Tendon Tempering

‘Deduction!’

【Detectable martial art available for deduction: 『Mystic Eagle Stance』. Deduct?】

‘Yes.’

Shen Xiuhan growled in his mind.

In his field of vision, the pale-gold numbers fell rapidly like water bursting from a dam.

Thirty...

Twenty-three...

Sixteen...

Nine...

One...

Zero.

Boom!

Instantly, a dead silence fell over the small courtyard.

The rustling of the wind through the bamboo leaves and the pattering of the waves lapping against the shore completely vanished.

It was as if...

Every sound in heaven and earth had been drained by an irresistible, mighty force.

The space between Shen Xiuhan's brows burned scalding hot.

Golden light interwoven and converged in his mind, condensing into an illusory figure whose face could not be seen clearly.

The figure sank its feet and assumed the starting posture of the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』.

Then, at a dizzying speed, it tirelessly went through the stance work and channeled force again and again.

【You bitterly cultivated the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 for fifteen years, finally reaching perfection, yet you touched upon the shackles of the martial path. You went into closed-door cultivation for three years. Though you occasionally had flashes of inspiration, it was always like trying to scoop the moon from the water, failing to grasp that sliver of opportunity to break through.】

【In the nineteenth year, you emerged from your seclusion and stepped into the vast mortal world, witnessing the mountains, rivers, and all walks of life. Though the journey was arduous, you comprehended the true meaning of the martial path amidst the red dust. With your deep accumulation suddenly bursting forth, the blood qi in your body underwent a roaring transformation. Your cultivation progressed naturally, breaking through the great barrier of the Anjin Rank!】

【In the twenty-second year, you traveled deep into Mount Li, standing before a thousand-foot precipice to bitterly practice your stance. Looking up by chance, you saw a black eagle and a golden eagle locked in a life-and-death struggle high in the heavens. The black eagle's wings broke, weeping blood as it plummeted into the mountains! The golden eagle's fierce cry shook the sky, tearing through the clouds! Witnessing the power of these giant primordial birds in combat, you instantly fell into a state of sudden enlightenment.】

【In the twenty-seventh year, you sat withered on the cliff edge. Spending five years of time, you finally carved the true intent of that life-and-death struggle deep into your bones. Using the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 as a crucible, you broke the old to establish the new, creating the Gangjin Rank technique 『Golden Eagle Soaring Technique』 that perfectly suited your own martial path. Once this technique was formed, your blood qi swept away all obstacles, and your cultivation stepped directly into the Great Accomplishment of the Anjin Rank!】

【In the thirtieth year, you polished every detail of the 『Golden Eagle Soaring Technique』 to perfection. Furthermore, you used your profound stance work to nourish your martial techniques, discarding the shallow-rooted 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』 to self-create the Gangjin Rank lethal secret technique, 『Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand』.】

Swish!

His consciousness rushed back like a tidal wave.

Thirty years of bitter cultivation memories, accompanied by the martial intent of breaking through a cocoon to become a butterfly, poured into Shen Xiuhan's mind, limbs, bones, and every inch of his flesh like a divine revelation.

In the next instant!

Shen Xiuhan snapped his eyes open, a sharp light flashing from the depths of his pitch-black pupils!

Boom!

Even without him actively channeling it, his majestic blood qi surged through his body like a runaway horse, circulating along the four main bones that had been tempered to great perfection.

Then, as if finding an outlet, it abruptly changed direction all at once, rushing toward the tendons and meridians of his lower abdomen.

To break through the Tendon Tempering stage, one had to open the five main tendons.

They were: Chong, Dai, Ren, Du, and Yangqiao.

The first was the Chong meridian.

This meridian originated from the lower abdomen, spreading like a spiderweb across the chest, abdomen, and limbs, running through the entire body. It was the "Sea of the Twelve Meridians" within a martial artist's body, also known as the Sea of Blood.

Once this meridian was cleared, a martial artist could freely mobilize the blood qi of their entire body.

They would no longer be left helpless once their blood qi was exhausted, as was the case in the Blood Tempering and Bone Tempering ranks, forced to wait for their bodies to slowly regenerate and recover.

Once the Chong meridian was established, this Sea of Blood would continuously pump out blood qi with a mere thought, stopping only when the entire Chong meridian was completely dried up.

