Chapter 3

The fierce howl of a wolf echoed from the dense forest.

A large gray wolf had fallen into a trap and was hanging in a net.

Guchen Sha viciously stabbed the giant wolf's throat with a dagger, and blood spurted out, splashing onto the green sacrificial edict.

He then cut his own finger, and his blood also dripped down.

The shadow of the gray wolf appeared on the surface of the edict, being absorbed into the green light.

Deep within the edict, a powerful force was directly infused into his body.

A sacrifice must involve the blood of a living creature and one's own blood; this is recorded in many ancient histories, so that the heavens can determine to whom the sacrificial power belongs.

Rip!

His clothes were instantly torn.

Roar! Roar! Roar...

Guchen Sha let out a roar like a giant wolf, his muscles swelling and twisting like living pythons, strong and powerful.

His entire body grew several sizes larger, and his originally slender frame became tall and imposing.

The strength of a wolf far exceeds that of a chicken.

An adult giant wolf might even be a match for a strong man.

This was the Southern Mountain, the hunting ground for the royal disciples.

The royal family had designated hundreds of miles of land as a hunting ground, where countless fierce beasts roamed. Guchen Sha rarely came here, fearing that if he were killed, there would be no one to bear witness.

But after obtaining the sacrificial edict, he needed offerings to enhance his strength, and he couldn't perform witchcraft in the palace.

In ancient times, fierce beasts roamed, devouring humans daily. The ancient emperor led the people to hunt and sacrifice these beasts to the heavens, praying for the well-being of all, and humanity eventually flourished.

Guchen Sha naturally emulated the ancient emperors, hunting fierce beasts to sacrifice to the heavens, which was righteous.

He was well-read and knew that treasures and divine artifacts could only be possessed by those of high virtue. If one's virtue was insufficient, the treasure would bring disaster. For example, the imperial throne; if the emperor's virtue was sufficient, the realm would be peaceful, but if he acted against the will of the people, the realm would fall into chaos, and he would become a fallen emperor.

Though he didn't know what luck had brought him the sacrificial edict, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he had the virtue to wield such a divine artifact.

This edict, bestowed by heaven, governed the four directions and ultimately operated the heavenly way, sealing the gods. How could it be a trivial matter?

Black blood was forced out of his pores, his flesh and blood as if refined from slag into fine steel, expelling all excess fat and toxins from his body.

After nearly half an hour, he recovered, his entire body exuding a formidable aura. A slight clench of his fist made his bones crackle, and a step forward caused the ground to sink slightly.

He swept his palm out.

Crack!

A tree as thick as a bowl was snapped in two.

His martial arts had reached the second level of the Mortal Realm, "Entering the Hall."

He could now be called a "Warrior."

The term "Warrior" refers to a scholar-official, a rank above the common people.

Achieving the rank of Warrior, according to the emperor's rules, a prince could be granted the title of General of the State.

This was the emperor's decree: any prince who achieved martial arts could be ennobled. If a prince reached the fourth level of the Mortal Realm, "Perfection," and accomplished great deeds, he could be ennobled as a Duke.

The first level of the Mortal Realm, "Initial Insight," was nothing special, just a "Warrior." The second level, "Entering the Hall," could be called a Warrior. The third level, "Mastery," could be called a Master, and the fourth level, "Perfection," was a Grandmaster.

"Surprisingly, it has the effect of purifying the body and cleansing the marrow." He looked at his hands with joy. "The palace has precious marrow-cleansing pills to improve one's constitution, but how could I possibly receive such a reward? Now, it seems that the power of sacrifice is far superior to the marrow-cleansing pill."

After taking the marrow-cleansing pill, one would suffer severe abdominal pain, diarrhea for three days, and extreme weakness. Then, one would need to take tonics like ginseng and deer antler for three months to gradually regain strength. How could it possibly have an immediate effect?

But thinking about it, this was the power of heaven, and he felt at ease.

Though the marrow-cleansing pill was precious, how could it compare to the power of heaven?

