Another Breakthrough

Because the illustrations in the book were so clear, capturing the human body with just a few strokes, Hong Yi felt as if he were looking at his own internal organs, creating a vivid, immersive sense of comparison. Boom! As he flipped through the pages, the text and images seemed to be engraved into his mind after a single glance, as if he possessed a photographic memory. His soul leaving his body felt completely natural, without the slightest discomfort. Hong Yi looked up at the window; sure enough, it had already grown dark outside.

"Although I have mastered the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist and my muscle training has reached a decent level, putting me at the Martial Disciple realm, and I have the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist to carry me all the way to the Martial Master realm without needing to worry about techniques, entering the innate realm requires breathing and meditation techniques. Furthermore, internal breathing exercises can be practiced in tandem with the training of muscles, bones, and skin." As Hong Yi flipped through the pages and memorized the content, he felt fortunate: "If I hadn't used the influence of Princess Zhennan today, I wouldn't have been able to enter my father's study and see these treasures. Now that I've had a breakthrough, it's the perfect time to commit these secret manuals to memory."

The realm of Day Roaming! No matter how brilliant a martial art is, if the author uses imprecise language or provides blurry illustrations, the practitioner is bound to suffer from qi deviation. Many of the fist techniques recorded in the Martial Classic were written in obscure language with crude illustrations, making them impossible to practice. I don't know how much time had passed.

"The Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique is a profound Daoist method of breathing and meditation, focusing on long-lasting internal stamina. Daoist breathing techniques are deeper than those of the Great Zen Temple's Buddhist school; the Martial Classic makes a detailed comparison, so it should be reliable. However, the Great Zen Temple's Ox Demon Great Strength Fist and Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist are superior to most Daoist fist techniques when it comes to training the muscles, bones, and skin. Buddhist martial arts emphasize the physical form, while Daoist martial arts emphasize breathing; both have their own strengths." As the two talked, they walked out.

"Huh! This painting." Hong Yi's worries were diluted by Luo Yun's smile. Since the deed was done, he would just have to face whatever came; when soldiers arrive, block them; when water comes, earth covers it. He would figure out a way to deal with Hong Xuanji when the time came. You don't fear not knowing the value of goods; you fear comparing them.

"I didn't expect time to pass so quickly while reading? Where is the Princess? Princess..." Just as Hong Yi was comparing the Amitabha image in the Amitabha Sutra with the human figure in the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, his eyes drifted to a painting hanging on the wall. It was then that Hong Yi noticed Luo Yun was also engrossed in a book in the corner on the other side of the bookshelf, sitting on the floor with her legs spread, completely unconcerned and lacking any of a princess's poise.

"We've both become so absorbed in our reading, let's talk later." Hong Yi managed a strained smile, still thinking about the consequences of angering Hong Xuanji. The value of a fist technique manual is largely determined by these factors. Hong Yi immediately confirmed the value of this Spirit Turtle Breathing Formula.

"Whose painting is this, to have such spirit? It's practically a celestial masterpiece!" Hong Yi walked forward and noticed the inscription at the bottom: "First month of the 40th year of Dagan, gifted to brother Xuanji by Qian Daozi, Meng Bingyun."

"What was that about Consort Yuan you mentioned earlier?" "Nothing, Yujing Temple is so large that I got dizzy walking around, but even after asking for a long time, none of the Daoists knew about Blood Patterned Steel."

When an author writes with beautiful prose and vivid illustrations, the practitioner achieves twice the result with half the effort and avoids mistakes. Comparing this to the work of a painting master, he grasped some true meaning, leading to a deeper understanding of the Buddhist principles contained in the sutra's illustrations. A feeling that could only be understood intuitively, impossible to describe in words, rippled through Hong Yi's heart.

"However, although these human figures are vivid and immersive, they are still thousands of miles behind the Amitabha Sutra; they lack that specific resonance." Ever since his Night Roaming, Hong Yi had been practicing according to the Amitabha Sutra for over a month without a breakthrough, seeing only minor progress, but now he had finally achieved an epiphany.

"This is a rare secret manual..." "So it's a painting by the master Qian Daozi? Xuanji is clearly my father, but who is Meng Bingyun? She seems to be a woman. This painting... standing proudly in the snow, with jade bones and icy skin... it is worthy of a master, but even so, upon closer inspection, it still cannot compare to the Amitabha Sutra."

