A Higher-Order Orthodox Method?

At these words, everyone around them looked up, gazing at An Jing in surprise or delight. The crowd quickly grew noisy.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother!" "Wow, as expected of Big Brother An!" "Could it be that Senior Brother has already finished learning both mental cultivation methods and martial techniques? So quickly?!" "Of course!" "That's Senior Brother for you..."

For a while, the entire training ground rang with congratulations and praise. Everyone was happy for An Jing.

After all, An Jing had already proved that whenever he learned a cultivation method, he taught it to others sincerely. Whether they could learn it was another matter, but he never kept anything to himself.

If so, what did it matter if An Jing learned the orthodox method ahead of them? If they lacked the talent to learn it, that was fine. And if they had the talent, An Jing would be able to guide them later.

If anything, they ought to let An Jing learn it early! Then he could draw on even more experience when he helped them, his juniors.

It wasn't as though nobody was jealous.

But what use was jealousy? Learning martial arts wasn't like studying literature. If you couldn't beat someone, you simply couldn't beat them. There was no talking tough about it; do that, and you'd just get beaten again.

In response to all their warm congratulations, An Jing cupped his fists in a salute, then followed Instructor Li to the Medicine Pavilion, half delighted.

He was delighted, of course, because of the orthodox method. The Linyuan Qi-Nurturing Stake and Armor-Piercing True Energy hadn't been particularly difficult for him. He had long since cultivated them to great mastery, nearing perfection. Now that he could obtain an even higher-level orthodox method to improve himself, how could he not be pleased?

The other half of his feelings was much more complicated: curiosity, worry, doubt, and calm all mingled together.

He hadn't expected to be so highly regarded. It had thrown his plans into disarray.

Still, plans could be changed. This was also an opportunity for him.

Ever since he had heard that strange sound in the Medicine Pavilion last time, An Jing had been paying close attention to this central building of Xuanming Manor.

Unfortunately, the inspection took place only once every five days, and the time was too short. He also had to lead his team, leaving him no time to examine his surroundings carefully. This time, he ought to get the chance.

An Jing also knew that the beast meat and medicinal liquids had originally come from the Medicine Pavilion. They were roughly processed there before being sent to the kitchen's back room for preparation.

And as far as he could tell, today did seem to be a "meat-eating" day. If he was lucky, there was a good chance he'd get to see the raw materials for the various beast meats and medicinal liquids.

The truth would soon be revealed.

Before long, Instructor Li went to pay his respects to the Manor Master, while An Jing waited at the Medicine Pavilion's entrance.

"Well, if it isn't our Little Chief this time around!" "Congratulations! There aren't many who get taught an orthodox method before the trial." "Not bad, kid."

The alchemists coming and going from the Medicine Pavilion all knew An Jing. Several of them had overseen his physical examinations and had grown quite familiar with him, so they made a point of greeting him with a smile.

An Jing naturally returned each greeting with courtesy, then pretended to casually observe the surroundings and the alchemists coming and going.

There weren't many alchemists—seven in all—and they were all studying under Manor Master Yao. They came and went frequently, mostly to gather the herbs drying outside beside the Medicine Pavilion and cart them inside, load after load.

An Jing recognized many of them as the main ingredients in the medicinal liquids they drank. He didn't recognize some of the others, and couldn't tell what those herbs were used for.

Aside from that, there were quite a few large water vats arranged in the open spaces on either side of the Medicine Pavilion. An Jing didn't find this strange. This world had no running-water system, so naturally they needed to store a little extra water for making medicine.

As he waited, An Jing happened to see a group of servants come out carrying water vats from the Medicine Pavilion, then bring some others inside.

The only strange thing was that all the vats gave off a strong, sweet, fishy medicinal smell.

Some wobbled as they were carried, heavy with whatever they held. They seemed to be full.

"Could they be using water vats to store medicine?"

At first, An Jing found it hard to imagine. But then he remembered that the Medicine Pavilion had to prepare medicine for hundreds of people, and it no longer seemed strange.

Hm?

Just as An Jing was about to commit the herbs he had seen to memory so he could ask Gu Yeqi to identify them later, he suddenly stopped observing.

His brow furrowed. He sniffed, and immediately caught a familiar smell of "meat."

It was here.

A massive shadow appeared in the Medicine Pavilion's main doorway. Two alchemists, drenched in sweat, and three instructors chanted as they pushed an enormous, heavy freight cart out through the entrance.

