Chapter 9

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“What happened!”

“It’s on fire!”

“It’s Tianzhu Mountain. Who did this? It’s terrifying!”

On the shore, people quickly emerged from the thatched huts, mostly young boys and children who had not yet reached the age for martial training. They were all stunned. Living in Xiaoyao Valley, a secluded corner within Wudang Mountain, they had rarely seen such a grand display of power. The finger light that cut across the sky would be etched deeply in their minds like the radiance of a deity for a long time to come.

Before the young boys and children could all gather by the shore, Daoist Jingdu gave Su Qignian a faint glance but showed no reaction, then turned and left.

Su Qignian soon returned to his thatched hut. Through the dilapidated window, he saw the fire in the deep mountains quickly extinguished. Clearly, as a national grand sect, Wudang had profound reserves to handle various situations.

“This outer court supervisor is not simple!”

Taking a deep breath, Su Qignian withdrew his gaze. On the shore, he had secretly gathered all his limited mental energy, always on guard. With his current ability to perceive subtle details, he did not detect any hostility until the end.

This did not mean that Daoist Jingdu was simple-minded or careless. In fact, martial artists who cultivate inner energy must pass through numerous barriers, seeking the path of power, which is itself a form of life accumulation. One could say that no matter how much the Han Dynasty valued martial arts over literature, a true martial artist would have at least read books and learned the principles of sages. Otherwise, even if a martial arts secret manual were placed before them, they would not understand its meaning. At a higher level, they would need sufficient accumulation to integrate and comprehend.

Therefore, in Su Qignian’s view, a martial artist like Daoist Jingdu, who had cultivated inner energy, would have read extensively and possess a profound understanding of sages, various texts, and the principles of Daoism and Buddhism, possibly on par with or even surpassing his own.

His eyes glowed with a gentle light. Since the birth of his mental energy, various forgotten memories had become vivid and integrated. Su Qignian gained insights, large or small, every moment. The Chang'an martial master once said that scholars knew propriety and righteousness, understood the world, and naturally harmonized with heaven and earth, reaching the heavens. Now, Su Qignian finally comprehended this and dared not underestimate Daoist Jingdu in the slightest.

...

For the entire day, this outer court supervisor of Xiaoyao Valley showed no abnormal behavior. However, in the evening, the convicts who returned from Wudang Mountain brought back some news.

Duan Qingyun, known for his Finger Sword Piercing the Sky, a top-tier expert who had been famous on the Hunyuan List for many years, and the younger brother of the current head of the Duan family in Dali, Yunnan, had come to the outer court of Wudang to exchange and discuss martial arts.

“A figure on the Hunyuan List?”

Su Qignian sighed. This was one of the martial lists published by the imperial court, recording the forty-nine strongest Hunyuan Realm experts in the entire Han Dynasty. Each person on the Hunyuan List was renowned throughout the land and could be called a martial master. Many famous martial arts were created and developed by these individuals, and the royal academy had dedicated scholars to write their biographies, documenting their lives, various encounters, and glorious battles. They had left a significant mark in the history of the Han Dynasty, worthy of being remembered by future generations.

Night fell.

The winter moon was cold. By the window, Su Qignian read by candlelight, the cheap lamp oil emitting a pungent smell.

“Night-crying grass, shaped like a human face, grows in summer and winter, with leaves as dark as ink, slightly bitter, used to treat sword and knife wounds, a primary ingredient in high-quality wound medicine.”

“Cat’s ear, grows year-round, cool and icy in winter, soothes intense true energy, balances yin and yang, rare and precious if over fifty years old...”

Tomorrow, he would enter the mountains to gather herbs. Su Qignian reread the eighth volume of the *Yaojing* (Herbal Text), checking for any omissions. After eating the tiger meat soup at noon and night, his body was filled with vital energy, and the third level of the *Gui She Gong* (Turtle Snake Art) steadily advanced, reaching the threshold.

Until the moon was high in the sky, the seemingly thin but content-rich eighth volume of the *Yaojing*, with its many obscure and difficult-to-identify herbs, was all memorized by him. This speed was something he could not have achieved in two or three days before.

With a slight mental fatigue, Su Qignian’s rabbit-hair brush moved, the ink spreading as he wrote the *Taiji Song* several times, focusing his mind. He soon entered a meditative state, and after an incense stick burned, he stood up, his mental energy fully restored, once again at its peak.

“Unfortunately, if there were enough vital energy to supplement, I could practice day and night without stopping. Now, the vital energy from the three meals of tiger meat soup each day has been completely absorbed. Continuing to practice would only consume my own vital energy.”

Su Qignian focused. His ability to enter a meditative state was rare among the convicts in Xiaoyao Valley. With his mental energy and the ability to perceive subtle details, the third level of the *Gui She Gong* would soon be fully comprehended. Now, what he lacked was sufficient vital energy to supplement. He believed he would soon complete the third level and advance to the fourth, perfecting his tendons and beginning to strengthen his bones.

