The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 423 Iron Pot Stewed Young Chicken
On the Mongolian grasslands, a new tent was set up a few hundred meters away from Guo Jing's tent, at the foot of a small earthen slope. The location was well chosen, secluded enough, and the earthen slope could block a lot of wind and sand. There was also a small stream flowing not far from the door.

At that moment, a boy's painful groan came from inside the tent. It wasn't exactly a scream, but it was clear that he was suffering terribly.

Guo Jing has been resolute since childhood. He never complains of pain when he suffers, and he never complains of being tired when he practices martial arts. Back then, he was whipped several times by Temujin's eldest son, Jochi, and was threatened with death, but he could still endure it. In terms of willpower, he is definitely the best in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world. But now he can't help but groan in pain.

A dozen meters away from the tent, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan silently guarded the area. At first, they were five or six meters away, then they retreated to seven or eight meters, and finally to a dozen meters.

They were usually very strict with Guo Jing, but they had long since developed a deep bond with him as a teacher and disciple. They also understood their disciple's personality and knew that Guo Jing would not make such a sound unless he was in extreme pain. They simply couldn't bear to listen to him and could only back down again and again.

Han Xiaoying, being soft-hearted, tried several times to rush into the tent to bring Guo Jing out, but was repeatedly rebuked by the hard-hearted Ke Zhen'e, and dared not make a move.

Li Ping was sent away early on, not allowed to get close. Hua Zheng was taken away by Li Ping, otherwise she would have rushed in to stop it no matter what happened.

At this moment, Wu Chengyu accomplished a great achievement in his life, which is called "boiling Guo Jing in an iron vat." No matter what kind of great hero he is, or the future Northern Hero, he is now just a young chicken in an iron vat, and he will be cooked in a minute.

A few days after Wu Chengyu found Guo Jing, Wu Chengyu had someone set up a tent and prepared various things, and began his first formal teaching session.

"Jing'er, do you see the medicinal herbs in this iron vat? I got these from the Zhao Prince's Mansion in the Jin Kingdom. They are rare and precious, and even a single herb can be exchanged for at least a hundred sheep."

"You'll be sitting in the iron vat, and your body will be in excruciating pain, but you must endure it. Absorb the medicinal power of this solution little by little. You can only come out after I give the order; otherwise, these precious medicinal herbs will be wasted."

Guo Jing didn't understand what Wu Chengyu was planning, but when he heard that these medicinal herbs were so valuable, he immediately nodded in agreement. He was honest and kind, but he also knew what was good for him. These precious medicinal herbs were being used on him, so Master Wu must be doing it for his own good.

"Master Wu, don't worry, Jing'er isn't afraid of pain."

Wu Chengyu thought to himself, this is not as simple as being afraid of pain. He turned around and said to the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan who were also a little nervous.

"My seven brothers and sisters, no matter what sounds you hear inside the tent, do not come in. Also, please help me stop anyone who might try to enter from outside."

"Next, I will perform a thorough cleansing and marrow-refining procedure on Guo Jing to elevate his foundation to a higher level. This is a feat defying the heavens, and Jing'er will inevitably suffer greatly during this process, but he must endure it, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain."

Ke Zhen'e said, "Brother Wu, rest assured, Jing'er has the opportunity to learn superior martial arts, which is something others would beg for. He can bear a little pain."

After saying this, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan left the tent, leaving only Wu Chengyu and Guo Jing, master and disciple.

"Jing'er, do you remember the bathing technique I taught you a couple of days ago? You should have mastered it by now."

Guo Jing was a little nervous, his face flushed, and he nodded repeatedly. After practicing the Quanzhen Martial Arts, he had finally grasped the essence of internal energy cultivation. Wu Chengyu explained the energy circulation path to him and used his internal energy to guide him through several cycles. The boy had already firmly memorized the skills taught by Wu Chengyu.

As for the skill of bathing, Wu Chengyu imitated Ma Yu, who described the Quanzhen Martial Arts as a sleeping technique, which actually allowed Guo Jing to relax and cultivate.

This kid is instilled with all sorts of martial arts by his seven masters every day. He gets scolded if he doesn't practice well. If you tell him that what he's practicing is also martial arts, he'll probably get nervous and it will have the opposite effect.

