Mortal Body Obstacle, Song of Slaughter

In the Nanzhao Royal City, the weather is most comfortable every morning.

The morning mist has dissipated, the sun is shining brightly, and a few wisps of cotton-like white clouds drift across the vast blue sky.

A cuckoo landed on a locust tree branch.

Being near the water, the bird's clear and melodious song stood out in the courtyard, far surpassing the birdsong from other places.

Chu Tianshu had just finished breakfast and was standing on the stone floor, patting the crumbs off his hands. He was dressed in white, close-fitting clothes, and barefoot.

Suddenly, he stretched his right arm forward, as if his entire arm had been elongated, and his palm dropped downward.

In an instant, the tips of his five fingers touched the ground, while his palm was empty, still a few inches from the ground.

Chu Tianshu had completely changed his posture.

He leaned forward, his legs bent about a foot off the ground, and his left hand behind his back.

Only the fingerprints on the five fingers of his right hand touched the ground.

Then the little finger bent and tucked in, and the ring finger, middle finger, and thumb successively curled inward, leaving only the index finger touching the ground.

Even for someone who has just mastered the "Dragon Coils Around the Body" technique, bearing the weight of their entire body with a single finger is not too difficult, let alone for Chu Tianshu today.

However, this was only a prerequisite for him to practice his skills.

Chu Tianshu lowered his gaze, and the right hand reflected in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only a pale white bone.

The Mind Power stored in the divine sword at his waist transformed into thin, transparent flames, surging within his body along an invisible thread.

That tiny flame, leisurely and gently, flowed down to the bone of the right index finger.

A feeling of expansion, along with a sensation of soreness, heat, and itching, came back from my right index finger.

The flame, which started as a sliver, gradually grew into a beam.

The diameter of the transparent flame grew to be similar to that of the bone in an index finger.

Chu Tianshu controlled the expansion and contraction of the muscles in his fingers; blue veins suddenly appeared on the back of his fingers, then subsided.

The invisible flames, in harmony with this rhythm, rose and fell.

The bones in my fingers seemed to be subjected to a powerful compression and tremor in an instant, then suddenly relaxed, feeling extremely comfortable, only to be subjected to a second compression in the blink of an eye.

The rapid and repeated tossing and turning created a deep-seated, itchy feeling.

The itching became increasingly unbearable, yet one was unable to scratch it, leading to unpleasant associations in one's mind.

Just like your own bones, they need to undergo intense redevelopment and grow teeth.

The cavities of the bone marrow are filled with menacing, sharp teeth, until they break through the limitations and proliferate on the surface of the bone.

That image, bizarre and terrifying, lingers in my mind.

Chu Tianshu's biggest weakness right now is his skeletal structure.

While the boxing techniques Storming Shaolin can transfer the effects of practice to one's weaknesses, methods like using medicinal sand to train still require several layers of effort to reach the bones.

Now, with the wondrous methods of Inner Sage, Outer King, and with the help of the Weapon Soul to regulate the Mind Power stored in the Sanqi Divine Sword, he has the power to regulate his mental power.

He can precisely control that concentrated Mind Power, and with his experience in martial arts, he can refine it directly down to his bones.

However, the human brain is born with pre-prepared ways to process many bodily signals.

The stimulation Chu Tianshu is currently inflicting on his bones is making it difficult for his brain to categorize.

The intensely tingling sensation caused my brain to subconsciously begin recalling all sorts of bizarre and terrifying images from my memory.

If it's not that bizarre, then use your strong associative abilities to start piecing it together.

In fact, this situation was also mentioned in the boxing manual of "Storming Shaolin".

Some of the exceptionally talented boxing masters recorded in Shaolin history, as well as Yu Dayou himself, all honed their boxing skills to an almost obsessive and unparalleled level at some point in their lives.

At that time, it's as if the human body, this mortal flesh, will actively hinder your cultivation, making it difficult for you to concentrate.

They call this the "Mortal Body Obstacle," believing that one must overcome many such obstacles to become a Vajra Bodhisattva.

However, most people never even have the chance to encounter such obstacles; the physical training they undergo is far from reaching a level that their minds cannot categorize.

Chu Tianshu has now achieved that.

He had previously considered how to improve his skills and become stronger after possessing the power of the Inner Sage, Outer King's Weapon Soul.

