After pondering for a good while, Ye Qingchen felt as if he had grasped something, yet at the same time, nothing at all. He still couldn’t find the right approach, but he didn’t get discouraged. Instead, with his eyes shining eagerly, he turned to Zhu Liang and said, "Second Senior Brother, could you demonstrate it for me once more?"

Zhu Liang rose from the stone he was sitting on and nodded. "It seems Junior Brother has thought of something. This time, I’ll go slower. Pay close attention."

Ye Qingchen quickly activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, observing Zhu Liang intently.

Through his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, Ye Qingchen could clearly see the flow of Spiritual Energy within Zhu Liang’s body. What puzzled him, however, was that the Spiritual Energy was flowing along the normal paths of a Cultivation Technique, showing no intention of an imminent attack.

Suddenly, Ye Qingchen discovered to his surprise that the nature’s spiritual energy around Zhu Liang was actually dispersing outward.

Ye Qingchen had a moment of clarity. He had been too focused on the flow of Spiritual Energy within Zhu Liang’s body and had neglected the external nature’s spiritual energy. This was also a result of his current Realm; after all, he had only just begun to master nature’s spiritual energy and was not yet accustomed to this method of combat.

Upon sensing the changes in the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy, Ye Qingchen also infused his Soul Power into it. He continued to observe Zhu Liang’s internal Spiritual Energy with his Dual Pupil Martial Soul while attentively sensing the fluctuations of the nature’s spiritual energy around him.

A moment later, Ye Qingchen first saw a stream of Spiritual Energy converge into Zhu Liang’s legs. Then, he sensed a slight disturbance in the nature’s spiritual energy to his left. Instinctively, Ye Qingchen shifted his footing to the right, moving his body about half a foot from its original position.

But in the next moment, Zhu Liang appeared right where Ye Qingchen had originally been standing, looking at him with astonishment. Zhu Liang never expected that Ye Qingchen would be able to dodge his attack, let alone predict it.

Has Ye Qingchen’s comprehension really reached such a terrifying level?

After all, Zhu Liang had done his best to use the nature’s spiritual energy under his command to mask the fluctuations, making them difficult to detect. For Ye Qingchen to sense the change in that split second and react instantly, there was only one possibility.

This can only mean Ye Qingchen’s mastery of nature’s spiritual energy has already surpassed my own! But how is that possible?

Zhu Liang was already in the high-level Martial Emperor Realm. When it came to proficiency with nature’s spiritual energy, not even someone at the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm could necessarily surpass him. Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen’s mastery of nature’s spiritual energy was, at best, equivalent to that of a low-level Martial Emperor Realm practitioner.

What Zhu Liang didn’t know was that Ye Qingchen had taken a shortcut. Because Ye Qingchen had first used his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to see the changes in Zhu Liang’s internal Spiritual Energy, he had already prepared to react. That was why he could respond so swiftly the moment the fluctuations appeared in the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy.

After his initial surprise, Zhu Liang couldn’t help but burst into laughter. "Junior Brother, it seems you have some remarkable secrets! Very good, very good. Since you have such exceptional abilities, it seems our training plan will go much more smoothly."

Zhu Liang was certain that Ye Qingchen’s control over nature’s spiritual energy was inferior to his own, which led him to surmise that Ye Qingchen must have some kind of secret. However, Zhu Liang didn’t inquire further. After all, everyone has things they find difficult to share. As his senior brother, he just needed to be happy for his junior brother.

Ye Qingchen nodded as well, feeling a surge of excitement. He then began trying out Zhu Liang’s attack method, practicing it repeatedly.

To put it simply, it was all about biding one’s time and striking at the perfect moment. This required not only grasping the flow of battle but also controlling the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy and accurately judging the relative strength between himself and his opponent. In actual practice, it was extremely challenging.

However, with Zhu Liang’s meticulous guidance and the aid of his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, Ye Qingchen mastered this combat method in just two days. Combined with his speed and the unpredictability of the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique, he could now truly achieve the element of surprise.

Zhu Liang nodded in satisfaction and said to Ye Qingchen, "Junior Brother, the first phase of training concludes here. However, this is not the limit of what you can achieve. We’re just short on time right now. In the future, when time permits, you should polish these skills further."

Ye Qingchen nodded in earnest agreement. As his proficiency with nature’s spiritual energy increased, he knew this was not his limit. Zhu Liang had already led him through the basics. In the future, he could continue to improve upon these foundations and even create his own unique combat style.

Then Zhu Liang continued, "Junior Brother, in the next few days, I will teach you just one technique. If you can master it, your combat power will increase by at least three to four times!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingchen’s eyes filled with anticipation. He was now practically invincible within the entire Martial King Realm. Although he was only at the Sixth Layer of the Martial King Realm, if his combat strength could be multiplied several times over, Ye Qingchen was confident he could confront—and even defeat—Martial Emperor Realm powerhouses.

Zhu Liang pointed to a massive boulder in the distance. "Junior Brother, can you shatter that boulder using the least amount of energy possible?"

Ye Qingchen looked at the boulder. It was more than ten meters high and exceptionally sturdy. For the current Ye Qingchen, shattering it would not require much effort. However, he knew the emphasis of Zhu Liang’s question was on using the *least* amount of energy.

Ye Qingchen walked up to the boulder and ran his hand over its surface, gauging its toughness before turning to Zhu Liang. "Second Senior Brother, I’ll give it a try."

As he finished speaking, Spiritual Energy slowly converged in his hand. He then launched a punch at the boulder with the force of someone at the first level of the Martial Spirit Realm.

BOOM!

As expected, the boulder was shattered by the punch.

Yet Zhu Liang shook his head. "Junior Brother, in that last attack, you wasted at least ninety percent of your Spiritual Energy!"

Ye Qingchen looked at Zhu Liang in disbelief. He knew that even an expert at the third level of the Martial Spirit Realm might not be able to shatter that boulder. Managing it with only the strength of a first-level Martial Spirit Realm practitioner was already an exceptional feat.

Zhu Liang smiled and shook his head, then pointed to another boulder of a similar size. "Junior Brother, if I’m not mistaken, you just used the strength of the first level of the Martial Spirit Realm."