Chapter 67: Pure Yang Tiger Soul

"Silver casts the dragon bone, Tiger Soul tempers the golden spirit. Where Yin and Yang unite, forge the form into the Great Truth. The essence of the five metals hides in the Western Extreme; Dragon and Tiger devour each other to become boundless. If this body achieves silver marrow permeation, I dare knock on the Mystical Gate at the Heavenly Gate..."

Inside the tent, the Transmission Judge was reciting the General Outline of the Practice Method, looking at the hundred newcomers before him, collectively called one "Squadron" of troops.

This time, the Governor recruited three thousand new soldiers, divided into thirty Squadrons and three hundred small teams.

These new recruits had no qualification to see Qi Qi Jiguang, nor could they practice directly; instead, they underwent a week-long literacy remedial class, forcibly memorizing the meridian charts.

Now, they could initially understand the content of the Practice Method.

The Transmission Judge continued: "Heaven and Earth's spiritual qi is toxic; rashly drawing qi into the body will trigger unknown mutations, invite evil spirits to invade the soul, and turn one into a monster.

Among them, silver, coral, amber, mother-of-pearl, agate, real pearls, and jade are collectively known as the Seven Real Treasures, but why has only silver become the foundation of cultivation? Does anyone here know?"

The Transmission Judge scanned the crowd; no one raised a hand to answer, then he looked at Chen Shui, who was sitting upright, and spoke:

"Chen Shui, you answer!"

"Here!"

Chen Shui stood up and answered loudly: "Because silver has the effect of driving away evil and avoiding calamity; once cast into coins and put into circulation, it gains further support from the fate of the Human Path, connecting the dragon and tiger qi of the dynasty, suppressing evil spirits. Integrating it into the body makes one immune to a hundred evils."

"Very good, sit down."

The Transmission Judge looked at him with appreciation; although Chen Shui came from an ordinary background, because the Lotus of Hardship had strengthened his physique and spirit, his learning speed was fast, and he had been praised by the judge many times.

He currently temporarily holds the position of captain of a ten-man small team.

But to become permanent, he must master the first entry of the Practice Method; otherwise, he will be replaced by the first person in the team to condense Dragon and Tiger Qi.

The Transmission Judge continued: "Cultivating Dragon and Tiger Qi divides into two paths: Body and Method. Silver Method cultivation is a privilege for the wealthy; we mud-legs cannot afford those resources. Although we can only walk the Body Path, that does not mean we have no future.

On the contrary, by absorbing silver, integrating it into ourselves, and tempering an extremely strong physique, within five steps, we can kill Method cultivators of the same rank as if killing chickens.

We absorb silver to condense 【Silver Dragon and Tiger Qi】 within the body, which can temper our blood qi, turning it into mercury, named 【Silver Blood】. This equals a Method cultivator opening their spirit; every wisp can generate fifty jin of force. Accumulating ten wisps is like a fierce tiger descending the mountain; demons and evil spirits cannot easily attach themselves.

Accumulating fifty wisps of Dragon and Tiger Qi allows one to temper the tendons and meridians, named 【Silver Tendons】, equivalent to a Foundation. The tendons become silver threads with extreme toughness; ordinary blades cannot easily cut them, and pulled out, they can even serve as bowstrings for a five-stone bow.

Accumulating a hundred wisps allows one to refine the bones and marrow; the bones turn to silver, with silver marrow flowing inside, capable of extending several zhang from the body to condense martial arts killing moves.

A silver film can condense on the body's surface, making one invulnerable to blades and spears. Reaching this step is called 【Silver Armored Soldier】. Because silver possesses the power to break spells, even those with spiritual seeds must retreat three steps. Even in the capital, they belong to the elite among soldiers."

"My lord, what realm is Governor Qi in?"

A burly man beside Chen Shui asked curiously; his name was Han Hu, a miner from a silver mine.

Because he was lucky enough to dig up the Earth's Silver Marrow, he was specially permitted to escape slavery, and then he joined the army.

The others, including Chen Shui, were also curious.

The Transmission Judge did not dampen the mood, saying: "The Governor has already promoted to the 【Tiger Soul Realm】, comparable to an Old Talisman True Person. I do not know how strong he is, but I have seen the Governor a few times; let me describe him to you.

As he speaks, his breath carries a metallic tremor, like a tiger's roar; his eyes glow with silver light; his blood qi is vast, manifesting the phenomenon of a Silver Sun, illuminating the night as if it were day. He can even transform qi into a white tiger, smash a mountain peak with a single claw, and possess a mysterious, unfathomable form of ascension..."

