Embodying Myriad Traits, I Will Eventually Become Immortal — Section 14

"Thunder Arts, huh? Do you know what a True Skill is?"

Meng Chuan shook his head, and Luo Guanyun continued:

"A True Skill is a martial art that only martial artists can cultivate. To learn one, you must first unlock the corresponding prerequisite martial arts. Second, you need the support of at least the Nine Blood Qi Gates before you even have a chance to get started. Once you enter the stage of refining essence into qi, it means you've broken through the Blood Qi Barrier and become a martial artist.

"True Skills are therefore extremely difficult to master, but once learned, they often possess unimaginable power.

"When cultivated to profound heights, Xingyi True Skill can alter heaven and earth with a single thought. Some Imitative Form True Skills can transform their practitioners into fierce tigers of the forest, or even hundred-zhang flood dragons."

"What I cultivate is among the best of all True Skills. My family records state that it was passed down from the heavens: the Primordial Spirit Thunder Seed True Skill. From ancient times until now, no one has been able to cultivate it to perfection, much less improve upon it at the master level."

"Other True Skills may only require three or four prerequisite techniques to reach perfection before cultivation can begin. But the Luo Family's True Skill has requirements for fist techniques, movement techniques, and the physical body. Its prerequisite techniques are more than twice as numerous as those of other True Skills."

"To be honest, your talent is insufficient. The prerequisite martial arts alone would take you a lifetime of grueling effort. Letting you train it would only harm you."

Luo Guanyun believed that even if Meng Chuan pushed the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art beyond its limits and reached the master realm, it would only prove the strength of his perseverance.

Moreover, he had not broken through through exceptional talent, but through Sudden Enlightenment in the face of mortal danger.

Meng Chuan still insisted, so Luo Guanyun could only continue explaining:

"If you study other martial arts, then despite your ordinary aptitude, you may still have hope of becoming a martial artist in this lifetime through your perseverance.

"But if you study my Thunder Law True Skill, I'm not afraid to tell you this: even if you somehow manage to cultivate it successfully, if your speed of breaking limits fails to keep up with the Thunder Seed's growth, your fate can be summed up in one word: death!

"Give up those unrealistic fantasies. Think about your family."

In the end, Luo Guanyun still refused Meng Chuan. He had seen how diligently the boy trained at the martial arts school every day, and he greatly admired that.

But the path of martial arts was this cruel. Without the right innate physique and talent, everything was empty talk. Nothing anyone said could change that.

"It's getting late. Go to sleep first. Take the innermost room. I've already told your aunt and uncle about your situation. Tomorrow, once the police station sends someone to confirm there are no problems, they'll take you home."

Luo Guanyun gave Meng Chuan no chance to speak. With a one-handed gesture, he used the magnetic field generated by thunder qi to levitate Meng Chuan and smoothly send him into the room. He even thoughtfully tucked him into bed.

Lying in bed, Meng Chuan pondered Luo Guanyun's words. He understood what the man meant. Thunder Arts were difficult to cultivate, and without sufficient talent, practicing them would only plant hidden dangers in one's body.

But he had One Proof, Eternal Proof. No matter how difficult a technique was, as long as he persisted in cultivating it, he would surely master it.

He also had the panel. He could obtain more traits related to comprehension or traits that could improve his innate physique. His cultivation speed would only become faster and faster.

For example, the fourth effect of the One Proof, Eternal Proof trait had already enhanced his comprehension of Xingyi martial arts. Once his body recovered, he could train and experience it for himself.

With that in mind, Thunder Arts were merely somewhat difficult for him at present, nowhere near impossible to cultivate.

Besides, martial arts at the True Skill level could only be attempted after reaching the peak of the Blood Qi realm. By then, with all his traits stacked together, learning it would surely be both easy and enjoyable.

Having thought it through, Meng Chuan stopped worrying. He already had a plan: once his body recovered, he would formally seek out Master Luo and become his disciple, using One Proof, Eternal Proof as his calling card.

