Transcending Dreams - D2 - Chapter 49

“What about Divine Dragon Claw?” William brought attention to the one he was most interested in out of the two left. “The penalty for that is vague, just like Divine Phoenix Feather.”

“That it is,” Elder Yu nodded, “and in some ways, it’s barely better than attracting a divine beast. Draconic traits might mean mannerisms or their physical form, which would turn you into something other than human. Before I say anything else, did you write down every detail you know of the skill?”

“It’s all there,” William promised.

“Then even with that penalty, Divine Dragon Claw is a martial skill you must seriously consider. I have only heard of a few that would incorporate Dao into the martial skill, and all of them have been used by peak existences that have long since ascended. Empress Sophia was one of them.”

“… Shouldn’t that automatically make this the martial skill to choose?” William asked unsurely. There was a lot of praise associated with it that the others couldn’t compare with.

“It should,” Elder Yu agreed. “Let’s take myself as an example. I have some understanding of Space Dao. Although the skill’s attack description seems mediocre, incorporating Space Dao could make it monstrous. Think of the possibility of manipulating the space around the claw to make it unpredictable. With enough understanding of Space Dao, you could also store the claw in a pocket dimension to use as an ambush. Maybe even pulling your enemy into the void.”

William felt she could go on for a while with the possibilities, but a question was sticking out in his mind. “Er, shouldn’t I be able to do that with any martial skill? Why would I be stopped from using a Dao to enhance the others?”

“You would think so, but no,” Elder Yu shook her head. “It would depend on how the skill was created. Something like the Divine Dragon Claw is unheard of. Your description implies that every Dao is applicable. If this wasn’t from Empress Sophia, I would question its existence.”

He nodded slowly, mind going in another direction altogether. If the only thing special about [Divine Dragon Claw] was its compatibility with Dao, his interest in it was significantly lowered. As awesome as creating a dragon claw made out of Qi would be, he thought he already had something even better.

[Force Multiplier] could have real potential if he could take it all the way to Heaven-tier while also incorporating whatever Dao he eventually specialized in. The issue was he had no idea of how to do it and the difficulty involved.

“Elder Yu,” William started thoughtfully, “would it be possible for me to make Force Multiplier a comparable martial skill to Divine Dragon Claw?”

She made to reply before stopping herself, frowning as she studied him. “… I would usually advise against it, but it’s not out of the question. Remember, even though you created that martial skill, making it an Earth-tier skill is exponentially harder. Again, when trying to make it a Heaven-tier. This is without considering the issue of incorporating the use of Dao.”

“So not impossible,” William replied with hope.

“No, it’s not,” Elder Yu fell silent, pursing her lips in thought for a few seconds before sighing. “I can see why you wish to go this route. However, this is not something I feel comfortable advising you on since I have no experience with it.”

“I understand, Elder Yu,” William nodded. Even with the minimal information, he was already leaning toward rejecting [Divine Dragon Claw]. The penalty was simply not worth it if there was an alternative he could create himself.

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As if reading his thoughts, she added another warning. “One more thing to consider. While the penalty of the Divine Dragon Claw might—no, is harsh, there is no guarantee that yours will be less severe if you manage to succeed in creating it. It will depend on your skill.”

He winced, somehow having forgotten that [Force Multiplier] had its own undesirable overuse side effects. “Right, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Hm, moving on to the last martial skill, Heaven Shattering Fist. This one is the most recognizable, with numerous records detailing the effects of the skill. I would have ruled this out for you since you are not a body cultivator, but for reasons beyond me, you have somehow made yourself into a pseudo-body cultivator.”

“It wasn’t on purpose, but that does seem to be the case,” William chuckled awkwardly. “Where would you rank this, Elder Yu?”

“It would depend. Do you intend to continue with your current path? Or are you going to pivot to traditional cultivation techniques?”

“Er, shouldn’t you guide me with that?”

“Do you feel unsatisfied? Or have a sense that you are in danger of experiencing disaster with your current path?”

“No,” William denied firmly. He felt that everything had been going well for him so far.

“Then I will not tell you what your path should be. Nor should you listen to anyone else who tries to do so. Even if well-intentioned, they will not know what is best for you, nor do I. It will just be a guess. Think of me as an option of last resort.”

“Yes, Elder Yu,” William nodded. With that being the case, he quite enjoyed using his fists to solve his issues. “Where would you rank Heaven Shattering Fist if I continued my current path?”

“It would be interchangeable with Divine Dragon Claw,” Elder Yu looked pained to admit that. “Heaven Shattering Fist has little to no downsides but comes at the cost of having a simple effect. The description you wrote down isn’t wrong, technically, but it’s not as impressive as it sounds. Especially against other cultivators.”

William thought over it silently as Elder Yu walked to her shelf and searched the manuals. “… Wouldn’t this be replicated by Force Multiplier if I can create a Heaven-tier version?”

“It would,” Elder Yu agreed as she pulled out two manuals of a smaller size. “Again, this assumes that you will be able to succeed. Here.”

William once again found himself accepting manuals. Just like the others, nothing told him what it was about. “What are these for?”

“Records of Nine Suns Palm and Heaven Shattering Fist. Witness accounts of the times they were used and the confirmed details of the skills. I gave you my opinions, but you must decide which martial skill suits you best.”

He stored the manuals in his ring before bowing deeply. “Thank you again.”

“Hm, it is what I should do,” Elder Yu smiled. “I’m happy you were comfortable asking me, Disciple Wei. I know it could not have been easy.”

William returned the smile. “You have been nothing but helpful to me, Elder Yu.”

“As I said, it is what I should do,” Elder Yu repeated, though she was clearly happier than before. “Shall we see if Attendant Mei has figured out her new position? I’m sure you must be eager to return to the auction and claim your winnings.”

He blinked in surprise as he followed her to the door. It brought up something that completely passed his mind.

“Elder Yu, would it be possible to use the Qi refining room at the auction house after the auction ends?”

“I was wondering if this would come up,” she laughed lightly. “Unfortunately, no, it’s not possible. The way they are built requires all the formations at the auction house to be active, which is far too expensive for the sect to bear for one disciple.”

“Oh,” William’s shoulders slumped. “I hoped otherwise.”

“The rooms at the auction house are excellent but not the best the sect has to offer,” Elder Yu said in consolation. “For a fee, you can rent a Qi Refining room on one of the peaks. Of course, this requires a good relationship with a peak member.”

“… So I would get access to one on the Sentinel Peak?”

“Perhaps,” Elder Yu smirked. “But that will be up to you, and so will the costs, unlike in the auction house. I’m sure you wouldn’t want other disciples to view you as privileged.”

William privately thought it was already too late for that.

“Any more questions?”

He thought about it seriously before shaking his head.

“Then let’s get you back to the auction house.” Elder Yu opened the door leading to the base of the mountain.