I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 104 - 102: Magic and Elemental Power

Zhao Ya, for her part, wanted to work on Hu Jing. The girl had an excellent relationship with Wang Meng and could likely play a key role. However, her own Ancestral Master had mentioned that Ancestor Master Lei was also interested in the boy, so it would probably be difficult for her to act—after all, she was now an Elder of Thunderlight Hall.

The Ancestral Masters all had their own tacitly understood spheres of influence. If the Zhao Family were to help Thunderlight Hall grow stronger, they would naturally have some say, but as it stood, this matter was completely unrelated to the Zhao Family.

Zhao Lingxuan hid nearby, listening happily. She had rarely seen her Ancestral Master place so much importance on one person.

"Little Spirit, my judgment is pretty good, right? I just knew he was no mere mortal!"

The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh rustled its wings. It seemed to recall a certain someone who, not long ago, had thought him a hopelessly stupid farmer. Now, in the blink of an eye, he’d transformed into a genius.

"Little Spirit, what do you think? Should I join Thunderlight Hall too?"

The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh shook its head frantically. This girl was so impulsive, always acting on a whim. This was no laughing matter. For some reason, the Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh felt a lingering apprehension toward Wang Meng, this ’fake master’ of hers. This was especially true recently; every time it saw him, it felt a strange, oppressive pressure. But in reality, a Spirit Beast of its caliber shouldn’t feel anything from a person who hadn’t reached Minor Perfection—that is, Fifty Layers of Elemental Power.

All in all, it was just strange.

"You’re right. Ancestral Master will definitely make me join Dao Guang Hall. Dao Guang Hall is so boring, just a bunch of old-fashioned people. Just look at Brother Ning—he’s like a young old man. He’s nowhere near as fun as Wang Meng."

Zhao Lingxuan muttered to herself.

The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh began preening its feathers, deciding to ignore its master. Honestly, she was just being a child.

But before Zhao Lingxuan could think for too long, she was summoned by Zhao Tianlong.

"Little Xuan, your Life Mark has already reached Twenty Layers. From now on, you need to focus on stabilizing your Life Mark. Do not advance any further."

Zhao Tianlong said, seemingly noticing Zhao Lingxuan’s confusion, "The level of your Elemental Power is just a means to an end; it doesn’t represent your actual combat strength. Starting now, you must carefully experience the combat methods exclusive to our Zhao Family’s lineage!"

"Ah, Ancestral Master, does this mean I’m going to a Sub-Hall for training?" Zhao Lingxuan thought. ’What a coincidence!’

Unfortunately, Zhao Tianlong just shook his head. "How do you think your talent compares to Li Tianyi’s?"

Zhao Lingxuan had never considered this question. As the two most outstanding individuals of the Holy Hall’s younger generation, perhaps because they were of different types, the two had never really been compared.

"Ancestral Master, I... I don’t know. But there is one thing where I’m better than him, and that’s my Elemental Power level."

In front of her Ancestral Master, Zhao Lingxuan didn’t dare to exaggerate. Among the four great families, the Zhao Family was the strictest.

Zhao Tianlong shook his head. "Wrong. Utterly wrong. Do you think Li Tianyi isn’t raising his Elemental Power level because he’s hit a bottleneck?"

Zhao Lingxuan was stunned. "He isn’t? I heard he was only at the Fifteenth Layer when he went to the Sub-Hall. He shouldn’t even be at Twenty Layers by now, right?"

"Heh heh, little girl, you’re not wrong about that. It seems you’ve been paying attention. However, Li Tianyi isn’t failing to advance because he can’t, but because he is deliberately suppressing the growth of his Life Mark," Zhao Tianlong said.

"Deliberately suppressing it? Is he stupid?" Zhao Lingxuan tilted her head, looking completely bewildered.

Zhao Tianlong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But he didn’t press the issue. After all, Zhao Lingxuan was still young; she didn’t need to learn about such scheming and intrigue.

