Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 216 The Longevity Technique and the Winter-Summoning Beast
After dealing with the Shangguan trio, Cha Nan glanced again at the direction where Bai Yunfei and Lan Haiping had left, and finally shook his head.

Although Lan Haiping is also a grandmaster, she is... just a grandmaster.

For Cha Nan now, simply subduing a grandmaster who doesn't have any particularly outstanding characteristics is no longer of much significance.

If the other party commits a crime, Cha Nan will certainly not let it go, but if they escape... there is no point in making a special effort to chase after them.

Half an hour later, on a sailboat, Cha Nan put Lan Xiaodie into the Palu Ball.

He wanted to test whether Lan Xiaodie's internal energy was really that magical, and whether it could be forced out no matter how deep it went.

With the matter concluded, there was no need for Cha Nan to follow up on the newly compiled Longevity Manual. He also did not feel the need to remain in this world to wait for the Demon Master Pang Ban and witness his progress. Therefore, he returned to the Illusionary Beast World to gather people to jointly study the Longevity Manual.

Liang Xiao, Yan Nantian, Xiao Ting, Yuan Suiyun, Yaoyue, Lianxing, Chai Yuguan, Qiao Beiming, and the newly acquired Shangguan Jin Hong and Jing Wuming... Before anyone knew it, Cha Nan had gathered so many grandmasters under his command.

This doesn't even include grandmasters like Shui Mu Yin Ji and Guo Jing who signed equal contracts.

So many masters gathered together, looking at the Longevity Manual placed on the central table, yet none of them could analyze it in detail.

Chai Yuguan, who had just tried to circulate his true energy following the energy circulation route in the first picture, has now entered the resurrection waiting period.

Liang Xiao and Qiao Beiming translated the oracle bone script characters in the Longevity Formula, but whether it was due to differences in the expression of many meanings between ancient and modern times, or incorrect punctuation, the translated formula was not only obscure and difficult to understand, but also difficult to form a practical and usable logic.

"How about we skip studying these oracle bone inscriptions for now and just start with the energy cultivation route map?" Cha Nan suggested after circling around a few times and seeing that everyone had hit a wall.

The reason he didn't say anything at first was because he still had some expectations.

After all, although the Longevity Manual was nominally mastered by Xu Ziling, Kou Zhong, Fang Lingzhong, and Shang Yueling, Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong only learned one-seventh of the content. They neglected the mental cultivation techniques and only retained the circulation route. It can be said that the Longevity Manual was incomplete.

As for Fang Lingzhong, the Longevity Formula he learned came from Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, and was actually a summary and generalization of the latter two. Shang Yueling, on the other hand, learned it from Fang Lingzhong, and in essence, it had deviated far from the true Longevity Formula.

The true secret to immortality, apart from Guang Chengzi, is probably not something anyone else has truly mastered... if the various martial arts worlds don't include those fan fiction worlds derived from "Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty".

Cha Nan summarized several prerequisites for Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling to learn the Longevity Formula.

Firstly, they were originally not skilled in martial arts and had no internal energy or true qi in their bodies. Then, they each chose a picture that matched their own personality and used the mental techniques and incantations of the Nine Profound Great Law to drive their practice, following the diagram.

That's how, by sheer chance, I learned one-seventh of the secret to immortality... let's just say it's one-seventh of the longevity formula.

Based on this, it can be concluded that the Longevity Formula likely possesses three seemingly contradictory characteristics: extremely inclusiveness, extreme domineering nature, and extremely specific targeting.

“If you only study the energy circulation route and don’t refer to the formulas… then how do you circulate qi, how do you breathe in and out, when do you stop, when do you rest, when do you temper your meridians, and when do you gather your primordial qi?” Liang Xiao asked a series of questions.

"Just use the internal energy incantations you're good at to apply them!"

"How about we first figure out the effects of the energy circulation route, and then use those effects to deduce the specific meaning of the mantra?" Cha Nan said.

At this point, Cha Nan specifically named Xiao Ting as the second 'guinea pig'.

Although Xiao Ting was blind, his intuition and perception were extremely sharp, even more so than Yuan Suiyun, who was also blind.

When practicing his internal energy, he could perceive any subtle sensations more clearly than Yuan Suiyun.

"Remember, try each picture one by one, and find the one that suits you best!" Cha Nan reminded her again.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling studied the sixth and seventh diagrams respectively, which correspond to water, fire, yin and yang.

So, if this is just irresponsible speculation, the seven pictures might correspond to the five elements and the yin-yang attributes.

