Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 682 - 612 Suan Ni_2

The Academic Palace Doctors rode the Heavenly Boat to the East Sea to observe the migration of the reversal creatures, striving to delay or even eliminate the mutation. If there was truly no other way, they would have to start from the ocean’s edge, hunting sea beasts to reduce the size of their packs.

BOOM!

The loud bang echoed through the tranquil valley as Li Ang’s figure flew backward, crashing heavily against a cliff. The impact created a human-shaped dent and shook the entire cliffside. Large chunks of rock peeled off and fell, stirring up dust. Li Ang coughed, releasing his telekinesis to alter the trajectory of the falling boulders and fling them forward.

WHOOSH—

A burly figure shot towards him from three hundred meters away in the valley, treading on the water’s surface as if it were flat ground. With each punch, he smashed the flying rocks.

Li Ang held his breath and concentrated, spreading his telekinesis to its limits, like a radar radiating across the valley before him. At the same time, he released his right hand, allowing the Dragon Fall Spear to hover in mid-air. The spear blade quivered gently, constantly locked onto the target’s trajectory.

One hundred meters. Fifty meters. Twenty meters.

Li Ang suddenly clenched his left fist, activating the talismans he had buried beneath the ground beforehand. Exhausting Talismans, Water Dragon Talismans, Electric Light Talismans, Extreme Cold Talismans—various talismans triggered simultaneously, covering a fan-shaped area twenty meters long. Even steel could not pass safely through this space, yet the figure did.

A strong, flowing Qi-blood enveloped his body. Flames hot enough to melt stubborn iron burned his thoroughly tempered muscles and bones, leaving only small, charred marks. Most importantly was his appearance: his hair and beard were disheveled, his features fierce. He looked very much like a younger National Guardian General, Duke Yan—Yan Yundang.

BOOM!

Just as the figure charged forward, punching at Li Ang’s face, the sand beneath his feet exploded again. The fierce shock from an explosive charm finally caused his steps to veer slightly. Li Ang seized this fleeting opportunity. He pushed forward with all his might, unleashing the Dragon Fall Spear he had been building power in for so long.

At such close range against a Martial Artist, aiming for the head was not a wise choice—the neck had too much freedom of movement, allowing the Martial Artist to lean back and evade an incoming spear. Therefore, Li Ang aimed for his spine. The Dragon Fall Spear whistled through the air, a faint illusion of a disdainful Dragon Head appearing at its blade.

Time seemed to slow at that moment. The Martial Artist raised his left hand, desperately trying to block the spear. The spearpoint pierced his palm. Driven by the momentum of his entire hand, it was deflected by an inch, ultimately penetrating between his third and fourth ribs.

That was the heart’s location. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

A flicker of relief crossed Li Ang’s eyes. Just as he was about to rotate his palm and release his telekinesis to completely tear apart the Yan Yundang look-alike, the Martial Artist, his heart pierced, desperately clenched the Dragon Fall with his left hand to stop it from moving. Stepping forward, he threw a punch at Li Ang’s right shoulder in an extremely awkward posture.

CRACK!

The Martial Artist’s figure completely exploded into wisps of white smoke. The entire tranquil valley transformed into a vast expanse of fog, shrinking back into a purple bronze incense burner shaped like a Suan Ni.

As the smoke dissipated, the original appearance of the spacious room with nothing but four blank walls was revealed. Li Ang stood alone in the center of the room, unharmed, except for a chalk-like white fist mark on his right shoulder.

A Puppet Servant named Ati stood beside his exclusive little trolley, pen in hand. "Challenge: thirty-seven-year-old Yan Yundang. Duration: fifteen minutes," he recorded, then announced in a monotone voice, "Failure."

On the trolley was the Lion Incense Burner.

Li Ang stood still and took a deep breath. He released his telekinesis to lift the Dragon Fall Spear that had fallen in front of him, catching it in his hand. "Didn’t I pierce his heart and shatter six of his ribs?" he complained. "Why could he still move? As far as I know, the military Body Refining Techniques Duke Yan practiced when he was young didn’t have a feature that allowed one to continue moving despite a shattered heart and lungs!"