Furthermore, after what had happened tonight, if the master was surprised by the changes in his talent, he could simply attribute them to some kind of enlightenment at the brink of life and death.

With that thought, the night's experience had been far too perilous. Meng Chuan's mind and body had both long since reached their limits, and he gradually succumbed to sleep.

If someone entered at that moment, they would discover black substance seeping from every pore on Meng Chuan's body. This black substance was the impurities within his body, being expelled from within under the influence of One Proof, Eternal Proof.

In ancient times, martial artists called this phenomenon Marrow Cleansing.

Early the next morning, Meng Chuan slept extremely comfortably. He was having a strange dream. In it, an elderly man radiating immortal aura, who seemed suspiciously like the Grand Supreme Elder Lord, was scrubbing his back with a bath towel, rubbing off filth all over his body.

The moment he opened his eyes, Meng Chuan smelled a strange, foul stench and instantly sprang up in fright.

"Fuck, don't tell me I shat myself—"

Only after standing up did he discover that he was covered from head to toe in dark, sticky stuff. It was all over the bed as well. The black mud-like substance gave off threads of foul odor.

At that moment, Luo Guanyun was drinking tea in the living room with Chief Long from the previous night. Hearing movement from inside the room, he got up, walked over, and knocked on the door.

"Someone from the police station is here. Once the test is done, you can go home."

Through the door, Meng Chuan told Luo Guanyun that when he woke up after sleeping all night, he had somehow found himself covered in black mud.

There was nothing to hide. He had dirtied the sheets and blankets, so he would just wash them. There was no need to rack his brains trying to fool him. No matter how bad-tempered Master Luo was, he surely would not kill him.

Luo Guanyun pushed open the door and stared at the scene in surprise. He neither blamed Meng Chuan for dirtying the room nor minded the pungent stench. He simply stood at the door, lost in thought.

"Go take a shower first. Come out when you're done, and we'll talk. Don't worry about the sheets. The housekeeping staff will handle them."

While showering, Meng Chuan discovered that after washing away the black mud all over his body, his body felt reborn.

Even the few old scars left from his past boxing practice had vanished. He tried throwing a punch with force, and a crisp crack exploded through the air.

"I should have entered the First Blood Qi Threshold."

Through One Proof, Eternal Proof, he could clearly sense that the force transmitted through his arm just now was faster than when he had punched in the past. It also seemed as though all the force had struck a single point, becoming more solid and concentrated rather than scattered.

Meng Chuan tried to catch the stream of water flowing from the showerhead. The instant he fixed his gaze on the falling water, he seized the timing and punched. When his fist met the stream, water exploded in every direction. His arm did not simply pass through the water like before.

Condensing force into a single point and erupting outward on the surface—this should be clear force.

Clear force was a special method of exerting power. It involved controlling one's strength, focusing it on a single point, and releasing it directly. The force struck solidly without dispersing.

For example, if a blue brick stood upright on a table and one punched its upper half, causing the top half to shatter while the lower half remained perfectly intact and unmoving, that meant clear force had been achieved.

Feeling the enormous increase in his strength, Meng Chuan was somewhat delighted. He threw punch after punch, making the water splash with sharp smacks, taking the chance to vent twelve years of pent-up frustration.

Soon, Meng Chuan calmed down again. One Proof, Eternal Proof alone had already brought him so many benefits. If he could grind every martial art in the world until it broke its limit, what height would he reach?

A martial god among men? A living god or Buddha? Could he completely drive out the Heavenly Demons?

Meng Chuan grew excited again and hurriedly turned the water cold to calm his restless heart.

There was no use thinking too much. The key was unity of knowledge and action. Since his body had already recovered, he needed to get back to practicing fist techniques as soon as possible.

No residual Heavenly Demon factors detected.

"All right, you can go reunite with your family now. Everything's fine. You're a strong young man."

Chief Long personally used the machine to test Meng Chuan. He also wanted to thank and commend him.

