Chaotic Crow Ridge.
Li Xuan maintained the state of "Mist Leopard's Demon Blood Entering the Body" while seriously reading the manual.
The "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" is a Grandmaster's legacy, and its content is quite complete.
It is primarily divided into two parts: cultivation methods and combat techniques.
The cultivation methods are further divided into: breathing techniques and stance skills.
The combat techniques consist of some killing moves and set patterns.
With Zhangsun Yu's annotations, Li Xuan could still understand it.
He tried the operation with a single silver ring saw line and confirmed that his cultivation was no longer an issue, so he focused his mind and began following the breathing techniques.
The breathing techniques aren't all that mystical; even though the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" is a Grandmaster's secret transmission, it doesn't describe much in this aspect.
Most people breathe only into their lungs, hence the breath is quick and short, the air quickly turning around within the body.
The breathing techniques practiced by martial artists require breathing with the whole abdomen, making the breath long and sink into the body, permeating enough of the body's organs.
Martial combat, in essence, is a rather intense sport.
And whenever there is exercise, most people feel as if they can't catch their breath.
But once you catch a breath, it counts as a cycle, and any cycle easily breeds flaws and pauses.
In the life and death of martial combat, such obvious flaws and pauses can lead to falling into a disadvantage at best, losing outright at worst, either dead or injured.
Therefore, this one breath of a martial artist will usually be long enough, taking a breath to engage in a fight one or two rounds, only taking advantage of intervals to quickly change breaths, or separate changing breaths.
The breathing technique, then, is teaching the martial artist how to breathe as long as possible.
Li Xuan was practicing long breathing while looking at the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual".
Next to the "breathing technique", Zhangsun Yu left a simple note.
"Ordinary people's breathing is like rain falling on a quiet lake, only causing slight ripples."
"Martial artist's breathing is like a foot-long vortex in water, although stirring qi and blood, it's still small."
"Is there a breath in the world that can travel several miles?
Can there be a breath that stirs dragons in water?"
"Its secret, perhaps hides within the Divine Soul.
Breathing through the mouth and nose is no more than a child waving a sword, superficial;
If breathing with the Divine Soul, it might be able to mobilize every thread of qi hidden in flesh and blood."
Li Xuan read for a while, obviously this note was just Zhangsun Yu's dissatisfaction with the "breathing technique" and a kind of aspiration for a higher-level breathing technique.
He glanced at "Divine Soul breathing".
He knew that this "a breath traveling several miles" meant taking a breath and rushing several miles to cut down enemies beneath the horse.
This was still difficult for him to comprehend at present, but Zhangsun Yu made a simple analogy: an ordinary person throws a punch, taking a breath, and the fist only explodes the greatest strength at the end of its swing, the middle process being a kind of accumulation of power.
A breath traveling several miles, is tantamount to "the middle process becomes several miles", this power accumulation also stretches several miles, waiting beyond several miles, that strike must be incomparably brilliant.
As for "a breath that stirs dragons in water", it refers to the effect of this breath on mobilizing qi and blood.
"Qi and blood forming ripples", "qi and blood forming small whirlpools", and "qi and blood rolling into long dragons" are clearly different just by hearing.
But how exactly to breathe the "Divine Soul breathing", Zhangsun Yu hasn't researched anything substantial.
After all, even the Divine Soul is mysterious.
He only guessed that this might be some kind of deep application of "inner intent".
And "inner intent" is connected to "stance skills".
"Stance skills" emphasize both "external form" and "inner intent".
Extracting intent from form, imagining the form with intent, intent gives birth to form, form turns with intent.
Like the stance skill recorded in the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual", it's called—"Flying Spider Stance".
A spider weaving a web, like a saw line opened up.
But there are many types of spiders, some leaning towards toxins, some sinister enough to completely integrate with the surrounding environment, some capable of generating illusions, some with a small size but extremely agile and fast...
And this "Flying Spider Stance" clearly leans towards agility and speed.
Practitioners of the stance should visualize a flying spider, then imitate the form of a spider weaving a web.
Li Xuan has never seen a flying spider, and even if he did, he might not be able to observe its behaviour comprehensively and compose it into a cultivation method.
But it doesn't matter, the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual" has long drawn diagrams and written down core points, even with a vivid, lifelike large diagram at the end, with the words "Fundamental Diagram" beside it.
Li Xuan bent his knees slightly, raised his hands slightly, and let his ten fingers start to undulate gently with a certain rhythm, as if a spider spinning silk, weaving.
This stance is very difficult, and it's difficult in the aspect of "inner intent".
