Testing

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed...

[Qi Yu]

[Realm: Eighth Rank Blood Explosion]

[Combat Power: 22~32]

[Skill Points: 22]

[Skill: Spirit Serpent Skill, Mastered (6/16)]

[Demon Bear Posture Nurturing Method (2/2)]

[Strange Swallow Posture Nurturing Method (2/2)]

[Demon Alligator Posture Nurturing Method (2/2)]

[White Monkey Posture Nurturing Method (2/2)]

[Wild Horse Posture Nurturing Method (2/2)]

[Five Plum Blossom Fist Practice Method (4/4)]

[Mystic Tiger Fist Practice Method (4/4)]

[Rooster Fist Practice Method (4/4)]

Lines of information emerged...

Qi Yu watched in silence.

In theory, learning new posture nurturing methods and practice methods should have earned him twenty-two Skill Points.

In reality, however, the amount had been cut in half, leaving only twelve. Adding the five he originally had and the five brought by the Spirit Serpent Skill, he had finally reached twenty-two.

Clearly, although these skills were different, there were some hidden "overlaps" between them. Because of this, the Skill Points he gained through cultivation had been reduced by nearly half.

It was easy to imagine that if he continued cultivating these low-level nurturing methods and practice methods, the Skill Points he gained afterward would only grow fewer and fewer, until... there were none left.

With all nine postures complete...

At home...

Qi Yu looked once more at the ninth posture of Hunyuan Contending Force.

He took a deep breath, silently recited Heaven rewards diligence, then slowly assumed the [Spirit Serpent Posture] and began adjusting it, merging the other eight postures into it one by one until he had formed the ninth posture recorded in that golden book.

All nine of his postures were flawless, without the slightest imperfection.

After merging them, he quietly stood in the ninth posture of Hunyuan Contending Force.

One breath...

Two breaths...

Ten breaths...

Twenty breaths...

A hundred breaths...

Half an incense stick...

One incense stick...

Joy welled up in Qi Yu's heart. Did I succeed?

But just after that one incense stick had burned, he suddenly felt a creeping sensation like ants crawling through his flesh. A fine, dense itchiness began at his feet, waist, and abdomen, then swept over his entire body like a tide.

Immediately afterward, his limbs felt as though they had been filled with lead, and every breath grew heavy and labored.

"I can't stop..."

He gritted his teeth and held on.

Yet the harder he exerted himself, the more sluggish and oppressive the numb ache became. Gradually... he felt as if his muscles and bones were fighting one another, while his qi and blood churned inside him like a turbulent vortex. His breath caught in his throat, as though he were drowning.

Bang!

In the end, he could hold on no longer. He fell backward onto the ground with a heavy thud and gasped for breath, taking a long while before he staggered back to his feet.

The panel still showed no change. The words Hunyuan Contending Force had yet to appear.

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and sighed softly. "Looks like I still have to ask Uncle Yan for guidance."

Study, secret chamber.

The candlelight flickered dimly...

In the dim light and shadows, the youth clenched his teeth and practiced the posture methods once more. But before an incense stick had burned, his legs suddenly gave way, and his entire body crashed to the ground.

The dragging sound of heavy chains approached from afar...

Lu Yan looked down at him, his brows knitting slightly. He reached out, lifted him up, and laid him flat on the low table.

The table was covered with plain white linen, and several silver needles lay neatly arranged. This was where he usually administered acupuncture.

Lu Yan pressed his fingertips to Qi Yu's pulse and examined it carefully, but... the more he looked, the more puzzled he became.

Hunyuan Contending Force had always been mysterious—either one knew it, or one didn't.

For someone who didn't, twenty or thirty breaths was already the limit. For someone who did, that meant they had entered the threshold; they would not collapse after standing for merely one incense stick.

Yet this boy had managed to hold on for an entire incense stick?

So, did he know it or not?

Once Qi Yu's breathing had steadied somewhat, Lu Yan withdrew his hand and said calmly, "Show me the nine posture methods you practiced."

Qi Yu slowly sat up. He was ultimately somewhat dejected, and said in a low voice, "Uncle Yan, am I... simply incapable?"

He felt that the techniques of these great sects truly were extraordinary. Even after giving it everything he had, he could not even touch the threshold.

He had originally been brimming with ambition, but now... this was the first time he had discovered how cruel reality could be.

He had nothing but the bone structure of a wastrel. Before a true genius, he did not even possess the qualifications to draw near. He was an ordinary person—ordinary to the point of being utterly unremarkable.

And this was merely the entry-level posture method of Uncle Yan's sect!

Lu Yan said indifferently, "Stand in the postures."

Qi Yu nodded, then assumed the posture methods one after another.

Lu Yan watched seriously.

As he watched, he suddenly understood.

Every posture of the youth before him was utterly perfect, without the slightest flaw. He murmured inwardly, No wonder... he's relying on perfect postures to forcibly keep himself going. That's how he managed to stand for an entire incense stick.

Immediately afterward, he could not help sighing. "Perfection is easy; flawlessness is difficult.

