We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 174 The Complete Mysterious Heart Style, the Mysterious Gate of Martial Arts

The Chu residence, west wing.

"You little thief, it's you again!"

A few noises came from outside the door, and the broken window woke up Ma Shiman, who was fast asleep.

A figure swiftly entered the room, followed closely by an old woman whose frosty face stared coldly at Ma Chen, shielding Ma Shiman behind her.

His eyes blazed with fury.

I never expected that this shameless thief would dare to come again.

Ma Chen was unaware that the old woman had mistaken him for Su Chen, and he didn't care. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the figure on the bed.

"Mother-in-law, you can go out now," Ma Shiman said softly as she slowly sat up.

“But he…” The old woman hesitated, but was warned by a look from Ma Shiman, so she could only nod, “Yes.”

After the old woman left, only Ma Shiman and Ma Chen remained in the room.

Ma Shiman looked at Ma Chen with a gentle expression and said softly, "Chen'er, is there something you need from me so late?"

Ma Chen didn't speak, but glanced at the black-clad corpse on the ground, then stared at Ma Shiman, trying to glean clues from her face.

"This is...?" Ma Shiman exclaimed in surprise, then got up and walked over.

She bent down and lifted the veil of the man in black, a strange light appearing in her eyes. She raised her voice slightly and said, "Uncle Fu!"

"He came to kill me."

At this moment, Ma Chen's indifferent voice rang out.

Ma Shiman trembled, sensing Ma Chen's aloofness and indifference.

She looked at Ma Chen and asked with a slightly aggrieved expression, "So, Chen'er, do you think I sent someone to kill you?"

silence.

Ma Shiman stepped forward, her eyes welling up with tears, her voice filled with sorrow: "You are my child, how could I send someone to kill you?"

Silence remained.

Ma Chen took a half step back and muttered to himself, "Only you asked for my address. I just left and someone came to kill me. I don't want it to be like this, but I can't think of anyone else but you."

Ma Chen's pained voice echoed in the room.

"No, no, no, child, you've misunderstood me." Ma Shiman said, tears streaming down her face, as she tried to explain.

Suddenly, she became agitated and shouted, "It's Chu Jingtian, it must be Chu Jingtian!"

He must have sent someone to spy on me, which is why Uncle Fu was able to hear our conversation and that's why he took action against you.

My child, I really didn't tell anyone your address. I finally got to see you, how could I bear to hurt you...

Seeing Ma Shiman's tearful face, Ma Chen trembled and asked somewhat blankly, "Is that so?"

“Yes, Chen’er, you must believe your mother!” Ma Shiman nodded repeatedly.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you." Ma Chen took a deep breath, his voice filled with apology.

"Chen'er, are you alright?" Ma Shiman came up to Ma Chen and looked him over carefully.

Ma Chen shook his head: "I'm fine."

"It's good that you're alright." Ma Shiman breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared your mother to death."

Immediately, she came to the corpse of the man in black and exclaimed in amazement, "Chen'er, you are really amazing! You know, Uncle Fu is a martial artist of the Blood Transformation Realm 2, but I never expected that he would die at your hands."

"It was just luck." Ma Chen forced a smile, then changed the subject, "Mrs. Chu, I was presumptuous this time. I will keep my promise to you, and we will not meet again after this."

After saying that, Ma Chen took a step to leave.

"Chen'er".

Ma Chen stopped.

"Can you grant me one more request?" Ma Shiman asked softly.

"You said."

"Please go die, okay?"

Suddenly, an extremely cold voice came from behind him. Ma Chen's body trembled upon hearing it, and he stared at Ma Shiman in surprise.

At this moment, Ma Shiman was no longer the tearful beauty she had been just moments before. Her charming face was now filled with frost as she stared at him.

His eyes were so cold, so cold that they felt like a stranger to him.

His words were like sharp knives, like a pair of merciless hands gripping his heart tightly, slowly stripping him of his life force, making his breathing rapid.

"You...poisoned me?" Ma Chen's expression changed slightly as he sensed the changes in his blood and energy.

He stared incredulously at the unfamiliar Ma Shiman, and asked in a trembling voice, "Why?"

“You shouldn’t have appeared, just like I shouldn’t have given birth to you.” Ma Shiman didn’t avoid Ma Chen’s gaze, her voice resounding.

As she spoke, she took out a dagger from her waist and slowly wiped it. The dagger, reflecting the candlelight, gleamed in Ma Chen's eyes.

