When Hong Yuan returned to the second floor of the Book Pavilion, he sensed a strong feeling of being watched from behind.
He turned his head and saw a very pretty young woman with a hint of charm staring at him.
This woman was none other than Liu Xiang'er.
When their eyes met, Liu Xiang'er suddenly felt a chill in her heart.
Hong Yuan is so indifferent. Could he really be obsessed with women? Liu Xiang'er couldn't help thinking.
But recalling Hong Yuan's promising future, Liu Xiang'er subtly revealed a sweet smile to him.
The sun shone bright and cheery.
This feels familiar, but why can't I remember clearly? Could this woman also owe me money? Never mind, I don't want it, Hong Yuan thought, puzzled.
Yet the thought of owing money reminded him of Lin Yiru, and he immediately got goosebumps.
Hong Yuan did not respond to Liu Xiang'er. After glancing away, he hurriedly left the Book Pavilion.
Damn it! Liu Xiang'er fumed inwardly.
She had rehearsed this invincibly sweet smile in her mind for an entire morning, a smile she had never shown to Zhao Yi, yet unexpectedly, it was ineffective against Hong Yuan.
This couldn't help but leave her feeling defeated.
But in an instant, Liu Xiang'er regained her fighting spirit.
She liked things that presented a challenge!
「Phoenix Fire Peak, Hong Yuan Courtyard.」
Here, Hong Yuan found a meditation cushion in his practice room and sat down, then began to seriously study the Myriad Silence Origin Skill.
The text began with its general principles:
When the season of autumn water comes, all streams pour into the river. Of all the waters under heaven, none are greater than the sea. Unchanging through spring and autumn, impervious to flood and drought. Vast yet not excessive, comprehending a measure infinite. Seizing without grasp, understanding a timing never-ending.
With unrestricted aims, one faces the path's great difficulties. Without singularity, one joins the path's irregularities. The Tao has no beginning or end, while creatures have birth and death. A vacuum then fullness, never confined in form. Years not to be counted, moments not to be halted.
As things wax and wane, an end always marks a new beginning. The birth of things is like a sudden sprint...
Hong Yuan did not rush to master the cultivation methods therein.
Having experienced countless exams over twelve years in his past life, he understood well the importance of grasping the big picture.
He first roughly scanned the general principles, then reviewed the titles of each section, and finally, he slowly read through the content.
When he encountered obscure and complex passages, he rapidly skimmed over them.
For those that resonated with his heart, he read thoroughly and pondered them repeatedly.
In this manner, Hong Yuan began to form a preliminary concept of the Myriad Silence Origin Skill. It was no longer like viewing flowers in a fog, hazy and indistinct.
Two hours later, Hong Yuan started to earnestly read the specific methods of cultivation in the Myriad Silence Origin Skill.
Compared to the main text, this section on specific methods was only a slender thirty-six pages.
The first eighteen pages each depicted a human figure in a different posture, with red ink arrows indicating the flow of True Essence and the corresponding activity of the internal organs.
Next to the illustrations were annotations in small black characters. Although somewhat abstruse, their meanings could be understood by cross-referencing with the main text.
The remaining eighteen pages were divided into nine pages of different visualization scenes and nine pages of medicinal formulas.
The nine different visualization scenes corresponded to each of the Myriad Silence Origin Skill's cultivation stages, and the nine medicinal formulas matched them one-to-one.
Medicinal formulas, huh... Hong Yuan's brows furrowed slightly.
He turned and took out a white silk scroll from his storage bag, which also listed numerous medicinal ingredients. This was the accompanying medicinal formula for the Qinglu Mountain Moving Skill.
Looking at this pile of medicinal formulas, Hong Yuan felt a headache coming on.
Well, this means another significant expenditure of Energy Stones,
No matter, I'll just have to take it slow and steady; I have plenty of time, Hong Yuan thought, exhaling lightly. He then put all these items into his storage bag, leaving out only the booklet detailing the cultivation methods of the Myriad Silence Origin Skill.
Hong Yuan flipped to the visualization section and earnestly began to explore the first one—the Autumn Wind and Falling Leaves Picture.
It was already autumn. The autumn wind was crisp and desolate, having swept the leaden clouds from the sky for thousands of miles, revealing a vast expanse of blue. Even at noon, an atmosphere of solitude lingered in the practice room.
