Chapter 9: The Elephant Shell Technique

Han Li recalled this and a faint smile appeared on his face.

He and Zhang Tie had become close friends over the past half year, due to their compatible temperaments and similar backgrounds. They had naturally become inseparable, sharing everything with each other.

Han Li slowly unfolded his crossed legs, rubbed his calves, and felt a bit numb from sitting in meditation for too long, which had caused poor blood circulation in his legs.

After rubbing for a while and feeling his legs fully recover, Han Li stood up from the mat, habitually brushed off the dust from his clothes, and pushed open the stone room door to walk out.

Looking back at the stone room where he practiced, Han Li gave a slight self-mocking smile.

This room was entirely hollowed out from solid granite, and the door was made from a single large piece of bluestone. An ordinary person would have to chop for a considerable time with a giant axe to break in.

Such a quiet practice room was only available to the sect leaders, elders, and hall masters of the Seven Profound Sect, and even the core disciples of the Seven Absolute Hall could not casually possess one. These stone rooms were specifically built for those practicing advanced internal techniques to prevent external factors from interfering and causing them to go astray. It was unknown what methods Doctor Mo used, but he managed to convince several elders to create such a room for him in the Divine Hand Valley, which ordinary disciples could not enjoy.

Once the stone room was completed, Doctor Mo designated it for Han Li's exclusive use, a decision that left Han Li somewhat surprised.

Doctor Mo was too good to him. Since becoming his disciple, Doctor Mo had given him several different medicines every day and made medicinal soups for him to soak in. Although Han Li did not know the names or functions of these medicines, he could tell from Doctor Mo's expression when using them—usually expressionless, but showing a reluctant look—that these medicines were very precious.

Clearly, these external aids were effective. Han Li's cultivation speed had significantly increased, and he had recently succeeded in breaking through to the first level of the nameless technique.

However, during the breakthrough, several meridians almost ruptured, causing him some internal injuries. Fortunately, Doctor Mo's medical skills were excellent, the damaged meridians were not too severe, and he used good medicines, so there were no lingering effects.

After Han Li was injured, Doctor Mo was even more anxious than Han Li himself. He was restless throughout the treatment process and only relaxed when he saw Han Li's condition improve.

Doctor Mo's behavior far exceeded what was expected between a master and a disciple, leaving Han Li with a sense of unease. If it weren't for the fact that no one in the Han family, except for Uncle San, had ever left their poor mountain village, Han Li might have even thought Doctor Mo was a distant relative.

After leaving the stone room, Han Li stretched and slowly walked to his residence. After becoming a formal disciple, Han Li and Zhang Tie had moved out of their original room and each had their own private quarters.

As he passed Zhang Tie's room, Han Li glanced at it casually.

Sure enough, Zhang Tie was not inside, probably practicing at the waterfall below the Red Water Peak again.

After becoming Doctor Mo's formal disciple, Doctor Mo still had Han Li practice the nameless technique, without teaching him any other skills. Perhaps to comfort him, Doctor Mo taught him medicine without reservation, guiding him step by step and answering all his questions to his satisfaction. He also allowed Han Li to freely read all the medical books in his room.

For Zhang Tie, Doctor Mo taught him a very practical skill as he had promised.

Zhang Tie's skill was very unique. According to Doctor Mo, it was a rare martial art called the "Elephant Shell Technique." This skill was rarely seen in the martial world, and many people had never even heard of it, let alone practiced it.

Unlike ordinary martial arts, which become increasingly difficult as one progresses, this skill was divided into nine levels. The first three levels were easy to practice, similar to ordinary martial arts. However, starting from the fourth level, it suddenly became much more difficult and required enduring unimaginable pain and torment. Many practitioners could not bear this inhuman pain and stopped, their cultivation stagnating. The fifth and sixth levels were even more challenging, with the pain increasing several times over.

However, once one broke through to the seventh level, the path became smooth and unobstructed. Only a few days each month were required to endure the excruciating pain.

These factors made many people hesitant to practice this skill, which was the main reason for its near extinction.

Despite its peculiar nature, the skill was incredibly powerful at higher levels. It was said that those who reached the ninth level were like wearing a magical armor, impervious to blades and bullets, and immune to water and fire. Not only could they withstand palm and fist strikes, but even precious swords and knives could hardly injure them.

Even more enticing, practitioners gradually gained the strength of an elephant, becoming immensely powerful, capable of capturing wolves and tearing apart tigers and leopards.

This skill was both feared and admired by those who knew of it. Apart from the high-ranking person who created it, no one had ever reached the ninth level. It was rumored that this person was born without the ability to feel pain, which allowed him to create such a bizarre martial art and bring it to its peak.

Although Doctor Mo had thoroughly explained the pros and cons of the skill to Zhang Tie, Zhang Tie did not fully understand the harm and did not take it seriously. He was only envious of the skill's power and agreed to practice it without hesitation. It seemed to suit him well, and in just two months, Zhang Tie had reached the peak of the first level.

Recently, to break through the first level of the "Elephant Shell Technique," Zhang Tie, following Doctor Mo's advice, practiced under the impact of a waterfall on Red Water Peak every afternoon.

According to Zhang Tie, this method was quite effective, and he was just a thin layer away from the second level. With a bit more effort, he would break through the bottleneck.