Upon seeing this, Ma Chen's pupils constricted sharply. He took a deep breath and his cold voice rang out: "So, he was someone you sent?"

This time, Ma Shiman did not deny it: "It's a pity. I didn't expect you to be so amazing at such a young age. Even Uncle Fu is no match for you."

She approached Ma Chen step by step, the dagger in her hand gleaming sharp.

Ma Chen's body stiffened, and as she approached, he slowly closed his eyes.

"Go to hell!" Ma Shiman's vicious voice rang out, showing no pity whatsoever for Ma Chen being her child. On the contrary, she was extremely ruthless and wanted to kill him.

She gripped the dagger tightly, plunged it diagonally downwards, aiming straight for Ma Chen's heart.

Although Ma Chen kept his eyes closed, he could still feel the undisguised killing intent.

Unfortunately, the expected excruciating pain did not occur; instead, a sigh suddenly rang out:

"He's your own son!"

Su Chen stopped Ma Shiman and walked in.

"And who are you?" The sudden turn of events caused Ma Shiman's expression to darken slightly. She steadied herself and questioned him.

“I am his friend,” Su Chen replied.

"Friends?" Ma Shiman scoffed. "This bastard child doesn't deserve to have friends?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chen trembled, staring at the woman in front of him in disbelief.

“I only have one son, Chu Ba. He is nothing but a bastard, a bastard who wants to ruin my and Ba’er’s positions!” Ma Shiman’s words were like knives, cutting into Ma Chen’s flesh and blood.

Su Chen snorted lightly, too lazy to waste words.

He stepped forward and grabbed Ma Shiman by the neck: "Where is the antidote?"

Sensing the murderous intent emanating from Su Chen, Ma Shiman finally showed signs of panic, and she took out the antidote from her bosom.

"Cough cough cough, just smelling it will make you feel better," Ma Shiman coughed.

Su Chen opened the antidote, first letting Ma Shiman smell it, and after waiting a moment and seeing that she was fine, he handed it to Ma Chen.

Ma Chen was soon released.

Su Chen said, "The people outside have all been dealt with. I'll go out now."

He didn't intend to interfere in their affairs; he wanted Ma Chen to handle the matter himself.

After leaving the room, Su Chen closed the door and waited outside.

Time passed slowly, and every minute and second was torture for Ma Chen.

Su Chen didn't know how Ma Chen would handle it.

About half an incense stick later, Ma Chen came out, his face silent.

Su Chen didn't ask any questions, but instead led Ma Chen to another courtyard in Fengbei City. Along the way, Ma Chen remained unusually silent.

The two entered the courtyard, and Su Chen patted Ma Chen's shoulder gently, comforting him, "Get some rest, there's no hurdle you can't overcome."

Ma Chen gave a bitter smile.

He stood alone under the night sky, like a lost soul, and from then on, he was all alone, with no relatives left.

In the vastness of heaven and earth, only a solitary figure wanders the mortal world.

The next morning, Su Chen got up to wash and saw Ma Chen in the courtyard, silently copying the secret manual.

"I've bought you breakfast," Ma Chen said without looking up.

Su Chen nodded, and after washing up, he sat at the stone table, eating while watching Ma Chen.

At this moment, Ma Chen seemed to have returned to his former self, full of energy in his work.

With Ma Chen's swift and skillful writing, the second category of the first form of the Myriad Wonders of the Mysterious Mind was completed from memory.

Su Chen organized the contents and then began to look through them.

This type is the raindrop type, which is actually quite similar to the gold needle type.

It's just that the force is condensed into water droplets, and there are still 7,200 ways to exert force.

After a cursory glance, Su Chen put down the manual and went to the courtyard to begin cultivating.

Although they are different categories, the principles behind them are the same.

By drawing inferences from similar cases, Su Chen spent a day transforming the golden needles into raindrops.

This transformation is not one-way; he can switch between golden needles and water droplets, as long as he expends energy.

Four days passed in this way.

For every type of content that Ma Chen recited from memory, Su Chen would try to switch it, and he planned to train five forms at the same time.

The five forms are gold needle, wood shavings, raindrops, sparks, and sand. The transformation might be a little slow at first, but once you get used to it, you can complete the transformation in about half a day.

Of course, this was also thanks to the fact that Su Chen only had three golden needles in total.

This day.

Su Chen is currently gathering the fourth golden needle.

Ma Chen stared intently at Su Chen, as if trying to see how he managed to condense a golden needle in just one day.

