Origin-Revering One-Qi Art

"Martial arts were divided into four grades, also known in the martial world as common grade, superior grade, ultimate grade, and divine grade. The grade of a martial art determined the upper limit of one's martial path..."

"...Take the White Snake Stance and White Snake Fist of your White Snake Martial School. They fall under the Spirit Serpent Art. The Spirit Serpent Art is merely a fairly decent common-grade martial art; even at its peak, it amounts to no more than this. It is nowhere near a superior-grade martial art like the Primordial Vitality Art."

Li Nianru spoke with great conviction, but soon shook her head.

"But it makes sense that an outer-city commoner like you wouldn't know these things."

"Thanks. I feel thoroughly insulted."

Lin Nan's eyes immediately lit up as he looked at the manual in Li Nianru's hands, but he soon sighed.

"With such a thick manual, it'll take me over a month to learn no matter what."

"This is the table of contents for the Primordial Vitality Art. The boxes behind you contain the actual manual for the Primordial Vitality Art."

Lin Nan turned around and looked at the wooden box behind him, which was nearly as large as a person. He fell silent.

"Forget it. I'll read the table of contents first."

"As payment, make a list of what you need. Tonight, I'll have Uncle Yu deliver it to your residence."

Li Nianru pushed a sheet of white paper toward Lin Nan.

At dusk, the night was dark as water.

While the martial school disciples were washing up, Lin Nan hurried to Fortune and Prosperity Hall.

The moment he entered, he saw Old Yu holding a palm-leaf fan and constantly fanning himself.

Upon seeing Lin Nan, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Kid, how does it feel working under Lady Li?"

"So-so. Where are the things I wanted?" Lin Nan walked in expressionlessly.

"You brat, you got what you wanted and still act ungrateful. If this old man hadn't asked Lady Li to help you, those bastards from the Blood Blade Sect would've killed you long ago."

Old Yu spoke in dissatisfaction.

Then, he took out a bundle wrapped in black cloth from beneath a nearby table.

Lin Nan stepped forward and lifted the black cloth, revealing a wooden box inside.

When he opened the box, a medicinal fragrance wafted out, somewhat similar to the scent of lingzhi.

Inside lay a lump of white flesh, without a trace of blood or any dark-red muscle tissue.

"This is the... demon flesh I asked for?"

"This is demon flesh specially prepared using methods from the inner city. Its toxicity is the lowest. Though it does not increase one's qi and blood as much as other demon flesh, it has one advantage that no other meat can replicate: growth..."

"Growth?!" Lin Nan's pupils contracted as he focused his gaze on it again.

He discovered that the lump of white flesh was slowly expanding at an extremely subtle rate. Without close observation, it would have been impossible to notice.

If he ate it sparingly, would he not have an endless source of demon flesh from now on?

Lin Nan was instantly overjoyed.

"This flesh is called Taisui. It can invigorate one's qi and blood. However... no matter how harmless demon flesh may be, it is still demon flesh. Eating it occasionally allows one's qi and blood to repair the damage, but long-term consumption will inevitably harm the body."

Old Yu earnestly cautioned him. "I have seen martial artists who were too eager for quick success and constantly consumed demon flesh to train. Their early progress was indeed rapid, but in the later stages, yin energy entered their bodies, and they were dead within a few months. Kid, I watched you grow up. Don't go down the wrong path."

"Alas, it is but a single thought to save all living beings!"

Lin Nan let out a long sigh.

"If I cannot rapidly increase my strength, how can I complete the task Lady Li assigned me?"

Old Yu froze slightly. The image of this glib-tongued kid suddenly seemed to grow taller before his eyes.

For the next ten days.

Lin Nan went nowhere and remained in the martial school, practicing stance arts.

Besides the Spirit Serpent Stance taught by the head instructor, he also practiced the Origin-Revering One-Qi Art he had obtained from Li Nianru!

Like the Spirit Serpent Art, the Origin-Revering One-Qi Art was divided into internal and external training.

Its internal training, the Origin-Revering Stance, was like the Spirit Serpent Stance and White Snake Stance—a stance art for tempering qi and blood.

The external training was divided into five parts: the movement art Wave-Treading Step, the hard art Golden Astral Body, the palm art Blazing Fire Palm, the fist art Earth Fiend Fist, and the killing move Azure Wood Finger.

