BXBX NOVEL Chapter 279 - 278 Striking the Elementary Drum!
As evening fell over the Martial Training Grounds in the southern part of the city, the place, usually bustling with activity, began to quiet down.
This was where Li Gu assessed candidates worthy to comprehend the Bodhi seeds, and he had long-term lease on it.
“Having me here again, that Little White is too much…”
At this moment, within the training grounds, there was only a disgruntled young man dressed in a blue robe. His discontent was clear, and it was evident that he didn’t want to stay here.
“It is said to be here…”
Just then, a sparse voice traveled from a distance.
As Long Aotian took the lead, he shouted at the bored-looking youth, “Kid, do you know where to comprehend the Bodhi seeds?”
The young man in blue gave Long Aotian a disdainful look, responding nonchalantly: “Comprehend Bodhi seeds? That depends on whether you lot are deemed worthy!”
“Kid, watch your mouth, are you trying to pick a fight?”
Long Aotian could not bear it and was about to confront him when Du Gang stepped in to mediate.
“Don’t stop me. I’m going to teach him a lesson…” He said, trying to break free.
At this point, Du Gang whispered, “You need to think carefully. That kid over there is a Sixth Tribulation Divine Spirit…”
Long Aotian suddenly quieted down, at a loss for words.
The Little Hawk King and others, however, were snickering, amused at Long Aotian’s predicament.
After some time, Long Aotian grumbled, “Du Gang, I’m leaving it be out of respect for you. Otherwise, I would have taught him a lesson already.”
Du Gang just smirked, not bothering with him. He stepped forward, greeted the young man in blue and asked, “Hello, may I ask where Li Gu is?”
Perhaps because of his boredom or maybe due to Du Gang’s politeness, the young man answered coldly: “You are here to comprehend the Bodhi seeds, aren’t you?”
Seeing Du Gang and others nodding their heads, he continued, “The young master said if you want to comprehend the Bodhi seeds, you first need to acquire certain qualifications…”
Du Gang nodded. Indeed, if everyone came to ask Li Gu, he wouldn’t get anything done.
He asked, “What qualifications are needed and how can we obtain them?”
The youth in blue chuckled, “That’s simple. There are three drums here, representing Early Stage Divine Spirits, Middle Stage Divine Spirits, and Late Stage Divine Spirits.”
“You can stand in front of the drum representing your cultivation level. If you can make it sound, you can get the qualification to comprehend Bodhi seeds and meet my young master.”
“Beat the drum?”
The group exchanged glances, a little confused.
The corner of the youth’s mouth curled into a faint smile of satisfaction. He boasted, “Have you never seen it? This so-called drum is my young master’s treasure. Only those who reach a certain level of attack power can make it sound.”
Du Gang paused, then quickly asked, “How much attack power is needed to make each drum sound?”
Everyone else also looked at him curiously, waiting for his answer.
The young man in blue laughed, “The drums are divided into three categories: high, medium, and elementary. The top drum requires an attack power equivalent to ten thousand Naer Divine Power.”
“The middle drum needs an attack power of five thousand Naer Divine Power.”
“And the elementary drum, suitable for your level, requires an attack power of one thousand Naer Divine Power.”
Having said that, he looked extremely smug, watching Du Gang and the others with interest.
He figured that these newcomers, who were just ordinary people, would most likely fail the test.
As expected, Long Aotian and Little Hawk King looked at each other, showing a bit of consternation.
They were only at the First Tribulation Divine Spirit level. After receiving an inheritance within the family, their basic Divine Power had only reached a level of two hundred Naer, surpassing the majority.
But now, even that was not enough!
Long Aotian frowned, “That’s unfair. I’m only at the First Tribulation Divine Spirit level. Although I have two hundred Naer Divine Power, my level limits me.”
“If I were at the Third Tribulation Divine Spirit level, I could have at least amassed an attack power of one thousand four hundred Naer Divine Power…”
The young man in blue shrugged nonchalantly, “The rules are the rules. Unless you ring the drum, there is no way I can notify the young master.”
Little Hawk King also frowned, asking, “According to your young master, aren’t we expected to sound the drum once our Supreme Technique reaches 2 percent maturity?”
“If we reach the Third Tribulation Divine Spirit, we should be able to ring the drum. Can you make some exceptions?”