It took him three whole days to condense a single drop of rain.

He thought his speed was already pretty good, but he didn't expect Su Chen to be two days ahead of him.

After realizing this, Ma Chen deliberately stayed an extra day, intending to learn some lessons from Su Chen.

Although many people practice the Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart, only these two are able to master the complete first form of the technique.

We should naturally learn from each other.

Of course, given the current situation, it seems that Ma Chen is learning from Su Chen more.

Under Ma Chen's unwavering gaze, Su Chen slowly condensed a nearly tangible golden needle.

"So simple?"

Having learned by observation and mental acuity, Ma Chen felt he could handle it too.

So before Su Chen could fully condense his energy, Ma Chen sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, mobilizing the energy within his body.

After an incense stick had burned, Ma Chen opened his eyes, a look of disappointment appearing in them.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn how to use my hands.

It seems simple, but it's actually much more complicated than that. It can only be said that Su Chen has a much higher talent than him in cultivating the Profound Heart Myriad Wonders Style.

"No way, is this preparing to condense the fifth golden needle?"

When Ma Chen turned his gaze to Su Chen, he was startled.

After condensing the fourth golden needle, Su Chen did not stop, but continued to condense it, intending to condense the fifth one in one go.

Ma Chen gritted his teeth, stopped cultivating, and sat to the side, observing Su Chen's every move once again.

"This guy's strength is truly formidable!"

He quickly noticed something was wrong.

If it were him, his strength would have been completely exhausted after hundreds of flushes, but Su Chen showed no signs of fatigue.

Half an hour later, Su Chen condensed the fifth golden needle. He still did not stop cultivating, but continued to transform the golden needle into other forms.

It wasn't until evening that Su Chen finally completed the transformation of the two golden needles he had cultivated.

He opened his eyes, ignoring Ma Chen beside him, and looked puzzled.

"Strange, why is there no change in my control over my strength after the transformation?"

The same thing happened last time, but it wasn't as noticeable.

The fact that the two golden needles changed in succession and simultaneously transformed into four other forms immediately alerted Su Chen to the anomaly.

After thinking for a moment, he told Ma Chen about his confusion. Ma Chen said speechlessly, "Is it possible that the reason they divided it into five categories is so that you can choose one category to cultivate, not so that you can cultivate them all? Even though you changed your form, you are still essentially only one category."

"You didn't tell me earlier."

Ma Chen's eyes widened: "Big brother, do you think everyone is as twisted as you?!"

Su Chen: "..."

"So, only by condensing other forms of energy can it have an amplifying effect?"

"Probably," Ma Chen replied vaguely, sounding somewhat uncertain.

Su Chen didn't pay any attention and changed the subject: "By the way, how much do you know about the Meridian Opening Realm?"

“Very powerful!” Ma Chen replied seriously.

"and then?"

"It could kill me instantly."

Su Chen's lips twitched slightly. Seeing that things were not going well, Ma Chen said, "You probably know everything. What do you want to ask?"

"Please tell me in detail."

With Ma Chen's explanation, Su Chen gained a general understanding of the Meridian Opening Realm.

If the Five Realms of Blood Transformation represent a complete transformation of the physical body, then the Meridian Opening Realm is the concrete manifestation of that transformation.

After a martial artist completes their transformation, they can then begin to open up the internal gates and meridians.

Only by breaking through the martial arts barrier can one draw in the vital energy of heaven and earth, improve physical condition, and enhance strength.

Generally speaking, three conditions are required: the Meridian Opening Method, the Meridian Opening Pill, and a Meridian Opening Warrior.

Different meridian opening methods can open up different mystic gates and create different mystic meridians. The number of mystic meridians determines the cultivation speed and strength.

Although the speed at which one absorbs the primordial energy of heaven and earth depends on multiple factors, it is generally believed that the more mystic veins one has, the faster the absorption speed.

In theory, under the same conditions, for each additional Xuanmai (mysterious vein), the speed at which one absorbs the primordial energy of heaven and earth is 10% faster than others.

The strength of a martial artist who has opened their meridians depends on the quantity and speed of their Yuan energy. Naturally, the more meridians one has, the faster one can mobilize Yuan energy, and the deeper one's Yuan energy becomes, resulting in greater strength.

The Meridian Opening Pill, as the name suggests, is designed to increase the success rate of breaking through the barrier.

