Mine Cultivation

"Let's give it a try..."

Mu Ye controlled the character and began cultivating.

Honestly, Crimson Flame Fist sounded like one of those common, run-of-the-mill martial arts.

But only after practicing it did he realize there was actually something to it.

After one round, a prompt said the character's arms were beginning to grow warm. This was stimulating the Divine Apertures hidden in his arms.

A person had two arms, left and right, containing well over a hundred Divine Apertures between them. Once all the Divine Apertures in one arm were opened, one's basic strength would reach at least a thousand jin. Splitting mountains and shattering rocks would be child's play.

Crimson Flame Fist was a Secret Martial Art that opened the Divine Apertures in both arms.

By practicing the moves of Crimson Flame Fist again and again, one stimulated the Divine Apertures in both arms.

Mu Ye controlled the character and practiced for a full hour.

Then.

[Crimson Flame Fist: 1/100]

The proficiency had increased.

"One point per hour... Considering the game's anti-addiction limits, you can train for at most six hours a day. It'll take half a month to reach the first layer."

"Assuming the difficulty doesn't increase as I progress, the second layer will take 200 points. By that calculation... it'll take about two and a half years to reach perfection?"

From the perspective of the game world, that would still count as a highly talented disciple.

The hall master had practiced for more than ten years and only reached the eighth layer. A disciple who could master Crimson Flame Fist in less than three years would probably be considered a Martial Arts Genius in his eyes.

Of course, in reality, that was because there was a proficiency system and because he wasn't accounting for the increased difficulty of later stages.

Just then, the hall master walked over, looking rather pleased.

"I didn't expect you to have such talent in martial arts. You've only seen the Divine Aperture Diagram, yet you can perform every move of Crimson Flame Fist without a single mistake. In all the years of my Divine Fist Martial Hall, your talent ranks among the top three."

Mu Ye thought to himself that Crimson Flame Fist only had a few moves. The real key was the rhythm of the breathing and the force used in the practice.

Even if he weren't a Game Character, practicing it himself wouldn't be very difficult.

"But simply practicing like this won't be enough to open your Divine Apertures."

The hall master believed that a talented disciple had finally appeared. He was very serious. He immediately had someone bring over a brazier blazing with fire, then said solemnly, "Simply practicing like this won't be enough to open your Divine Apertures."

The disciples nearby gathered around too, craning their necks to watch with keen interest.

Some of them seemed to have been through this before and wore the look of spectators enjoying a show.

"To open the Divine Apertures with Crimson Flame Fist, you must place both palms in the brazier before practicing. The flames will deeply stimulate the Divine Apertures in your arms." The hall master looked grave. "This requires firm Willpower and endurance beyond that of ordinary people."

"Huh?" Mu Ye stared at the roaring flames.

Those had to be several hundred degrees, right?

"Do you think a Secret Martial Art that opens the Divine Apertures is that easy to learn?" the hall master said flatly. "If you practice Crimson Flame Fist normally, you'll eventually reach the first-layer bottleneck, and your progress will slow. Only this special method can break through the bottleneck and take you to the next level."

"If you get used to it ahead of time, you'll make even faster progress. This is a step you'll have to face sooner or later if you practice Crimson Flame Fist."

"Won't my arms get cooked if I hold them in the fire?" Mu Ye asked.

"No." The hall master smiled faintly. "Our martial hall has a specially made Medicinal Paste. As long as you keep track of how long you roast your arms, you can apply the paste afterward, and they'll gradually recover."

"The condition is that you must endure the pain of being roasted by raging flames."

"Most people who try to practice Crimson Flame Fist fall at this step."

"Do you want to give it a try?"

Mu Ye pondered.

[1. It's just a brazier. What have I got to fear?]

[2. Master, I'm still a greenhorn. How am I supposed to live if I injure my arms?]

Mu Ye chose 1.

"Excellent!" Yan Zhennan laughed heartily, his eyes full of admiration.

Mu Ye controlled the character and placed both hands in the brazier, moving them back and forth.

A prompt said the character's arms had been injured, but Mu Ye himself felt nothing. The one in pain was the Game Character.