"On behalf of our Qindu District Police Bureau, I thank you for your contribution last night. If not for your delay, allowing the Heavenly Demon to escape again would have left me too ashamed to face the people of the entire district."

Meng Chuan recognized him as the bald chief who had yelled at him while they were waiting for the bus that day.

He did not take credit. He had merely played a supporting role. Master Luo had done all the real work when he arrived, not only destroying the Heavenly Demon but also saving him.

"The fact that you held on until Master Luo arrived is already remarkable. If it had been me before entering the First Blood Qi Threshold, I'm afraid I couldn't have lasted that long."

Meng Chuan was about to say more when Dragon Nine directly waved him off.

"No need to say anything. Your uncle, Meng Yongzhi, is also a police officer, so you can be considered one of our police family. Merit is merit. Excessive modesty is pride."

Hearing Dragon Nine say that, Meng Chuan could only smile bitterly and nod in agreement.

"At the end of the month, have Meng Yongzhi bring you to the police station. Cooperate with us on some publicity work.

"While you're there, collect your reward. Besides the 200,000 yuan special reward for exterminating demons, I'll personally add another 100,000 yuan from my own pocket."

"Don't refuse. If you hadn't held the Heavenly Demon back until Master Luo arrived, it would have caused me a lot of trouble. Consider this 100,000 yuan my thanks to you."

Such a large sum of money suddenly landing on his head left Meng Chuan feeling dizzy, but he still knew perfectly well that Master Luo had been the main force last night.

As though he could read Meng Chuan's mind, Luo Guanyun spoke first.

"Don't look at me. I don't care about that little bit of money. If you really want to show your gratitude, just put 100,000 yuan into our martial arts school's account. What you learn will be yours anyway."

Meng Chuan nodded gratefully.

Dragon Nine spoke up.

"All right, it's getting late. There's still a mountain of work at the station. Brother Luo, I'll be leaving first."

"Little Meng, come with me. I'll give you a ride. Your aunt and uncle were so worried they waited at home all night. They nearly blew up our precinct's phone line."

He could not let them worry about him any longer. After bidding Luo Guanyun farewell, Meng Chuan rose and left with Chief Long.

Only Luo Guanyun remained in the room. He lit a cigarette, then fell into deep thought.

"That kid was covered in black mud. Why does that look so much like when I underwent Marrow Cleansing after first mastering the Primordial Spirit Thunder Seed Technique?"

But Meng Chuan was only a child who had not entered the Blood Qi Barrier. It was impossible for him to cultivate a True Skill. Therefore, Luo Guanyun suspected that Meng Chuan might have awakened some sort of trait related to Marrow Cleansing.

In ancient times, martial artists called those who differed from ordinary people in certain aspects extraordinary people.

As the saying went, "Those born with extraordinary traits inherit Heaven's mandate." Some superstitious people also called them those chosen by fate.

After Great Chu was founded, scientific research and technology advanced greatly. Through genetic research, experts discovered that these so-called people chosen by fate were actually individuals whose bodies had undergone certain genetic mutations and specializations.

They were not people favored by Heaven, as superstition claimed. Thus, they were given the more fitting name of Enlightened Ones.

Later, surveys and censuses revealed that the phenomenon was not limited to those born with innate enlightenment.

Many interviewed Enlightened Ones said that at birth, tests had shown no genetic differences between them and ordinary people.

Only after encountering various stimuli later in life did their bodies gradually change and become different from ordinary people.

After extensive investigation and research confirmed this, the Martial Arts Association announced that those who attained enlightenment later in life would be called Awakened. Whether someone possessed innate enlightenment or awakened later, the cause of their mutations would uniformly be called traits.

After experiencing certain stimuli, one had a chance of awakening hidden traits within one's body.

Meng Chuan's experience last night fit this theory. Combined with the Marrow Cleansing-like signs on his body that morning, Luo Guanyun suspected that he was this type of Awakened.