Zhufu Yan, Who Excelled at Simple Techniques

Unaware of the passage of time due to the influence of the mirage pearl in the secret realm, Zhang Xuezhou was oblivious to the effects of the time.

It wasn't until he returned to Shanglin Garden and checked the calendar that he realized that the period of confusion had lasted for nearly four days.

"It's a miracle I survived!"

Zhang Xuezhou sighed.

The illusion array cannot withstand the physical push of the four-gate encirclement array, but its time-consuming nature is tantamount to killing invisibly.

"Illusion array, illusion array..."

Zhang Xuezhou muttered a couple of sentences, and another large illusion array appeared in his mind.

"I'm going to Zixiao Palace, but what am I supposed to do there?"

Zhang Xuezhou has a very good memory; he rarely encounters things he can't remember.

If it weren't for the illusion array in the Shanglin Garden secret realm, he might not even have thought of the Zixiao Palace, which also possessed a large-scale illusion array.

Some things he should have remembered had been forgotten, and this forgetting was so powerful that even after Zhang Xuezhou racked his brains, he couldn't recall them.

Clearly, without the stimulus of a similar event, the content deep within Zhang Xuezhou's memory will not simply surface.

He took a bamboo slip and wrote the three characters 'Zixiao Palace' on it, then highlighted them, and hung the bamboo slip in the side hall of Shanglin Garden where he was temporarily staying.

"Master from the Dongfang, I am thirsty!"

"Drink water if you're thirsty!"

My stomach gets bloated when I drink water!

"If you feel bloated, just keep practicing!"

Huo Qubing, who was exhausted outside the hall, started grumbling again.

Polygonatum is a material used in Grain Avoidance Pill, and top-grade Polygonatum contains excessive amounts of it.

A normal Grain Avoidance Pill keeps you from feeling hungry, and the user should minimize physical activity, let alone physical activity, to avoid affecting the longevity of the medicine.

Zhang Xuezhou's Grain Avoidance Pill, which counteracts hunger, is one aspect, but the excessive replenishment of vital energy is another.

He also took a Grain Avoidance Pill himself. Zhang Xuezhou didn't feel anything special. After all, ordinary pills didn't have a significant effect on him. However, the physical body technique could effectively distribute these vital energies to every acupoint.

"In the end, it's because you guys are incompetent; you're all spoiled and pampered..."

Zhang Xuezhou kept rambling on, saying that Huo Qubing and Jin Wanliang were too incompetent, which led to various problems after taking the medicine.

"Master from the Dongfang, could you teach me some techniques? I really can't stand jumping with this load on my back like you said!"

"You Realm Entry using your Qi and Blood, while I Realm Entry using my Law Power. Our cultivation methods are different, so how can I teach you? Even if our cultivation methods were the same, I wouldn't use techniques that only utilize three acupoints!"

Zhang Xuezhou clearly had little to teach Huo Qubing.

He has always practiced complex techniques; the more complex they are, the more his abilities are revealed, while the simpler they are, the less of an advantage he has.

Even though his initial Yin Entity Tracking Technique was a twelve-aperture technique, it couldn't be simplified to the point that Huo Qubing could cultivate.

"Is there no technique in this world that has three apertures?" Huo Qubing exclaimed.

You should ask your godfather!

My godfather said he didn't have any!

Even the Daoist Mu, who never amounted to anything despite a lifetime of cultivation, only had a dozen or so openings in his Technique Method. The cultivation secrets collected by the imperial court, no matter how bad, were still better than what the Daoist Mu possessed.

Moreover, in the early stages of cultivation, everyone pursues higher realms, and no one is so kind as to create a bunch of cultivation Technique Method when they first Realm Entry.

In conclusion, the need for Huo Qubing's three-aperture technique was indeed extremely difficult.

"The skills of mastering the three apertures are indeed rare in the world, but a discerning eye for talent is even rarer. Brother Dongfang, do you still remember the Northern Land Zhufu Yan?"

Zhang Xuezhou and Huo Qubing exchanged several verbal sparring matches. When someone in the distance reached out and waved enthusiastically, Zhang Xuezhou looked at the eager figure in the distance with slight surprise.

"I only remember Zhufu Yan, who disappeared without a trace after taking my money; I don't remember Zhufu Yan from the North!"

Zhang Xuezhou stood on the steps of the side hall and called out to Zhufu Yan.

The Demonic Sound Technique allowed his voice to penetrate the vicinity of Zhufu Yan, causing Zhufu Yan to burst into awkward laughter.

