Chapter 194 - 193: Forbidden Skill Library, World Thunder Punishment

Leaving Ge Ling Hotel, Li Jing casually pulled out a Spirit Soldier flying sword and ascended into the night sky, heading towards the south of the capital.

The Immortal Studies Research Association in the capital was quite different from other specific collaboration bodies related to Immortal Studies such as artifact refinement, elixir refinement, and the Talisman Method.

It was directly under the jurisdiction of the Hua Country government, existing as a state entity rather than a non-governmental organization.

The Immortal Studies Research Association had many functions, with Forbidden Skill management being just one of them.

The website for buying magic skills was operated by the Immortal Studies Research Association.

Additionally, all major Immortal Studies academy instructors had to obtain their teaching qualifications from the Immortal Studies Research Association before taking up their posts.

After obtaining their teaching qualifications, these instructors also had to verify their expertise in magic skills at the Immortal Studies Research Association. Once their knowledge was verified and confirmed teachable, they could formally apply and take up positions at various academies.

Beyond these, the Immortal Studies Research Association also took up the roles of developing and researching magic skills as well as cultivation systems, publishing academic results once a month.

Overall, the Immortal Studies Research Association was a national organ that integrated education, academia, and management in the field of magic skills.

The Immortal Studies Research Association did not handle administrative matters, but its status was exceedingly high.

The Association was located in the heart of a regulated area to the south of the capital, surrounded by departments like the Administration Bureau, the Inspection General Agency, the Review Institute and other administrative organs.

About two minutes later, Li Jing leisurely arrived overhead the Immortal Studies Research Association with his Spirit Soldier.

Glancing at the extremely expansive Inspection General Agency next door, then looking at the Administration Bureau rumored to house over three hundred thousand standing forces, and finally the Review Institute in the distance, Li Jing quietly steered his Spirit Soldier to land at the main entrance of the Immortal Studies Research Association.

The main entrance of the courtyard was unguarded.

Access to the Immortal Studies Research Association was free, without any restrictions.

Entering the courtyard of the Association, Li Jing headed directly towards a library-like building at the back of the courtyard.

To save himself the hassle of getting lost, he had researched his destination last night.

The Forbidden Skills were documented as talisman-carved transcripts, sealed in the Forbidden Skill Library and looked after by a custodian.

Upon arriving at the Forbidden Skill Library, Li Jing found two old men playing chess at the entrance.

The two appeared frail and their cultivation levels didn’t seem very high.

But Li Jing wasn’t foolish enough to think that the two would be simple.

Anyone could guess that the people guarding the Forbidden Skill Library must be at the Six Realm level at the very least, and may even be retired experts from the Seventh Realm.

Of course, nobody in their right mind would cause trouble at a place like the Immortal Studies Research Association.

Even so, places that store Forbidden Skills are no ordinary sites, ensuring proper defenses were undoubtedly paramount.

Seeing the two elderlies focused on their game of chess, Li Jing came forward and stopped.

"Senior ones, I’m Li Jing, an inspector from Jianghai. I’ve come to learn some Forbidden Skills."

After stating his identity and purpose, he presented Chen Jing’s Golden Order.

Upon catching sight of the Golden Order, both of the elderly men turned their heads and one of them stood up shakingly.

"Follow me."

With that, the older man walked into the Forbidden Skill Library.

Seeing this, Li Jing gave a slight bow to the other old man remaining seated, then followed.

...

The interior of the Forbidden Skill Library was rather ordinary.

There was no extravagant decoration, no clutter, just rows and rows of wooden bookshelves.

These wooden shelves were filled to the brim with heavy books.

There were new and old books, most of them exuding the spiritual fluctuation similar to Precious Items.

Among them, a small number radiated the fluctuation of Spirit weapons.

Li Jing followed the elder inside, taking in the surroundings curiously.

"All the originals of Forbidden Skills are on these shelves, no need to have any ideas," the elder said, handing him a wrinkled piece of paper.

"Write your name on it, then read it aloud."

Li Jing took the paper without thinking. Glancing down at it, he realized it was a lifetime oath to never betray Hua Country.

Looking suspiciously at the old man leading the way, Li Jing asked:

"Only need to read it once?"

"The oath is just a token gesture. If you betray Hua Country, someone will come for you," the elder said indifferently without turning his head.

"You hold the Immortal King Command. Before they come for you, someone would come for the one who gave you the token first."

Hearing this, Li Jing frowned slightly.

The Immortal King Command, of course, referred to the golden command Chen Jing gave him.

Other than providing the ability to "freeload" a forbidden skill, it is uncertain what other functions this golden command might have.

However, there was one point the old man had made clear.

When Chen Jing gave him the golden command, he was not only providing him an opportunity to learn a forbidden skill, but effectively guaranteeing for him.

If he betrayed Hua Country in the future, Chen Jing would also suffer.

After a moment of silence, Li Jing recited the oath according to the note.

The oath wasn’t fancy. It was just a small passage of hundreds of words.

Having finished reciting the oath according to the note, Li Jing looked towards the old man who was still walking ahead.

