Skinning Art

At dusk, the setting sun cast a warm hue across the world.

Inside the small courtyard, beneath the peachwood tree, Jiang Chen set down the Daoist book in his hands and slowly let out a long breath of turbid air.

"This Qi Induction Technique appears simple, yet it is a universal method that leaves room for further advancement. Ordinary people can cultivate the original version step by step, while certain geniuses can derive methods unique to themselves from it. From this alone, Jiang Wang's lineage of inheritance is quite remarkable."

Having perceived the changes within himself, Jiang Chen could not help marveling at the wonder of the Qi Induction Technique. It seemed unremarkable, yet it concealed a true treasure; it only depended on whether one had the ability to uncover it.

After this session of comprehending the method, not only had his limbs been reforged, but more than half of his torso's tempering had also been completed. The most difficult bottlenecks had all been cleared, and with a little more time, everything would naturally reach completion.

"An inheritance is the gathering of one's painstaking efforts. Compared with true Rogue Cultivators, Jiang Wang's starting point was actually much higher. Unfortunately, his resolve was a little lacking, and his luck was a little worse."

Spreading the Daoist book flat, Jiang Chen ran his fingertips over its lines of annotations and seemed to glimpse the past. These annotations had been left behind by Jiang Wang's teacher and patriarch respectively. They had recorded their cultivation experience and insights here, hoping to offer some help to later generations. The Qi Induction Technique was precious, but these annotations were in fact even more precious.

As for Jiang Wang, he had yet to leave any writing here. Perhaps he would only do so after breaking through to the Qi Refining realm. When that time came, the foundation of this inheritance would silently deepen by another measure.

"Skinning Art—a new talisman art. But unlike the Bloodflame Art, this talisman art is incomplete."

Flipping the Daoist book to its final pages, Jiang Chen's gaze stirred as he looked at the talisman art recorded there.

This Skinning Art had been left behind by Jiang Wang's master, White Crane Daoist. It had originally been a true spell. White Crane Daoist had attempted to simplify it further and develop it into a talisman art, laying a better foundation for future Qi Refining cultivation. Unfortunately, he had not truly succeeded, and the Skinning Art left behind was merely a fragment.

The reason was that the essence of the Skinning Art lay in the control of qi. Qi Refining cultivators had already opened their qi seas and dantians, cultivating true qi of their own, so cultivating this art was far easier for them. Cultivators in the Spiritual Sense realm had yet to form true qi; if they wished to cultivate this art, they could only manipulate the heaven-and-earth spiritual qi outside their bodies. The difficulty of that was beyond imagination.

After all, for the overwhelming majority of cultivators, merely drawing in heaven-and-earth spiritual qi to temper themselves was already difficult and required sitting in meditation with a focused mind. Asking them to precisely manipulate heaven-and-earth spiritual qi directly to cast the Skinning Art was simply impossible.

In truth, most talisman arts required a medium to be cast. For example, Jiang Chen's Bloodflame Art required the heart's blood of a White Deer, using it to imprint a portion of heaven-and-earth spiritual resonance within. If Jiang Chen wished to continue using the Bloodflame Art for a long time, he would need to frequently draw in spiritual qi to nurture that resonance. Once the resonance was exhausted and the flame pattern on his chest vanished, Jiang Chen would have to cultivate the art anew.

"The Skinning Art left behind by White Crane Daoist is actually nearly complete. Its only problem is that the difficulty of cultivation is too high. An ordinary Spiritual Sense cultivator simply cannot cultivate it successfully."

"Now that I have cultivated the Bloodflame Art and possess the means to protect myself, and have turned stillness cultivation into an instinct so that I can cultivate even in my sleep, my efficiency has increased greatly. I can try cultivating this art. My soul is powerful, and I do have an advantage in this regard. Even if I ultimately fail, it will not amount to much."

As his thoughts turned, Jiang Chen looked at the Skinning Art and made his decision.

According to the records in the Daoist book, he knew that both the Bloodflame Art and the Skinning Art were prerequisites for an inheritance. If he could master them early, they would benefit his cultivation in the Qi Refining realm. Spending some time and effort on them was entirely worthwhile.

The reason he had not considered this art immediately before was that the outcome was uncertain, and the investment did not match the possible gains. Now, however, he had the confidence to afford some trial and error.

"The Skinning Art is worth studying. If I succeed, I will have another method at my disposal. One can never have too many trump cards."

"But cultivation remains the true foundation. As long as I can break through to Qi Refining, then none of it will be a problem."

Glancing at the sky, which had already darkened completely, Jiang Chen poured the now-cold spiritual tea beneath the peachwood tree, then turned and entered the house. Night had fallen. It was time to sleep, and that too was cultivation. After spending the day comprehending the Daoist book, he had not noticed it at first, but now his mind was exhausted. It was time to rest properly.

As Jiang Chen fell asleep, the spiritual qi within the small courtyard, which had originally settled into stillness, began to flow once more in an inexplicable rhythm. With the Spirit Spring Stone rooted in the well, the spiritual qi in Jiang Chen's small courtyard had become stronger than before.

Nourished by the spiritual qi, Jiang Chen slept ever more deeply. Every breath he took was filled with a natural rhythm. At this moment, he seemed to have become a spiritual pine, rooted within this tiny space, silently drawing in and exhaling spiritual qi as he accumulated strength.

Peaceful days were always brief. Just as Jiang Chen immersed himself in cultivation, comprehending methods and drawing in spiritual qi every day, Ironman Tu, the chief of the River-Sweeping Bandits, returned.

The moment he returned, Wooden Fish Island, which had been filled with undercurrents, immediately fell quiet. As the chief of the River-Sweeping Bandits, his might was plain to see. At this point, Jiang Chen had no choice but to emerge from seclusion, because Ironman Tu had specifically requested to see him.

"Ironman Tu, the chief?"

Sitting in the courtyard and listening to Skinny Monkey's report, Jiang Chen fell into thought. Ironman Tu had come alone to Soul-Lost Bay, raised the banner of the River-Sweeping Bandits, and remained standing without falling, becoming one of Qinghe County's major powers. His methods were undoubtedly formidable. More importantly, his strength was considerable. Even Jiang Chen as he was now was not completely confident he could defeat him in battle.

As Jiang Chen sank into thought, Skinny Monkey stood silently to one side. He discovered that the chief had changed again. Back on Rooster-Cry Mountain, seeing the chief had been like seeing a savage beast, and he had felt fear almost instinctively. Now, that feeling had vanished, replaced by a sense of warmth that made one unable to resist wanting to draw close to the chief.

At that thought, Skinny Monkey abruptly shuddered and hurriedly gathered in his scattered thoughts. It was also at this moment that Jiang Chen withdrew from his contemplation.

"How did the matter I instructed you to handle go?"

His gaze fell on Skinny Monkey as Jiang Chen spoke.

Hearing this, Skinny Monkey hurriedly nodded.

"Please rest assured, Chief. Xiong Li and I acted together and have already hunted a wild boar and a black bear. They will be delivered later."

In a low voice, Skinny Monkey reported his harvest.

Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. These were materials he had prepared to verify his own conjecture.

"Go report back. Tell him I will visit the chief tomorrow morning."

With no plans to leave the River-Sweeping Bandits for the time being, Jiang Chen decided to meet that chief.