"Senior Brother, thank you so much for your protection along the way. Without it, I wouldn’t have made it to the Capital City."
Jiang Yuan bowed deeply in front of the carriage to show his respect.
Zhong Lin did not get off the carriage. Through the curtain, he said in a deep voice, "The common saying goes, entering the Marquis Mansion is as deep as the ocean, and the royal family is even deeper than the Marquis Mansion. Junior Sister Jiang, my mission is over. From now on, it all depends on you. I hope you consider every step carefully."
"I will keep it in mind, Senior Brother."
Zhong Lin slowly stood up and stepped out of the carriage. Jiang Yuan remained bowing, not rising, whilst from afar a palpable malice could be felt.
Zhong Lin did not pay it any mind. He glanced at the gates of the Capital City, laughed heartily, leapt onto a tall horse, and rode away into the distance.
Not entering the city to take a look truly seems strange.
Watching Zhong Lin fade away into the distance, Jiang Yuan sighed silently, then spoke after a long while, "Senior Brother Zhong Lin is like a cloud in the sky, drifting freely and unfettered. No one can control his life; perhaps only such a person can truly reach the pinnacle of Martial Arts."
"Princess, the people from the Ministry of Rites have been kneeling for a long ti. Should we...?"
Niu Dali asked cautiously.
"Let them keep kneeling."
Jiang Yuan glanced back at his few brothers, without a trace of familial warmth, but rather a chill of endless coldness.
"I’ve returned. It’s ti for you to pay the price."
With that said, he stepped back into the carriage, with Niu Dali personally driving it.
...
Zhong Lin did not return the way he ca but headed in the direction of Tianyang County. Having been away for so long, he planned to visit ho and then return to the Sect.
Besides, he had been safeguarding Jiang Yuan throughout the journey and now wanted to appreciate the roadside scenery.
His Martial Arts Cultivation had reached the Four Layer Heaven of the ridian Passage Realm, with the ridians of his hands and feet completely unblocked. Next, it was ti to cultivate the Yin Qiao ridian of the Eight Extraordinary ridians.
The Yin Qiao ridian is the root of the entire human energy system, with almost all energy originating from it. It starts at the Zhaohai point below the Foot Shaoyin Kidney ridian, passes beneath the inner ankle, travels along the calf, through the groin, moves through the abdon and chest, enters the supraclavicular fossa, exits in front of the Renying point, passing beside the nose to the inner corner of the eye, rging with the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine ridian, Foot Taiyang Bladder ridian, and Yang Qiao ridian.
It can be considered the foundation of Solidifying Essence. Typically, once the ridians are completely opened, one can Solidify Yang Locking Essence and achieve a perfect body, making the process of Refining Essence and Transforming Qi much more effective, becoming so full of energy that even after days of battle there would be no sign of fatigue.
Zhong Lin rode slowly on horseback while his inner breath had long coalesced into threads, starting to probe towards the acupoints along the Yin Qiao ridian’s path.
The Full Level of the "Spiritual Cold Sword Scripture" enabled Zhong Lin to cultivate whether walking, sitting, or lying down, multitasking by breaking through ridians and acupoints, although the speed was sowhat slower.
At dusk, Zhong Lin stopped to rest at a ruined temple.
Nothing unexpected occurred; it was just an ordinary Mountain God Temple, devoid of any assassination dramas.
He lit a bonfire to drive away mosquitoes.
At this ti, Zhong Lin stood on empty ground inside the ruined temple, his feet unmoving, raising his hands in a flat arc, when suddenly, his hands began to change swiftly in front of his eyes.
At first, they moved at an extrely fast speed, even producing trails of afterimages, making it impossible to perceive.
But then the speed gradually slowed, if it could be eightfold or even sixteenfold fast at the start, then it was now eightfold or even sixteenfold slow.
It seed as though each action was considered before being made, giving an odd impression akin to an old ox pulling a broken wagon.
At the sa ti, an inexplicable and solid sensation rippled from Zhong Lin, akin to the earth.
His movents, although slow, appeared exceedingly consolidated and grand, with his hands forming massive battlents, creating a moving, indestructible Great Wall before him.
In an instant, Zhong Lin’s wrist shook, a hand seal suddenly halted, causing the invisible and mighty wall in front of him to vanish in smoke.
Zhong Lin’s face turned pale, gasping for breath.
"Still not right. What exactly is this Martial Technique? It’s not a fist technique, not swordsmanship, but a Seal Technique. How can a Seal Technique harm others?"
Martial Techniques typically involve fists, palms, hooks, claws, sotis complented by various Leg Techniques, Qinggong, or the extension of hands and feet through weapons.
What Zhong Lin just used, however, resembled the hand seal thods found in Buddhist practices, which didn’t seem to relate to any lethal Martial Techniques.
Feeling the almost half-consud inner breath within his Dantian, Zhong Lin still didn’t know what this strange Martial Technique was, but it could be conclusively that it was an exceptionally powerful Martial Arts, otherwise, it wouldn’t consu so much.
This Seal Technique was sothing Zhong Lin had comprehended from a Qi Cultivation Martial Technique nad "Mian Zhang," which he learned from the Sect’s Transmission Pavilion.
It’s not exactly comprehension, as the Seal Technique itself was hidden within it, only discoverable when one fully mastered "Mian Zhang."
"Mian Zhang," also known as Hidden Needle Palm, is an extrely insidious skill. A palm strike sends the inner breath like a needle, specifically targeting internal organs, while leaving no scars on the surface.
Moreover, the needle-like inner breath can be delayed and concealed, sowhat akin to the Life and Death Talisman seen in fantasy novels, albeit less miraculous.
Zhong Lin learned this martial art in case he encountered enemies temporarily unkillable but not to be freed, perfectly using this technique to control them, which might potentially yield unexpected outcos.
He just didn’t expect to find such a marvelous Martial Technique hidden within.
"Even I can’t execute it with a ridian Passage Five Layer Heaven Cultivation. Could it be a Martial Technique exclusive to realms beyond First Grade?"
Zhong Lin speculated inwardly.
Shaking his head, there was no need to dwell on things he couldn’t understand, just like the Black Iron Ring hidden in his bosom; if it can’t be solved now, it should be left for when he has greater cultivation strength.
Swallowing a Protecting Veins Pill and taking a drop of Thousand-Year Icy Marrow, he sat cross-legged with palms toward the sky, orchestrating his inner breath to flow swiftly within his body.
With Zhong Lin’s cultivation, the temperature in the Mountain God Temple dropped instantly. A mont later, frost began forming on the broken tables, chairs, as well as the damaged statues and walls behind him:
Bear in mind, it was midsumr, with unbearably hot nights, yet the appearance of frost imparted an eerie feeling to the entire Mountain God Temple.
The Golden Crow sets in the west; the Great Sun rises in the east.
As the sun rose, a faint white mist emanated from the Mountain God Temple, rising into the air, full of an ethereal aura from afar.
Zhong Lin slowly opened his eyes, feeling his now fully recovered and more robust inner core, a satisfied expression erging on his face.
This sensation of gradually growing stronger each day is incomparable to any external enjoynt, making Zhong Lin sowhat addicted to it.
"No wonder there are so many martial maniacs. This constant breakthrough of oneself, continuously evolving to higher levels, is the true eternity. No worldly desire can compare to it," Zhong Lin pondered internally.
He retrieved so rations from his pack and swallowed them with water.
Feeling the sunlight outside, Zhong Lin mounted his horse and set off once again.
Reviews
All reviews (0)