Twelve Movements

Seeing Yi Yun follow his instructions first, Zhang Yuxian nodded in satisfaction.

The others, however, did not see it that way. Watching Yi Yun eat a tree, Zhao Tiezhu sneered inwardly. Could wood really be that easy to eat?

Go ahead and show off, brat. Let's see if you don't bloat to death later.

When people faced famine, they ate grass roots and tree bark, but no one had ever heard of anyone eating wood—especially hard wood that had not even been boiled.

Aside from termites and wood-boring insects, there were very few animals in the world that could eat wood directly. The lignocellulose in wood simply could not be digested by the stomach and intestines.

"Go dig up some Guanyin Soil!"

Zhang Yuxian gave the order. Guanyin Soil was actually talcum powder. As for why it was called Guanyin Soil, it was probably because during famine years, people prayed for Guanyin Bodhisattva to save them. Since the talcum powder could fill their stomachs, it was naturally given Guanyin's name.

In reality, Guanyin Soil was a poison that pierced the intestines. Eating a little was fine, but eating too much made it impossible to digest or excrete. In the end, one would bloat to death.

The Lian Clan happened to have some. Perhaps some people found it strange: if the common folk knew that eating Guanyin Soil could kill them, why did they still eat it?

First, because people in some places were ignorant. They believed that as long as they were sincere and prayed for Guanyin to save the world, they would not die.

Second, because Guanyin Soil tasted far better than tree bark or grass roots. Both its appearance and texture were very similar to flour. When people were starving to the extreme, they could not resist such temptation. After accidentally eating a little too much, they would bloat to death.

The Guanyin Soil was dug up and piled into a large heap.

All this Guanyin Soil had been carried over by the common folk. While Yi Yun and the others cultivated, the people of the Lian Clan watched from the side.

Seeing the people from Warrior Reserve Camp about to eat Guanyin Soil, the Lian Clan's people felt their hearts pounding. Eating a tiny bit was fine, but eating such a huge pile was simply unimaginable.

"Let's begin."

Zhang Yuxian spoke indifferently. Yi Yun did not hesitate. He opened his mouth and ate large mouthfuls of Guanyin Soil. It had no special flavor, only a somewhat slippery texture.

Guanyin Soil was at least easier to swallow than wood.

Seeing a good-for-nothing like Yi Yun surpass them, how could the people from Warrior Reserve Camp accept it?

They all steeled themselves and began eating as well.

They thought that Zhang Yuxian could not possibly harm them. The stuff was unpleasant, yes, but for the sake of cultivating, they could grit their teeth and endure it!

Yet just as this thought flashed through their minds, Zhang Yuxian shattered their fantasies with a single sentence. "Elephant Swallowing Art isn't so easy to learn. Many people swallowed Guanyin Soil and then learned Elephant Swallowing Art, but failed to master it and eventually bloated to death."

"What!?"

Hearing Zhang Yuxian's words, the members of Warrior Reserve Camp who had only just mustered their courage wilted like deflated balloons, one after another.

If they ate this wood and Guanyin Soil but failed to master Elephant Swallowing Art, they would still die!

Learning this technique could actually kill them. They had thought they would merely suffer a little, without any danger to their lives. The facts proved that they had thought too much!

Seeing the expressions on Zhao Tiezhu and the others' faces, Zhang Yuxian glanced at them disdainfully. "Did you think practicing martial arts was like hosting a feast, where you could laugh and chatter your way through a meal before mastering peerless martial arts?"

"For a martial artist, practicing martial arts requires the awareness that you may face death at any moment! Even members of the Brocade Dragon Guard die during their ordinary cultivation! If you don't push your body to its limit, how could you possibly break through your realm?"

"On the path of martial arts, you enter secret realms, face vendettas, fight for supreme treasures, overcome inner demons, enter life-and-death seclusion, and survive heavenly tribulations! Which one of these doesn't kill people? This is only the beginning. If you don't even dare eat Guanyin Soil, you might as well stop practicing martial arts and obediently grow old and die in the Great Wilderness!"

Zhang Yuxian no longer forced them. He did not even tell them how much Guanyin Soil and wood beginners of Elephant Swallowing Art should eat.

Whether they ate more or less depended entirely on their own courage.

The people from Warrior Reserve Camp looked at one another and unconsciously slowed their eating.

Yi Yun merely paused and fell silent for a moment before continuing to eat at an even pace, completely unaffected.

Zhang Yuxian noticed Yi Yun and nodded again. Such courage alone was not easy to possess.

As for Zhao Tiezhu and the others, they naturally noticed Yi Yun eating the wood and Guanyin Soil as if he did not care about his life. Zhao Tiezhu muttered maliciously, "That little bastard is showing off now. Let's see him bloat to death later!"

"Don't bother arguing with an idiot, Big Brother Zhao. We're beginners, so we should eat a little less. Half a pound... no, three ounces should be about right..."

