Zhang Mingrui, also known as Daoist Zhang, had regular features and an extraordinary demeanor. He wore a light blue daoist robe, holding a flowing duster, complemented by the Ten Directions Shoes and Primordial Cloth...
He gave off an aura of an immortal with Daoist elegance, transcending the mundane.
In terms of appearance, he was far superior to the bald and short Iron Crown Daoist, more fitting the image of a cultivated sage in the minds of ordinary people.
However, now with his exaggerated expressions, displaying a market-like attitude, his impression instantly diminished in Fang Zheng's heart, yet it also made him seem more worldly and approachable.
After some thought, he extended a finger:
"One tael!"
"Are you kidding? One tael of silver isn't even enough to cover the cost of alchemy. At least two taels and eight qian!"
"One tael and five qian!"
"No way, the Bone Strengthening Pill is a secret medicine of the Pure Yang Palace, forbidden to be passed outside. Besides, I have to entrust an elder brother from within the palace to refine it, two taels and five qian is the minimum."
"How about one tael and eight qian?" Fang Zheng showed a troubled expression:
"Daoist Zhang also knows that I've been short on funds recently, if too expensive, I can only give it up."
"This..." Daoist Zhang's eyes flickered:
"How about we both take a step back, two taels of silver? Any cheaper, and I really can't negotiate. I also need some profit, right?"
"Deal!" Fang Zheng nodded, then added:
"But if I have any questions in my practice, the Daoist must help me with explanations."
"No problem!" Daoist Zhang reassured, patting his chest:
"I've also read the Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment Method. It mainly focuses on Pile Technique and Great Medicine. The Pile Technique named Mountain Stabilizing Stance, is much easier to enter than the Pure Yang Stance."
Fang Zheng's eyes brightened.
He was troubled by the lack of a guide on his martial path. If he could gain guidance from the other, spending a bit more money would be worth it.
As for Wu Hai…
Wu Hai couldn't read!
'Come to think of it, I also can't recognize the script of this world, I need to find a bookstore later and buy a book similar to "Shuowen Jiezi."'
'I've studied hard for over ten years, who would've thought I'd end up being illiterate here?'
The bookstore was easy to find, but the price of books was far beyond Fang Zheng's expectations.
A thin copy of the Thousand Character Classic, with only about a dozen pages, was priced at an astonishing one hundred and eighty wen, while the two-finger-thick Shuowen Jiezi was selling for a tael of silver.
And they wouldn't bargain!
It's safe to say that in this world, scholars and literati were indeed not something an ordinary family could afford to support.
The "Thousand Character Classic" was simply for recognizing characters without annotations, used as a textbook for children's initial literacy.
"Shuowen Jiezi," on the other hand, was akin to a dictionary, containing explanations of characters' shapes and sounds, meaning that by reading this book, one could not only understand the meaning of characters but also read most of them aloud.
With these two books, one could recognize ninety-nine percent of the Otherworld's script.
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East City
Xieliu Street
The street got its name from a century-old slanted willow at its entrance, which flourished with green vitality year after year.
Xieliu Street housed thirteen families, and Fang Zheng rented a courtyard from the fourth family, covering a total area of roughly 300 square meters, with a building area of over 100 square meters.
The architectural style was similar to the northern siheyuan, with enclosing walls, three main rooms, two east-side rooms, the west side being the kitchen, and an outhouse in the southwest corner.
Today, with the Cyan Wolf Gang storming the city to rob the execution ground, fear pervaded the populace, and the Government Office enforced a curfew and searched the city for bandits.
Even as night fell, the patrol sounds of governmental officials could still be heard on the streets.
Fang Zheng was quite pleased with the situation.
The more governmental officials, the safer it seemed.
He took out his phone, placed the three books in front of him, and began to cross-reference the Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment Method with the Shuowen Jiezi.
At the same time, he used a pen to write down in simplified characters on new paper.
Thanks to over a decade of modern education and the similar fonts of the two worlds, the translation was initially not smooth, but the speed improved as he got the hang of it.
Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment!
Body Tempering!
"Practicing martial arts is body tempering, the first step is blood exchange. The Qi and blood in ordinary people are stagnant and blocked, blood exchange can stimulate potential in the Qi and blood."
