Chapter 78: Chapter 75: Primordial Daoist Talisman Upgrade, Skill Dao: Mountain and Sea Search! Simultaneous Advance, Comprehend the True Form
Inner Street, the Four Great Halls.
The plaque of the Divine Fist Sect had been taken down, and the place was now deserted.
But the other Three Great Halls were still bustling with activity.
But in the past few days, the sound of clashing metal would ring out from time to time.
Ji Xiu would wake early to practice. After preparing medicine for old Huang Xuan, he would come to the Martial Arts Halls on Inner Street whenever he had a spare moment to cross hands with the members of the Three Great Halls.
「On this day.」
BANG! CLANG CLANG!
[Sword Suppresses Three Halls, Testing Against Strong Foe. ’Sword Mountain and Fire Sea Stance’ advancement progress increasing...]
[Treading Through Sword Mountain, Subduing the Sea of Fire, Comprehending the Truth of the ’Sword Mountain and Fire Sea Stance’...]
"I’m done! I’m done!"
Inside the Whale-Slaying Saber Hall.
The face of Xu Qiong, the star disciple of the Whale-Slaying Saber Hall, was flushed red. With his cultivation at Great Success in Bone Tempering, he was practically impervious to blades and spears, yet his feet were sunk deep into the compacted yellow earth.
He brandished a War Body Saber as tall as a man, his chest heaving and his shoulders squared. His Qi and Blood surged, making his muscular arms seem to swell a full size, with veins popping out on their surface.
He had been facing a youth wielding a slender blade, whose strength was no less than his own. After several rounds of trading blows, their blades clashing, Xu Qiong suddenly leaped back, sweat beading on his forehead, and shouted for them to stop.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of bewildered shock.
’We’re both at the Bone Tempering stage, but he’s only opened his Spinal Dragon. At the absolute most, he’s only gone through one blood exchange to cleanse his flesh and bone.’
’Why is the gap between us... so huge?’
’Now I finally understand how the Divine Fist Hall next door met its end...’
The power of the Whale-Slaying Saber style was channeled entirely through the broad-backed great saber, each strike powerful and heavy, weighing a metaphorical ton.
For a Martial Artist who had tempered their great sinews and refined their bone marrow, every move was broad and sweeping, meant to overwhelm opponents of lesser strength with sheer, crushing force.
Though it could not be considered a ’Nourishing Stance Martial Arts’ and couldn’t cultivate the ’Sword Stance’ of the Sword Skill’s Second Realm that came after Ten Steps One Kill.
It did, however, possess some of its subtleties.
However...
However, when facing Ji Xiu—whose strength was his equal and whose every swing unleashed a scorching Sword Stance that clung to the blade like a persistent disease—it was a different story. The impact felt like exploding sparks, making the webbing of Xu Qiong’s hand go numb. It was as if he were trapped in a Fire Prison, subjected to all manner of searing tortures. He could only grit his teeth and suffer in silence.
"Master, I’ve disgraced you."
Xu Qiong’s face burned hot as he looked at Liao Yuanhua, seated on a folding stool and surrounded by his senior and junior martial brothers. He lowered his head in shame.
Liao Yuanhua simply shook his head and looked at Ji Xiu, his expression a mixture of resignation and helplessness.
"There’s no shame in it..."
"Master Ji here is using the star disciples from our entire street of Martial Arts halls to test the sword for his ’Nourishing Stance Martial Arts.’"
"It’s no surprise that you lost."
[Sword Mountain and Fire Sea Stance: (1000/1000)]
[Tutor has perfected ’Sword Mountain and Fire Sea Stance’ and comprehended the Sword Stance ’Bosatsu Prison Break’!]
[Sword Stance: Bosatsu Prison Break]
[With an intent as scorching as fire, facing an enemy is like setting them aflame. Visualize the ’Sword Mountain and Fire Sea,’ channel Blood Marrow Energy, and perform Bone-Burning and Marrow-Forging to unleash a Sword Stance that is ’Aggressive as Fire’!]
[Allows the Sword Force to strike out like a wave of flames, plunging the enemy into a purgatory-like Sea of Fire.]
[Martial Arts/Skill Dao available for advancement: 1]
Ji Xiu had just left the County Yamen of Lord Zhao the County Magistrate. He happened to be passing through the Inner Street, where for the past two days he had been seeking out experts from the Martial Arts Halls to spar with and refine his skills. Seeing that his ’Sword Mountain and Fire Sea Stance’ had reached Perfection, and that he had even comprehended a killing move, he was overjoyed.
’I’ve finally mastered this Sword of Nourishing Stance!’
Why were Qi Cultivation Grandmasters so powerful?
Because they had quenched their Flesh, Bone, Skin, and Membrane to Perfection, pushing their physical bodies to the absolute limit. Only then could they begin to draw on the various Profound Mysterious Qi between Heaven and Earth to temper themselves further, seeking to continue their ascent and shatter their Shackles.
