After only one shichen of cultivation, Ling Xiao's "Crimson Sun Technique" actually broke through the first layer.
He could feel that the True Qi within his body had clearly thickened, and his body expelled the waste fluids formed from the bodily transformation.
Black in color, and somewhat foul-smelling.
Although his strength had not increased, the resilience of his True Qi and meridians had improved, at least by about two or three percent.
To actually break through the first layer of the "Crimson Sun Technique" in just one shichen, such a cultivation speed was truly astonishing!
Ling Xiao was greatly exhilarated. This internal cultivation mind technique only had three layers, and after cultivating it to the Great Perfection of the third layer, his attacks would be able to contain the essence of flames.
There was even the possibility of forming fiery Gang Qi.
It should be known that Gang Qi was something only martial artists above the Martial Vein Quadruple Layer could master; the greatest advantage of this martial art was precisely this point.
However, because it is very difficult to cultivate it to Great Perfection, there weren't many cultivators, as after all, wasting time on one technique when one could instead work hard to increase their strength seemed needless. When reaching the Martial Vein Quadruple Layer, True Qi would automatically transform into Gang Qi.
But Ling Xiao thought differently; if one could condense Gang Qi during the Awakening Stage, then one's combat power would definitely increase by a lot.
After cultivating the "Crimson Sun Technique" for another shichen and stabilizing it at the first layer, Ling Xiao then turned to cultivate other martial arts.
According to the guidance of the Mountain and River Martial Soul, only by synchronously cultivating these five martial arts could one achieve twice the result with half the effort.
In other words, you should not solely focus on enhancing one but should first cultivate all five martial arts to the first layer, then cycle through and enhance them repeatedly for the best effect.
The next one he chose was "Falling Star Fist."
This was a martial skill, a means of attack, which had to be learned.
Just as the Mountain and River Martial Soul described, after studying the "Crimson Sun Technique," the cultivation of the "Falling Star Fist" became very easy.
This set of fist techniques had nine forms, with each move being very simple; comprising only nine variations, it pursued power, not speed or change.
Ling Xiao liked it this way because it was easier to practice.
Within just two shichen, Ling Xiao had completely mastered "Falling Star Fist" from the first to the sixth forms, though the last three forms still posed some difficulty.
However, he did not obstinately continue and instead turned to cultivate the "Bursting Qi Technique."
This was a secret method, with just one stage in total, and its function was very straightforward: it could gather a large amount of True Qi on a martial skill and burst it out in an instant.
Of course, the amount of the burst could be controlled, six-tenths, seven-tenths, or even the full amount; it was an absolutely desperate move.
Although he really wanted to try out the power of the "Falling Star Fist" under the "Bursting Qi Technique," Ling Xiao still held back because to continue fighting, he needed to master the "Qi Recovery Technique" as well.
The "Qi Recovery Technique," like the "Bursting Qi Technique," was also considered a secret method; with the knack mastered, it was easy to cultivate, also having only one layer.
With the analysis of the Mountain and River Martial Soul, he got it done in just one shichen.
The "Qi Recovery Technique" had two effects; one was the ability to continuously recover True Qi at any time and place, though this speed would be rather slow.
The other was the option to sit down on the spot and meditate; in this way, one could almost fully recover within a quarter of a shichen.
Of course, this was limited to the Awakening Stage, that is, martial artists below the Martial Veins Third Layer.
The higher the cultivation level, the slower the full recovery would naturally be, since the reserves of True Qi would have increased.
The first layer of "Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain Step" was also relatively simple to cultivate, with the main focus being on momentum. Building on the foundation he had set, he simply chose to cultivate this body movement technique in a state of bursting Qi and broke through the first layer in just a quarter of a shichen.
He then spent another quarter of a shichen recovering his Qi, going back to the "Crimson Sun Technique," and with another burst of Qi cultivation, he easily broke through the second layer.