...

The sun rose.

On the fifth day after the beginning of winter, the icicles under the eaves grew thicker, sharp and piercing, the cold penetrating to the bone.

As soon as he stepped out of the thatched hut, Su Qignian sensed some hidden gazes. His mental energy, born in the spirit court, had made his perception many times more acute. These people thought they were being discreet, but he saw everything.

By the shore, the green lake water had a thin layer of ice. After practicing the first two levels of the *Gui She Gong* boxing forms, Su Qignian exhaled a thick cloud of white vapor, his body warm. Watching Daoist Jingdu practice the first to seventh levels of the boxing forms and then the seven moves of the Turtle Snake Fist, the last few obstructions in the third level of the *Gui She Gong* were finally cleared, fully comprehended.

At this moment, his stomach growled, and Su Qignian frowned. His progress was too fast, and this morning’s practice had brought new insights, accelerating the transformation of vital energy. This was a message from his body, urging him to eat quickly to convert his insights into strength.

Today’s breakfast was the last meal of tiger meat and tiger bone soup. Without hesitation, Su Qignian crushed the meat into a paste and swallowed it, the hot tiger bone soup making him feel fiery, the vital energy permeating his body, his tendons becoming more resilient.

Ignoring the hidden gazes, he took the prepared herb basket and short-handled hoe from the miscellaneous duty Daoist and set off into the deep mountains of Wudang.

The four hundred miles of Wudang Mountain, fortified by generations of Wudang’s great masters, was protected by the True Wu Seven-Section Sword Array, a formidable defense that even top experts, with their spirits detached, would find deadly if trapped. It was also highly sensitive to demonic auras, making it impossible for even a demon king to infiltrate undetected. It was one of the most impregnable places in the world, second only to the Han Dynasty palace.

Su Qignian did not relax. He knew that sometimes humans were more dangerous than demons.

Walking into the old forest of Wudang Mountain, as he went deeper, the hidden gazes gradually disappeared. Su Qignian understood that, in the eyes of the nine groups, he was not an important figure and did not need to be closely monitored day and night. The only thing they might care about was the harvest of rice after it matured each day.

...

Puff!

Swinging his palm like a knife, Su Qignian suddenly turned and slashed a three- to four-foot-long bamboo pit viper, a green snake that, if it bit someone who had not yet cultivated inner energy, could be very troublesome, with its highly toxic venom potentially fatal within half an hour if not treated. If not for his mental energy constantly covering a few feet around him, Su Qignian would have found it difficult to defend against such an ambush.

In a place like Wudang, a Daoist holy land and a national grand sect, venomous insects and snakes were abundant in the deep forests. Although the four hundred miles of Wudang was not vast, with the means of Wudang Daoists, clearing out the venomous insects and fierce beasts would not be difficult. However, as Su Qignian observed in the past half hour, the variety of life was rich, with snakes, ants, insects, and beasts all thriving. Besides the broad-mindedness, Su Qignian also sensed a natural law, the way of the Dao.

In his previous life, Su Qignian had already understood the concept of a food chain. Now, his understanding was deeper, combining it with the *Taiji Song* of Wudang. The simple principle of yin and yang, that yang alone cannot grow and yin alone cannot flourish, gave him some insights into the fourth level of the *Gui She Gong*.

“No wonder ancient sages said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Understanding the world is a form of learning. The more you see and hear, the more your knowledge grows, and insights come naturally.”

Su Qignian’s eyes sparkled. He approached the half-dead bamboo pit viper, peeled its skin, and tore off its head, which contained the venomous fangs, and began to drink the snake’s blood, swallowing a dark red snake gallbladder as well. Although these ordinary fierce beasts and venomous insects were far less potent than demon beasts, consuming them in large quantities could still supplement some vital energy.

Now, Su Qignian did not miss any opportunity. He had already begun to comprehend the fourth level of the *Gui She Gong*, but his actual cultivation was still at the beginning of the third level, mainly due to the lack of sufficient vital energy. Otherwise, with the vital energy permeating and refining his tendons, he could quickly complete a significant portion of the tendon-strengthening process.

Hmm?

Su Qignian raised an eyebrow. It seemed this bamboo pit viper had lived for a considerable time, feeding on herbs and rainwater. The snake’s blood was not pungent but had a faint medicinal aroma. The vital energy that blossomed in his stomach was not inferior to half a piece of tiger meat.

Stepping into the Turtle Snake Stance, Su Qignian’s gaze sharpened, and he immediately began practicing the third level of the *Gui She Gong*. This level’s boxing form was called Turtle Snake Colliding with the Mountain. Although it was called a boxing form, it was actually a series of movements from the third move of the Turtle Snake Fist, designed to promote the flow of vital energy and refine the body’s tendons. Once fully comprehended, it would naturally enable the execution of the third move. (Daily recommendation votes for the rankings, please collect!)