The Water Image Technique

"I will definitely be in the top 1000 in the next competition."

"My resources will be used up in the next two months, I can't wait for the next competition."

"Top 1000? That is not enough! We must strive for a higher goal! I will be top 100!"

On the road nearby the Training Field, the conversation would be heard from time to time.

Yu Xuan walked past this road to the lake with a calm face.

Being able to be a disciple of the Five Elements Sect, these people were all geniuses, there were some special geniuses. A normal like Yu Xuan was very few in the sect, despite being the outer court. Only a good background or very rich person would qualify to join the Five Elements Sect.

Being a normal disciple, Yu Xuan spent most of his time cultivating, not interacting with anyone. After all, a genius would be friends with a genius, a normal like him was isolated by society. Only by being stronger, would he be able to recognize by everyone. Like on Earth, a successful person would be recognized by the social.

However, Yu Xuan wasn't sad. The law of this world is a benefit, who would give a sh1t to a person that couldn't make their lives better? Yu Xuan was just a normal disciple, could he help them stronger? Could he make their lives better?

From their point of view, being friends with Yu Xuan was like being friends with a bad guy who wouldn't lead their lives in a better way. As a result, Yu Xuan didn't have friends or foes in a sect.

Yes, they were selfish and injustice, but so what?

"It is like a poor guy in a dictatorship country. Who will listen to the sound of a poor guy, and I am that poor guy in this sect." Yu Xuan was obvious about his situation, but he didn't blame anyone.

"The value of a person will be seen by action. If I stay normal like this, who will give a sh1t to me? And if I become stronger, my value will be shown, those will give a sh1t to me even if I don't want." Yu Xuan murmured to himself, although he understood this logic, he wouldn't act recklessly, showing off was a must when necessary, and not showing off was necessary when encountering unexpected circumstances.

As he thought to this point, a scene in front of him interrupted his thoughts, he arrived at the lake.

The lake was not wide, only 1,000 square kilometers, the more center the deeper. The deepest was around 20 meters, which was a suitable place for the normal disciples who cultivated Water Path.

This lake was for the normal disciples, when Yu Xuan arrived, he only saw around 200-300 disciples here with the highest Cultivation base being the 3rd-stage Foundation Establishment Realm.

As a 1st-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, no one would notice his presence, everyone only focused on their cultivation, so Yu Xuan arrived at one spot of a lake that was quite far from people and began to adjust his state.

After a while.

Yu Xuan began revolving his Water Image Technique, from his Sixth Sense Realm, a Path Pillar was gradually brighter as massive primeval essence flew out from his body, Yu Xuan slowly controlled them.

His water path primeval essence was in the shape of a drop, around a hundred drops were flying around his body, Yu Xuan slowly controlled them to build a shape of him.

From his Sixth Sense Realm, the water drops were forming two human legs.

On the outside world, nearby Yu Xuan, two human legs were forming. This scene was no different from his Sixth Sense Realm.

Sixth Sense Realm was the core of a Cultivator, it kept the primeval essence, one must use primeval essence to form a technique through there.

The Sixth Sense Realm was like an imaginary world where all of Yu Xuan's thoughts ran into the Sixth Sense Realm, then his thoughts would processing in Sixth Sense Realm, resulting in the outside world later.

In this situation where Yu Xuan was revolving his Water Image Technique, he had to imagine the shape of this technique and control the primeval essence to form this technique at the same time.

What he imagined resulted in his Sixth Sense Realm.

What resulted in his Sixth Sense Realm resulted in the outside world.

Soon, a stomach, and a chest were formed.

Po!

Suddenly, before two arms were formed, a small explosion happened as Yu Xuan failed in activating his technique.

A small explosion made slightly small waves on the lake around Yu Xuan as he was getting slightly injured from the small explosion, he felt tired due to using his thoughts too much and the amount of his primeval essence was wasting as well.

Yu Xuan wasn't discouraged, failing at the first step was natural, and who would never fail in life? Yu Xuan began to analyze his failing instead.

"There is no wrong with the technique." Yu Xuan narrowed his eyes.

After a while, he blinked it brightly as he said, "I see, I am too hurried at the step of forming an arm! I still have a nine chance! Let's try it!"

Yu Xuan was just a 1st-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he didn't have much primeval essence, only enough for him to use a technique ten times. If he failed all ten times, he would waste his primeval essence without gains.

Yu Xuan began to revolve his Water Image Technique once again.

This time, he was calmer than before, he succeeded in forming two arms and a throat.

Po!

He failed again.

"Forming a face part is quite complicated, I have to maintain my speed, not too fast nor not too slow. A single mistake leads to failure." Yu Xuan tried to calm himself and began again.

Po!

He still failed.

Po!

Po!

An hour later.

"Finally, I succeed in ten attempts." Yu Xuan's face was exhausted due to using too much thought, his primeval was used up. However, he was still happy with this result.

Yu Xuan was a newbie to this world, he was clear how small he is to this world.

"Activating a Combat Technique is like a doctor in an operating room. Micro mistakes lead to destruction. One needs to concentrate." Yu Xuan analyzed.

"I'll take a rest for a while before going to the Meal Hall." Lying down in the shallow area of the lake, Yu Xuan started absorbing the natural primeval essence there.

To cultivate, one didn't need to sit cross-legged every time, only one calmed one's mind and entered the Sixth Sense Realm, which was enough, no matter what pose it would be, it didn't matter.

An hour later.

