Chaotic World Book
Chapter 221 - 216: Initial Exploration of Body Refining

Chapter 221: Chapter 216: Initial Exploration of Body Refining

Langya.

Some of the Hidden Dragons who had come to attend the martial arts banquet had already gone home, while others took the opportunity to tour Langya for a few days. Wang Zhaoqing, never one to turn away guests, accompanied them and saw each one off when they left. This gesture gradually changed the minds of many who had originally looked at him unfavorably, and they surprisingly developed a rapport with him.

Only Situ Xiao remained unimpressed.

Zhao Changhe was eating and drinking in the inn’s main hall when he looked up to see Situ Xiao and Wang Zhaoqing passing by the entrance. Situ Xiao was saying, "No need to see me out further, please stay."

Wang Zhaoqing said, "It’s only a few more steps... Brother Situ, why the hurry? Won’t you stay in Langya a few more days?"

Situ Xiao replied, "If I were to stay longer, it would mostly be to have a few more fights with you. But do you have the leisure for that? With all these schemes and worldly matters weighing on you, you have certainly earned praise and admiration, but I can assure you, in less than six months, you will have fallen far behind me and no longer qualify as my equal."

Wang Zhaoqing was silent for a moment before sighing, "To each their own."

"Is that so?" Situ Xiao shook his head, "I don’t know if you’ll regret it later, but for now, although I don’t dislike you, you and I are not the same. I must go; I have urgent matters..."

From the inn’s main hall came a voice, "No rush, no rush, come have a drink."

Situ Xiao leaned back, peering over, and saw Zhao Changhe gesturing with a wine pot, smiling brightly, "It’s dull to drink alone, Brother Situ, care to join me?"

Situ Xiao, who had been rather indifferent up to that point, suddenly changed his demeanor, smiling just as brightly and striding into the inn, "Ha ha, this wine isn’t bad, I could smell it from a distance!"

"The wine at the inn can’t compare to that of the Wang Family..."

"But this is wine offered by Zhao Changhe, and that means it’s delicious!" Situ Xiao sat down with a thump opposite him and rapped on the bowl, "Pour the wine, pour the wine!"

Zhao Changhe happily poured, while Wang Zhaoqing stood at the doorway for quite some time, then shook his head slightly and walked away.

Don’t you have urgent matters? What are you doing now? The few copper coins’ worth of wine Zhao Changhe offers is better than that of my Wang Family?

And that Zhao Changhe... why haven’t you left yet, lingering under our very noses? Aren’t you afraid to die?

No, that’s not right... The longer he stays here, the safer he actually is.

Cui Yuanyang is still in Langya, and under these circumstances, if outsiders wanted to kill Zhao Changhe, our Wang Family would have to protect him, to say nothing of killing him ourselves.

What a mess...

Wang Zhaoqing hissed in frustration, what if he just refuses to leave?

Meanwhile, Situ Xiao and Zhao Changhe heartily downed a bowl each, wiping their mouths and laughing, "Haven’t had a drink in days, my mouth tasted as bland as bird droppings."

Zhao Changhe asked, "Why not drink? Is the Wang Family out of wine?"

"Though I love to drink, there are times when I must stay sober, like going over that day’s battles, especially yours. That ultimate move you pulled at the end, I’ve been pondering over it for two days and still feel there’s no way to counter it among those of the same level unless you were using an ordinary blade and I could just chest it out with horizontal training. But that damn blade of yours is too crafty... damn it, it’s like wasting two days without a drop of wine, and all for nothing."

Zhao Changhe laughed and clapped his hands, "Coincidentally, I’ve also been contemplating our battle these past two days."

Situ Xiao’s eyes widened, "What? You won and you’re still thinking about it? Plan to beat me in just a few moves next time?"

"The opposite, actually. It might take more moves."

Situ Xiao paused, his expression suddenly changing.

Zhao Changhe said with a cheeky face, "About that... you mentioned last time that you’d teach me a set of fist and palm skills. Does that still stand?"

Situ Xiao couldn’t help but laugh, "You’re really not shy about asking."

"To tell you the truth, I’ve not been practicing martial arts for long and lack experience in the Worldly Society. There’s much I haven’t learned. Others say I have no weaknesses, but I feel my whole body is full of them. I wish I could fill in a gap every day."

Situ Xiao nodded thoughtfully, and after a moment said, "Your divine and Buddha techniques are quite scattered; have you integrated some other sect’s mental control methods into it? Your technique seems to carry an intention to actively trigger fear, no longer merely relying on Evil Qi and momentum for a passive effect."

Zhao Changhe gave a thumbs-up, "Brother Situ has keen insight. Indeed, I’ve incorporated a bit of the spiritual method from the Maitreya Sect into it. However, it feels like it requires strong spiritual power, and I haven’t found a way to train that yet, so the effect is quite weak. It works against ordinary people, but it’s practically ineffective against someone like you."

"That’s not what you train now; that comes after unlocking the secret treasure. Being able to use a part of it already is due to your own vigorous spirit. But the more you use it, the more you can train it, to some extent."

"Mm... Brother Situ, why do you ask?"

