"Dragon Master, take your disciple inside to choose a martial art. I'll stand guard outside."
Uncle Liang lifted the teapot and continued standing at the entrance to the Inheritance Chamber. Long Yuanzheng nodded and led Su Ti inside.
Though it was called an Inheritance Chamber, it was actually quite small, only around thirty or forty square meters. Compared to the space above ground, it was pitifully tiny.
Moreover, most of those thirty or forty square meters were empty. There were only three iron racks, each holding several ancient books.
Su Ti followed Long Yuanzheng over and took a look. The very first book on the first rack seemed extremely familiar to him.
It was a black-covered book with blue lettering, bearing the three words "Body Tempering Art."
Su Ti was somewhat surprised. Wasn't this the Ancient Martial Arts manual he had seen on the darknet?
After bringing Su Ti here, Long Yuanzheng explained.
"Su Ti, every Ancient Martial Arts sect has an Inheritance Chamber, where all the martial arts collected by that sect are recorded. The place you're standing in now is our Dragon Gate's Inheritance Chamber. Every Ancient Martial Arts manual here was collected by generations of Dragon Gate masters at tremendous cost."
"Of course, Dragon Gate has a long history. The martial arts we originally collected were naturally far more numerous than this. Along the way, many were lost, destroyed, and collected anew. In short, Dragon Gate's current inheritance and foundation are all here."
"The Ancient Martial Arts on these shelves are divided into three types. The first type is Tongli Stage martial arts, such as the Body Tempering Art and Dragon Shape Five Forms. But you've already completed Tongli, so martial arts of this type are of no use to you."
"The second type is external arts. As the saying goes, internal training tempers a breath, while external training tempers sinew, bone, and skin. A good external art may not fundamentally increase a martial artist's strength or speed, but it can increase their resistance to blows and their margin for error, indirectly improving their combat power. I believe you felt that deeply after fighting Demon Mountain."
Su Ti nodded slightly. Indeed, if Demon Mountain had not practiced an external art, Su Ti's Inner Refinement Second Layer blood-and-qi fighting style would have left him coughing blood and severely injured with the first punch. There was no way he could have endured the injuries from the Double Python Whip and continued fighting for so long, nearly turning defeat into victory in the end. That alone showed how much an external art could improve one's combat strength.
After that battle, Su Ti had actually considered practicing an external art. But Long Yuanzheng had already thought of it before he did.
"Su Ti, you may choose one external art here to learn. But you must understand that although external arts greatly enhance combat power, practicing them will severely divide a martial artist's focus and reduce the time they spend on internal training. You must distinguish between what is primary and what is secondary. Remember, internal training is the foundation of a martial artist."
A martial artist only had a little over a decade of prime youth. If they became absorbed in practicing external arts and fighting methods, the final result would be that their internal training would fail to break through for a long time. Once they grew older, breaking through their internal training level would no longer be so easy.
If Su Ti were not about to fight Li Mingsheng, a major test for him, Long Yuanzheng would not even have wanted Su Ti to practice an external art. He feared it would divide Su Ti's attention.
"There's no need to rush with the external arts. You can take your time choosing later. What matters is the third type of martial art. It concerns your future internal training. Come with me."
Long Yuanzheng brought Su Ti to the last rack. Only three ancient books sat upon it.
The covers of those three manuals were different colors: blue, black, and red.
They were:
"Golden Snake Molting," "Toad Fishing Skill," and "Bodhisattva Practice."
Long Yuanzheng brushed his hand across the three Ancient Martial Arts manuals one by one.
"The first, Golden Snake Molting, is Dragon Gate's own internal training method. You've already practiced it and reached great mastery. There is no further room for advancement."
"As for Toad Fishing Skill and Bodhisattva Practice, they are internal training methods from other sects that Dragon Gate masters collected over the generations. Compared with Golden Snake Molting, these two methods do not demand much from one's natural physique. Even with your physique, you can cultivate them to a very high level."
Su Ti was delighted. That was truly wonderful. He had genuinely feared that his physique was too poor and that he would remain at the Inner Refinement Second Layer for the rest of his life.
"But don't celebrate too soon."
Seeing Su Ti's expression, Long Yuanzheng poured cold water over him.
"If these two methods were truly that good, I would have taught you them from the beginning instead of Golden Snake Molting."
