MTLNOVEL Chapter 8: Immortal Martial Technique
"Arrived?"
Shen Qing lifted his gaze and saw in the distance pillars completely forged from Wish Power Pearls standing tall before him, each thick enough to require two people to wrap their arms around. Scattered with twinkling jade that emitted luminous glows, they brightened the entire fifth floor.
The space of the fifth floor was not large to begin with, and with the addition of these massive pillars, it felt even more cramped.
In this confined space, numerous descendants of the Ji Family were seated cross-legged on them.
Some held scrolls of yellowed Martial Arts, their minds and bodies fully immersed, having forsaken sleep and food, to the point where their fingers would unconsciously mimic the movements demonstrated within.
Others sat still as statues, surrounded by rings of faintly visible Spiritual Energy undulations.
Ji Bochu stretched out his hand, calling out, "Lord Shen, please."
Shen Qing bowed slightly as a gesture of respect and took the lead in walking forward.
As he entered the range of the pillars' arch, he suddenly felt a sense of clarity and refreshment, as if every pore on his body was smoothly opening up.
This was the result of Spiritual Energy gathering.
Shen Qing carefully sensed his surroundings and found that the Spiritual Energy here was several times more concentrated than outside, which greatly surprised him.
Ji Bochu seemed to sense Shen Qing's astonishment and said with a smile, "Have you discovered what's different about this place?"
"Is this the Spirit Eye you were talking about?"
Ji Bochu nodded and replied, "The entire fifth floor uses these stone pillars as boundaries to gather Spirit Essence and form a Spirit Eye. Cultivation here yields twice the result with half the effort. Many Ji Family descendants do not even have the opportunity to come here. You are lucky to have received His Majesty's Beautiful Pattern Jade Token; otherwise, you would have been restricted to just the third floor at most."
Shen Qing was secretly shocked. He remembered he had never shown the Beautiful Pattern Jade Token to Ji Bochu, yet the other party seemed to have sensed it directly.
His Power of Primordial Spirit was very strong.
Ji Bochu continued to point around the Spirit Eye and said, "Take a look at these."
Shen Qing followed the direction he was pointing and saw several mahogany cabinets arranged in an orderly fashion.
At the top of each cabinet, a treasure was displayed.
There were jade boxes as smooth as water, weapons emitting a cold gleam, and small, exquisitely made jade bottles, just to name a few.
"Inside these nine jade boxes are Immortal Martial Arts, many of which are relics from an Ancient era, profoundly inscrutable. The sealed Magic Treasures are those weapons. As for the jade bottles, they contain supreme precious medicines like Longyin Huxiao Pills, Creation Pills, and the like, showcased here to be nurtured by Spiritual Energy."
"Without exaggeration, any one of these items, if leaked, would cause massive upheaval," Ji Bochu said proudly. "With the Beautiful Pattern Jade Token on you, according to the rules, you can peruse any of these Martial Arts. However, you cannot touch the rest."
"I understand," Shen Qing said as he looked around at the jade boxes. "How are these Cultivation Techniques different from ordinary Martial Arts?"
Ji Bochu earnestly said, "Each and every Technique here is a king-level Cultivation Technique. Any martial master with decent Sight who cultivates seriously will reap some benefits and may even glimpse the Path of Immortality."
Immortality?
Shen Qing's expression changed.
Anything related to immortality was never simple.
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He became excited.
However, Shen Qing considered for a moment that Ji Bochu was perhaps exaggerating on purpose.
If these Techniques were truly as powerful as he claimed, then the Ji Family would have long since been as mighty as dragons, not as they appeared today.
Moreover, if such powerful Techniques were actually at their disposal, would they be so generous as to show them to others?
Shen Qing asked himself if he could be as magnanimous as they were.
Just to listen would suffice.
He soon calmed down.
However, although he thought so, Shen Qing didn't show it. Pretending to be excited, he said, "The Path of Immortality? Is there really such Martial Arts for longevity in this world?"
Ji Bochu enjoyed Shen Qing's reaction. He smiled and said, "These Martial Arts do touch upon the realm of the 'Immortal', and even if they don't grant longevity, cultivating them to our realm could let one live for several hundred years, far surpassing others."