Blood exchange is also called Foundation Establishment.
This does not mean really replacing the blood within the body, but activating the potential within the blood.
According to the Foundation Establishment Method, one can practice martial arts without blood exchange, but the progress would be slow, and future achievements wouldn't be too high. Without a solid foundation, how can a tall building be built?
Putting down the pen, Fang Zheng was full of thoughts, a look of regret spread across his face.
Blood exchange allows for a second development, the best ages for it are between six to eight, or failing that, twelve to thirteen years old, beyond that the benefits diminish greatly.
Being over twenty now, it's indeed too late for him.
Through blood exchange, let alone anything else, one's height can suddenly increase by a large margin.
No wonder resources are scarce in this world, the stature of ordinary people isn't low; it must be the advantage of martial artists' second development through blood exchange passed down to their descendants.
In any case, only after blood exchange can one truly start practicing martial arts.
The next step,
is called Qi Blood Third Transformation!
The so-called three transformations refer to skin and flesh, muscles and bones, and internal organs.
Each transformation of Qi and blood has a hallmark, namely Copper Skin, Iron Bone, and Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound.
The three transformations are not sequential, rather they vary based on the cultivation technique. Some specialize in inner strength, reaching the realm of Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound first, while others focus on hard skill, first achieving Copper Skin or Iron Bone.
Achieving one is known as Qi Blood First Transformation, also known as the early stage of body tempering, achieving two is Qi Blood Second Transformation, naturally a mid-stage.
Qi Blood Third Transformation is Body Refining Perfection.
Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment Method mainly discusses blood exchange and foundation establishment, but the Pile Technique Mountain Stabilizing Stance can also be considered Inner Martial Arts and can be practiced continuously.
The progress, however, would be painstakingly slow, possibly never reaching the realm of even the first transformation of Qi and Blood in a lifetime.
"Forget it, forget it!"
Shaking his head, Fang Zheng murmured:
"The Qi Blood Third Transformation is too far away, let's focus on foundation establishment first."
At this age, his blood exchange and foundation establishment won't be very effective, but they are not without benefit; he must try it nonetheless.
The name Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment is self-evident.
It takes a hundred days to reach perfection.
Using the Pile Technique Mountain Stabilizing, sensing and channeling Qi and blood, using Great Medicine to stimulate Qi and blood flow, after a period, the blood exchange succeeds.
It may not necessarily take exactly a hundred days, some achieve it earlier, some later.
"Snap..."
Fang Zheng's fingers suddenly froze, pressing firmly down on a page of the book, a look of intense excitement in his eyes.
"Heavens never seal off all paths!"
It turns out, within the Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment Method, aside from the Pile Technique and Great Medicine, there's a remedy that can shorten the time to success and greatly enhance the effect of blood exchange.
That is to consume the Heart for Strengthening the Base!
The heart,
is where the Qi and blood of living beings are hosted.
If one could eat a heart every day, along with the stimulation of Great Medicine, it could assist in the blood exchange process.
But the heart must be kept consistent, because the medicine and Pile Technique have certain inertia, changing hearts would render the previous efforts useless.
Moreover, the source of the heart must not be too weak, as a weak one would be of no benefit.
For example, chicken hearts, duck hearts, and goose hearts are useless.
The stronger the better.
Tiger hearts and lion hearts are superior choices.
Furthermore, the heart must be fresh, not left for too long, otherwise, if it stinks, it's equally useless.
The best hearts are actually human hearts, with remarkable efficacy. According to the book's descriptions, some genuinely used human hearts for foundation establishment and blood exchange.
"This is truly..."
"Inconceivable!"
In this world of scarce resources, livestock are precious. Consuming one heart every day, even if it is a pig heart, a middle-class family would be eaten into poverty, few would afford it.
Besides, blood exchange only lays the foundation, the effect isn't substantial, so very few people use this remedy.
Tiger hearts and lion hearts are unimaginable.
Keeping one or two might be possible, but a hundred could fend off an army, how could they be consumed like this?
As for consuming human hearts...
That's a rare case in times of chaos, those who eat human hearts have lost their humanity, regardless of how high their martial skills are, what does it matter?
"However..."
Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of intelligence danced within:
"What others find impossible, doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible for me."