Chapter Eighty-One: Revising the Method [Subscription Requested]

Early the next morning, as the first rays of the sun crested the horizon, a massive toad, the size of a young calf, squatted atop a boulder jutting from a mountain cliff. Seated cross-legged upon the toad’s head was a youth of striking appearance, with ruby-red lips and pearly teeth, his features handsome and refined.

He wore an ancient robe of black and white, his long black hair tied back with a silk cord. Facing east, his chest rose and fell with his breath, and now and then, a faint golden-red glow flickered across his face.

After half an hour, Li Yang finally exhaled a long breath of ashen vapor, opened his eyes, and leaped down from the toad’s head. The moment he landed, his posture changed; his body twisted into a taut bow, his face reddening with effort, and his bones crackled audibly. Within, his vital energy surged like a roaring furnace.

In just a few breaths, Li Yang’s entire body flushed red, wisps of white steam rising from his crown. Golden light shimmered from his bones as blood and vital force scoured through, infusing his body with radiant energy.

Minutes passed, and his posture shifted yet again, his form becoming almost boneless, his movements increasingly contorted and unnatural. The entire set of movements consisted of nine distinct positions. It took Li Yang over two hours to complete them all.

By the end, his body resembled glowing red jade, and through his skin, one could see golden-red blood surging like liquid mercury within his veins. His golden bones radiated threads of light, merging slowly into every part of his body.

This physical cultivation method was most difficult not for its movements, but for the flawless synchrony of breath and the constant focus needed to stir the vital energies to their utmost speed. After completing the set, Li Yang felt utterly exhausted, a long-forgotten tingling coursing between his bones and muscles, his entire body sticky with sweat—unbearably uncomfortable.

“Senior, do you think I passed this time?”

Indeed, Li Yang had practiced this method the entire previous night, yet not once had he met Master Zixiao’s standards.

“You’re not as dense as I thought. These are only the nine basic movements. Your foundation is still shallow, but for now, it suffices.” After a long pause, Master Zixiao’s lazy voice finally sounded. “As for your cultivation technique, I’ve made some amendments. Only the first part has been improved so far, but it’s enough for your current needs. Take a look.”

No sooner had Master Zixiao finished speaking than Li Yang felt a torrent of information flood into his mind.

“Wait… Senior, is this correct? This technique has been completely reworked based on ancient cultivation methods!” Li Yang was stunned as he processed the information.

The family’s hereditary method had been altered beyond recognition by Master Zixiao—made countless times more complex. Even the core inner cultivation of body and spirit was now transformed into the simultaneous refinement of essence, energy, and spirit, as in ages past. The part about forging a beast’s soul as a shield had become the transformation into nine great avatars.

“Why are you whining? Do you think I’d do you harm?” Master Zixiao huffed. “The techniques you’ve practiced so far—aside from their ideas and names—are utterly worthless. They’re a hodgepodge of random nonsense, patched together without rhyme or reason, all wild speculation. How could such shortsightedness ever glimpse the vastness of the true Way?”

“And ‘Transformation of Pangu,’ what grandiose talk! That kind of slapdash, invented method, and you dare claim it has limitless potential? It’s nothing but empty boasting.”

“But… with these revisions, the energy and resources required are dozens of times greater! In this world as it is, even if I spent my entire life, I might never achieve anything,” Li Yang protested, rendered speechless by how Master Zixiao had belittled his ancestral art.

“When has the universe ever handed out such easy bargains? You want limitless potential and a shortcut? You wish! If things were truly so simple, the world of cultivation wouldn’t have dwindled to the paltry few it has now.”

“You want to refine ancient beasts and merge their power into yourself, but you must first have the capacity to contain such might. Look at you now—neither wholly human nor beast, your energy stagnant and unrefined.”

“What you must do now is quickly refine the ancient beast power you’ve already absorbed. You’re lucky, in a world like this, to have even encountered such relic creatures.”

“As for cultivation resources, once you’ve fully refined the beasts in your possession, with the lifespan you’ll then have, you’ll have all the time in the world to gather what you need.”

Though Master Zixiao’s words were harsh, Li Yang knew this was reality. There are no shortcuts on the path to enlightenment, however much his ancestors might have wished otherwise—to reap all the benefits with none of the costs.