"Ten percent of my primeval essence has been restored, that is enough for now." Opening his eyes, Yu Xuan stood up and used his primeval essence to dry him before leaving the lake.

A day later.

Po!

"In the end, I still fail in maintaining it. This process is harder than forming it." Yu Xuan sighed.

"I still have two chances left, again!" Despite being tired, Yu Xuan didn't give up.

Fortunately, after forming this technique, it didn't explode when Yu Xuan fail to maintain it, it instead melted.

The melted water path primeval essence didn't harm him.

However, when Yu Xuan thought of the Fire Path Cultivators who failed in maintaining their techniques, a heat feeling emerged in his mind. That would be hard if they didn't have a solution.

Time soon passed, a week later.

Po!

After ten minutes of maintaining his technique, Yu Xuan still failed.

"Ten minutes are my limit as of now. But that is enough, in a real battle, who would let the opponent maintain technique for ten minutes?" This was the truth, there were many aspects to winning the fight, and techniques were the main point, however, one couldn't only rely on them.

A month later.

"Great! I am in complete controlling this technique, and my limit is two clones." Yu Xuan was filled with excitement.

A Combat Technique that Yu Xuan was cultivating was called the Water Image Technique.

A mortal-grade Combat Technique, Water Image. This technique is to create a water clone that exactly the same as the original body, it has a 50% ability of the original body.

However, no matter how low or high the technique is, its usage still depends on the user.

During this one month, Yu Xuan would cultivate the Calm As Water Technique at night and study the Water Image during the day.

Snap!

In the small forest, Yu Xuan's clone executed a palm strike on the sturdy tree, the force of the strike penetrated quite deep within, marking his punch there. If this strike were to be performed on a human, it would result in casualties.

Although the body of a Foundation Establishment Realm couldn't be considered tough, it was still outstanding.

"Fifty percent of an original body's force can mark the punch on it. Not bad!"

His clone had fifty percent of his forces, and it could even use a technique in combat, however, Yu Xuan currently had Water Image Technique as a combat one, and he couldn't test that result.

His Calm As Water Technique was only used for cultivating, it couldn't use to fight.

Upon learning that his clone could mark a punch on a sturdy tree, Yu Xuan wanted to try his real punch.

Bang!

Yu Xuan executed his punch without any techniques. Hoping to shatter this tree, however, his punch could only penetrate to the middle deep of it before it stopped.

"Hm, I am not that strong yet." Yu Xuan retreated his punch from a sturdy tree.

"There are three months left before the competition, I am confident in my cultivation, but my technique is lacking, I need to wait for the next month after I break through, I will qualify to pick another Combat Technique."

Although Yu Xuan wanted to create the Combat Techniques for himself, he couldn't accomplish it at the moment. He lacked the fighting experience and the reference techniques.

"That is a matter of the future." Yu Xuan took a deep breath.

He was the kind of person who relied on himself.

Relying on the sect was good on the surface, but deep down, it would be the dependent bind.

On the road to cultivation, one needed techniques and primeval essence stones.

These are the most important things.

Techniques helped to cultivate and fight.

Primeval essence stones helped to speed up cultivation and replenish one's primeval essence.

Without techniques, one couldn't cultivate.

Without primeval essence stones, one would slow progress in cultivation.

And both of these things were more necessary the higher the cultivation was.

These treasures were controlled by the higher-ups.

This was the rule.

In a sect, one needed techniques and primeval essence stones to cultivate, the more one cultivated the more one needed.

Taking Yu Xuan as an example, his salary, 100 mortal-grade primeval essence stones had been used in a second week. This was not even enough for a month.

And to get a technique, he needed to perform well, that was to break through or did something beneficial to the sect like along the quests.

As his cultivation was higher, the resources that he needed would be higher, this cycle never ended and this situation happened to everyone.

This was the method of the sect to slave their disciples. The desire for the resources would make them unwilling to leave a sect. This was like an employee who was unwilling to leave a company, and willing to be a slave for a company. However, there was no one to blame, they had no choice. This was the rule of higher-ups.

After all, who would want to leave such a place where they didn't need to risk their lives for the resource?

However, the sect wouldn't raise them for free.

The first was to increase their overall strength.

The second was to use them to do the tasks for a sect.

The third was to sacrifice them for unexpected situations.

However, that was still not enough for slaving them. They also needed to use morals.

If one betrayed the sect, one would be called a traitor, a traitor would be hated by everyone and get hunted.

If one sacrificed for the sect, one would be a great hero, everyone would praise him for a while.

But in end, they would be forgotten by the long river of history.

With the benefits and morals, even if there was a day a sect used the excuses to sacrifice them, that person would still feel honored to do that due to the gratitude of a sect.

A sect raised me well, I sacrificed for a sect was the right thing!

Even if Yu Xuan understood the rule, he loved living in such a world.

Without rules and morals, how could humans develop to this point?

Without rules and morals, humans would be extinct a long time ago.

However, even if it was like that, Yu Xuan would not bind himself to rules and morals, if there were a day that he needed to betray the sect for his benefit, he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

Yu Xuan wanted to rely on himself, one was for his benefit, another was to avoid the hidden danger.

Cultivating the techniques from a sect was not that good. There must be a hidden danger in it, like not being betrayed by the sect was the most likely. But that was on the higher one. The lower one like Yu Xuan was still safe.

All in all, Yu Xuan also didn't reject relying on others, like his current situation where he was still relying on a sect.