Chapter 51

Meng Qi gritted his teeth and glared at the little bird, listening to its unpleasant voice. After a while, he slowly turned around and walked back to the "door" of the Cold Turtle, sitting cross-legged to continue his cultivation.

However, this time, Meng Qi tore off two strips of his clothing and stuffed them into his ears.

"Naive! Do you think this will stop you from hearing me talk?"

"Where was I? My great-grandfather? When talking about my great-grandfather, we have to start with my great-great-grandfather..."

Meng Qi took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Treat it as if it were mute, treat it as if it were mute!"

Under the dual assault of the cold and the noise, Meng Qi almost couldn't hold on for five hours. He barely made it through, his face pale and his body trembling.

"Hey, the cold has seeped into your body. If you don't warm up soon, you'll end up bedridden." "Chuiyi Zi" hadn't stopped talking since the beginning.

Meng Qi moved out with difficulty, his voice hoarse, "Your vocabulary doesn't sound like a monster's..."

He planned to lure the bird to the side of the cell, tie it up, and gag it, solving the problem once and for all. Meng Qi had noticed that the little bird wasn't very powerful, not even triggering the ten-thousand-character mark.

"Of course, as a Kunpeng, I must be well-versed and knowledgeable!" The little bird said shamelessly, "How can a foolish human like you understand my great aspirations? How can a sparrow know the aspirations of a swan?"

"I am the swan..." Huo Hu interjected, moving inward disdainfully.

"Is that so? What are your great aspirations?" Meng Qi asked gently.

Chuiyi Zi suddenly burst into laughter, "You just want to get close and then gag me, right? I'm a Kunpeng, do you think I'd be so easily deceived? You monks, you only caught me after I ate a few people. The tigers on the mountain have eaten so many people, so many lives, and you haven't suppressed them! It's normal for beasts to eat people, but it's not for monsters?"

Once it started talking, it couldn't stop.

Meng Qi deeply regretted talking to this chatterbox...

Thus, under the dual torment, Meng Qi's life became even harder, but the progress of the Golden Bell Cover was exceptionally fast. After a month and a half, he successfully passed the third level, reaching the stage of storing qi, which was equivalent to the Iron Shirt technique, with a bright future ahead!

"Half a month earlier than expected..." Outside the "Cold Turtle" cell, Meng Qi looked at his bare upper body, feeling a subtle texture, feeling both surprised and delighted. At the same time, he silently prayed that the next cycle mission would be after he completed the fourth level of the Golden Bell Cover.

While putting on his monk's robe, Meng Qi frowned and looked at the chattering Chuiyi Zi, muttering to himself, "Is this ugly bird's noise also a form of tempering? Can it hone one's character?"

Sigh, I can't help but want to stuff a rag in its mouth!

"My great-grandfather once found a relic in the sea, but it had already been emptied, with bird droppings all over the floor. Strange, right? A seabed relic with bird droppings. Hey, little monk, don't go yet, let's talk tomorrow."

Meng Qi's steps paused, his jaw clenched.

Due to the early breakthrough, he returned to Xuanbei's courtyard an hour earlier than usual. As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Xuanbei practicing his saber techniques with a戒dagger, moving freely.

Xuanbei wasn't surprised by his disciple's intrusion, as he had sensed Meng Qi from a distance.

Meng Qi glanced around casually, planning to return to his meditation room and report his breakthrough in the third level of the Golden Bell Cover later.

It wasn't that he wasn't curious or didn't want to secretly imitate his master's saber techniques, but he knew that the techniques his master practiced at this level were extremely profound. Without a manual for reference, watching alone would be useless. That's why his master practiced openly in the courtyard, allowing others to watch.

But just that one glance made Meng Qi's feet stick to the ground, unable to move. This was the first move of the "Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Technique," "Severing Purity"!

Worried about being discovered by his master, Meng Qi had never had the chance to practice this move, only repeatedly visualizing it in his mind, planning to practice it in the cycle space and during missions. Who knew he would see an outer realm expert practicing it today, and at a very slow, initial stage.

It's like this... Watching his master perform, Meng Qi's many doubts about the technique in his mind were largely resolved, giving him a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"Zhen Ding, have you completed the third level?" Xuanbei saw that Meng Qi hadn't left, stopped his saber techniques, and asked kindly.

Meng Qi composed himself and said, "Master, I was fortunate to break through early."

"You may seem frivolous on the outside, but you have inner determination and stability. Your current achievement is well-deserved." Xuanbei nodded in approval. "Starting tomorrow, you will practice the fourth level between Huo Hu and the Cold Turtle. Yes, I will accompany you to the Relic Pagoda, as it's difficult for you to grasp the balance of cold and heat."

"Yes, Master." Meng Qi asked with feigned enthusiasm, "Master, what saber technique were you practicing just now? It looked so profound, far superior to the ones I practice."

Xuanbei patted the戒dagger, "The 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Technique.' I became interested after you mentioned it. If you want to learn this technique in the future, I can teach you directly."

"Thank you, Master." Meng Qi bowed and returned to his meditation room, where Zhenhui was happily munching on snacks.

"Hey, little brother, not practicing today?" Meng Qi found it strange.

Zhenhui said happily, "Brother, I opened my dantian at noon, and Master rewarded me."

He proudly showed Meng Qi the snack, which was covered in saliva.

"You've opened your dantian?" Meng Qi was amazed. While it normally takes two to six months to open the dantian, Zhenhui's three and a half months wasn't exceptional. Some people could do it in a month or so. However, Zhenhui had switched to practicing the "Plucking the Flower Finger," one of the most difficult techniques in Shaolin. It was expected that it would take three years to open the dantian, but Zhenhui had done it so quickly!