Shen Qing bowed and said, "If that's the case, I'm not very familiar with these Cultivation Techniques, could Lord Ji trouble himself to recommend a suitable Cultivation Technique based on my condition?"
Ji Bochu waved his hand and said, "The choice of Cultivation Technique must ultimately fit one's Bone and temperament. If I act on your behalf, I fear it may violate the principle of adhering to one's Sight, potentially causing presumption. It would be better if I first outline the essence of these Cultivation Techniques, then you can decide for yourself."
"Lord Ji is most considerate."
Ji Bochu gave a slight smile, pointed, and said, "Lord Shen, take a look over here."
Shen Qing followed his direction and looked closely.
It was a Jade Box, its surface carved with small seal script, filled with ancient charm.
Ji Bochu walked over, pressed his hand on it, and complex runes flowed across it.
"This is the 'Nine Heavens Thunder God Technique', which can harness the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder. Each strike contains the power to destroy heaven and earth. It's a dream Cultivation Technique for Martial Artists who pursue ultimate strength. Once one embarks on the proper path of cultivation, there are no more bottlenecks, just a clear way forward."
Shen Qing's heart stirred, and he asked, "Are there any side effects?"
Ji Bochu sighed and said, "Nowadays, the strength of the Physical Body cultivated by people is far less than that of the ancients. Therefore, it may not be possible to withstand the roaring divine thunders with this method. Very few in the Imperial Family have attempted it."
"I recall the last elder who tried it was struck dead by a bolt of divine thunder."
Shen Qing couldn't help but be speechless. To think one could actually die from training was simply beyond words.
"Lord Ji, let's move to the next one."
"Alright." Then, Ji Bochu's finger moved to the second book.
As his Spiritual Power touched it, a dragon's roar echoed faintly: "This technique is called 'Azure Dragon Shouting Sky Technique'. It contains the divine charm of the Azure Dragon. Cultivators can borrow the power of the Azure Dragon to shake the heavens and are further protected by the Azure Dragon, impervious to all methods."
"The downside is that this technique requires understanding the divine intent of the Azure Dragon, which is profoundly mysterious, making Entry Level extremely difficult."
Seeing Shen Qing without a response, Ji Bochu continued to the side. The Jade Box there glowed with a faint golden light, and he gently waved his sleeve, saying: "This Martial Art is the 'Saint Body Great Achievement Technique', which can forge a Sacred Body, making one's physical strength comparable to a Magic Treasure. There is no defensive Martial Art in the whole world that can surpass it."
"Then if one cultivates this Great Achievement Technique and also the Nine Heavens Thunder God Technique, can both be mastered?" Shen Qing curiously asked.
Ji Bochu shook his head and said, "The might of heaven and earth is not something a Physical Body can withstand. No matter how strong your body is, when facing the majestic might of heaven, you can only surrender. After all, how can a human fight against nature?"
Shen Qing nodded, showing he understood.
Ji Bochu's finger kept moving and landed on the fourth Jade Box, which blossomed with a bright pink lotus flower, exceptionally vivid.
"This technique is the 'Sitting Lotus Longevity Skill'. The so-called Sitting Lotus Technique uses either a female or male as the 'meat lotus', with daily immersion of the Demon-Subduing Pestle into the meat lotus to draw out its essence for strengthening one's cultivation. The drawback is that as the skill progresses, one increasingly needs a meat lotus with a higher cultivation level than the cultivator to feed back in order to break through."
Shen Qing understood clearly; this was a Dual Cultivation Method, taking an unusual path.
If he wanted to cultivate it, he would have to find a woman at the Primordial Spirit Realm to be his 'meat lotus', which would be hard to find throughout the whole Great Zhou.
Ji Bochu was naturally aware of this and quickly moved on: "This is the 'Heaven Burning Technique', which allows one to use oneself as a catalyst to draw in the fire of heaven and earth, incinerating all, and when cultivated to the extreme, unmatched."
"The 'Wind and Thunder Escape Technique', this technique allows one to command the wind and thunder, instantly covering thousands of miles..."
"The 'Ten Thousand Soldiers Taoist Skill'..."
After Ji Bochu finished introducing each one, he looked at Shen Qing and said, "I wonder, Lord Shen, which technique would you like to learn?"