The Imperial Heaven Piercing-God One-Origin Qi-Nurturing Method

—Imperial Heaven again?

An Jing still remembered that the primer used to teach children to read at Xuanming Manor had been the Huangtian Sutra.

That was not strange. Huangtian was Laotianye, the representative of Cangtian and all Heavenly Will. It was a widespread faith throughout Da Chen and even Huaixu, and many of its legends and teachings were the source of much of Da Chen's culture and laws.

But the Huangtian Sutra was different from this booklet. Huangtian worship was so widespread that many martial arts and techniques claimed to come from it, but they all belonged to various sects.

If all the martial arts at Xuanming Manor followed this naming convention, that suggested it was likely not a sect behind the manor, but a religious order.

An Jing opened the booklet and read it carefully, turning through the pages one by one.

Manor Master Yao watched An Jing read, observing every detail with care.

Only after An Jing finished the entire manual did he ask, "What do you think?"

"Both old and new."

An Jing pondered for a while before speaking slowly. "The core ideas are ancient, but the specific methods of practice have kept pace with the times... Manor Master, the Linyuan Qi-Nurturing Stake and Armor-Piercing True Energy we learned earlier are both described in this manual, aren't they?"

The old man did not answer, so An Jing continued. "The Imperial Heaven Piercing-God One-Origin Qi-Nurturing Method is broadly divided into an overall outline and four major parts."

"The opening section is the general outline."

"The first part is 'Visualization' of Cangtian: No Desire No Self, so that Huangtian may bestow the Mandate of Heaven upon the Heavenly Spirit and bring Creation to the mind and spirit. This should be the fundamental secret method for nurturing the spirit of those with a Fate Grid."

"The second part is 'Abyss-Facing,' using fearlessness to nurture qi."

"The third part is 'Piercing-God,' using certainty to bring strength to its utmost."

"The fourth part is 'Mysterious Steps,' walking the road without confusion."

As he spoke, An Jing looked up and met Manor Master Yao's gaze. At last, a smile had appeared on the old man's face. "Linyuan Nourishing Qi and Armor-Piercing True Energy are precisely the methods of practice obtained by taking 'Abyss-Facing Fearlessness' and 'Piercing-God Unwavering' out of the text as standalone techniques."

"The fundamental meaning of this Imperial Heaven Piercing-God One-Origin Qi-Nurturing Method is 'no doubt, no confusion, no fear, no self.' And the words 'Xuanming Manor' reflect that idea: 'Man is born on earth, his fate hangs from Heaven. When Heaven and Earth unite their qi, they name it man.'"

"Those who can respond to the Four Seasons are regarded by Heaven and Earth as their children... With 'no doubt, no confusion, no fear, no self' and an implicit correspondence with the Four Seasons, it uses ancient legends of Huangtian as a metaphor to guide people onto the Martial Dao—using the ancient to illustrate the new."

At last, An Jing summed up, "It has methods for cultivating the spirit, nurturing qi, martial techniques, and footwork. This is a genuine superior Orthodox Law, one that can lead directly to the Five Scenes of Internal Strengthening and even the Hundred-Refinement Martial Meridian."

"Very good." Manor Master Yao finally broke into a full smile, the first warm, heartfelt one he had shown since An Jing entered the pavilion. "You read it once and understood the entire method, even developing your own ideas and approach."

"You must have noticed already, haven't you? Abyss-Facing, Piercing-God, and Mysterious Steps can help you break through Internal Breath and reach Tide of Internal Breath. They're the methods those instructors practice."

"If you can awaken your Fate Grid, you can use the No Self Focus method to break through to Internal Strengthening."

At this, Manor Master Yao looked at An Jing with some curiosity. "But why... do you think this method can lead directly to the Hundred-Refinement Martial Meridian?"

The Hundred-Refinement Martial Meridian was a realm beyond the Five Scenes of Internal Strengthening. Once all manner of Divine Anomalies had arisen throughout the body, a martial artist used them as a foundation to reforge his own body, opening one human Martial Meridian after another within himself—reaching up to Cangtian and responding below to all the lands. Corresponding to the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man, such a martial artist could dominate several cities' worth of territory.

