The So-Called Peerless Art

Canglang Martial Hall.

"Brother Shen, what brings you here today?"

"Old Brother Wang, how did you find the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill after trying it yourself?" Shen Congyun asked with a smile.

"So that's why Brother Shen came!"

"If not, then what?" Shen Congyun smiled faintly and continued, "Did Old Brother Wang think I came to invest in the disciples of your martial arts hall? The investments of Myriad Blossom Pavilion have always followed the principle of preferring none to indiscriminate selection. Everything depends on fate—when I meet someone and take a liking to them, I invest."

Wang Jin nodded. "Indeed. How could ordinary so-called prodigies ever catch the eye of Brother Shen and Myriad Blossom Pavilion?"

Shen Congyun merely smiled without comment.

Myriad Blossom Pavilion truly did invest in and befriend genuine Martial Path geniuses.

The reason Myriad Blossom Pavilion had grown so large was its ability to recognize a pearl amid the rubble. Before each prodigy had taken flight, it placed its bets and made its investments.

Only by sending charcoal in the snow could one gain true friendship.

With such connections spread throughout the world and among Various Factions, how could Myriad Blossom Pavilion fail to grow large?

His earlier befriending of Wang Jin was precisely because of this factor.

As they chatted, they continued toward the Backyard of the martial arts hall.

Wang Jin said, "The Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill Brother Shen mentioned is indeed miraculous. It truly deserves to be called the Daoist School's orthodox Internal Strengthening Method. I feel that my bodily functions have recovered greatly, and that I may be able to advance another step."

Shen Congyun glanced sideways at Wang Jin, sensing from afar the rhythm of his breathing and the tempo of his heartbeat.

"Old Brother Wang, did you cultivate the fragment I gave you?"

Wang Jin nodded, a sharp glint surfacing in his eyes. "I did. I formally reached Initiation several days ago! My bodily functions have recovered a great deal. I feel as though I've become five to ten years younger."

"Old Brother Wang's talent truly is impressive!" Shen Congyun praised.

"Impressive? Hardly!" Wang Jin shook his head. "If not for that box of Secret Medicine Brother Shen gave me, I wouldn't have been able to sense the so-called Essence Qi between heaven and earth, much less reach Initiation."

Shen Congyun smiled and shook his head. "Even ordinary people using that box of Secret Medicine still wouldn't be able to sense the Essence of Sunlight. Old Brother Wang possesses Inborn Spiritual Wisdom—that alone is extraordinary."

"To successfully reach Initiation after using the Secret Medicine for only two months is further proof of Old Brother Wang's extraordinary nature. No wonder Old Brother Wang managed to reach the peak of Martial Dao Rank 7 in this tiny county."

When he reached this point, Shen Congyun was filled with emotion.

Wang Jin, however, wore a puzzled expression. "I've heard Brother Shen mention Spiritual Wisdom several times before, saying that I possess Inborn Spiritual Wisdom. But what exactly is this Spiritual Wisdom?"

Hearing this, Shen Congyun smiled. "Old Brother Wang doesn't know? In Ancient Times, during the Age of Immortal Gods, only those with Innate Spiritual Awakened could cultivate the Immortal Path. Once the Immortal Path was achieved, one could stand shoulder to shoulder with Deities, free from all restraints, attaining great freedom and great ease."

"The Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill evolved from an Immortal Path Method of the Ancient Era. It is a Peerless Art. Only those with Innate Spiritual Awakened can use my Secret Medicine to sense the Great Sun Essence Qi and cultivate this Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill."

At this moment, shock appeared on Wang Jin's face.

"Did Brother Shen just say that the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill is a Superior Grade Martial Art? A Peerless Art ranked above Superior Grade Martial Art?"

A smile appeared on Shen Congyun's face. "Naturally. The Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill is indeed a Peerless Art ranked above Superior Grade Martial Art. Moreover, even among Peerless Arts, it was originally an exceptionally profound and exquisite one."