"Wow—"

The crowd was shocked upon hearing this; is this still a human?

"Just listen; you must not aim too high and reach too far."

The Transmission Judge said solemnly: "Absorbing silver to condense Dragon and Tiger Qi, the process most forbids a restless mind. Especially since it contains the fate of the Human Path, condensing every wisp of Dragon and Tiger Qi requires swallowing an equal amount of Pure Yang Cinnabar.

Otherwise, it is easy to lose control, erode oneself, and turn into a silver-cast statue. By then, even if a Great Luo Immortal arrives, it would be hard to save you."

"Then wouldn't melting it down for family make them rich?"

A man's expression became excited; could his own flesh turn into valuable silver?

The Military Judge laughed and scolded: "Get lost! By then, even if you melt you down, you won't extract a single gram of silver. Moreover, that is poisonous silver; it might spawn silver evil spirits. Do you want to kill them? At most, they will refine you into arrows and shoot you into the sky."

As the words fell, the crowd burst into laughter.

That man was also so ashamed that his face turned completely red.

After the transmission ended, everyone took a silver bean.

This was their monthly "wages" and also the resources needed for cultivation.

Chen Shui also took his silver bean; it was a whole size larger than that of ordinary team members. Whether condensing Dragon and Tiger Qi succeeds or fails, silver is consumed.

It equates to an extra chance.

If one fails to condense Dragon and Tiger Qi within a month, they will be kicked out of the military camp. Within the small team, many people are eyeing his position.

For us mud-legs, who does not want to be an "official," let alone have extra resources?

Returning to the resting tent, the space inside was crowded, divided into ten spots; the innermost had an old cloth curtain, separating a space, a privilege belonging to the team captain.

Every time Chen Shui slept inside, he could feel the jealous gazes of the others, thinking to himself that this Governor truly understands human hearts.

He was also unwilling to be dragged down by others.

Chen Shui pulled the curtain, sat cross-legged, and did not rush to cultivate; instead, he took out the mysterious treasure mirror, upon which had already appeared insights regarding 【Dragon and Tiger Qi】 cultivation, as well as a diagram of his body structure.

'No wonder it is an immortal treasure; with it, I will surely become a Silver Armored Soldier!'

Chen Shui was excited in his heart; the more he understood cultivation, the more he knew how amazing this mirror was.

The basic Practice Method suits most people, but everyone's body structure differs; eventually, there will be errors, leading to fast or slow cultivation speeds.

However, with the treasure mirror, it can tailor a unique Practice Method for you, perfectly matching oneself.

It increased his cultivation efficiency by one-third.

It seems not much, but everyone starts at the same starting line; while others need a month, he only needs twenty days.

Looking far ahead to a year or even ten years, how much Hard Work is saved.

'I will not give up this captain's position!'

Chen Shui recited the Practice Method, then pressed the mirror against his chest, feeling a wisp of cool qi; his mind instantly calmed down, and he sat cross-legged to cultivate.

With the special breathing rhythm, the silver bean in his hand slowly drew out threads, sinking into his body.

In the present world,

"Being a mastermind behind the scenes is really not easy..."

Jiang Yan, looking at Chen Shui who had entered the right track before the mirror, let out a sigh of relief. Around him lay a huge pile of drafts, densely covered with various discarded drafts of deductions for the Silver Cultivation Method.

The effortless deduction Chen Shui saw from the treasure mirror was the result of Jiang Yan working overtime to catch up with the flow of time.

As for that calming effect... it was hypnosis plus psychological suggestion applied through the Mind-Monkey Method.

However, at this pace, Chen Shui will soon be able to advance to squad leader or even scout leader.

By then, he can go slay pirates or Japanese pirates, advance his rank, gain fortune, and unlock more functions of the 【Mirror of the Heaven-Stealing Ghost】.

He will soon become his "white glove" for gathering resources in the Silver Dynasty.

"What is a chicken's rib to one is honey to another; controlling channels to different worlds is the greatest opportunity."

Jiang Yan extended his hand; deep within his blood vessels, threads of silver spiritual light circulated, constantly tempering his blood and meridians, with some meridians already taking on the form of "silver threads."

Golden light circulated over his body's surface, and upon contact, it was shattered in an instant.

He had already mastered the power of 【Law-Breaking】!

(End of this chapter)