"System, level me up!"
Chu Huaixu sat cross-legged on his bed and spent 79 experience points to raise his character level from 0 to 1. As for why it was 79 points, the system had its own algorithm. It was closely related to the player's own attributes, the compatibility of the cultivation technique, and other factors.
That Xue Hu who died in the rainy night probably never would have dreamed that for Chu Huaixu, opening an aperture was as simple as breathing. Of course, he couldn't even dream anymore. Xue Hu had actually managed to open two apertures himself. He had purchased an Aperture-Opening Pill through some special channels when he was young, then used body tempering techniques to stimulate his body, suffering a great deal to barely achieve such a result. He knew in his heart that this was likely not his limit, but the pain was so deeply ingrained in his memory that he didn't even have the courage to take another step.
Besides, having two open apertures made his physical qualities slightly better than an ordinary person's, which was enough for him to pull some strings and get into the constabulary. It was just a pity that on this night of pouring rain, he met Chu Huaixu, a walking hack. His death contributed 100 experience points to the transmigrator, becoming the "nourishment" for him to open his own aperture.
Inside the main hall on Asking the Dao Peak, the group of experts at the seventh realm and above were all stunned.
Opening an aperture in three breaths? And it was a completely blocked aperture at that?
What did this mean? The spiritual energy had just entered his body and it opened the aperture?
It was simply inconceivable and utterly shocking!
One must know, the person with the Profound Yin Physique living next door to him had spent nearly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, circulating the 'Ice-Pure Art' for one full cycle through her body, before she succeeded.
And among these people, the most emotional one was, of course, Li Chunsong. The breathing of this Sixth Elder, nicknamed by players on the forums as the "Charity God of Gamblers," "Li Pure-Gifter," and the "Ever-Defeated General," had become ragged! He was even trembling slightly. That unremarkable face of his began to flush, and he appeared incredibly excited
, as if bolts of electricity were coursing through his entire body.
"I won?"
"I... I actually won!"
He could hardly remember the last time he had won a bet. He felt so good it was like the top of his head was about to blow off.
However, before they could even begin discussing it in their shock, an anomaly occurred.
Chu Huaixu, who had opened his aperture in three breaths, suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream.
In an instant, he was struck by extreme pain. It felt as if he were lying on a road, and a motorcycle was repeatedly running him over, striving to leave its tire tracks on every corner of his body.
Because it all happened so suddenly, the pain was so intense that he felt dizzy.
Chu Huaixu had been sitting cross-legged on the bed. Now, after a dizzying spell, he fell off. The jade slip spread out before him and the small booklet placed to the side also fell to the floor.
The foxy-faced young man fainted directly from the pain.
Just before he lost consciousness, he suddenly understood the words written on the jade slip.
"[Heaven and Earth as the furnace, the body as the sword, tempered by spiritual energy, to forge the body and open the apertures.]"
The night wind blew in from the window, coincidentally flipping the pages of the small booklet, giving off a sense of "The gentle breeze cannot read, why does it randomly flip the pages of a book?"
The large characters written on the first and second pages were thus revealed.
"Don't practice!"
"Heed the advice!"
...
...
In the bamboo hut next door, Han Shuangjiang opened her beautiful eyes, having undoubtedly heard the heart-wrenching scream. She shot up from her bed and stood up directly.
"What happened to him?" She looked in the direction of the neighboring hut.
However, her experiences since childhood and her recent life of displacement had made her lean towards indifference. But after struggling with herself for a few moments, she still decided to "meddle in other people's business." After all, at her core, she was still a kind person.
Han Shuangjiang strode forward. When her astonishingly proportioned jade legs took large, quick steps, there was always a unique kind of beauty. Someone with short legs, on the other hand, would often look somewhat comical.
She pushed open her bamboo door, arrived in front of Chu Huaixu's hut, and raised her hand to knock.
Knock, knock, knock—!
No answer.
"You." Han Shuangjiang paused for a moment before continuing, "Are you alright?"
Still no answer.
Previously, she had always worn a veil in front of Chu Huaixu. At this moment, without her veil, she had an exquisitely flawless face, so beautiful it could steal one's soul.
She bit her silver teeth, made a decision, and pushed the door directly.
Creak—! It wouldn't budge; it was locked.
You've got to be kidding. You're a demoness who possesses the dual cultivation technique 'Joyful Entanglement' and you called me a cultivation cauldron the moment we met. How could I, Chu Huaixu, not lock my door?
What's the most important thing for a boy when he's away from home?
Protecting himself!
He had been a companion for so many years. How could he not understand the principle that women are all the same? If you let them get you too easily, they won't know how to cherish you.
A man who doesn't love himself is like a rotten cabbage.
Han Shuangjiang lowered her eyes slightly, guessing the problem was quite serious and suspecting he had already fainted. She looked around and finally decided to go find Deacon Niu. The thick-browed man looked upright and was also kind. Even though it was so late, it probably wouldn't anger him, right?
Just as she was about to set off, a figure flew over quickly from a distance. As he approached the hut, he flicked his sleeve, and his spiritual energy directly blasted the door open. Only then did he land gracefully. The entire sequence of movements was as smooth as flowing water, utterly stylish!
The aesthetically-challenged Sixth Elder, Li Chunsong, glanced at Han Shuangjiang, then walked inside with an anxious expression.
"His physique is strong; he's in no danger."
"And... he's a bit excessively robust," Li Chunsong said, somewhat puzzled. How could opening a single of the nine apertures result in such an improvement?
He raised his right hand, and the jade slip scattered on the floor flew into his grasp.
Li Chunsong took a closer look and couldn't help but blurt out:
"What is this demonic art!"
As a dignified Great Cultivator of the seventh realm, he could naturally see through a mere aperture-opening stage technique with a single glance.
"This technique actually integrates body tempering directly into it, becoming a practice of both internal and external."
"And it uses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temper the physical body?"
"How is this any different from the final step in artifact refining—Spirit Tempering?" Li Chunsong's brow furrowed even deeper.
Sword Tempering Art, Sword Tempering Art.
This was literally tempering a person like a sword!
But after he calmed down and deduced it, he found that this technique was actually feasible. It was as if it used artifact refining as a foundation and adapted it into an alternative, demonic aperture-opening art!
"This person's artifact refining skill is definitely at the Grandmaster level!" Li Chunsong was once again greatly shocked.
One had to know, the entire Dao Gate had only one Grandmaster of artifact Refining. And that was the broad-minded Ninth Elder of the Dao Gate, Nangong Yue. In terms of rarity, the number of Grandmasters of artifact Refining was even smaller than the number of Great Cultivators at the seventh realm and above.
"This definitely wasn't created by Ninth Martial Sister. A demonic thing like this is more like something Chu Yinyin would do!" Li Chunsong thought.
He decided to go wake up Niu Yuanshan later and ask him a few questions.
The Sixth Elder turned to glance at Han Shuangjiang and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's nothing. He just fainted from the pain due to the special nature of his cultivation technique."
"Fainted from pain?" Han Shuangjiang was perplexed.
A grown man fainted from pain? This technique was that terrifying!
Just now, when she was practicing the 'Ice-Pure Art', she had clearly felt a refreshing sensation throughout her body. It felt like a gentle stream of energy was spreading through her, washing away the fatigue of the entire night. She never would have imagined that cultivation could be such a pleasant affair.
But why was he in so much pain?
Han Shuangjiang glanced at Chu Huaixu lying on the floor. She found that after his face turned deathly pale, his foxy face actually possessed a different kind of beauty.
"An excellent cultivation cauldron should be just like this." Her old habits from the Joyful Sect were acting up again, and she even began to appraise him.