Several people from Warrior Reserve Camp carefully measured out portions and ate bit by bit, like greedy children who had received a delicious cake but could not bear to finish it in one bite.

"Big Brother Zhao, you can't chew more than you can swallow. Let's take it step by step. This time, brothers, we'll build a solid foundation and let Lord Zhang see our martial arts talent! How could we possibly lose to some little brat?"

The men of Warrior Reserve Camp were all holding their breath. Earlier, Zhang Yuxian had looked down on them, implying in every word that he had only brought them along to make up the numbers because he could not find anyone else.

They had accepted that. But Zhang Yuxian just had to praise this sickly Bai Yi Yun so highly. How could they accept that?

They had originally thought that when they followed Zhang Yuxian to practice martial arts, they would get to lift a stone mill. That was their strong suit. They could show off, easily crush Yi Yun, and have the time of their lives.

Who could have imagined that their cultivation would involve eating trees?

It was like thunderbolts from a clear sky!

"Isn't it just eating trees and Guanyin Soil? I'm not afraid of that crap. Come on, brothers, eat! Surpassing Yi Yun, this little chick, will be as easy as child's play."

The more Zhao Tiezhu thought about it, the more furious he became. While the other men dared not eat, he insisted on eating more. He refused to believe he could not master Elephant Swallowing Art.

By this time, Yi Yun had already eaten more than two pounds of Guanyin Soil without haste. The Guanyin Soil was swelling in his stomach. It felt as though a lump of lead had been stuffed inside him, dragging downward.

Yi Yun's stomach began to ache.

At first, the pain was not obvious. Later, it would grow increasingly intense, eventually torturing a person to death.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang in Yi Yun's ear. "Follow me. Perform these twelve movements."

Yi Yun raised his head and saw Zhang Yuxian standing before the crowd, his gaze fixed on him with a faint, encouraging smile.

Then Zhang Yuxian moved.

It was difficult to describe exactly what Zhang Yuxian's movements were. His figure seemed to suddenly grow indistinct, as though he had stepped into an Alternate Dimension/Space-Time and severed his connection with the outside world.

He demonstrated one movement after another. Each was incredibly strange, yet when linked together, they gave off a sense of flowing clouds and running water.

Zhang Yuxian's speed seemed both fast and slow, as if it contained an indescribable Mysterious Charm.

The movements clearly fell upon the human retina, yet they were as elusive as trying to catch wind and shadows, like phantoms in an illusion.

A dream...

This thought suddenly arose in Yi Yun's heart. Watching Zhang Yuxian's movements was like watching a dream.

When people dreamed, many things they saw and words they spoke within the dream felt exceptionally real and clear.

They might even speak eloquently in their dreams, producing beautiful verses with every word.

They themselves would feel that their literary talent in the dream was astonishingly good, yet they would not remember what they had written or said.

Once they woke up, they would forget everything.

Now, watching Zhang Yuxian's movements, Yi Yun had the same strange thought.

Was this Elephant Swallowing Art really only a basic cultivation technique? Why did it feel even more wondrous than Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist?

Yi Yun found it impossible to imagine.

By this time, Zhang Yuxian had already stopped. Although he had failed to remember many of the movements clearly, Yi Yun still knew that Zhang Yuxian had performed the entire set three times!

"That's it. These are the twelve movements of Elephant Swallowing Art. Follow along. Once you can perform these movements, your Elephant Swallowing Art will have achieved a minor level of mastery, and digesting some Guanyin Soil will be no problem at all."

Wh... what?

Hearing Zhang Yuxian's words, Zhao Tiezhu and the others stared at one another with their eyes wide open!

What had Zhang Yuxian just done?

They had only seen their vision blur. Zhang Yuxian's body had swayed, leaving behind a cluster of afterimages, and then he had returned to his original position.

Some even wondered whether their eyes had deceived them and they had seen double.

They had not understood what was happening at all. How could they perform the movements by following Zhang Yuxian?

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing the ugly expressions on many of the Warrior Reserve Camp members' faces, Zhang Yuxian asked.

"There... there is a problem..." Zhao Tiezhu swallowed and asked with difficulty, "If... if we fail to learn your... your movements, what... what do we do about the Guanyin Soil and wood we've eaten?"

Zhao Tiezhu felt that he had almost no hope. The movements were so complicated that he could not even understand them by watching. There was no way he could learn them in three days!

"Hm?" Zhang Yuxian furrowed his brows, as if he could not be bothered with Zhao Tiezhu's idiotic question. Impatiently, he said, "When you go to the toilet, use your finger or a bamboo skewer to pick it out. Maybe you won't die. Remember, don't drink water."

After Zhang Yuxian said this, Zhao Tiezhu and the others immediately felt as if they had swallowed a pound of feces—after it had fermented in their intestines for several days.

Their expressions were so colorful that they could hardly have been any more vivid.