25 (Thanks Pingchuwu Alliance Leader)

"All right, would I go around telling people that this old Daoist once fought through the entire Great Dao Sect alone in his youth if I were just blowing hot air?" Zhang Xuan sneered.

"Enough, enough, seriously, stop bragging." Zhang Xintai hurriedly cut off his old man's nonsense.

"Junior Brother Rongfang, you've now practiced the Yue Type Talisman as well. Looking at you, I'm afraid you can't possibly be merely at Blood Nourishing, can you?"

His eye was exceptionally sharp. Even Zhao Dacong could sense that something was off; through their interactions, he had discovered that Zhang Rongfang was hiding a secret.

"I'm merely an ordinary Barbarian Confucian. Even if my martial arts amount to something in the future, so what? The little I've concealed is only for self-protection, hardly worth mentioning."

Zhang Rongfang did not deny it. He had indeed deliberately revealed a few signs, but what he had intentionally displayed was merely the level of having just entered Tendon Forging.

After all, whether one possessed great strength or not was often difficult to conceal during sparring.

You could pretend to be panting for breath, but your heartbeat, pulse, whether you were sweating, and whether your skin was flushed with blood—these were all giveaways.

"Barbarian Confucian? Heh, what's the problem with that? If your martial arts are strong enough, the Imperial Court will still put you to important use.

Great Ling valued martial prowess over letters these days. Don't be fooled by how grueling martial arts were to practice, or by how one unarmed person could not defeat more than a few elite soldiers. But if a top expert donned armor, wielded a weapon, and charged on horseback, he could truly serve as a vanguard general!"

Zhang Xintai said with a smile.

At once, he stopped wasting words. After bidding Zhang Xuan farewell, he pulled Zhang Rongfang toward the Disciple Room.

He moved Zhang Rongfang's belongings and arranged a different room for him.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Zhang Xintai called Zhang Rongfang up.

The two made their way once again to Zhang Xuan Pavilion.

That stubborn old man had already completed a set of exercises and was waiting there ahead of time.

Seeing the two arrive late, he did not grow angry.

"From now on, get up an hour earlier."

"Yes." Zhang Rongfang immediately sensed the difference. Over at Xiao Rong's place, no one cared what time he got up.

Xiao Rong had simply let him roam free like a sheep in the wild.

Things seemed different here.

Before he could gather his thoughts, Zhang Xuan had already turned and headed for the rear door of the pavilion.

"Come on, follow him." Zhang Xintai gave him a push and followed after him.

Zhang Rongfang hurriedly followed.

The three arrived behind the pavilion.

The backyard was a separate area, roughly one-tenth the size of the training grounds. It was more than spacious enough for several people to practice martial arts.

Zhang Xuan was already standing before a weapon rack, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the two of them.

"You chose the path of a Martial Cultivator. Show me your Yue Type Talisman."

"Yes."

Zhang Rongfang stepped forward, took his opening stance, and began methodically demonstrating the Yue Type Talisman.

Before long, he had completed all thirty-two moves. He let out a long breath, withdrew his stance, and stood still.

"Very smooth. The Yue Type Talisman needs no further teaching." Zhang Xuan suddenly stepped forward and, moving with extreme speed, grabbed Zhang Rongfang's arm.

"Here." He squeezed with one hand. His strength was like an Eagle Claw, nearly punching five holes through Zhang Rongfang's arm.

Instinctively, Zhang Rongfang felt a piercing sense of danger rush straight at him.

He hurriedly exerted force, trying to break free.

Their strength collided.

Zhang Xuan swayed slightly, released his hand, and smiled.

"Good kid. So you really have entered Tendon Forging. Interesting." He turned his head toward Zhang Xintai beside him.

"He's practiced martial arts for a year?"

"More or less." Zhang Xintai nodded.

"Good!" Zhang Xuan slapped Zhang Rongfang hard across the back. "Such fine stock, and that Xiao Rong was truly blind as a bat! Hahaha!"

