Wave-Treading Step, Blazing Fire Palm! (Please Follow)

Inside the main hall.

Everyone circulated their stance arts, recovering the qi and blood within their bodies as much as possible.

Lin Nan stood to one side and began checking his own condition.

[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]

[Age: Twenty]

[Martial Arts: Origin-Revering Stance (Spirit Serpent Stance) (Level 5 (510/800))]

[Fist Art: White Snake Fist Transformation Force (Mastered)]

...

[Usable Yin Qi Points: 7.2.]

Lin Nan was overjoyed.

Since entering the temple, he had spent several Blood Talismans and more than half his qi and blood to kill seven Corpse Ghosts. Fortunately, the gains this time had not disappointed him.

With a thought, a flash of furnace light flickered through Lin Nan's mind.

The Yin Qi Points instantly dissolved, transforming into 720 proficiency points.

Without the slightest hesitation, he directly drew out 300 proficiency points and poured them all into the progress bar for Origin-Revering Stance.

Buzz!

In an instant, countless grueling memories of practicing stance arts day and night surfaced.

Lin Nan felt a tingling numbness spread through his body. Strands of qi and blood flowed like water along the pathways throughout his body, continuously seeping into his flesh.

Gradually, the qi and blood faded away, replaced by tougher, more powerful flesh.

A moment later.

He slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

The third level of the Skin-and-Flesh Realm—achieved!

Without pausing at all, another thought crossed his mind, and he immediately poured the remaining 420 proficiency points into the two external training arts of the Origin-Revering One-Qi Art.

They were the movement art Wave-Treading Step and the palm art Blazing Fire Palm.

"Wave-Treading Step is for dodging and keeping my distance, while Blazing Fire Palm lets me attack head-on... As long as I run fast enough, the zombie won't be able to catch me."

In such a dangerous environment, being able to run fast and fight one's way out of an encirclement was especially important.

Buzz!

As the proficiency poured in, the previously complicated techniques of the external arts were branded into Lin Nan's mind with the simple clarity of children's fighting moves.

Stepping... dodging... gathering force... unleashing power...

He comprehended them completely in an instant.

Wave-Treading Step and Blazing Fire Palm, first level—achieved!

[Martial Arts: Origin-Revering Stance (Spirit Serpent Stance) (Level 6 (80/1200))]

[Movement Art: Wave-Treading Step (Level 1 (13/500))]

[Palm Art: Blazing Fire Palm (Level 1 (13/500))]

Lin Nan closed his eyes and felt his slightly stronger legs and the calluses on his palms from years of practicing Blazing Fire Palm. He could not help but sigh inwardly.

After all my hard training, I've finally achieved something.

Unlike the other five trapped here, as long as he did not encounter some absurdly powerful demon or monster capable of severely injuring him in a single blow—

He could fully sustain himself through battle, continuously using the main hall's advantage to wage guerrilla warfare against the hundred ghosts.

I may be no match for martial artists, but when it comes to killing ghosts, none of you can compare to me.

Just then.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Zhou Gu coughed as he took out a Qi-and-Blood Pill, swallowed it, and circulated his energy. The color around his shoulder was growing darker and darker. Corpse poison seemed to be gradually spreading from his shoulder through his entire body, and the bone-piercing chill made him tremble without stop.

"No... we can't delay any longer. In... two more hours, it'll be midnight. Then all sorts of demons and ghosts will emerge. By then, even the main hall might not be able to hold."

"But the temple gate is blocked by the zombie. How are we supposed to leave?"

Jie Ling said in a low voice, "Are we supposed to charge straight through the zombie?"

After she spoke, everyone fell silent.

Charging head-on at a zombie comparable to the third level of the Sinews-and-Bones Realm while surrounded by a pack of Corpse Ghosts—

Unless a martial arts master of hall-master rank came, no one could do it!

"Maybe we can search around and see if there are any other clues?"

Lin Nan spoke up. "As quickly as possible, look for books or records. See if we can find another way out."

