Immortal Creation.

Chapter 725 Hanging one's head from the beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl!

Many of the cultivators chose a futon and sat down cross-legged.

The old Confucian scholar Songtao first taught everyone the methods of hanging one's head from the beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl.

Both spells require corresponding magical implements: the former uses a hemp rope, and the latter uses a wooden awl.

Kong Ran's face grew paler and paler. He looked around and became restless.

He sincerely hoped that someone would leave voluntarily, but to his disappointment, he saw that the other cultivators either had solemn expressions or were expressionless, showing no intention of leaving at all.

Song Taosheng slowly said, "You may choose your own classic texts and employ two methods to aid your studies. This Confucian temple has already made arrangements; anyone who cheats will be severely punished!"

The warning sent a chill down everyone's spines.

Next, Song Taosheng was quite decisive and directly announced the start of this Xingyun trial.

Ning Zhuo did not rush to act, but instead fell into rapid thought.

He was somewhat troubled: "Of course I have the classics, but... which one should I choose to study?"

"Has it been learned and is it already memorized perfectly?"

"You still only have a partial understanding of the classics; have you truly mastered them?"

"Or perhaps choose something completely unfamiliar?"

Ning Zhuo's predicament was not only his own, but also that of other Confucian scholars.

The main problem is that the selection criteria for this Xingyun pilot program were not made public. Since no one knew them, they were unsure of the best approach.

The next moment, Bai Jiyun stood up and bowed to Song Taosheng to inquire.

Song Taosheng shook his head expressionlessly and said, "This is also one of the tests in this preliminary examination. Most of you are Confucian scholars. If you were to take the national examination of the Chinese Kingdom, would you also ask the invigilator about your exam paper in the examination hall?"

Bai Jiyun had no choice but to sit down.

The cultivators looked worried, almost all of them bowing their heads in thought, wondering what the criteria for judging this small trial of the Rising Clouds were.

Only Ning Zhuo knew the truth: this rule was very much in his favor!

Liu Fushu gritted her teeth and made a decision: "It seems I have no choice but to give it my all."

Kong Ran, however, harbored a fantasy: "Do we really have to do this? If this little test is to examine our ability to make the wise choice of decisively giving up, that would be great."

Kong Ran also knew that this was just wishful thinking on his part.

But he really didn't want to suffer the arduous task of hanging himself by his hair or pricking his thigh with an awl.

During his childhood, when he was in elementary school, he was traumatized by his own father, Kong Zhaoming.

Kong Ran glanced around the room with expectant eyes every now and then: "If any of you leave your seats, I'll follow you. I'll leave here too!"

"Sigh, if I had known it was going to be a competition like this, I definitely wouldn't have come."

"Even sleeping in is better than this."

Kong Ran was already at a young age and had no control over his own destiny.

He carries the reputation of a child prodigy and is one of the face of the Kong family after their retirement. His father is one of the prime ministers of the Feiyun Kingdom, so his performance is also related to Kong Zhaoming.

The burden of fame!

Ning Zhuo realized that Xingyun's small test was also a way of taking care of him, so he put aside his previous concerns.

He extended his divine sense into his storage belt and began actively selecting the scriptures he would study next.

The storage belt contained a large number of classic texts.

For example, the "Ice Sculpture Secret Manual" given by Ning Jiufan, the "Collection of Curved Snake Array Formation" from Elder Chen, and the Blood Demon Disintegration Minor Technique, Death Moon Offering Song, and Sky Burial Ceremony purchased by Ning Zhuo himself.

The jade slip from the Jiao family contains several of their martial arts techniques, as well as a treasure map.

The two chapters of the "Myriad Images Sutra" are "Qi Refining" and "Foundation Building".

The Chef's inherited jade slip contains the techniques, recipes, and cultivation insights of the Dark Cuisine School. It serves as both proof of identity and an entry ticket/entry pass to the Hundred Nations Culinary Competition.

Oh, and there's also the Ling Shuang and Ao Xue Enlightenment Diagram, one of the Ning family's treasures. Although they are just pictures, they can still be studied and pondered.