"Now, with my strength, I can hunt bears. Bears are the best offerings in ancient times. The ancient tribe of 'Youxiong' is recorded in history as having sacrificed bears to the heavens, reaping great rewards." Guchen Sha, well-versed in history, recalled the ancient tribal sacrifices and decided to hunt a bear.

In the past, with his mediocre martial arts, he risked being ambushed if he came to hunt alone. Now, having reached the "Entering the Hall" level, he felt more confident.

The strength of a wolf was indeed formidable. His movements were swift, and he could now perform techniques that were previously impossible.

Roar!

After half an hour of movement, his stamina had not waned. In the past, he would have been panting heavily.

A loud roar came from ahead, and he immediately hid in the grass.

In the forest, two beasts were fighting: a bear and a tiger.

"Such good luck, to encounter this?" He was overjoyed. Recently, his luck had been excellent, and everything had been going smoothly. Now, with his increased strength, dealing with a fierce bear was still dangerous. If the tiger and bear injured each other, he could take advantage of the situation, wouldn't that be great?

Sure enough, the bear and tiger were both covered in wounds, their strength nearly exhausted. The tiger struggled to its feet and limped away, while the bear lay panting, unable to move.

"Great opportunity!" Guchen Sha rushed out, aiming for the fierce bear, and slashed at its throat with his dagger.

Slap!

The bear, seemingly drawing strength from somewhere, struck out with its paw like a martial arts expert, hitting him hard on the shoulder and knocking him to the ground.

Guchen Sha saw stars, nearly passing out, but thanks to his recently purified body, he quickly regained his footing and stabbed with his dagger, "Piercing the Yang at a Hundred Paces."

The dagger struck like an arrow.

Thud!

The dagger pierced the bear's eye.

The bear fell to the ground.

Guchen Sha immediately took out the "Sacrificial Edict" and began the ritual to sacrifice the bear's soul.

The offering must be slaughtered on the spot, so that the soul can be offered to the heavens through the edict, thus receiving the heavens' blessing. If too much time passed, the soul would dissipate, rendering the sacrifice meaningless.

Ah...

The moment he sacrificed the bear, Guchen Sha's body was torn apart, his flesh and blood churned by a powerful force, as if he had been thrown into a meat grinder. It took a long time for the pain to subside.

When he regained consciousness, it was already dark. He quickly checked his body, relieved to find that all his wounds had disappeared, and his skin was smooth and lustrous like porcelain.

He felt as if a snake had swallowed a whole cow and wouldn't need to eat for the entire winter.

By instinct, he knew he couldn't perform another sacrifice, or his body would explode.

His immediate priority was to return and practice martial arts intensively, to assimilate the strength and advance his martial arts to a higher level before attempting another sacrifice.

Sacrifice was a forced infusion of power, and Guchen Sha's body had reached its limit; it couldn't handle any more.

"Now, I have the strength of a chicken, a wolf, and a bear. In terms of physical strength, I am no less than a prince who has taken tonics for years, and my bones and blood are even purer. No matter how precious the medicine, it leaves toxins in the body, but the power of heaven has no impurities. As long as I practice diligently, I can soon break through to a higher level." Guchen Sha thought to himself.

With a stronger body, martial arts practice would come naturally.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His body leaped, and he struck the trees with a series of punches, causing them to explode, sending wood chips flying.

With the agility of a wolf and the stability of a bear.

He was like a wild beast from the primeval age, charging forward recklessly.

"Indeed, the strength of a bear and a wolf is formidable!"

Guchen Sha looked at his hands, realizing that in just one day, he had surpassed what others would achieve in ten years of hard training.

It was already dark, and the palace gates were locked. He couldn't return, and staying in the mountains was also unwise, not to mention the other fierce beasts, snakes, and insects.

Now, with his increased strength, he still had no way to deal with the venomous creatures in the forest.

As for the prince hunting and not returning at night, it wasn't a crime.

