[Chapter 35 was blocked, but it will be available soon. You may want to wait a bit before reading Chapter 36, or you might not understand the plot.]
After all, what they were striving for all these years was for the Empire to invest time in occupying half of the Biochemical Star Region. They were even prepared to hand over the other half to the Empire. In these twenty years, not only did Jia Yan lie dormant as he does now, but several subordinates also increased their strength in secret.
Jia Yan was quite surprised they had only come to ask him questions now after all this time.
"Hereâs the thing, each of us has accumulated questions. Does Lord intend to explain all at once, or teach us individually?"
"Letâs do it together; that way, you can cross-reference and understand better."
Jia Yan answered lightly.
In fact, he understood the subordinatesâ concerns. For instance, some relationships among them were not good, and they were worried their strength biases would be noticed by peers, or they simply felt awkward.
But for Jia Yan, such things were unacceptable as he didnât want his subordinates driven by competition, or internal strife, to cause the teamâs severe disintegration.
Fortunately, Jia Yan still maintained a very strong constraint over his subordinates; as long as his strength remained, this constraint would continue to exist.
"Yes, Lord."
They quickly nodded in agreement. In fact, they knew Jia Yan might come up with such a statement, and letting Jia Yan decide also gave them a way out.
Following this, Jia Yan spent his time in inquiries and exchanges with a group of subordinates in combat and explanations.
"Oh? Youâve actually reached such a level in your research on combat with Yin-Yang counter-forces?"
Upon hearing Tian Niu Langâs thoughts on the implications of Yin Yang Daoâs counter-forces and its practical meaning in battles, Jia Yanâs eyes lit up.
Even though Tian Niu Langâs combat power wasnât as strong as Jia Yanâs, he was, after all, a Middle Level Stellar Strong One. His talent might be lacking, but not so terribly so.
He proposed certain ideas, prompting a glimmer in Jia Yanâs eyes.
The decisions and innovations Tian Niu Lang made regarding Yin Yang Dao were not entirely correct, but he was fully inclined towards the explosive power of Yin Yang Dao. In this aspect, he researched deeper than Jia Yan, but he wasnât a Subspace organism, and the talent gap made him feel the mysterious nature of these counter-forces, leading him to seek guidance from Jia Yan.
Thus, Jia Yan absorbed his knowledge and experience, and even used it to refine a new meaning in his own Yin Yang Dao Power.
"Hmm, youâve done quite well, but arenât you misunderstanding the fundamental meaning of counter-forces?"
Jia Yan silently commented.
Tian Niu Lang might have mastered the counter-forces quite well, even better in certain respects than Jia Yan, due to Jia Yanâs responsibilities towards all team membersâ skills, leaving no room for minor details.
This doesnât mean Jia Yanâs use of Yin Yang Daoâs same Skills was weaker than Tian Niu Langâs.
For instance, now Tian Niu Lang was asking about the very fundamentals of Yin Yang Dao. Without Subspace Talent and with no inherent counter-energy, he couldnât comprehend the meaning Jia Yan casually grasped. Without this understanding, even the most creative use of counter-force couldnât surpass Jia Yanâs mastery, not even close.
Of course, that was why he came to ask Jia Yan.
"Please, Lord, guide me."
Tian Niu Lang recognized Jia Yanâs ability to point out the issue troubling him for days immediately and sincerely continued asking for guidance.
"Your biggest problem lies in your fundamental misunderstanding of counter-force. It isnât absolute opposition like you think, but rather, you must cultivate it as âyou within me, and me within you,â instead of your current practice of keeping them completely separate and calling them temporarily during battle."
Jia Yan smirked: "To be honest, Tian Niu Lang, I mentioned this issue from the start. Itâs a basic principle of teaching Yin Yang Dao. I thought youâd adhere to it, but you ended up veering off track. Now I understand why you excelled among them and became the strongest; it turns out you used a shortcut? But this is completely wrong; the future of Yin Yang Dao lies in integrating these forces into âyou within me, me within you.â Now, it might be a bit late to turn back; who knows if youâll retain your position at the top?"
"That... Lord, Iâll change my cultivation method right away. I took a shortcut, please forgive me."
Upon hearing Jia Yanâs casual revelation that directly exposed his future vulnerabilities, Tian Niu Langâs face instantly changed dramatically, and he hurriedly apologized to Jia Yan.
"Never mind, your intention was to master stronger power quickly, and your shortcut, albeit wrong, was indeed effective for rapidly exploding strength in the early Yin Yang Dao phase. It might still serve as a path for others to learn. After all, not everyone starts with your comprehension speed and strength; without initial power, My Yin Yang Dao couldnât flourish."