Human Martial Venerable: Starting from the Synthesis Technique

Back at the grain depot, the group was gathered in small groups, practicing their punches and moves.

Or, they might hone their strength with a stone lock in a corner of the courtyard.

Aside from patrolling, there was basically nothing else to do at the grain depot. After giving instructions to the group, Xiang Geng had two horses brought from the stable.

Feng Xiu mounted his horse, with Xiang Geng following closely behind.

The two riders left the compound one after the other and sped eastward along the dirt road.

Half an hour later, the two had left the territory of Dendrobium Village and entered a desolate wilderness.

After riding for about an hour, Xiang Geng slowly reined in his horse and pointed ahead.

"Young Master, we've arrived."

Feng Xiu looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a rocky wasteland overgrown with weeds, so desolate that there wasn't even a bird in sight.

He frowned. "That's it?"

Xiang Geng smiled, dismounted, and tied the horse to a crooked tree.

"If the market were open, it would have been shut down by the authorities long ago." He said as he walked deeper into the rocky hill. "Young Master, please follow me."

Feng Xiu followed him through a maze of twists and turns, passing through a thicket of weeds taller than a person, until the view suddenly opened up before him.

A narrow valley stretched out before them, and two men dressed in black stood at its entrance, knives at their waists, their eyes wary.

Seeing someone approaching, one of them stepped forward and reached out to stop them.

"brand."

Xiang Geng took out an iron plaque from his pocket and handed it over.

The man took it, glanced at it, looked Feng Xiu up and down, nodded, and stepped aside.

Feng Xiu followed Xiang Geng into the valley, where the area gradually became lively.

Scattered stalls were set up along the mountainside, some with a tattered cloth spread on the ground, and others simply with a stone as a tabletop.

The stall owners at each stall were a diverse group, ranging from middle-aged men with bulging faces to lean and capable individuals.

The items displayed on the stall were a mixed bag.

Swords and weapons, bottles and jars of pills, and even two or three silverback gorillas, never before seen on the Yunzhou Plateau, were kept in several iron cages.

His hand, covered in rough, hairy fingers, was gripping the iron cage; he looked sickly all over.

It was clearly the intense discomfort caused by altitude sickness.

As for other iconic creatures of Yunzhou, such as the black lizard, they are also quite common here.

"There's something like this here?" Feng Xiu was stunned, feeling quite surprised.

"Of course, that's not all, young master. Look over there." Xiang Geng smiled and pointed to a fat man who was using a wooden table as a stall.

On the black wooden table, two stacks of smooth, flat brown leather were neatly arranged, and four or five men were inquiring about prices in front of them.

Upon closer inspection, Feng Xiu saw that the thin skin in his line of sight resembled the Chinese character "大" (dà) and the Chinese character "人" (rén).

Instantly, his pupils contracted.

"That's martial arts skin. The skin of a martial artist is the toughest. After being written with Red Sun ink, the characters can remain for a thousand years."

He whispered to Geng.

Feng Xiu felt a sudden tremor in his heart. The dark world of martial arts he had imagined seemed as ridiculous as child's play at this moment.

Since he achieved some success in his cultivation, he has gradually regained his mindset from his previous life: masculine, confident, and even willing to joke around in his spare time.

But at this moment, this single sentence reveals the cruel reality of the martial arts world.

"My family protected me too well. The more glamorous the world is, the more cruel the survival rules are hidden."

Feng Xiu's eyes gradually returned to calm.

Seeing Feng Xiu remain silent for a while, Xiang Geng knew that what he had just said had greatly shocked him.

"Young Master, don't overthink it. There aren't many good things here." Xiang Geng changed the subject again. "The really good stuff is all inside."

Feng Xiu glanced at the stalls and indeed, the items on display all looked rather rough.

The customers at each stall were no ordinary people; each had bulging temples, sharp eyes, and walked with a brisk pace, clearly skilled in martial arts.

As he spoke, Xiang Geng led Feng Xiu through the passage.

After leaving the first level of the market, a cluster of low-rise buildings came into view.

It's called a house, but it's really just a shed built of stones and wood, but it looks much more decent than the stalls outside.

People were coming and going at the entrance, and they were dressed more presentably.

Xiang Geng led Feng Xiu to a slightly larger stone house. An old man was standing at the door, dozing off.

"Old Wu, are you booked any games today?" Xiang Geng walked over and patted the old man on the shoulder.

The old man opened his eyes, looked at Xiang Geng, then at Feng Xiu, and said lazily, "Perfect timing, just as the show starts. Fifty taels per person."

Fifty taels.

Feng Xiu raised an eyebrow; the entrance fee wasn't cheap, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

He took out a silver note from his pocket and handed it over. The old man took it, gave the two of them a wooden plaque, and then stepped aside, revealing the door behind him.