Although draining it would require a longer period of recuperation, in a life-and-death struggle, this trump card that could multiply one's stamina was far more beneficial than harmful.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The blood qi within his body was like a battering ram, slamming recklessly against the sealed barrier of the Chong meridian again and again.

After dozens of consecutive violent impacts...

“Boom!”

The blood barrier shattered, and the tendon-meridian instantly formed.

The Chong meridian, cleared!

The Tendon Tempering stage, achieved!

An incredibly refined, newborn force arose out of thin air from his limbs and bones.

A fierce wave of air swept across the surroundings.

The bamboo leaves on the ground shot outward in all directions like hidden weapons, and his green robes fluttered wildly.

Shen Xiuhan sank his body slightly with the momentum, spreading his arms outward in a motion that was seemingly slow but incredibly swift.

A series of crisp bone cracks echoed in unison, as if a fully drawn bow was hidden within his body.

He raised his right hand slightly, curving his fingers into a claw, and suddenly swiped at the empty air.

『Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand』!

There was no ear-piercing whistle of breaking wind, only a heavy, muffled air pressure that suddenly burst outward.

In the air, five claw-shaped white gas streams shot forward several feet like sharp blades before slowly dispersing.

“Phew...”

A brilliant light overflowed from Shen Xiuhan's eyes. He withdrew his stance and stood up. Feeling the earth-shattering changes within his body, he couldn't help but sigh softly:

“The power of this technique is truly overbearing and peerless, far exceeding that of the 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』.”

“If I had mastered this 『Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand』 earlier, during that ambush at Lingshui Pier, a mere Qu Bushi...”

“Even if he held the 『Overturning Sea Bead』 in his hand, I would be confident in twisting his head off within ten moves!”

Having felt the transformation of his own strength, Shen Xiuhan gained a clearer understanding of his new realm.

However, he suddenly thought of something, and his expression turned somewhat strange.

Although this 『Deduction』 could break the old to establish the new and self-create martial arts,

sometimes the martial arts it deduced did not seem to be fabricated out of thin air, but rather had traceable origins already existing in the world.

For example, when he deduced the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 last time, he had comprehended the 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』.

Later, after entering the inner courtyard, his master had also taught him this martial technique.

Clearly, this martial technique had already existed in the world, just like the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』.

But the 『Twenty-Four Paths Mountain-Collapsing Kick』 was somewhat different.

That kick technique was an ancestral art of the Gao family.

It was considered powerful in the Mingjin and Anjin ranks, but it paled in comparison once it reached the Huajin Rank.

On the other hand, the 『Thirty-Six Paths Sky-Collapsing Kick』 deduced by the system had forcibly added many variations on top of it, making this kick technique respectable even among Huajin Rank martial techniques.

And this time...

Surely his master wouldn't be able to pull out the 『Golden Eagle Soaring Technique』 and 『Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand』 as well, right?

Shen Xiuhan shook his head. Having no clue at all, he was too lazy to overthink it.

He picked up the broom in the corner and swept the shattered bamboo leaves scattered all over the courtyard clean.

Then, he walked into the bamboo building, picked up the cold tea on the table, and gulped down several large mouthfuls to moisten his throat.

Pulling over a bamboo chair to sit down, Shen Xiuhan reached behind him and took out the worn-out bamboo slip bound with golden thread, spreading it out on the table.

『Tongbei Stance』.

Ever since he had fished out this stance work from the bottom of that water urn, Shen Xiuhan had been flipping through and pondering it over the past month whenever he had free time.

In all fairness,

the combat methods attached to this stance work were indeed exquisite. The subtlety and ruthlessness of its moves truly surpassed the 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』 and the 『Twenty-Four Paths Mountain-Collapsing Kick』 he had initially mastered.

However, that was only in comparison to martial arts below the Huajin Rank.

If the 『Tongbei Fist』 technique included within it were to be compared with the deduced 『Thirty-Six Paths Sky-Collapsing Kick』, it was hard to say which would be more exquisite.

Not to mention the 『Heavenly Eagle Wind-Tearing Hand』.

“At most, it's just a Huajin Rank technique left behind by a predecessor that has some merit. To me, it's as useless as chicken ribs.”