Chapter 3

Bai Hu did not rush to tell Jiang Nan what other benefits he had. Instead, he said calmly, "Young Master, let me ask you, what is your purpose in cultivating the Way of Martial Arts?"

Jiang Nan was slightly taken aback, recalling the lowly and servile life he had led since arriving in Jianwu Kingdom. He felt a mix of emotions and, after a moment, said hoarsely, "I cultivate the Way of Martial Arts to change my current status and not to continue being a servant or a lowly person..."

"With your current cultivation, you will enter the Qi Refinement stage in half a year. Once you reach the Qi Refinement stage, you can participate in the Martial Examination and will no longer be a servant. Is reaching the Qi Refinement stage the purpose of your cultivation?"

Bai Hu's eyes revealed a mocking expression as he said, "Young Master, if you become a martial expert and achieve the Divine Wheel realm, only a few experts in the entire Jianwu Kingdom can match you. Would you still be content with just not being a servant? With the eighteen techniques of the Jiang Yue Pao Lang诀, do you fear failing to achieve the Divine Wheel realm?"

Hearing this, Jiang Nan's heart stirred, and he smiled, "If I become an expert at the Divine Wheel realm, my goals will naturally be higher! If that day comes, I will enter the court and become a general, expanding the territory of Jianwu Kingdom and leaving my name in history!"

"What if your achievements surpass the Divine Wheel realm, and you enter the Dao through martial arts, achieving the Divine Power realm, becoming a figure on par with the Duke of Qi's estate?"

Bai Hu took a step forward, looking straight into Jiang Nan's eyes, his words piercing to the core: "At that time, you will have the ability to change and transform, with great divine power, able to take someone's head from a thousand miles away with a mere thought! Your martial power will be such that even the emperor of Jianwu Kingdom and all the experts in the court will not be your match. You can overthrow a dynasty with your own strength, or even become an emperor yourself, founding a nation and expanding its territory!"

Jiang Nan's throat went dry. Bai Hu had almost completely stirred up his ambitions. If he truly possessed such martial power, it would indeed be better to establish his own vast empire rather than serve others!

"Through martial arts, if one day you achieve success and become a Divine King or a Divine Emperor, the entire universe will be within your grasp, unifying all realms!"

"Tell me, will your purpose in cultivation still be just to avoid being a servant? Don't you want to seek revenge on the heavenly gods who destroyed your home and caused your family to fall apart?"

Bai Hu's voice was not loud, but it was deafening: "The greater your ability, the greater your ambition. The greater your ambition, the greater your ability will become! Only boundless ambition can be the driving force for your progress and the motivation for greater achievements!"

Jiang Nan's mind was in turmoil, and the foundation of his martial arts philosophy crumbled instantly!

His original purpose in cultivating martial arts was to escape his current situation and no longer be a servant. His greatest ideal was to revive the fallen Jiang family.

But Bai Hu's words opened his eyes, showing him a vast and boundless world, making him realize that his vision should not be limited to the small world of Jianwu Kingdom and the Duke of Qi's estate!

"Now, tell me, what benefits do you want?" Bai Hu said coolly.

"Miss, who are you?"

Jiang Nan felt his lips dry. The white fox he had saved seemed increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.

The fox demon who could speak such words and easily deduce the Jiang Yue Pao Lang诀, which was more profound and advanced than the original technique, even adding eight more stages, was certainly not an ordinary fox spirit who only knew how to absorb the yang energy of scholars!

Jiang Nan suddenly remembered that the white fox had mentioned earlier that she had suffered a great calamity during her cultivation and was betrayed, leading to her current state. What level of cultivation and achievement had she reached before the calamity?

"Who am I?"

Bai Hu fell silent, her moon-like eyes dimming as if recalling the past. After a moment, she said softly, "I have lost all my cultivation and my divine soul is almost shattered, akin to being reborn. What does my past glory have to do with me now... Young Master, since you have used your yang energy to repair my divine soul, I will also take the surname Jiang... From now on, I will be Jiang Xue. In front of others, you can call me Sister..."

Jiang Xue looked up at Jiang Nan, her tone calm, and said softly, "Have you thought about it? What benefits do you want?"

"Jiang Xue... Sister..."

Jiang Nan suddenly raised his head, his voice still carrying a hint of youthful innocence: "Sister, I want to learn martial arts from you! I want to avenge the destruction of my home and the death of my family, to make those high and mighty heavenly gods pay the price!"

In the past, he might have been content with wealth and status or reviving the Jiang family. But now, after hearing Jiang Xue's series of enlightening questions, he realized that this was a real opportunity to change his destiny!

The great battle of the heavenly gods had destroyed his home, and how could Jiang Nan forget such a deep grudge? In the past, he was too insignificant, like an ant before the heavenly gods. Now, he had brought back this hidden hatred!

Avenge the heavenly gods!

"True martial arts, when mastered, can lead to divine transformations, transcending the mundane, controlling the seas and rivers, and plucking stars from the sky, all of which are within reach!"

By the Yangchuan River, a white fox spoke earnestly about martial arts, while a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy listened intently.

Although the white fox was a demon, she exuded an extraordinary aura, as if she were not a fox but a beautiful woman sitting there.

The scene was bizarre, but neither the human nor the fox felt anything amiss. The speaker spoke eloquently, and the listener listened with great interest.

"Zichuan, the Jiang Yue Pao Lang诀 is indeed a good martial arts technique, but it is not a true masterpiece!"

Jiang Xue paused slightly and continued, "Among the techniques I know, there are countless that surpass the Jiang Yue Pao Lang诀. Any one of them could be a core technique of a sect. For example, the Great Vajra Dragon Sutra is a top-notch masterpiece!"

"The Great Vajra Dragon Sutra?"