But he hadn't anticipated that he would encounter the "Mortal Body Obstacle" at this time.

As long as he doesn't stop practicing this method, the images flowing through his mind will become more and more numerous, increasingly appearing spliced and bizarre.

The boxing manual mentions that the solution given by eminent Shaolin monks in history was to recite "Amitabha Buddha".

Neither arrogant nor slow, neither too high nor too low, the thoughts flowed continuously; it was called reciting the Buddha's name, but it was actually more like chanting the Buddha's name.

He sang until every thought he had was "Amitabha Buddha"!

By using "Amitabha Buddha" to suppress distracting thoughts, one can naturally and unconsciously return to a state of concentration.

However, Yu Dayou criticized that Shaolin originally belonged to the Chan Buddhism, but this method of reciting the Buddha's name had already deviated from the Pure Land Buddhism.

Furthermore, boxing is a military art of killing and warfare, and the meaning of Amitabha Buddha is inconsistent with the original meaning of boxing; reciting it will only bring minor benefits.

Yu Dayou's own interpretation was, "Thirty-six guards, veterans of countless battles, chanted the word 'kill' in unison!"

He didn't read it himself, but had his guards read the word "kill" from outside.

Because he fought in numerous battles and trained troops, he had similar battlefield experiences to his men.

When outsiders utter the word "kill," their murderous intent is palpable. This internal and external influence naturally stirs up the same murderous intent that he himself cultivated on the battlefield.

In this way, he could eliminate all distracting thoughts with a powerful killing intent, both internally and externally.

Moreover, without having to chant slogans, one can focus all their breathing energy on coordinating the punches, resulting in better effects.

Chu Tianshu frowned, still subconsciously wanting to complete the cultivation on his own. With a thought, he blurted out the words.

"Approaching!"

The soldiers marched in formation, ready to fight!

This Nine-Syllable Mantra should be secretly recited frequently, and it will overcome all obstacles!

The Nine-Syllable Mantra, each syllable has its own independent meaning, and when put together, they form a whole different meaning.

After entering Buddhism, the nine characters, when read together, often evoke a sense of awe, pressure, and sealing.

However, there was the original "Secret Incantation of the Six Jia" and Chu Tianshu's "Secret Incantations of Vertical and Horizontal".

When you read all nine characters together, the emphasis is on a powerful and vigorous spirit.

Yu Dayou could suppress distracting thoughts with his murderous aura; he should be able to do the same with the sharpness of the Nine-Syllable Mantra.

"Warriors..."

Chu Tianshu suddenly closed his eyes and shut his mouth halfway through reading.

No, thinking about this only makes his mind more scattered.

To control the efficiency of the sword's Mind Power output, one must Weapon Soul, combine it with the experience of fist techniques, and recite a profound and extensive mantra.

This is far too complex for him to handle.

In theory, the Nine-Syllable Mantra can be combined with martial arts training to overcome Mortal Body Obstacle, and the combined effect may be exceptional.

But in reality, Chu Tianshu doesn't yet have the ability to combine these things.

He closed his eyes and remained silent for a while, then touched the ground with his legs while sitting cross-legged, withdrew his fingers, and paused his cultivation.

"Brother, please get me thirty-five guards."

There was already a guard on duty outside the Locust Tree Courtyard. Upon hearing this, he immediately turned around.

Soon, the man himself and thirty-six guards entered the courtyard.

They all knew that Chu Tianshu was Zheng Hui's distinguished guest.

Moreover, after the battle a Hundred Li outside the city that day, in which the old monk's corpse appeared, several guards examined the scene and, upon reflection, deeply felt that Chu Tianshu's strength was profound. Upon returning, they couldn't help but share this with their companions.

Therefore, when these thirty-six people looked at Chu Tianshu, they all felt a sense of awe, as well as a sense of wonder at how young Chu Tianshu was.

"Hey guys, I need a favor. We need to all shout 'Kill!' in unison later. It doesn't matter if we're the loudest, the important thing is to stay focused."

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "Try shouting ten times first. If I don't say stop, I'll keep shouting."

Thirty-six people nodded.

Chu Tianshu touched the ground with one finger again, leaned forward, and lifted his legs off the ground.

"Kill!"

These thirty-six people were all well-trained. One of them raised his hand and waved it, and the shouts of the crowd were superimposed in one place, which was indeed very orderly.

"Kill! Kill! Kill..."

