Chapter 2198: New Hope

Many hands make light work; one manifestation of elemental power is the force of aggregation—tools that a single person cannot wield become usable when many combine their strength.

"Even national preceptors can only 'regulate' elemental power, not 'use' it," Xu Shichu added further, "to let elemental power release or amplify the inherent abilities of artifacts."

He Lingchuan thought of the Verdant Vessel; indeed, Yearly Praise Rite merely activated the vessel's property using the army's elemental power.

And when the Qingyang National Preceptor pursued him and Zhu Xiuer on Mount Xushan, transforming arrows into serpents with elemental power—this too was merely the innate ability of the Vine Serpent Arrows.

"Could the 'use' Dean Xu spoke of mean wielding it like an arm and finger, as one does with intrinsic strength?" He Lingchuan grasped it instantly, his heart leaping, "Do we have a clue?"

Xu Shichu and Zhong Shengguang would not speak without basis.

Formerly, no matter how strong elemental power was, it remained superficial, its application crude—merely granting the wielder some benefits or neutralizing the enemy's divine abilities.

If he could use elemental power as he does intrinsic strength……

The density of the Nine Nether Great Emperor's elemental power must surely make one's blood surge!

"Half a month ago, Red General, practicing her spear at Mingsha River until self and object were forgotten, actually fired a shot against the current; the river did not resume its flow for twenty breaths. Afterwards, she tried to replicate that shot's power but could not." Zhong Shengguang said, "Red General was certain that at that moment, elemental power entered her Yinglei Spear, then merged with her intrinsic strength to produce such tremendous force."

He Lingchuan suddenly understood: "So that was that shot!"

He had only heard the rumor a few days prior: Red General, by the Mingsha River, fired a heaven-shaking shot that made the river flow backward, counterattacking upstream!

That scene was like ten thousand steeds galloping, dragons colliding, the mighty sound shaking ten li, leaving the soldiers and passersby on the banks dazed.

Such a scene would only appear in a storm, yet Red General achieved it with her own strength alone.

Moreover, Mingsha River was in flood season at that moment, the river surface there fifteen zhang wide, with a huge discharge; Red General not only cut off the flow but sent the water surging backward—what astonishing power, what magnificent sight!

Thus, word spread through the army: ten told a hundred, and everyone knew. He Lingchuan listened and felt regret—if only he could have witnessed it himself.

Zhong Shengguang added: "Firing the spear against the current is not a special effect of the Yinglei Spear."

He Lingchuan also knew this, having personally used the Yinglei Spear.

According to the former limitations of elemental power, it could only activate an artifact's innate properties. But Red General's strike clearly came from her own martial skill cultivation.

He Lingchuan murmured: "Entered the Yinglei Spear? Then what?"

Red General is also a master of using elemental power; for that strike, whether the elemental power clung to the spear shaft or entered the spear, she could not possibly fail to discern.

Therefore, elemental power must indeed have entered the Yinglei Spear, and then been used by her in her martial technique?

"Then it naturally came forth." Zhong Shengguang said solemnly, "After she withdrew from the state of self and object forgotten, the process was like an antelope's horns on a tree—untraceable."

"With the force she used then, even if it were merely accumulated elemental power, it should not have caused the river to flow backward—unless——"

He Lingchuan understood: "Unless elemental power was truly and actually used by her, rather than merely providing a minor boost to the effect."

Elemental power grants soldiers various benefits—for example, reducing damage from divine techniques, or seeing through illusions to avoid deception—and naturally also enhances our side's offensive capability, but the enhancement is limited. Even if the Nine Nether Great Emperor/Tiger Wing General now fully unleashes elemental power in attack, it merely makes one's martial techniques four or five tenths more fierce.

This "four or five tenths" would already seem like an Arabian Nights tale to others, but He Lingchuan actually holds higher expectations for it.

He has always believed that the true greatness of elemental power has yet to be uncovered.

Red General's backward-flow shot revealed other possibilities in using elemental power—truly great news for him and for Panlongcheng!

Unfortunately, Red General herself does not know how elemental power functioned then.

This is quite normal; when He Lingchuan himself enters the state of self and object forgotten, combat and technique execution become natural. Afterwards, no matter how he recalls, he cannot reproduce that power.

The state of self and object forgotten is profound and mysterious—even one cannot remember it oneself, only retaining a single feeling.

"Red General being able to fire that backward-flow shot shows elemental power still has great room for exploration." Zhong Shengguang raised his hand to activate elemental power, but the light on his body was scarlet, lacking a touch of purple.

His elemental power is not as rich as He Lingchuan's.

The chieftain's elemental power being inferior to the general's would seem strange in the outside world, but in Panlongcheng it is nothing unusual.

"I myself have tried repeatedly; at most I can channel elemental power into artifacts, but cannot use it at will." Zhong Shengguang sighed, "I and Old Xu have researched repeatedly, and we believe the key to success may lie in the condensation of elemental power."

Xu Shichu said: "This law of elemental power may not have truly changed; perhaps before, no one's elemental power reached a substantive level, or perhaps it simply could not be used like intrinsic strength."

"Let me try." He Lingchuan stepped back two steps, thought carefully, and summoned the Bell Dragon Battle Armor.

Zhong Shengguang gave guidance: "First try pouring elemental power into the battle armor—you can try several times……"

Most commanders cannot even do this step, after all, those responsible for regulating large amounts of elemental power are either the sovereign or the national preceptor; marshals at most conduct crude distribution.

But before his words finished, he saw He Lingchuan's bodily elemental power flow like water, as if being sucked in along the seams of the battle armor.

"……" Innate talent?

He Lingchuan had no mind to pretend at this moment, sinking his spirit entirely into the Bell Dragon Battle Armor.

In the real world, he is a sovereign; regulating elemental power like this is routine for him, but before he had never considered directly absorbing elemental power into his bonded artifact.

Now, in his perception, elemental power is like a great mass of cloud-mist floating in the air, with no fixed position up, down, left, or right, and one cannot say whether it has shape, only knowing it drifts to and fro, not slowly.

He Lingchuan summoned the Floating Life and practiced a sword routine in place.

He practiced with restrained strength, trying to force elemental power out of the battle armor and guide it onto the sword.

But to no avail. Whether he tried to control or guide it, this thing was like clouds in the sky, carelessly indifferent to him.

Unyielding to hardness or softness, unresponsive to salt or blandness.

He sheathed his sword and shook his head: "No good, it simply will not obey."

"If it were that easy, Red General would not be troubled without solution." Zhong Shengguang felt it was natural, "But she has recently been busy in closed-door cultivation, unable to spare the thought. Perhaps this matter should be left to us to ponder."

He Lingchuan immediately agreed.

With the condensation of elemental power in Panlongcheng, now only four or five people are qualified to ponder it. But Red General is urgently cultivating in preparation for the future great war, so the task of researching internal use of elemental power naturally falls to others.