Chapter 426: Air Cannon

Flower Skirt Island.

The underground plaza beneath Shuang Tu Clinic.

Lan Zao was training.

Each battle qi technique had its own cultivation method. The Water Grass battle qi technique involved swinging the arms, while the Air Pressure battle qi technique required patting.

Lan Zao, wrapped in layers of bandages, repeatedly slapped various parts of his body with his palms.

After each strike, strands of fresh battle qi emerged from the struck area.

Through continuous slapping, these strands accumulated, coalescing into streams of newly born battle qi that coursed through Lan Zao's body.

Ba Qi had also infused him with Air Pressure battle qi, but that had been generated within Ba Qi's own body. It was the same type of battle qi, so Lan Zao could barely use it. But ultimately, it wasn't his own; it was fundamentally a foreign battle qi.

Only battle qi generated through his own body's training could be fully harnessed by Lan Zao.

Before long, crimson bloodstains seeped through the white bandages binding Lan Zao's body.

His injuries hadn't healed. Ba Qi's forceful infusion had inflicted particularly severe damage within him.

In truth, each strike to his own body triggered excruciating pain, without exception.

Yet Lan Zao's expression remained resolute, his gaze unwaveringly firm, showing not a trace of fear or compromise.

He was genuinely provoked.

Earlier, while training normally, he had been ambushed by Ba Qi, subjected to a barrage of battle qi, and barely escaped with his life. After regaining consciousness, he witnessed the clash between Ba Qi and Cai Jing, two gold level cultivators, at the medical clinic.

Though confined to his hospital bed and unable to see their exchange clearly, the sheer scale of a gold level clash sent his anxiety skyrocketing.

“Even with my awakened bloodline and advancement, I'm still only iron level.”

“Compared to gold level, I'm utterly defenseless!”

"According to Shuang Tu's assessment, I should be able to reach silver level. Once I reach silver level, even if I can't defeat Ba Qi, I might be able to escape. I could gain some initiative against such an existence."

The old Lan Zao never possessed this kind of fighting spirit. Bloodline awakening didn't just raise his ceiling; it also provided a powerful mental boost!

“You can rest now.” Shuang Tu had been observing the entire time, monitoring Lan Zao's physical condition in real-time through the alchemy components.

Having developed a degree of trust in Shuang Tu, Lan Zao immediately halted his cultivation upon receiving the reminder.

Shuang Tu began unwinding his bandages.

Once removed, Lan Zao's body was covered in a gruesome mess of blood and gore.

Shuang Tu guided him into the magic formation, activated it, and bathed him in healing light.

Both his internal and external injuries received some treatment, though they were far from healed.

Shuang Tu explained, “Today marks a critical phase in your battle qi conversion. If you were fully healed before completing it, your newly formed body wouldn't fully align with your new battle qi.”

“Thus, your injured state actually benefits you.”

"The residual Air Pressure battle qi from Ba Qi will severely suppress your bodily instincts, preventing the emergence of the Water Grass battle qi. This will greatly aid your conversion going forward."

"Next, repeat the previous process. After five more cycles, your conversion should be complete."

Lan Zao nodded, committing Shuang Tu's words to memory and following the instructions.

After five cycles, the battle qi within his body had completely been converted. Not only was it all Air Pressure battle qi, but this battle qi was now generated entirely by his own body. The foreign battle qi infused by Ba Qi had either been consumed or channeled away.

“You've succeeded, but this is only the beginning. Here.” Shuang Tu handed Lan Zao a crystal ball.

“What is this?” Lan Zao asked as he took it.

“It contains records on the Air Pressure battle qi,” Shuang Tu explained.

Lan Zao cut him off: "Have you forgotten? I can't read. Especially not snow elf words."

“I know,” Frost Tu nodded. "That's why the crystal ball contains magic projections. When the projections play, they'll also emit sound. You must continuously channel battle qi into it to activate it. The moment you stop channeling, the orb ceases to function."

“Though this alchemy artifact is rudimentary, its contents were carefully selected for you. They hold great value.”

"Your training regimen will stem from this material. Study it thoroughly. Pay special attention to the final section, it holds a surprise."

“Train diligently.”

Shuang Tu patted Lan Zao's shoulder and departed.

He harbored no concerns about Lan Zao's training progress.

Left alone in the underground plaza, Lan Zao began examining the crystal ball's contents.

The magic projection revealed a human discussing and demonstrating the cultivation methods and basic applications of the Air Pressure battle qi technique.

Compared to other battle qi techniques, Air Pressure battle qi possessed one distinct advantage: its exceptional proficiency in compressing air.

Upon seeing this, Lan Zao experienced a sudden flash of insight, connecting it to the fish bladder organ within his own body.

The magic projection continued, introducing another human.

This individual bore a striking resemblance to Lan Zao's current form, clearly another fighter possessing the Fish Bladder bloodline.

