Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Naturally, there was a reason for Yan Liqiang’s joy and excitement. After the Heavenly Bestowment he received today, he could feel the completion of his Eight Extremities Fist technique and he had thus attained the highest realm. In this world, he once again became the founder of a new technique.
The reason why he described it with ‘once again’ was because he had already attained the highest realm in the Five Animal Frolics technique before this. With these two secret techniques and the blow dart technique from last time, that made him the founder of three new techniques. If word of this got out, it would definitely be shocking news to the world.
The highest realm of the Five Animal Frolics technique was the seventh layer, while the Eight Extremities Fist technique was the thirteenth layer. With both of these techniques at the highest realms, Yan Liqiang had received a total of twenty Heavenly Bestowments.
The Heavenly Bestowment was the fastest, most direct and efficient way for someone to improve their strength apart from cultivating. After experiencing twenty Heavenly Bestowments, Yan Liqiang’s physical fitness and strength took a qualitative leap compared to the previous time he cultivated in seclusion.
Truth be told, Yan Liqiang never expected to become the founder of another secret technique before he came to this secluded valley deep within Mount Jade Dragon. The main focus of his training this time was the ‘real spear technique’ that Li Hongtu imparted to him. At the same time, he also hoped to bring his cultivation realm to the next level, progressing from a Martial Master to Martial Grandmaster. If he was lucky or gained special insight, it would have been wonderful if he could also raise his archery cultivation to the Sixth Heavenly Layer within these six months.
During his first month at this nameless valley within Mount Dragon Jade, Yan Liqiang was fully immersed in his training and undistracted by any other affairs. He had reverted his lifestyle to the simplest state.
Apart from cultivating, Yan Liqiang was either eating or sleeping. No one and nothing could bother him — he couldn’t even find anyone to talk to here. If he was thirsty, he’d drink from the spring in the valley. If he was hungry, he would eat Solomon’s Seal, truffles, arrowroots, or wild fruits he could find in the valley. If he was tired, he’d either take a nap in the cave that he used as a temporary shelter or lie down in any random spot in the valley. If he was bored, he’d listen to the birds chirping in the mountain forest, the sounds of the running stream, or the buzzing noises of the bugs. Or perhaps he’d look at the moving clouds high up in the sky, watch the sunrise or sunset, or gaze at the stars in the sky. The lifestyle he adopted on Mount Jade Dragon was no different than a man in the wilderness.
This was the first time Yan Liqiang had cultivated in seclusion. Leading such a simple lifestyle allowed him to be in a focused state, hence improving his cultivation at an astonishing speed. However, the biggest change wasn’t only his rapidly improving cultivation, but his body and mind which were cleansed and purified.
——’The five colors make a man blind, the five sounds make a man deaf, and the five tastes make a man lose his sense of taste. Riding and hunting make a man wild with excitement, and rare goods goad a man into stealing. Thus, the sage does not satisfy his eyes with colors but satisfies his stomach with enough food. He discards the former and takes the latter.’
In such a purified physical and mental state where there were no five colors, no five sounds, no five tastes, no riding or hunting, no rare goods, no gratitude or grudges, no resentment or murderous intent, many things buried deep inside Yan Liqiang including those he never thought of turned clearer. They started to resurface from the depths of his memories.
—— Yan Liqiang saw the old men who would always practice the Five Animal Frolics and tai chi fist techniques every morning in the park where he sold paintings at a vendor stall…
—— He saw himself buying more than ten old ‘Martial Arts’ magazines from an old man’s vendor by the roadside on his way home from the office one night in his previous life. He took those magazines home and tossed them aside in the toilet, where he would only flip through them when he felt bored while doing his business in there.
—— He saw himself accidentally open a martial arts forum while browsing the Internet in his previous life. He then spent an entire night lurking on the forum, skimming through the various China martial arts techniques introduced there with great interest. Of course, he only read and didn’t practice them. After spending a night reading those, he had forgotten all about it two days later. At that time, martial arts and cultivation were nothing but fantasy to Yan Liqiang. He had nothing to do with them at all…
—— He once entered a bookstore and picked up ‘The Martial Arts Essentials’ from the competitive sports section. After a quick flip through the book, he returned it to the bookshelf…
In Yan Liqiang’s previous life, everyone probably had similar experiences. It was as natural as breathing. Most people would completely forget about the things that they had only briefly come into contact with. No one would take things that were so easily obtainable seriously.
When Yan Liqiang’s memory replayed the scenes from that night in his previous life in slow motion, he realized that every word, sentence, picture, and scene which he had seen only once in his life emerged in his mind once again. Lying on the hilltop while gazing at the starry sky, tears involuntarily leaked out of his eyes.
It turned out that those precious things never left him and had always been by his side.
It turned out that he had treasures that he’d nearly forgotten in the depths of his memories.
It turned out that a sage once said, ‘When a person is disciplined, he will be able to concentrate. With concentration, wisdom will be produced,’ because everyone had wisdom in the depths of their heart.
There were countless martial art techniques in his memories. Yan Liqiang roughly sorted out the big amount of information in his head and found at least several hundred types of them.
Though elated, he was also rather nervous because he had no idea if these things from the memories of his previous life would work in this world, or if they had already been successfully cultivated by someone before. Even so, as long as ten percent of things in his memories were useful and never existed in this world before, then their values and the changes they could bring to Yan Liqiang would be immeasurable.
In the end, the first martial art technique that Yan Liqiang carefully selected from his memories was the legendary Five Animal Frolics, an ancient Chinese physical exercise regimen invented by Hua Tuo. It was the safest, simplest, and most stable technique as its practitioners were less likely to fall into Qi deviation.
On his first day of practicing the Five Animal Frolics, Yan Liqiang once again experienced the effects brought about by the Heavenly Bestowment, which he hadn’t felt in a long time. This time, he obtained the power of the tiger form. His walk became more powerful and awe-inspiring…
During the second Heavenly Bestowment, Yan Liqiang received the power of the deer form which significantly improved his sense of hearing. This also enhanced his body’s reaction speed and agility.
For the subsequent Heavenly Bestowments, he received the power of the bear form, the ape form, and then the crane form…
