chsdbacks Chapter 54 In the library, selecting cultivation techniques
Chapter 54 In the library, selecting cultivation techniques
"The knife is a good knife, but it lacks a good swordsmanship."
After a battle with Xu Lingyan.
Chen Yu realized that having a good knife was not enough; he also needed a good set of knife techniques to match it.
His Gale Blade and Mad Dog Blade Technique are only low-level martial arts skills.
The blade moved swiftly, yet it couldn't even touch a person's shadow.
It can be said that they have sharp edges but nowhere to put them to use.
"It's not too late yet, so we might as well stop by the library to see if they have any sword techniques suitable for the Deer-Slaying Knife."
Walking straight along the main road, you soon arrive at the library.
This library is built against the mountain and has a total of six floors.
The main body is composed of a mixture of basalt and oak.
The exterior walls remain warm year-round and do not accumulate frost or snow in winter, which helps preserve books.
The books in the building are categorized and collected according to two major origins: casting and martial arts.
The two sides are connected by the "Bingjie Corridor", which symbolizes that weapons and warriors are originally one.
After crossing the black jade steps, Chen Yu straightened his clothes and looked up at the entrance of the library.
Inside the black lacquered wooden door, a guard sat on each of the counters on either side.
The two gatekeepers were both over eighty years old and were respectfully called the "Two Elders of the Pavilion" by the disciples of the manor.
The elderly man on the left is named Mi Laoshu, and he is in charge of registering visitors.
The elderly woman on the right is named Wen Canjuan, and she specializes in organizing books.
At this moment, the two sat with their eyes closed, motionless, like two stone statues weathered for thousands of years.
Chen Yu took a deep breath and bowed to Master Mi.
"I, Chen Yu, have come to borrow books in recognition of my outstanding merits."
Before he could finish speaking...
Mi Laoshu slowly raised his eyes, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
Their eyes met, and Chen Yu was startled.
"This person's gaze is so calm and collected; could he be a reclusive master?"
"Generally speaking, someone who can manage a library for many years is definitely not a simple person."
In fact, Mr. Mi had just woken up and was trying to focus on the blurry figure in front of him.
A long period of silence.
Chen Yu's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
He recalled his senior brother Zhu Jingchun's admonition: "If Master Mi doesn't respond for a long time, it means he's testing your character."
He dared not act rashly.
Soon, half an incense stick's time had passed.
Mr. Mi's presbyopia has finally adjusted to the light.
At the same time, they clearly saw the person in front of them and the special reward order in his hand.
After an even longer silence.
Finally, Mi Laoshu spoke, his voice like an ancient sword being drawn from its sheath.
"The bottom three floors are open to the public without a deposit... Feel free to borrow, but you must return the books within ten days."
"Here's a bronze reading pass for you. Go inside."
Chen Yu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, respectfully accepted the bronze plaque, and quickly went up into the building.
On the first floor of the library, all the books are neatly categorized and divided into three areas.
One is the casting area, one is the martial arts area, and one is the miscellaneous books area.
Walking up to the bookshelves in the martial arts section, Chen Yu began to casually flip through them.
"Five Tigers Severing the Gate with Saber", "Wild Buffalo Fist", "Mighty Eagle Claw Hand"...
After reading through them all, they were all just Blood Refining Realm cultivation techniques.
"It's not of much use to me right now."
Chen Yu put down the book and turned to go to the second floor.
The structure of the second floor is exactly the same as the first floor. After exploring the entire floor, I still couldn't find the cultivation technique I wanted.
"The highest level of the martial arts manuals on the second level is only the Skin Refining Realm, which is only one level higher than the first level."
"Following this pattern, the third level should be the cultivation technique for the Flesh Refining Realm, right?"
Chen Yu did not linger any longer and climbed the stairs to the third floor.
The third floor was deserted, making it seem even more secluded and quiet.
The air was filled with the scent of aged paper mixed with pine ink.
The layout of this floor is completely different from the previous two floors.
The bookshelves are no longer arranged in concentric circles, but rather in a fan shape.
Three bluestone paths extend outwards from the central stone platform.
Each passageway is lined with rosewood bookshelves.
The bookshelf has eight shelves, each distinguished by a mother-of-pearl inlaid label.
Chen Yu squinted and looked around, finding the bookshelf in the martial arts section.
From top to bottom, the eight shelves of bookshelves are labeled with the following terms: "Flesh Refining Techniques", "Fist Techniques", "Palm Techniques", "Leg Techniques", "Gun Techniques", "Knife Techniques", "Sword Techniques", and "Body Techniques".
"The cultivation method is quite comprehensive and well-organized, much better than the lower three levels."
After looking around for a while, Chen Yu decided to first find a cultivation method for perfecting the body refining technique.
He paused slightly, his gaze slowly drifting across the eighth shelf of the bookshelf.
Whenever I see a movie that interests me, I pick it up and read it.
