Paving a Path for the Old Arts

The rain was still falling, and the forest was dim. The Black Howl lay on the ground, trembling, not yet dead. Its vitality was tenacious, but it was no longer strong enough to harm anyone.

The man in black stood opposite him, his body swaying as he quickly reset his broken bones. He didn't hide his astonishment and said, "Although the Golden Body Art is very powerful, very few people practice it. Firstly, the effect is extremely slow, often taking decades to achieve. Secondly, any slight mistake can cause serious problems to the body, injuring oneself."

He stared at Wang Xuan. The Golden Body Art the latter practiced was clearly in the late stage of the fourth level, which would have taken at least thirty years to master. Yet, Wang Xuan was only in his early twenties.

"How did you achieve it?" His eyes shone brightly, and his heart was restless, filled with an extremely strong desire to know.

"Who sent you to kill me?" Wang Xuan asked calmly. He didn't know this man in black, who was in his fifties, and they had never interacted before.

He believed the man in black had someone behind him, acting on behalf of others to kill him, and was not the principal culprit.

The man in black's expression was calm. "If you win against me today, don't investigate this matter further. Let it end here. I was the one who hired the Gray Blood organization to kill you, and I was also the one who finally took action. You can consider me the mastermind behind the scenes, and in fact, I am."

Deep within Wang Xuan's eyes, a faint golden light flashed and then disappeared. This was a manifestation of his mastery of the Golden Body Art, which made the man in black even more eager to know how he had reached this point.

The man in black wasn't necessarily trying to practice the Golden Body Art, but rather to understand if there were any secret methods or shortcuts. If he could truly figure it out, the Old Arts might regain their brilliant radiance in this era.

He had practiced the Old Arts for decades, painstakingly reaching this stage, and was already considered a rare master in this field. However, he understood deeply that once he reached this level, his path was almost at its end.

Wang Xuan was very indifferent. "You came to kill me, and you're unwilling to reveal who sent you. Why should I tell you?"

The man in black stretched his body and flexed his muscles. "As someone who practices the Old Arts, I'm only reminding you kindly because I see you've reached this point at such a young age. If you are the one who leaves here alive in the end, consider the investigation to have reached its limit. It should be about over. Live out your life peacefully, don't think about uncovering anything, and no one will target you again."

Wang Xuan felt anger rising within him. Although he was low-key and generally disliked trouble, being repeatedly assassinated like this and then being told to endure and not pursue the matter further to ensure his safety?

The man in black sighed softly, "It's truly not easy for us who walk the path of the Old Arts, especially in this era where the path has completely ended and is about to be completely replaced by the New Arts. I am very unwilling, holding onto unrealistic ideas, wanting to forge a path, obsessively to the point of madness."

It could be seen that he wasn't faking it, but genuinely felt touched, with a deep obsession for the path of the Old Arts.

The man in black didn't rush to attack. He continued, "Since I learned that a legendary scripture in our Old Arts field appeared but was kept under lock and key, merely becoming a cultural relic for collectors, I couldn't help but want to get close to it, hoping to obtain it, glimpse its true meaning, and uncover the secret of the Ascension True Immortal."

Wang Xuan didn't speak, listening quietly.

"So, I deliberately approached them and knew that someone in that family was displeased with you, wishing you dead. I then proactively offered myself, subtly implying that as a scholar and professor, I could 'educate' you, while also hinting that I wanted to see that ancient booklet from their family."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan frowned. Recalling the people he knew, he still couldn't figure out who it was. He had never had any deep-seated hatred with anyone.

Even now, he didn't know who he had offended to such an extent that they wanted him dead.

At the same time, he was also a little surprised that the man in black was a scholar, a professor, and seemed to have a complex identity.

The man in black seemed to read his mind and said, "For a time, the Old Arts were not yet in decline. As a researcher of the Old Arts, I even taught some students at New Star University. Sometimes, I was invited to explain health preservation to some old fellows with unusual identities. I was quite famous back then."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook his head.