The precious military treatise, "Gao Sheng's Last Writings".

A special "Underworld Penal Code".

Numerous classic texts on soul cultivation, such as "The Yin Bone Manual," "The Netherworld Heart Sutra," and "Detailed Explanation of the Soul Guiding Technique," owe their vast majority to the contributions of Tian Shuang, one of the Twin Ghosts of Heaven and Earth.

Ning Zhuo has also recently acquired the "Book of Vowel Reeds," which he has already mastered.

After thinking it over, Ning Zhuo felt that taking out those soul cultivation techniques might not have a good impact. Therefore, he chose the "Ice Sculpture Manual" instead.

Ning Zhuo had reviewed the text several times before and was clearly aware of his own shortcomings—carving skills, especially the "internal carving technique" that requires working through the ice layer and wielding the knife like a brush inside, which was his biggest weakness at the moment. Due to his busy travels and lack of time, he had always regarded this technique as a trivial matter and temporarily set it aside, using it only as a reference to broaden his horizons.

Most recently, Ning Zhuo used the "Meaning Brush" technique to copy this book, gaining access to more information that could only be understood intuitively.

This time, he resorted to Confucian methods like hanging his head from the rafters and pricking his thigh with an awl to comprehend the book.

Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged, his back straight as a pine tree. He infused his magic power, mobilized his divine sense, and manipulated the magic implements, the ropes.

Then, the cinnabar hemp rope came to life, tying itself onto Ning Zhuo's hair bun. Then the other end of the rope went around a protruding beam on the top of the stone chamber behind her and hung down, beginning to tighten with just the right amount of force.

The roots of Ningzhuo's hair, bound by the hemp rope, brought a continuous, subtle yet clear pulling sensation and a slight pain of tautness to her scalp.

At the same time, Ning Zhuo held the wooden awl and gently thrust it into the outside of his left thigh.

The boxwood awl pierced the flesh steadily, about an inch deep.

A sharp, direct pain continued to irritate Ning Zhuo.

Hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl!

Ning Zhuo was almost the first cultivator to take action, which inevitably attracted the attention of many cultivators.

His young face was calm and serene, without even a furrowed brow.

Some cultivators were secretly surprised. Kong Ran opened his mouth slightly, thinking with some panic and resistance, "You're starting already?"

Song Taosheng had naturally been paying attention to Ning Zhuo for a long time.

Seeing Ning Zhuo's performance, he nodded inwardly, but still remained cautious: "The methods I teach, such as hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl, are ancient versions, so even non-Confucian scholars can use them."

"The key is whether the cultivator using this method can overcome the pain and concentrate on learning?"

"If one's learning is hindered by pain, one's academic ability will not improve at all, one will achieve nothing, and one will suffer in vain."

Ning Zhuo fell into deep thought.

His mind was focused on a section of the "Ice Sculpture Manual," which described how to use micro-sculpting techniques to construct an array on the inner wall of the interlocking ice shards.

Previously, this content was like a thin layer of ice covering him, seemingly clear but actually blurry.

How can the internal array patterns intertwine and connect with each other without damaging the ice wall structure? How can spiritual energy maintain balance and flow within the winding and looping patterns? He had pondered these questions repeatedly, but they remained shrouded in mystery, and he could not grasp the core essence.

But now, with the encouragement of studying diligently and persistently, everything has changed.

The pulling pain in his scalp felt like an invisible hand, constantly clearing away the distracting thoughts and fog that arose during his thinking process.

The sharp pain in his leg, like a cold spring, repeatedly washed over his mind, keeping him in a state of near-excitement and heightened alertness.

"I see!" Ning Zhuo's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "The key lies in 'overlapping without breaking, guiding without stagnation'! It's not a simple interlacing, but rather using the texture of the ice wall itself as a base, allowing the array patterns to 'grow' naturally like natural icicles. The depth and angle of each engraving must match the internal structure of the icicles! Rather than forcibly embedding them!"