The emperor encouraged the princes to practice martial arts and hunting, and there were annual evaluations, with outstanding princes receiving rewards.

He left the mountains at night, didn't enter the city, and stayed at an inn outside the city. After a bath and a change of clothes, he looked in the mirror and saw that his demeanor had changed significantly. His eyes sparkled, his forehead was clear, his shoulders broad, and his demeanor deep and steady.

This was not a good sign; the palace was full of sharp people who would surely notice the change in his demeanor.

Fortunately, he had been pretending to be foolish for years and had some skills. After some practice, he could still put on a foolish and clumsy act.

After a busy day, he felt comfortable and full of energy, not at all tired. Lying in bed, his eyes sparkled.

"I remember many etiquette books recording that ancient emperors sacrificed to the heavens not only to gain power. For example, one ancient emperor fought a demon god, sacrificing nine thousand demons, and the heavens bestowed a divine sword." Guchen Sha thought, "It seems I need to study various sacrificial methods from history."

The power of heaven created everything, the world, the sun, moon, stars, the earth, and rivers, all created by this incomprehensible and mighty divine power. What is impossible?

Etiquette and sacrifice are also subjects in the education of princes. The state's major affairs are sacrifice and war. Guchen Sha had also studied the various sacrificial rituals of ancient times.

Gaining power through sacrifice is just the initial method. If one masters the appropriate sacrificial method, it can be like wishing for anything.

There are records in history of people sacrificing to ghosts and gods to gain gold and silver, and even sacrificing to demons to gain beautiful women.

All kinds of strange and varied things.

Even those improper sacrifices, which are not officially recognized, are so wondrous, let alone sacrificing to the heavens?

Improper sacrifices often have bad outcomes, controlled by demon gods. Historically, those who succeeded through witchcraft and improper sacrifices had tragic endings.

Proper sacrifices have no such drawbacks. They are righteous, killing fierce beasts to sacrifice to the heavens to ensure the well-being of the people, emulating the virtue of ancient emperors, which is the right path for humans.

Improper sacrifices often involve cruel methods, such as sacrificing young boys and girls.

The next is using livestock.

But Guchen Sha found these methods unacceptable. Livestock have been domesticated by humans for many years and have made great contributions. It would be heartless to sacrifice them. For example, oxen work hard, plowing fields, and even after death, their meat is eaten. If they were also sacrificed, using their souls as a trade, it would be no different from dealing with demons.

As for fierce beasts, which are evil and devour humans, it is different.

"Righteousness and propriety are about order. What is order? Repaying virtue with virtue, repaying grievances with grievances, clear distinctions between good and evil, rewarding the good and punishing the evil, with strict laws." Guchen Sha pondered the rituals of sacrifice, gaining insights, and his mind became more active. This understanding also greatly benefited his martial arts.

Three months passed.

Guchen Sha practiced boxing in the mountains.

"Black Tiger Heart Snatch!"

His punches were like the wind, practicing the most basic techniques.

Repeating the practice, his mind became clear, and he gradually transformed the mundane into the extraordinary.

"Black Tiger Heart Snatch" is a simple technique but contains many variations, the key being the "snatch" action.

There are "empty snatch," "real snatch," "horizontal snatch," "vertical snatch," "upper snatch," "lower snatch," "yin snatch," and "yang snatch."

Executing this move, the force can be light or heavy, real or feigned, with the flow of yin and yang, reaching the level of mastery, and one can be called a martial arts master.

Guchen Sha, originally at the "Initial Insight" level, gained the strength of a bear and a wolf, reaching the "Entering the Hall" level and becoming a Warrior.

After three months of intensive practice, he finally became familiar with the strength.

He leaped continuously, subtly entering the third level of the Mortal Realm, "Mastery," becoming a martial arts master.

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{I just want to write quietly. You don't need to rush to spend money on rewards. When the word count increases and you truly find the book good, you can reward me as a way to pass the time. Also, I will occasionally post about the book and my situation on my WeChat public account and Weibo. If you are interested, you can follow.}

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