Manor Master Yao was very curious about the source of An Jing's deduction.

"It's simple." An Jing picked up the booklet and repeated something he had said earlier. "Those who can respond to the Four Seasons are regarded by Heaven and Earth as their children... He who knows all things is called the Son of Heaven."

"Heaven, Earth, and the Four Seasons. Since there are the Four Seasons of Huangtian, there must naturally be the Four Seasons of Houtu as well. The Imperial Heaven Piercing-God One-Origin Qi-Nurturing Method focuses on cultivating the spirit and nurturing qi, as well as generating strength and footwork. That's enough in itself, but a true Martial Classic should have other parts."

"So I guess there's also a Houtu Method, most likely focused on 'body tempering.' It would be divided into aspects such as 'nurturing the spirit,' 'controlling qi,' 'fist and foot,' and 'blade and weapon.'"

As Manor Master Yao stared at him, astonished yet delighted, An Jing considered the matter for a moment, then voiced his true deduction. "Put together, all of this is just laying the foundation. Huangtian bestows the Mandate of Heaven, nurturing the foundation of the mind and spirit. Houtu tempers the body, forging a vessel to cross the world."

"Just as it says, 'When Heaven and Earth unite their qi, they name it man.' Born of Imperial Heaven and Earth, man is called the Son of Heaven."

"Only after completing both the Imperial Heaven and Houtu methods can one shape a special Divine Anomaly, then open a Martial Meridian and become a 'Son of Heaven.'"

"The 'Son of Heaven Method' would be the true beginning of a superior Orthodox Law."

Manor Master Yao sprang to his feet.

"You, you..."

He raised a hand and pointed at the young man before him. The wrinkles on the old man's face loosened and tightened as he stared at An Jing, green flames flickering in his eyes. "You actually saw through all of it!"

An Jing met his gaze. It was like staring into a flame, his eyes almost seared by it. The invisible heat of Poison Sha forced him to close his eyes to keep them from being burned.

This was one of the many Divine Anomalies that only appeared after reaching the Five Scenes of Internal Strengthening: Fire in the Pupils.

It confirmed what An Jing had long suspected: Manor Master Yao's strength was at the Internal Strengthening realm, and his cultivation was probably quite advanced. An Jing still did not know what his Fate Grid was or how many Divine Anomalies he had forged.

"Wonderful..."

Manor Master Yao took several deep breaths before finally suppressing the joy welling up inside him. He sat back down, gazing at An Jing with almost unrestrained delight, his eyes blazing. "Extraordinary comprehension... You saw through the fundamentals of the method at a glance. I never believed people like that existed, but it turns out they really do!"

"That's right."

The old man openly confirmed An Jing's deduction. "Imperial Heaven and Houtu are, in truth, one. Besides the Imperial Heaven Piercing-God One-Origin Qi-Nurturing Method, I also have the Houtu Spirit-Subduing Primordial Body-Nurturing Method."

"No doubt, no confusion, no fear, no self, responding above to Imperial Heaven; no anger, no hatred, no desire, no attachment, responding below to Houtu. Only by practicing both can one complete the method for forging a Martial Meridian."

"Only those who have awakened their Fate Grid and mastered both methods can truly enter the path of our sect..."

At this, Manor Master Yao raised his brows and looked at An Jing. "With your intelligence, you must have guessed what kind of organization Xuanming Manor is, right?"

"Don't worry," he said. "With your talent, awakening your Fate Grid won't be difficult. Once you've truly entered the sect, the Northern Patrol Envoy will personally take you to the Main Mountain and teach you the Houtu Body-Nurturing Method."

"Thank you, Manor Master!"

An Jing said no more. Though he was still wondering, Who is the Northern Patrol Envoy? What organization? I haven't figured it out at all, he respectfully lowered his head to give thanks. Vice Envoy Yao rose from his seat and personally handed An Jing the manual of the Huangtian Method. "There's no need to thank me. Those are the rules. If someone as promising as you couldn't be taught the Orthodox Law, that would be my failing."

