Chereads / I Fabricated the Techniques, but my disciple really mastered them? / Chapter 4 - Chapter 4 Xu Yan's Self-Imagination

Chapter 4 - Chapter 4 Xu Yan's Self-Imagination

It was still dark when Xu Yan had already assumed the horse stance to cultivate.

"Master said, focus on comprehension and intent rather than form, sense the qi and blood, mobilize it, and temper the skin..."

"The prodigies of ancient times could complete the Skin Refinement in just five days, yet I still haven't sensed the qi and blood. The gap is too wide. Master said I can't be anxious, the more anxious I am, the harder it is to sense qi and blood..."

Xu Yan gathered his thoughts, concentrated on himself, and carefully sensed his own qi and blood.

A streak of dawn broke through the sky.

As the morning sun was about to rise, Xu Yan, who was immersed in sensing qi and blood, suddenly felt a warm stream rise in his chest and abdomen, fine and warm, seemingly flowing with his breath.

"Qi and Blood!"

"I've sensed the qi and blood!"

Xu Yan was overwhelmed with excitement at this moment.

"Calm down, calm down. I must remain composed and not disturb my mind..."

"How to mobilize the qi and blood to temper the skin... How do I do it? Master didn't specify. Should I go ask Master?"

"No! Master said it's all about comprehension and intent. I must hold on to this sensation. If I relax now, it will be hard to sense qi and blood again...

"And besides, if I need to ask Master for detailed instructions on how to mobilize qi and blood, wouldn't that disappoint him? He might think that I lack insight."

Thinking this, Xu Yan immediately dismissed the idea of consulting Li Xuan.

He continued assuming the horse stance, trying over and over to mobilize qi and blood, while recalling some explanations on mobilizing qi and blood that Li Xuan had taught.

All his focus was on himself, immersed in the mobilization of qi and blood. His breathing involuntarily changed with the movement of qi and blood, and gradually a stream of qi and blood spread throughout his body, his skin faintly flushed, as if a warm flow was tempering his skin.

"This should be considered entry into Skin Refinement, right?"

Xu Yan was thrilled. He had finally sensed qi and blood, and successfully mobilized it to temper the skin.

...

Li Xuan yawned, got out of bed, and after washing up, he went out to prepare breakfast.

Living alone in the village, self-sufficiency had long become a habit for him.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Xu Yan cultivating in the horse stance. His lips twitched. While the disciple was diligent, it was a pity that no amount of hard work was going to be of any use.

The cultivation methods were nonsense he made up; succeeding at cultivation would be ludicrous.

"Wait until he can no longer persevere and comes to ask me. Then I'll just make up some more nonsense to fool him."

Li Xuan shook his head and walked away.

Xu Yan, excited to see his master, was about to tell him that he had sensed the qi and blood.

He had entered the stage of Skin Refinement!

But upon seeing his master shake his head, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Is Master dissatisfied with me?"

"Of course, with Master's realm, how could he not tell that I've sensed qi and blood and entered the Skin Refinement stage?"

"He must think I'm being hasty, arrogant and complacent, unable to stay composed..."

After convincing himself of this, Xu Yan immediately dropped the idea of telling Li Xuan that he had sensed qi and blood and entered the stage of Skin Refinement.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind and continued to mobilize qi and blood to temper his skin.

"Master is inscrutable. He can see through me with just one glance. I must not be proud or complacent... Why do I need to tell him about my cultivation progress, when Master can see it all at a glance?"

Xu Yan realized clearly that there was no need to deliberately tell Master about his cultivation, as Master could see it for himself at a glance.

Li Xuan caught a chicken in the chicken coop, planning to continue stewing it with Nine-Leaf Ganoderma, a rare treasure of a medicinal herb. After eating the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma chicken soup yesterday, he felt his body had grown stronger.

He took out a knife, ready to slaughter the chicken.

Suddenly he paused, "That's not right, I have a disciple. There's no reason for me as the master to serve the disciple. Shouldn't the disciple be serving the master?"

"Anyway, I've fooled him once. He is now my disciple, so it's only reasonable for him to serve me as his master, right?"

With these thoughts in mind, he picked up a chicken in one hand and a knife in the other, walking towards Xu Yan.

"Disciple, come, kill the chicken, add some Nine-Leaf Ganoderma, and stew it together then go cook," he said.

Xu Yan finished his cultivation practice and took the chicken and knife from Li Xuan's hands, looking somewhat bewildered.

"What's wrong, can't cook?"

Li Xuan noticed him zoning out and frowned.

"Right, Xu Yan, this big fool, is a young master from a wealthy family, how could he possibly know how to cook?"

Despite this, now that he had taken him as a disciple, how could he not make good use of him?

"Disciple, every action, whether sitting or sleeping, eating or drinking, is all part of cultivation. Although you have yet to be initiated and are far from reaching your master's realm, getting familiar with this ahead of time will be beneficial for you," Li Xuan said seriously.

"Master, I'll go right away!"

Xu Yan's expression became serious as he respectfully replied.

"Master's realm is so high. It looks like mundane trivialities, but in fact, this is what a true master looks like, this is the state of a hidden expert!"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt his master was unfathomable. He appeared so normal and did not display any strong aura, but that was the mark of a true hidden expert!

Xu Yan went off to cook.

Li Xuan, not completely at ease, watched him for a while and noticed that although Xu Yan was a bit clumsy with killing the chicken and cooking, under his guidance, the food he made should at least be edible.

So, feeling reassured, he moved a chair under the big tree in front of the house, lay down in the chair, and carefreely waited for the mealtime.

"Being served by a disciple, this kind of life is really nice."

"With Xu Yan's wit, it'll take a short while for him to see through this, but I need to be prepared for an exit plan…"

After the meal.

Xu Yan went back to cultivating.

"This... The speed of skin refinement has increased, and my vitality has strengthened by at least fifty percent..."

"According to this pace, although I can't finish skin refinement in five days, completing it within a month should be no problem."

Xu Yan, feeling the increased rate of skin refinement, was filled with excitement.

"Why has the skin refinement speed suddenly increased so much? Could it be..."

It dawned on him—the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma chicken soup!

Nine-Leaf Ganoderma is a rare and precious medicinal herb, and his Xu Family only had this one treasure. Had he not been the sole heir and dearly loved by his parents, he wouldn't have managed to acquire the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma as a gift for his initiation.

"Master!"

Xu Yan was extremely moved at this moment.

"Master knew that the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma could help with my cultivation, so that's why he let me stew the chicken with it!"

"I must not disappoint Master's painstaking efforts; I must cultivate diligently and strive to be initiated as early as possible!"

Xu Yan, buoyed by his own imagined narrative, felt a reverence for his master as vast as the sun and the moon, deeply moved to the core.

He mobilized his vitality, continuously refining his skin.

With ongoing refinement, Xu Yan felt his body getting stronger, his vitality growing more robust, and his skin becoming tougher. It seemed he had already made initial progress in skin refinement.

"I feel my strength has more than doubled; this is just the beginning of skin refinement. How strong will I be when I reach perfection?"

"I must reach the threshold of Martial Arts within a year!"

Xu Yan's gaze was unyielding.

"The effects of this Nine-Leaf Ganoderma are too good; why do I feel like my strength has increased?"

"Should I keep it all for myself? Forget it, after all, it was a gift from Xu Yan. Let's eat it together; it's better not to be too heartless."

Li Xuan felt the changes in his own body and had a moment where he considered monopolizing the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma.

Ultimately, he wasn't heartless enough and dismissed the thought of keeping it all for himself.