He immediately burst into hearty laughter.

Zhou Ze was said to advance one level a year and had only entered Tendon Forging after two years. Yet Zhang Rongfang had done so in one year. His physical talent was clearly even stronger than Zhou Ze's.

Throughout all of Qinghe Temple, this was among the most outstanding aptitude.

"Unfortunately, our Great Dao Sect's martial arts are not strong. We place importance on cultivation and recuperation. With your aptitude, practicing the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic is somewhat of a waste. But—"

His tone shifted.

"But in these times, living long is the hard truth. Martial arts only need to provide basic self-defense. Medical skill, cultivation, and connections are the keys."

"Master speaks wisely." Zhang Rongfang's scalp prickled. That sudden attack had exposed his foundation completely.

Clearly, this new master was not nearly as easy to fool as Xiao Rong had been.

"Don't be afraid. Since your Yue Type Talisman has already reached completion, your next step is to use it to break the limit and enter the ranks."

"Our method of entering the ranks differs from that of other sects. Our Great Dao Sect's Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic is called a talisman classic, but its first seven talisman arts are all martial arts, while the latter five are medical skills."

"In other words, for the Great Dao Sect's techniques, the limit for Martial Cultivators is Seventh Grade. Breaking the limit with one talisman art advances you one grade. Seven arts make Seven Grades. That is the defining feature of our martial arts."

Zhang Rongfang was slightly stunned. This was the first time he had heard such a thing.

Before he could ask, Zhang Xuan continued.

"But even these Seven Grades are immensely difficult. You must practice every talisman art to completion, then repeatedly use different talisman arts to break through the limit."

He smiled.

"And don't look down on the fact that we can only reach Seventh Grade. The further one progressed in the grades, the smaller the difference became. Seventh Grade and Ninth Grade were not actually far apart in physique, strength, movement techniques, or any other aspect.

"More often than not, once one reached that level, the gap between strength and weakness lay not in the number of limit-breaking martial arts one knew, but in realm, tactics, strategy, and equipment."

"This disciple understands." Zhang Rongfang understood. He had heard in many places that the gap between grades was not all that great.

Now, Zhang Xuan was merely applying that notion to the high-grade levels.

"However, our Great Dao Sect has always valued harmony above all else. Emptiness Conquers Form, and Flexibility is Supreme amid ten thousand changes. So long as martial arts can protect you, that is enough. Do not use them to compete for supremacy. No matter how strong your martial arts are, can they surpass a crossbow?"

Zhang Xuan cautioned him again.

So he was plainly saying that their martial arts were rather weak, and that when outside, it was best not to fight if possible.

Zhang Rongfang automatically translated the meaning in his mind.

"All right. Since you've already trained the Yue Type Talisman to completion, there's no need to wait for your body to adapt when it comes to moves. What talisman art do you want to practice next?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Can I choose anything?" Zhang Rongfang asked in return.

"For others, I would tell them to proceed step by step. But you may choose for yourself." Zhang Xuan nodded, narrowing his eyes as he stroked several strands of his beard.

"May I ask, Master, which talisman art in our sect practices movement techniques?" Zhang Rongfang asked again.

"Not bad. No matter where you are, if your movement techniques are good, then even if you can't win, at least you can still run." Zhang Xuan laughed again.

"When it comes to movement techniques, the foremost is the Vitality Talisman! One Qi Towards Origin—when practiced to the ultimate limit-breaking stage, one can briefly leap over eaves and run on walls, covering nearly a zhang in a single bound!"

"One Qi Towards Origin, the Vitality Talisman?" Zhang Rongfang had studied the Talisman Canon for so long that he naturally knew of this first talisman art.

Among the seven talisman arts, the one ranked first was actually the most difficult and the strongest.

"All right, I'll demonstrate it once first." Zhang Xuan said solemnly.

