Chapter 102 Myriad Transformations Mystic Water, Water-Avoiding Incantation Seal

The dawn's first light pierced through the perpetual mist of the Xuan Shui Cave Heaven, spilling over the highest watchtower of the camp.

You stood quietly atop the tower, taking a deep breath of the air thick with moisture.

Five years of quiet refinement had caused your sharp edge to be completely restrained.

To an observer, you now looked like an ordinary young man who posed no threat at all.

Even the vibrant surge of vital energy characteristic of a Martial Artist was perfectly locked within your body.

But only you knew what kind of world-shaking, terrifying power lay hidden beneath this seemingly calm exterior.

"Whew..."

You slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, glanced at the crowd already gathered in the square below, and turned to climb down the ladder.

Today was the Mutual Aid Society's "Morning Lesson" held every three days, and it was also the day you personally taught techniques for utilizing abilities.

In the center of the square, eleven Martial Artists dressed in neat Protective Suits stood solemnly.

Leading them was Chen Chen's nephew, Chen Liang; he had already shed his youthful greenness, and his brow now held a touch of resolve.

Behind him were ten experts of the seventh and eighth stages of Vital Energy whom you had carefully selected over the past five years.

Although they hadn't awakened any abilities,

under the influence of the Grotto-Heaven environment, they had all accumulated some amount of Xuan Shui Spiritual Rhyme within their bodies.

"President Xu!"

Seeing you approach, the eleven bowed in unison, their eyes filled with reverence.

You nodded slightly, your gaze sweeping over them. You were in no rush to begin the lesson, instead falling into a brief moment of contemplation.

Watching the practiced way Chen Liang manipulated the water at his fingertips, your thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the insights you had gained from the Heavenly Ladder Legacy over these five years.

If the current you were to return to the outside world and see those so-called "ability geniuses" who were praised to the heavens, you would only find it laughable.

After all, you were now a noble "Grotto-Heaven" exchange student.

In your eyes, their use of "abilities" could be summarized in a few words:

Crude, primitive, and a complete waste of natural resources.

This was your sole evaluation of the modern martial arts system's use of "abilities"

after having fully received the first five stages of the Heavenly Ladder Legacy over these five years.

In modern society, new martial arts had been developing for decades.

People referred to those supernatural powers obtained innately, or those like yours Acquired through body modification via a "dimensional secret treasure,"

collectively as "Heaven-Sent Abilities."

And based on destructive power and rarity, they were crudely categorized from F-rank to S-rank.

But what was the modern approach to developing these abilities?

It basically followed the template of martial arts entirely.

Fire-elemental ability users would attach flames to their blades or fists to increase lethality;

Earth-elemental ability users would condense a layer of rock armor on their bodies and use it like Hard Qigong;

Water-elemental Ability users, at most, would deploy a water shield or condense a high-pressure water jet for long-range strikes.

These were the mainstream "Ability Martial Artists" and "Ability Martial Techniques" of the modern New Martial system.

Only after truly witnessing the Legacy left behind by the mighty beings in the Xuan Shui Cave Heaven did you realize.

Previously, you had been...

Sitting on a mountain of treasure without even knowing it!

"Today, I will not teach specific Moves."

You walked before the crowd, your voice flat yet clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"What I want to talk about is the essence of 'Spiritual Form'."

In this all-encompassing Legacy of the mighty, the term "ability" didn't even exist.

This power had a name that pointed more directly to its Origin in the Legacy—"Spiritual Form"!

The cultivation of Spiritual Form was nothing like Martial Arts Realms (Vital Energy, Origin Opening, Soaring, Mountain-Sea, Divine Ability, Sun-Moon).

It wasn't about simply stacking energy to climb a ladder of strength.

It didn't value how massive your internal energy reserves were, but rather the degree to which you developed your own "Spiritual Rhyme"!

As you spoke, you extended your right hand.

Without any unnecessary movement, the air in your palm suddenly began to distort.

In the Legacy, the development of Spiritual Form was clearly divided into four major Realms.

The First Realm: Manifesting the Spiritual Aspect!

As the name suggests, it involves gaining basic mastery of the Spiritual Form and being able to materialize it.

For example, summoning water out of thin air, condensing ice spikes, or releasing flames.

Those so-called A-rank and S-rank ability users the outside world took pride in, even if their destructive power rivaled Origin Opening Realm Martial Artists,

in the evaluation standards of the mighty's Legacy, they would spend their entire lives merely wallowing in the mire of "Manifesting the Spiritual Aspect."

They knew the what but not the why.

"Watch closely."

You gave a low shout.

Chen Liang and the others widened their eyes.

The once-disordered stream of water in your palm suddenly became extremely docile, as if it had gained life, playfully jumping and weaving through your fingertips.

This was the Second Realm: Spirit-Soul Fusion!

This was a massive watershed, a Wall of Sighs that blocked the path of most so-called "Genius Ability Martial Artists" in the outside world.

Because to reach this Realm, regardless of the cultivation system, one must master "Divine Thought"!

In the modern martial arts system, for a Martial Artist to step into the Origin Opening Realm and unlock the Body's Hidden Treasures, they must condense "Divine Thought."

Logically, since Ability Martial Artists above the Origin Opening Realm all possess Divine Thought, reaching this step should be easy?

But in reality, it wasn't so.

For those Ability Martial Artists outside, their Divine Thought was merely a "searchlight" used for internal inspection and opening the Body's Major Apertures.

Their abilities were just "external weapons" crudely squandered through physical instinct.

Divine Thought was Divine Thought, and abilities were abilities; the two were like parallel lines, clearly distinct.

But "Spirit-Soul Fusion" in the Legacy required the deep Fusion of Divine Thought with the Spiritual Form Origin within the body!

There was no longer a need to guide the ability through physical movements, nor a need to deliberately form hand signs or seals.

With a single thought, the Spiritual Form arrived.

Your consciousness merged with the Spiritual Form; the Spiritual Form became an extension of your senses.

Achieving this required not only the secret methods of the Legacy but also an extremely pure "Spiritual Form Origin" to act as a bridge for Fusion.

And as a Origin Opening Realm Martial Artist, you had long possessed high-quality "Canglan Divine Sense"!

Furthermore, after years of saturation feeding from the "dimensional secret treasure," your "Profound Water Spirit Body" had already satisfied this requirement.

You had already caught a glimpse of this Realm's threshold back in the deep sea of the Heavenly Ladder's first stage, and these five years had seen it thoroughly consolidated.

"Stretch out your hand."

You walked up to Chen Liang and commanded.

Chen Liang extended his right hand as told, looking somewhat nervous.

You didn't use even a shred of Martial Essence.

The moment your thoughts shifted, the vast Spiritual Form Origin within your body vibrated slightly, separating a wisp of extremely pure Spiritual Rhyme.

Wrapped in your Divine Thought, this wisp of Spiritual Rhyme transformed into a streak of deep blue light and was gently imprinted onto the back of Chen Liang's hand.

"Buzz—"

The watery light swirled, then dissipated.

A complex, mysterious blue incantation seal, seemingly containing the rhythm of flowing water, appeared clearly on his skin.