"Do you want to take back this note, elder?"

"No need."

The old man waved his hand, stopping in front of a storage cabinet at the deepest part of the Forbidden Skill Library with Li Jing.

"There are currently 38,766 volumes of forbidden skills available in the Forbidden Skill Library, covering all types. Do you have a particular inclination?"

"Thunder Skill."

Without hesitation, Li Jing responded.

The old man nodded, selecting a heavy square box from the shelf and opened it to reveal numerous talisman papers inside, all giving off unusual Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

After casually picking one up and examining it, the old man returned the talisman paper to the box, handed the entire box over.

"This box is filled with manuscripts of Thunder Law Forbidden Skill. Pick one, the kind you get depends on your luck."

Then he continued explaining.

"Don’t worry, any skill that can be called a forbidden skill is not simple. The amount of power it can exhibit depends on the caster. Don’t overcomplicate forbidden skills. Besides the process of communicating with heaven and earth, the difference between a forbidden skill and an ordinary magic skill is simply the larger scale of the spell formula. Essentially, it is still a magic skill."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing nodded, looked down at the piled up talisman papers in the square box, and took one out.

Seeing this action, the old man put the lid back on the box and shoved it back into the storage cabinet, instructing him;

"Activate the talisman paper with your Spiritual Qi, and the content related to the forbidden skill will naturally appear in your mind. Concentrate on memorizing it, I will protect you."

"Thank you, elder."

Li Jing responded, sitting cross-legged and inputting a stream of Spiritual Qi into the talisman paper.

The talisman paper, stimulated by the Spiritual Qi, silently turned into ash and vanished.

Immediately, a manuscript of tens of thousands of words appeared in Li Jing’s mind.

At the same time, a prompt sound rang in his ear.

"Forbidden skill World Thunder Punishment has been discovered, would you like to register?"

Having a prompt sound was no surprise to Li Jing.

He had always used cheats when learning magic skills.

He mentally recorded the registration, and the prompt sounded again.

"Registration successful, World Thunder Punishment forbidden skill has been learned."

Hearing the prompt, Li Jing closed his eyes and focused on memorizing the words that appeared in his mind.

The text that appeared in his mind was not only the Forbidden Skill Mantra, but also the practical experiences of predecessors and relevant information about the World Thunder Punishment.

This, he had to remember.

The talisman paper containing the forbidden skill was once-off. Unlike buying magic skills on the Immortal Studies website, where he could take out his phone and review the content he had purchased at any time.

If he didn’t memorize anything, he would have no chance to review it in the future.

After spending some time memorizing the tens of thousands of words in the passage, Li Jing got a clear concept of the World Thunder Punishment.

World Thunder Punishment locks onto a designated target, causing lightning storms within an extensive radius to indiscriminately deal high-frequency damage.

Within the scope of the Thunder Punishment, all living creatures will "enjoy" the continuous bombardment of raging thunder.

The specific range of the Thunder Punishment depends on the total Spiritual Qi inputted.

Thunder Punishment only attacks living beings.

The fewer the living beings within the effective range, the more fierce the bombardment they suffer, until there are no living beings left within the covered area or the duration ends.

This, is indeed a forbidden skill.

Once it is invoked, the goal is to annihilate all living beings.

It’s worth mentioning that.

At a low proficiency level, the World Thunder Punishment’s single lightning strike isn’t very powerful, only resulting in ordinary thunder without any features.

Once a certain degree of proficiency level is reached, it can be combined with other thunder skills.

Once the proficiency reaches a high level, there is no need to combine with other thunder skills; World Thunder Punishment alone can reach the magnitude of a Seventh Realm heavenly calamity.

However, to make a forbidden skill reach the level of a heavenly calamity, proficiency alone is not enough. It also requires an equivalent investment of spiritual qi as a person in the Seventh Realm.

In a way, World Thunder Punishment and the spiritual power vent that Li Jing have fused into the Spirit Soldier Break are similar.

Essentially, it is a spell formula that can be infinitely infused with spiritual qi.

The more you put in, the more powerful it becomes.

Honestly, Li Jing quite likes this forbidden skill.

At his level, proficiency is not an issue.

As for spiritual qi.

He not only has two origins, but his body also contains spiritual power, which has a much higher tolerance than spiritual qi.

Exhaling lightly and opening his eyes, Li Jing summoned his panel to check.

Host: Li Jing

Experience Points: 41956/47918

Level: 52

Skill Points: 4

Spiritual Power Intensity: 2756

Lifebound Magic Instrument: Linglong (Spirit weapon level 5 with 42% experience)

Equipment: Qingfeng (Spirit weapon level 5 with 1% experience)

Passive Skills: Momentary Space

Active Skills: Heavenly Sword Art (5/5), Sky Eye Technique (5/5)

Boundary Breakthrough (passive): Thunder Law Outline, Divine Origin Unification, Divine Might

Boundary Breakthrough (active): Wind King Mysterious Clothing, Astonishing Thunder Walk, Spirit Soldier Break

Forbidden Skill: World Thunder Punishment (0/25)

Looking at the panel with an added category for forbidden skills, Li Jing’s brow slightly furrowed.