"What price would Brother Shen require before being willing to pass this Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill on to me?" Wang Jin spoke up, and a look of yearning immediately appeared in his eyes.

As someone who pursued the Martial Path, who would not yearn for a powerful Martial Arts Technique?

Not to mention that the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill was a Peerless Art that strengthened the Five Viscera and Six Bowels. It would be of immense help to him, strengthening his Five Viscera and Six Bowels, restoring his bodily functions, and prolonging his life.

That way, he would have a chance to advance another step and enter the ranks of Martial Dao Sixth Rank.

"Consider it settled!" Shen Congyun smiled and continued, "You and I address each other as brothers, and I think highly of Old Brother Wang's talent. Naturally, I'm willing to invest in Old Brother Wang. So if Old Brother Wang wants to learn this Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill, it won't be difficult."

"However..."

Wang Jin immediately picked up the thread. "However what?"

Shen Congyun continued, "However, I hope Old Brother Wang will be mentally prepared. This Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill isn't complete. I don't possess a complete version capable of being cultivated to the Perfected Realm either."

"To what level can it be cultivated?" Wang Jin hurriedly asked. This technique concerned whether he could restore his bodily functions and pursue the path to Martial Dao Sixth Rank, so naturally, he cared about this immensely.

Shen Congyun said, "I only possess the method for cultivating the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill to Great Completion. The most crucial method for the Perfected Realm is missing. But even the Great Completion version of the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill is comparable to a Superior Grade Martial Art. Thus, if Old Brother Wang can cultivate the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill to Great Completion—Five Viscera Thunder Sound and Inner Breath Like Gang—that will be the realm of Great Success Inner Strength, allowing him to enter the ranks of Martial Dao Fourth Rank."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin immediately felt a great weight lift from his heart, and a smile spread across his face.

"That's enough! Even if it's an incomplete method, it's still comparable to a Superior Grade Martial Art. If I can cultivate it to Great Success Inner Strength, Five Viscera Thunder Sound, and Inner Breath Like Gang, how could that not be enough? A Martial Path expert with Fifth Grade Great Success Inner Strength would be no more than that."

Shen Congyun sighed faintly, his expression filled with deep regret. "That may be true, but the most essential and refined part of the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill lies in the Perfected Realm."

"Draw the Great Sun Fire of Wu Time into the body. Let the body become a Furnace, and refine the Golden Elixir within."

"Once the Golden Elixir is formed, it embodies the legendary meaning: 'Swallow a Golden Elixir into the belly, and my fate is mine to command, not Heaven's.'"

"Only then can it truly be called a Peerless Art. At the very least, one can gain a lifespan of over a hundred years, while the Inner Breath will undergo an even more fundamental transformation."

Hearing this, Wang Jin's eyes lit up as well. Such a powerful Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill had practically shattered his understanding.

But immediately afterward, his gaze dimmed slightly.

The core of this technique was missing. Even Shen Congyun, the Deputy Pavilion Master of Myriad Blossom Pavilion here, could not find the missing core method. What basis did Wang Jin have for thinking he could find it?

At this moment, Shen Congyun walked shoulder to shoulder with Wang Jin, and he was extremely satisfied with Wang Jin.

Wang Jin was an Innate Spiritual Awakened whom he had discovered by chance. He had therefore conducted a test, and after confirming today that Wang Jin had reached Initiation in the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Life Skill, he had completely made up his mind to invest in and support Wang Jin.

The reason Myriad Blossom Pavilion had opened branches throughout every Commandery and county of Great Xia's Nine Provinces was that its network of connections was unfathomably broad and deep.

Whenever they discovered a talent worth investing in, they often supported that person while they were still weak, or helped them resolve their troubles when they encountered difficulties.

As the saying went, there were many who added flowers to brocade, but few who sent charcoal in the snow.

Once a genius they supported managed to grow, such an investment would bring enormous returns.

A strong person's favor was worth more than ten thousand pieces of gold and desperately hard to obtain.

And Wang Jin was the genius Shen Congyun had taken notice of.

A genius remained a genius even when he was advanced in years.