[Taotie Furnace activated, Host may terminate the cultivation at any ti.]
The mont Han Zheng chose to enter the furnace, darkness engulfed his vision before he found himself within a pitch-black void.
Boundless and solitary, numbingly cold.
Ti did not pass here; in fact, Han Zheng had no concept of ti at all while in this space.
Even the desires in his heart seed suppressed, leaving his mind filled with nothing but cultivation.
Moreover, Han Zheng discovered that while cultivating inside the Taotie Furnace, there appeared to be a vision of an Iron Elephant moving through the void, majestic and heavy, with a force weighing a thousand pounds.
Martial Arts True Intent!
Training inside the Taotie Furnace not only halted ti but also allowed one to see the true nature of their heart and to reveal the Martial Arts True Intent of the cultivation technique in the void.
Li Jingzhong taught Han Zheng and other disciples the Iron Elephant Skill, simply instructing them by the book.
At most, he would ticulously teach the details of how to circulate force, among other things.
Yet in the Taotie Furnace, one could reveal the Martial Arts True Intent, as if Han Zheng himself were the martial artist who created the Iron Elephant Skill, observing the mighty elephant's tread to form this technique.
After eight points of Hunger Level were consud, indicative of eight days passing, Han Zheng had broken through to the fiftieth acupoint.
An acupoint a day, such a pace was unthinkable in the outside world.
Reaching the standard, Han Zheng didn't rest, opting to break through to the sixtieth acupoint before attempting to open his ridians.
Opening ridians carries certain risks.
Failing to breakthrough an acupoint simply results in a wasted physical effort, and one could try again after resting.
But the ridians are more delicate, and failing to open a ridian could cause damage: at best, it would affect cultivation, at worst, it could lead to martial arts being destroyed or even total physical disability!
Breaking through the ridians requires gathering Inner Strength from the acupoints, so theoretically, the more acupoints that are open, the more secure the breakthrough will be.
So martial artists start opening their ridians after accumulating the force of thirty or forty acupoints, while Li Jingzhong, as the Martial Arts Hall Master, would prefer to be cautious and instruct his disciples to open their ridians after reaching fifty acupoints.
Now with the Taotie Furnace at hand, Han Zheng decided to be even more cautious, accumulating the force of sixty acupoints before starting to assault his ridians.
Each Inner Strength technique targets different ridians first to break through.
Since the Iron Elephant Skill is characterized by its steady and heavy attribute, it tackles the Heart ridian of Hand Lesser Yin first, opening up the heart and blood flow, which greatly enhances strength.
Surging with Inner Strength, the acupoints released their energy like a flood bursting forth.
With the combined power of sixty acupoints, the Heart ridian of Hand Lesser Yin nearly offered no resistance and was broken through instantly.
Normally, because the Inner Strength surges into the ridians when breaking through, martial artists feel intense pain.
But since Han Zheng had sacrificed his sense of pain, he wasn't affected at all; this allowed him to control Inner Strength even more precisely, a lucky and unexpected benefit.
Glancing at the ti, Han Zheng noticed the Taotie Furnace had consud 25 points of Hunger Level.
With the remaining ti, he decided to practice Vajra Fist instead of continuing to break through.
After all, he still needed to et the entrance requirent for Vajra Fist, a standard set by Li Jingzhong himself, so Han Zheng could only use the remaining ti to try and increase his Skill Level as much as possible.
Just like with the Iron Elephant Skill, a vision of a Vajra's Angry Eyes Martial Monk appeared in the void while practicing Vajra Fist, showcasing the Martial Arts True Intent of the technique.
[Hunger Level fully consud, Taotie Furnace is shutting down.
Current Iron Elephant Skill Level 25%, Vajra Fist Skill Level 30%]
Opening his eyes, Han Zheng clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within his body.
Now, he truly considered himself to be at the Early Stage of the Postnatal phase.
Just opening acupoints granted limited strength enhancent, barely making one stronger than an average person.
Only by opening ridians can one control the power within the acupoints and directly double one's combat strength.
The next morning at dawn, the Martial Arts Hall exam comnced.
Over a hundred disciples stood in the training field, each with a look of nervousness on their faces.
Li Jingzhong went from one disciple to another, taking their wrists and injecting a trace of Inner Strength to naturally sense how many acupoints and ridians they had opened.
Those who qualified were ecstatic, while the faces of those who didn't turned bleak.
Li Sancheng stood at the back and quietly nudged Han Zheng, "Why aren't you nervous, kid? Did you open your first ridian?"
Han Zheng nodded, "Haven't you opened your first ridian as well? Why so nervous now?"
"It's about passing Vajra Fist! I've been thinking about nothing but Vajra Fist for the past three days, even practicing the moves while on the toilet; who knows if I'll pass in the end."
Li Sancheng muttered and quickly closed his mouth as Li Jingzhong approached.
"Fifty-one acupoints, ridian opened, qualified."
Li Jingzhong looked at Li Sancheng, noting that the little fatty was a bit slick but undeniably diligent.
Then, he placed his hand on Han Zheng's wrist, and he couldn't help but let out a surprised hum.
"Sixty acupoints, ridian opened, qualified."
Among the hundred or so disciples in the Martial Arts Hall, Li Jingzhong didn't have a particularly deep impression of Han Zheng.