In truth, his forebears, for all their theoretical prowess, had little actual achievement. Even the first ancestor might not have matched Li Yang’s current level. A group of theorists without practical experience could hardly produce a flawless technique. With Master Zixiao’s revision, though the difficulty had increased manyfold, at least there would be no hidden pitfalls.

…

In the days that followed, Li Yang continued his journey, stopping in each town along the way to gather cultivation resources, which delayed him considerably. A full week passed before he arrived at the rendezvous point agreed upon with Chen Yulou and the others: Kun City in Yunnan.

Standing before the towering city walls, watching the bustling crowds, Li Yang couldn’t help but be impressed. This was the provincial capital, incomparable to little Renjia Town.

“Hey there, sir! Just arrived in Kun City, right? Need a ride? Only two coins!”

Having paid his entrance fee, Li Yang was taking in the lively street scene when a lean, forty-something man in a mandarin jacket approached, a friendly, ingratiating smile on his dark face.

“What’s your name, brother? I did just arrive in Kun City today and don’t know my way around. Tell you what: I’ll give you a silver dollar, and your rickshaw is mine for the day!”

The capital was no country town, and the city’s layout was far less orderly than modern ones. As a newcomer, Li Yang was happy to spend a little for a guide.

“Deal! Hop in, sir. Just tell me where you want to go, or what you’re looking for. I may not know everything, but after ten years running this rickshaw in Kun City, there’s hardly a place I haven’t been. I’ll make sure you don’t waste your money!”

Pleased by his generosity, the driver beamed and pulled his rickshaw over, thumping his chest and vowing his reliability.

“All right, then! Take me to Yunlai Restaurant first.”

He’d arranged with Chen Yulou to meet at Yunlai Restaurant. According to Chen, its owner had once been a mighty porter from Changsheng Mountain, only turning to the restaurant business after an injury ended his former career.

“Very good, sir! Hold on tight!”

Though thin, the rickshaw puller was quick and sure-footed, weaving through the streets at speed. In less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at a bustling avenue.

“Here we are, sir—Yunlai Restaurant.” The driver pointed to a nearby building as he brought the rickshaw to a halt.

“You wait here for me. I have some business inside,” Li Yang instructed, then glanced up at the restaurant’s signboard before heading in.

“Welcome, sir! Here for a meal or some tea? If it’s tea, please head upstairs!” A waiter greeted him with a warm smile.

“I’m here to see your manager. Tell him the man Chen Yulou is expecting has arrived,” Li Yang replied, glancing at the restaurant’s distinctive decor without further pleasantries.

“Right away, sir!” The waiter dashed off to the rear courtyard.

Moments later, a large, bearded man emerged, hurrying from the back. With a burly frame, broad shoulders, and a dark, ruddy face, he looked more butcher than restaurateur—save for the missing leg that gave him a pronounced limp.

“You must be Brother Li! I’ve heard so much about you. The chief wrote half a month ago, telling me to take good care of you. Please, come in!”

“What’s your name, my friend? I am Li Yang. Has the chief arrived?” Li Yang asked, clasping his fists in greeting.

“Name’s Zhang Meng, but everyone calls me Blackie Zhang. The chief isn’t here yet, so why don’t I have you stay as my guest until he arrives?”

“What do you say?”

Blackie Zhang’s face was all sincerity as he looked to Li Yang. Then he turned to the waiter and said, “Dogzi, go set out a fine meal to welcome Brother Li!”

“No need for such ceremony, Brother Blackie. It’s still early and I have other matters to attend to. If you could arrange a quieter courtyard for me, that would be enough.”

Hearing that Chen Yulou had not yet arrived, Li Yang decided to stay for the time being and use the opportunity to inquire about the exact location of King Xian’s tomb. Though he had memories from his previous life, he only knew the general region, not the precise spot. This stay would give him time to both gather cultivation resources and investigate Hanging Mountain.

“Well then, Brother Li, after such a long journey you must be tired. I’ll have Dogzi prepare a courtyard for you. If you need anything, just ask him and he’ll handle it. How does that sound?”

Though Zhang Meng didn’t know Li Yang well, he’d been given explicit instructions by Chen Yulou not to neglect this guest. Knowing Chen’s temperament, Zhang Meng surmised that anyone whom the chief treated so seriously must be someone of great importance.

“No need for such formality, Brother Blackie. Just have the courtyard prepared for me. I’ll take care of the rest myself.”

Li Yang smiled, said no more, and left the restaurant, climbing into the rickshaw once again.