Chapter 276 - 139: The Method of Improving Gang Force, a Choice of Two? Zhang Su Wants Both

"Courtyard Eight? That’s a great spot. Whoever got assigned to Courtyard Eight must have some serious backing."

"No matter how much backing he has, that’s no way to spend silver. Ten thousand silver for a single question. He’ll probably regret it once he asks."

Murmurs rose and fell throughout the Martial Arts Hall, but they quickly died down.

After all, how other people spent their silver was none of their business.

Of course, Zhang Su was unaware of the other disciples’ chatter.

Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared.

The two arrived at a Quiet Chamber.

This Quiet Chamber was very spacious, several times larger than Quiet Chamber Three, which Zhang Su had visited before.

The floor was covered with a thick, gray carpet.

On a low table in the corner sat a pot of orchids, its emerald-green leaves giving off a faint, fresh fragrance.

Two meditation cushions were placed in the center of the Quiet Chamber. The two men sat facing each other, and silence fell over the room.

"Ten thousand silver for one question. Go on, what do you want to ask?"

Guo Chuan got straight to the point, forgoing any unnecessary pleasantries.

Zhang Su immediately took a silver note for ten thousand silver from his robes and presented it to Guo Chuan with both hands.

Guo Chuan accepted the silver note without ceremony.

Zhang Su took a deep breath, then asked, word by word, "Instructor Guo, I want to know, how can I upgrade my current Gang Force to a First-Grade Gang Force?"

Zhang Su had given this question a great deal of thought.

The quality of one’s Gang Force determined the strength of their Inner Strength.

The Inner Strength produced by a Third-Grade Gang Force would only allow him to become an Official Disciple.

But an Official Disciple couldn’t protect the Guiyuan Sect; he needed the status of a Direct Disciple.

Only by cultivating a First-Grade Gang Force would his chances of becoming a Direct Disciple increase dramatically.

Otherwise, once he advanced to the Postnatal Realm, becoming a Direct Disciple would only be more difficult.

He was spending ten thousand silver on this question precisely to get a complete and thorough answer.

After all, he was spending ten thousand silver. He couldn’t just ask any random question, or it would be a huge waste.

"Upgrade your Gang Force to a First-Grade Gang Force?"

Guo Chuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

His gaze scrutinized Zhang Su, looking him up and down several times.

Zhang Su sat perfectly still, allowing Guo Chuan to size him up.

"What grade is your Gang Force right now?" Guo Chuan asked.

"Third-Grade Pure Yang Gang Power," Zhang Su answered truthfully.

’There’s no need to hide something like this. Guo Chuan is an Instructor on Mixed Element Peak; he’s experienced and knowledgeable enough to tell with a single glance.’

"Is it from the Pure Yang Nine Combinations Divine Skill?" Guo Chuan asked.

"Yes." Zhang Su nodded.

A peculiar look flashed in Guo Chuan’s eyes.

’Pure Yang Nine Combinations Divine Skill... I know of this Cultivation Technique.’

’The Pure Yang Gang Power cultivated from this technique is a Third-Grade Gang Force. It’s not the absolute best, but it’s certainly not bad.’

’Being able to cultivate Pure Yang Gang Power means this disciple’s talent is quite impressive.’

’In the Upper Sect, a disciple with a Third-Grade Gang Force is fully qualified to become an Official Disciple upon advancing to the Postnatal Realm.’

’But that makes it even stranger.’

’If he could cultivate an Upper Third-Grade Gang Power, why would he come to Mixed Element Peak to be a mere Named Disciple?’

Guo Chuan was puzzled, but he didn’t ask.

There were too many reasons for someone to become a Named Disciple on Mixed Element Peak.

Everyone had their own story, and he had no interest in prying.

"This question of yours... it really puts me in a bind. To be honest, if you’d asked any other Instructor, they almost certainly wouldn’t have known the answer."

Guo Chuan’s tone carried a hint of resignation.

He had set the price at ten thousand silver precisely because he didn’t want to be disturbed.

But someone had actually paid the ten thousand silver, and on top of that, asked an extremely troublesome question.

Upgrading a Third-Grade Gang Force to a First-Grade one wasn’t something that could be explained in a sentence or two.

It involved a great deal of information.

’This ten thousand silver isn’t going to be easy to earn.’

But the Sect’s rules were the rules. As an Instructor, if he took the silver, he had to answer the question.

These were the rules of the Mixed Element Peak’s Martial Arts Hall, and he couldn’t be the one to break them.

At this thought, Guo Chuan heaved a long sigh.

"So be it. Since I raised my price, you’re the first disciple willing to spend ten thousand silver to consult me. I’ll just consider this question a small loss on my part and tell you."

Although his tone was reluctant, Guo Chuan prepared to give a serious answer.

He paused, collecting his thoughts, before speaking slowly. "The Pure Yang Nine Combinations Divine Skill you cultivate is fundamentally capable of producing an Upper Third-Grade Gang Power. If you want to elevate it to a First-Grade Gang Force, your only option is to use the Melt Gang Technique to cultivate other Martial Arts and fuse their respective Gang Forces."

"You can read about the Melt Gang Technique in the ’Detailed Explanation of Gang Force.’ The method sounds simple, but it’s incredibly difficult in practice. The more types of Gang Force you cultivate, the harder the fusion becomes. One careless mistake can lead to a loss of control. At best, your Martial Arts will be crippled; at worst, you’ll suffer a catastrophic Qi deviation."

Guo Chuan’s tone grew solemn, and his gaze became much more serious than before.

"Your Pure Yang Gang Power contains Yin Yang Internal Force. This is a characteristic of the Pure Yang Nine Combinations Divine Skill—a harmony of yin and yang, a blend of hard and soft. Based on this characteristic, you have a few paths you can take."

Guo Chuan raised one finger.

"The first path is to cultivate the Great Five Elements Divine Technique. You would fuse the Five Elements Gang Force with your Pure Yang Gang Power, merging them into one and transforming it into the Yin Yang Five Elements Gang Power, also known as the Primordial Gang Force. This is the supreme Gang Force of our Mixed Element Peak, considered top-tier even among First-Grade Gang Forces."

"The second path: since your Pure Yang Gang Power already contains yin and yang, you could take that to the absolute extreme. Cultivate both the Fire Evil Divine Technique and the Ice Evil Divine Technique, then fuse the ultimate expression of fire and ice. This would transform your power into the Yin Yang Two Forms Gang Power, also known as Tai Chi Gang Force. It is also a top-tier power among First-Grade Gang Forces."

Guo Chuan then raised a third finger.

"The third path is to cultivate the Four Symbols Divine Technique. Using your Pure Yang Gang Power as a foundation, you would fuse it with the Four Symbols Gang Power, transforming it into the Myriad Manifestations Gang Power. Although the Myriad Manifestations Gang Power is also a First-Grade Gang Force, it is somewhat inferior to the Primordial Gang Force and the Tai Chi Gang Force. However, its cultivation difficulty is relatively lower."