The human fighter meticulously taught the intricate coordination between Air Pressure battle qi and one's physical structure.

One explanation aligned perfectly with Lan Zao's earlier insight: compressing air within the fish bladder.

This approach offered numerous advantages.

The first advantage was that while the fish bladder's maximum volume remained unchanged, the stored air volume increased severalfold. In airless environments, this dramatically extended one's survival time.

The second benefit was that it expanded the fighter's upper and lower limits for buoyancy control.

The third advantage was enabling deeper integration with other related battle skills.

The human fighter stated plainly, “The Air Pressure battle qi technique complements the Fish Bladder bloodline exceptionally well, it's practically the perfect pairing.”

As Lan Zao watched the final segment of the magic projection, he discovered the “surprise” Shuang Tu had mentioned.

Battle skill - Air Cannon.

This battle skill proved exceptionally practical for the Fish Bladder bloodline. To be precise, once the Fish Bladder bloodline was combined with the Air Pressure battle qi technique, the Air Cannon battle skill became an essential component! Its recommended rating was the highest possible: 100.

Most fighters using this technique had to bend their arms, palms pressed together, continuously compressing air within the spherical space formed by their hands.

Once compressed, they enveloped it with battle qi to form an air cannonball, which was then hurled to strike the enemy.

For fighters, only those at the gold level could manifest battle qi directly from thin air. Thus, the minimum requirement for this Air Cannon battle skill was gold level.

But for Lan Zao, it's different.

He could continuously compress air within his fish bladder, far more convenient than using external palms, highly covert, and with the massive advantage of pre-storage.

Most crucially, compressed air stored long-term within the fish bladder would become an integral part of Lan Zao's body.

When Lan Zao released this compressed air, it's akin to hurling his own hair or arm - this was the important point!

This meant that Lan Zao could fill compressed air with battle qi and launch it even at the bronze level.

The long-range battle qi strike capability possessed by fighters only at the gold level battle qi was available to Lan Zao at the bronze level.

The magic projection clearly demonstrated how the human fighter practiced shooting air cannons, detailing specific techniques and precautions.

What truly astonished Lan Zao was the human fighter's display of numerous projectile cores.

These were alchemy weapons.

Projectile cores were much smaller than conventional bullets, with numerous varieties. When paired with the Air Cannon, they produced various attack effects.

For instance, combining a signal projectile with an Air Cannon shell created a signal flare.

Similarly, pairing a guidance projectile with an Air Cannon shell allowed Lan Zao to craft air missiles capable of turning mid-flight, adjusting direction, and tracking targets.

Finally, the human fighter elaborated on how to utilize these projectiles and how to practice for optimal results. He even demonstrated the combat effectiveness of some projectiles.

After watching the entire demonstration, Lan Zao fell silent.

Regarding the Air Pressure battle qi technique, he felt he could master it through War Merchant's database, it wasn't particularly rare.

The same applied to the Air Cannon battle skill.

But what Shuang Tu offered went far beyond that.

He also provided Lan Zao with extensive foundational knowledge, the most effective training methods, comprehensive precautions, and insights from predecessors.

He even demonstrated the projectiles themselves. Undoubtedly, these alchemy artifacts would vastly enrich and enhance Lan Zao's capabilities.

None of this was available through the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

“The Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's intelligence network is incredibly powerful!”

“They managed to find the most suitable cultivation materials for me in such a short time.”

“And they were all demonstrated by a human fighter.”

"They'll likely provide me with the projectile cores they showed at the end too. Otherwise, there'd be no point in them showing it."

“Perhaps this organization wasn't established by the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord alone. Behind it, there should be other nobles and powerful figures from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”

Lan Zao wasn't a strategist, but even he sensed the formidable strength of the underground organization Shuang Tu belonged to through this crystal ball.

“Our cooperation with the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord was truly wise. At least for me, the assistance I've received has been immense."

“Once I've mastered my cultivation, I'm sure I'll be able to offer even greater support to the commander.”

With renewed anticipation, Lan Zao composed himself and began a new training regimen, following the demonstration within the crystal ball.

This scene was transmitted through the alchemy apparatus, landing squarely within Shuang Tu's field of vision.

“Seems he's picked up on a hint of something unusual,” Shuang Tu murmured with a smile.

This was intentional.

Through the crystal ball, he “accidentally” revealed the organization's formidable power to Lan Zao.

People were drawn to strength.

In the future, Lan Zao's frequent use of projectile cores would also forge a strong material connection with Shuang Tu's organization, deepening his dependence.

Following this trajectory, Shuang Tu was confident he could cultivate Lan Zao as an asset, later infiltrating him into the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps for reconnaissance and other covert operations.

Shuang Tu remained unaware of the survivors' true connections. To him, Lan Zao was merely a low-ranking member recruited on Snake Rat Island, possessing only tenuous loyalty to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, easily swayed.