A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

Chapter 97 The Disciples of Xuanyang Have Much Fun

When Chu Xuan returned, people from both sides came to visit, bringing gifts.

You can't hit someone who's smiling.

Chu Xuan had no real grudge against either side. Even Lin Chong and Sun Nianxi had only refused to form an alliance with him in the past. Moreover, Lu Xiaoshuang was his senior sister.

Chu Xuan had no reason to turn them away.

The group had a meal together, chatted for a while, and got to know each other. Then they went their separate ways.

night.

After practicing Bajiquan for an afternoon, Chu Xuan did not rest immediately. Instead, he returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and took out a small Qi-nourishing pill and put it in his mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a refreshing, slightly sweet medicinal power spread out instantly, flowing down the throat and into the dantian.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, and immediately began to breathe according to the incantation of the Spirit Turtle Breathing Method. His abdomen first felt warm, and then it turned into wisps of medicinal power, flowing slowly through his meridians like a fine spring.

The originally sluggish meridians were gently washed away by this mild medicinal power, and the soreness and fatigue gradually faded away, replaced by a feeling of fullness and comfort.

Chu Xuan remained calm.

He could clearly sense that with each breath, a wisp of medicinal power was completely refined and flowed into his dantian, causing his internal energy and blood to grow stronger at a visible speed.

Time slips away unnoticed.

As dawn broke, the calm, still aura within Chu Xuan's dantian suddenly trembled.

The meridians, which were originally difficult to traverse, finally broke through that invisible barrier after a long period of accumulation.

boom!

A surge of internal energy, far more profound and enduring than before, exploded from the dantian, flowing through the limbs and bones like a gentle stream, gently cleansing the meridians.

Wherever it passes, soreness and swelling disappear, and all discomfort is gone.

Chu Xuan's bones creaked softly, producing a delicate, clear sound like jade striking each other.

Countless impurities hidden deep within the body are being continuously expelled.

The second transformation has begun!

As the sky began to lighten, Chu Xuan felt a lightness throughout his body, a slight creaking in his bones, and a surge of energy.

His breathing became longer and more even, and his aura became calm and refined.

This transformation wasn't as drastic as the last one, but it was much more thorough!

[Energy Value: 176/50000]

[Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique·Dacheng (23/10000)]

"This Minor Qi-Nourishing Pill is truly miraculous!"

Chu Xuan's eyes lit up.

He had taken Lesser Qi-Nourishing Pills before; he had obtained two from Lu Tong in the past.

The effect was significant, but far less than it is now.

To be precise, it wasn't just the Minor Qi-Nourishing Pill that was miraculous, but the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique was even more miraculous! After practicing the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, his absorption of the medicinal power doubled compared to before.

The combined effect is obvious.

This one night of cultivation was equivalent to half a month of his previous arduous training.

"If I had a Small Qi-Nourishing Pill every day, wouldn't my cultivation speed increase several times over?"

Unfortunately, that's simply impossible!

Outer disciples can only receive three Lesser Qi Cultivation Pills per month. To get more, they need to exchange them with contribution points.

10 contribution points can be exchanged for one Small Qi Cultivation Pill!

If you use silver, it would cost one thousand taels per piece. Furthermore, you can only purchase a maximum of 10 pieces using silver.

颗！

No more, no sale!

The limit for exchanging silver for contribution points is 10,000 taels.

Therefore, there is only one way for Chu Xuan to get more Lesser Qi Cultivation Pills: to complete sect missions and earn contribution points!

Seriously, they're finding all sorts of ways to make the outer disciples work like slaves!

Of course, if you want the horse to run, you also need to feed it.

In addition to the five basic items required for entry, outer disciples also have the benefit of being able to enter the Scripture Pavilion and choose a martial art.

After leaving his room, Chu Xuan practiced the Two Elements Stance in the courtyard.

Only after feeling that the last bit of the medicine had been squeezed out did he return to his room to wash up.

After breakfast, he took his identity token and headed to the Outer Sect's Scripture Pavilion to choose a martial art.

"Greetings, senior."

The person guarding the entrance to the Tibetan Buddhist Hall was a middle-aged man, overweight with some graying temples, who was sitting there lazily, dozing off.

"There's no need to call me senior. I was just an inner disciple, and now I work as a steward in the outer sect. I don't deserve the title of senior."

The middle-aged man spoke calmly, with an air of aloofness that kept people at arm's length.

After checking Chu Xuan's identity token and confirming that it was correct, he said, "Go in! Remember, new disciples can only choose from the first floor, and they only have half an hour. If you exceed this time, contribution points will be deducted on time."

As Chu Xuan took the identity token, he discreetly slipped a gold leaf into the other person's palm.

The middle-aged deacon raised an eyebrow.

So sensible!

Although this golden leaf is not large, it is still about an ounce!

"Speak, what do you want to ask?" the middle-aged deacon said with a faint smile.

Chu Xuan hurriedly said, "This disciple wishes to learn a powerful offensive martial art. Please give me some guidance, Elder." Among the offensive martial arts of the first level, the most powerful is none other than the Meridian-Severing Palm! However, although this palm technique is extremely powerful, it requires extremely high physical skills and is very difficult to cultivate.