If one could cultivate the Origin-Revering One-Qi Art to great mastery, the five external arts would merge into one, known as Five Qi Returning to the Origin.

It was practically a fighter without blind spots, capable of advancing directly to martial realms beyond the Sinews-and-Bones Realm!

However, this art was far more obscure and profound than the Spirit Serpent Stance. Even after reading through it several times, Lin Nan still could not grasp its essence.

For an ordinary martial artist, merely getting started would likely take a month or two.

No wonder Li Nianru was not worried at all that he would freeload off the martial art and run. Given its complexity, without instruction from a teacher and natural talent—

cultivating the Origin-Revering One-Qi Art beyond the Skin-and-Flesh Realm would be nothing short of a fantasy.

"Unfortunately, she doesn't know that with my heaven-defying talent, as long as I can get started, I can keep improving!"

Lin Nan casually took out a bean-sized piece of pre-cut Taisui flesh from his belt and swallowed it.

Buzz!

A small clump of sinister yin energy entered his body, then was instantly refined into a tiny cluster of yin-energy points and transferred to the Spirit Serpent Stance.

In an instant, Lin Nan felt the qi and blood in his body tremble, as if countless iron hammers were striking him, seeping bit by bit into his muscles.

He looked at the information in his mind:

[Martial Art: Spirit Serpent Stance (Beginner 20/200)]

[Martial Art: Origin-Revering Stance (Not Yet Begun)]

Lin Nan estimated that with his current constitution, he could consume four taels of Taisui flesh every three days and reduce the damage it caused to his internal organs to zero.

At this pace, he could convert roughly 4 yin-energy points per month. In a little over ten days, he should be able to cultivate the Spirit Serpent Stance to the first level.

That was the first level of the Skin-and-Flesh Realm!

Then, he could use his first-level Skin-and-Flesh Realm cultivation to begin learning the Origin-Revering Stance.

The future was promising! The future was truly promising!

Early on the tenth day, after requesting leave from the martial school.

Lin Nan clutched the note Li Nianru had given him and followed the streets of the eastern city toward the Tile-House District in the north.

After passing through three familiar alleys.

Lin Nan arrived before a secluded temple in the northern city, not far from the outskirts.

Cloth banners hung on both sides of the temple, bearing the words: "Distribute money and grain generously; accumulate virtue and receive blessings."

A somewhat bald man in a plain long robe was carrying a barrel of porridge. A long line had already formed at the entrance, mostly ragged elderly people, women, and children.

They were taking turns receiving porridge.

"According to Li Nianru, this is a Blessed Life Cult stronghold."

Lin Nan raised his head and slowly looked toward the somewhat bald middle-aged man ladling out porridge.

"This man is an outer disciple of the Blessed Life Cult. According to Li Nianru, I need his recommendation to enter the cult."

Only after all the impoverished people had received their porridge did Lin Nan quickly step forward.

"Sorry, today's charity porridge has all been handed out."

The cleanly dressed Lin Nan made the man smile, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Lin Nan did not answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"I'm here to join the cult."

"Join the cult?"

The bald middle-aged man froze for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Please come inside."

The bald middle-aged man coughed twice and led Lin Nan into the temple.

The interior was simple, with only several tables and stools, along with a tea set.

"Why does this young master wish to join the cult?"

The bald man brewed a cup of hot tea and placed it before Lin Nan.

"The Blessed Life Cult performs good deeds and accumulates virtue. Its members are great people of goodness, models that people like us admire!"

Lin Nan said solemnly.

"Well said!"

The bald man's heart trembled, as though Lin Nan's words had struck straight to it.

"May I ask this little brother's name?"

"My surname is Zhong, and my given name is Jing."

"So it is little brother Zhong Jing. My name is Huang Hou. I'm a few years older than you, so you can call me Brother Huang."

The bald man sighed.

"However, little brother, you must think carefully. Joining the cult is very difficult."

"Very difficult? How difficult?" Lin Nan asked curiously.

The bald man's expression turned solemn. He raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle and gazed toward the sky, carrying a suffocating sorrow.

"The Blessed Life Cult's initiation trial has three stages. The first stage is..."

"Abstinence!"