Chapter Sixteen: Cultivation [1]

"The Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique is pure strength and blazing yang. Once mastered, it allows the cultivator's spiritual energy to become incomparably dense, and their steel aura can shatter anything, break through all obstacles!" Liu Heng clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke. "However, while the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique is powerful, it is also notoriously difficult and extremely dangerous to practice. A single misstep could leave you crippled, or worse, send you to your grave!"

His expression was grave as he looked at Liu Ji. "Let me ask you one last time—are you certain about this? Do you truly wish to embark on the path of cultivation?"

Liu Ji nodded firmly. "I am certain!"

Without further ado, Liu Heng tossed a book to Liu Ji. Liu Ji caught it quickly; the book looked brand new, nothing like the ancient, weathered, world-weary tomes one would expect of a peerless cultivation manual. On its cover were several bold characters: Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique.

Liu Heng said serenely, "This technique is the unique inheritance of our Liu family line. I only finished writing this copy recently. Once you have committed its contents to memory, the book itself will be of no further use."

He nodded and sat down in the pavilion, opening the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique in his hands. There was not much written within, and Liu Ji memorized it all quickly.

"Have you memorized everything?"

"Yes, I have."

"Good. Now watch carefully; I will demonstrate the core method of the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique. You must observe attentively!"

With that, Liu Heng suddenly sank into a horse stance. His arms encircled the air as if grasping a tree like a monkey; his right hand moved as if parting clouds and catching the moon, while his left assumed a strange posture. Liu Ji stared without blinking, committing each bizarre stance to memory. Suddenly, he saw a bright line of light appear on Liu Heng, these luminous lines connecting to form a strange pattern upon his chest.

Soon, Liu Heng withdrew his stance, the glowing pattern vanishing from his chest. He said, "This method is the core secret of the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique. Without it, you cannot succeed in cultivation!"

He looked at Liu Ji. "Did you memorize it all?"

Liu Ji asked, "Father, if someone practiced our family's Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique without knowing this core secret, what would happen?"

Liu Heng replied coolly, "The steel aura would tear apart their internal organs, and they would die from their body exploding. If it were otherwise, wouldn't everyone be able to cultivate the Heavenly Steel Technique?"

Liu Ji shuddered inwardly. As expected of an ancestral technique, this was not something just anyone could practice. No wonder his father had never feared the secrets of cultivation being leaked.

Liu Heng continued, "Your cultivation is still weak, so you need to use auxiliary stances in combination with the core secret in order to train the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique."

He turned around. "Now, let me show you the power of the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique!"

Liu Ji nodded, excitement flickering on his face. Truth be told, he had long wanted to see just how strong his father really was. Now, with such a rare opportunity, he opened his eyes wide, not daring to miss a thing.

Liu Heng closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, Liu Ji could clearly sense a tremendous change in his father's aura—it became as if a divine weapon, sharp and indomitable, flawless and whole.

With a swish, Liu Heng moved. In a flash, he appeared above the lake, standing directly atop the water.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Bang! Bang! Bang! He unleashed a series of dazzling moves, each filled with extraordinary might. Every punch tore through the air with a piercing roar. Even the very air exploded with thunderous booms!

In an instant, the lake beneath his feet erupted as if blasted by explosive charges. Water spouted skyward, dense droplets falling like rain. The spectacle left Liu Ji awestruck.

What amazed him even more was that none of the falling droplets could touch Liu Heng. When they came within three meters of his body, they were shredded by a swirling white aura encasing him, never reaching his clothing.

Liu Ji then saw Liu Heng's right hand, shaped like an eagle's talon, drawing wisps of white steel aura into his palm as if forming a vortex.

"Ha!" With a thunderous shout, Liu Heng struck a small hill about ten meters high. In the next instant, the hill exploded into fragments, boulders crashing into the lake with mighty splashes—yet not a single drop landed on him.

With another swish, Liu Heng reappeared half a meter before Liu Ji, the sudden gust threatening to send Liu Ji flying.