The rest was okay.

A requirement of 25 skill points, that was quite absurd.

To max it out, he would have to level up 13 times.

If he learns two forbidden skills and levels both to full, he would need to reach level 76. By then, he would already be in the Sixth Realm.

Of course, he must add points to it.

The charm of forbidden skills needs no explanation.

However, it certainly is not something that can be revealed casually.

In comparison, learning more regular magic techniques to achieve boundary breakthrough fusion seems much more worthwhile.

After contemplating for a while, Li Jing allocated all the four remaining skill points in his status bar on hand.

The moment he completed the operation, he felt different.

After the initial addition of points, the World Thunder Punishment received a boost from the Thunder Law Outline.

In addition, with the support of the 4 skill points, he could integrate the spell formula of Nine Heavens God Thunder into it.

The Five Thunder Righteous Method can also be combined, but very reluctantly.

Integrating the Five Thunder Righteous Method would make the already rather complicated spell formula of the forbidden skill extremely cumbersome, and the time required to prepare for the spell would increase exponentially.

In comparison, the influence of Nine Heavens God Thunder is much smaller.

For him to use the Five Thunder Righteous Method with the World Thunder Punishment spell formula in earnest, he would need to continue adding points.

This, is slightly painful.

But it doesn’t affect things too much.

With the support of Thunder Law Outline, he can control the Five Thunder as he wishes and adjust according to different situations.

Compared to this, incorporating conventional thunder laws is a bonus to make the forbidden skill spell formula more complex and further enhance the power of World Thunder Punishment.

At its current state, further changes will be of limited value.

According to Li Jing’s current perception.

With his current proficiency, he would need five minutes to build a complete spell formula for the World Thunder Punishment.

To add the spell formula of Nine Heavens God Thunder into it, it would take two more minutes.

To forcibly integrate the spell formula of Five Thunder Righteous Method, it would take another five minutes.

If he simply pursues maximum power, it would take him twelve minutes.

He’s playing too big a game here.

With his thoughts brought back to reality, Li Jing stood up and greeted the old man standing by his side protecting him.

"Senior, I’m done."

"Then let’s go."

The old man spoke, leading Li Jing outside. As he did so, he handed him a tablet.

"Register what you have learned in the system of the Immortal Studies Research Association on your own; no cheating. I am already half in the grave, and not so good with modern technological gadgets."

"Understood."

Li Jing acknowledged, taking the tablet, and found his name in the system, recording his learning of the World Thunder Punishment in the Forbidden Skill Library.

While finishing the record, Li Jing glanced at his file in the Immortal Studies Research Association system.

In the profile, there are clear records of the spells he purchased on the Immortal Studies website.

However, the content is initially encrypted.

It only shows the first letter of the full name of the spell, without detailing the level and price of the spell.

The Forbidden Skill World Thunder Punishment he recorded himself was scrambled after the record was finished and cannot be viewed.

Not going to lie, this surprised Li Jing.

Accessibility to view profiles requires authorization for sure.

The old man by his side certainly has extremely high authorization.

Not just anyone can have the authority to edit a profile.

However, even with the old man’s permission, he still can’t see the specific records.

This level of privacy leaves nothing to be desired.

...

About twenty minutes later, Li Jing arrived back at the Ge Ling Hotel.

Not much time was spent on his journey, but walking in and out of the courtyard of the Immortal Studies Research Association caused quite a delay.

By this time, it was already past nine o’clock in the evening.

Taking the elevator to their room, Li Jing used his room card to unlock room 218.

Just as he entered, he found Liu Sisi kneeling at the bed wrapped in a towel, blow-drying Linglong’s hair.

The scene caught him slightly off-guard.

Was Liu Sisi...

Did she just take a bath with Linglong?

On the other side, Linglong saw Li Jing returning and her face brightened, her childlike voice sounded directly in his heart.

"Master! You’re finally back! Mistress is scary, she stripped me and made me take a bath with her. She felt me all over in the bathroom! I feel violated!"

"..."

Li Jing.

He can communicate with Linglong through their spiritual bond.

But for these words of hers, he had no idea how to respond.

Seeing him return, Liu Sisi on the bedhead smiled and started speaking.

"Just wait a moment, I’ll finish blow-drying Linglong’s hair soon."

"Take your time, you’re not bothering me."

Li Jing responded with a smile and walked away to sit on the couch.

Whether Liu Sisi has a particular fetish or not, he didn’t know.

However, it seemed like she really liked children.

If so, he might as well let Linglong stay outside a bit longer.

According to the current efficiency, with the double effect of the lifebound magic instrument, a whole day’s worth only amounts to 2%, not making a difference for just a short while.

Casually grabbing the remote control, Li Jing was about to turn on the TV when his phone in his pocket vibrated.

Reflexively pulling the phone out, his eyebrows furrowed.

On the phone screen was a message from Jiang Yini.

"I’ve arrived in the capital, I need to deal with some family affairs. See you at the Head of Liu family’s birthday banquet tomorrow."