Practicing Divine Skill Recklessly

Yan Nu was hanging in a square at Tea Mountain Fort, his hands and feet bound by chains, suspended three feet off the ground in a cross shape between two iron pillars.

Two burly men, smirking, were whipping him. The blows left his skin torn and flesh exposed, his face, arms, and chest covered in bloody gashes, the pain feeling like a living death.

However, Yan Nu was remarkably resilient, letting out only a few grunts and enduring the beatings.

He muttered, "Grandpa... Grandpa..."

No one paid him any mind. The two burly men just kept whipping him with all their might. After a hundred lashes, Yan Nu looked like a bloodied mess.

"Tch, tough bones," one of the men grinned, his arms sore.

"This kid's trained before. Give him another hundred lashes! Use True Qi!" Steward Liao said coldly.

"You got it!"

And so, the whips continued to crack down, their sounds like thunder and wind!

Under the brutal lashes, Yan Nu writhed like a twitching worm, the chains rattling loudly.

Steward Liao watched silently, his expression indifferent.

What was the point of introducing him to the Instructor, or having him serve the Fort Master? Did Tea Mountain Fort lack people that much?

He was just a lowborn menial servant. What if he died from the beating?

Originally, a hundred lashes and a night in jail would have been enough. This kid, who could forge eighty pounds of steel overnight, was actually quite talented.

But since he had trained in martial arts and had good potential, it was better to just kill him now to avoid future trouble.

"Yan Nu'er, do you remember me?" Shen Leling's voice echoed in Yan Nu's mind.

Yan Nu lowered his head, his blood matting his hair. He weakly mumbled, "Are you the monster sister from yesterday..."

"You call me..." Shen Leling was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "Hehehe... Sister killed someone last night. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Yan Nu mumbled, "I was busy and forgot."

"..." Shen Leling's tone darkened. "Ha, you're quite honest!"

Yan Nu said nothing. His wounds were being repeatedly whipped, causing him intense pain.

But for some reason, even though a normal person would have died from so much blood loss, he was still alive, sustained by a small amount of circulating blood. As blood ran dry, new blood would regenerate, his internal organs functioning normally, only his limbs were stiff and numb.

Shen Leling noticed his deteriorating condition and asked, "Aren't you going to circulate your True Qi to protect yourself?"

"What is... circulating True Qi to protect myself?"

"..." Shen Leling was speechless. Was this person who had trained in martial arts?

"Right, what could a craftsman teach you? It's a wonder you managed to cultivate any True Qi!"

A Mystical Stage cultivator could commune with spirits and perceive qi, let alone someone in the Spiritual Sense Stage!

Shen Leling had long ago discerned that Yan Nu possessed some third-rate cultivation, but he had never undergone Body Tempering.

"Come, come, Sister will teach you. Listen carefully, draw your True Qi from your Dantian and guide it to..."

Before she could finish, Yan Nu blurted out, "What's a Dantian?"

"Huh?" Shen Leling sounded bewildered. "You don't even know what a Dantian is? What kind of True Qi are you practicing?"

"I'm swinging a big hammer," Yan Nu replied matter-of-factly.

"This..." Shen Leling was extremely shocked.

She had heard Uncle Hong mention teaching Yan Nu some rough martial arts for years, and assumed it was at least a proper Mind Method. Turns out it was just the insignificant skill of swinging a hammer and circulating qi?

Uncle Hong, being so old, must have worked as a blacksmith for many years, yet his True Qi was still so weak!

For Yan Nu to reach this level in just a few years with such a meager skill was truly astonishing potential!

"Hehehehe... I didn't expect you to be a martial arts prodigy, Yan Nu'er..."

"If you practiced a true Ultimate Skill, you might have a chance to become a World-Shocking Martial Artist in the future, one who can slay cultivators."

"Hee hee hee..."

Shen Leling said this, then started laughing strangely to herself, lost in thought.

When she snapped back to reality, she saw Yan Nu spit out a large mouthful of blood. Looking closer, she realized his meridians had been ruptured by the force of the whips.

She immediately panicked, "Hey, don't you die!"

"Damn it, they broke your meridians! This is bad, ordinary True Qi protection won't work anymore... I'll pass on the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture to you!"

Shen Leling quickly sent her Spiritual Sense to probe his body. However, she hadn't learned how to use Spiritual Sense to guide another person's internal energy, so she could only transmit simulated sensations to Yan Nu...