Wang Xuan understood that before the New Arts were fully revealed and rose to prominence, the Old Arts had indeed been valued for a period. The Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips from Old Earth, etc., had all been plundered by Zaibatsu and major research institutes.

For several years, New Star hoped to trigger supernatural powers through the Old Arts and connect them with the New Arts. Therefore, it was normal for the man in black before him to be a guest of some Zaibatsu. His identity as a scholar and professor was not surprising.

"That day, after I made my intentions clear, that person actually took out the rare family scripture from their home and showed me the first page. I was immediately captivated because I knew it was a priceless treasure, consistent with the path I had been exploring for so many years. It directly broke through a layer of window paper for me, opening a new window. To think that just the first page contained the essence of my lifelong efforts and pursuits. How astonishing would the subsequent pages be? It was like pearls being covered in dust in their hands; although they had studied it, they couldn't truly practice it. And my desire grew even stronger, because I was confident I could make that legendary scripture bloom with the most brilliant splendor again in an era where the Old Arts path was ending."

As he said this, the man in black's eyes burned with a fiery passion, as if flames were leaping, and his emotions were highly agitated.

"Unfortunately, I only saw the first page!"

Only at the end did he gradually calm down. As the fire in his eyes extinguished, he looked at Wang Xuan again and said, "I seem to have discovered something even more extraordinary in you. Did you practice the Golden Body Art from childhood, and did you have mysterious shortcuts? Is that why you reached the fourth level at this age, or is it even more astonishing than I imagined?"

Two intimidating beams of light shot from his eyes. "According to my investigation, the secret manual of your Golden Body Art was given to you by Zhou Mingxuan at a gathering. You were able to practice it to the fourth level in such a short time? There is definitely a big problem!"

Wang Xuan remained very calm and said nothing. In this era, no one could enter the Inner Scenery Realm anymore.

In ancient times, those who walked the path of the Old Arts and triggered their Super-Sense for the first time needed the help of Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners or the guidance of patriarchal figures to enter the Inner Scenery Realm.

The first time Wang Xuan entered, he wasn't guided by anyone; he stepped into that realm himself. If word got out, it would shock the minds of those who understood the inside story.

"I've become somewhat obsessed due to my fixation. For the sake of the legendary scripture, I didn't hesitate to kill. Now that I think about it, we who walk the path of the Old Arts primarily see no hope, which is quite tragic."

The man in black sighed and then stared at Wang Xuan. "Therefore, I'm advising you not to investigate further. That person might have just said they wanted to kill you out of momentary anger and resentment, and might not even pay attention to this matter afterward. Just pretend nothing happened. Some people and forces are far beyond what you and I can provoke or contend with. After all, this is no longer the Pre-Qin era when Daoist practitioners radiated the immortal light of Ascension."

Suddenly, his aura changed. His eyes shot out two rays of divine light, and his internal organs began to resonate, emitting thunderous sounds. A faint glow appeared in his blood, and his entire body seemed to be enveloped in a halo. In an instant, he disappeared from his original spot and lunged at Wang Xuan with extreme speed.

Although Wang Xuan felt that this person had an obsession with the Old Arts and wasn't faking it, he didn't let his guard down. Human nature was complex, and even though the man in black was devoted to the Old Arts, he wasn't necessarily pure and kind.

At the very least, he showed no reaction even when his Black Howl was severely injured and almost dead, indicating a hard heart.

Boom!

Wang Xuan dodged quickly, fully activating his Golden Body Art, preparing to confront this person.

Where he had just been, the man appeared, and with a thump, his feet created a large pit in the ground. The force was truly terrifying, even more astonishing than before.

The man in black was breathing heavily, his internal organs thundering, and a faint glow emanating from his blood, projecting outwards, causing a faint halo to truly appear around his body, which was very strange and significantly boosted his strength.

