The next morning, before dawn had broken, the wind and snow let up a little. Xiao Ran and the others climbed back onto the sled. The Crimson Blood Horse truly lived up to its name as an Exotic Species. Pulling six people and a tiger, it still raced across the soft snow, leaving two long tracks behind.
The town's lights and last night's clamor quickly faded behind them. Ahead lay only a vast snowfield and ranks of dead trees laden with thick rime.
Seated on the sled, Xiao Ran opened the second half of the real Suppression Scripture, which he had obtained from Yinshan Daoist the night before.
The cold wind bit at his cheeks, but his mind was completely absorbed in the tiny characters on the yellowed pages.
With his current understanding of the Yan Sheng Art, he could tell at a glance which parts of the book were true.
The various "arts" described in the first half were strange and varied. Some were clever combinations and unorthodox applications he had never considered, but their core principles coincided with the system of Yan Sheng Art he had pieced together himself, based on the Soul Cultivation Technique. The two even verified and supplemented each other.
This settled his mind. He had indeed chosen the right path.
However, when he reached the second half, which explained the essence of "methods," Xiao Ran's brow gradually furrowed.
What it recorded were not specific Yan Sheng techniques, but a way to guide and amplify the power of an "art," even "package" it into a more universal and controllable kind of "rule."
The bizarre six-legged toad on Yinshan Daoist's chest seemed to be an extreme example of this "method"—a transformation that turned an intangible art into something solid and tangible.
The six-legged toad on Yinshan