"Indeed not," Ati said calmly. "But at thirty-seven years old, Yan Yundang, in the Perfect Realm of Innate Martial Artist, is at the peak of mind, body, and technique.

"Theoretically, he has the ability, through the contraction and expansion of blood vessels, muscles, and tendons, to adjust the position of his organs.

"In the instant of our exchange just now, he urgently controlled his heart to shift a few inches to his right, preventing the Dragon Fall from completely destroying his heart and lungs.

"Therefore, he still had a bit of strength left to throw a punch.

"And the power of that punch was just enough to penetrate your telekinetic defense, break your shoulder, and expose Mo Si."

Li Ang rubbed his temples, his head aching. "...So many coincidences. Doesn’t that seem a bit far-fetched? Do you believe I’d go ask Duke Yan right now and let him estimate if he could have done what you described when he was younger?"

Unmoved, Ati continued, "Estimate the enemy’s strength generously, and guard against them rigorously. Every time the Lion Furnace is used, a great deal of material is consumed.

"Therefore, every battle must be pushed to the utmost limit to maximize the training effect.

"This is also the Mountain Master’s intention."

Seeing that Ati brought up the Mountain Master, Li Ang could only surrender. "Alright, alright, you’re right. Give me 15 minutes to recover my Qi Sea, and we’ll go another round."

Unexpectedly, Ati shook his head, put down his pen and paper, and said in a monotonous tone, "Let’s call it a day."

"Hm?" Li Ang frowned. "Why?"

Ati replied, "There are Mutated Objects in the Dongjun Tower that haven’t been maintained yet today. I need to get busy. Your breathing is also erratic. You need to calm your mind."

"Fine." Knowing he wasn’t in his best condition, Li Ang nodded in agreement. He casually tore off a Clear Wind Talisman, letting a breeze blow over his body and quickly dry the sweat.

He patted the punch mark on his shoulder and walked toward the exit of the room. As he was about to leave, he couldn’t help but steal a glance at Ati from the corner of his eye.

To say ’I need to get busy’ with such a strong sense of personal will... he didn’t seem like a simple Puppet Servant at all.

It seemed Ati noticed Li Ang’s glance and looked up. "What is it?"

Li Ang shook his head. "Nothing."

"Oh." Ati appeared unconcerned. "Just now I noticed the Dragon Fall Spear was a bit slower than before. Do you need to bring it back here for another check?"

"No, don’t bother. I’m off, you keep busy." Li Ang hastily shook his head again. The Dragon Fall Spear had inherited the ability to change size from the bronze box he had penetrated in the previous timeline. This was a secret he had not shared with the Academic Palace, so he needed to keep it confidential from Ati.

He quickly left the room and departed from Dongjun Tower.

Dongjun Tower was indeed Yu Country’s treasure trove, just as the Crown Prince had once said. Countless fine items abounded there. That Mutated Object, the Lion Furnace, was one such item.

This incense burner could record the information of Cultivators who had touched it. In the form of white smoke, it could summon a doppelganger shadow possessing a good portion of the original Cultivator’s power. Examples included National Guardian General Yan Yundang, Garrison Commander Lin Hongbo, Talismanic Master Tantai Leshan, and Imperial Palace Tributor Shen Tuyu. Even Lu Qingya from Lu Li Academy, who had good relations with the Academic Palace, had once been invited to Dongjun Tower to record his information. Even the doppelganger shadows of past Academic Palace Masters could be summoned.

Of course, the Lion Furnace also had significant limitations. Each use required an initial input of spiritual power exceeding the standard amount. The number of doppelganger shadows summoned was limited to three, and their maximum duration was 15 minutes. The shadows had no intelligence and would only fight non-stop in the style of the original Cultivator. And once they left that room, the shadows would dissipate on their own.

Therefore, the Lion Furnace’s greatest use was to train Yu Country’s most promising Cultivators who were on the verge of breaking through to the Candle Cloud Realm.

Think about it. If the Lion Furnace had no restrictions, why wouldn’t the Academic Palace just hide away for a few years? They could then summon the heroic spirits of past Mountain Masters all at once, march on Taihao Mountain, and flatten the Daoist sect.

Li Ang shook his head, dispelling his stray thoughts. He walked along the shaded path towards the residence on the back mountain. "I’m back."