Wang Xuan was greatly shaken, guessing that this was likely what was recorded on the first page of the scripture the man in black so desperately desired.

Bang bang bang!

Wang Xuan avoided his direct attacks and struck his arms and body from the side. Even so, he could feel the man's strength was outrageously powerful.

At this moment, the man in black was almost invincible. In their brief exchanges, Wang Xuan's fingernails on all ten fingers were torn off, blood constantly flowed, his arms felt like they would break, and his finger bones ached intensely. The Golden Body Art could no longer withstand it!

The situation was extremely critical. In the continuous collisions, Wang Xuan was sent flying several times, coughing up blood, and was on the verge of being severely injured.

Looking at the man in black's state, Wang Xuan immediately thought of a certain Body Art he had practiced before – the five pages of the Golden Book left by Zhang Daoling. He had mastered the first diagram in the Inner Scenery Realm, which was merely a starting move, and at the time, he hadn't felt it possessed much power.

Now, seeing the man in black's power, he instantly understood and touched upon similar forces, all related to stimulating the vitality of the internal organs.

Boom!

Wang Xuan fought desperately, blood streaming from his mouth, as he fully activated the Body Arts recorded in the diagram. This caused his internal organs to resonate violently. At this critical juncture between life and death, he perceived something extraordinary. Just as his physical body was about to give out, his organs vibrating intensely to the point of rupture, a novel power surged within him, rapidly expanding through his flesh and blood.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

He felt his heart beating with such force, his blood surging like a great river, emitting a faint golden glow. He managed to block the fierce attacks of the man in black, his arms and finger bones finally spared from shattering.

In the end, the man in black couldn't hold on. After his organs resonated, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. With a bang, Wang Xuan sent him flying over ten meters away. His chest had caved in, forming a terrifying fist-shaped hole that even allowed light to pass through his back.

Furthermore, his internal organs, having resonated with an excessively powerful secret force, were now on the verge of collapse, cracks appearing throughout them. He had completely lost his combat ability and was rapidly weakening.

"I never imagined you'd practiced similar scriptures," he said, blood continuously flowing from his nose and mouth. He finally sighed, "You're still so young, perhaps there's a sliver of hope. If you can forge a path for the Old Arts in the future..."

He could no longer speak, his mouth filling with bloody foam, his breathing difficult as he weakened rapidly.

Wang Xuan also felt terrible. Even after he quickly stopped the Body Arts recorded in the Golden Book, his internal organs still ached intensely. He was severely depleted and felt utterly exhausted, not wanting to move at all.

However, there were still snipers nearby, posing a significant danger.

As expected, he instantly felt plunged into a life-or-death predicament. His brow throbbed with pain, as if pressed by a sharp weapon, about to be pierced.

He had been locked onto, about to be shot?!

Wang Xuan felt he was not far from death, never having been so close before. Enduring the intense pain, he struggled to roll over, barely managing to evade a fatal shot. A bullet whizzed past, piercing the spot where he had just been.

In an instant, he felt sharp pain in multiple parts of his body again. He had been locked onto from all directions.

But his condition was extremely poor, making it difficult to react immediately.

Was he going to die? He was filled with unwillingness. The Root Method of the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners automatically circulated within him. He refused to give up and still wanted to try and roll over.

Boom!

Suddenly, he sensed something unusual. Time seemed to slow down. His body was enveloped by the shadow of death. Under an extreme pressure that almost suffocated him, he unexpectedly entered a state of Super-Sense.

Even so, could he survive this ordeal? He still wasn't sure.

Thanks to: Fluffy Ball Da, Stranded ovo, Messy Thoughts, Reader 1394236070840274944, Luochuan Youming.

Thank you to the above allies for their support.

We've reached one hundred allies, thank you all for your tremendous support!

I will work hard to write the book, adjusting and readjusting. I plan to slowly bring the update schedule back to normal.