Xiang Geng pushed open the door and went in, with Feng Xiu following behind.

Behind the door was a stone staircase leading downwards. After walking about thirty or forty steps, the view suddenly opened up before us.

It was a fairly large underground space, with torches lit around the perimeter and a wooden platform about half a person's height in the center.

Dozens of chairs were placed around the platform, and about twenty people were already sitting there. They all exuded a calm and collected aura, and they were clearly not people to be trifled with.

Feng Xiu and Xiang Geng sat down in the back.

On the stage, a lean middle-aged man spoke loudly.

"The third item is the Crimson Flame Palm, a martial art of the Blood Burning Realm, a palm technique. When mastered, it can make the palm burn and injure people invisibly. Starting bid: 120 taels."

After he finished speaking, someone in the audience raised a sign.

One hundred and thirty.

"One hundred and fifty."

As Feng Xiu watched those people arguing back and forth, he felt a little tempted.

What he lacks most right now is martial arts. Just as he was about to raise the sign, Xiang Geng gently pressed it down.

"Young Master, don't rush." ​​Xiang Geng leaned closer. "Things bought in a place like this might not be able to be taken out."

Feng Xiu calmed down.

Xiang Geng continued, "Look at these people, how many of them are actually here to buy anything? Most of them are just watching who bids for something valuable, and they'll make their move as soon as they leave the valley."

He paused, then pointed to the book "Crimson Flame Palm" on the stage.

"Besides, you're not up to the task yet with this martial art. It can only unleash its full power after your qi and blood ignite. It's not too late to check out the rest later."

Feng Xiu nodded, suppressing his urge to raise the placard.

Several more items were passed on the stage, mostly related to swordsmanship and knife skills, with starting prices ranging from tens to two hundred taels of silver.

As Feng Xiu observed, he gradually came to understand the situation.

The items in the market aren't expensive, but whether you can take them with you alive depends entirely on your skills.

Almost every time an item was auctioned, two or three people would rush out with the owner of the item, their eyes flashing with shrewdness, clearly indicating something else.

"Next item." The middle-aged man on the stage took out a yellowed booklet. "Bone Refining Claw, a claw-type martial art, specifically for training the blood and qi in both hands. After mastering it, the ten fingers will be like hooks, capable of shattering bricks and stones. Starting bid: eighty taels."

Feng Xiu's heart stirred.

Claw skill.

The Vajra Finger Blade, combined with claw techniques, can create a unique martial arts system of its own.

"Eighty taels." He held up his sign.

Nobody followed.

The middle-aged man on the stage beamed with joy: "Young master, eighty taels, deal."

Is it that simple?

Someone came over, collected the money, and handed him the book "Bone Refining Claw".

Feng Xiu took the booklet and flipped through it casually. The first few pages described training methods, using sand and stones to temper the skin and make it more resilient.

In addition, there is a complementary medicinal bath method to nourish and soothe the hands.

Feng Xiu stopped when he turned to the back.

This page was clearly sewn in; it's not aligned with the other pages.

The pages were covered with tiny writing, and the handwriting was quite different from the previous ones; the characters were very bold.

"I wish to create my own powerful and domineering fist, so that with one punch, everything within a ten-foot radius will be reduced to dust."

"This method sets up three air gates in the human body, locking the qi and blood in the dantian, forcing it to rise, gather in the arms, compress it repeatedly, and then punch it out, doubling its power."

Upon further reading, the remaining text was crossed out.

Feng Xiu was astonished. Three qi gates locked his blood and qi, compressing and unleashing them?

This is supposed to be a martial arts concept?

He continued reading, and what followed was all about how to combine claw techniques with this "Overlord Fist Concept".

Although it was just a hypothetical idea, it was written in a very detailed and descriptive way, clearly showing that the person who left these words had really thought about it.

Feng Xiu closed the booklet, his face remaining expressionless.

Eighty taels of silver buys a manual on claw techniques, plus a free martial arts concept.

I feel like the trip was worthwhile.

At this moment, Xiang Geng asked in a low voice, "Young Master, how is it?"

Feng Xiu nodded. "Very satisfied."

"Is there another round?" He put away the Bone-Refining Claw and asked again.

"Young Master, the market in Yeshi is sometimes open once a month, and if it's not open, you might not see it for half a year. We were just lucky to catch it," Xiang Geng explained.

"Cultivation techniques are precious to everyone, otherwise there wouldn't be so many fake and misleading things on the market."

Feng Xiu's interest grew, and Xiang Geng naturally went along with it, saying something else.

"But we can go out and look around, maybe we'll find some good stuff."

"Okay, sure."

The two got up and left the auction.

Back on the first floor of the market, Feng Xiu, being new to the place, didn't say much.

Watching Xiang Geng pick and choose from various stalls.