Chapter 3

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Half an hour later, at the hour of Chen, the sun began to rise.

Su Qinnian opened his eyes. Although he was still somewhat tired, he insisted on dragging his not yet fully recovered body out of the thatched cottage.

Although this was a place where the descendants of death row inmates gathered, the Xiaoyao Valley was picturesque, with clear mountains and beautiful waters, and the air was filled with a fragrant scent.

At this time, people began to emerge from the thatched cottages, all of them men. The female prisoners were arranged elsewhere and were not in this Xiaoyao Valley.

Su Qinnian saw that few people spoke or laughed, and many looked preoccupied. As death row inmates on probation, the pressure was immense, with the guillotine hanging over their heads, and no one liked living on the edge of life and death.

On the shore, the middle-aged Taoist Jingdu stood with his back to the crowd, looking at a clear lake in front of him, which shimmered with a red glow under the rising sun.

There were about a hundred people. In Su Qinnian's eyes, the death row inmates in this Xiaoyao Valley were no older than thirty, and the youngest was even younger than him, only twelve or thirteen years old, with their bones not yet fully developed, making it impossible for them to practice martial arts.

The nine groups of people from last night were also gathered on the shore, but when they saw Su Qinnian arrive, they all pretended to be strangers, even looking bewildered.

"The first level of the 'Turtle Snake Technique,' this level's boxing stance is called 'Turtle Snake for Ten Thousand Years!' Like a turtle and a snake, they hibernate and sleep. Watch how I stand in the桩!"

Without waiting for everyone to gather, the middle-aged Taoist Jingdu turned around. His steps were steady, with a penetrating force. He then assumed a boxing stance, with slightly bent knees and loose limbs, looking like a large turtle standing upright at first glance.

Breathing!

Everything came to a standstill, leaving only the breathing of the middle-aged Taoist Jingdu. His breath was very long, and everyone could hear the airflow through his nostrils. The sound was ancient, as if a real old turtle was hibernating, and the exhalation seemed to be covered in thousands of years of dust.

"Such a powerful aura! No wonder the 'Turtle Snake Technique' of Wudang is famous throughout the world. Among the foundation-building techniques, the 'Turtle Snake Technique' can rank in the top ten. If a martial artist can achieve the strength of a fierce horse after completing the seventh level of an ordinary foundation-building technique, the 'Turtle Snake Technique' at the seventh level is not just a fierce horse but a thousand-gold sweat-blooded steed, with endurance and strength that can surpass all others."

Su Qinnian sighed. Born and raised in the capital Chang'an, although the Su family was only an eighth-rank residence, he still had some discernment. The aura displayed by the middle-aged Taoist Jingdu while demonstrating the 'Turtle Snake Technique' was far superior to the ordinary martial instructors in Chang'an who taught the 'Running Horse Technique.'

"The second level of the 'Turtle Snake Technique,' this level's boxing stance is called 'Turtle Snake Turning Over'..."

"The third level..."

After a while.

The middle-aged Taoist had already demonstrated all the boxing stances of the seven levels of the 'Turtle Snake Technique.' The Turtle Snake桩 is the foundation, and the lower body's Turtle Snake桩 is crucial for any level.

At first, Su Qinnian could understand most of it, but by the third level, he became somewhat confused. By the fourth level, it was like being in a fog, and beyond the fourth level, it was like a vast mountain range, unreachable.

"This is the transformation of my previous 'Running Horse Technique' to the second level. No matter how shallow or profound a foundation-building technique is, the principles are the same, involving skin, tendons, bones, and marrow, progressing layer by layer, ultimately leading to a qualitative change, a process of accumulating and releasing the body's qi and blood, or a gradual evolution of life."

The current Su Qinnian would no longer believe the bizarre fabrications in martial arts novels from his previous life. Could sitting in meditation grasp internal qi and produce a sense of qi? Could ten days or half a month of seclusion produce internal true qi? Don't be ridiculous. The immense power generated by internal true qi does not conform to the law of conservation of energy.

For the next half an hour, everyone practiced on the shore. Su Qinnian also began to practice the first level of the 'Turtle Snake Technique.' He assumed the Turtle Snake桩, recalling the breathing pattern of the middle-aged Taoist Jingdu in his mind. Gradually, he entered a state of calm, with his qi and blood flowing slowly under his skin, making him feel warm and comfortable.

This was a wonderful experience. Following the first level of the 'Turtle Snake Technique,' Su Qinnian quickly progressed to the second level. Compared to the first level, it took him nearly half an hour to勉强 complete the second level, and he could clearly feel that the Turtle Snake桩 was unstable, lacking something, and not smooth.

By the third level of the 'Turtle Snake Technique,' Su Qinnian could not continue. His tendons, bones, and skin felt like they were rusted, and he almost injured himself with the first movement. He immediately stopped practicing.

"My strength seems to have increased significantly, and the wounds are itchy, indicating rapid healing!"

With a sharp look in his eyes, Su Qinnian understood that he had勉强 completed the first two levels of the 'Turtle Snake Technique,' but the second level was not yet smooth. The accumulation from practicing the 'Running Horse Technique' had been transformed and exhausted.

