he had decided to go back to the Qing Residence.

If Ye Guyan were to come to the Greencloud Continent, he wouldn't turn his head away from her. However, the chances of actually sleeping with her would be essentially next to zero.

When they had passed through the Wolf Fang Country, Qing Shui had an inclination to visit the Divine Wolf Shrine once more but ultimately decided against it. The Fire Bird let out a high-pitched cry and continued toward the direction of the Greencloud Continent.

The following journey past the Wolf Fang Country was filled with the scenery of nature.

Beyond the Southern Viewing Continent was a vast area of wilderness. When he saw the landscape of vast greenery, he felt a sense of nostalgia for his family, because he would soon be at home after they had passed the wilderness.

He was eager to go back home!

Qing Shui laughed at himself. Whether he was poking fun at himself for being an awful man or something else entirely, no one would know.

20 days had passed and they had finally entered the interior area of the wilderness. Qing Shui heightened his alertness and scanned the surroundings carefully. He could take an immediate and effective precaution if anything should happen all of the sudden.

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