Chapter 96: Time Wounds

"Master, I'll just directly cultivate the technique of reducing the earth to an inch, instead of the Thousand Mile Travel technique," Su Xiaofan said.

In this modern era, Su Xiaofan really couldn't think of any reason to cultivate the Thousand Mile Travel technique.

Not to mention cars and airplanes, even riding a motorcycle would be better than running like a dog, and there were still bicycles.

"You're overthinking it. I also want to directly cultivate the technique of reducing the earth to an inch," Jing Shizhen glanced at his disciple. "Do you think there were no airplanes or cars a few decades ago? If there were shortcuts, would it be your turn?"

"Only after mastering the Thousand Mile Travel technique can you cultivate the technique of reducing the earth to an inch. The principle is the same as progressing from the Small Circulation to the Great Circulation."

Jing Shizhen's words shattered Su Xiaofan's hopes.

"By the way, after the technique of reducing the earth to an inch, there's also the Free Roaming technique. Do you want to learn it?" Jing Shizhen added another question.

"Free Roaming? What does this technique do? Is it related to Zhuangzi?" Su Xiaofan immediately thought of Zhuangzi's famous essay, "Free Roaming."

"It's just the same name," Jing Shizhen explained. "The Free Roaming technique, also known as the Free Roaming Step, is a technique for agile movement in a small area. It's not a magical technique but a form of movement that can be used after mastering the Thousand Mile Travel and the technique of reducing the earth to an inch."

"Learn it!" Su Xiaofan didn't hesitate this time and immediately agreed.

During the battle with the giant python, Su Xiaofan had seen his master jump down from a steep slope over twenty meters high. For this reason alone, he had to master these techniques.

"Alright, I'll give you the Thousand Mile Travel technique this afternoon," Jing Shizhen said. Then he paused, "Forget it, I'll give you the technique of reducing the earth to an inch and the Free Roaming Step together."

The speed at which his disciple cultivated was still fresh in Jing Shizhen's mind.

If Su Xiaofan mastered the Thousand Mile Travel technique in one night and came back asking for the next technique, Jing Shizhen felt he might lose control and beat the kid up.

"Master, Dong Ge just told me he'll take me to the hospital to get an X-ray to see if I need a cast," Su Xiaofan said. He thought it was necessary to go, as he had injured his bones. If there were any lingering effects, it would be troublesome.

"You should run the Great Circulation technique more often these days. Once your meridians are unblocked, your injuries will heal faster. There's no need to go to the hospital for a cast," Jing Shizhen shook his head. "I'll give you some bruise medicine later, and you should be fine in about half a month."

"Can the technique really heal injuries?" Su Xiaofan didn't know this. He had been too tired from feeding the tiger cat and had gone to sleep without practicing the technique the previous night.

"Human injuries are mostly due to damaged meridians. Once the meridians are unblocked, the injuries will heal. You'll see," Jing Shizhen looked at Su Xiaofan. "Is there anything else? I need to go back to Luochuan this afternoon and won't be back until the day after tomorrow. You should stay here and heal your injuries."

"Master, what are you going back to Luochuan for? Won't Dong Ge be worried you won't come back?" Su Xiaofan joked.

"Do you think we can leave those things in the refrigerated truck forever? They need to be processed," Jing Shizhen explained. "I had someone buy a cold storage unit this morning and have it delivered to my house. The python skin needs to be tanned, and the inner core needs to be processed."

"Master, you're really rich," Su Xiaofan commented. Learning that Uncle Jing had spent over 70,000 yuan on a 40-cubic-meter cold storage unit, he realized what it meant to be wealthy.

Actually, with Su Xiaofan's current wealth, he could afford it, but it wasn't something he could change in a day. It had little to do with being rich or poor.

"To be honest, I'm the one benefiting from you," Jing Shizhen was in a good mood. "Using that inner core, I might break through the Great Circulation realm and reach the Three Days Gathering at the top of the head, forming a Yin spirit. Once I break through, I'll find a way to get an inner core for you."

Jing Shizhen had been stuck at the Great Circulation realm for decades, thinking he would never break through in his lifetime. This trip had given him a big surprise.

The inner core of a supernatural creature can assist in breaking through realms, and there are precedents for this.

Over a decade ago, an old friend of Jing Shizhen, who worked in a relevant department, had successfully advanced by using the inner core of a supernatural creature.

However, supernatural creatures are very difficult to hunt, and most places where spatial rifts appear, both domestically and internationally, are sealed off by relevant departments, making it hard for ordinary people to enter.

Jing Shizhen, adhering to the tradition of his lineage, had always refused to join the relevant departments, so he never had the chance to get an inner core.

Jing Shizhen had tried, but even offering a billion yuan on the black market couldn't get him an inner core.

Relevant departments usually investigate places where spatial rifts appear to see if supernatural creatures have appeared.