Hong Yi's soul remained steady, actually slipping out from the crown of his head. He surveyed his surroundings, feeling not a shred of discomfort in his entire being. After his soul left his body, he did not go wandering but returned to his shell, looking at the book in his hands. Hearing Hong Yi call out repeatedly, Luo Yun finally looked up in a daze, let out an "Ah," and stood up. Hearing Luo Yun say she was a decent, good person, Hong Yi suddenly felt that the distance between them had narrowed significantly.

Next to the painting were small annotations. As soon as Hong Yi read them, he felt the prose was beautiful and the wording precise, allowing one to understand the meaning instantly. The painting depicted plum blossoms. Hong Yi compared the manual to the illustrations and text of the Amitabha Sutra, and the gap became clear.

"By the way, did you manage to buy the Blood Patterned Steel at the Daoist temple?" Hong Yi asked. It was broad daylight. In his mind, Hong Yi naturally visualized the image of the Buddha. He seemed to gradually merge with the Buddha, feeling the vast, boundless void. He sat alone in the center, truly unmoving, his thoughts still. He treated the passage of thousands of generations as a mere instant; all experiences were but illusions, flickering like bubbles in a dream, leaving no trace behind.

"Yes, we were both so absorbed." Luo Yun suddenly stared at Hong Yi and smiled again, "You are a decent, good person." "That's how it is..." "I have to go to the palace. It's a pity we didn't get to talk much today. If you didn't live in this manor, I could visit you often. Coming here involves too much etiquette; it's no fun," Luo Yun said.

"Has it already grown dark?" The book was not thick, consisting of only eighteen thin pages. The first nine pages contained human figures, depicting the length of breaths and the corresponding internal movements of the five viscera and six bowels. Clearly, only this volume of the Amitabha Sutra was hidden within the Martial Classic; as for the other two volumes, the Present Tathagata Sutra and the Future Non-Birth Sutra, their locations were unknown. The last nine pages recorded medicinal prescriptions, all for cleansing the intestines and stomach, killing parasites, and purging impurities. Although the two had not spoken a word during their time at the Langhuan Library, silently reading, they felt closer than if they had exchanged a thousand words.

"The Princess has good martial arts skills." Hong Yi sighed inwardly; after sitting and reading for so long, Luo Yun felt no soreness or discomfort when she stood up. "Oh my, it's dark." Luo Yun exclaimed, tucking the book back into the shelf. She patted her legs and smiled at Hong Yi, "Hong Yi, you didn't even talk to me earlier?"

In the icy world, several plum blossoms bloomed defiantly amidst the snow and ice, with jade bones and icy skin, vivid and lovely. Zen is the seal of the heart, the Dao is the transmission of the heart, and the soul is the manifestation of the heart. Thinking of this, Hong Yi realized the gravity of the situation, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. After his last soul-leaving Night Roaming, he had injured his soul and dared not wander recklessly; he needed to ponder this carefully. Hong Yi's eyes fell on the Spirit Turtle Breathing Formula on the desk, and thoughts of martial arts principles naturally arose in his mind.

He sighed as he walked to the desk, picked up the Spirit Turtle Breathing Formula, and opened it. Hong Yi remembered the Amitabha Sutra he had obtained from the Martial Classic. Over these months, he had searched through the Martial Classic but had found no other sutras. Hong Xuanji was a Martial Saint; it would be strange if there were no fist technique manuals in his study. As Hong Yi studied the painting, he thought of the Buddha image in the Amitabha Sutra. When Hong Yi first looked at the plum blossoms in the icy landscape, he didn't feel much, only that they were vivid, but the longer he looked, the more he felt a bone-chilling cold, and his nose and mouth seemed to catch the faint fragrance of the blossoms defying the snow. Hong Yi did not doubt why such profound breathing manuals were in his father's study.

"It's a pity I don't know what the Great Zen Temple's supreme martial arts classic, the Present Tathagata Sutra, looks like." "Oh no, my father forbids me from practicing martial arts. It would be one thing to practice in secret, but to use Princess Zhennan's influence to enter his study and flip through his books—isn't this touching his reverse scale?" His soul stirred restlessly, growing rapidly, with a sensation of wanting to leave his body.

"Princess, it is dark. The First Madam invites you to dinner." Just as Hong Yi was feeling alarmed, a head maid entered with four servant girls. The artistic conception of the Buddha image in the Amitabha Sutra was vast and boundless; I sit in the center, eternally unmoving, watching the thousands of generations pass in the blink of an eye, all past events being nothing but illusions.

"Can I really possess a photographic memory after reaching the Day Roaming realm?" Hong Yi discovered his change and flipped through the book rapidly. Just as Hong Yi finished reading the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique and was about to look for a second fist technique manual, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.