The sky gradually darkened, and as winter set in, the days in Wangxian County grew especially short, with an early dusk. The cold kept villagers who usually chatted outside during the summer huddled in their homes, now only the moonlight reflecting off the blanket of snow provided a serene and chilly landscape.
Wang Anfeng delivered firewood to Wang Hongyi's yard under the cover of night, politely declining the invitation to stay for dinner. He returned home, heated a large pot of food, and fished out two or three pickles from another pot to go with the white rice and pork. Without changing his expression, he ate everything up.
He frowned slightly and said,
"This batch only has seventy percent of the flavor my father used to achieve, but the portion I sent to Brother Qin is almost indistinguishable from what my father made back in the day."
"I hope he'll like it."
After cleaning up the dishes, and when his Inner Qi was fully restored through meditation, Wang Anfeng then used his Buddha Beads on his wrist to return to the Shaolin Temple. As expected, he found himself once again on the peak of solitary, and after paying his respects to the three Elders Ci, he voluntarily picked up the heavy carrying pole and began his ascent up the mountain.
Although the heavy snowfall made the paths of Shaoshi Mountain even more difficult to traverse, he barely minded, as he was almost always employing his Qinggong due to the chains he bore, and his skill in it was exceedingly mature.
Ci Elder watched the young figure disappear into the distance and retracted his gaze, asking,
"Is there really no way?"
Mr. Ying scoffed and said,
"You are well aware of what happened after he left yesterday, aren't you?"
"This world's ability to turn the false into the true is still constrained by its original rules. We can't even turn a Middle Third Rank Red Cloud Sword into reality, not to mention items like the Jade Refining Pill, Qianyuan Creation Golden Pill, and Heavenly Gang Refining Spirit Pill – although only used to strengthen the foundation, these are of very high grade and cannot be made real."
"And if they can't even appear in our world, the notion of him taking them into his own is even more of a pipe dream."
Ci Elder remained silent. Wu Changqing stroked his beard and expressed his confusion,
"But isn't Mr. Scholar... the principal being of this world? Can't you make it happen?"
The Scholar glanced at him, chuckled coldly, and said,
"The soul is also a master of the body, Wu, could you move Mount Tai to surpass the Northern Sea?"
The old man, taken aback by the retort, smiled wryly and shook his head,
"I was wrong to assume. I have asked too much of you, please forgive my presumption, Mr. Scholar."
The Scholar nodded without speaking. After a moment of silence, he continued,
"Not only has the boy been cultivating during this time, but I have also been seeking the origin of our enlightening intelligence, encountering many limitations…"
"In short, this matter is anything but simple, with numerous restrictions, like the breathing techniques, requiring both intake and release, and not merely at will. At present, all I know is that the limit of what can be projected is tied to the boy's level of cultivation. If he exceeds it..."
Between the Scholar's fingers, a crystal clear flower, unlike anything mundane, slowly materialized, but in a fleeting moment, it was overtaken by dense cracks and gently crumbled, turning into light dust that drifted down beneath this lonely peak.
Mr. Ying's gaze followed the shimmering dust to the mountain below and he said indifferently,
"Then not even a single flower can exist."
Today's cultivation, carrying water, only lasted half as long as usual before Mr. Ying stopped Wang Anfeng. The Scholar looked at him lightly and said,
Wang Anfeng felt a chill at the back of his neck, and with a forced resolve he said,
"Mr. Scholar, I have yet to learn the art of Medical Poison today."
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
The Scholar's cold voice made Wang Anfeng shiver as he put down the iron bucket and reluctantly followed behind the middle-aged Scholar. The silence lasted until Mr. Ying halted, and when Wang Anfeng looked up, indeed, there it was again – the bold and powerful three characters.
In his mind, he involuntarily recalled the near-tormenting battle of the day before. Wang Anfeng instinctively stepped back, then bit his lip, suppressing his innate fear, and after giving a respectful fist-and-palm salute to the stern Scholar, he pushed open the door somewhat stiffly and entered the hall.
He was human, and even if he excelled among his peers, he was still just a person at heart. He understood the logic in his mind, but the natural instincts of flesh and blood were even more real.
Humans naturally have emotions, experiencing love, hatred, sorrow, joy, and can be frightened by terror. Naturally, no one wants to relive a powerless defeat, especially a young person.
