After reading nearly a thousand theoretical books on Spirit Abilities and Spirits, Zhu Ziyang gradually summarized three levels of self-created Spirit Abilities.
The first level is based on the expansion and innovation of spirit ring Spirit Abilities, which is the simplest and can be achieved by any Spirit Master who is proficient enough in their own Spirit Abilities. Generally, this level is not considered a self-created Spirit Ability by high-level Spirit Masters.
The second level is based on the development and creation of Spirit characteristics and abilities. This requires the Spirit Master to have a deep understanding and control over their own Spirit. Zhu Ziyang is currently at this stage.
The last level is to break away from Spirit Abilities and Spirits, relying entirely on the training and research of one's own spirit power, mental force, or physical strength to create abilities called battle techniques. Once such a battle technique is created, it can be passed down through generations, a top-tier legacy that will endure for all ages. The most typical example is the Clear Sky Sect's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method! This is undoubtedly the most difficult to achieve; throughout the history of the Douluo Continent, only a handful of people have managed it. Zhu Ziyang is honored that he might one day meet one such person, Dragon God Douluo Mu En!
Zhu Ziyang has a very clear direction for the Spirit Ability he wants to create: a scythe technique.
To achieve this goal, Zhu Ziyang searched through thousands of notes and records of long-handled weapon Spirit Masters in the library, then found many training manuals for long-handled weapons in the military. Finally, after integrating a large number of basic battle techniques for long-handled weapons such as scythe techniques, spear techniques, polearm techniques, staff techniques, cudgel techniques, saber techniques, and halberd techniques, he created eleven scythe techniques.
These eleven scythe techniques were refined and honed by him for nearly a year, eventually forming five scythe styles, which he named the Zhu Clan's Five Scythes.
The first style is called Two-Yin Revolving Style. He wields the battle scythe, making it spin rapidly in his hand to form a circle, and then throws it with force at its fastest rotation speed, turning it into a boomerang. Along its trajectory, the battle scythe will generate an attractive force, drawing in and strangling surrounding enemies. In Zhu Ziyang's ultimate vision, the Two-Yin Revolving Style will integrate his Power of Light and Power of Death, forming a vortex of light and Death with super strong suction and destructive power.
Unfortunately, Zhu Ziyang can currently only skillfully execute the first layer, which is the revolving style of throwing and retrieving the rapidly spinning scythe. He can barely manage the second layer, which incorporates the light element. As for the third layer, which incorporates the Power of Death, it is still in a theoretical state due to his lack of proficiency in studying the Power of Death, let alone integrating both powers simultaneously.
The move he used to kill the thousand-year Blazing Light Mantis was this one.
The second style is called Nine-layered Linked Style. This move primarily utilizes the battle scythe's blade, swinging the blade nine times at extremely high speed, each swing faster and stronger than the last, ultimately unleashing nine strikes to completely overwhelm the enemy. In Zhu Ziyang's vision, this ninth strike should be capable of severing space. With Zhu Ziyang's current strength, he can at most unleash four strikes.
The third style is called Half-Moon of Death Style. Zhu Ziyang leaps high, gripping the Radiant Scythe with both hands, then forcefully swings the battle scythe in the air, causing the scythe blade to carve out a crescent-shaped blade glow that descends from the sky to smash the enemy. In Zhu Ziyang's vision, this move also needs to fuse the Power of Light and Power of Death, making the crescent blade glow truly possess the radiance of the Moon of Death, causing enemies to wither away in tragic beauty. Zhu Ziyang can currently unleash a crescent blade glow, with a power roughly one to two times that of his first Spirit Ability. If the Power of Light is added, it can reach three to four times the power of his first Spirit Ability.
The fourth style is called Four Directions United Style. This is a defensive move, primarily utilizing the Radiant Scythe's double-edged blades, circular sub-blades, and spearhead for close-quarters defensive counterattacks. This move mainly tests Zhu Ziyang's proficiency with the battle scythe weapon, and it is currently the most complete move among his Zhu Clan's Five Scythes.
The fifth and final style is called One-Yuan Returning Style. For this move, Zhu Ziyang's vision is to integrate all of the Radiant Scythe's Spirit Abilities into one, unleashing a single, immensely powerful yet unpretentious strike. Currently, this move is still in Zhu Ziyang's conceptual stage, as he is not yet able to fuse the Power of Light and Power of Death.
While the Power of Light and Power of Death are not as mutually exclusive as ice and fire, or light and darkness, they are definitely far from compatible; there is a repulsive force between them. Their only commonality, perhaps, lies in both possessing purification abilities, but their purification abilities are vastly different. Zhu Ziyang still has a long way to go if he wants to fuse these two powers.
The only thing he can currently refer to is the Radiant Scythe, to see how it perfectly integrates the two powers of light and Death.
Alas, it's a long and arduous journey!
Zhu Ziyang sighed.
—
Evening.
After a full day of practice, Zhu Ziyang was ready to go home.
He walked towards Beihe Village but suddenly sensed a low growl from behind him. Zhu Ziyang was startled, then turned to look, only to find that the growl came from deep within the back mountain.
Out of curiosity, Zhu Ziyang decided to go investigate.
The back mountain of Beihe Village belongs to the outermost periphery of the Northern Mountain Range and borders the Far North Ice Field. Every year, peripheral Spirit Beasts break in, so City Lord Hong Zhen leads people in annually to drive away these intruding Spirit Beasts to prevent them from harming the villagers of nearby villages. Logically, the Spirit Masters of Anyang City had just cleared the back mountain area a month ago, so it shouldn't be possible for Spirit Beasts to enter again so quickly!
Zhu Ziyang was very puzzled, but to prevent any villagers from getting hurt, he still decided to go check.
He was confident that he could deal with Spirit Beasts under ten thousand years of cultivation. As for Spirit Beasts above ten thousand years, even if he couldn't defeat them, he could still escape without a problem.
However, how could a Spirit Beast with over ten thousand years of cultivation be willing to come to the back mountain? Regardless of resources or environment in the back mountain, let alone ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, even thousand-year Spirit Beasts probably wouldn't care for it; only some hundred-year Spirit Beasts liked to come here.
Therefore, Zhu Ziyang dared to act so boldly.
Soon, following the growl, Zhu Ziyang arrived at a small cave entrance only a hundred meters or so from his training spot. Because the entrance was blocked by leaves, Zhu Ziyang had never discovered it.
As he approached the cave entrance, the growl became clearer. He could distinctly hear a strong sense of weakness in the growl, clearly coming from a severely injured Spirit Beast.
Zhu Ziyang immediately made a judgment: this should be a severely injured Spirit Beast that had escaped to the back mountain. Judging from the growl, it should be a thousand-year-old Spirit Beast.
He decided to go in and look.
Pushing aside the leaves in front of the cave entrance revealed an opening just large enough for a six-year-old child. For Zhu Ziyang, who was nearly 1.7 meters tall, it was clearly too small. If he wanted to enter, he would have to bend over. He lowered his head and saw dried bloodstains on the ground at the entrance, extending into the dark cave.
After a moment of thought, Zhu Ziyang bent down and entered the cave. The cave entrance was small, and the space inside was also small, not appearing to be naturally formed; it looked more like it had just been dug out. Zhu Ziyang walked about three or four meters, and the cave reached its end. Further in was a slightly larger cavern, but Zhu Ziyang no longer dared to enter.
To be precise, his legs were already weak, and he almost knelt down. He now had only one thought: run, run fast!
What did he see?