The young man in blue chuckled and shook his head, “No, rules are rules.”
Long Aotian was getting impatient, “You really don’t understand flexibility, do you? According to your young master’s rule, the elementary drums are basically meant for the Third Tribulation Divine Spirits. What about the First and Second Tribulation Divine Spirits, should they just watch?”
“Heh.”
The young man chuckled, “Who said this drum is only set up for the Third Tribulation Divine Spirits? As recently as this afternoon, a genius at the Second Tribulation Divine Spirit level managed to ring the drum and was granted an audience with the young master.”
“What?!”
Long Aotian and the others were taken by surprise, even Du Gang was shocked.
“A Second Tribulation Divine Spirit dealt an attack of one thousand Naer Divine Power?!”
“Doesn’t this mean that person’s basic Divine Power must have reached three hundred and thirty-three to break a thousand?”
“But that would mean his Supreme Technique is perfected to 3.33 percent, implying that he could effortlessly reach 4 percent?!”
They exchanged looks, finding it hard to believe.
Du Gang was among them as well. His 3 percent proficiency in the Supreme Technique was only thanks to the Dao scroll that Xiang Xinjian had given him, which allowed him to increase it by 2 percent.
“Wait!”
Little Hawk King suddenly thought of something, “It might not necessarily mean that his proficiency in the Supreme Technique reached 4 percent. He might have some means to double the burst of his attack power.”
His eyes gleamed, “If that is the case, the proficiency in the Supreme Technique would only need to reach 2 percent!”
Hearing this, Long Aotian let out a sigh of relief.
“So, that’s it… 2 percent ah…”
But Du Gang narrowed his eyes.
The fact that these two were suddenly relaxed meant they also had some ways to double their combat strength. This suggested that they also had a technique that could at least double their strength.
However, they were only on the First Tribulation Divine Spirit level. Their proficiency in the technique was at 2 percent, so even if it doubled, it would only be at the level of four hundred Naer Divine Power, which was nowhere near enough to sound the elementary drum.
“I can’t sound it. Du Gang, can you?”
Long Aotian shook his head, accepting his inability to sound the drum and redirected his attention to Du Gang.
The others did the same. It was not that they weren’t strong enough, but their cultivation was too low, and their base was inadequate, leaving them with no other choice.
Du Gang grinned, nodding, “Elementary, of course…”
With that, he took one step, turning into a bolt of golden light, and instantly appeared beside the elementary drum.
With a wave of his hand…
“Dong!”
A loud noise resonated.
“He really sounded it!”
The youth in the blue robe was dumbfounded.
He didn’t expect that someone among them could really hit the drum.
“No way, you guys are clearly only at the First Tribulation Divine Spirit level…”
He looked at Du Gang with amazement, disbelief writ large on his face.
“Are you a First Tribulation Divine Spirit?”
Du Gang chuckled lightly, nodding, “That’s right, I am a First Tribulation Divine Spirit. Now, you better go inform your young master.”
A First Tribulation Divine Spirit, unleashing a combat power of one thousand Naer!
He was having a surreal moment, but the undeniable fact was right before his eyes. Quickly, a realization struck him.
Exceptional genius!
His pupils dilated with shock. He just happened to run into an exceptional genius!
Such a genius would be deemed outstanding even by the entire continent’s standards!
“Gulp!”
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, stuttering, “Just a moment, I will contact the young master right away…”
Soon, he assumed an excited demeanor.
While he was on duty, he had encountered such an extraordinary genius!
Wait and see, Little White, I will receive a reward from the young master this time!
The youth in the blue robe quickly spread the news.
Du Gang and the others didn’t have to wait long. After a short while, a group of people walked over in an imposing manner.
The scene was quite reminiscent of a company’s board chairman leading a team of executives for a field visit.
The lead figure was a handsome and suave youth, dressed in luxurious silk and satin. What drew attention was his untouchable noble aura, making it clear at first glance that he was born in a bureaucratic family.
Even Long Aotian and others did not have such an aura!
Du Gang raised an eyebrow. What those like Long Aotian and others had was more of an arrogant demeanor – they prided themselves in their talents and family backgrounds.
But this Li Gu, had the aura of a superior, the two were not the same!