Out of consideration for Jin Yezi, the middle-aged deacon offered a reminder.

"Thank you, Deacon."

Chu Xuan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Hehe, no problem. If you have any questions in the future, just come to me. The prices are absolutely fair, no cheating! By the way, my surname is Cui—" the middle-aged deacon said with a smile.

Chu Xuan responded with a smile.

After entering the Dharma Pavilion, following Steward Cui's directions, they quickly found the Meridian-Severing Palm technique.

Just as Deacon Cui had said, this Severing Meridian Palm technique, though seemingly gentle and ineffective at damaging the skin, actually penetrates bones and pierces meridians, targeting the key points of the meridians rather than the flesh.

Sever the lifeline, cut off the life force!

However, it is extremely difficult to cultivate. Not only does it require a profound understanding of the body's meridians and acupoints, but it also requires extremely precise self-control.

Moreover, one's own strength must be substantial.

Otherwise, instead of severing the opponent's energy channels, you would be severely injured by the opponent's counterattack.

For other martial artists, studying the human body's meridians would take a lot of time, which would be a waste of time.

But this was not a problem for Chu Xuan.

This golden foliage is definitely worth it!

With more than half an hour left, Chu Xuan didn't waste any time and wandered around the first floor again.

After circling around several times, I still couldn't find any techniques to improve one's physical constitution.

However, I did find a few related records in some miscellaneous notes.

Techniques for improving one's physical constitution are extremely precious secrets, even within the Xuan Yang Sect. Not to mention this level, there isn't one in the entire outer sect's treasure pavilion.

The main peak's Dharma Pavilion might have one, but only inner disciples are qualified to enter.

Chu Xuan could only temporarily abandon his thoughts.

"You actually chose this technique? You should think this through. Once you choose a technique, you can't change it!" Deacon Cui was somewhat surprised to see Chu Xuan take out the manual for the Intercepting Meridian Palm.

He thought his reminder would change the boy's mind.

"Yes, Deacon Cui. Please register me."

Chu Xuan nodded.

Deacon Cui said no more. After registering Chu Xuan, he handed him the complete Intercepting Meridian Palm technique, saying, "Remember, all martial arts techniques in the Hidden Law Pavilion must not be passed on to outsiders without authorization. Otherwise, your cultivation will be abolished and you will be expelled from the sect!"

"Your disciple will remember this!"

Chu Xuan thanked him and left.

After returning to the courtyard, Chu Xuan began to carefully study the Intercepting Meridian Palm technique.

The key to the so-called "Intercepting Meridian Palm" lies in the word "intercepting." Whether it is a person, a strange beast, or even a flower, grass, or tree, as long as it is alive, it has its own meridians.

To master the Intercepting Pulse Palm technique, the first thing to cultivate is the Pulse Observation Eye.

When practicing, one can see through the flow of Qi and blood on the opponent's body surface, the direction of the meridians, and the location of the Qi Sea, and lock onto the meridian nodes and key points of Qi flow at a glance.

When striking, one does not aim to injure the enemy with a heavy blow, but rather uses a soft, yielding force to forcibly cut off the opponent's path of movement, thus severing their life force.

[Intercepting Meridian Palm - Beginner Level (0/1000)]

Chu Xuan wasted no more time and immediately began practicing the Meridian Interception Palm technique in the courtyard.

He finally experienced the improvement brought about by the second transformation of his physical constitution, and the speed at which his experience points increased doubled again.

After a day of cultivation.

[Intercepting Meridian Palm - Beginner Level (256/1000)]

Chu Xuan wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and turned off the control panel.

At this rate, it will take at most three more days to master the basics of cultivation, without even needing to exchange for essence points.

In the following days, Chu Xuan seemed to have returned to the days when he first entered the martial arts school, and devoted almost all his energy to practicing the Meridian Interception Palm.

Over the course of a few days, he became familiar with Jiang Yunfei and the others.

These people seemed to treat his place as a hub for exchanging information, leaving early and returning late every day. Afterwards, they would share the information they had gathered.

this day.

Chu Xuan was practicing the Meridian Interception Palm in the courtyard when he suddenly sensed something. His gaze swept over a large tree in the courtyard, as thick as a bowl, and his vision seemed to penetrate the rough bark, clearly seeing inside the tree trunk.

Countless fine veins crisscross like a spider web, with fluids flowing and life surging.

He lightly placed his palm on the middle of the tree trunk.

It contains not a trace of fierceness, nor does it have the howling of a gale.

There was no loud noise, no vibration.

The palm strike silently seeped into the tree trunk, piercing straight into the main vein of the ancient tree.

In an instant, the vein that ran through the entire tree seemed to be completely severed, locked, and shattered.

The tree is still the same tree!

It was still lush and verdant, but neither the leaves nor the trunk were full of life; instead, it exuded a deathly aura from top to bottom.

[Intercepting Meridian Palm - Minor Success (1/3000)]

Become!

As evening fell, the group, having finished dinner, returned to Chu Xuan's courtyard for another chat.