"If our Sect’s martial arts had a shortcoming, it would be this aspect. Brother Zhao, if you could share this magic skill with me, I will teach you a set of Wind and Thunder Palm." Situ Xiao said with a bit of an apology, "It’s not that I’m stingy and refuse to give it straight to Brother Zhao, but after all, it’s an advanced martial art of the Sect, and I can’t just let it out without accounting for my Sect."

"Understood." Zhao Changhe happily and directly described the secret of the Maitreya Sect’s spiritual control method; after all, it was quite brief.

Situ Xiao took it to heart and then fished out a newly written booklet from his bag and handed it over.

Zhao Changhe took it and saw that the booklet was very new, as if it had just been written. He looked up at Situ Xiao, who grinned and smiled.

The man had been ready to give him the palm skill for the past couple of days.

Zhao Changhe stuffed the booklet into his chest and raised his wine bowl, "Cheers!"

The two happily downed another big bowl before Situ Xiao laughed and said, "The name Wind and Thunder sounds very explosive, but in fact, it is mainly a defensive palm skill. The moves are solid and sturdy, and only at the moment of an outburst does the storm rage. I was thinking it might not be quite suitable for Brother Zhao, whose style is aggressive and fierce, like a rainbow... But hearing Brother Zhao just now implying the need for more techniques, I think you’ve got an idea."

Zhao Changhe laughed, "Nothing is unsuitable. I think it fits very well, at least better than the Bibo Qingyi I’m currently using..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously ducked his head for some reason, glancing left and right as if he was afraid of being hit.

Situ Xiao couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

Zhao Changhe coughed twice and then asked, "I wonder if I could ask Brother Situ for some advice on body refining? Uh, it will definitely not involve the secrets of your Sect’s lineage, as I am utterly ignorant in that regard. I just want to ask some basic knowledge."

Situ Xiao poured another bowl of wine and said casually, "In fact, you’ve been body refining... Blood Evil Skill is external skill, training muscles, Qi, and blood. I don’t believe you haven’t taken a medicine bath."

"Does that count?"

"It’s a form of body refining, leaning towards offense. Our Sect’s method leans towards defense, that’s all. Don’t think that only being invulnerable to sword and spear counts as body refining; there’s no such rule."

"Is it possible to have both? For example, if I now also learn Iron Shirt, will it conflict with the body refining I’ve already done?"

"There will be some conflict... You could say that the muscle combination pattern is different." After pondering for a moment, Situ Xiao continued, "If you’re pursuing the body’s defensiveness, there may only be two paths."

Zhao Changhe raised his bowl, "Please enlighten me."

"One is the top divine body from the previous epoch, the specific name I do not know, but it certainly exists. That path is elusive; just listen and forget it. The second, more feasible, is when your cultivation of inner strength reaches a certain level, you can learn a type of magic skill to form a protective Qi wall. The drawback of this path is that it cannot last forever; no one can maintain a Qi wall indefinitely."

Zhao Changhe laughed, "Having a direction is good enough, thank you, Brother Situ, for the guidance."

Situ Xiao said, "I suggest that you either reconcile with the Blood God Sect or find a way to eliminate them. Because you’ve lost many subsequent cultivation opportunities due to breaking with the Blood God Sect. I don’t know about the Evil Qi of the Blood Evil Skill, but speaking only of body refining, it’s okay to take medicine baths in the early stage, but in the later stage, you’ll inevitably need some special items. If you’re completely clueless, how can you continue to cultivate upward?"

Zhao Changhe fell silent.

If it weren’t for this encounter with Situ Xiao and his contact with Sea Mud, he really hadn’t thought about the medicine bath for a long time. Now it seems that the Way of Martial Arts is endless in every direction, and his own path is just beginning.

The more he knew, the more he felt the gap.

That’s why being a rebel is not easy; others have a complete heritage, while you will likely struggle to have one.

Situ Xiao then asked, "You must have other matters keeping you in Langya, surely not just waiting for me, right?"

Zhao Changhe came back to his senses and laughed, "There are some matters."

Situ Xiao said, "Do you need a hand?"

"It’s not good to drag Brother Situ into this..."

"Looking down on Situ?"

"No." Zhao Changhe lowered his voice, "The Wang Family has revealed their rebellious intentions, and other rebels are sure to communicate with each other... The Wang Family might not care much for the Maitreya Sect, but the Maitreya Sect definitely values the Wang Family. I suspect the envoy from the Maitreya Sect will arrive soon, so I’m observing on the streets here to kill him when he comes. This involves a power struggle, and Brother Situ’s Martial Arts Sect may not want to wade into these murky waters; it’s not necessary."

Situ Xiao was taken aback and then scoffed, "And here I thought it was something important... Is it just about killing a dog? Guess where I was planning to go after leaving Langya?"

A thought struck Zhao Changhe, "Heading north to Yanmen? I’m also planning to check it out after I finish things here."

Situ Xiao laughed heartily and slammed his wine bowl down, spilling wine everywhere, "Damn, you really are to my liking."

While they were laughing heartily, a group of monks passed by outside the door.

Both men turned their heads at the same time, their eyes gleaming.