Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Insane
"Why what?"
Jiang Ning’an said matter-of-factly, "Didn’t your martial arts teacher tell you? Before the Heaven-Ascending Road, you can only choose to major in a single Cultivation Technique."
Fang Can subconsciously licked his dry, chapped lips. "N-No... There’s a rule like that?"
"What on earth did your master teach you?" Jiang Ning’an asked, puzzled. "This kind of common-sense issue should have been made clear before you reached the Transcendent Body stage, right?"
Fang Can: "..."
Fang Can was reeling. So, it was his fault for progressing too quickly?
After all, Instructor Yang could never have imagined this guy would develop a sense of qi in a single day. Even the fastest prodigy would need half a month.
If someone had told Yang Lie it was possible to develop a sense of qi in one day, Yang Lie would have called it absolute bullshit.
Seeing Fang Can’s dumbfounded expression, Jiang Ning’an patiently explained, "The so-called Transcendent Body stage is a process of letting your body gradually adapt to a Cultivation Technique."
"The contents of every Cultivation Technique are different. True Essence, Inner Strength, True Qi, magnetic field power, battle qi, Magic, chef god cells... Every school’s secret manual has its own unique strengths."
"I can see you cultivate the power of qi and blood, strengthening your body through martial arts. But some people need to replace their old blood by composing poetry. The cultivation method required for every martial art is different."
Hearing her explanation, Fang Can stood stunned for a long time before finally asking, "Then what about the eighty-eight acupoints my Cultivation Technique talks about...?"
"If you believe in them, they exist. The most important thing in martial arts is the power of the mind. The Cultivation Technique from the Inversion Sect next door requires one to increase their constitution by causing high-speed friction between the infinite particles in their body."
"Depending on the Cultivation Technique, there can be a qualitative difference even in the Transcendent Body Realm. As for your technique’s eighty-eight acupoints..."
At this, Jiang Ning’an shook her head. The meaning was obvious. ’What kind of trashy technique is that? The author’s daydreams couldn’t even be a little more ambitious.’
With Jiang Ning’an’s answer, Fang Can felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, standing rooted to the spot in a sudden, jarring epiphany.
On his status panel, Fang Can’s [Eighty-Eight Tiger Slaughter Grotto Heavens] began to flicker as his Dao heart shattered, looking as if it might disappear at any moment.
Just like the Great Zhou Overlord who was once a celestial incarnation, Fang Can, whose Dao heart had just been shattered by Jiang Ning’an’s words, was now in danger of his cultivation regressing.
Seeing the dazed and pale Fang Can, Jiang Ning’an raised her fair, clean arm and waved it in front of his face.
"Are... are you okay? Don’t be too discouraged. Although Cultivation Techniques have different tiers, you shouldn’t get too hung up on it. This kind of gap can be closed after the Heaven-Ascending Road."
Completely ignoring Jiang Ning’an’s concerns, the worldview Fang Can had built over the past seven days of training shattered. In its place rose a will of breaking and rebuilding.
At this moment, Fang Can’s mind was replaying the method of the Eighty-Eight Tiger Slaughter Grotto Heavens, as well as the first thing Yang Lie had ever told him.
’As long as you have the heart, anyone can be a Martial God!’
"I get it now!" Fang Can slammed his right fist into his left palm, looking as if he had seen through everything, and exclaimed excitedly:
"Martial arts is just making shit up as you go, and idealism is just bullshit! To hell with the Eighty-Eight Tiger Slaughter Grotto Heavens! I’m done with it!"
Looking at the handsome youth who was now buzzing with excitement, Jiang Ning’an began to worry that her words had shocked him into a state of hysteria. If that were the case, she would be greatly at fault.
Seeing Fang Can pacing back and forth excitedly, muttering to himself and occasionally stamping his feet, Jiang Ning’an asked cautiously, "What... what are you planning to do now?"
"What am I planning? To switch my Cultivation Technique, of course," Fang Can said, shaking his head. Despite his incredibly handsome features, he looked completely unhinged.
"But I already told you, before the Heaven-Ascending Road..."
Before Jiang Ning’an could finish, a pair of resolute eyes locked onto hers.
"Have you heard the story of the Great Derivation Divine Monarch?"
"I’ve heard more than enough stories about the Great Derivation Divine Monarch," Jiang Ning’an said, exasperated.
Fang Can spoke slowly but firmly. "Then why could he refine the Iron Wire Fist into the Moke Great Sun Divine Fist, but I can’t?"
"You want to compare yourself to the Great Derivation Divine Monarch?" Jiang Ning’an questioned instinctively.
"What bullshit Divine Monarch? He’s not worthy of being compared to me." With that, Fang Can stormed into the room.
’It’s over. I’ve driven him insane.’ A deep sense of guilt welled up in Jiang Ning’an. Fearing he might do something terrible, she ignored her injuries and followed him into the inner room, ready to keep an eye on him.
Entering Fang Can’s neat bedroom, she saw him pull a metal box out from under the bed. He quickly flipped open the lid, revealing dozens of transparent pills.
’These are...’ Jiang Ning’an wondered, staring at the crystal-clear pills.
She looked up just in time to see Fang Can grab a handful—at least thirty or forty of them—and stuff them straight down his throat.
"What... what are you doing?!" Jiang Ning’an’s eyes widened. She instinctively moved to stop him but was frozen in place by a pair of fanatical eyes.
With a handful of the small white pills in his stomach, Fang Can felt an unprecedented sense of crisis, yet he still shook his head. "It’s... it’s not enough. I need to be more ruthless."
At that thought, Fang Can turned to Jiang Ning’an and ordered, "You... break all four of my limbs right now... Actually, no, leave me one hand so I can ask for leave from school."
"You... what?" Of course, Jiang Ning’an couldn’t agree. Looking at Fang Can, who seemed like a mental patient, she whispered for the first time, "Calm down. Don’t let yourself succumb to cultivation deviation."
"Calm? I’ve been perfectly calm this whole time," Fang Can stated truthfully.
Seeing the woman’s hesitation, Fang Can knew she wouldn’t help him. He walked straight into the living room and, under Jiang Ning’an’s worried gaze, picked up a solid wood baseball bat.
"If you don’t want me to report you to the authorities, you’d better just stand aside and watch. Don’t meddle." Fang Can raised the baseball bat as he looked at Jiang Ning’an.
"Are you threatening me? Don’t tell me..." Jiang Ning’an abruptly shut her mouth, because she saw Fang Can swing the baseball bat viciously at his own leg.
CRACK! With a sharp snap, both the wooden bat and Fang Can’s right leg broke at the same time.
"You-you-you-you-you..." Jiang Ning’an stared at Fang Can, too shocked to speak coherently.
At this moment, she had no idea what he was trying to do. The guy was absolutely insane! Yes, completely insane!
Fang Can completely ignored Jiang Ning’an, nodding as he looked at his broken right leg. "Good. This is how it should be."
With that, he paid the woman beside him no mind, walked back into the bedroom, and after tossing out a "Don’t disturb me," slammed the door shut with a BANG and locked it.
Just as he had said before, he was done with the Eighty-Eight Tiger Slaughter Grotto Heavens. For an idealistic Martial Dao, why be bound by common sense?
For an idealistic Martial Dao, having no common sense *is* the greatest common sense!
That being the case, why not create his own Cultivation Technique?
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