As for Guang Chengzi's era, did the concepts of Five Elements and Yin Yang exist?
There should be some, perhaps not as clearly and thoroughly as later people distinguished and marked them, but summarizing these concepts from the laws of nature should not have been difficult for Guang Chengzi.

Soon, Xiao Ting stopped at the second picture, and his aura fluctuated strangely.

puff!

Xiao Ting spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale, but he smiled and said, "What a magical feeling! This is indeed no ordinary internal energy cultivation method. I used the Blood Moon Great Technique to circulate the second diagram and sensed a vast amount of Yin energy being actively injected into my body."

"If my body were in an uncultivated state, this enormous energy would help me expand my meridians and temper my body. But now that I am a grandmaster, this energy has flowed into my original true qi, creating a conflict that makes it difficult for me to control."

"I think that unless I cripple my martial arts skills and injure my body, causing my meridians to become blocked, it will be absolutely impossible for me to learn this martial art."

"Really? I don't believe it!" Yaoyue said arrogantly, and then tried it herself.

Her Mingyu Skill was most adept at controlling true qi, so she didn't believe Xiao Ting's statement. Only by abandoning her martial arts could she cultivate the Longevity Technique.

The second picture was also chosen by Yaoyue, which seems to reveal that the main attribute of the second picture is 'yin'.

Mingyu Gong is not a purely Yin-attribute internal energy cultivation method, but its characteristics are indeed manifested in the 'Yin' aspect.

Yaoyue's reaction was much better than Xiao Ting's.

Her body emitted a jade-like light. When she circulated her energy, she was like a fairy from the moon palace, who could drift away at any moment. But in the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Yaoyue also vomited blood and stopped circulating her energy.

"Enhancing the control of true qi can indeed delay the occurrence of conflict, but... it is still very difficult to control!" Yaoyue concluded.

"Even the Mingyu Skill couldn't control the conflict, so it's possible... that it's really impossible to cultivate this martial art once you already possess internal strength and true qi."

Inviting the moon's words were like a bucket of cold water being poured over her.

Disabling oneself is easier said than done.

But how many people are willing to do that and gamble on the unknown?

Moreover, if one practices only one diagram, the effects of the Longevity Mantra are no longer fundamentally different from those of ordinary divine-level internal energy cultivation methods.

Neither Kou Zhong nor Xu Ziling has confirmed that they have truly broken through the void or reached the Breaking Fate level.

Therefore, practicing with just one picture is definitely not enough.

However, if you practice multiple versions of the same technique without finding the correct method, even if they all originate from the Longevity Formula, they may still conflict with each other.

Otherwise, it is impossible to explain why Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling both possess complete copies of the Longevity Manual and can communicate with each other, yet they have not merged their respective manuals.

Cha Nan turned his gaze to Liang Xiao, hoping that Liang Xiao could provide a solution. After all, he didn't want the longevity manual he had gone to so much trouble to become useless.

After thinking for a moment, Liang Xiao slowly said, "It would be difficult to do it by relying on one's own self-control... But if someone uses external force to guide and restrain both one's original true qi and the new true qi cultivated by the Longevity Technique, and then slowly allows them to merge..."

At this point, Liang Xiao chuckled and shook his head.

It's not that simple.

They were all grandmasters, and their true energy was far beyond human capabilities.

How many people like them can restrain their own internal energy while also being able to restrain another newly emerging, powerful, and domineering internal energy?
By any measure, they must be at least a Grandmaster.

Finding a grandmaster to practice with is incredibly difficult, to an unimaginable degree.

Moreover, if a single image and attribute requires the assistance of a grandmaster for training, what would happen if there were more images and more attributes to train?

How many grandmasters with compatible attributes, profound skills, and a deep spiritual connection would it take to assist in cultivation?
"Wait! What you're saying is... that as long as there's a powerful enough external force to restrain the two conflicting forces, they can gradually merge?" Cha Nan asked Liang Xiao.

Liang Xiao nodded and said, "That's how it is in theory!"

"The Longevity Qi has an extremely strong ability to transform, and can gradually refine the original Qi in the body into Longevity Qi... However, this process is too intense, perhaps because it lacks the coordination of the original internal energy cultivation method. In short, because it is too intense, the body cannot withstand this transformation process."

Cha Nan asked, "What if I use magical beasts to aid in my training?"

“Powerful phantom beasts not only have distinct attributes, but also possess a strong ability to interfere with and disrupt the attribute power they control. What if these phantom beasts helped to restrain the true energy within the body, preventing them from erupting into intense conflict in the short term?”