Several birds in the locust tree were startled and circled in the air for a while. Seeing that the people were just shouting but not moving, they curiously returned to their nests.

Chu Tianshu frowned slightly as he listened to the shouts. Although the shouts of these thirty-six people were in unison, their killing intent was not uniform.

Moreover, its killing intent wasn't strong enough.

General Yu, what exactly are the qualities and personalities of your thirty-six guards? The book doesn't even mention it.

"Well!"

Chu Tianshu sighed softly, preparing to pause again.

"Kill!!"

From the neighboring courtyard, a voice suddenly rang out, clear and resonant like metal, perfectly merging with the voices of the thirty-six people.

The distinctive sound of the voices, even when shouted in unison by thirty-six people, could not be concealed.

Several birds in the big locust tree cried out in surprise and suddenly took flight.

Only a few feathers fell from the sky, and the birds flew away without looking back.

The word "kill" sent shivers down Chu Tianshu's spine.

That was Hai Donglai's voice. He was resting quietly in the big house in the next courtyard, and must have heard the conversation and sighs over here before uttering the word "kill".

His strength was diminished, but his killing intent remained undiminished.

Different courtyards and thick, high walls were all rendered useless in the face of this murderous aura.

Chu Tianshu felt sufficiently stimulated, but his face showed some helplessness.

Hai Donglai's murderous aura far surpassed that of the thirty-six guards.

But Chu Tianshu hadn't invited him before because Hai Donglai's murderous aura might easily provoke him.

Faced with such murderous intent, let alone clearing his mind, Chu Tianshu was already instinctively imagining the scene of fighting the opponent.

The guards also tensed up and couldn't help but grip their sword hilts.

They knew there were guests in the neighboring courtyard, but they couldn't help being on guard, their throats tightened, and they didn't utter another shout of "Kill!"

"Are you trying to actively create an atmosphere to try Comprehended Move?"

Another voice came from outside, Blind Cheng, his scabbard touching the ground, walked over from outside the courtyard gate.

"Your mind and blade must be one, pure and flawless. Your Weapon Soul has barely taken shape, and you're already preparing to Comprehended Move?"

Chu Tianshu pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps... it is indeed somewhat similar to the requirements of Comprehended Move."

"Then I'll lend a hand too."

The Blind Cheng sat down against the wall, suddenly drew his sword and held it horizontally in front of him, tapping the blade lightly with the scabbard.

Bite!

He shouted out with each clang of the knife.

"Kill!"

He knocked once and shouted once; initially, the murderous intent was not strong, and his voice was hoarse and low.

But with each knock and each shout, the word he uttered grew longer and longer.

Wild grasses grow rampant, the land is desolate, comrades stand beside me, and my hometown lies behind me.

The war drums thundered, and the army charged forward!

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

The blind man is not an assassin, not Inner Guard, not a guard, and he is no longer even a member of the military.

But his voice, as he spoke, seemed to be singing poems from the battlefield.

Rough, barbaric, a poem that repeats only one word throughout, yet its melody varies a hundred times.

Many people went to the battlefield because they had many burdens on their hearts. Those who were forced to join the army did so for the sake of their families, who needed a soldier. However, it was true that some homeless and rogue individuals would evade military service.

But when fighting a bloody battle, one feels as if nothing else exists in their heart, only that tenacity remains.

When one is willing to risk one's life, and life and death are no longer a concern, what other distracting thoughts would arise?

Only one option is to kill!

This murderous aura seemed to be directed not at the person before him, nor at the person from the past, but at the heavens.

The guards forgot whether they should shout again, they were only focused on listening to the shouts.

A knife's cry, a man's voice.

The word "kill" rang out again from the neighboring courtyard, but this time it had changed.

The two voices, in a wondrous competition, competed in the rhythm of the same knife striking, adding an invincible domineering quality to that thin, stubborn killing intent.

Chu Tianshu's brows relaxed at some point, and he gradually lowered his eyes to look at his hands.

His eyebrows, which originally had a heroic air about them, now looked as focused as a Long-Browed Arhat.

This time, the transparent flame that circulated only inside his body filled a finger, and after expanding and contracting a hundred times, it flowed into the metacarpal bone.

Like the ebb and flow of the tide, it gradually spread to the entire arm.

Before the Arhat subdued the demon, he first sat quietly in the fire!

(End of this chapter)