"At this point, that's all we can do." Zhang Chengchang voiced his agreement.

The group exchanged glances and quickly began searching the main hall.

The main hall was vast. Candle flames flickered atop the altar, while less than half of the Cold Mountain Goddess statue remained on the platform, giving off an indescribably deep and eerie feeling.

Shortly afterward.

"There's a piece of parchment here!"

Jie Ling suddenly cried out. Beneath the divine seat, she had found a yellowed, hardened sheet of paper.

Other than Zhou Gu, who was still circulating his energy to recover, Lin Nan and the other two immediately gathered around. Several crooked lines of writing had been scrawled on the parchment in dried blood, seemingly written in extreme haste.

[Record of Ningyuan Perfected Person, Chief Disciple of the Cold Mountain Goddess]

"Junior Brother has disappeared too... After nightfall, I heard knocking at the door. Sadly, the one standing outside was not Master, but Junior Brother, who had already died..."

"He became a corpse wraith like the others... I could not bear to kill him... I buried him together with the others who returned in the earth outside the side hall."

"...Using the secret ghost-controlling art Master gave me, I set up an array to suppress them and finally stopped the unrest, but unfortunately..."

"...Another five days have passed. I no longer have the patience to wait. I'm sorry, Master. I'm leaving too."

"No! I saw Master at the main gate! Master—she! She isn't dead! She's only gone mad!!"

"Damn it, Master is blocking the main gate. I can't get out. I can only take the second path..."

The writing stopped abruptly there.

"There's a second path!"

Everyone was instantly overjoyed when they saw this, but their excitement soon deflated like a punctured ball.

"The paper doesn't say where the second path is..."

Wang Luoxuan's expression was grim.

Lin Nan suddenly seemed to recall something and asked.

"Is there a river nearby?"

"There's Azure Dragon Reclining by the Stream. Why do you ask?" Jie Ling asked in confusion.

Since earlier, the four of them had long put away their contempt for Lin Nan.

From discovering the ghost wall to his performance in killing four Corpse Ghosts, Jie Ling now knew that this junior brother was definitely far more than merely at the third level of qi and blood.

A slight smile curved Lin Nan's lips. "I think I probably know where the second path is."

The others were instantly delighted. Even Zhou Gu, who was treating his injuries, could not help opening his eyes excitedly.

"Where?"

"The ancient well we passed earlier!"

"Don't joke around."

Jie Ling and the other three looked at Lin Nan with strange expressions.

That Ancient Well Resentful Ghost had appeared before them so clearly just now...

It was obvious that something utterly terrifying lay beneath that ancient well.

Seeing the doubt on their faces, Lin Nan said calmly, "Have you all forgotten what Brother Zhou said earlier?"

Zhou Gu froze. "Me? What did I say?"

"Why would a Resentful Ghost be active before midnight? That isn't reasonable."

Lin Nan spoke calmly.

"Right... right..."

Zhou Gu took another Qi-and-Blood Pill from his leather pouch and stuffed it into his mouth before slowly speaking.

"Resentful Ghosts are a type of first-rank evil entity. They usually only emerge at midnight. Evil entities differ from strange creatures like zombies; they often act according to certain patterns."

"...Like those Corpse Ghosts earlier. If we hadn't entered the side hall, they wouldn't have attacked us before midnight."

"So I speculate that the surroundings are all walls, with only one temple gate. This temple just happens to have been built above Azure Dragon Reclining by the Stream. Terrain like this often has underground rivers. If there really is a second route, then the ancient well is the most likely place!"

Lin Nan analyzed it word by word.

"Either gamble, or stay here and wait to die. You choose!"

After saying that, he took the remaining five Blood Talismans from his leather pouch, tied all of them around his hand, and, fully prepared, was about to head outside.

Jie Ling and the other three exchanged glances and quickly made their decision.

"Let's do it!"

"Rather than wait for death, we might as well take a chance!"