A figure shimmered and flickered in the mountains.
As Xue Jing thought of his apprentice, who was currently deep in the “open meridian” training under Shang Wu’s guidance, he couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.
If he didn’t hurry, it wouldn’t just be about leading the youngsters astray—it could turn into a full-blown rescue mission!
And that was no exaggeration.
Shang Wu had once toyed with the idea of taking on an apprentice, and with everyone aware that she was so young and had reached the internal realm, they all just nodded along, thinking she’d have no trouble teaching someone.
Who’d have guessed that on the very first day, the poor kid would go haywire?
After that, Shang Wu either found taking on students pointless or realized she wasn’t exactly cut out to be a teacher, and she never brought it up again.
Unfortunately, that kid Li Mo had talent, but he gave off a vibe of being hard to approach.
The other elders didn’t know how to guide him, and they were already full with their own prized disciples!
Otherwise, being on par with Ying Bing shouldn’t have landed him in such a predicament.
Xue Jing already had low expectations that Li Mo could open his meridians like Ying Bing in a day.
If he could just make it through without incident, that would be like lighting incense and praying.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
As a gust of wind swirled around his feet, Xue Jing felt as if he had merged into the breeze, his speed becoming nearly invisible to the n*ked eye.
In just a few breaths, he arrived at Qunyu Peak, carrying his medicine box on his back.
However, just before reaching the mountaintop, his worried expression shifted to one of confusion.
“Something’s off…”
“Is someone channeling the energies of heaven and earth during training?”
Channeling the energies of heaven and earth—also known as unity between man and nature—was the ultimate state sought after by all martial artists.
Practitioners needed to consume food, medicinal pills, and so on to supplement the energy required for refining their qi and bl**d.
However, neither food nor pills could be ingested endlessly.
Under certain coincidences, martial artists could achieve this unity, which was somewhat akin to the external realm—where one’s inner microcosm directly interacted with the macrocosm of the outside world.
The speed at which they absorbed energy could be more than a hundred times faster!
Plus, there were no side effects, and unexpected benefits came with it.
“Shang Wu should definitely be asleep right now; how is she training and achieving unity?”
Xue Jing quickened his pace even more.
At the summit.
He saw Li Mo sitting quietly in front of a wooden cabin, seemingly merging with nature itself.
Countless pores on his body seemed to open up, constantly exchanging breaths with the external world.
As if his body had already connected with the universe.
In his communion with the heavens, he became like a little low spot, drawing in the purest source energy from all directions, as if trying to fill that dip.
He could vaguely sense that within the kid’s dantian, a lotus seed had already been planted, frantically absorbing source energy and sprouting upward.
Shhh—
A soft sound echoed.
Before Xue Jing could fully digest the shock.
Shhh—
Another sound followed.
“After opening the meridians, he opened up a main channel?”
Xue Jing’s jaw dropped, his long whiskers fluttering in the wind, completely stupefied.
Not only had he successfully opened his meridians…
But in just one day, he had also forcefully opened a main channel like a hot kn*fe through butter.
Without any guidance, he learned the “Fire Heart Lotus Technique” and entered the state of unity with heaven and earth!
Xue Jing was questioning reality itself, unable to put his feelings into words.
“Elder Xue, when did you get here?”
Li Mo’s ears perked up, and he opened his eyes.
“Don’t you dare get distracted while speaking! Unity can be grasped but not sought after!”
Xue Jing hurriedly glared, trying to keep control.
“Ah? Unity?”
Li Mo was momentarily taken aback and asked cluelessly, “But I kinda need to use the bathroom…”
Old Xue’s eyes darkened—now wasn’t the time!
He was in the internal realm, experiencing unity with the heavens, which was like sampling the external realm ahead of time—a precious opportunity!
If this chance were handed to him, he could make substantial progress.
This kid was completely unaware of the rarity of his situation—what a waste!
“Oh, fine then.”
Li Mo was puzzled about why Old Xue suddenly seemed so flustered.
He had just complained that it was too sunny here and moved under a tree to continue training, but he was still making incredible progress.
Could it be that others didn’t train this way?
Perhaps it was the advantage of the “Mysterious Femininity” physique…
With that thought, Li Mo found it curious.
“The Fire Heart Lotus Technique says that once you open all twelve meridians and plant twelve lotus seeds, it’s considered successful, and the qi and bl**d will be perfected.”
“But… why do I feel like there’s more?”
He could feel it.
The twelve main meridians were far from his limits.
His body felt like a bottomless pit.
The connection between the first and second meridians didn’t even scratch the surface.
“Alright, let’s take it one step at a time.”
“Foundation needs to be solid. I must strive for perfection.”
—
Ke Mo closed his eyes, plunging back into his training state.