Wu Chengyu followed suit, teaching Guo Jing the famous Yi Jin Duan Gu chapter of the Nine Yin Manual. Wu Chengyu always believed that the truly high-level martial arts of the Nine Yin Manual, apart from the general outline, were this Yi Jin Duan Gu chapter.

Those martial arts moves or internal energy cultivation methods have emerged endlessly in the martial arts world since ancient times. Even the Nine Yin Divine Claw and other ultimate techniques do not necessarily mean that one is superior.

However, a cultivation technique like the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian, which can slowly improve one's aptitude, is extremely rare. Even a sect like the Xiaoyao Sect, which is suspected of cultivating immortality, does not have a martial art that can improve one's aptitude in this way.

The most distinctive feature of this technique is its versatility; anyone can practice it. While the effects may not be immediately apparent, as long as one practices for a sufficient period, it can continuously improve one's aptitude. Over time, even a mediocre person can become a capable individual.

However, it's an exaggeration to say that this skill has no upper limit. Someone like Guo Jing, who started practicing at a young age, would inevitably experience a decline in physical health as he reached middle age, which is a natural law.

At that time, this skill may have a slight effect on maintaining one's own condition, but its original function of improving aptitude will inevitably disappear.

If the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (易筋锻骨篇) truly had no limit to its cultivation, then it would become a cultivation method for immortality and body refinement, far exceeding the limitations of this world.

However, at this stage, the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (易筋锻骨篇) is the most suitable for Guo Jing. Guo Jing only regards it as a method he will need to use when he takes a bath in the iron vat later, and does not regard this set of internal energy circulation path as a real martial art.

Wu Chengyu is now working to further enhance Guo Jing's aptitude, and by a significant margin. The slow effects of the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) are insufficient and far from meeting Wu Chengyu's requirements. It must be combined with medicinal baths and other methods.

Now that Wu Chengyu had accepted Guo Jing as his disciple, his goal was to improve Guo Jing in every way. This wasn't like when he tricked Yang Kang; he wouldn't hold back anything that would benefit Guo Jing. Wu Chengyu wanted to see what level Guo Jing would reach after his dedicated training. First and foremost was the medicinal bath. Most of the ingredients were precious medicines he had stolen from the Zhao Prince's treasury and Liang Ziweng's pharmacy before leaving Daxing for the Mongolian grasslands—good things that money couldn't buy anywhere else.

The prescription was also a combination of the various medicinal bath recipes he had obtained from the Murong family's armory, which he gradually developed based on calculations on the bamboo slips. It can greatly improve the muscles and meridians of the user, while also enhancing the effects of the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (a traditional Chinese medicine formula).

It may not achieve the same effect as Wu Chengyu's transformation through silkworm cultivation and swallowing the gall of the Bodhi snake to undergo a complete metamorphosis, but it can still achieve about half the effect.

In addition, Wu Chengyu will also select some martial arts techniques he obtained from bamboo slips to teach Guo Jing. In short, he wants to push Guo Jing's physical talent to the ceiling level among the natives of this world.

The reason for investing so much and going to such lengths was because of the choice Wu Chengyu made for Guo Jing: to cultivate both the Big Dipper Technique and the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

Guo Jing's talent is good enough, but if he were to cultivate both martial arts techniques at the same time, he would be in a bit of a predicament.

The Big Dipper Technique is fine. Guo Jing's pure heart is perfect for cultivating Taoist internal energy. After he cultivated the Quanzhen Heart Sutra, he unconsciously circulated his internal energy while walking, sitting, lying down, and sleeping. He will do the same when he cultivates the Big Dipper Technique. Wu Chengyu doesn't need to worry about it.

The only thing to consider is the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. Even if Guo Jing has good aptitude, it would probably take him many years to master it, as this martial art has very high requirements for aptitude.

Take the Golden Wheel Monk as an example. He was able to reach the level of the Five Absolutes, which means that his talent was absolutely top-notch in the world.

Lamas are ordained from a young age, so this kid must have also been practicing martial arts since childhood. Let's assume he started practicing the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill when he was twenty. In The Return of the Condor Heroes, when he reached the tenth level and returned to the Central Plains to fight against Yang Guo, he was already over seventy years old.

In other words, even with his top-tier aptitude, it would have taken the Golden Wheel Dharma King at least fifty years to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique to the tenth level, which is already the fastest record among all the Western Region lamas who cultivated the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique.