Most people are , yet there are a few who stand above these reactions. One type is driven by grand ambitions, bravely facing difficulties no matter how daunting, with hearts unswayed and undeterred. They face challenges head on with unyielding resolve.
The second type is spurred on by external forces.
You cannot defeat the devil.
But another devil can...
The scholar standing with his hands clasped behind him at the entrance to Copper Man Lane had a slight smile on his lips, his robe eddying in the wind, increasingly fierce and lonely.
In Copper Man Lane, the opponent was still the same, and that grand, authoritative voice pronounced the start.
This time, Wang Anfeng lasted for thirty-five breaths, five more than the last time.
So his injuries worsened by that much more.
After it ended, the candlelight on both sides within the Copper Man Statue instantly extinguished, plunging the area into utter darkness with only the sound of the young man's rapid breathing audible. Wang Anfeng leaned against the wall hesitantly for several breaths, then, gritting his teeth, pushed the door open.
But before he could speak, he saw two people had appeared beside the scholar, along with a huge vat, causing him to pause slightly in surprise.
Over there, Elder Ci was already beckoning to him; Wang Anfeng walked over. The liquid in the vat wasn't clear but brown, emitting a gentle medicinal fragrance that unconsciously relaxed his body.
Mr. Ying turned to glance at him and said,
"Jump in. With your muscles and bones, you can barely refine your body with the medicinal bath. Elder Wu will use acupuncture and Inner Qi to help heal your injuries."
"As for studying medicine, as long as your mind is still functioning, that's enough. You can learn while you heal."
"Elder Wu, I leave it to you."
The old man beside him stroked his beard and chuckled lightly,
"Rest assured, it's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
"Anfeng, come inside."
As a Supreme Elder of Medicine King Valley, Wu Changqing's Inner Strength had reached the Transformative Realm. In terms of healing, even if one's tendons were completely cut and the heartbeat ceased, as long as his Inner Strength did not withdraw, he could sustain a life. At the moment, Wang Anfeng's injuries were merely superficial, and he would be fine in a moment.
Wang Anfeng was engrossed in the content taught by Wu Changqing, but the elder's voice suddenly halted. The curious youth glanced over, only to see the elder smile at him and take a step back. Uncertain, Wang Anfeng was about to ask when Mr. Ying's cool voice already reached his ears,
"Come out, into the Copper Man Lane."
The youth's expression instantly became baffled.
Under that cold gaze, Wang Anfeng once again entered Copper Man Lane. The two rows of red candles were still there, but the opponents kept changing relentlessly.
The monotonous Shaolin Changquan possessed vastly different styles: some were fierce, some composed, some stood like boulders, and others flowed like the continuous rivers.
He fought for three full hours.
Failing over and over again, healing in the medicinal bath repeatedly, had he not had moments of rest, he almost would've become completely numb.
The medicinal fluid in the bucket grew thin once more. Wang Anfeng climbed out, instinctively heading towards Copper Man Lane, but Mr. Ying called out before he had gone far, and turning around, the scene from the night before repeated itself. He was struck by a killing intent that closed off his Five Senses and plunged him into the deepest sleep.
Elder Ci used Inner Strength to help the youth clear his blood stasis, while Wu Changqing had already prepared a new batch of the medicinal liquid. Submerging most of the youth's body in it and looking at his still youthful features, he sighed,
"He's indeed suffering... However, Mr. Ying, Master Ci..."
His voice hesitated slightly, then the old man turned around to look at the two beside him, asking seriously,
"Is it really alright not to teach him and just let him hone himself in combat? I fear this may be somewhat inappropriate..."
Elder Ci looked at the sleeping youth and said,
"Elder Wu need not worry too much. Anfeng has already practiced Shaolin Changquan for quite some time, and besides, if there's a problem, we can stop it in time."
The middle-aged scholar, with his hands behind his back, looked at the clouds below the mountain, speaking softly,
"Medicine King Valley is not skilled in warfare. That part is better left to me and Ci."
"If we follow Ci's experience, at the final juncture, Ci would be his greatest opponent, and the world might gain another Wrathful King Wang Anfeng."
"But he would never become the unrivaled Wang Anfeng."
"Only after striking a thousand chords does one understand the sound; only after observing a thousand swords does one comprehend the weapon. I want him to learn all the Martial Arts of the Bai Family and then step by step, forge his own path."
"It is only through relentless forging that one can truly blossom."