"Quick, quick! Transport your True Qi along the path I'm teaching you, not through the meridians, but differentiate it within your flesh and blood to circulate throughout your body! Finally, converge at Xuanji and Huagai!"

"Okay... you don't understand what acupoints are... It's fine! Just follow my sensations to guide it!"

Shen Leling was painstakingly breaking down and teaching the cultivation technique to Yan Nu. At this moment, Yan Nu could feel streams of energy surging throughout his body, differentiating into sixteen paths, circulating simultaneously with different rhythms and routes.

"Can you learn it? Is it too difficult?" Shen Leling also felt that it was too much for a martial arts novice, who was on the brink of death, to suddenly operate such a profound Ultimate Skill.

After all, the Great Emperor White Jade Scripture was a cultivation technique from the ancient Mount Tai Immortal Sect, a genuine orthodox immortal cultivation scripture.

When the Mount Tai Immortal Sect was destroyed, many of its scriptures scattered among various powers, leading to the subsequent emergence of new sects in both the secular and hidden worlds.

They all branched out from the Mount Tai Immortal Sect.

Among them, the Gao Family of Pingcheng obtained several incomplete scriptures. Before Shen Leling devoured the young master of the Gao family, she had called him brother and helped him with his Body Tempering, exchanging many Cultivation Techniques, including this Great Emperor White Jade Scripture.

Of course, what she obtained was only a small chapter from the 'Spiritual Communication Chapter' concerning 'Body Tempering'. However, in the mortal world, it could absolutely be considered an unparalleled divine skill.

"Huh?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Circulate it like this! It provides body protection while practicing, and it can also let your True Qi nourish your internal organs, heal your bones and muscles, and protect your skin and flesh..."

Shen Leling could sense the Sea of Qi churning within Yan Nu, surging through the acupoints all over his body, meridians, and even blood vessels, circulating according to the routes and order she transmitted!

The True Qi flowed ceaselessly, like a river. It didn't follow the usual paths, but instead darted through countless tiny blood vessels.

This made the circulation of True Qi more three-dimensional, rather than planar!

Finally, at the Xuanji and Huagai acupoints, two vortexes of Qi, one yin and one yang, condensed. One spun left, the other right, mutually dependent and pulling on each other.

This repeated, and qi continuously generated from the acupoints all over his body. As they flowed into the vortexes, they nourished Yan Nu's internal organs and protected his limbs and torso.

Thus, his internal breath became long and his breathing slow.

"You're not an idiot after all! Sixteen streams of internal breath operating simultaneously, I was really worried you wouldn't be able to do it!" Shen Leling was overjoyed to see him succeed.

"Crack, crack, crack!" The whip struck down, but Yan Nu no longer bled.

However, because Yan Nu's body was already covered in so many wounds, the executioner couldn't tell the difference.

"Steward, we're done!" The executioner cupped his hands and said.

"Mm, is he dead?"

The executioner took a closer look and found that Yan Nu seemed to be inhaling but not exhaling. He said, "His breathing is barely perceptible. Even if he's not dead, he's close."

"Tch!" Steward Liao pouted. He hadn't heard any groans or pleas for mercy, so he felt bored. He said, "Forget it. Just hang him here for three days as a public display!"

With that, he led his men away, leaving Yan Nu hanging in the plaza like a corpse, covered in wounds.

"They're finally gone..." Shen Leling giggled. "Yan Nu'er, circulate the method I taught you well. It has healing properties... Hmm, the Fort Master of Tea Mountain Fort has a secret room. Sister will go take a look and bring you some Spiritual Medicine when I get back later."

"Thank you..." Yan Nu said weakly.

"Heh heh, don't you dare die!"

As she spoke, Yan Nu'er felt a Spiritual Sense disappear from his mind.

He was now utterly exhausted and unable to move, his body covered in countless bloody gashes, his internal organs and bones severely injured.

He could only close his eyes to rest and silently circulate the Cultivation Technique taught to him by the Monster.

Yan Nu could feel that there were hundreds of spring-like Qi acupoints all over his body, each containing his True Qi.

That was the strength he had been using while forging iron these past two days. Every time he used it up, he could replenish it by eating.

Now, all this True Qi was flowing away step by step, merging into the two vortexes and transforming into two different types of True Qi.

Every time old True Qi transformed into new True Qi, he felt a sense of comfort all over his body!

He became so engrossed in it that he was extremely focused.

After an unknown amount of time, all the old True Qi was gone, and the numerous acupoints were empty.

