Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 21 The Secret Technique of Refining Blood from Hundred Insects to Nourish the Body
After Fang Shu responded, Li Hou'er gave him a "keep it up" look, then left him behind.

Fang Shu suppressed his excitement and quickly stepped forward, standing in front of the offering table in the main hall.

A quick glance revealed that the master wasn't just going to teach him alone; there was also a girl who looked younger than him standing beside him.

The other person looked reserved, around thirteen or fourteen years old, with a ponytail, and a somewhat rustic air, as if they had just come from the mortal world.

The girl noticed Fang Shu's glance out of the corner of her eye, lowered her head, and dared not look at him, but still managed a few forced smiles.

The owner of the guesthouse paid no attention to the two men's behavior and casually gave instructions:

"Fang Shu and Qin Min, step forward to burn incense and pay homage to the five poisonous creatures."

"Yes."

Fang Shu had been in the Taoist temple for more than half a month. He had never eaten pork but had seen pigs run. He had long observed the process of the Taoist boys offering incense and tea.

He slapped his sleeves and then bowed to take the incense sticks from the offering table, holding them with both hands.

At this moment, Fang Shu noticed that the girl next to him was hesitant and staring intently at his movements. So he slowed down his swift movements and gestured to her with his eyes to pick up the incense stick.

The girl quickly stepped forward and followed suit, taking the incense as well.

Then the other party followed Fang Shu, lit incense, bowed, and knelt down before the Five Poisons Diagram, kowtowing three times.

The owner of the guesthouse took in the scene and waited for the two to get up. She first stepped forward and asked them to stand up straight with their hands hanging down naturally.

Then her claw-like fingers, like iron clamps, gripped Fang Shu's bones, groping inch by inch.

After briefly examining Fang Shu's entire skeletal structure, the man shook his head slightly and offered a nonchalant comment:
"Bone age of sixteen. His family was relatively well-off when he was young, but there were times when he didn't have enough to eat, which delayed his physical development—he has a medium to low level of bone structure."

If you want to enter the Dao within a year, simply studying and practicing diligently will almost certainly not work; you must first increase your Qi and blood.

Fang Shu's expression changed slightly upon hearing the words "middle to lower".

To everyone's surprise, the innkeeper, upon seeing his appearance, immediately revealed a mocking smile and said:

"Don't overthink it. Even if you were born into a wealthy family in the mortal world, and were raised by famous teachers and nourished by ginseng since childhood, and have the best physique, as long as you don't have spiritual roots, to us immortals, you are just mortal bones, and there is no qualitative difference."

The owner of the independent pavilion then added:
"What you need to be concerned about is that it's fortunate that you went up the mountain and entered the Taoist temple before you were eighteen. Our temple has its own magical methods that can help you change your innate constitution. But you only have two years left, so remember to hurry."

Fang Shu nodded quickly.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "May I ask, Master, can spiritual roots also be changed?"

He had heard the term "spiritual root" when he was in the mortal realm, where it was also said that "without a spiritual root, one cannot cultivate immortality."

Fortunately, the path of immortality in this world seems to have developed to the point where one can cultivate even without spiritual roots.

However, since he went up the mountain, Fang Shu still occasionally heard the words "spiritual root". It is clear that even if spiritual root is not necessary for cultivating immortality, it is still a very important thing!

Upon hearing Fang Shu's words, the owner smiled, glancing at him as if he were a child, without replying.

The museum owner then examined the bones of the girl next to him, Qin Min, and gave her the assessment: "Bone age fourteen, inferior bone structure."

Upon hearing this comment, the young girl Qin Min visibly became more reserved, and her face lowered even further.

Strangely, the owner of the pavilion did not take the other party's inferior physique to heart. In fact, she spent more time touching the other party's body than Fang Shu did, and she was more careful, as if she was deliberately probing for something.

After the bone-reading was finished, the owner of the mansion ordered Fang Shu to take off his robes, leaving him only in his underpants.

She took a candle, and with a few quick flicks of her fingers, she applied the wax to Fang Shu's body from a distance, causing him a burning pain.

"Qin Min, come here and take a look. Fang Shu, you also need to remember these locations."

The owner of the independent building spoke:
"What I will teach you today is the 'Hundred Insect Blood Refining and Body Nourishing Secret Technique.' The temple has carefully cultivated a variety of medicinal and poisonous insects. When practicing this technique, remember not to be bitten by these insects in these places."

Otherwise, even if the medicine is not poisonous, its potent effects will only damage your bodies, doing more harm than good.

While explaining, the master of the museum also gestured on Fang Shu's body and began to describe other tips in detail.