Like thin ice melting in the sunlight, he finally understood the difficult question that had troubled him for so long!
"efficient!"

"These two Confucian cultivation spells were quite effective."

Ning Zhuo gathered his scattered thoughts, suppressed his excitement, and continued studying.

He could clearly feel that his learning ability had increased significantly.

The condensation and shaping control of the ice essence, the micro-management of spiritual power in the inner carving path, how to stably inscribe talismans in an extremely cold environment, and even how to use the refractive properties of the ice itself to enhance the array pattern effect... The difficult content that he had previously swallowed whole was now being dissected, analyzed, and comprehended one by one!
Layers of thin ice shattered one after another. "Hmm? Interesting." Seeing Ning Zhuo immersed in his studies, undistracted by the pain and even showing a sense of focus, Song Taosheng couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation.

pain?

Ning Zhuo's temperament had already been tempered in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

The persistent pulling pain on his scalp? To him, it was like a warning bell to dispel fatigue and constantly remind him to stay focused.

The sharp pain on the outside of his thigh, like being pierced by a red-hot needle, was like a gentle breeze, unable to cause even a ripple. It was there, yet he easily isolated and ignored it with his powerful willpower.

This level of "suffering" is no longer an obstacle, but has been tamed by his strong willpower and transformed into a sharp tool to hone his thinking and penetrate the fog.

"My memory has improved significantly; this is the power of the magic of 'hanging one's head from the rafters.' My thinking has become like an awl, gaining penetrating power and able to pierce through many previous learning obstacles. This is the power of 'pricking one's thigh with an awl'!"

After finishing the entire "Ice Sculpture Manual," Ning Zhuo still felt a little unsatisfied.

His eyes lit up as he quickly scanned the area and found that almost every cultivator was practicing extreme self-discipline, such as hanging their heads from beams or pricking their thighs with awls.

Gasps of astonishment could be heard every now and then.

Ning Zhuo then heard this—before, he had been completely immersed in his studies, his mind too focused and concentrated.

"What should we learn next?"

A flash of inspiration disappeared in Ning Zhuo's mind.

"Why don't I just study the methods of hanging one's head from the beam and pricking one's thigh with an awl?"

Ning Zhuo practiced hanging his head from the beam and pricking his thigh with an awl while learning these techniques.

Ning Zhuo's learning ability greatly improved, which enabled him to make rapid progress.

"Be wary of laziness, and examine yourself three times a day!"

"This persistent, unavoidable slight pain is like a ruler, constantly striking the mind and spirit, not giving it any chance to relax, and forcibly focusing attention on the present moment. This is exactly in line with the profound meaning of Confucianism's 'self-discipline in solitude'."

"Even without supervision, one must constantly reflect on oneself and remain vigilant. When the mind is forced into a high state of concentration, it is difficult for distracting thoughts to arise. With focused thinking, memories naturally become profound, and understanding naturally becomes clear."

Next came the practice of pricking one's thigh with an awl.

"Only after experiencing pain can one truly understand!"

"Each sharp, piercing pain was like a thunderclap exploding on a calm lake of the heart, instantly shattering all inherent inertia. The spirit was instantly highly concentrated, bringing a penetrating force to the mind!"

Ning Zhuo stabbed himself with a wooden awl while focusing on his dantian in the center of his head.

Each time he was pricked, a large number of thoughts would burst forth from his mind due to the influence of the awl-pricking technique.

These thoughts, like the sharpened tip of a cone, have shed all superficiality and hesitation, becoming extremely sharp, direct, and focused. Using them to think about problems yields penetrating results.

The rope hanging from the beam was pulled harder and harder, and the wooden awl pierced his thigh again and again.

Ning Zhuo gradually lost himself in a state of complete absorption.

The old scholar Song Taosheng's gaze lingered more and more on Ning Zhuo.

Few people in the arena have tortured themselves for such a long time as he has.

Many people had to stop midway to heal themselves and observe their competitors. As a result, many eyes were focused on a few monks.

Among them was Ning Zhuo.