In this process, by ’Nurturing and Gathering Qi’ and using ’Secret Martial Dao,’ they could manifest all sorts of incredible abilities. The gap between them and those at the Power Barrier was like an insurmountable chasm.
And ’Nourishing Stance Martial Arts’ possessed the nascent form of this Qi.
An ordinary Martial Artist at the Power Barrier would temper their sinews and bones, refine their Qi and Blood until they were impervious to blades and spears, and form Iron Bones or Silver Bones. This was considered Great Success in the two refinements of sinew and bone.
But now, when faced with Ji Xiu—who had achieved First Refining Perfection in ’Golden Muscle and Jade Veins’ and also cultivated a ’Sword Stance’—they were no match for him unless they refined the layer of Jade Skin.
Xu Qiong, the star disciple of the Whale-Slaying Saber Hall with Great Success in Bone Tempering, was a perfect example.
’If I only had the two stances, Sword Mountain Stance and Sea of Fire Stance, I’m afraid we would have been evenly matched.’
’But once my Fighting Technique reached Perfection and I grasped the true essence of Sword Skill, ’Bosatsu Prison Break,’ I could overwhelm him with my stance, leaving Xu Qiong unable to properly defend.’
’This is what a superior foundation means! My fundamentals won the day!’
’No wonder they say that the tallest towers are built from the ground up. The better, firmer, and more stable your foundation is at the start, the more you’ll advance by leaps and bounds later on.’
Wiping away his sweat, Ji Xiu let out a breath and smacked his lips, musing to himself that, at this point, he was likely unrivaled among the youth of the county.
’Then again,’ he thought, ’in this five-hundred-li Anning County, very few people practice Superior Pile Skills. Their foundations are weak, so dreaming of attaining Mercury Blood Silver Marrow is just that—a dream.’
’That’s why their first refinement of sinew and second refinement of bone can’t be considered to have reached Perfection. The most they can achieve is Great Success.’
’And me? I have the Profound Blood Flood Dragon Tendons, I’ve practiced the Silver Carp Transformation, and I’ve completed one Mortal Transformation. While it might seem like we’re in different realms, the actual gap isn’t as large as one might think.’
’I’d really like to see what the so-called ’prodigies’ of the Prefecture City...’
’...are really made of!’
Faced with Liao Yuanhua’s courtesy, Ji Xiu smiled. He wasn’t overly complacent. Instead, his bearing was measured, and he praised the Whale-Slaying Saber techniques from top to bottom.
He hadn’t forgotten the old man’s impetuousness, rushing over in the dead of night, determined to take him as a disciple.
If it weren’t for Master Duan’s reputation...
...his challenging of their hall would have probably made the old man so angry he’d be puffing out his beard and glaring, wishing he could jump into the ring himself and land a few blows.
Just then, Hong Jiang arrived at the Whale-Slaying Saber Hall. Spotting Ji Xiu, he hurried over, panting, and whispered in his ear.
"Master Ji, Zhang the Sixth is awake. He’s at the residence right now and wants to see you."
Ji Xiu nodded and promptly took his leave.
Liao Yuanhua slowly rose to his feet but did not try to stop him.
But after Ji Xiu had gone, he reached out two fingers to touch his disciple Xu Qiong’s War Body Saber. A scorching heat and a numbing sensation immediately traveled up his hand.
’It’s like an exploding lotus of fire, incinerating the very air. A single strike can burn the sinews and boil the bones. Such a level of mastery...’
’...means he has grasped the true essence of a Nourishing Stance Martial Arts.’
’My Whale-Slaying Saber cannot cultivate a Sword Stance, so its foundation is inherently weaker.’
’And you, you don’t possess Dragon Sinew and Tiger Bone, nor have you perfected the two great limits of Golden Muscle and Jade Veins and Mercury Blood Silver Marrow. You haven’t blasted open those two Flesh Secret Treasures to obtain their Profound Mysteries. So it is perfectly normal that you couldn’t win.’
’I’ve only ever seen a talent like Ji Xiu in the Prefecture City. In all five hundred li of Anning...’
’...I doubt there is anyone his age who can still give him a proper challenge.’
Watching the young man depart, Liao Yuanhua sighed and gave an order.
"Go prepare several more of our hall’s secret recipe, the Tiger Bone Deer Antler Pills. Find an opportune time to pay him a formal visit. Treat it like a festival gift."
"A figure like him, we can only befriend. As long as he remains here, we must maintain good relations. We absolutely cannot afford to offend him."
"You’ve sparred with him, crossed hands. In a way, you’ve done him the favor of being a practice partner. Use that as a pretext to build on this connection."
"When you eventually go to the Prefecture City, it will be good to have a connection there to help you out."