A rich meaty aroma wafted from it. An Jing took a closer look and was stunned.

Because the cart was carrying nothing but bones.

All kinds of beast bones, stripped completely clean!

"What kind of wild beasts are these?"

An Jing could make out wolf and tiger bones, jackal and leopard bones, even a pair of enormous bull horns, and the wing bones of birds.

The various beast bones, scraped completely clean, were piled into a small mountain. It took a freight cart and several strong men to push them out.

"It's stuck!" Halfway out, the cart caught on a small depression in the Medicine Pavilion's steps. An Jing saw what had happened and immediately knew this was his chance. He stepped forward at once.

"Can you manage it, An Jing?" The instructors had been about to put their backs into it themselves, but when they saw An Jing come forward to help, they smiled. "Don't hurt your back."

"Of course I can." As An Jing drew close, he saw that the beast bones truly were extraordinary. Even their smell carried a strange vitality that stirred up irritability in the heart. He suppressed the feeling and suddenly exerted himself.

Armor-Piercing True Energy burst forth. In an instant, An Jing lifted the entire freight cart slightly and raised it out of the depression.

"Impressive!" Even the instructors couldn't help praising him. "You've mastered Armor-Piercing True Energy completely. You can channel it through all four limbs and your whole body, not just your hands and legs. No wonder the Manor Master is going to teach you an orthodox method."

"Enough, we've still got work to do. You're one lucky kid."

An Jing watched as the group pushed the cart away. He noticed the instructors had looked deeply envious when they spoke of the "orthodox method." He wondered, Could it be that none of these instructors learned a complete orthodox method?

That made sense. They were probably among the ones who had learned martial techniques but failed to master them completely, and were eliminated. Even Instructor Li probably hadn't learned the full orthodox method.

It was possible, but not very important.

Because just now, while standing close, An Jing had noticed what was truly special about those beast bones.

Patterns...

An Jing murmured to himself, recalling the strange details on the bones. "Those beast bones had all these gray-black, bizarre patterns. Just looking at them made me feel a little dizzy..."

For a moment, an inexplicable anger rose in his heart, but it quickly faded. An Jing grew alert. "Are those patterns the source of Violent Roar?"

Did you have to endure that mad urge to roar in order to remain at Xuanming Manor?

"This definitely isn't the meat of ordinary Fierce Beasts! It's not as though I've never seen Fierce Beast meat... Could it be a Demon, a... Demon?"

While An Jing was still pondering this, Instructor Li came down.

"Go on."

His single eye was also filled with envy. "The Manor Master is waiting for you."

An Jing came back to himself and nodded at once, then went upstairs.

Manor Master Yao usually didn't stay in the Medicine Pavilion. He traveled around, observing how the herbs in the fields on either side were growing, and often came to inspect the children's training as well. He only stayed in the Medicine Pavilion all day when it was time to examine everyone's bodies or on the day they ate meat.

An Jing also knew that many instructors called Manor Master Yao "Vice Envoy Yao." Xuanming Manor was a branch of a large organization, and the Manor Master was one of its officers. Even Yao wasn't his surname; it was his post.

"Vice Envoy" meant there was also a "Chief Envoy." Besides cultivating members, the Manor's main purpose was to refine medicine.

Before long, An Jing arrived on the fifth floor.

"Little An."

Manor Master Yao was sitting at his desk, reviewing some applications. A strange, wide-mouthed vessel of dark gold sat on the desk, gleaming with an unusual light.

He saw An Jing standing in the doorway and casually looked up. "Come in. Sit."

Seeing An Jing sit across from him without a word, all proper and respectful, Manor Master Yao couldn't help remarking, "You're really calm. I told you that I was going to teach you an orthodox method, yet you haven't even looked happy. You really don't seem like a child."

"Because I know that a greater gift means greater expectations."

An Jing lowered his head slightly and spoke with genuine earnestness. "I'm certainly happy that the Manor Master and all the instructors and teachers approve of me. But I also understand that this is a heavy responsibility, one I must take seriously."

"Mm."

Manor Master Yao's expression didn't change. He took an unremarkable-looking booklet from a drawer and handed it to An Jing. "Take a look."

An Jing glanced at Manor Master Yao, then picked up the booklet.

<Imperial Heaven Piercing-God One-Origin Qi-Nurturing Method>