"I failed to secure an official position in Chang'an City, and my money has run out. I have no face to face Brother Dongfang, so I have no choice but to leave Chang'an City to make a living!"

When Zhufu Yan thought of the half-ounce coins he had tucked into his self-recommendation letter, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

If he had known the court was cracking down on bribery, he wouldn't have done it. In the end, he not only lost his official position but also his money.

Now that Zhang Xuezhou had pressed him for an answer, he felt a pang of regret.

But whenever he saw that Zhang Xuezhou was also in Shanglin Garden, living in a truly excellent place, he couldn't suppress his ulterior motives.

The matter of face is nothing, after all, Zhufu Yan has long since lost his face over the years.

"Brother Dongfang, I've always been thinking about repaying your money!" Zhufu Yan exclaimed. "Once I become an official, I'll definitely repay you tenfold, a hundredfold!"

"Forget it, forget it!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

He was no longer the same person he used to be, while Zhufu Yan, after so many years, couldn't even repay a hundred or so half taels of silver. Zhang Xuezhou didn't want to make things worse for Zhufu Yan.

Besides, the money he borrowed from Zhufu Yan wasn't much; even if he repaid it tenfold or a hundredfold, it would still only be a small amount.

"I knew you were Dongfang, Brother Dongfang!" Zhufu Yan Fu Yan said expectantly, "Brother Dongfang, if you ever find anything good to do, please don't forget me!"

Upon hearing that Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind not having to repay the money, Zhufu Yan's face immediately lit up with joy.

But he quickly concluded that Zhang Xuezhou must be living a pretty good life right now, otherwise he wouldn't even ask for money.

"I'm currently refining pills at Shanglin Garden, so you probably can't do this," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"So it's alchemy!"

It's not surprising that Zhang Xuezhou practiced alchemy, after all, their first meeting was when they went to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to find medicinal herbs, and only wealthy young men had the resources to learn alchemy.

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou was even refining elixirs for the imperial court, Zhufu Yan was extremely envious.

Although Zhufu Yan was willing to do anything, he really couldn't do this task, and he was extremely disappointed.

"Who is that young man?"

Shanglin Garden covers a vast area, but it is a royal garden, and not just anyone can come here, let alone enter the main hall in the military-controlled area.

Zhufu Yan gathered information and then set his sights on Huo Qubing, but Huo Qubing completely ignored him.

"Young man, if you need the Three Apertures Technique, come to me. I certainly don't know the complicated ones, but I really do know the simple ones!"

Zhufu Yan Fu patted his chest, indicating that he could use the Three Aperture Technique, which was not something ordinary people possessed.

There's no real reason; he was simply poor.

While others were busy taking medicine to advance their cultivation levels, Zhufu Yan was busy catching field mice to satisfy his hunger. The difference between them was beyond description.

But this also allowed Zhufu Yan to hone his skills at every level, even at the very beginning of his Realm Entry.

The art of the three apertures also originated from this.

"Then tell me a technique involving the three acupoints: Juque, Shangqu, and Qixue!"

Huo Qubing, unusually, looked at the rather disheveled-looking Zhufu Yan in the distance.

No wonder Huo Qubing looked down at people; Zhufu Yan's hair and beard were unkempt, and his face, filled with flattery and dejection, did not resemble a superior person at all. He even looked somewhat like a laborer or a prisoner.

However, he was somewhat aware that those who could come to Shanglin Garden all had some connections, so he did not speak in a condescending manner.

"Then you've come to the right person. You might not be able to do it with anyone else," Zhufu Yan laughed. "You said that these three acupoints are difficult to connect and exert force, requiring the assistance of body posture to complete, and to possess their power is even more difficult!"

Instead of taking the sword from his waist, Zhufu Yan used his fingers as a substitute, striking forward with his left hand while kicking backward with his right leg.

Two gusts of wind exploded one after the other in his finger and leg.

His technique was somewhat like a freeze-frame shot of a male or female actor in a soap opera. Unless there were two weaklings attacking from the front and back, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't think of any particular use for this technique that dispersed power.

Of course, if it could be used to replenish Huo Qubing's vital energy, that would be a rare and ingenious use.

"Young man, would you like me to give you some pointers...?"

Just as Zhufu Yan was about to say a few more words, the same piercing sound of wind reached his ears.

Before he could even explain this seemingly simple technique, which few people actually studied and used, Huo Qubing had already demonstrated it.