So the character completed the whole ordeal almost expressionlessly, an absolute iron man.

The disciples in the martial hall stared in utter shock.

Even Yan Zhennan was stunned. The character hadn't even furrowed his brow. If he wasn't numb to pain, then he must have extraordinary Willpower!

Back when Yan Zhennan had first started training, he'd managed to endure it, but he'd howled in pain the whole time.

"Could our Divine Fist Martial Hall finally be producing another martial arts prodigy?"

"With Willpower and talent like that, how could he fail to make a name for himself?"

The roasting itself didn't take long.

After just the time it took for one incense stick to burn, his arms were only a little charred.

"Excellent. Come practice Crimson Flame Fist with me now. I'll personally guide you!"

Perhaps because of the choice Mu Ye had made, Yan Zhennan's favorability had risen quite a bit. He was now willing to personally guide him.

The other disciples looked on with envy.

They rarely got the chance to receive the hall master's personal instruction.

Mu Ye controlled the character and practiced alongside Yan Zhennan. Perhaps it was because of the brazier, or perhaps because of the expert guidance, but this time the character's proficiency rose extremely quickly.

Just one hour.

[Crimson Flame Fist: 3/100]

The progress had doubled.

That was a considerable improvement. At this rate, he could reach the first layer in just a few days.

After a few hours of practice, Yan Zhennan had someone bring over a medicinal salve. It was brown and smelled rather foul.

"This was made from a secret recipe of the Divine Fist Martial Hall," Yan Zhennan said with a grin. "It's unique to our martial hall. It smells bad, but it really works. If your constitution isn't poor and you can absorb most of the medicinal power, you'll recover in a few days."

Mu Ye pondered this.

Perhaps this salve was the foundation of the Divine Fist Martial Hall. Without it, even practicing Crimson Flame Fist might not lead to much success.

No wonder the hall master dared to teach Crimson Flame Fist so openly to a newly admitted disciple.

After checking the time, Mu Ye logged off once the character's arms had been covered in salve.

After logging off, Mu Ye immediately followed the Divine Aperture Diagram and practiced Crimson Flame Fist in the Stone House.

"Interesting. It really is synchronized with the player."

Mu Ye mulled it over.

That meant he could practice in the real world too, even though he couldn't see a proficiency panel.

Even without a proficiency panel, Mu Ye felt that his progress seemed pretty good.

A Cultivator at the Qi Refining First Layer could draw in Spiritual Energy from heaven and earth. Perhaps his talent in martial arts wasn't as good as the fixed-template characters in the game.

But his constitution was decent, and he'd even synchronized with the Game Character's progress. At the very least, he wouldn't be clumsy when practicing.

"Mm, looks like my talent in martial arts is pretty high too."

Mu Ye rested, satisfied.

The next day.

Mu Ye arrived at Qinghe Mine and ventured deep inside. The Flame Energy washed over him with a scorching heat, making him frown slightly. He was about to circulate the Foundation Building Art to dispel it.

Suddenly, Mu Ye seemed to think of something.

"I remember the hall master ate some Vermilion Fruit or other, obtained a Natural Treasure, and managed to cultivate to the eighth layer..."

"Practicing Crimson Flame Fist requires roasting yourself over a brazier to stimulate the Divine Apertures..."

"Though this isn't the game world, I wonder if I have Divine Apertures too?"

Body Cultivators were a niche group in the Cultivation World.

Niche meant few people studied them. Otherwise, Body Cultivation methods would have long since become commonplace.

And this idea of Divine Apertures did seem to follow the path of Body Cultivators.

"This mine has a special Flame Energy. Unless they cultivate a fire-aspected technique, other Cultivators who stay in this environment for a long time will have their bodies eroded by the Flame Energy. That's why they need to circulate their cultivation arts and expend Spiritual Power to resist it."

"But what if I don't resist it? What if I absorb the Flame Energy while practicing Crimson Flame Fist? Could that have some miraculous effect?"

At that thought, Mu Ye immediately found a secluded spot in the mine and began to practice.