"I imagine Instructor Wang of the Overlord Spear and Instructor Hua of the Profound Bird Sword have likely seen this kid’s swordplay and are thinking the exact same thing I am."
Seeing the star disciple he had personally groomed for more than a decade defeated so effortlessly, the old man winced, even though he had been mentally prepared for it.
"Hsss..."
"But then again,"
"to have our hall’s pride trampled and still have to show up at his door with a smile... It’s like a mute eating bitter herbs—a bitterness you just can’t speak of."
If he weren’t certain he couldn’t beat Duan Chenzhou.
With his temper, how could he possibly endure this!
Xu Qiong could only respond with a bitter smile and a nod of agreement.
...
「Lu Manor.」
Within the green-bricked courtyard.
The moment Ji Xiu stepped inside, he saw Zhang Qing sitting upright and docilely, though his face was still bruised and he staggered a little when he walked.
He frowned and couldn’t help but say:
"You just got injured. Why aren’t you resting up at Pharmacist Huang’s place..."
He had just opened his mouth to speak.
Suddenly.
[Object detected in the vicinity that can increase the grade of the ’Primordial Daoist Talisman’!]
[Object detected in the vicinity that can increase the grade of the ’Primordial Daoist Talisman’!]
The Primordial Daoist Talisman abruptly manifested, displaying lines of inky text. Ji Xiu’s gaze instantly hardened. He subtly scanned his surroundings, his Spinal Dragon instinctively coiling tight!
This was the same notification that had appeared last time, when he encountered Zhang Qing’s "Master Han" at the gambling den.
Master Duan and Lord Gu of the Northern Garrison Command had mentioned him before. They said this man was the chosen successor of the Garrison Commander of Jiangyin Prefecture, a bona fide heir of a Prefecture Official!
At the very least, he had to have reached the level of Skin Refining Outer Gang, or perhaps even donned the Immortal Robe.
It was also highly likely that he had broken through the two gates of Golden Muscle and Jade Veins and Mercury Blood Silver Marrow, achieving a Perfect Refining Method!
Although he had just defeated the successors and true inheritors of the Three Great Halls, confirming that an ordinary martial artist at Great Success in Bone Tempering was no match for him, Ji Xiu had not lost his sense of perspective.
He knew full well.
He knew full well that if a personally-chosen successor like Qin Ming of the Divine Fist Sect or Xu Qiong of the Whale-Slaying Saber managed to perfect either the sinew or bone refinement—attaining Golden Muscle and Jade Veins or Mercury Blood Silver Marrow—he would find it extremely difficult to win.
An ordinary Jade-skinned Martial Artist, whose flesh, bones, and skin were perfectly integrated, would be enough to defeat him now, to say nothing of an ’Overseas Dragon’ from the Prefecture City!
"Little Sixth, that... person of yours..."
Ji Xiu, fully on guard and subtly gripping the hilt of his blade, was carefully choosing his words, assuming that Master Han wanted to see him again.
However—
When Zhang Qing saw Ji Xiu, he immediately started acting like a thief, darting his eyes in every direction. Seeing Hong Jiang tactfully withdraw, he mysteriously dragged Ji Xiu into the house.
The moment they stepped inside, out of the sunlight, Zhang Qing immediately pulled a Jade Talisman that glowed with a faint, fluorescent light from his robes and said solemnly:
"Brother Ji, this... is for you!"
[Jade Talisman containing a Skill Dao has been detected. Does the Tutor wish to ’Refine’ it!?]
[After refining, you will obtain the Skill Dao technique within and can upgrade... the ’Primordial Daoist Talisman’!]
Huh?
The flurry of notifications from the Primordial Daoist Talisman left Ji Xiu, who was now holding the brilliantly glowing Jade Talisman, slightly stunned.
’This thing... How did it get from Han Ying’s hands into his brother’s?’
’However.’
’Looking at the Primordial Daoist Talisman’s notifications, a sharp glint flashed in Ji Xiu’s eyes.’
’Since it has come into my hands...’
’...there’s no reason for me to just hand it over!’
’Primordial Daoist Talisman, refine it for me now!’
In an instant, the humble room was brilliantly illuminated as the Jade Talisman burst forth with dazzling light.
It was as if mountain ranges and great rivers flickered into existence from within, finally transforming into a thousand wisps of qi that seeped into Ji Xiu’s Mud Ball Palace.
Zhang Qing watched eagerly, his eyes wide and stunned.
’My Brother Ji truly has world-shaking talent!’
[Refining successful!]
[Tutor has glimpsed the Skill Dao inheritance—’Mountain and Sea Search’!]
[Martial Arts/Skill Dao available for advancement: Two!]
[The Primordial Daoist Talisman has transformed. When initiating an advancement, you can now glimpse the true nature of the Skill or Martial Art!]
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