Egg-Replacing Period

Inside the villa, feeling the pressure of the sword right at his throat, Fang Can could only sigh helplessly.

"Everyone knows that even someone blessed with extraordinary talent needs at least five days of tempering to reach the Mortal Shedding Body Realm. And you're already about to reach the bottleneck of the first level of Mortal Shedding. With talent like that, even the reincarnation of the Divine Monarch of Great Yan couldn't manage it."

Jiang Ning'an slowly brought the sword closer, leaving a tiny cut on Fang Can's neck. "You lied about how many days you've been here. What exactly are you trying to hide?"

Even Fang Can, calm as he was, wanted to let out a long sigh. In this day and age, nobody believed the truth.

"Is it possible," Fang Can asked in return, "and I'm only saying it's possible, that I'm an unparalleled genius—the kind even the Divine Monarch of Great Yan couldn't match?"

Jiang Ning'an didn't answer, but her eyes said it all: You?

Fang Can was utterly helpless. It was one thing for the weak to complain about the state of the world, but why were the strong complaining too?

It was bad enough that the people in this world had poor talent. Now they were blaming me for reaching this level in seven days? A bunch of sheltered noobs. Do you even know what it means to have cheats?

"Fine. Yeah, yeah, you're right. I actually came to Great Yan a month ago and trained hard for a month before reaching this level."

Fang Can looked at the foolish woman before him, completely at a loss for words.

"Anyway, after staying in Great Yan for a while, I came back here. You probably came here with me around the same time."

"If things keep going like this, in a few days you should return to Great Yan again. Then you'll keep cycling between the two worlds."

After hearing Fang Can's explanation, Jiang Ning'an relaxed a little, even without proof. At least there was still hope of going back.

Once she had calmed down, Jiang Ning'an withdrew her sword. She looked at the young man before her, hesitated for a moment, and seemed to want to say something but found it difficult to bring up.

Fang Can could tell what was on her mind and spoke first. "You're injured, right? Just say you want to stay here. But remember to pay rent."

"Rent!" Jiang Ning'an's eyes widened slightly. After hesitating, she said, "I...I don't have any of your money."

As a distinguished disciple of the Righteous Path, she naturally couldn't bring herself to dodge a debt. After thinking it over, she offered, "But I can teach you martial arts in exchange. You haven't entered the Egg-Replacing Period yet, have you?"

Hearing the term Egg-Replacing Period sent a chill down Fang Can's spine. He couldn't help asking, "E-Egg-Replacing Period? What's that?"

"Then it seems you haven't entered the Egg-Replacing Period yet," Jiang Ning'an explained.

"The Egg-Replacing Period is a term used by male martial artists. I heard my master mention it. Martial artists in the Mortal Shedding Body Realm have to replace their old blood with new blood. But a man's vital parts are difficult to involve in martial training and replace, which makes them a vulnerable spot in cultivation and combat."

"So some martial artists proposed pulling them out by the roots first, while in the Mortal Shedding Body Realm. Once that lump of flesh has completely disappeared, they can save themselves at least two layers of effort in that realm."

"After passing through that realm, martial artists only need to spend a few months growing them back. It doesn't affect...their sex life."

By the end, Jiang Ning'an's face had taken on a faint blush, while Fang Can was filled with deep dread.

"Why does martial training have to be like that? 'To practice divine arts, first castrate yourself'—no, absolutely not!"

Seeing Fang Can's reaction, Jiang Ning'an advised him:

"Actually, for a boy your age, it's already a little late to go through the Egg-Replacing Period. If the new blood and old blood have completely mixed before you cut them off, it could badly damage your foundation. So I recommend having the procedure in the next few days."

"I refuse!" Fang Can crossed his arms in an X. "If all you can teach me is how to replace my eggs, then please leave this villa."

At that, Fang Can could only think that this woman was far too devious. He had only been coveting her cultivation techniques, while she wanted to replace his eggs.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning'an felt wronged. Ordinary martial artists could spend their whole lives failing to get past the Mortal Shedding Body Realm. Now there was a way to speed things up by two layers, and he still refused.

Jiang Ning'an was a little frustrated that Fang Can had rejected her good intentions, but she said, "If you refuse the egg replacement, so be it. But the martial path depends mainly on a person's own resolve. I can't help you much; I can only offer some pointers on technique. As for the deeper teachings, I'm not qualified to instruct you in them."

"Teachings?" Fang Can asked.

"That's right." Jiang Ning'an patiently explained things to the newcomer, Fang Can.

"The teachings are the cultivation techniques and martial skills you practice after reaching the Mortal Shedding Body Realm. Each sect has created and refined them over generations."

"For example, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's Words Manifesting Law was developed from the original Golden Mouth Jade Word Technique, refined little by little by a hundred generations of pavilion masters."

Fang Can carefully committed everything Jiang Ning'an said to memory, then thought of something and asked, "Then...have you heard of the Role-Playing Method?"

"The Role-Playing Method!" Jiang Ning'an turned to look at Fang Can without thinking. "You haven't joined some heretical group, have you? I'd advise you not to practice that method. You could end up harming both yourself and others."

"Why?" Fang Can asked.

"Can't the Role-Playing Method speed up cultivation? It doesn't seem any different from the Egg-Replacing Period. Why are you advising me to replace my eggs, but not letting me practice the Role-Playing Method?"

"Because role-playing only gives you some insignificant benefits in the early stages. The difference between the Righteous Path and the evil path is whether using a technique will damage your future path in martial arts."

"When someone using the Role-Playing Method encounters a bottleneck, it won't help them at all. It'll only hold them back, especially when trying to cross between major realms—unless you plan to stay in the Mortal Shedding Realm for the rest of your life."

At that, Jiang Ning'an spoke righteously. "We cultivators must face difficulties head-on, hold firm to our convictions, unite knowledge and action, and never let setbacks deter us. We must dare to be the first under heaven. If you keep pretending to be someone else, your heart will inevitably be clouded."

Fang Can nodded in understanding. It seemed she belonged to some prestigious orthodox sect.

In that case, he would bury the dark history of joining the Tiger Fiend Sect, lest she have some kind of adverse reaction if she found out.

"I'm Fang Can. May I ask your name, miss?" Fang Can asked, gazing at the young woman before him.

The light inside the room fell across her flawless face, making her look breathtakingly beautiful.

Without the slightest attempt to conceal her identity, the young woman announced, "Tribulation Sword Mountain. Jiang Ning'an!"

Fang Can silently made a note of the sect. Once he returned, he would look it up in a book. Then, with an embarrassed expression, he asked, "Um...Miss Jiang, may I ask if Tribulation Sword Mountain is still accepting disciples?"

"You want to become my disciple?" Jiang Ning'an gave him a faint, inscrutable smile. "Unfortunately, you've already embarked on the martial path. Before the Heaven Ascending Path, you can't learn any other cultivation techniques."

"Why?" Fang Can couldn't help asking. Jiang Ning'an's answer had thrown his plans completely off course.