"The first, Toad Fishing Skill, requires a special medicinal formula and must be practiced alongside medicinal baths. That formula was lost a hundred years ago, so this martial art is incomplete. Forcing yourself to practice it will only lead to death."
"As for the second, Bodhisattva Practice..."
Long Yuanzheng's expression became complicated. He hesitated for a long while before finally speaking.
"It doesn't require any medicinal formula, nor does it have any requirement for one's natural physique. It's simply extremely difficult. Read it yourself. You'll understand once you're done."
Since Long Yuanzheng had put it that way, Su Ti picked it up and began reading. He had the modifier, so he was not too worried about the difficulty.
Ten minutes later.
"Master, are you sure this is a martial art meant for humans?"
Su Ti put down Bodhisattva Practice, his brows tightly furrowed.
Rather than an internal training method, this Ancient Martial Arts manual was more like a brutal form of punishment.
The practitioner had to wear shackles and a cangue, eat the five poisons, sleep on a Needle Bed, cover themselves with stone slabs, bathe in fire, soak in water, be buried alive, and undergo acid washing. Only after enduring all manner of unimaginable suffering could they succeed.
"You read it correctly. This Bodhisattva Practice came from Mi Country. Buddhism is deeply ingrained there, and ascetics are common. Even in Mi Country, this technique is practiced only by the most extreme ascetics among ascetics. It is not something ordinary people can learn."
Long Yuanzheng sighed. If it had truly been something good, he would have brought it out long ago. Why would he have kept it hidden away?
If he had not truly had no other choice, he would never have let his own disciple practice this.
"Su Ti, these are all the internal training methods Dragon Gate has. Whether you wish to practice Bodhisattva Practice is your own decision. Your master will support your choice."
Su Ti answered without the slightest hesitation.
"I'll practice it, Master!"
"Mm."
Long Yuanzheng looked deeply at Su Ti. Only someone who had read the cultivation method of Bodhisattva Practice could understand just how arduous the path Su Ti had chosen was. It was not merely arduous—it was self-torture, self-mutilation!
After confirming that he would practice Bodhisattva Practice, Su Ti chose an external art as well with Long Yuanzheng's help: Copper Skin Skill.
The reason for choosing this external art was that Long Yuanzheng had also practiced Copper Skin Skill and had already reached great mastery, so he could give Su Ti much guidance.
Furthermore, the cultivation methods of Copper Skin Skill and Bodhisattva Practice overlapped in many ways, allowing them to be practiced together.
Early the next morning, Yao Juan and the other two were awakened by a series of crackling sounds.
When they went up to the rooftop on the third floor, they found Long Yuanzheng leading Su Ti in practice.
Calling it practice was not quite accurate. Su Ti was standing in a horse stance, bare from the waist up, while Long Yuanzheng lashed him with a cloth whip.
Anyone who did not know better would have thought Su Ti had made a mistake and Long Yuanzheng was punishing him.
"That's the training method for Copper Skin Skill."
Wang Gengyuan's eyes lit up as he watched from afar at the stairwell entrance.
He himself had practiced Copper Skin Skill, which was why his skin had that faintly dark complexion.
However, compared to Long Yuanzheng, whose Copper Skin Skill had reached great mastery despite his normal skin tone, Wang Gengyuan had not even reached minor mastery.
"I didn't expect Master to teach Little Junior Brother an external art. When I wanted to learn one before, Master wouldn't agree."
Yao Juan said.
Wang Gengyuan curled his lips and said bluntly, "Eldest Senior Sister, that's because you're talented. Your Golden Snake Molting still has room to improve, so Master won't let you learn one. It's not like Third Junior Brother and me. We've nearly reached the limit of Golden Snake Molting. After shedding our skin one or two more times, we'll be at our limit, which is why we were allowed to learn external arts."
Wang Gengyuan and Yan Jun were both at the Inner Refinement Second Layer, while the limit of their Golden Snake Molting was around the Inner Refinement Third or Fourth Layer. That was not bad. Their natural physiques were not exceptional, but they were decent enough—not like Su Ti's abysmal physique, which had run out after only two rounds of internal refinement.
Wang Gengyuan did not care about this at all. Long Yuanzheng had told him about his talent long ago. After being despondent for a while upon learning he was not cut out for it, he had come to terms with it.
