Chapter 59

(Third update, encountered a frustrating event in the evening, wrote over a thousand words, and the computer restarted automatically, cried, rewrote, seeking recommendation votes for comfort, new readers please follow.)

Xuanwu Tower, an ancient and simple building. As soon as Su Qinnian stepped inside, he smelled a strong scent of books, with incense burning around to soothe the mind.

The place was filled with camphorwood bookshelves, not all of which contained martial arts manuals, but more often annotations, notes, and even travel diaries, Daoist scriptures, or alchemical texts.

Xuanwu Tower had two floors. The first floor mostly stored third-rate martial arts, while the second floor was different, mostly containing second-rate martial arts manuals, and some first-rate martial arts. These were related to the transmission of Wudang's martial arts lineage and could not be easily leaked. Only disciples who had successfully built a foundation and cultivated internal true qi were qualified to go upstairs.

The last three levels of the *Turtle Snake Technique* were in the backyard of Xuanwu Tower.

As Su Qinnian walked through the corridor on the first floor and stepped into the backyard, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

There was an old turtle, about ten feet tall, with a shell about thirty feet wide, dark yellow in color, like amber but not transparent.

The skin was more weathered than tree bark, deeply wrinkled, lying in a spring pond. A hidden channel led mountain spring water to flow into the pond, making it a source of fresh water.

Such a massive old turtle, in Su Qinnian's view, could not have grown in just a thousand or two thousand years. It might have a history as long as the Han Dynasty, or even longer.

In the spring pond, the old turtle lay motionless, like a stone turtle, seemingly asleep, with no audible breathing. Su Qinnian closed his eyes, extending his mental energy, and felt an overwhelming sense of unease. It was as if he saw a dormant volcano, with scorching lava accumulating inside, ready to erupt and bring catastrophic destruction.

On the turtle's head, there were two tiny protrusions, seemingly insignificant, but Su Qinnian's mental energy was so sharp that he could faintly sense a powerful aura brewing beneath the old skin, capable of splitting the sky and rending the earth.

This was not just an old turtle; it was clearly a dragon turtle about to transform!

"According to legend, besides the beasts transformed by the demonic aura of the demon race, there exists on this land a kind of intelligent beast, far more intelligent than ordinary beasts that feed on raw meat and blood. They consume spirit fruits, use herbs, drink mountain spring water, and absorb the qi of heaven and earth. They naturally understand the principles of breathing and refining their physical bodies. Once they grow up, they can rival the top figures in the martial arts world, even capable of overturning rivers and seas, doing anything."

"Such a massive turtle, about to transform into a dragon turtle, could be called a divine turtle. I wonder if it counts as an intelligent beast."

Su Qinnian pondered. Since the last three levels of the *Turtle Snake Technique* were here, they were likely on this divine turtle.

"The *Turtle Snake Technique* is based on the concept of the Xuanwu, the legendary True Wu Emperor of the Heavenly Realm, who attained enlightenment by observing the yin-yang bagua diagram on the back of the Xuanwu. As for the dragon turtle, ancient myths say it is one of the nine sons of the true dragon, but few know that in some Daoist scriptures, it is described as having the bloodline of the Xuanwu. According to ancient myths like the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, all turtle species are descendants of the first Xuanwu. Observing a dragon turtle can help one understand the grandeur of the Xuanwu, but such divine beasts only exist in myths, and even in ancient historical records, there is no concrete evidence."

Su Qinnian walked around the spring pond, observing the sleeping divine turtle. The dark yellow shell was simple and unadorned. He continuously compared it with the first seven levels of the *Turtle Snake Technique*, especially the fundamental *Turtle Snake Stance*. After observing this divine turtle, Su Qinnian immediately discovered various shortcomings in his own techniques. Some of the movements were more imaginary than real, and now was a good opportunity to correct them.

Half a cup of tea, half an incense stick, one hour, two hours.

Su Qinnian's steps did not stop, but his speed gradually slowed. It was not due to fatigue; his aura became increasingly restrained, and his blood qi fluctuations became almost imperceptible, as if everything had settled down.

Three hours later, the sun was high in the sky. Su Qinnian stopped, standing still, and assumed the *Turtle Snake Stance*.