Just as Su Qinnian was about to practice again to consolidate the first two levels of the 'Turtle Snake Technique' and try to understand the hidden techniques, he trembled, his vision went dark, and he almost lost his balance.

"Bad! This is due to excessive consumption of qi and blood. Practicing the first two levels of the 'Turtle Snake Technique' consumes almost twice as much qi and blood as the 'Running Horse Technique'!"

Su Qinnian took several deep breaths to steady himself. Practicing foundation-building techniques places a significant burden on the body's qi and blood and spirit. The progression from skin to tendons, bones, and marrow requires a large amount of qi and blood for refinement. After the journey and the recent hardships, his qi and blood were already weak, and he quickly found it difficult to continue practicing the 'Turtle Snake Technique.'

"Breakfast!"

The clear and cold voice of the middle-aged Taoist Jingdu rang out clearly in everyone's ears, invigorating Su Qinnian.

Soon, elderly Taoist servants in gray-black robes opened the prepared food baskets, serving steaming golden roasted meat and a bowl of hot, milky white soup in earthenware bowls to everyone.

"This is demon tiger meat! And a thick soup made from demon tiger bones!"

Su Qinnian was surprised. This was a significant investment. Practicing foundation-building techniques consumes a lot of qi and blood and spirit, so it is necessary to maintain this through food.

However, eating too much ordinary meat and vegetables can burden the digestive system, affecting practice, and the qi and blood nutrients are quickly absorbed and exhausted, requiring frequent meals, which would waste a lot of time.

Demon beasts, on the other hand, have a different quality. Infused with demonic energy, they have a rudimentary intelligence and understand the most basic forms of cultivation and life evolution. They absorb the essence of the sun and moon, the qi of plants, and the blood of animals, making their flesh and blood contain at least several times more qi and blood essence than ordinary beasts of the same size. Therefore, eating demon beast flesh can reduce the frequency of meals, significantly accelerating the practice of foundation-building techniques.

However, demon beasts are far more powerful than ordinary fierce beasts. Hunting them is not something an ordinary person can do. Even in the martial world, one must reach the third-rank realm and cultivate true qi to avoid injury.

"A fist-sized piece of demon tiger meat and a bowl of demon tiger bone soup would be worth at least one tael of silver in Chang'an. An ordinary family of three would spend one tael of silver a month, and my father, who held an eighth-rank position, earned fifteen taels of silver a month, which was not enough for one person to eat for five days."

The poor pursue literature, while the rich pursue martial arts. Although the Han Dynasty promoted martial arts and even had the royal academy create the seven-level foundation-building technique 'Running Horse Technique' suitable for ordinary people, internal cultivation is extremely difficult, requiring a large amount of qi and blood. Many people spend their entire lives without breaking through the seventh level of foundation-building techniques, which is the minimum requirement for opening the dantian and cultivating internal true qi.

The demon tiger meat was more tender than ordinary meat. Su Qinnian used his teeth to tear and grind it, taking seven or eight bites to turn it into a paste and swallow it. The last bowl of tiger bone soup went down his throat, and he felt as if he was immersed in a warm hot spring, with his earlier fatigue dissipating, and the wounds on his limbs, caused by the iron chains, began to itch, indicating that the skin was receiving sufficient qi and blood and was rapidly healing.

"Meditate! Absorb the qi and blood, and nourish the spirit!"

Jingdu's loud voice echoed like thunder in everyone's ears. Su Qinnian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly felt a greater fatigue and drowsiness, as the demon tiger meat was being digested, and the qi and blood were being absorbed, pushing his body to its limits.

Sitting in a cross-legged position, with the top of his head, palms, and soles facing the sky, Su Qinnian closed his eyes, and his muscles and even his eyebrows relaxed, emitting a natural aura.

...

Half an hour later.

Su Qinnian opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and full of energy. The wounds on his limbs and ankles had mostly healed, with scabs forming.

"Amazing! Most of these people have a higher level of meditation than me, almost reaching the state of concentration!"

Su Qinnian stood up, his eyes gleaming. On the shore, about eighty people had already risen, and the remaining thirty were still asleep, including five or six children who had not yet formally practiced foundation-building techniques.

Martial artists cannot practice day and night. Often, they need to eat, and the large amount of qi and blood entering the body requires meditation to accelerate absorption and recovery of the spirit. The Han Dynasty's 'Running Horse Technique' combines the principles of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, dividing meditation into five levels: regulation, concentration, turtle breathing, innate, and divine illumination.

"Meditation and cultivation follow nature, adjusting oneself to blend with the four directions and the heavens, thus using the power of the universe to nourish and recover the spirit, accelerating the absorption of qi and blood by the body. If I could directly enter the state of concentration, I could wake up in just one incense stick's time, absorbing all the qi and blood essence." (Please vote for the new book and add it to your collection! Starting tomorrow, the first update will be around noon, and the second update will be around 8 PM, except for Monday morning.)