"Yes, Master!" Filled with anticipation, Zhang Rongfang retreated several steps and watched intently.

"The so-called Vitality Talisman trains the breath in the abdomen. Once this breath is raised, the flesh and blood throughout the body work in synergy. Through special training methods, it can make one light as a swallow and increase one's strength.

"The strength of the Vitality Talisman lies in this single breath. Its depth and duration have a great impact on all your subsequent movements."

After explaining, Zhang Xuan suddenly drew in a deep breath.

Hiss.

For a moment, it seemed as though the entire backyard could feel the faint gathering of air currents.

At once, his chest could be seen swelling high.

With a tap of his foot.

Zhang Xuan shot forward in a blur.

His steps were not random, but carried a strange rhythm and cadence. He swiftly circled Zhang Rongfang in a great loop, then returned to his original spot and stood still.

He exhaled.

"Did you see clearly?"

"I saw clearly!" Zhang Rongfang nodded seriously.

"This is the Bewildering Smoke Step within the Vitality Talisman. It is also the key exercise used to train it."

The Vitality Talisman was more difficult to practice than Zhang Rongfang had imagined.

Every step had strict requirements for the force applied. The degrees of heaviness, lightness, slowness, and urgency had to match the state of the Mind Method, while the choice of terrain and ground conditions also had its key points.

Thus, the Vitality Talisman was actually a special talisman art that had to change according to changes in the outside world.

However, Zhang Xuan treated him quite well, teaching him hand in hand and using a bamboo strip at any moment to correct his mistakes.

For an entire morning, Zhang Xuan stayed with him and trained for an entire morning.

They rested twice in between, ate a little food, then continued.

Under such strict instruction, Zhang Rongfang could clearly feel his grasp of the Vitality Talisman growing increasingly proficient.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.

Qinghe Temple, Back Mountain. Night.

"Brother Wuyou, where are you?" Xiao Qingying called softly in the pitch-black Clothes Drying Ground on the Back Mountain.

At night, the roars of Strange Animals would occasionally sound out. The entire Back Mountain seemed dim and mysterious.

After two days, Xiao Qingying received another note from Chen Wuyou.

This time, he had asked her to meet him at the Back Mountain.

Compared with the Mountain Gate from last time, the Back Mountain was clearly much safer.

Without a second thought, Xiao Qingying immediately asked Jiao Teng to let her go out.

Jiao Teng hesitated for a while, but unable to withstand her pleas, he ultimately agreed.

However, his condition was that he had to accompany her and that she was not to run around.

Compared with Zhang Rongfang, this made Xiao Qingying feel that Senior Brother was clearly much better.

Now that Senior Sister Zhao Dacong had been punished and sent to recite scriptures while facing the wall, Jiao Teng specially protected Xiao Qingying every day.

It had to be said that having such an understanding Senior Brother was truly wonderful.

A faint smile could not help but appear on Xiao Qingying's lips.

"Brother Wuyou? Have you come?" she called again.

"Wait." Jiao Teng suddenly gave a soft sound from behind her. "There seems to be someone over there." He held a lantern in one hand and pointed ahead to the right with the other.

Xiao Qingying looked in that direction. The moonlight there was dim, and she could only vaguely make out what seemed to be a person standing there.

"Let's go take a look!" Without waiting for Jiao Teng's reply, she immediately rushed in that direction.

Pfft.

Before she had run more than a few steps, she suddenly felt a pain in the side of her neck, as though something had pricked her.

Her consciousness quickly grew dizzy, and her body rapidly lost all strength.

With a thud, she collapsed to the ground.

"Who!? Who hit me??"

Struggling, Xiao Qingying turned her head back and happened to see Jiao Teng's cold, contemptuous gaze.

"You—"

"Did you bring everything? Junior Brother Wuyou." Jiao Teng no longer looked at her, instead turning toward the figure ahead to the right.

"I told you, don't mention me!!" Chen Wuyou's voice rang out with anger.