Chapter 144- Dao Concepts?

"Dao of music?" Long Feng muttered as he watched Hua Liuli pull the zither strings three more times before she stood up and put it away.

Meanwhile, all the beasts at the front of the horde were dead.

"I never knew that 'young master Yu' was a music dao cultivator." Yan Jian spoke with a dazed face.

"I also never knew" Long Feng also said, then he turned to Hua Liuli "But why did your dao feel different? You emitted an aura that merged with the world's music energy. Or is it unique to the dao of music alone? " He asked.

Hearing his question, Hua Liuli's face shone with pride.

"Of course it's not unique to only the music dao. It was possible only due to my impressive level of the music concept!. I recently reached the fourth concept of music dao!" She replied proudly.

Alas, Long Feng understood nothing of what she just said and he stared at her dumbly.  The only person who had a reaction was Yan Jian, who's eyes bulged and he fell directly on his butt.

"F—fourth concept?  At your cultivation level?  Impossible!" He exclaimed.

"how is it impossible? Open your eyes wide!" Hua Liuli giggled.

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt, but what is a concept?" Long Feng asked.

"When you comprehend a dao before breaking into the Yang realm, you will begin to slowly understand and comprehend more of that dao. This is what we call the concept of a dao, which Is divided into nine parts.  Only when you reach the ninth concept of a dao can you breakthrough to the Imperial realm. I am currently at the fourth concept of music!" Hua Liuli replied.

Long Feng raised his brow curiously. "What kind of increase in strength does a higher concept brings?" he asked.

Hua Liuli seemed eager to reply to him and wasted no time in explaining.

"Most yang realm cultivators can't even achieve the first concept level in their dao. Few talented geniuses can barely reach the second and third concept before reaching the spirit realm. And as for the benefit, if a rank three Yang realm cultivator who has reached the rank one concept, fights a rank four Yang cultivator who has no concept, the rank three cultivator would win. The higher the concept you have reached, the stronger you would be. And the more concept you have, the stronger you are.  Take me as an example.  Although I am only at the rank five Yang realm, with my concept, I can defeat an ordinary rank seven Yang cultivator and fight on Par with ordinary rank eight."

Long Feng was pleasantly surprised after hearing about concepts. He wondered whether any of his dao had reached the level of concept.

"What level is my sword dao?" Long Feng asked as he released his sword energy.

Hua Liuli observed the sword energy with a frown before she giggled.

"You haven't even comprehended the sword dao, not to speak of turning it into concept. I know someone your age who has reached the third sword dao concept. In front of him, you are no different from a child holding a wooden sword for the first time."

Long Feng shrugged as he had expected that much. He had not bothered to comprehend the sword dao before.

[It looks like I will have to spend some time sharpening my sword comprehension.] He thought.

"What of my demon dao?" Long Feng asked again as his demon energy seeped out of him.

Hua Liuli's eyes raised up in surprise.

"You have reached the first concept of demon dao!"

Long Feng smiled calmly. Compared to her rank four concept, he was still far behind.

"Brother Yu, what of my flame dao?" Yan Jian hurried over and released a wisp of his flame.

"oh?  You have also reached the first concept?" Hua Liuli muttered, surprising both Long Feng and Yan Jian. Long Feng figured that it was probably due to Yan Jian's unique flame bloodline.

"Li Yu'er, show brother Yu your dao.  Come on!" Yan Jian excitedly rushed to Li Yu'er's side and spoke.

Furrowing her brows, Li Yu'er released a wisp of her ice energy. The result was that she had also reached the first concept.

Before they could celebrate though, several dozens of black earth lizards charged at them, emanating the fierce aura of mid and peak Yin level. 

"There is definitely a Yang level beast leading them." Hua Liuli said. "We'll finish this conversation later!"