He only rembered that Han Zheng ca from a modest family, was low-key and not much of a talker, but diligent; he didn't expect Han Zheng to have such good Talent, reaching sixty open acupoints.
The other disciples on site also looked towards Han Zheng with surprised gazes.
In the Martial Arts Hall, those who qualified only just managed to open a bit more than fifty acupoints, at most two or three more.
Those reaching above sixty acupoints were less than ten, all from major households who could afford to bathe in dicine Baths every day to gain such an advantage.
Han Zheng had always kept a low profile, but to everyone's surprise, he had reached sixty acupoints.
Li Sancheng watched Han Zheng from behind with a resentful gaze.
We agreed to stick together till the end, yet you secretly soared ahead!
He had thought that Han Zheng had barely passed like him, but it turned out that Han Zheng had everything well in hand.
After a round of examinations, more than twenty disciples were eliminated on the spot.
"The rest of you, group into tens and begin practicing Vajra Fist!"
Compared to Inner Strength, Vajra Fist, a Martial Arts technique, tested one's comprehension even more.
Many disciples had not even mastered the force-release technique of Vajra Fist and their movents were limp and soft, causing Li Jingzhong to frown deeply.
At that mont, Li Jingzhong suddenly turned to look at Han Zheng, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise.
At that ti, Han Zheng was not simply throwing punches; his muscles and bones were coalescing, and his arms smashed down as straight as a Vajra Pestle.
This punch carried a 'smashing' force, powerful and heavy, even the air burst with a muffled sound.
The other disciples' Vajra Fist had only form, but Han Zheng truly mastered a part of the true essence of Vajra Demon Suppression within the Vajra Fist!
"Have you learned Vajra Fist elsewhere?"
Li Jingzhong walked up to Han Zheng, staring at him unblinkingly.
"No."
"How have you practiced Vajra Fist during these three days?"
"I focused solely on practicing the fist, imrsing my mind and body in it while visualizing the technique for cultivation."
Han Zheng wasn't lying.
He had concentrated solely on practicing the fist, but it was inside the Taotie Furnace.
He had been visualizing the technique, but not Li Jingzhong's technique; he was contemplating the true essence of Martial Arts within Vajra Fist.
Li Jingzhong's gaze towards Han Zheng turned fervent.
What a promising seedling!
To be able to practice Vajra Fist to such a level in three days, his aptitude in Martial Arts was arguably the highest among these disciples.
However, Li Jingzhong did not say much else and continued to watch the others practice their techniques.
The path of Martial Arts was like ascending to the heavens, with each step as difficult as ascending to a new realm.
An early advantage didn't an much, and he needed to continue observing for a while.
If Han Zheng turned out to be diocre later on, then he would only be an ordinary disciple in the Martial Arts Hall.
After a few years of training, he might be sent to an escort agency, or hired to guard and protect a noble family.
Only truly talented disciples would receive the true transmission.
After the Vajra Fist practice session ended, Li Jingzhong called the roll, and this ti, more than thirty disciples were directly eliminated, leaving only about fifty in the room.
"The path of Martial Arts is as daunting as ascending the heavens; you have rely taken the first step—do not be arrogant or complacent."
Li Jingzhong waved his hand grandly, declaring the end of the class.
"I didn't see that coming, you actually hid a trick up your sleeve."
Li Sancheng ca over with a grin.
He wasn't eliminated, and had sothing to show for his efforts when he got back.
Han Zheng shook his head and said, "I'm not hiding anything; it was pure potential being forced out of desperation."
In fact, Han Zheng had only chosen to sacrifice the Taotie Furnace out of sheer desperation.
Only after the sacrifice did he realize that his Golden Finger was quite useful, and he even considered whether there was anything else he could sacrifice?
But this thought was quickly suppressed by Han Zheng.
The Taotie Furnace was sowhat malevolent, almost like those evil deities.
They let you pay a trivial price for benefits at first, then step by step, entice you to pay more and more until you're completely sacrificed.
Han Zheng knew he must exercise control; he must not sacrifice any part of himself unless it was absolutely necessary.
"I should head back; my father's waiting at ho for the good news."
Li Sancheng hurriedly ran ho, while Han Zheng left the Martial Arts Hall and found a small tavern to enjoy a few dishes as a reward for himself.
After eating rye bread for several days, he had almost forgotten what at tasted like.
He ordered a roasted chicken, a plate of stir-fried greens, a plate of braised pork with tofu—these three dishes cost a hundred copper coins, prices in Black Stone County had recently soared outrageously.
The tavern chef's skills were nothing special, but Han Zheng ate with relish nonetheless.
After a satisfying al, Han Zheng got up and left. As he stepped out of the tavern, a slovenly, pockmarked man in his thirties approached him, swaggering and looking like no good.
The man, upon seeing Han Zheng, suddenly exclaid in shock, "Han Zheng!? How are you still alive?"
"Do you know ? What do you an 'how am I still alive'?"
Han Zheng frowned deeply, eager to get so clarity.
But the stranger ran off, and Han Zheng got up to chase after him, only to be blocked by a passing caravan right outside.
After leaping over the caravan, the man had run into a small alley and, after a few turns, had completely vanished.
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