Chapter 58: Testing

Taking a look at Yinling's panel, Jun's eyes widened in surprise;

[

Name: Lin Yinling

Age: 18

BloodLine: 15%(True Human)

Cultivation(Anomaly): Body Tempering 77th level (stable)

Talent: Immortal Emperor Level (68% unlocked) affinity (40 - 49 seconds)

Energy Control: 23%

Attributes: Fire, Light

Skills: 

 Azure Soul Cultivation Technique(High/yellow-middle

 Double Moon Dragon Technique(middle/earth-high), 

 Soul Dragon Steps Technique(high/earth-middle)

 Spirit Slash(high/earth-top)

 Human harmonization healing technique(elementary/Eternal level) 

Weapon: Moon Light Blade(black level middle)

Description: Younger Daughter of Azure Sword Sect patriarch (currently seen as deceased in her sect). Now a disciple of the 12th peak of Scarlet Sect.

]

As Jun studied her panel, his eyes widened in astonishment at the extent of her unlocked talent. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of confusion at the apparent discrepancy in her energy control.

Could it be that the initial stages of energy manipulation were deceptively easy, only to grow increasingly challenging as one progressed? This notion seemed to offer a plausible explanation for Yinling's seemingly stagnant energy control.

But this problem didn't seem to affect him thanks to his 10,0-- no scratch that, his 15,000x comprehension speed. With the last rewards he got from the system, one of them was a 5,000x comprehension increase to his already staggering 10,000x comprehension speed.

With such a fast learning speed, his progress would naturally fall ahead of Yinlings in terms of mastering techniques and his energy control. Heck, even when cultivating, the only real reason why Yinling managed to reach level 60 in the body tempering realm was that he was guiding her all this time to be efficient and not waste time.

Left to her own, Yinling had made commendable strides, but they paled in comparison to Jun's advancement. Both had started at level 60 initially, yet Jun now stood at layer 98 while Yinling lagged behind at layer 77—a staggering 21-layer difference within the same timeframe.

Rising to stretch without disturbing Yinling, Jun ambled over to a nearby window and peered outside. A dense layer of fog shrouded the surroundings, obscuring visibility to barely a foot beyond the glass.

"What a gloomy place," Jun thought.

Leaving such thoughts behind, Jun approached Yinling, his hand gently resting on her shoulder, momentarily breaking her concentration from her cultivation. Yinling blinked, her focus shifting to Jun with a mix of curiosity

"What's wrong Jun?"

"We've gotta head back to that abandoned city, I left something that I forgot to get back" Jun answered.

Yinling raised an eyebrow at his explanation, a puzzled expression crossing her features. After all, she had been with Jun the entire time in the abandoned city, and she couldn't recall him forgetting anything.

Noticing the visible confusion on her face, Jun reached out and gently took her wrist, pulling her close to his chest.

"Just follow me," Jun said, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "I promise it's nothing big. Plus, it's not like anyone here can notice us leave. We just have to be sneaky."

Feeling a blush rush to her cheeks, Yinling nodded a bit timidly, a little taken aback at Jun's confidence but not something she didn't like.

In truth, what Jun had forgotten wasn't located in the city at all. It was something far more extraordinary—he had forgotten to retrieve the entire immortal city itself. And while such a feat would normally be impossible, Jun had the advantage of a system with an overpowered storage function.

With Jun's hand securely wrapped around Yinling's wrist, they moved towards the window, their footsteps silent against the ground. Jun eased the window open, grateful they were only on the ground floor. Learning from their past mistakes, they made sure to exit without making a sound, avoiding detection from Elder Lili.

Although they hadn't explored the sect, what other than certain gloom and depressed-looking disciples did await them both?

But now came the challenging part. Despite successfully sneaking out of the sect undetected, Jun and Yinling were faced with the dilemma of how to travel quickly to their destination.

In the past, they could easily traverse at supersonic speeds using their energy, but that ability was no longer available to them.

Wait... aren't they now body-tempering cultivators at layer 75+? Couldn't they just run at faster than the speed of sound or at least at the bare minimum?

Letting go of Yinling's wrist, Jun turned to face her with a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"Let's put our new strength to the test and see just how fast we can go," Jun suggested, a grin spreading across his face.

Yinling's heart raced with anticipation. Ever since surpassing the historical limit of the body tempering level 9, she had been itching to unleash her newfound power. Her muscles thrummed with restrained energy, yearning to be set free. Now, with Jun's proposal, the perfect opportunity presented itself.

Loosening her legs a bit, Yinlings squatted to warm up her body with Jun feasting his eyes at such a sight in the back also warming up. After a few seconds, they both lined up with each other.

"Let's start by running for just 5 minutes to get a feel for our new speed. Take it slow at first and gradually pick up the pace," Jun instructed, his voice brimming with excitement.

Yinling nodded in agreement, her determination evident in her focused expression. With her muscles primed and her mind focused, she settled into her starting position.

3...

2...

1...

In the blink of an eye, Jun and Yinling vanished from their starting positions, leaving behind only a gust of wind in their wake. As they surged forward, the ground beneath them cracked and splintered, unable to withstand the sheer force of their velocity.

Jun rushed out at an incredible speed that even surprised him since he was barely even trying at all. Yinling on the side was not lagging behind as she ran with such speed.

Both of them skillfully dodged and weaved trees in the way, but Jun knew this wasn't enough, all these trees and such were slowing them both down too much. Turning on his epiphany phase, Jun's mind was flooded with the way he was running and found a huge flaw that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

Indeed, to the untrained eye, the path of destruction left by Jun and Yinling might appear as a mesmerizing spectacle.

However, for Jun, whose mind raced at an incredible 15,000 times the normal speed, it was a clear indication of the inefficiency of their movements. Each crack or destruction in the ground represented wasted energy.

As Jun's mind raced for a solution, he recalled the idea of a "soft but hard" technique from the countless novels he had read. It was a concept that emphasized the importance of balance and finesse in combat, where strength was tempered with subtlety to maximize effectiveness.

With this in mind, Jun realized that there was more to speed than just raw power. It was about channeling their energy in a way that was both efficient and precise, like a well-executed dance rather than a reckless sprint.

This move effectively does what Jun wants to do but in a more simple way that Jun can build off of. With his mind solely focused on his legs, Jun meticulously analyzed every aspect of his movement. He scrutinized the precise angle at which his feet made contact with the ground, the fluidity of his leg motions, and the alignment of his body.

As seconds ticked by, Jun's strides began to transform. His steps became lighter as if he were dancing on air. Yet, just before his feet touched the ground, his acceleration surged, propelling him forward with astonishing speed.

To an outsider, Jun's altered technique might seem unconventional, even strange. However, the noticeable reduction in the destruction left in his wake spoke volumes.

While Yinling continued with her unchanged approach, Jun's refined movements demonstrated a newfound efficiency, leaving behind only faint traces of disturbance in the earth.