For example, if a person's spine is like a dragon, it can be aided by insects such as snakes and lizards, but should avoid insects such as toads and bats; if a person's leg bones are like a tree, they can be aided by insects from the soil, but should avoid insects from the wood.

However, the other party used his body to provide guidance, which made Fang Shu feel that although the process was very detailed and had many benefits, he vaguely felt that he was like a teaching tool—used to teach others.

At this point, the owner of the independent pavilion concluded:
"The human body has five elements and five senses, and insects also have five elements and five poisons. Although the techniques of our school are complex, there are no fixed and unchangeable prescriptions. You need to adapt to the times and your own body." The other party's expression was stern: "Only the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements cannot be violated. It is the key to cultivating the Hundred Insect Secret Technique and other techniques and spells."

Remember this well, and never spread this outside the family!

"Yes, Master!" Fang Shu and Qin Min both answered quickly.

“Good.” The owner’s expression softened again.

She then smiled at the two of them and suddenly said, "I'm just telling you both, but you will never truly understand the feeling of the secret technique in operation."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu and Qin Min looked up, and the owner of the Duguan Pavilion in their eyes immediately smiled, but with a hint of horror.

Before Fang Shu and the other two could react, the master of the Du Pavilion opened his mouth, and a wisp of black wind flew out from his dark throat.

Buzz!
This wisp of black wind, like flies and bees, made a series of chirping sounds, but when it landed in front of Fang Shu and the other person, it was as fine as millet.

When Fang Shu and the other man showed expressions of fear, the master of the Du Pavilion calmly said:

"This is the Ant Master of our establishment. When he lands on you two, it will make you feel like ants are crawling all over your body, and ant venom will enter your body, stimulating your blood and qi, so that you can learn to control your blood and qi."

These words sent a chill down Fang Shu's spine.

This ridiculous training technique, the Ant-like Feeling, is actually just using poisonous ants to bite you. No wonder it's called the Solitary Gu Sect!

But it was no use complaining in his heart at this moment, and even if he wanted to run away, it was useless, because Fang Shu and the other person had already fallen into the encirclement of the black wind flying ants.

The flying ants burrowed into their clothes, covering their entire bodies, and quickly formed mysterious patterns.

Fang Shu suppressed his shock and looked down at his body, only to find that it was covered in "secret script"!
The secret texts are the core of all the current cultivation methods of immortality. The fact that the method taught by the master has these secret texts clearly indicates that it is a genuine immortal cultivation method, and not a crude one at that.

Fang Shu then cleared his mind of distractions and began to carefully experience the sensation of ants moving as the other person had described.

Suddenly, a strange feeling surged through him.

As the venom of those flying ants entered his body, he indeed experienced waves of stinging pain, which felt like ants crawling all over his body.

However, Fang Shu's body was also numb, and it wasn't as terrifying as it appeared on the surface. It seemed that the ant venom also had the effect of numbing the body, reducing the pain.

As expected, the owner's voice rang out in the hall:

"When you first start practicing, Master Ant will be much gentler, but in the future, when you practice on your own using insects, you must be careful not to take drugs like anesthetic powder, otherwise you will be deceiving yourselves."

The other party paused for a moment: "Of course, we also sell Ant Spirit Ointment produced by Ant Master in our store."

This ointment is made by grinding spirit stones and using demon blood as a base. When applied, it will make you feel hot all over, as if you are next to a furnace, and your blood and qi will surge, but you will not feel much pain.

The only downside is that it's expensive.

One ounce of spirit stone, one ounce of ointment.

While Fang Shu was comprehending the secret technique, he listened to the Dushi Master's teachings in a slightly dazed state, thinking to himself:
"Is this what they mean by 'the poor rely on hard work, while the rich have supernatural powers'?"

In the main hall, the young boy and girl continued practicing their exercises in silence.

But as time goes by.

The sensation of ants crawling on their bodies was like a branding iron, deeply imprinted on Fang Shu and the other person's bodies and minds, while also making their consciousness increasingly hazy.

However, both of them felt as if fireballs were dancing in their chests, their blood and qi were surging, and their bones were burning hot.

In addition, Fang Shu also felt a slight coolness, which was slowly drawn into his body from the surrounding world as he inhaled and exhaled.

"This is... spiritual energy?!" He was overjoyed.

Nearly a month later, he finally experienced the wonderful feeling of consuming the moonlight into his body again.

At this moment, two lines of text quietly appeared in the cultivation technique section of his mind's Daoist talisman:
[Learn the "Secret Technique of Blood Refining and Body Nourishment from a Hundred Insects"]

This technique uses insect blood to propel energy and draws spiritual energy into the body, enabling one to overcome the first tribulation of immortals.

(End of this chapter)