Jing Shizhen was lucky that the giant python and the tiger cat weren't discovered; otherwise, the area would have been sealed off, and he would have had nothing to do with it.

"Master, you use the inner core. I don't need it. Just don't forget to get me a weapon," Su Xiaofan said. With the restoration system's nurturing pool, he believed breaking through the next realm wouldn't be difficult, provided he had enough restoration points.

"I won't forget. I'll get you a few sets of inner armor," Jing Shizhen felt a bit uncomfortable. It seemed only he needed the inner core to break through. Did his master have no face?

"Get lost. Come back in two hours to get the technique," Jing Shizhen felt the conversation was over. The inner core he had in hand didn't seem as valuable anymore.

"Old people have hormonal imbalances, making them easily moody," Su Xiaofan muttered and returned to his room.

He had to go get the technique in two hours, and cultivating the Great Circulation technique took six hours. Su Xiaofan decided to play with the little tiger cat in his room.

After opening its eyes, the little tiger cat slept much less and could play with Su Xiaofan for about an hour each time.

However, most of this time was spent eating, and its appetite grew larger with each meal. Now, it needed to eat four or five pieces of giant python meat each time.

At noon, Su Xiaofan brought the little one some fresh beef. Although the tiger cat ate it, it clearly didn't like it as much as the giant python meat.

After receiving the technique, Su Xiaofan recited it under Jing Shizhen's watch, which delayed his departure by two hours.

Su Xiaofan saw his master off and took twenty pounds of giant python meat. With the little one's increasing appetite, it would only last a few days.

If it weren't for Jing Shizhen insisting that the little one only eat giant python meat, Su Xiaofan would have switched to beef.

This wasn't eating meat; it was eating money. At 10,000 yuan per pound, the little one could eat several hundred thousand yuan in a few days.

Perhaps thinking about the things he had bought, Tong Dongjie also returned to Luochuan with Jing Shizhen.

However, Tong Dongjie had arranged everything at the hotel, keeping the room and leaving two people to assist Su Xiaofan.

After Jing Shizhen and Tong Dongjie left, Su Xiaofan spent his time feeding the cat and cultivating, even having meals delivered to his room.

The Great Circulation technique indeed helped heal injuries.

After being injured, Su Xiaofan's meridians in his arms weren't blocked, but the flow of true qi was not smooth. Running the Great Circulation technique once took ten hours instead of six.

However, after running the Great Circulation technique, the true qi flowing through his meridians made Su Xiaofan feel his injuries improving. He believed that in about seven to eight days, his injuries would be fully healed.

As for the Thousand Mile Travel technique, Su Xiaofan didn't delay. He had already unblocked most of the meridians in his legs and should be able to master the Thousand Mile Travel technique in one or two days.

The effects were obvious. Su Xiaofan felt his lower body was more stable, and his grip was much stronger. He believed that once fully mastered, there would be a significant improvement.

The next evening, Su Xiaofan received a bank notification that 18 million yuan had been credited to his account.

Clearly, the transaction between Jing Shizhen and Tong Dongjie was complete. However, money wasn't as attractive to Su Xiaofan now. If possible, he would prefer to convert it into restoration points.

The little tiger cat could now run around, but it was very intelligent. When Su Xiaofan was cultivating, it played by itself and wouldn't disturb him even when hungry.

However, its appetite had increased. Now, it could eat two pounds of giant python meat in one meal, almost twice its body weight. It ate three to four times a day, and the remaining giant python meat was almost gone.

Su Xiaofan didn't know where all the meat was going, but the little one's weight was clearly increasing. Born just over ten days ago, it was already the size of a six-month-old kitten.

The larger tiger cat had two black stripes on its cheeks, black spots all over its body, and four to five longitudinal black stripes on its back, resembling a tiger's pattern.

The tiger cat's fur wasn't very long, but its muscles were clearly visible, giving it a powerful appearance.

Su Xiaofan looked up online and found that the number of wild tiger cats was very low, mainly due to their beautiful fur. This little one was clearly different from ordinary cats.

Su Xiaofan had been thinking about a name for the little one and planned to train it to avoid it becoming too wild in the city, which could lead to it hurting people.

Not to mention that the tiger cat might be a supernatural creature, even a wild tiger cat had strong aggression, capable of fighting a leopard to a draw, making it a top predator in the jungle.

However, the little one was very intelligent. After Su Xiaofan repeated a word a few times and gestured, the little one seemed to understand.

Intelligence seemed to have its downsides. Names like "Little Flower" and "Little Gold" were ignored, clearly rejected by the tiger cat.

Moreover, the little one seemed to sense Su Xiaofan's mood. When Su Xiaofan jokingly mentioned names like "Doggy" and "Wealthy," the little one almost swiped at him with its paw.