Zhao Yuan quickly glanced at his three brothers in the dorm. Seeing they had no reaction, he confirmed that only he could see the Inheritance Seed.
After carefully reading the contents of the Four Saints Technique, Zhao Yuan discovered this Cultivation Technique was similar to the Five Animals Qigong, as both involved imitating the forms of animals for cultivation. The only difference was that the Five Animals Qigong imitated five animals—the tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and bird—while the Four Saints Technique imitated the Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird.
Zhao Yuan had only ever seen the legendary Four Holy Beasts in TV shows and novels; he'd never seen what they truly looked like. But Wu Peng, as a supreme expert in the Cultivation World, had not only seen the Four Holy Beasts but had also kept many as pets. He created the Four Saints Technique when he first began his journey of cultivation by observing the Four Holy Beasts. Later, as his strength grew and his understanding deepened, he polished this Cultivation Technique to a state of absolute perfection!
It could be said that although the Four Saints Technique was low-level, it was the absolute best Muscle Strengthening Technique in the entire Cultivation World!
After committing the cultivation method of the Four Saints Technique to memory, Zhao Yuan couldn't wait to begin his cultivation.
The Four Saints Technique didn't have many movements, only four forms.
The first was the Cyan Dragon Form. The cultivator needed to plant their feet firmly on the ground, using their waist and abdomen to generate force, and twist their body as much as possible without moving their feet. The movement looked like a spirit serpent dancing, or a flood dragon swishing its tail.
The Cyan Dragon Form emphasized the concept of 'change.' Not only did the angle and direction of the body's twisting constantly change, but even the accompanying breathing method was incredibly complex and never the same twice.
The second was the White Tiger Form. The cultivator got on all fours, slightly arching their back and raising their head, resembling a fierce tiger. As the body rose and fell, it exuded an overwhelming aura.
This form required a powerful presence, a sharp gaze, and predominantly deep, heavy breathing. When practiced to a profound level, each breath would be like a tiger's roar in the mountains or the clap of thunder.
The third was the Black Tortoise Form. One simply had to curl their body into a ball. There were no other superfluous movements. It pursued the concept of 'stillness'; even the breathing was primarily slow, deep, and long.
Finally, there was the Vermilion Bird Form, the most difficult of the Four Saints Technique. It required balancing on one leg, alternating between left and right, while the hands moved at one's sides in a flying motion. The key to this form was to be light and fast while maintaining balance, with breathing that was primarily soft, shallow, and quick.
After regulating his breathing, Zhao Yuan began to practice the Cyan Dragon Form.
His three brothers in the dorm were all bewildered.
Liu Zhu even stopped playing LoL. He stared at Zhao Yuan and asked in bewilderment, "Third Brother, what are you doing?"
"It kind of looks like line dancing. Since when did you pick up a hobby like that?" Wang Rongfeng asked, a stunned look on his face.
Wu Yan also thought Zhao Yuan was line dancing and marveled, "Third Brother, your line dancing is just too cringey!"
"What line dancing? This is a new exercise method I learned. Are you guys interested? I can teach you," Zhao Yuan offered, not holding back with his brothers.
"Thanks, but no thanks."
"I'm still young. I don't want to learn how to line dance."
"That dance is too bizarre. I'm afraid I'll go crazy if I learn it."
His three dorm brothers rejected him in unison. They couldn't see the benefits of the Four Saints Technique and felt that if they had time for this, they'd rather be gaming or playing on their phones.
Zhao Yuan didn't try to persuade them further. He calmed his mind and continued his cultivation.
At first, Zhao Yuan found the Four Saints Technique to be quite simple. But once he perfectly synchronized his breathing with the movements, he suddenly felt as if a heavy iron ball was tied to him. The slightest movement was difficult, and he had to use all his strength just to complete a single motion.
Before he had even finished one repetition of the Cyan Dragon Form, Zhao Yuan was drenched in sweat. He felt his strength fading and wanted to rest.
Just then, a thought appeared in his mind. 'No, I can't rest. If I rest now, all my previous effort will be wasted! Once I start this habit, I'll want to give up every time I face a challenge. I'll never master the Four Saints Technique, let alone set foot on the Witch Doctor Dao! I have to persevere. I must keep going!'
Gritting his teeth, Zhao Yuan threw the thought of resting to the back of his mind and continued practicing the Four Saints Technique.
His stamina was quickly depleted, and he was running purely on willpower. His hands and feet began to tremble, a sign of complete exhaustion. But even so, he persisted. Although he was shaking uncontrollably, he completed every single movement as required.
Cyan Dragon Form, White Tiger Form, Black Tortoise Form, and then the Vermilion Bird Form...
Toward the end, Zhao Yuan was so tired he practically lost consciousness, his mind a complete blank. Yet he still forced himself to stay on his feet! Several times, he wanted to give up, but in the end, he always overcame the thought, clenched his jaw, and continued to cultivate without stopping.
After completing the final movement of the Vermilion Bird Form, Zhao Yuan could no longer stand. He collapsed to the floor with a THUD. Sweat poured from him like a spring, making him look as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
His three brothers in the dorm, having no idea what Zhao Yuan had just been through, all started to make fun of him.
"Third Brother, your stamina is way too pathetic, isn't it?"
"Seriously. It took you over half an hour to do a few simple moves, and you still ended up a wreck like this."
"Third Brother, you really need to work out. You're so young, but you're already this out of shape."
Zhao Yuan gasped for breath, too exhausted to even speak. But in his heart, he retorted, 'The Four Saints Technique looks simple, but practicing it is enough to kill you. At least I managed to persevere and complete a full set. If it were you guys, you'd be lucky to even finish the Cyan Dragon Form.'
After resting on the floor for a few minutes, Zhao Yuan struggled to get up. Just then, an intense pain shot through his back, running from the nape of his neck all the way down to his tailbone.
Zhao Yuan felt as if a knife was splitting him in two right along his spine. The excruciating pain made him collapse to the floor again. He wanted to cry out, but he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth.
His vision went black, and he was about to pass out from the pain. He hastily mustered the last dregs of his strength and bit the tip of his tongue. The hot, metallic taste of blood instantly filled his mouth, jolting his mind awake.
'This is Tendon Opening!'
Zhao Yuan recalled the relevant records from the Inheritance Seed.
'Cultivating the Four Saints Technique can open all the tendons in the body. This must be one of the tendons in my back opening right now. I absolutely cannot pass out. I have to endure it, or the Tendon Opening might fail! That would cause immense damage to my body!'
Zhao Yuan clenched his jaw tightly, enduring the excruciating pain of the Tendon Opening.
The intensity of this pain was beyond comparison to any he had ever felt before.
The process of Tendon Opening only lasted a few seconds, but to Zhao Yuan, it felt as long as years. Finally, with a sharp SNAP, the tendon in his back successfully opened, and the intense pain receded like a fading tide.
"Huu..." Zhao Yuan exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Surviving the excruciating pain left him with an incredibly refreshing sensation. At the same time, he also discovered that his strength had improved by leaps and bounds. Even his mind felt much clearer and more agile than before.
These were all benefits brought by cultivating the Four Saints Technique!