Apart from those martial artists with extraordinary talent, most martial artists take the Meridian Opening Pill to increase their success rate when breaking through the Xuan Guan (a point in martial arts).

At the same time, the process of breaking through the barrier is extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could lead to death by exploding. At this time, a powerful cultivator with strong meridians is needed to protect you.

With the protection of a powerful cultivator who has mastered meridians, even if one fails, at least one's life is guaranteed.

"By the way, although you are still far from opening your meridians, I advise you not to rush into a breakthrough. Focus on strengthening your qi and blood and improving your physique. This will increase the likelihood and safety of your future breakthrough."

Finally, Ma Chen added a sentence.

For martial artists with powerful backgrounds, the protection of a martial artist with open meridians is better than nothing.

However, for martial artists without a background, the protection of a martial artist with open meridians can save their lives in critical moments.

Although Ma Chen didn't know Su Chen's background, he sensed from Su Chen's shallow knowledge of cultivation that Su Chen probably didn't have any powerful forces behind him.

That's why I reminded him like this.

After all, neither he nor Su Chen could rely on themselves.

"Enhance blood circulation and physical constitution?" Su Chen asked, somewhat puzzled.

Ma Chen nodded: "Because your constitution determines your lower limit, and your qi and blood determine your upper limit. I don't know the specifics, but my master told me this."

"Do you know where I can find cultivation techniques for improving physical constitution?" Su Chen asked after thinking for a moment.

"There are many, but within Dafeng City, the Yun family's cultivation technique, the Golden Body Technique, is probably the most powerful. It is said that once this technique is mastered, one's strength can basically crush other martial artists of the same level. This is also the reason why the Yun family has been able to firmly occupy the top position among the five major clans of Donglin Prefecture."

Seeing that Su Chen seemed somewhat interested, Ma Chen said rather discouragingly, "Don't even think about getting your hands on this technique. Apart from the direct descendants of the Yun family, no one else is qualified to cultivate this technique. It's basically not passed on to outsiders. Even if you marry into the family and have amazing talent, it's still not allowed."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, it is said that each stage of cultivating this technique requires the use of specific medicinal herbs. These herbs are the key. Even if you obtain this technique, you will not be able to cultivate it successfully without the assistance of the Yun family's medicinal herbs."

Su Chen ignored what followed. When he cultivated martial arts, he never cared about how difficult it was to learn, but rather whether he could obtain it.

This is the confidence that the panel gives him!

Afterwards, Su Chen inquired about martial arts techniques that enhance qi and blood, which were basically only available to powerful forces and not passed on to outsiders.

However, he didn't care much about the secrets to enhancing qi and blood; in comparison, he still felt that his Vajra Iron Shirt technique was stronger.

It can not only increase strength, but also enhance blood circulation and improve physical fitness, making it a triple benefit.

"I see you also use a knife. Are you a swordsman?" Su Chen asked again, his gaze falling on the black iron steel knife at Ma Chen's waist.

Noticing Su Chen's gaze, Ma Chen protected the Xuan Tie Steel Blade and said, "This blade is now mine; we agreed on this beforehand."

Su Chen chuckled: "Don't panic, I just want to make another deal with you."

"What kind of deal?" Ma Chen was taken aback.

Su Chen expressed his thoughts.

"You're planning to trade sword techniques with me?" Ma Chen frowned.

"You must only practice one sword technique, right?" Just in case, Su Chen asked.

"Hmm. Why do you ask that?" Ma Chen paused for a moment, then nodded.

Su Chen shook his head: "It's nothing. So, how about it, do you want to change it or not?"

"If you want to change it, then change it," Ma Chen shrugged, seemingly indifferent.

Consider it repayment for Su Chen saving my life.

"My sword technique is called the 'Shadow Sword Technique.' Its strength lies in its stealth, allowing you to take someone's head unexpectedly," Su Chen briefly explained the technique.

Ma Chen said, "My sword technique is called 'Extraordinary Sword Technique,' and its strength lies in its 'extraordinary,' making it impossible to defend against its attacks."

The next day.

The two took out the sword techniques they had memorized and handed them to each other.

"Mountains may change, but rivers will turn; we'll meet again." Ma Chen bid farewell to Su Chen.

"See you later."

After parting ways with Ma Chen, Su Chen did not immediately return to Fengbei City. Instead, he took out the "Extraordinary Saber Technique" that Ma Chen had given him.

The words "sword technique" quickly appeared on the panel. Su Chen murmured, "Pay to activate easy mode."

(End of this chapter)