Don't forget, he's a lama. Apart from occasionally teaching disciples, he spends most of his life practicing kung fu. He won't date, get married, or have children because children are a hassle. He might just be a lifelong virgin.

Guo Jing will inevitably marry and have children in the future, and will be unable to remain a virgin. Therefore, he is definitely not as good as Jinlun Fawang in terms of concentration.

Wu Chengyu was unwilling for Guo Jing to end up like the Golden Wheel Monk, never marrying or having children, and spending fifty years in arduous cultivation only to reach the tenth level, by which time he would be nearly seventy. What would be the point of that?

Therefore, Wu Chengyu wanted to further enhance Guo Jing's aptitude and provide him with various other resources to accelerate his growth.

According to Wu Chengyu's calculations, after his manipulation, Guo Jing's skills would improve rapidly in the early stages, reaching the fifth or sixth level in about ten years. He would then have the strength of five or six hundred jin with every move. Combined with the Big Dipper Technique, his martial arts would be far superior to those of his contemporaries in the original novel.

It would probably take Guo Jing about twenty years to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to the tenth level. Combined with the Big Dipper Great Law, which integrates the general principles, and assuming that the Golden Wheel Monk enters the Central Plains to show off his power, the two of them would clash with one palm, and we would see how sorry the Golden Wheel Monk would be.

At this moment, the medicine in the iron vat had been brewed to perfection and was ready. Wu Chengyu slapped Guo Jing, who was now only wearing his underwear, on the back and simultaneously channeled a surge of Yin-attribute internal energy into him.

This method of stewing young chicken in an iron pot is no joke; it can really cook a person. With Guo Jing's current internal strength, he absolutely cannot withstand it. If it were Yang Kang, he might not be able to stand it and would immediately crawl out. However, Wu Chengyu was afraid that Guo Jing's stubborn nature might lead him to actually cook himself if he tried to resist.

"Alright, go down now. Jing'er, remember, my internal energy can guarantee that you won't suffer any irreparable injuries, but the pain you'll experience won't be reduced in the slightest. Once you're in the water, immediately practice the bathing technique I taught you. Don't leave the iron vat until the time is right."

Guo Jing nodded, then looked at the bubbling medicine and felt a sense of fear. This was a normal reaction, or rather, a human instinct. But how strong was this kid's will? And Wu Chengyu's internal energy made him feel cold all over. In the end, he gritted his teeth and crawled into the iron vat.

With the protection of Wu Chengyu's Yin-attribute internal energy, Guo Jing quickly withstood the external pain. At the same time, he continuously circulated the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (a traditional Chinese medicine formula), and his own Quanzhen internal energy also began to protect his body and circulate continuously.

If that were all, Guo Jing wouldn't have suffered so much. After Guo Jing began to stabilize his internal energy and gradually adapt to the hot water in the iron vat, Wu Chengyu added something else to his life—something that could be life or death.

Wu Chengyu placed his hand on the back of Guo Jing's neck and channeled another surge of internal energy into him. As soon as this energy entered Guo Jing's body, it began to circulate automatically, traveling to places where it deviated from Guo Jing's energy flow path, and then forming a chain—the so-called Chain of Life and Death.

For external medicine to be absorbed quickly, the Yi Jin Duan Gu Manual alone is not enough. Since Wu Chengyu used the Life and Death Chain on himself, he also discovered that this method is not only used to torture enemies, but can also open up one's own acupoints and meridians, although it is too painful.

Now Wu Chengyu's task is to employ a two-pronged approach, attacking from both inside and outside. He will use the Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) to strengthen Guo Jing's muscles and bones with the help of medicinal power, while simultaneously using the Life and Death Chain (another traditional Chinese medicine formula) to open up Guo Jing's meridians, which are still somewhat obstructed.

Guo Jing's meridians are naturally wide, making him extremely suitable for cultivating internal energy. Eighty percent of them are open from birth. Under normal circumstances, he would cultivate internal energy for more than ten years to gradually open the remaining two-tenths. However, Wu Chengyu wanted to achieve this in one fell swoop, using the power of medicine and his own methods to make Guo Jing's meridians open from now on.

Even someone as strong as Guo Jing, after enduring the chain of life and death, finally uttered a painful cry that could no longer be borne.

(End of this chapter)