Lu Chen pulled out the manual and opened to the first page.
There were no earth-shattering techniques or domineering moves. The entire manual described how to emulate the mountains and rivers of the earth, refine one's blood and qi, and cultivate inner power until it became rich, enduring, and resilient.
Among all top-grade Yellow-tier techniques, its cultivation speed ranked among the slowest.
But its advantages were just as striking.
It built a solid foundation and offered enduring stamina. The inner power it cultivated was pure and rich, making it extremely difficult to suffer a cultivation deviation. It also naturally countered and defended against all kinds of yin-cold and poisonous baleful qi.
"Slowest to cultivate?"
"But the one thing I have plenty of is time to cultivate."
A glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.
This technique was practically tailor-made for him!
With the Deduction System, the last thing Lu Chen feared was cultivating. All he had to do was handle more corpses.
"This is the one!"
After choosing his technique, Lu Chen didn't linger. He took the copy of Bedrock Art and left the Armory.
Back in the Corpse Handling Room, he braced the stone door shut with a massive boulder. Only after making sure there was no chance of anything going wrong did he lay out everything he had gained.
Bedrock Art, a bottle of Foundation Elixirs, and a Hundred Refinements Saber.
He sat cross-legged, sank his mind into his consciousness, and opened the System Panel, which had already turned silver-white.
"System, activate the Deduction Furnace!"
[The Deduction Furnace has been activated. Please insert the martial arts you wish to fuse.]
Lu Chen made his choice without hesitation.
"Insert Turtle Breath Meditation Method and Bedrock Art!"
[Detected an unranked technique, Turtle Breath Meditation Method, and a top-grade Yellow-tier technique, Bedrock Art. The two techniques have similar attributes and a high compatibility. They can be fused.] [Fusion will use Bedrock Art as its foundation and absorb the prolonged-breathing trait of Turtle Breath Meditation Method. It is estimated to produce a brand-new top-grade Yellow-tier technique.] [Would you like to consume ten years of Demon Devil Lifespan to perform fusion deduction?]
Ten years!
It would take ten years of lifespan just to fuse them!
Lu Chen's heart ached, but he still gritted his teeth and confirmed.
"Yes!"
[Command confirmed. Consuming ten years of Demon Devil Lifespan. Fusion commencing...]
On the silver-white book, the image of a phantom furnace appeared. The two manuals transformed into streaks of light and flew inside, where a blazing, illusory flame leaped up.
Countless insights about breathing, exhaling, circulating qi, and Foundation Establishment surged through Lu Chen's mind like a bursting dam, intertwining, colliding, shattering, and reassembling!
The process was far more painful than simply having knowledge poured into him. His brain felt as if it would burst from the sheer volume of information.
But when the dust finally settled, a brand-new silver manual, radiating a weighty aura, slowly formed on the System Panel.
[Fusion successful!] [Congratulations, host. You have obtained a brand-new technique—Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art!] [Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art (top-grade Yellow-tier): Fusing the solidity of Bedrock Art with the longevity of the Black Tortoise, the inner power it cultivates flows ceaselessly and boasts astonishing defensive power. It also has a slight nourishing effect on one's lifespan.]
The five ancient, weighty silver characters of Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art hovered quietly above the System Panel. Every stroke seemed to hold the weight of mountains and the steadfastness of the earth.
Lu Chen slowly withdrew his mind from the profound fusion process. He felt as if all his energy had been completely drained, yet a never-before-felt sense of solidity and weight had risen within his dantian.
Without the slightest hesitation, he poured a pill from the White Jade Porcelain Bottle. It was the size of a longan, pure white all over, and gave off a faint herbal fragrance.
A Foundation Elixir!
Its medicinal power was gentle and enduring. It was specially made to build one's foundation, strengthen one's root, and keep one's mind steady. It was perfectly suited to his newly created Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art.
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth. Unlike the scorching, explosive heat of the Qi and Blood Pill, it became a cool yet mighty stream of warmth, like a mountain brook winding through his limbs before finally flowing into his dantian.
His foundation, which had been slightly unstable after the fusion, became incomparably solid under the nourishment of this pure medicinal power.
"System!" Lu Chen seized the moment and urgently issued a command in his heart. "Pour all my remaining Demon Devil Lifespan into Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art!"
[Command confirmed.] [Detected that the host has 118 years of Demon Devil Lifespan remaining. Beginning infusion into Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art...]
The silver-white book blazed with light, and the number representing his lifespan began to jump wildly.
[You spent ten years of lifespan cultivating day and night. Through countless breathing cycles, you explored the true meaning of the technique, finally combining the solidity of Bedrock Art with the Black Tortoise's breath and successfully reaching the entry level!] [You spent thirty years of lifespan with a mind as still as water. Emulating the mountains and earth, you repeatedly compressed and refined your inner power until it grew ever richer and more resilient, like solid rock. You reached the Minor Mastery Realm!] [You spent sixty years of lifespan meditating in solitude and comprehending the cycle of life and death and the transformations of the tortoise and serpent. Your inner power now circulated without end, forming an invisible barrier around you. Water and fire could not penetrate it, and all poisons were warded off. Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art reached great mastery!]
A full one hundred years!
When the number on the panel finally settled on "eighteen," a completely different power suddenly awakened within Lu Chen!
If his Turtle Breath Inner Qi had once been no more than a gentle stream, then now, the inner power in his dantian was a bottomless, frigid pool! It was black as night and heavy as a mountain. As it slowly revolved, it carried an age-old stillness and an unshakable solemnity.
Lu Chen drew a deep breath. His breath lasted for an inconceivably long time, as if it had completely merged with the primordial qi of heaven and earth, leaving no distinction between them.
In that instant, his heartbeat, breathing, and even the flow of his blood all slowed to a barely perceptible level.
Sitting cross-legged, he seemed, to anyone who didn't look at him and sensed only his aura, like a cold, lifeless rock perfectly blended into the gloomy Corpse Handling Room.
Concealment! Hiding! Defense!
This technique was practically an unrivaled manual tailor-made for a cautious man like him!
Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes. A glimmer of light, as weighty as a mountain, flashed and vanished.
He clenched his fist, feeling explosive power fill his body, yet that power was perfectly restrained within him, not leaking out in the slightest.
Lu Chen was intensely confident that if he faced the Corpse Vine Demon Tree again, he could even withstand several strikes from its vines without a scratch, relying on the terrifying defensive power of his great mastery of Ten Thousand Year Black Tortoise Art!
Just then, a series of hurried, forceful bangs on the door rang out, accompanied by Foreman Wang's shrill, grating voice. It pierced Lu Chen's ears like demonic music.
"Lu Chen! Lu Chen! Get your ass out here! I've got a huge piece of good news waiting for you!"