17 How Could You Be So Weak?

Li Zhen Yue and her friends screeched to a halt, their complexions pale as they stiffened with fright. With expressions of apprehension, they realized that they had chosen too late of a chance to leave, for clearly Huo Siyan was angry, even if his expression was still calm. Li Mo Shang merely turned around to face the Huo Siyan, before addressing the latter in an indifferent tone without any inclination of fear.

"Prince Huo, could it be that Nan Qing is already a subsidiary to your Bei Yan Long? Please let me know if you have succeeded in your conquest, for then this Li shall bend his knee with utmost willingness."

Upon hearing Li Mo Shang's rebuttal, Huo Siyan's eyes constricted before laughing half-heartedly as he attempted to smooth the atmosphere. However, it was clear that within his eyes swam panic and fear. Not even his father, the King of Bei Yan Long, who commanded all fourteen legions of the Bei Yan Long's Dark Army, dared to go against Nan Qing's technologically advanced weaponry; what could a mere Fourth Prince do?

"Haha, Brother Li must have spoken wrongly, this Huo meant no such thing. This one just acted due to excitement and his lack of control over emotions, do forgive me."

"Then we shall leave it at that. Later then, Prince." Li Mo Shang coolly replied. He then directed Li Zhen Yue to quickly depart the lecture hall. Shortly after, Huo Siyan left as well, his expression unreadable as he pulled out his terminal to make a short call. As Li Zhen Yue's friends fawned over him, Li Mo Shang half-heartedly waved them off before telling Li Zhen Yue that he was going to the dormitory before the rest.

Taking a longer, more complicated path than usual, Li Mo Shang weaved through diverging cobbled paths, before stopping in a relatively unused, empty courtyard full of weeds, ferns, and stumps of wood. Letting out a gentle sigh, Li Mo Shang shook his head before calling out, "Do your Highness enjoy stalking other men? I would understand if it were a very pretty girl, but must you follow men as well?"

A soft laugh rang out before Huo Siyan stepped out from the southern exit of the courtyard. Carrying a wooden baton in his hand, the indifferent look shown earlier had been replaced by a predatorial gaze. Eyeing Li Mo Shang, he tossed the baton into the air, leisurely catching it with his other hand.

"What, Brother Li? Could it be that you are in remorse? Didn't you learn in Blue Rose University not to offend others if possible?"

"Could it be that Prince Huo is attempting to silence me to hide the blemish to your Highness' attempt of wooing Professor Wan?" Li Mo Shang coldly remarked. He willed the spiritual core to arouse into an active state, spiritual qi coursing through his veins, ready to fight.

"No, no. Silencing is unnecessary, and may pose horrible consequences for either of us. How about this, Brother Li? You just take a few hits to the back, where not a mark will remain! Not only that, that delicate girl besides you, she must be your girlfriend, no? Please do let this Prince enjoy such delicacy for a little while."

Now that there was no longer a crowd spectating his actions, Huo Siyan revealed his true personality, his lecherous intent completely obvious before Li Mo Shang. Not bothering to conceal his feral expression, a vicious and sinister aura exuded from Huo Siyan as he deeply gazed at Li Mo Shang.

"Could it be that Prince Huo has never read the guidebook for Blue Rose Academy? If I were to report your assault on my body, wouldn't it cause your Highness considerable trouble? After all, your Highness did come from neighboring Bei Yan Long." Li Mo Shang casually rebutted. His right arm hidden behind his body, enough spiritual qi was permeated into Li Mo Shang's veins, although he did not know whether that would be enough.

"Without any bruising and this Prince's background to consider, how would they even believe you!?" Huo Siyan roared as he suddenly dashed towards Li Mo Shang, the baton sweeping out with a deadly vertical swing. Crossing two zhang within a few mere seconds, Huo Siyan had appeared before Li Mo Shang, his countenance revealing a sinister and sadistic expression. The baton was merely centimeters before Li Mo Shang, when it suddenly could not go further.

Huo Siyan's pupils constricted, as he saw the baton held by two slender fingers, pinched between Li Mo Shang's index finger and thumb. Looking at the pale-skinned, delicate youth who seemed to be exerting no more effort than picking up a pair of chopsticks, Huo Siyan attempted to move the baton once more, only to helplessly discover that it was held like a vise.

Li Mo Shang sighed, before flicking the baton, sending it spiraling into a nearby rough patch of knee-height weeds, disappearing from sight. Looking at the panic-stricken Huo Siying, Li Mo Shang stepped forward, infusing his index finger with a strand of spiritual qi before gently tapping Huo Siyan's Xiawan and Shangwan acupuncture points, swiftly departing towards the dormitories with another light sigh.

Though appearing gentle, the spiritual qi ravaged the majority of Huo Siyan's Conception Meridians, permanently crippling them as the vessels were burned into ashes without a single trace. Stiff with shock and experiencing excruciating pain, Huo Shiyan fell to the ground. His little brother who had always assisted him in "greeting" girls, now lay its final hope on the Li Family's Golden Rooster Pharmacy.

Before he fell unconscious, a light questioning statement resounded in his ears, causing him to violently spit blood.

"How could you be so weak, for such a domineering and arrogant personality?"

-

Li Mo Shang peacefully returned to Magnolia Dormitory, entering his individual room after greeting Wang Xing and Ling Shi Ming, who were both prepare to visit their respective families during the break. For Li Mo Shang who had come to Blue Rose University with nothing in the first place, he had no need to pack, and could leave anytime.