In an instant, his entire body's skin and muscles rippled, his tendons snapped, his bones cracked, and his bone marrow and blood began to surge, producing a sound like flowing water.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Eventually, these sounds merged into a continuous, intense drumbeat. Su Qinnian suddenly opened his eyes, feeling an unprecedented sense of hunger.

He took out the heart of the Blood-Eyed Lion beast without hesitation, bit through a layer of skin, and a stream of still hot, even scalding, blood flowed into his mouth, down his throat, and burst into his body in an instant.

Whoosh!

A wind rose, and he began the *Turtle Snake Fist*. This time, his movements were extremely slow, as if he were pushing mountains and rivers. The air rippled like waves.

If any of the outer disciples of Baiyun Peak were here, they would be utterly astonished. What kind of astonishing fist technique was this, where each move was simple yet profound, strong yet gentle, and by the end, the sound of the fists disappeared, becoming silent.

He had entered the essence of the technique!

Starting from the first move, *Turtle Snake for Ten Thousand Years*, followed by *Turtle Snake Flip*, *Turtle Snake Mountain Crash*, *Wind Disk Water Sit*, *Hidden Currents*, *Earth Fire Brightness*, the first six moves of the *Turtle Snake Fist* were all brought to their peak by Su Qinnian.

Buzz!

At this moment, the air behind him distorted, and a clear sound of hooves appeared. First, the long, flame-like mane appeared, followed by the hooves, larger than bowls. This was a real, majestic, and unruly treasure horse, a thousand-gold horse, which was extremely rare in the human world.

The strength of a thousand-gold horse far exceeded that of ordinary horses, even surpassing the warhorses of the imperial army and the wild, unruly horses of the grasslands. A thousand-gold horse could travel a thousand miles a day, and compared to ordinary beasts, it was not inferior, and its endurance was even greater.

Now, by observing the physical changes of the divine turtle in front of him, Su Qinnian had finally comprehended the divine form and aura of the ancient Xuanwu, and with the heart of the Blood-Eyed Lion, he had broken through the last barriers of the seventh level of the *Turtle Snake Technique*. The vast blood qi infused his body, turning his bone marrow into a blood diamond, and his entire body's blood qi was almost completely renewed. This level of the technique reached perfection, and he possessed the strength of a thousand-gold horse, fully manifesting in the human world.

Never before had Su Qinnian felt his blood qi so powerful. Even the remaining blood qi in the heart of the beast was still considerable. He took a deep breath, activated the second level of the *Mystical Soul Technique*, and his mental energy guided the blood qi, like a great river surging upward, striking the second star gate of the second star position.

Boom!

Without any resistance, the second star gate was forcefully penetrated. The blood qi, like a rainbow, surged upward, striking the third star gate.

Clang!

Like a divine bell in the heavens, the star gate trembled. Su Qinnian let out a long cry, his blood qi surging, and the thousand-gold horse that had descended behind him rushed forward and merged into his body.

Under the vast starry sky, a star position shone brightly, with two stars gleaming like dragon horns. In the distance, another star position flickered, with four stars surrounding it, two of which were already lit.

Boom!

On this day, under the ancient dark starry sky, the void was torn apart, and a fiery red treasure horse burst forth, its hooves galloping across the star field. In an instant, it transformed into a fiery meteor, crashing into the third dim star.

The star fire burned fiercely, and in front of the sleeping divine turtle, Su Qinnian's body trembled, his eyes glowing brightly. At the center of his forehead, two star points floated like dragon horns, forming a star position. A second star position, about half an inch in size, faintly appeared, its starlight flickering, about to manifest.

By consecutively penetrating two star gates, only one more star gate remained to fully light up the second star position. Su Qinnian felt a mysterious, cool energy flow from the void, his mental energy advancing, and in an instant, it increased nearly twofold, becoming even purer. The initially faint burning sensation became clearer.

With the seventh level of the *Turtle Snake Technique* perfected, Su Qinnian had new insights when he looked at the sleeping divine turtle. His eyes changed, and with a thought, his mental energy enveloped the entire turtle body. (Third update, encountered a frustrating event in the evening, wrote over a thousand words, and the computer restarted automatically, cried, rewrote, seeking recommendation votes for comfort, new readers please follow.)