Only Yan Jun's face flashed with a faint, hidden gloom when he heard those words.
"Eldest Senior Sister, do you know what Little Junior Brother's natural physique is like?"
Wang Gengyuan asked. Asking about someone else's natural physique was a major taboo, so he had not asked Su Ti directly and instead questioned Yao Juan indirectly.
Yao Juan shook her head.
"I don't know. Master didn't say. I think it must be very good, though. Otherwise, how could he have broken through Tongli so quickly and reached the Inner Refinement Stage?"
Wang Gengyuan chuckled. "We don't know how our Little Junior Brother's natural physique is, but his murderousness is truly intense."
As soon as he said that, not only Yao Juan but even Yan Jun nodded in deep agreement.
First, Su Ti had beaten Li Zong's son, Li Mingyuan, to death. Then, in the arena, he had beaten Demon Mountain to death alive, even smashing apart the iron cage and crushing Demon Mountain's chest.
Everyone still vividly remembered his savage, blood-soaked appearance yesterday.
"But that's a good thing. In the martial world, there must always be someone capable of fighting. Dragon Gate Martial Hall really has been lacking a figure like that."
After mentioning it, Wang Gengyuan sighed.
Long Yuanzheng was the strongest fighter, but at his level, who could he still fight?
As for Wang Gengyuan, Yao Juan, and Yan Jun, although they were all in the Inner Refinement Stage, they mainly focused on training and rarely fought others, much less engaged in life-and-death battles or killed anyone.
As a result, Dragon Gate Martial Hall's reputation had never been particularly prominent. Although Long Yuanzheng had deliberately kept a low profile, it was only after Su Ti's battle yesterday that the hall had left a deep impression on the many powerful and wealthy figures.
This sort of impression and reputation seemed intangible, but the benefits it brought invisibly were enormous.
If Dragon Gate Martial Hall was strong, they would be more inclined to build ties with it and send their children to study under it, hoping they might become Direct Disciples.
With the bond of master and disciple, their own forces would become more tightly connected to Dragon Gate Martial Hall.
Many martial halls grew this way, using their reputation to draw in more disciples from wealthy families and eventually forming a vast web of influence that dominated an area.
However, Long Yuanzheng seemed to have no such intention. Otherwise, he would not have accepted only four disciples and been content to open merely a few martial halls that were more commercial than sectarian in nature.
According to the rules, when a master passed on techniques to a disciple, no one else could watch, even Direct Disciples. Yao Juan and the other two did not linger. After exchanging a few words, they soon left to avoid suspicion.
At the third-floor training ground, Su Ti was still bare-chested as Long Yuanzheng whipped him fiercely.
Although he was at the Inner Refinement Second Layer, he did not actually have any external art supporting him, so his resistance to blows remained quite weak.
Combined with Long Yuanzheng's controlled force, even though he was only using a strip of cloth, Su Ti's entire body was lashed bright red. Blood marks covered the skin beneath, and the pain stung as if he had been burned.
After whipping Su Ti's upper body, Su Ti took off his pants and stood in only a pair of shorts. Long Yuanzheng began lashing his thighs, calves, buttocks, and other areas.
Only when Su Ti's entire body had turned red and was covered in blood marks did Long Yuanzheng put down the cloth strip and take out a box of medicinal oil to apply over Su Ti's body.
"This is medicinal oil specially made for Copper Skin Skill. It can disperse bruised blood, treat external wounds, and strengthen the skin at the same time. Over time, with the aid of this medicinal oil's penetration, your skin will become as tough as cowhide—impervious to blades and needles."
"However, that will require a very long time. Most external arts are extremely arduous and need long-term tempering. They also require considerable financial resources. This box of medicinal oil can only be used three times, yet it costs around ten thousand yuan. Ordinary families cannot afford it."
After applying the medicinal oil, Long Yuanzheng personally massaged Su Ti, using a special technique to work the medicine into his skin. Su Ti then circulated the blood-and-qi training method of Copper Skin Skill himself to disperse the bruising. After only a dozen minutes or so, his body had recovered seven or eight tenths of the way.
Long Yuanzheng nodded slightly.
"Not bad. Now that your physique is at the Inner Refinement Second Layer, you recover quickly. Training external arts will be much faster than during the Tongli Stage. Let's go again!"
Before you continue