Chapter 209: Scales and Claws
Translator: AstralGhost Editor: Kurisu
Among them, the most eye-catching flower was a seven-eight meter-tall rose with thick, thorny vines, taking up an entire area of twenty, thirty square meters.
This stalk of rose was originally only around a meter tall. But after being washed in the Snow Ridge Celestial Eagle's blood, it'd been growing with crazy speed every day.
Bei Feng was quite sure that before he left, the rose's stalk was only as thick as an infant's fist. But within the span of a few short days, it'd already grown to the thickness of an adult's thigh!
The thick stem looked rough and cracked, as if a dragon was coiling around it.
Numerous stalks of devilish blood-red flowers waved about in the wind around it, causing a refreshing fragrance to waft through the garden. The garden was like an idyllic scene of fantasy where birds flew freely among resplendent flowers and the sun shone brightly in the clear skies.
"Ding! Grade 1 Spirit Herb discovered, Rose! (Mutated from an ordinary rose after absorbing blood from the Snow Ridge Celestial Eagle. Fruits produced from this spirit herb can be harvested, and the pulp can be used to remove scars and wrinkles. Has exceptional skin whitening effects.) Experience gained: 0!"
A System message appeared in Bei Feng's mind as he placed his palms on the rough stem.
'A ordinary rose which couldn't be more common had actually turned into a spirit herb...'
Bei Feng did not know if he should be laughing or crying. This Grade 1 Rose had a pretty limited utility. It was not useful for cultivation, but inclined more towards a lifestyle supplement.
He did not bother it and allowed it to continue growing in the garden. In any case, the huge rose looked beautiful, and coupled with hundreds of flowers clustered together, the garden was visually a very pleasant place to relax in.
After distancing himself from the garden, Bei Feng started on his practice of Form and Will Fist.
Eagles were carnivorous birds of prey and were extremely fierce and majestic creatures. They had powerful and sharp talons, capable of tearing through the body of their prey with ease. Their beaks were also incomparably sharp and strong!
The Eagle Form Style in the Form and Will Fist was also the same. It emphasized on being as stealthy as a cat, but as nimble as an escaping rabbit!
All movements were concealed normally, but with one stroke, they would ensure a kill with a single hit!
Only after he began practicing the skill did he discover how lucky he was that he could pick up the Bear Form Style so quickly!
Right now, although his eagle form moves looked grand and imposing, it was nothing more than a farce, a mere imitation.
Each move was filled with countless flaws and inconsistencies. But with Bei Feng's strong mental powers, he was able to identify and correct the flaws, one at a time. Within an afternoon, he already looked like he was executing the moves in a standard manner.
***
Far away, in a villa at You Prefecture, Qin Wutian drummed his fingers lightly against the table, deep in thought. Before him, two men were kneeling subserviently on one knee with their heads bowed. None of them dared to look upon Qin Wutian's countenance.
"You're telling me that after spending so much time and effort, your investigations had yielded nothing at all?"
Qin Wutian's gaze only paused momentarily on the two as he asked. His eyes were like a deep abyss, its depths unfathomable.
"Your subordinate is useless. We only know that the Sect Leader had brought Qin Yi and a few others to Qingcheng personally. As for what they were doing there, this subordinate was unable to find out."
The older of the two men replied as he looked upwards cautiously. Seeing that Qin Wutian's expression remained calm, he continued, "However, this subordinate was able to find out that Qin Yi had gone back to Qingcheng by himself not long ago. He returned within the same day. But for the specifics regarding this, this subordinate was unable to continue investigation further in case we were discovered.
The room descended into deep silence as the words faded away. At the same time, a formless pressure appeared within the room.
"Dong, dong, dong...!"
Only the sound of Qin Wutian's fingers tapping against the table could be heard. From the perspective of the two men, this sound was as scary as having someone drum their fingers on their hearts.
"You're dismissed."
After a long time, Qin Wutian finally said. The two men felt a great load lifted off their hearts as they bowed and backed off hurriedly.
"My dear father... what are you planning exactly?" Qin Wutian murmured as he got up and walked over to the window, staring up at the thick clouds.
Recently, Qin Wutian could feel that something was off about Qin Wufa's behavior. This was especially the case starting a few days ago. It was like his father had distanced himself from him on purpose.
As he thought back to the news he received earlier, Qin Wutian was quite sure that this change in attitude had something to do with that matter!
'The position of the sect leader is mine no mater what! None may hinder me!'
The form of an incomparably savage beast shrouded in mist appeared from Qin Wufa's back for a brief moment, disappearing immediately in a flash.
The Qin clan had always looked at strength as the determining factor when it came to choosing the sect leader. As long as one was outstanding enough, able to suppress the younger generation, they would be given the seat of sect leader. It was not a given that the son of the sect leader would definitely be appointed as the young sect leader!
In fact, young sect leader was more a form of address than a position.
Qin Wutian was precisely the current generation's young sect leader. He was capable of completely suppressing all cultivators under the age of 30!
But he had not officially been handed the position of the sect leader. Thus, as long as anyone under the age of 30 managed to defeat him, they would be able to snatch the title of young sect leader from him.
And after the young sect leader grew up, they would usually give up their title and assume the role of an elder in the clan, allowing them to seek for a higher realm with their cultivation.
***
In the blink of an eye, five days passed. Within those five days, the weather had turned even colder. Although they were in the south and there was no snow, the temperature had dipped to mere single digits.
"Si la!"
The crisp sound of something being broken through rang out. The sound was rather creepy, causing other's goosebumps to rise.
Under the cover of the rose garden, Bei Feng was leaping up and down in a ferocious manner, striking out with his arms.
His palms were switching stances continuously, sometimes appearing as an eagle's claws, and at times like its beak.
When he stiffened his hands like an eagle's claws, an illusory 1-meter-tall sharp claws manifested around his entire arm. The claws looked extremely real, and numerous sword-like rays were gleaming around the edges!
"Ai, this is still not enough."
Bei Feng looked at the ground in the yard. It was like it had been crushed, leaving rows of deep scratches.
Bei Feng shook his head with some dissatisfaction as he gazed at the scars on the ground.
Bei Feng had been spending so much time immersed in the Form and Will Fist, but he was only capable of manifesting the claws and the beak. He could not create a full manifestation like the Bear Form Style.
Although his progress with the Eagle Form Style was not already not bad, it was still at least ten times weaker!
'The reason I could pick up the Bear Form Style was because my own martial technique was created based on the movements of a real bear. Thus, when I was practicing it, I could easily sense the intricacies behind the style. It was to a point where I did not encounter any tough problems with it so far.' Bei Feng thought deeply. In contrast, the level of prowess he had with the Eagle Form Style was far below his expectations so far.
'When I was cultivating the Eagle Form Style, it did not feel as smooth as with the Bear Form Style. In other words, my understanding of the eagle is too poor!'
Bei Feng figured out the main issue. At its core, the Form and Will Fist was created based on real Demonic Creatures. If he did not experience it himself, there was no way he could cultivate the Eagle Form Style to its completion!
Having found the root of the issue, Bei Feng decided that he had to return to Mount Longhu and see if he could find a painting to complement the eagle.
The Bear Form Style was created based off the Giant Bear. In that case, how could the object of reference for the other eleven styles be ordinary animals? Regrettably, even Danxia Zi did not know what the original beasts of the eleven styles were.
'Perhaps I should pay a visit to the Form and Will Sect to take a look?'
Bei Feng was sure that Form and Will Sect would have the answer to all his questions.