Jiang Nan's eyes lit up. The technique sounded powerful and majestic, far surpassing the Jiang Yue Pao Lang诀.

"By cultivating this technique, your blood and yang energy will become incredibly vigorous, almost like a true dragon!"

Jiang Xue encouraged him, smiling, "When you reach the Divine Power realm, you will cultivate the dragon clan's divine power. As your cultivation increases, you will achieve the might of a Great Vajra Dragon, with great divine power, able to roam the four extremities of the world, all of which will be within reach!"

Jiang Nan was moved and asked, "Can it defeat the heavenly gods?"

Jiang Xue frowned slightly and shook her head, "No. Even a true Great Vajra Dragon is a dragon king under the heavenly gods. How can it defeat the heavenly gods?"

Jiang Nan's expression darkened, "Sister, is there a more powerful technique?"

Jiang Xue thought for a moment and said, "I have another technique called the Primordial One Qi Disaster Relief Sutra, a genuine Buddhist technique. When cultivated, the yang energy is fierce, and at its peak, it grants boundless power, capable of controlling the heavens and earth, plucking stars and moving planets, all of which are within reach!"

Jiang Nan asked eagerly, "Can this technique defeat the heavenly gods?"

"Hmm..."

Jiang Xue hesitated, "The Primordial One Qi Disaster Relief Sutra is indeed powerful, but it is not a divine-level technique. It lacks offensive power, so defeating the heavenly gods might be difficult, but it is sufficient for self-defense."

"If it can't defeat the heavenly gods, I won't learn it."

Jiang Nan shook his head, "Sister, do you have a better technique?"

Jiang Xue frowned and said patiently, "I have another technique called the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Silkworm. Cultivating this technique can match the heavenly gods, but it requires an extremely long time. By the time you reach the heavenly god's level, it might be tens of thousands of years later..."

"Sister, don't you have a faster technique?" Jiang Nan asked.

Jiang Xue thought carefully and suddenly her eyes lit up, "I have another technique called the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra, which I obtained after defeating a Divine Prison Demon Lord. The Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra uses the body as a demon prison, with true qi forming a mystic fetus, and the yang energy is incredibly vigorous, not inferior to the previous techniques, and even surpasses them! If cultivated to a high level, it can definitely defeat the heavenly gods. However, I only have the technique up to the eighth level of divine power, without the corresponding divine power, but based on the technique, it can indeed surpass the heavenly gods when fully mastered."

"Righteous and demonic paths have no distinction in techniques, only in the practitioner's nature."

Jiang Nan sighed in relief and smiled, "Cultivating a righteous technique for evil deeds is the demonic path, and cultivating a demonic technique for righteous deeds is the righteous path. Cultivating a demonic technique does not necessarily mean I will do evil. I will learn the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra!"

Jiang Xue nodded, her eyes showing approval, "I didn't expect you to have such insight at your young age. However, the distinction between righteousness and evil is not that simple. If you cultivate the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra, you must be cautious and not let anyone know! If people find out you are cultivating a top-tier demonic technique, not only will demonic experts try to kill you for the technique, but righteous experts will also try to kill you to eliminate evil and protect the righteous path!"

Jiang Nan couldn't help but worry, "Being hunted by both the righteous and demonic paths? Does that mean my future is bleak... But without Sister Jiang Xue, I would have no hope of revenge in this life. Now that I have a glimmer of hope, I must seize it firmly!"

"Ancestors' methods are not to be followed, and the way of heaven is not to be feared. My way is the way of heaven, and my method surpasses all methods!"

Jiang Xue said softly, "This is the opening of the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra, which states that the methods and techniques created by ancestors are not to be followed, and the way of heaven is not to be feared. The creator of the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra was extremely arrogant, believing that the present surpasses the past, and the techniques of the present surpass the ancient and primordial divine techniques. His method and way can surpass all predecessors and open a new world!"

"Ancestors' methods are not to be followed, and the way of heaven is not to be feared?"

Jiang Nan repeated the phrase, feeling both fear and excitement. He had studied the classics since childhood, and now hearing such heretical words, he felt a surge of heroism, as if he saw a towering demon god, looking up to the sky, challenging the gods of the past and present, saying, "My method surpasses your method, and my way surpasses your way!"

"Although the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra is arrogant, it is indeed very reasonable."

Jiang Xue smiled coldly, "Most people today believe that the present is inferior to the past, and the martial arts of the world are gradually declining. The techniques of the ancient and primordial times were incredibly powerful. With this mindset, one can never surpass the ancients or the gods in this life. However, although the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra is boastful, it is not the most top-tier technique in the world."

She explained the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra, immediately capturing Jiang Nan's full attention. The technique was indeed profound and mysterious, with deep and unfathomable texts.

Without someone like Jiang Xue, who had once been immensely powerful and knowledgeable, Jiang Nan would never have been able to understand and learn the technique!

The opening of the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra is the foundation, transforming the body into a prison, with true qi forming a mystic fetus. In the prison, the true qi is refined and the mystic fetus is polished, advancing bravely, strengthening the body, and ultimately refining the qi into a primordial state, forming a divine wheel!

When the divine wheel is formed, it is the time when the mystic fetus matures and transforms into a mystic fetus!

This technique is indeed far superior to the Jiang Yue Pao Lang诀!

Unfortunately, the Demon Prison Mystic Fetus Sutra is incomplete, with only the technique and no corresponding techniques. The technique is the key to cultivation, while the techniques are the reflection of the technique. The power of the technique is directly reflected in the techniques.

Only techniques that match the technique can fully unleash its power. Using other techniques can only unleash part of the technique's power.

"Sister, what is a divine wheel?" Jiang Nan asked, unable to resist after hearing Jiang Xue mention it several times.