Zhenhui nodded honestly and asked, "Brother, did you have something to ask me?"

Meng Qi decided to ask, regardless of whether Zhenhui was suited for the "Plucking the Flower Finger." He nodded, "I want to ask you, when did Master start practicing the Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Technique? Why is he practicing saber techniques?"

"A month and a half ago." Zhenhui had a good memory and then looked at Meng Qi in confusion, "Brother, isn't Master practicing saber techniques to teach you?"

"What?" Meng Qi was quite surprised.

Zhenhui didn't understand why his brother would ask such a question and said seriously, "Because you want to practice saber techniques."

"This, maybe... Is Master being too good to us?" Meng Qi admitted that Zhenhui's words made sense but felt uneasy, "We're not related, why is Master being so good to us?"

Zhenhui looked at Meng Qi as if it were obvious, "What do you mean not related? He's our Master."

"But Master wouldn't be good to us for no reason." Meng Qi frowned.

Zhenhui looked at Meng Qi in confusion, "Brother, you're good to me too. What's the problem?"

Meng Qi shrugged, unable to explain to this guy, and took out the Lingzhi Qi Pills, continuing his "homework."

...

"Here." Inside the Relic Pagoda, Xuanbei stood at the edge of the intersection between Huo Hu and the Cold Turtle's cells, pointing to the empty space in front.

Meng Qi responded, walked over, and sat cross-legged. Immediately, he felt as if his left side was on fire and his right side was frozen, the heat and cold clashing, causing unprecedented torment and suffering.

Gritting his teeth, Meng Qi didn't make a sound and began to practice the fourth level of the Golden Bell Cover.

As for the issue with Chuiyi Zi, he didn't tell his master. Since his master had him practice here, it was meant to temper him. If he couldn't withstand the noise, he might as well give up.

The Cold Turtle and Huo Hu slowly leaned against the iron bars, trying to maximize Meng Qi's suffering.

The cold and heat combined, making Meng Qi's dantian feel like it was being pierced by ten thousand needles, causing extreme pain.

He circulated his inner qi, using the changes in cold and heat to slowly temper his body.

His body changed inch by inch, his dantian expanded step by step, and his meridians widened bit by bit. While enduring great suffering, Meng Qi could clearly feel his progress.

Xuanbei, standing nearby, nodded lightly and smiled, "Zhenhui's practice of the Plucking the Flower Finger is more suitable than I expected. He opened his dantian yesterday and will soon reach the stage of storing qi. It might not be long before he catches up with you."

After opening the dantian, reaching the stage of storing qi is just a matter of accumulating qi, so Xuanbei believed Zhenhui would reach it quickly, then be on par with Meng Qi, who was also at the stage of storing qi.

He said this to instill a sense of urgency in Meng Qi, which would help temper his character, even though it wouldn't directly aid his current practice.

"However, Zhen Ding, you have also surprised me. The determination hidden within you is astonishing. If you continue like this, even if you start slowly, you will eventually soar. Others take a year to complete the fourth level, but you might only need half a year. By then, you will definitely surpass Zhenhui again."

After instilling urgency, he began to encourage Meng Qi, so he wouldn't be overwhelmed by mental barriers.

When the Golden Bell Cover reaches the fourth level, it will be at the stage of storing qi, ready for the opening of the acupoints. For the Plucking the Flower Finger, this could take one, two, or even eight to ten years.

After saying this, Xuanbei turned and left, leaving Meng Qi to endure the dual torment of ice and fire.

"Do you think bringing a powerful monk here will scare me?" As soon as Xuanbei left, Chuiyi Zi started chattering again.

"What are Shaolin martial arts? I know where the 'Demon Emperor Canon' is hidden! It's the unparalleled treasure left by the Demon Emperor..."

"What do you think? Let me out, and I'll take you to the Demon Emperor Hall?"

For some reason, Chuiyi Zi's voice always resonated in Meng Qi's mind, the most terrifying noise, a mental torment that combined with the physical cold and heat, doubling the intensity.

Meng Qi's mind gradually became scattered, and he subconsciously recalled his master's practice of the "Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Technique" from the previous day, comparing it with his own understanding of the saber intent, the suffering of the world, and the severing of purity.

The suffering of the world, the severing of purity... Meng Qi, tormented by the cold, heat, and noise, suddenly had an epiphany. The saber intent became clear, as if he saw a monk with a pained expression walking slowly but resolutely.

"Breaking precepts, the world is a furnace, tempering my Buddha heart!"

Breaking precepts, the world is a furnace, tempering my Buddha heart... The various torments I endure, both physically and mentally, are like a furnace, tempering my inner and outer self?

Boom!

Meng Qi's saber intent surged inward, his consciousness elevated, clearly feeling the torment on his body and mind, feeling them "tempering" his "self," compressing and changing inch by inch.

The outer demons are the furnace, the inner demons are the charcoal. Meng Qi remained steadfast, allowing the "Severing Purity" saber intent to fill his body!

Amidst the dual torment, Meng Qi didn't notice a dark yellow layer gradually appearing on his skin.

The saber intent raged, cutting through the barriers under the pressure of the cold and heat, rapidly renewing his body to resist the outer demons.

Crack, crack, crack. Meng Qi's body made popping sounds, the dark yellow becoming brighter, making him look like a bronze arhat!

This was the sign of the fourth level of the Golden Bell Cover being fully completed!