Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Thirty Years of Seclusion, Great Mastery of Divine Skills

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Emerging from the Earth Fire Room, Xu Yunfan squinted at the glaring sun before heading straight back to his courtyard. After ordering a full meal and eating his fill, he was finally ready to lie down and get some rest.

Just as he closed his eyes, they snapped wide open.

Muttering curses, Xu Yunfan sat up and glanced down at the Extreme Dao Relic Shell he was wearing.

’If he fell asleep, he’d have to endure that woman’s torment in his dreams. Even though it increased his Skill Level in the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique, it was still utterly exhausting.’

He was determined to get some rest.

Xu Yunfan immediately sat cross-legged and formed a hand seal in front of his chest. Just as he was about to silently recite the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell, he paused. He reached out and pressed open the Mechanical Box on his chest. The Ginseng Doll’s small head popped out of the opening again, struggling to get free.

"What are you trying to get out for? There are ventilation ducts inside, so it’s not stuffy. Plus, there’s a Crystal Stone to see the outside world. It’s much better than some birdcage, right?"

As he spoke, Xu Yunfan leaned in close to the Ginseng Doll and took a deep breath. He pulled back just as it bared its teeth, causing the doll to snap at empty air. Before it could do anything else, he pushed it all the way back in.

As the last wisp of the Qi of Ginseng traveled up his nostrils and into his lungs, Xu Yunfan had already assumed the hand seal for the Linn Character Technique. While he silently recited the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell, this wisp of ginseng Qi suddenly rose from his flesh and seeped into his skull.

Suddenly, Xu Yunfan felt a metallic tremor from within his skull.

"Kan and Li contend, wind and thunder collide..."

The silent chant of the Linn Character Technique suddenly transformed into the roar of bronze chimes, booming in his mind. As his once-hazy Self God stepped out from the mists, the influx of the Qi of Ginseng made it seem almost corporeal, even bringing a spark of life to its eyes.

An Hour later, Xu Yunfan opened his eyes, his temples throbbing slightly. He was overjoyed to see five or six consecutive notifications pop up in his vision, all indicating an increase in Skill Points for his Linn Character Technique cultivation.

’This wasn’t easy!’

Ever since he started cultivating the Linn Character Technique, he had only managed to break through to the initial stage with the help of the ominous aura from the Powerful Awakening Bodhisattva statue in the Thousand Buddha Temple.

The only other time he’d made progress was with the Ming Venerable statues of the Incense and Candle Sect.

He had destroyed many in Wuzhou, but he rarely encountered any enspirited statues. The ones that were truly enspirited were tightly guarded by the Incense and Candle Sect’s masters, making it impossible for him to get close.

Besides, the Ming Venerable was extremely bizarre. Now that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit had revived somewhat, there was no telling what the situation would become.

A single breath of the Qi of Ginseng was enough to let him cultivate the Linn Character Technique to his physical limit, the point where his temples throbbed with pain.

’Why even go out adventuring? I should just stay put in the Celestial Craft Cave and cultivate until my Martial Arts reach Great Success. Then, when I re-emerge, if anyone dares to object to me, one swing of my hammer will come down with the force of a Mountain Collapse.’

’Who’s for it? Who’s against it?’

Stepping out of his room, Xu Yunfan gazed at the faint light of dawn in the distance. He no longer felt the need to go through the trouble of rushing to a mountain peak to absorb the Dawn Purple Qi.

He squinted toward the east. The Dawn Purple Qi, condensed from the morning clouds on the horizon, swiftly spread out, covering his body in an instant before quickly vanishing.

Half a month ago, he would have had to race against the clock, rushing thirty li to claim a spot on Dragon Head Peak. Now, however, he simply caressed the faintly warm Profound Steel Mechanism Box on his chest.

Inside the box, three hundred and sixty vortex-like grooves vibrated rhythmically, slowly collecting the fluid that seeped from the Ginseng Doll’s surface and gathering it at the bottom.

’With the Ginseng Doll in hand, my Pure Yang Qi Skill will reach Great Success in less than two months, and I’ll break through to the Flesh Refining Realm.’

He stretched his limbs a bit in the courtyard, preparing to pick up the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer to practice his Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique and get a better feel for the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength being born from his very flesh.

Thanks to his dreams, he had achieved initial mastery of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique ahead of schedule, while still in the Outer Three Harmonies Realm. At first, his body could barely handle the Strength generated from his own flesh, but now it flowed quite smoothly.

The Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength circulating beneath his skin suddenly accelerated. The muscles on his back rippled like a living creature, stretching his coarse-spun tunic until it wrinkled like the shed skin of a dragon-python.

This was true Strength. Though not as refined or profound as True Qi, it could vastly increase a Martial Artist’s combat effectiveness and even nourish their physical body.

This was a Strength generated spontaneously from within, independent of the outside world. It appeared only when a person trained their muscles, bones, and skin to the absolute limit, breaking through the body’s first great shackle.

Xu Yunfan casually picked up the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer. The instant the hilt met his palm, twelve crimson patterns shot from the web of his hand toward his elbow.

With a mere flick of his wrist, the nearly four-hundred-pound behemoth of a hammer cut through the air without a sound. The Thunder Fire patterns on its head had absorbed all the air’s vibrations, yet when it struck the bluestone pavers, it unleashed thirty-six concentric shockwaves.

"Rise!"

As a series of cracks like a set of Nine-Linked Rings echoed up his spine, the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength transformed, surging beneath his skin like two Blood Pythons coiling around his arms.

Xu Yunfan was astonished to feel as if every muscle concealed a miniature River Vehicle Disc, with seven hundred and twenty fascial points opening and closing in time with the hammer’s movements.

As he concluded the seventh form of the Hammer Technique, "Eagle’s Beak Shatters Rock," the hammer’s head had not yet touched the ground, but a Refined Steel training dummy thirty feet away had already snapped clean in half.

"A magnificent Hammer Technique! Incredible skill!"

The voice of Pei Yan, the adept from the Sword Pavilion, came from beyond the gate. Xu Yunfan wasn’t surprised; he had heard movement outside his courtyard long ago. But once he started his Hammer Technique, he became so engrossed in the exhilarating flow that he hadn’t wanted to stop.

"Your Cyan Bamboo Sword seems more spirited than ever, Adept Pei."

He flicked the hammer’s hilt, dislodging a few lingering wisps of Red Flood Dragon Qi.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Three-foot Cyan Blade humming in its sheath. The ice-crack pattern on the Sword Guard seemed to faintly resonate with the links of the Chain Armor covering Pei Yan’s back, making his heart skip a beat.

’It seems the armor Pei Yan is wearing is a Divine Weapon, just like his Cyan Bamboo Sword.’

The young man leaning against the moon gate raised a hand to adjust his Crane Pattern Jade Belt Hook. His knuckle tapped the scabbard seven inches down, and gilded, bamboo-joint patterns lit up in response.

Pei Yan was as tall and straight as a Cyan Pine. He wore raven-blue martial robes under a moon-white gauze outer robe, its collar embroidered with the Sword Pavilion’s unique Big Dipper pattern in silver thread.

His left hand habitually rested on his scabbard. The inside of his knuckles bore the calluses of years of sword practice, and he tapped a light rhythm on the bronze Sword Guard in time with his breathing.

But none of that mattered. Xu Yunfan’s gaze was fixed on the Longsword in Pei Yan’s hand.

Hearing Xu Yunfan’s words, Pei Yan smiled faintly. "Just a stroke of luck. I happened to form an unexpected bond with the Cyan Bamboo Sword on the Sword Pavilion’s Sword Mountain. It accepted me as its master while I was still in the Outer Three Harmonies Realm, and now that I’ve entered the Flesh Refining stage, it feels as if we are connected by blood."

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow. ’To feel a connection as if by blood... that proves the Divine Weapon is an exceptional match for Pei Yan,’ he thought. ’That only happens when a Divine Weapon completely lets its guard down and accepts its master.’

In contrast, his own Gilded Mace, slung on his back, resisted his grasp at every turn unless he entered the Linn Character State.

As Pei Yan spoke, his eyes traveled over Xu Yunfan’s attire with some surprise. Carrying two Mechanical Boxes, a small one on his chest and a large one on his back, gave him a rather eccentric appearance. He couldn’t help but wonder what was hidden inside them.

Xu Yunfan couldn’t be bothered to say much more to Pei Yan. ’Dealing with people from the Six Top Sects is always such a pain,’ he thought.

"If there’s nothing else, Adept Pei, I’m going back to my training."

"Of course there is."

"And it’s good news."

Qi Huan’s voice came from behind Pei Yan, causing Xu Yunfan’s eyes to flicker.