An autumn noon, quiet and desolate, with no one else around.
With a flicker of inspiration, Hong Yuan stepped out of the practice room and stood beneath the parasol tree in the courtyard.
Hong Yuan looked up at the withered leaves on the parasol tree, gazing intently for a few moments. Then, he closed his eyes and silently forged a connection between the incantation, "When autumn waters arrive, all streams pour into the great river," and the Autumn Wind and Falling Leaves Picture.
After fixing the image of the autumn wind blowing the withered leaves in his mind, Hong Yuan then envisioned these leaves being swept out of his courtyard by the autumn breeze, beyond Phoenix Fire Peak, past Phoenix Creek Sect, drifting down towards the Sky-connecting River, and finally flowing into the vast sea...
Visualizing the autumn wind and falling leaves was like quenching one's thirst by thinking of plums. Although saliva formed in the mouth, there were actually no plums to be eaten.
But in this magical world, such illusions were enough to trigger various corresponding responses in the body.
After an incense stick's burn, fallen leaves drifted onto Hong Yuan's shoulders.
Hong Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and assumed the first of the eighteen depicted human postures.
BOOM!
The Sea of True Essence in Hong Yuan's Aperture began to churn. Strands of True Essence flowed out from it, circulating through his internal organs with an extreme, rhythmic precision.
The internal organs of the human body are incredibly fragile before being trained. However, the True Essence within Hong Yuan's body navigated past them with exquisite precision. Without causing the slightest harm, it silently tempered his qi and blood.
The instant he completed the first posture, Hong Yuan felt his body become light and ethereal, as if he were about to ascend to immortality, riding the wind, or soaring through a blissful paradise.
The sensation was utterly refreshing and clear.
This state lasted only for a brief period before Hong Yuan returned to reality, his mind clear.
He was still himself and had not transformed into a fallen leaf.
This pleasure is enough to make one addicted, he thought.
Unfortunately, I can't maintain this state for prolonged cultivation. And indeed, this technique, just as the Guardian Elder said, truly emphasizes the changes of the seasons and the passage of time.
Hong Yuan understood this was because his Martial Artist realm wasn't high enough. The recovery rate of his True Essence couldn't sustain prolonged visualization for the Myriad Silence Origin Skill.
CLACK.
Hong Yuan took two Energy Stones from his storage bag, absorbing the Essence Qi within to replenish his True Essence.
After an incense stick's burn, the Energy Stones turned to powder and scattered with the wind.
Hong Yuan raised his hands, a joyful smile on his face, and exclaimed happily, "The barrier between the First Tier and Second Tier, which has been stagnant for half a month, was broken through just like that?!"
Before practicing the Myriad Silence Origin Skill, Hong Yuan's cultivation had been stuck at the peak of the First Tier.
However, at this moment, the Sea of True Essence in Hong Yuan's Aperture had become crystal clear. The proportion of Silver True Essence began to increase. It grew from the previously stagnant twenty-three percent, reaching twenty-five percent before stopping.
At this rate, Hong Yuan was certain he could become a Second-Tier Martial Artist, with half Silver True Essence and half Bronze True Essence, within half a month.
A sixteen-year-old Second-Tier Martial Artist?
The future is truly promising!
Overjoyed, Hong Yuan opened his proficiency panel and discovered that the Myriad Silence Origin Skill had been added to the Cultivation Technique section.
[Cultivation Technique: Myriad Silence Origin Skill (Entry 3/500)]
He continued reading down the proficiency panel, grinning from ear to ear with excitement.
[Avatar: Mysterious Water Snake (Ice Armor Python 1/10000)]
The Avatar's species, previously vague, now clearly indicated the Ice Armor Python!
In other words, as long as Hong Yuan maxed out the proficiency, the Mysterious Water Snake could evolve into the Ice Armor Python.
It should be noted that the Ice Armor Python is a Fourth-Tier Demon Beast. It possesses formidable defensive power and can even create a world of ice and snow during the scorching summer heat!
A big win! A huge score!
Choosing the Myriad Silence Origin Skill was definitely the right decision!
Hehe.
Watching the proficiency panel gradually become more impressive, Hong Yuan chuckled foolishly with delight.
I'm adding extra dishes tonight! he decided.