"Raising your Life Mark quickly isn’t actually a good thing. It makes you neglect your mastery of the fundamentals, and this applies to both Sword Techniques and Alchemy Techniques. For a short time, you might bask in the joy of your power increasing along with your Elemental Power, but you will miss the opportunity to truly comprehend the essence of Sword Techniques while at a low level. Once that stage is passed, you can never go back. The Li Family’s Sword Technique is one of the best in the Holy Hall; how could they make such a mistake? They forced Li Tianyi to remain at the Fifteenth Layer to experience the Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword precisely to temper him. They hoped that by the time he reached his twenties, he would have fully mastered it. What no one expected, however, was that Li Tianyi would comprehend it with only the power of the Fifteenth Layer."

At this, even an Ancestral Master like Zhao Tianlong felt a hint of envy. Such talent was truly rare. With the Li Family’s guidance ensuring he took almost no wrong turns, his power would become unstoppable once he was ready and his Life Mark began to advance.

"Then, Ancestral Master, does that mean I’ve been advancing too quickly?" Zhao Lingxuan asked, a little worried. She really hadn’t paid much attention to Sword Technique.

"Haha, our Zhao Family is different from the Li Family. This is a difference in schools of thought. The foundational requirement for our Sword Technique is Twenty Layers. Only with that much Elemental Power can it be used in conjunction with a Magical Artifact. So, now is the time for you to begin tempering your foundation. As for which of you is stronger, it’s too early to say. You’d best be prepared."

Zhao Tianlong said with a smile. He needed to put a little pressure on Zhao Lingxuan first.

"Ancestral Master, between that Senior Brother Wang and Brother Li, whose talent is greater?"

Zhao Lingxuan asked curiously.

Zhao Tianlong smiled. "It’s hard to say. Talent is just one factor. Li Tianyi has it all—Celestial Time, strategic advantage, and popular support. As for Wang Meng... the difficulties he faces far outweigh his opportunities."

Zhao Tianlong’s smile held a profound, thought-provoking meaning. Perhaps it was precisely because he had reached his current position that he understood the true difficulty of it all.

For Wang Meng, the most important thing right now wasn’t cultivation, but choosing the right person to follow.

While everyone was speculating about Wang Meng’s future, Thunderlight Hall quickly provided the answer: Wang Meng was a Sword Cultivator, is a Sword Cultivator, and always will be.

This answer undoubtedly made many people want to bang their heads against a wall, but it also brought a secret sense of relief. If he had really become an Ancestral Master’s disciple, he would have been an unreachable figure, inspiring not just awe but also a fair bit of jealousy.

Now, although they thought the guy was a bit foolish, he seemed much more approachable. The disciples of Thunderlight Hall, in particular, felt that Wang Meng had a lot of character.

Fame had its own troubles. Now, it wasn’t just the disciples of Thunderlight Hall who recognized him; disciples from other halls could pick him out as well.

Here, one had to mention a fellow named Zhang Liang. That kid had made a fortune off of this.

But seeing as this situation was a good thing for Thunderlight Hall, Wang Meng didn’t mind. In any case, other people’s opinions and stares couldn’t bother him.

As no further news came from the four Ancestral Masters over the next few days, the excitement in Thunderlight Hall gradually died down. After all, if he wasn’t an Ancestral Master’s disciple, he was still an ordinary person. A Sword Cultivator?

People would talk again when Wang Meng actually became a powerful Sword Cultivator. Talent, if not used, was just trash.

Many people felt it was a pity, each thinking to themselves, ’If only that opportunity had been mine.’

Whether it was people just looking for some excitement or something else, these last few days had brought attention to Thunderlight Hall. Even if the crowds weren’t as large as they were at the beginning, it was an encouragement to the Thunderlight Hall disciples who had been working hard for months.

The famous Wang Meng was still the same old Wang Meng. His interactions with everyone hadn’t changed at all, which also won him the support of the Thunderlight Hall disciples. These days, there were too many people who started acting high and mighty after gaining a little bit of skill. Someone like Wang Meng, who was still so decent, was a rare sight.

Thinking about it, Hu Jing and Zhang Xiaojiang were the same. They didn’t start putting on airs or bullying their fellow disciples as their strength increased. Zhou Qian was a prime example. He had even tried to scheme against them once, but now they were good friends.

Magnanimity. Everyone preferred to be around people who were both capable and magnanimous.

In truth, aside from those at the Ancestral Master Level, no one else could truly comprehend Wang Meng’s Sword Intent. Mingren, however, did bring disciples from Lingyin Hall over to show his support, as a gesture of thanks for Wang Meng’s earlier guidance.