Chapter Forty-Nine: You Are the True Master of Dedication!

“You, a piece of trash like you entering our sect, are only worthy of cultivating the most worthless blood and energy technique!”

Just as Xu Chen was wondering what sort of role he would play, a book came crashing down onto his face.

A filthy little boy, his entire body clothed in tattered black rags, stood there at a loss.

Even though the book struck his face, he dared not resist; he could only silently pick up the blood and energy manual.

He watched as the disciples of the sect who despised him walked away.

Xu Chen glanced at the name on the manual: Six Forms of the Sacred Ape.

As the story unfolded, Xu Chen gradually came to understand the identity of the child he had possessed.

He was the most wretched little beggar from the town outside the sect—an orphan with neither father nor mother, surviving on scraps thrown out by neighbors.

A passing cultivator of the sect, moved by compassion, had brought him into the sect as the lowest of errand disciples.

Thus, the little beggar finally found a place to stay. He did chores by day and cultivated by night, content with his meager lot.

At first, Xu Chen thought the little beggar was a prodigy, able to swiftly master the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape to the realm where form and intent became one.

But to his surprise, the boy’s aptitude was as ordinary as his own.

Yet what set them apart was the beggar’s tireless persistence; aside from working and eating, every moment was devoted to cultivation.

He practiced late into the night, woke before dawn, his heart undistracted, his mind free of stray thoughts—solely focused on cultivation.

Xu Chen, merged with the boy, silently experienced everything. The simple Six Forms of the Sacred Ape had been practiced countless times.

He had once thought himself diligent, but now he realized he had encountered someone even more relentless.

Days and months cycled, seasons passed. In a blink, ten years went by.

That filthy little beggar had become a sturdy, honest young man, a seasoned errand disciple of the sect.

Because he was quiet and diligent in his work, he was assigned to clean the Sutra Repository.

For ten years, the youth had cultivated tirelessly, drawing ever closer to mastering the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape.

At night, the youth practiced with a calm expression.

With every move, Xu Chen felt as if he were witnessing a primordial sacred ape roaming the vast mountains and rivers.

The sacred ape took the mountains as its companions, the world as its bed, the Milky Way as its quilt, galloping across the boundless earth and sky.

Resolve and willpower, even every drop of blood and muscle fiber, were poured into each movement.

Moonlight shone bright, the expanse of stars glimmered.

Ten years of single-minded cultivation had transformed the youth’s spirit.

A vague shadow of a sacred ape gathered behind the young man, manifesting into the world along with the Six Forms he practiced.

Feeling all of this, Xu Chen suddenly found his eyes brimming with tears, though he knew not why.

“A purity of heart, a tenacity of will—if this were a real world, this boy’s future achievements would know no bounds.”

As the sacred ape’s shadow grew more solid, a faint, barely perceptible power of the Dao descended upon the youth.

Just as Xu Chen wished to continue comprehending, a sensation of being detached seized his soul.

When he regained his senses, he was back in the Saint White Space, his mind instantly flooded with insights into the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape.

Xu Chen didn’t hesitate. He returned to his own body, arriving at the small courtyard’s training grounds.

Night had deepened, the stars shone bright—the scene reminiscent of that youth’s solitary practice.

Standing in the center of the training ground, Xu Chen silently began the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape.

With each repetition, his blood and energy surged stronger and his insights deepened.

He did not know how many times he practiced over three days and nights.

He only remembered that, on the final repetition, his will transformed into a roaring sacred ape shadow between heaven and earth.

In the courtyard, Xu Chen devoured the food before him with abandon.

He had only one sensation—hunger. An overwhelming hunger.

He seized a whole roast chicken, devouring it in a few large bites, swallowing even the bones.

He then made short work of the roast fish, roast lamb, and every other dish.

A delivery crane descended from the sky, dropped off a spatial food box, and departed.

This was Xu Chen’s third order.

He had no idea how much he had eaten; only when his blood and energy were no longer depleted did he finally stop.

“Whew!” Xu Chen let out a long breath, and immediately a vast, majestic power of blood and energy began to radiate from within him.

Feeling his own surging strength, Xu Chen clenched his fists.

“So this is what it feels like to have the strength of ten tigers—how exhilarating!”

Burning with the urge to find someone to fight, Xu Chen was about to leave when he realized there was no suitable opponent around.

“I’ll go to the Saint White Space first!”

Back in his room, Xu Chen entered the Saint White Space.

There, three wooden doors stood upright. The door for the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape had disappeared, leaving behind only two Tempered Blades.

“For some reason, the line, ‘The light boat has passed ten thousand crags,’ came to mind.”

Xu Chen quietly picked up the two Tempered Blades, slung them on his back, and pushed open the wooden door labeled ‘Twelvefold Wave Body Forging Method.’

“I’ve been waiting for you a long time.”

As soon as the clone practicing the Twelvefold Wave Body Forging Method appeared, Xu Chen felt as though he were standing deep in the ocean, endless waves crashing toward him.

“Come!” Xu Chen didn’t use the Tempered Blades at first. Instead, he launched straight into the forms of the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape. The insights were already engraved in his soul, and the moves came to him naturally.

When the Twelvefold Wave Body Forging Method was trained to the level where form and intent became one, it granted the strength of a dragon and two tigers.

“Why don’t you use those unorthodox tricks of yours?” the clone asked calmly as Xu Chen charged forward.

“How could I use them right away? I have to first test your depth.”

Upon hearing this, the clone burst out laughing.

In an instant, the phantom of a raging, tempestuous sea emerged.

“You have the strength of ten tigers, so I won’t hold back either. I’ll use my full power.”

The clone struck Xu Chen’s fist with his palm.

In a flash, Xu Chen felt wave after wave of force reverberate through his body.

He staggered back dozens of steps, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Though injured, he still had fight left in him.

Gripping one of the Tempered Blades, Xu Chen prepared to continue the battle.

At that moment, the clone made a subtle gesture toward Xu Chen.

“Have you ever heard the sound of great waves crashing on the shore?”

A phantom wave, ten fathoms high, thundered down upon Xu Chen. At the same time, a violent force erupted from within him.

“Bang!!”

The massive wave struck Xu Chen with crushing force. Blood spurted from his seven orifices, and he collapsed like a pile of mud.

The clone walked over slowly.

“It’s clear—you’ve only scratched the surface of the Twelvefold Wave Body Forging Method.”

“If you want to make progress, come to my room and take a beating more often.”

With a gentle downward motion of the clone’s hand, Xu Chen’s consciousness avatar shattered.

Within the Saint White Space, his consciousness reassembled.

“Damn, I got wiped out just like that?”

“So easily, just like that?”

Xu Chen scratched his head in disbelief, but then suddenly remembered the sight of his little master floating in midair that morning.

“Well, that makes sense. The blood and energy foundation methods, at their peak, can forge immortal bones and kindle the lamp of flesh and bone—the power of blood and energy can reach ten dragons.”

“The most ordinary, like the Six Forms of the Sacred Ape, pale in comparison.”

“The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.”