I Can See Your Combat Power-Chapter 1679 - 118: Returning Home

A cultivator with pride in his heart will hardly achieve greatness.

If filled with arrogance, one cannot possibly succeed.

All things in the world simply change from bad to good or from good to bad. By closely observing these changes, one can understand that the root lies in "measure".

Falling short or exceeding, both lead to good turning bad, but the right measure – even in the worst situation, leaves room for turnaround.

Returning to the two sets of Illusion Techniques designed by Chen Menglu, they were far beyond what ordinary martial artists could comprehend.

Although Tang Luo had no expertise in formations, his martial arts accomplishments and understanding of Spiritual Power were there; any formation he couldn’t understand must truly be exceedingly profound.

Chen Menglu was clearly aware of the issue as well; he put down the book in his hands, came over to Tang Luo, and discussed the problems with the Illusory Spirit Technique and the Illusory Spirit Array.

"To reduce the difficulty, we should first simplify the Spiritual Power model. There’s no need to meticulously construct life-like sacred beasts. Try to see if you can simplify the lines of the sacred spirit while retaining its essence."

"If we depict sacred beasts with essence but lacking a spiritual body, won’t it be too simplistic?"

"A bit of simplicity doesn’t matter. What’s important is capturing the spirit. Just like the ancient bestiaries that conveyed so much with so few strokes—I think that’s fine."

"Alright, let’s modify it in this direction."

The so-called idea that there are more solutions than difficulties means that if one truly wants to change, there is always a way.

Those so-called insurmountable difficulties are either because of pride and vanity, or excuses for evasion and laziness.

As for Chen Menglu and Tang Luo, who are solely focused on doing things well, the difficulties in front of them are not difficulties at all.

If the Spiritual Power model is too complex, simplify it;

If control requirements are too high, seek external assistance;

If the understanding of the sacred beast’s posture is inconsistent, find a way to guide.

Tang Luo provided the direction, and Chen Menglu made revisions; with their combined effort and expertise in unparalleled illusion techniques, and with the ability to see the flow of Spiritual Energy, the two originally difficult-to-learn techniques gradually became accessible to all.

After several days, seeing the final product simplified to the level of a yellow-tier, both felt deeply moved.

"Alright, should we find a gifted young person to test the finished product?"

Flipping through the now thick booklet, with the pages rustling, Tang Luo smiled and suggested to Chen Menglu.

...

Dragon Continent Calendar year 1793, first month, day nine

After sailing south for half a year, the Red Cloud merchant fleet finally returned, expanding from a lone merchant ship to a fleet.

Crowding the New Bay Landing to the brim, the municipal officials of Unparalleled City lined up on both sides to welcome the lady’s return voyage.

The crowd escorted the mistress who came down from the main ship into the inner city, followed by several oddly dressed attendants.

"Why is the Dean not seen?"

The first thing Yun Xiu did after disembarking was to inquire about Tang Luo’s whereabouts.

Shen Dafa and Du Ting exchanged glances, then stepped forward and coughed lightly: "Replying to the lady, before the year-end, the Dean handed over his teaching duties and left. He has not yet returned."

"So it is..."

Yun Xiu, having returned without seeing her husband, was slightly disappointed: "Then how have things been in the city over the past six months?"

"Thanks to the Dean’s blessing, since the completion of the academy, Unparalleled City has become the center of Longxi. The two prestigious families in Lingjiang bow down to Red Cloud Mountain, and the noble families from all states and regions are all eager to curry favor with us. We also have visiting families from the Outer Continent, each showing us great respect."

Mentioning the changes of the past six months, Shen Dafa had a look of shared honor on his face.

After the decline of the Longxi Alliance, Unparalleled City once became an isolated island in Lingjiang, lacking food and clothing, dependent on others for survival.

Yet now, in a mere half a year, we have become the masters, experiencing a glory we had never felt before, how can we not be proud?

"Look at this new ferry terminal in the bay, it was built by the Yancang Wu family to express their gratitude for the academy’s contributions. And these four stone stairways up the mountain, they were sponsored by the He, Nong, and Liu families. Moreover, the grain and meat shops in the city now are all established by noble families from various cities and regions."

"Previously, Unparalleled City was mostly built with Red Crystal buildings, constructed from local materials. Although beautiful, there was also a sense of inevitability - after all, many residents were used to living in wooden houses and tile-roofed houses, and suddenly becoming crystal palatial residences, it’s natural some might find it uncomfortable. But now, thanks to the city’s expansion and design plans produced in a European style, a series of defensive outposts have been arranged around the outer city, with clusters of structures being carved out from halfway up the mountain downwards."

"Construction began before the new year, with craftsmen and laborers all provided by these families. Unparalleled City only sent a few supervisors over. According to the supervising officers, the work is expected to be completed by August or September this year. Madam, please look over here."

Shen Dafa led Yun Xiu along the mountain path, proudly pointing to the bustling construction site in the distance.

As one of the oldest followers of Longxi’s Pride, he has witnessed Red Cloud Mountain transform from a desolate hill into a shelter full of caverns, then from a shelter for scavengers to a wonder in Dragon Continent, and now into the center of Longxi.

As an old farmer who had come to regard Red Cloud Mountain as his hometown, he naturally reveled in these changes, chatting away as they walked, almost wishing he could pour out all his pride for Yun Xiu to see.

And Yun Xiu, who had just returned to Red Cloud Mountain, naturally felt happy about the favourable changes in the city.

But unlike Shen Dafa’s blind optimism, she understood the true intentions behind these Dragon Continent nobility’s eagerness to please Unparalleled City.

This was a tactic commonly employed by the prestigious clans – if you cannot destroy something, you pull it in close, embrace it.

All these friendly gestures were for the purpose of embedding their influence. At the moment, it seems beneficial for both sides, but should the academy undergo any changes one day, they would be able to respond at the earliest opportunity.

She could see through such tactics, Tang Luo would not be oblivious, but he still chose to let things be – a decision that was certainly not made willingly.

Knowing her husband as she did, the Void Grandmaster Tang Luo had never had a favorable opinion of noble families. In his words, every noble family is worth considering, but it might be unjust to wipe them all out; however, taking out half would surely leave some who escape the net.

Understanding this, if her husband is accepting the good intentions of these families, there must be a greater reason, such as a shortage of manpower in Unparalleled City or his urgent need for external assistance. Otherwise, he would never have agreed to let so many families embed their influence into Unparalleled City. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

However, what is the situation that compels her husband to begrudgingly interact with people he finds distasteful?

Yun Xiu followed Shen Dafa leisurely along the newly built mountain path, her thoughts drifting to places unknown.

...

Beimang Xuanji Sect

Dayuan Peak

Ever since the emergence of the Five-turn Dragon Gate, the Daoists of Dayuan Peak have been engaged in the non-stop work of assessment.

With True Person Miaowei sending back one report after another about the operation of the Dragon Gate, the development of the second generation of Dragon Gate has become increasingly smooth.

As the issues with color discrepancy and over-sensitivity were resolved, the new generation of Five-turn Dragon Gates was finally completed.

And the representatives from the clients for this batch of Dragon Gates have already arrived at Dayuan Peak.

Divine Court of Zhongzhou, Beast Taming Sect, the Eight Sects of Buddha’s Country, Yuanzhou’s Xu Clan, Tianan Wang Family...