Even a monstrous talent like this can't enter the threshold... Hunyuan Contending Force truly wasn't meant for humans to practice.

If I had known I couldn't learn it, why did I risk my life stealing these remnants of the golden book? Now I'm covered in injuries and still can't recover."

Then Lu Yan began pondering again.

As he thought, his eyes suddenly lit up. "There's one other method."

With that, he coughed several times, then put on a stern expression. "This is what we use in my sect... to guide dull-witted disciples. Give it a try."

Qi Yu said respectfully, "Uncle Yan, please teach me."

Lu Yan leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Do this and this, then do that and that..."

As Qi Yu listened, a trace of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

Third Master Qi's residence, afternoon.

A martial artist in fine clothes entered the courtyard carrying a gift box, while the steward respectfully led the way.

The man walked briskly, a smile in his eyes. From afar, he waved at Qi Yu. "Brother Yu! It's been a long time. I've been running around outside these past few days and couldn't even visit during the New Year..."

Qi Yu raised his eyes.

The visitor was Sun Li.

His former hanger-on, who had once attended to him at every turn, now carried himself with an entirely different bearing.

But according to Wang Yuan, this fellow had joined Qi Feng long ago.

With a turn of his thoughts, Qi Yu recalled the Qi Family gathering on New Year's Eve, and how Qi Feng had used the excuse of offering guidance to spar with him. Understanding dawned in his heart.

At the time, Qi Feng had wanted to test him—to sound out his depths—since he had displayed a certain amount of talent.

And today, Sun Li had come over under Qi Feng's orders as well, most likely to see how far his cultivation had progressed.

Qi Yu sighed inwardly.

That cousin of his was truly cautious. His second branch had practically secured the inheritance of the Qi Family, and had taken control of the Poison Water Army, while the Herb Gathering Pavilion already occupied eight-tenths of the market. Yet he still had to keep an eye on this potential competitor of his.

"Little Li, you came at just the right time. I heard Golden Wind Jade Dew Pavilion has a new girl. I was just worrying about having no one to accompany me. Want to come along?"

Golden Wind Jade Dew Pavilion was the largest brothel in Mount Wei City. It did not belong to any local power in Mount Wei City; supposedly, some outside faction had opened it here through its connections with the city lord.

Precisely because the brothel did not belong to any major power, the young masters of every family were especially fond of it. After all... everyone could compete fairly here, vie fairly for a maiden's first night, and fight fairly for the title of top courtesan. The establishment would not favor one side over another.

Qi Yu had often visited the place in the past. His squabbles with the young masters of the Wang Family, and the fights he had started by dragging people into them, had all happened there. The Umbrella Sect believer who had made him spend a fortune merely to exchange for a scented sachet had also been encountered on the way there.

A flicker of surprise crossed Sun Li's eyes, but he immediately put on a broad smile. "Brother Yu, haven't you been diligently practicing martial arts lately? How could you... Well, lust is a knife that scrapes the bones."

"Just fooling around."

Qi Yu lowered his voice. "After all... we've grown up. We have to shoulder some responsibilities."

Sun Li's smile deepened, though his tone deliberately carried a note of emotion. "That's right. We've grown up. Some burdens... have to be shouldered whether we want to or not."

Qi Yu said, "Little Li, you seem to be in good spirits today. Really not coming along?"

Sun Li hurriedly waved his hands. "Brother Yu, you're joking. I came back in a hurry this time, and I have to rush back to work soon... Let's get together another day!"

"Fine, Little Li. Another day, then." Qi Yu answered lazily and turned to leave.

Sun Li followed him out. When he saw Qi Yu climb into Old Gu's carriage and gradually disappear into the distance, the contempt in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

He gave a cold laugh and thought, Still just as useless. Young Master Qi Feng really was worrying too much.

Another day?

Heh, in a little while, when you see me, you'll have no choice but to bow your head and call me Brother Li.

And I... will have to call you Little Yu. Hmph!

Qi Yu sat in the carriage, thinking about Uncle Yan's method.

That method was: dancing.

Compared with martial arts, the Way of Dance was practically unknown, found only among the flowers. How could it ever stand on a proper stage?

And yet...

Dance and martial arts were alike. Both were ancient, time-honored methods that could awaken humanity's innate vitality and strengthen the body.

Besides that, he vaguely remembered that in the game [Abandoned World], dancing... had also received quite a few solo close-ups during the worship of the gods.

Those scenes of people wearing mysterious golden Nuo masks and dancing lightly beneath towering, terrifying divine statues had been extremely exquisite... It was just that, at the time, he had always hammered "skip, skip, skip" and had never paid close attention.

Martial arts were hard; the Way of Dance was soft.

If qi and blood were sluggish and brute force clashed against itself, why not go against the grain, use softness to guide hardness, and transform violence into smoothness?

"I'll give it a try. This is the method Uncle Yan's sect uses to guide its dull-witted disciples.

Surely... now that I have a panel, I can't be inferior even to those dull-witted disciples, can I?"

A breath of stubbornness remained in Qi Yu's heart.

Was he really that stupid?

So stupid that he could not even learn the entry-level posture method of a great sect?