"The Iron Flesh Technique involves forging the entire body with a heavy hammer and soaking it in a secret iron medicine to make the muscles as dense as iron. When you reach the tenth level, ordinary swords and knives will only leave a white mark when they strike you, and the recoil force is enough to shatter the opponent's tiger's mouth."
"The 'Layered Wave Power' emphasizes the accumulation of power in the muscles, like waves stacking up, one wave higher than the next. At the beginning, a punch only has 80 jin of force. When you reach the seventh level, you can stack seven layers of power in a single breath. The final strike has a divine force of 560 jin, which can easily penetrate the skin and shatter flesh."
"The Python Constriction Technique imitates the constricting motion of a giant python, focusing on training the constricting power of the waist, abdomen, and limbs; the muscles wriggle and contract like a living creature, and once it entangles an enemy of the same level, it can break their bones."
There are also annotations on the margins of the pages of "The Python Constriction Technique".
"This exercise is extremely energy-consuming, requiring the consumption of ten catties of raw beef daily, supplemented with three bowls of tiger bone wine."
Chen Yu took out the "Python Constriction Technique" and flipped through it.
The inner pages are illustrated with distorted human poses.
Each move defies common sense, twisting the joints to their limits.
"Unfortunately, at most one can only train to the Great Perfection of Body Refinement."
He closed the book and continued reading.
"The Rock Muscle Manual uses the metaphor of mountains and rocks to pursue absolute hardness of muscles. The training method is quite simple and brutal. It involves hitting hard objects with the body, from wooden stakes to stone walls, and then to iron sand, progressing step by step. After mastery, the muscles are as hard as rocks when at rest, but stiff and slow when exerting force."
Someone nearby added a line of small characters with a vermilion brush: "Extreme rigidity is easily broken; practice and use with caution."
"The 'Boiling Blood Forging' technique requires a special breathing method to stimulate the flow of qi and blood, allowing the muscles to be repeatedly tempered in a high-temperature internal energy environment. Its characteristic is extremely fast recovery; even if injured, the muscles can regenerate in a short time and become even stronger after healing. The price is that one must endure two hours of burning pain every day, as if being in a furnace."
After reading these manuals, Chen Yu was not very satisfied.
"The cultivation techniques are all quite good, each with its own effects, but unfortunately none of them can lead to the breakthrough of perfect body refinement."
Chen Yu's gaze lingered on "Boiling Blood Forging" for a moment before finally moving to the deepest part of the bookshelf.
There was a separate compartment there, where it was stored in an ebony box.
A dark gold label was affixed to the box.
A line of small print reads: "A perfect blend of strength and gentleness, an exquisite technique. —Note by Ye Chengying."
Chen Yu opened the wooden box.
A faint scent of sandalwood wafted over.
There was also a certain indescribable sense of austerity mixed in with it.
The cover of the booklet is different from other books.
It was no longer leather, but a strange kind of silk.
The silk felt warm and smooth to the touch, and even seemed to undulate slightly as if it were alive.
The book is titled "The Primordial Embryonic Breathing and Flesh Refining Method".
Turning to the first page, there is no lengthy preface, only a single line of general outline.
"Those who refine flesh are not refining inanimate objects; they must be able to be both hard and soft, which is in accordance with the great principles of martial arts."
Chen Yu read it intently, growing more and more impressed with each reading.
This technique is completely unconventional.
It does not pursue hardness or strength.
Instead, they treat muscles as another kind of "living thing" to cultivate.
Through a peculiar breathing method called "fetal breathing," muscles achieve a mysterious balance between relaxation and tension.
According to the book, the complete set of exercises is divided into twelve levels.
Upon reaching the fourth level, the muscles can dissipate external forces as easily as flowing water.
Upon reaching the eighth level, one can use the peristalsis of the muscles to clamp the blade the instant it is pierced, leaving the blade unable to advance or retreat.
Upon reaching the twelfth level, the muscles throughout the body can change at will, feeling as soft as cotton to the touch and as hard as iron when struck. When gentle, they can entangle the enemy like a spider web, and when forceful, they can crush the enemy like thunder.
What moved Chen Yu the most was the appendix on the last page, inscribed with the founder's reflections in cinnabar.
"Many people in the world go astray when it comes to meat-making."
"Some seek to be as hard as iron and stone, only to become rigid; others seek to be infinitely strong, only to harm themselves."
"Little do people know that the essence of meat refining lies entirely in the word 'liveliness'."
"When something is alive, it is infinitely changeable, combining strength and gentleness, like the tension and relaxation of a bowstring, or the bending and stretching of a vine."
"Those who master this skill can breathe, repair themselves, and react to incoming forces on their own. This is what is meant by 'spirit and flesh'."
After reading the entire text, Chen Yu closed the book and pondered for a long time.
"A perfect balance of strength and gentleness... the flesh refinement is complete..."
He repeated those words in a low voice.
"This is the perfected body-refining technique I've been looking for, this is the one!"
After putting the "Primordial Embryonic Breathing and Flesh Refining Method" into his pocket, Chen Yu turned to the third shelf of the bookshelf.
"What level of swordsmanship do you see here?"