It didn’t take him long to figure out that the lead figure was Li Gu, because there was nobody else who could be more regal than this youth.
As expected, the handsome youth approached with a smile, hands in courtesy and was the first to speak, “Friend, are you the one who struck the Elementary Drum?”
Du Gang returned the gesture, nodding, “Yes, I am the one who struck the Elementary Drum…”
Upon hearing this, joy spread across the youth’s face. He responded, “My name is Li Gu, the current master of the Bodhi Seed. May I ask your name, friend?”
“Du Gang!”
Originally, the people who came with Li Gu all seemed indifferent. But upon hearing these two words, they all became silent.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, finding it hard to believe what they were seeing.
“Du Gang, the Ancient God of the Ancient City??!”
No wonder they were all surprised. Du Gang’s name had been a hot topic these days, the talk of the town.
Du Gang shrugged, nodding, “Yep, that’s me!”
“It really is him!”
The curious group examined him from head to toe, wondering what differentiated an Ancient God from a human.
But they were soon disappointed, Du Gang was just like them, with two eyes, two ears, one mouth, nothing unusual.
However, Li Gu’s eyes lit up, “So it’s Brother Du. Your name has become quite famous these days!”
Du Gang downplayed his fame with a humble reply, “Brother Li is too kind. My little fame is nothing compared to the buzz you’ve created in Happy Town in such a short time…”
Despite their courteous conversation being filled with platitudes, some people were unhappy.
They were the new recruits of Li Gu. Loyalty wasn’t their strong suit, they had just happened to be recruited.
Seeing Li Gu treating Du Gang so well, some of them began to display jealousy.
“Du Gang, I heard you’re only a First Tribulation Divine Spirit. But it takes a combat strength of one thousand to strike the Elementary Drum. Are you sure you can?”
No sooner had these words left their mouths, Li Gu frowned and scolded them, “Don’t be disrespectful. Du Gang is an Ancient God, he wouldn’t fake this. Furthermore, it was Xiao Qing who reported this…”
Upon hearing his own name, the young man in blue quickly interjected, “Young master, I didn’t lie to you, Du Gang really did strike the Elementary Drum!”
Du Gang had a rough idea what these people were trying to imply. Too lazy to argue, he directly headed towards the Elementary Drum.
“He’s actually going there!”
“Why is he going there?”
“What else? Of course, he is going to demonstrate it again on the spot!”
Everyone’s gaze was on Du Gang, awaiting his action. However, most of them had already reached a conclusion in their minds.
After all, his daring to step forward showed he truly had the ability!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Du Gang stood before the Elementary Drum. Glaring at the few men who questioned him, Du Gang scoffed, pointing casually.
“Boom!”
The drum reverberated thunderously!
The shock on the faces of those who questioned him was priceless. Du Gang’s action was a slap to their faces.
Du Gang deliberately shot them a look, leaving them too embarrassed to stay.
“Young master, we are feeling unwell, we should leave…”
These people couldn’t handle the embarrassment and were ready to leave, pleading with Li Gu.
Li Gu, not willing to escalate the situation, agreed with a nod of his head.
In fact, he too wanted to witness if Du Gang could strike the Elementary Drum at the First Tribulation Divine Spirit level.
The result didn’t disappoint him, but it also made him solemn.
Because, he observed that Du Gang had executed the strike effortlessly! This indicated that Du Gang might be capable of unleashing even more powerful attacks.
A First Tribulation Divine Spirit with such terrifying power wasn’t ordinary.
However, being a crafty individual, he didn’t not reveal his thoughts and instead congratulated Du Gang.
“Brother Du, you have come here for the Bodhi Seed, correct?”
He was quite shrewd, directly addressing the matter of the Bodhi Seed.
Upon hearing this, Du Gang’s impression of him improved. He replied, “Yes, I have heard that if one understands the Bodhi Seed, there’s a chance of direct promotion!”
“Correct!”
Li Gu nodded, “The Bodhi Seed is supposedly a treasured artifact of the Buddhist path, in Sanskrit it means enlightenment. Anyone possessing the Bodhi Seed, if they can understand it, can achieve enlightenment, which is a form of Dao Enlightenment.”
He smiled, “So far, more than three hundred people have tried to comprehend the Bodhi Seed, but none of them have succeeded. I wonder if Brother Du can…”