Although it was called casual conversation, the main purpose was actually to exchange information.

After a few days, the group from Qingshan City had almost adapted to life here. However, what they had encountered so far was only the tip of the iceberg!

"Huh, this tree looked perfectly fine yesterday. How did it die today?"

Lin Chong looked at the large tree, as thick as a bowl, at the entrance of the courtyard and spoke in surprise.

When I saw it yesterday, it was lush and green. Now, the leaves have fallen like snowflakes, and the whole tree exudes a sense of decay.

"It should have died a long time ago, but it wasn't obvious. A gust of wind blew the leaves off the tree today, making it more noticeable," Chu Xuan said casually.

"Yeah?"

Lin Chong was somewhat suspicious. "Could it be that I remembered it wrong yesterday?"

Fortunately, he didn't seem to care much.

"By the way, I got some news today."

Then he got to the point, saying, "Actually, to enter the inner sect, you don't necessarily have to serve as an outer disciple for three years. There is another way, which is to compete in the rankings."

Anyone who makes it into the top ten of the Ranking List has a chance to be noticed by the inner sect's peak master or elders and directly promoted to inner sect disciple! Of course, they also need to make sufficient contributions to the sect first.

The crowd was initially delighted, but upon hearing the subsequent conditions, they could only manage a wry smile.

Making it into the top ten of the popularity charts—how easy is that?

Having been there for a few days, they have learned some basic information about the Xuan Yang Sect.

The core of the entire Xuan Yang Sect consists of five peaks, one pavilion, and one hall.

The five peaks are: Crimson Sun Peak, Green Wood Peak, Blazing Fire Peak, Beast Taming Peak, and Mountain Guardian Peak. The hall and pavilion are the Hall of Elders and the Pavilion of Buddhist Scriptures.

Chiyang Peak is the strongest of the five peaks in terms of combat power. Its core technique, Chiyang Burning Heaven Technique, is known as the "Number One in Offense and Combat" in the Xuan Yang Sect. More than half of the sect leaders throughout history have come from this peak.

Zhenyue Peak is the best in terms of defense among the five peaks.

The other three peaks each have their own strengths: Green Wood Peak excels at planting spiritual herbs and refining pills, Fire Peak excels at forging weapons, and Beast Taming Peak is naturally skilled at taming beasts.

Only these five peaks accept disciples!

The remaining Elder Hall and the Dharma Repository are the "foundation" of the Xuan Yang Sect, containing the elders and supreme elders of the Xuan Yang Sect who have lived out their twilight years in peace.

The Hidden Dharma Pavilion houses all the precious cultivation techniques and secret manuals of the Xuan Yang Sect.

The Ranking List is a list set up by the Xuan Yang Sect for its outer disciples. No one knows exactly how the rankings are done, but no one questions its authority.

Now, of the twenty-five cities in the prefecture governed by the Xuan Yang Sect, almost half of the new disciples have arrived. But those who have made it onto the Ranking List—

Not a single one!

The popularity chart has a total of one hundred rankings!

Those listed above were all previous disciples! None of the more than four hundred newcomers made the list!

The difficulty of it is therefore self-evident.

To make it onto the popularity list, one must at least be at the peak of the Transformation Realm!

"Don't be discouraged! Those veteran disciples, weren't they all once new disciples?"

Lin Chong added, "By the way, I also heard some news. There's a black market at the foot of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, about twenty miles from Xuan Yang Sect. It's open on the first and fifteenth of each month."

Cultivation techniques, elixirs, weapons, and exotic beast meat are all available for sale, and can even be exchanged for with contribution points. However, be careful; the area is a mixed bag, and safety is not guaranteed at all. Ambushes are common occurrences.

black market?

Chu Xuan couldn't help but think of the trade fair outside Qingshan City, and was speechless for a moment.

Sure enough, wherever there are people, there is a black market!

Sun Nianxi then spoke up, "I've also heard some news. Some senior disciples are selling pill loans, but don't take them. Most of their pills are defective or are made by breaking down pills and reassembling them, mixing in a lot of impurities."

So-called "elixir loans" are just like usury, except that instead of money, they are elixirs.

Sun Nianxi thought for a moment and added, "If a deacon offers you a contribution loan, and you can't refuse, it's best to hold your nose and borrow a little, otherwise you might get retaliated against."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

This is something we really need to be careful about!

Lu Xiaoshuang also spoke up: "There is an organization called Qianjin Society in the outer sect. It is rumored to have a deep background and was founded by an elder of the inner sect."

The Qianjin Club is currently heavily promoting its recruitment drive, encouraging new members to deposit their contribution points with them and earn a monthly interest of one cent. After three months, the principal can be withdrawn at any time.

You'll receive 0.5% of a person's contribution points as a referral reward for each new member you recruit. You'll also receive 0.2% of the contribution points from anyone who recommends you next.

This is a scam, please don't fall for it!

Chu Xuan couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this.

Good heavens! That's really good heavens!

Isn't this a classic Ponzi scheme?

Do all the disciples of the Xuan Yang Sect play such elaborate games?

To his surprise, Lu Xiaoshuang, with her intelligence, was able to see through the scam.