Upon hearing this, Liang Xiao was taken aback, then said, "Perhaps... we can give it a try!"

As expected, this time Cha Nan didn't rely on anyone else.

He summoned Ao Bing, gave it some instructions, and then sat cross-legged on Ao Bing's head to begin practicing his skills.

The reference is naturally the seventh picture.

Based on the original Tianshui Divine Skill internal energy cultivation method, Cha Nan began to follow the energy circulation route of the seventh picture, mobilizing the flow of true energy in her body.

All the methods of activating acupoints and nourishing meridians are retained from the Heavenly Water Divine Skill. Only the energy circulation route is very different from the Heavenly Water Divine Skill, and is taken from the Longevity Formula.

Soon, a surge of abundant primordial energy from the magical beast world poured into Cha Nan's body.

In this natural practice, the speed at which true qi grows surpasses any of Cha Nan's previous internal energy cultivation methods. Even the combined effects of all the divine skills he had mastered with the Boundless Ocean Divine Art could only match it.

The main problem is that this exercise route omits a certain process.

The process of transforming the energy of heaven and earth into internal force, then compressing it, injecting it into the spirit, and turning it into true qi.

From the very beginning, it cultivated true qi... or innate true qi.

The omission of this step means that for every minute that someone cultivates the Longevity Technique, it is equivalent to at least an hour of focused cultivation by someone else.

This leap in efficiency is unparalleled and unimaginable by any other martial art.

However, Cha Nan only circulated his energy for less than ten minutes before feeling his internal energy spiral out of control. Even though Ao Bing was mentally connected with him, he couldn't control the out-of-control Longevity True Energy at all.

It's not that Ao Bing's energy control is lacking, but rather... it's not a good fit!
This seventh image is not simply about water, but rather a combination of ice, water, and yin elements into a whole.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the seven diagrams of the Longevity Formula, even if they each have their own inclinations, are not absolute. They are not a single path leading to a dead end, nor are they simply a matter of each going its own way, with no clear distinction between what belongs to you and what belongs to me, and no final blind unification.

As the Overturning Sea Dragon, Ao Bing's dominance in the water attribute is beyond question.

However, once this energy contains ice and yin attributes, it becomes clearly uncontrollable and unable to help Cha Nan achieve her goal.

"The line of thinking should be correct!"

“Powerful magical beasts are even more suitable for assisting in cultivation than grandmasters.”

"But right now, the only magical beast I have that has a certain degree of complexity and is absolutely under control is the Shadow of Anubis!"

"If we find the one in the seven diagrams that has the strongest earth and yin attributes, and train with the help of the Shadow of Anubis, we should be able to complete the transformation... However, my current skills are all structured with the Heavenly Water Divine Skill as the starting point and the Boundless Ocean Divine Skill as the end point, with water attribute accounting for a very large proportion. If we don't develop based on the water attribute, then even if we don't need to abandon our skills and start over, many of the methods I am used to will undergo a huge change due to the nature of the true qi, and we will have to make a complete and comprehensive adjustment. This is still another kind of disguised self-abandonment of martial arts!"

As Cha Nan thought about these things, her brows furrowed tightly.

Although he hadn't acquired his martial arts skills through excessive difficulty, he had already reached the threshold of becoming a grandmaster, and he didn't want to waste time starting over.

But the Longevity Scripture is indeed a path to heaven, and it is absolutely impossible for Cha Nan to give it up.

"Since we can't change direction or martial arts... let's change to a mythical beast."

"What the Overturning Sea Dragon cannot do does not mean that even more powerful mythical beasts cannot do it."

In Cha Nan's mind, he had already thought of the most suitable and appropriate mythical beast for his current needs.

"Summon the Winter Beast!"

"Although its primary attribute is ice in the world of fantasy beasts, ice and water are of the same origin and are rich in yin energy, which should meet my needs for cultivating the seventh picture."

"The only problem is... how to get the Winter Summoning Beast." Cha Nan's thoughts got stuck again!
Because the Winter-Calling Beast is an indisputable divine beast.

It cannot be obtained by breeding different mythical beasts.

The only way to obtain them is by capturing them in the wild, and the only breeding formula is to breed two Winter Calling Beasts, one male and one female, and then incubate the eggs.

This means that Cha Nan must first find the Winter Calling Beast in the snowy mountain area, and then find a way to capture it.

What's needed isn't just support in terms of combat strength, but also the guarantee of a powerful Palu ball.

After all, a mere high-quality Palkia isn't enough to capture a legendary Pokémon like Wintermon.

(End of this chapter)