You must truly place yourself in the hunting situation of a flying spider in order to gain something from practicing the stance, otherwise, it would just be parroting.
...
...
After mastering the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual," one often becomes exceptionally agile and nimble.
The reason a top-tier innate talent is needed is that once the manual is mastered, agility inevitably reaches over ten points. If your maximum agility based on your innate talent is only 10, then no matter how hard you train, you won't be able to advance.
For example, at a certain stage of training the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual," you need to increase your agility to eleven points, twelve points, but if your innate talent limits your maximum agility to only ten points, how could you continue training?
As Li Xuan continued his training, he realized this point.
His innate talent was indeed poor, with a maximum agility of 10, absolutely unfit for such a grandmaster level cultivation technique, because he simply couldn't train it.
However, now with magic blood injected, his agility reached 20 points.
It's like someone has to go through endless hardships, bypassing countless traps to climb to the peak; but Li Xuan is already standing on the peak, running down it instead.
The process naturally became much easier.
He followed the cultivation technique, progressing... at an absurdly fast pace.
In less than ten days, he reached progress that others might not achieve even in ten months.
...
...
One day, the sun was gentle.
Li Xuan visited the small courtyard at the edge of the Li family estate to see Wei Yao.
Wei Yao had almost recovered, at least she was able to get up and stroll in the courtyard, but her waist, abdomen, and thighs were severely burned, not to mention the body technique she once took pride in was now impossible to perform again, even the act between a man and a woman might be out of the question.
Li Xuan and Wei Yao sat on opposite sides of the stone table under a withered phoenix tree, suddenly speaking, "Xiaoyao, I want to grant you a status, to care for you for a lifetime."
Wei Yao's eyelashes fluttered, yet she only lowered her head, avoiding Li Xuan's gaze, staring at the stone table.
The air quieted down.
The old maid sweeping nearby couldn't hold back, urging, "Young lady, the young master is sincere and loyal, quickly agree!"
Wei Yao bit her lip, not knowing what she was thinking, but suddenly took a deep breath, her frail body trembling in the cold wind, yet her gaze was firm as she shook her head and said, "I'd rather be your handmaid, but being so gravely injured, my body is weak, I might not be able to do any heavy work."
Li Xuan replied, "You need not work anymore, the Li family can afford to support another young lady. But my feelings are genuine."
Wei Yao:...
Not knowing what she was thinking, her cheeks turned red, but not from shyness, rather a surge of blood, then her delicate face showed a melancholic look, in a fleeting smile she continued, "Thank you, young master."
The most respectful title, isn't it the most distant relationship?
Li Xuan chatted for a while longer, then left helplessly.
The old maid looked at Wei Yao, lamenting her unwillingness to strive, "Young lady, don't be stubborn, this is a chance to become the lady of the house."
"I understand." Wei Yao replied softly, but said no more.
The old maid went to the inner hall in silence.
Wei Yao closed her eyes, as if deflated, murmuring miserably, "I know you are sincere.
But your sincerity is because you pity me, right?"
Perhaps she knew it might not be the case, but at that moment... she didn't know why, as if possessed, she started stubbornly brooding.
This peculiar twisted nature seemed like some sort of omen, something she herself couldn't control.
Meanwhile, those parts of her legs and abdomen burned by magic blood began to spawn a slight itch, as if new flesh was about to form.
...
...
A few days later.
Chaotic Crow Ridge, deep in the grave, misty and blurred.
In the mist, a tall, skinny silhouette squatted motionless, his fingers moving rhythmically in mid-air, as if plucking strings, as if weaving a tapestry.
Ten rings adorned his hand, the lines between the rings shot out, wrapped around the surrounding stones and trees, forming a crisscrossing transparent net.
The nets swayed slightly, impossible to detect in the mist.
Suddenly, the tall, skinny silhouette stood up.
The surrounding rocks and trees seemed to be cut by invisible laser lines, tearing, breaking, crashing, and scattering in all directions, kicking up dust and echoes.
Li Xuan exhaled a puff of white air, the surrounding mist grew denser.
He assessed his own state.
In just over half a month, his "strength" had increased by 2 points.
And "agility," exaggeratedly transformed from "[6/10]" to [10/10], now showing in front of him as "[Agility: 10+14/10]."
Apparently, this method of "surpassing the target first, then reversing the cultivation" had not at all affected the true enhancement of his abilities.
Li Xuan even had a feeling.
It's like his "innate talent" might also be slowly advancing in this "contradictory enhancement," about to complete a miraculous... limit-breaking.