Ling Xiao really wanted to find someone to spar with by now. With the "Soul of Fist" technique complementing his abilities, he believed that even if he faced a martial artist of the Martial Veins Third Layer, he would definitely not be intimidated.
He couldn't claim a sure win, but he certainly wouldn't lose, unless his opponent also possessed special techniques.
Amidst the delight, Ling Xiao intensified his cultivation, leaving his room only to eat; the rest of the time, he completely shut himself in.
Two days later, Ling Xiao's "Crimson Sun Technique" was close to achieving Great Perfection in the third layer. He also grasped the seventh form of the "Falling Star Fist," and nearly mastered the 108 variations of the nine forms of "Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain Step."
The problem was that the room was too small to properly practice the swift and agile movements; if he wanted to try out the "Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain Step," he would need to go to a more spacious place.
The "Falling Star Fist" was the same; he must take it into real combat. Just practicing alone, it was a bit difficult to fully comprehend the true essence of the martial skills.
At this time, his martial artist realm had also nearly reached the peak of the Martial Veins Second Layer, and he was only a hair's breadth away from breaking through.
What he needed might just be a single battle.
However, before that, he needed to make a trip to the auction house in the city to see if those ten Basic Martial Arts books were sold.
If they had been sold, it was time to hire a doctor to treat his grandfather, and continue to anonymously sell the remaining basic martial arts books.
...
Soon, Ling Xiao arrived at the auction house.
The staff at the auction house told him that all ten Basic Martial Arts books had been sold, totaling one hundred taels of silver. However, after deducting the service fee, ninety taels of silver were left.
The amount had already been transferred into his account at the silver bank.
Ling Xiao was quite satisfied with this.
Next door was the silver bank, and after checking, Ling Xiao confirmed that it was indeed ninety taels of silver.
So, he left another ten Basic Martial Arts books at the auction house.
The staff didn't pay much attention to this; after all, they were just basic martial arts books, and they had seen many of them.
After taking the silver, Ling Xiao went to hire a doctor who specialized in treating bone injuries.
Who would have known, just as he arrived near the side gate of the Ling family's residence, he saw a group of people practicing their lightweight body techniques.
While it was possible to practice in the training grounds, the outside had more trees and beams and the complex terrain was more suitable for enhancing the performance of lightweight body techniques.
Whoosh!
A figure shot up into the trees like a nimble monkey darting back and forth before landing back on the ground.
"What an agile body movement, Senior Brother Ling Fei's light-work skill ranks first in the Elite Hall, unmatched by anyone."
"Indeed, even if there are shortcomings elsewhere, just with his body movement alone, he can cause great trouble for many of his peers."
"Exactly, in the world of martial arts, nothing can overcome speed. With such body movement and speed, there's a chance Senior Brother Ling Fei could take the top spot in the Elite Hall during this year's major competition."
A group of people below were continuously shouting out their praises.
"I wonder how my 'Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain Step' compares to Ling Fei," Ling Xiao thought.
This sight really made Ling Xiao itch to have a go, as Ling Fei's light-body technique was indeed impressive, which he had to admit. Yet, he felt a bit unconvinced.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Perhaps encouraged by the people below, Ling Fei deliberately changed directions several times in mid-air, moving with incredible grace.
But perhaps due to the lack of sustaining power, he almost fell at the end. Fortunately, having spotted Ling Xiao, he tried to use Ling Xiao's shoulder as a stepping stone to avoid embarrassment.
Ling Xiao, having no grudge against Ling Fei, still didn't want to be used as a stepping stone, so he just lifted his foot and kicked upwards, giving Ling Fei a place to step on.
Ling Fei smoothly landed on the ground, his face showing a trace of anger.
"Senior Brother Ling is truly impressive. To manage it like that... it's like watching a swift swallow in flight," the group praised, oblivious to the fact that Ling Fei had almost made a fool of himself in his pride and continued to sing his praises.