Liu Ji was shaken to his core. That hill had been over nine meters tall, yet his father had shattered it with a single palm!

Liu Heng spoke, "Your task now is to cultivate the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique, opening and tempering your meridians and over three hundred acupoints."

He folded his hands behind his back. "I call this stage the Divine Repository Realm, as it refers to opening the body's hidden treasures. Once you have fully opened your meridians and acupoints and can withstand spiritual and steel aura, you may proceed to the next stage—refining your internal organs and exterior!"

Liu Ji nodded.

Liu Heng's face grew serious. "Even if I did not warn you, you should know that this path is fraught with difficulties and extreme dangers. A single carelessness, and your life is forfeit!"

He fixed Liu Ji with a stern gaze. "So, if you ever feel uncertain, do not act rashly. Always consult me first!"

He barked, "Do you understand?!"

Why so loud? I'm not deaf, Liu Ji grumbled inwardly, but nodded. "Don't worry, no one cherishes their life more than I do!"

Seeing this, Liu Heng nodded. "Today, go back and carefully study the cultivation method again. Recall in your mind the core secrets and stances I demonstrated. Tomorrow, I will personally guide you through your initiation."

Liu Ji asked, "Didn't you say you have important business tomorrow?"

Liu Heng shot him a glance and snorted, "What could be more important than your life? Or do you think you can master the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique on your own?"

Liu Ji scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "Not at all."

He was telling the truth. To cultivate the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique, one had to stir the wild spiritual energy of heaven and earth to open the body's fragile and intricate meridians and acupoints. Just thinking about it was terrifying—he wouldn't dare try it alone. If anything went wrong, he'd be dead before he knew it.

"Hmph!" Liu Heng snorted and turned away. "Rest well tonight and adjust your state. Tomorrow, you will know what hardship truly means!"

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Liu Ji called out from behind, "Father, could you bring me some more spirit medicine tonight? I feel like my body still needs some nourishment!"

Liu Heng stumbled at his words. This boy really was shameless—who else ate spirit medicine like it was common fare? Was he not afraid of overdoing it?

With ill humor, Liu Heng replied, "I know!"

Watching his father's retreating figure, Liu Ji smiled to himself, clenching his fists in excitement. As long as he grew stronger, he could live freely as a noble son, never again fearing assassination or plots.

Besides, if he didn't make the most of the system's abilities, wouldn't that be a waste? With the system and the Supreme Saint's Heavenly Steel Technique, he was confident. Perhaps not a peerless master yet, but certainly a local powerhouse—that much was assured!

That night, Liu Ji received another batch of spirit medicine from Liu Heng. Perhaps out of concern for his body, Liu Heng did not give him too much, which Liu Ji found a bit disappointing.

He extracted the attributes from each spirit medicine one by one. His spiritual energy value increased again, so he opened his status panel:

Vitality: 42 [Normal: 10]
Strength: 38 [Normal: 10]
Speed: 35 [Normal: 10]
Spirit: 30 [Normal: 10]
Constitution: 32 [Normal: 10, Rating: Excellent]
Spiritual Energy: 86

Eighty-six points of spiritual energy—not a huge amount, but not too little.

Liu Ji stroked his chin, murmuring, "Tomorrow's training will surely place high demands on my body. Should I use spiritual energy to enhance my constitution now?"

With that thought, he decided to use his spiritual energy to boost his constitution. As his spiritual energy decreased, his "Constitution" value rapidly increased, stopping at 72.

This surprised him. It was the first time he'd encountered such a situation. No matter how he tried, he couldn't use more spiritual energy to further increase his constitution value. Since he had no clue why, he let it go.

A constitution of 72—compared to an ordinary person, that should be considered extraordinary, right?

...

P.S. Actually, I’m wondering if I should raise the “normal” value of 10 for each stat. After all, that figure represents a typical adult, and our protagonist has clearly surpassed the ordinary. Also, I humbly ask for your recommendation votes~