Manor Master Yao even patted An Jing on the shoulder. Looking at the young man's calm, resolute face, not showing the slightest hint of delight, he said with a sigh, "So calm, so composed."

"Were you born this way?"

An Jing did not answer. He merely smiled. Manor Master Yao shook his head slightly and gestured for him to leave, though it was hard to tell whether he was amused or moved.

Holding the manual of the Orthodox Law, An Jing walked out of the Medicine Pavilion. It was already evening. He had spent quite some time reading the secret text, and Manor Master Yao's willingness to wait for him that long was proof of how highly he regarded him.

The manual was not thin, but it was not especially thick either. It contained many illustrations of cultivation methods, with extremely detailed drawings of the human body and diagrams of the muscles and internal organs. It described the intricacies of channeling strength in detail, so reading it from beginning to end was smooth and straightforward, with nothing difficult to understand.

An Jing's real doubts still revolved around Xuanming Manor.

"The Northern Patrol Envoy, the Main Mountain... This is a great sect's mountain gate. There can't be many sects of that stature within Da Chen, can there?"

"Shangxuan Shangqing, Star Sovereign Sacred Dragon, Heavenly Will True Demon..."

An Jing thought over the various details, trying to recall which great sects existed within Da Chen. But he did not know much about them, and in the end he could not come up with a definite answer.

"Could it be..."

Suddenly, An Jing frowned. An unbelievable possibility occurred to him, and his eyes widened. "No way. Could it be a demonic..."

"Hey, An! Aren't you going to dinner?"

Just then, a voice came from behind him. It was a familiar apothecary, pushing a small cart loaded with medicinal liquids out of the Medicine Pavilion. They seemed to be the same kind of medicine An Jing and the others drank when they ate Fierce Beast meat.

The apothecary noticed the manual in An Jing's hand and greeted him warmly. "If you go now, you can still get some while it's hot!"

"Thank you, Apothecary Wu."

An Jing came back to himself. There was no point standing around in front of the Medicine Pavilion, so he left with the apothecary surnamed Wu.

However, as An Jing headed for the dining hall, he noticed that Apothecary Wu was not going with him. Instead, he took a detour and headed in another direction.

An ordinary person probably wouldn't have thought much of it, but An Jing felt a little puzzled.

The medicinal liquid had been prepared, so naturally it had to be given to someone. It was not that medicine had to be as fresh as possible, but the liquids they had drunk before had all been very fresh.

If Apothecary Wu was pushing a cart full of medicine somewhere other than the dining hall, where was he taking it?

After thinking it over for a while, An Jing concealed his presence and followed Apothecary Wu from a distance.

Apothecary Wu was not at the Internal Breath realm. He was just an ordinary man with some martial training. An Jing followed behind him, and he did not notice at all. According to Wu, he too had failed the trials back in the day and had no talent for martial arts. But he had a gift for medicine, so he had become the manor's apothecary.

That was why An Jing had never been willing to suspect what Xuanming Manor really was. There were simply too many examples proving that the failures did not meet with a tragic end; no matter what, they still had a way forward.

In any case, Apothecary Wu hummed a little tune as he pushed the cart of medicine toward Dongshan Manor, on the eastern side of Xuanming Manor.

So that was where he was going... Dongshan Manor. That made sense. An Jing had never been there before.

Watching from behind as Apothecary Wu stepped onto the separate path, An Jing waited until he had gone in before turning back and heading for the dining hall.

At the dining hall, An Jing was once again met with cheers and congratulations from everyone. He truly was a worthy Senior Brother; no one had any objections.

And An Jing smiled back at everyone's praise without showing anything amiss, as usual, and ate his portion of Fierce Beast meat and medicinal liquid.

He could now keep those impulses, that coldness, well under control. Not the slightest trace of them escaped.

Night fell.

After everyone had fallen asleep, An Jing opened his eyes once more.