Kong Ran's face was pale, she held the wooden awl in her hand, staring at Ning Zhuo with a look of surprise.

In his impression, Ning Zhuo was a scion of a prominent family, and he never expected that the latter could be so patient and endure hardship.

As Ning Zhuo's studies deepened, his understanding accumulated enough that he began to see the light through the clouds.

"Confucianism emphasizes 'self-discipline,' and these two methods are precisely the embodiment of 'self-discipline.'"

Hanging one's head from the rafters is about overcoming laziness and laxity through constant, mild hardship. Pricking one's thigh with an awl is about overcoming ignorance, fear of difficulty, and unclear thinking through intense, sharp pain.

"Learning is like sailing on a boundless sea; diligence is the only boat to cross it!"

"Pain is not the goal, but a boat to cross the river, a bell to sound the alarm, and a whetstone to sharpen the mind!"

"Therefore, pain is merely a tool, used to temper one's will, purify one's mind, focus one's thoughts, and dispel illusions!"

"Therefore, what they enhanced was not my own intelligence, but rather the potential of a cultivator (willpower, concentration, comprehension, and penetrating power) through the catalyst of 'pain,' which stimulated, tempered, and elevated it to a level far exceeding my usual limits!"

On the surface, these two methods are merely supplementary learning techniques, but in essence, they embody the principle of "the mind being the master, hardship tempering the heart, and pain leading to enlightenment."

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

I've finished learning.

He gained a deeper understanding and mastery of the traditional Chinese medical practices of hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl.

Ning Zhuo, taking a rare moment to look around, glanced at his surroundings.

He discovered that most of the monks had stopped studying and could no longer continue.

Less than 30% of the people are still persisting.

"It's time to use them to learn more!" With a hint of excitement, Ning Zhuo began to study other classic texts.

This time he chose "The Collection of Curved Snake Formation Techniques".

To my shame, Ning Zhuo has never had the time to study this classic text in depth since he acquired it, and it has been gathering dust at the bottom of his box.

The author of this book is Bai Lin Jushi, a male snake demon. He is injured and crippled, and can only be replaced by mechanical devices.

The jade slip records the various formations arranged on the mechanical snake body and the flesh and blood snake body.

Hanging one's head from the rafters! Pricking one's thigh with an awl!
Ning Zhuo studied with all his might, and his progress was gratifying.

The rope binding his hair tightened more and more, gradually making a soft creaking sound. More and more bloody holes appeared on his thighs, and blood flowed continuously.

More and more monks stopped fighting.

Liu Fushu was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat, but he had no choice but to stop.

As for Bai Jiyun, he took it all in stride and was one of the first to give up. If Song Taosheng hadn't kept quiet about opening the temple gates, he would have left long ago.

"Were the ropes and awls he used really the same as the ones I used?" Kong Ran's mouth gaped open, puzzled and shocked.

Song Taosheng's gaze was now unrestrained, fixed directly on Ning Zhuo, his eyes revealing undisguised admiration: "I didn't expect this kid to be able to endure the hardships of studying! Wen Ruanyu made the right recommendation."

"Even without our help, such a young person will definitely be able to stand out!"

Ning Zhuo was completely absorbed in the joy of learning, having lost himself in the process.

"This is fantastic! I can't stop at this pace!"

"When I return to the Green Stone Cave and use the Intentional Writing Brush and the Luoshu Book pages again, what a magnificent sight it will be!"

Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but smile, filled with anticipation for the future.

"Is this guy some kind of psychopath?!" It was Ning Zhuo's smile that crushed the last remaining competitor who was stubbornly holding on.

In the end, only Ning Zhuo remained.

Song Taosheng nodded and said in a low voice, "Okay."

In this situation, there's no need to use any means to control it.

He immediately announced: "This big-headed boy, you are the winner of this Xingyun trial!"

No one objected.

Ning Zhuo, however, was so engrossed in his own world that he did not hear Song Taosheng's words.

*Thud, thud.* He kept stabbing his thigh repeatedly with his arm, making Song Taosheng's eyes twitch.

(End of this chapter)