Then, each acupoint began to draw strength from his flesh and blood, generating new streams of internal breath that flowed into the vortexes.

"Huh?" Yan Nu's body twitched. He felt that this sensation of drawing essence was very uncomfortable!

It wasn't pain, but a faint sense of emptiness.

This was vastly different from the feeling of comfort and surging blood and Qi he experienced when transforming True Qi earlier... Yan Nu preferred that surging feeling.

"No, no, this is making me drowsy and sleepy. How can I practice if I fall asleep?"

"Right, I need to eat grass first to replenish my Hammer True Qi."

He thought to himself and immediately stopped practicing.

Yan Nu had no understanding of cultivation. He didn't know that this emptiness was conducive to a cultivator's state of 'extreme emptiness and steadfast stillness,' immersing oneself in a state of meditation.

He thought that True Qi was replenished by eating things he liked, and that this Cultivation Technique required him to transform his original True Qi.

At this moment, when he stopped practicing, the healing naturally stopped as well, and the pain in his body gradually became clearer.

"The Monster sister told me to practice to heal, but my Hammer True Qi is gone. How can I practice?"

Then he thought of the two large vortexes: "I wonder if these two new streams of True Qi can be used?"

Yan Nu attempted to mobilize them, and indeed he could. So, he desperately drew from the vortexes, circulating them along the previous routes to nourish all parts of his body.

As expected, this also healed him. The pain immediately subsided, and the dried-up blood vessels gradually filled with fresh blood.

The injuries to his internal organs, limbs, and torso were all slowly recovering.

He continued to consume the vortexes like this until they were depleted. His injuries had already recovered by one to two tenths.

Not only that, but after the last two streams of pure Qi from the yin and yang vortexes dissipated, his body was tempered to be even stronger!

This effect was more pronounced than the slow nourishment of his body before.

"All my True Qi is gone from practicing! That's great!"

Yan Nu, just like when he was forging iron, felt completely empty inside, not a trace of True Qi remaining.

He was quite satisfied, thinking he had trained well.

He then smiled faintly, tilted his head to look at the moon, thought of Grandpa, and gradually fell asleep.

Deep into the night.

A sneaky shadow, hunched over, approached the execution ground.

He looked left and right, and seeing that the patrolling Martial Artists in the distance weren't looking, he nudged Yan Nu and softly called out, "Yan Nu... Yan Nu!"

"Uncle Hong... why are you here?" Yan Nu slowly woke up.

"Silly child, if Uncle Hong doesn't come to save you, you'll die here! Quick, eat something first." Uncle Hong took out a few Steamed Buns.

Yan Nu was starving, so he wolfed them down with a gulp and then said worriedly, "Uncle Hong, don't steal buns next time. I can eat grass."

"Nonsense, you can only eat grass when you're starving to death." Uncle Hong didn't believe he could actually eat grass.

"Really, I've eaten more grass than rice since I was young," Yan Nu said seriously.

"You child, you don't even know how to lie!" Uncle Hong sighed, only thinking Yan Nu was afraid he'd get caught stealing buns and had thus learned to lie.

He touched Yan Nu's wounds, and the sight was shocking.

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurt before, but it's much better now."

Uncle Hong took out a hammer and chisel, intending to pry open the chains.

However, as soon as he applied a little force, he heard a ding, which was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Uncle Hong was startled and quickly looked towards the patrol team. Fortunately, they hadn't noticed.

He couldn't pry anymore. The Martial Artists had sharp ears and eyes; if he made any more noise, they would definitely hear him.

These were fine steel chains. It seemed that saving Yan Nu and escaping Tea Mountain Fort was an impossible dream.

"Child, just humble yourself and beg the Steward for mercy. Maybe he'll let you go," Uncle Hong urged him earnestly.

Yan Nu didn't answer, only asking back, "Uncle Hong, did you find any news about Grandpa?"

Uncle Hong had no choice but to lie, "Yes, I did, I did. Your Grandpa is still in the army. He's old and frail, only doing odd jobs in the rear. He hasn't been on the battlefield all year. He'll be back after the Hu Barbarians are repelled."

"That's great, I must wait for Grandpa to come back!" Yan Nu was overjoyed.

"Right, so you can't die. Tomorrow I'll beg the Steward to come, and you must beg him for mercy too. Do whatever he tells you to do, and say nice things."

"Okay! I remember!"

Uncle Hong was finally relieved and left, leaving Yan Nu to endure another night.