Xue Jing kicked open a nearby wooden door, only to see Shang Wu sleeping like the dead, causing his forehead to twitch in frustration.
He pulled out a wake-up incense from his medicine box and waved it in front of her nose.
“Ah-choo!”
Shang Wu sneezed, her dignified face scrunching up.
Having her dreams interrupted twice, she clenched her fists and, seeing it was the good-natured Xue Jing, could only tolerate it:
“Old Xue, you better have something important.”
“Your apprentice is out here achieving unity, and you’re still sleeping? How can you sleep through this?”
Xue Jing shot back, exasperated.
“You’re drunk, and I’m drunk.”
Shang Wu tilted her head, still thinking Xue Jing was just talking nonsense.
“Can’t you just go out and see for yourself?”
Without bothering to argue further, Xue Jing dashed outside.
Shang Wu’s groggy eyes cleared for a moment, and she scratched her head as she looked outside.
In an instant, she stood at attention.
…
【Congratulations, subject, for demonstrating unity, which has inspired Xue Jing.】
【Congratulations, subject, for demonstrating unity, which has inspired Shang Wu.】
【Calculating rewards…】
【Investment Reward: Ice-Fire Wine x3.】
【Investment Reward: Martial Arts Insights, twenty years’ worth.】
【Ice-Fire Wine】: “After drinking, it tempers the body through an ice-and-fire experience, making it a holy item for enhancing physical strength.”
Huh?
I can earn investments through training?
This reward is just like something out of a story!
“Ice-Fire Wine…”
Ke Mo decided to hold off on sampling it for now.
Knowing his master, if that wine came out, there wouldn’t be a drop left.
Besides, he still hadn’t figured out how to refine his physique.
Ice-Fire Wine was just the thing he needed!
After training for about two hours, he really couldn’t sit still anymore.
The muscle soreness and tension mentioned in the martial arts books were non-existent.
But his bladder was indeed feeling both sore and swollen.
With that thought, Ke Mo stopped drawing energy from the heavens, patted his clothes, and stood up.
That strange state immediately vanished.
The first thing he saw.
Xue Jing, who looked back with a wistful expression, then sighed theatrically:
“Old man here owes you a favor.”
At their age, getting past the bottleneck was immensely difficult, and taking a step forward felt nearly impossible.
Observing the unity with heaven and earth had been of incredible benefit to him.
“Elder Xue, you flatter me. My father often mentions you at home.”
Ke Mo responded politely.
His father Ke Dalong had once been Xue Jing’s disciple.
Back then, Xue Jing had yet to take on the role of elder.
“Ha ha ha, lucky for him he still remembers this old man.”
Xue Jing stroked his long beard, sighing, “It’s such a pity about Dalong. If it weren’t for that mishap, he should be an inner disciple by now.”
Old Xue looked the same age as Ke Dalong.
But Ke Mo knew that when his father entered the sect, Xue Jing had already looked like this middle-aged man.
His actual age? Probably over ninety by now.
Appropriately, Ke Mo chimed in:
“Each has their destiny. My father says that being able to survive depends greatly on Elder Xue’s help.”
“If he hadn’t met my mother on the way back after getting injured, I wouldn’t even be here.”
“Losing something at one end leads to something else at the other; that’s just how it is.”
Little Ke was quite the smooth talker with the elders.
“Dalong is quite fortunate.”
Xue Jing glanced at Ke Mo, his expression filled with more warmth.
The kid didn’t seem as unruly as Ke Dalong had described in his letters.
Perhaps it was true that fathers were generally more severe in their judgment of their sons.
The atmosphere between the old and the young was just right.
Suddenly, Ke Mo caught a whiff of alcohol, and his neck tensed up, feeling a little choked.
Shang Wu wrapped her arms around her only beloved disciple’s neck, possessively declaring her territory:
“Hey, hey, hey! That’s my apprentice! Don’t you dare try to steal him, you old coot!”
“I’d like to steal him! Where else would I find an available spot?”
Xue Jing replied dryly.
Watching the boisterous Shang Wu, he felt a bit of a headache.
His apprentice had such potential; he sure hoped Shang Wu wouldn’t lead him astray!
Being bad at learning martial arts was one thing; a good child shouldn’t pick up those nasty habits.
“Little Mo, if you want to test your martial skills or find someone to spar with, why not check out the training hall down the mountain?”
Shang Wu squinted her eyes for a moment and nodded:
“Learning some basic moves is enough; the training hall should suffice.”
Ke Mo: “…”
Sis, you’re just lazy, aren’t you?
However, with the mindset of understanding the principles, he was indeed prepared to pick up some martial techniques.
Heading down to the training hall might also provide opportunities to scout out potential investment targets—what a great idea!