Before leaving, he first wanted to check on the Heretic manual once more, as he had completely devoured the general studies library's knowledge. The perception of the ancient tome in the first orbital spiritual qi cluster had become more distinct, with the outline visible, albeit the words were still blurred. Since he had completed one of his self-assigned objectives, perhaps the other could be achieved today as well.

Making himself comfortable and accessing the Heretic manual, Li Mo Shang turned to the last page in his mind where he had first seen the introduction to the Body Tempering Realm cultivation techniques. Sure enough, Li Mo Shang's mood his a joyful high upon seeing additional content appear on the worn-out pages.

"Slowly permeate the muscles, viscera, and skin with spiritual qi! The spiritual qi must be ownerless, malleable yet unhindered in the meridians. The Core of Azoth must form the Firmament Casing for completion! Only then shall the Nascent Soul and Body Tempering be completed!"

Reading the first paragraph of the Body Tempering cultivation method within the Heretic manual, Li Mo Shang's eyes bulged with shock. This cultivation method simultaneously completed the Body Tempering and Nascent Soul realms!? Could it be that when he reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, the cultivation method then would complete the Mortal Tribulation as well?

Displayed with such an impressive statement, Li Mo Shang could not help but give birth to a wild thought, yet he could not truly deny the possibility of it becoming the truth. The spiritual core and its automatic cultivation and infinite circulation was already heaven-defying.

Fully concentrating his mind, Li Mo Shang reviewed the successive pages as he attempted to obtain a clear description of how to cultivate in the Body Tempering Realm. The Body Tempering Realm, was truly as he expected, tempering the body's intrinsic characteristics to their peak. However, he did not realize that Body Tempering itself was miscomprehended by cultivators.

As described by the Heretic manual, the Body Tempering cultivation realm was indeed strengthening the body, but it wasn't haphazard infusing of spiritual qi into the cells; rather, an intricate process needed to be fulfilled. Akin to engraving channels onto a circuit board, complex circulation paths had to be defined in the body, forming additional spiritual qi circulation units.

These circulation units could act independently of the spiritual core, storing and directly using worldly qi instead of purifying and refining it to its highest purity. These circulation units would then be assigned a major attribute tree, thus enhancing a cultivator's influence over the environmental worldly qi with matching attributes.

The mortal body could hold as many as fourteen circulation units; they were created in the Lung Meridian, Large and Small Intestine Meridians, Stomach Meridian, Spleen and Heart Meridians, Bladder and Kidney Meridian, Pericardium and Gall Bladder Meridian, Liver Meridian, Triple Warmer Meridian, Conception and Governing Vessels. Each of these circulation units could store more spiritual qi than a regular Body Tempering cultivator.

These qi circulation units were inscribed onto the body by linking runes originating from ancient languages, with each language bestowing a specific ability and attribute to the user. The Heretic manual identified seven languages, belonging to the Ancient Ming Tribe, bearers of might and dominance; the Heavenly Fox Clan, bearers of illusions; the Spiritual Luan, crowns of speed; the Earthen Buo Clan, the forefathers of greed; the Xuan Yuan Royal Family, pathfinders of pride; the Shen Long Tribe, upholders of the Heavenly Eye, and the Ancient Tang Family, masters of shadows.

Excited at the possible gains of each qi circulation unit, Li Mo Shang could not wait to start cultivating. However, he barely contained his excitement as he turned to the next page, before nearly shouting in delight. Compared to the Nascent Soul's benefits, the Body Tempering Realm was truly a grain of sand compared to a chunk of gold.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, the cultivator's soul would be shrouded in dense spiritual qi, with the soul gaining an attribute when saturation has been achieved. Ordinary cultivators would aim for the Nascent Soul Realm as their dream goal, of which they would be able to manipulate the wind and lightning with a single wave of their palm. Once again, the Heretic manual's description diverged significantly.

The Nascent Soul Realm was the point where the spiritual core began to display its true strengths. Each orbital cluster of spiritual qi was set in an inclined revolution path around the spiritual core, forming a ring. As the spiritual core accumulated even more orbital rings, it would increase in cultivation speed significantly, and the user could access spiritual qi at much larger quantity of spiritual qi per strand. Upon creating enough orbital rings that the original spiritual core could not be seen, the Core of Azoth was formed.

The Core of Azoth was a breaking point in cultivating the Heretic manual as the spiritual core itself could rotate, in the opposite direction compared to the orbiting clusters. The spiritual qi produced by the rotating spiritual core was unparalleled, and the cultivator could thus engrave configurated sequences onto the core to execute during usage. A divine shield, weapon, or magical attack, anything created using the Core of Azoth was guaranteed to complete its objective, be it to protect or kill.

The Firmament Casing was a permanent set of armor that encompassed the cultivator's entire body, offering protection against both physical and spiritual attacks. Originally a prehistoric divine spell that offered absolute protection, the segment of properly activating the protective barrier had been lost, thus the Heretic manual supplemented using spiritual qi. Although the consumption of the Firmament Casing was massive, capable of drying out a peak Nascent Soul cultivator without even triggering the protection, the Core of Azoth suffered no impediment.

Unique abilities, attributes, unlimited spiritual qi and automatic cultivation, not to mention an essentially permanent divine protection barrier; the surprises Li Mo Shang saw were not little. While attempting to calm his mind, he contemplated on which of the languages to inscribe his first qi circulation unit. To form the Core of Azoth, a lot of time was required, but beginning the cultivation for Body Tempering was possible.