"Stay as far away as you can!" Long Feng took out a Yin armament which he had robbed from the Wuma clan's treasury back at the Jianhai province and released his rank nine Yin realm aura. Ever since he broke through back while being chased by limitless blood assassin, he hadn't managed to fully consolidate his cultivation. This was the perfect moment for him to do that.

"Leave the peak Yin level beasts to me!" He spoke as he released his sword energy. He didn't intend to use any other skills other than his sword skills in other to use this opportunity to hone his sword dao.

"Are you sure about that?" Yan Jian called out but Long Feng had already charged straight towards the stronger Black Earth lizards, wildly waving his swords around and releasing countless sword lights.

"As I said, his sword skills are pitiful. Is he so reckless everytime?" Hua Liuli asked.

Yan Jian shook his head with a bitter smile.

"He is. He may not look it but his body can really take a damn good beating. He is used to getting beaten up often anyways."

Long Feng swung his sword as though he was simply waving it around, but that was to be expected as his achievement in the sword path was negligible. If Long Feng had to compare, He would say that Han Man's sword concept was at the first level. It was only by using the origin spirit sword was he able to defeat him.

Therefore, he was using the Black Earth lizards to strengthen his sword. Truthfully, with his Yang level combat prowess, he was simply bullying these Yin level beasts by fighting them. Even with his unsightly and even embarrassing sword skills, he was still cutting down these lizards as easily as smashing dried grasses. Grey blood soon began flowing on the floor as tens of beasts died in a minute. The gray blood was extremely poisonous; so poisonous that the grasses which it touched instantly sizzled and dried off. Long Feng made sure to keep his distance from the black earth lizards and their gray blood.

And if one was to observe, they would notice that he wasn't waving his sword as disorderly as before; an obvious sign that he was getting better at controlling his sword. Even then, he was far away from reaching the level of concept.

"This is getting me nowhere!" Long Feng sighed inwardly.

He had already killed all the stronger Yin level beasts. The rest were not worth his attention. Yan Jian and Li Yu'er could easily take care of them.

"Of course it would take you nowhere. Before you practice the sword, you need to use a suitable sword manual. If people can cultivate as wildly as you and still be sword cultivators, then sword masters wouldn't be so rare in the world." Hua Liuli replied with a chuckle.

Before Long Feng could reply, a growl sounded from a distance and it was filled with fury. Moreover, by hearing the voice, Long Feng needed no one to tell him which level the incoming beast was at. 

"The Yang level beast leading the horde!"

A twenty meter large lizard; the size of an adult man appeared. It's eyes were bloodshot and its entire being emanated an aura of bloodlust.

"It's a second Yang level Black Earth lizard. I can deal with it!" Hua Liuli muttered as range took out her zither again.

"Close your ears!" she spoke to the other three before sitting down cross legged.

Long Feng, Yan Jian and Li Yu'er instantly blocked off their hearing.

Hua Liuli gazed at the approaching Black Earth lizard and slowly and delicately caressed her zither.

A calming aura emerged from her body and the area a few meters around her became peaceful and solemn.

The approaching Black Earth lizard instantly felt a chill up it's spine and it slowed down it's charge, staring at Hua Liuli with a wary gaze.

As Hua Liuli began pulling the strings of the zither, the Black Earth lizards around including the leader all felt calm. Their killing intents and hatred for the humans before them seemingly vanished into thin air.

Even Long Feng and the other two who sealed off their hearing still felt their hearts shake slightly and a weird calm engulfed them.

A minute later, Hua Liuli's tune suddenly changed, becoming faster and harsher. The melodious music seemed to have transformed into the sharpest weapon in the world. Boundless killing intent replaced the calm in the area and Long Feng felt his skin prickle as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He had to admit that if he was he one facing the current Hua Liuli, he would not be able to survive.

     A few breaths worth of time later, Hua Liuli stopped playing the zither. All that was left in place of the Black Earth lizards was a finger deep pool of gray blood. Even the Yang level beast was nowhere to be seen!