Chapter 175

Hearing Shi Yi's words, Su Chen, who was on the side, opened his eyes.

"Get up," he said calmly.

Shi Yi struggled to climb up.

"Follow me."

Su Chen took him to the small courtyard in the back mountains of the Qingxi Sword Sect.

"Do you remember your previous work?" Su Chen asked, pointing to the firewood piled in the courtyard.

Shi Yi nodded.

"Go, chop a load of firewood."

Although Shi Yi was puzzled, he still picked up an ordinary axe and began to chop wood.

He had repeated this movement countless times; he was as familiar with it as could be.

Axe up, axe down.

"Crack!"

A piece of firewood split in response.

He didn't think much and continued to chop the next piece.

Su Chen watched from the side without speaking.

When Shi Yi had chopped about half, Su Chen suddenly spoke.

"Stop."

Shi Yi stopped his movement and looked at him in confusion.

"What were you thinking about when you were chopping wood just now?" Su Chen asked.

"I... I wasn't thinking about anything..." Shi Yi answered honestly.

"Right, that's the feeling." Su Chen nodded, "When you chop wood, you don't think about what posture to use or how much force to exert, because the act of chopping wood is already deeply engraved in your body. You only need to pick up the axe, and your body naturally makes the most correct response."

"Cultivation is the same."

"For the past half month, you have constantly imitated the movements I made that day; in fact, you have done well enough. But because you think too much in your head—wanting to imitate my movements and wanting everything to align with me—you have failed to grasp the essence."

"The 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes' is a technique that places special emphasis on 'momentum', and everyone has their own unique 'momentum'. By blindly trying to imitate the momentum I used to perform the 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes', you have only gone further astray."

"There is a saying: 'Those who learn from me live, those who resemble me die.' You can learn from me, but you cannot blindly imitate me; if you do, you are destined not to go far."

"Now you need to forget me." Su Chen's voice carried a peculiar guiding power, "Forget the momentum I used that influences you. After half a month of constant practice, the movements of the first form of the 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes' are already engraved in your body. You only need to let nature take its course and follow your body's instincts."

Shi Yi listened to Su Chen's words and stood there blankly. He closed his eyes, trying to forget the image of Su Chen in his mind.

As Su Chen's figure gradually faded from his mind, the scenes of swinging the axe thousands of times over the past month flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze seemed to have changed.

"Senior, I think... I understand a little."

"Then go try again." Su Chen smiled.

Su Chen took Shi Yi and returned to the clearing left behind after the logging in the mountains in an instant.

Having spent half a month with Su Chen, Shi Yi was no longer surprised by such supernatural powers.

He walked directly to the axe he had failed to lift for half a month.

Then he slowly set up the starting posture he had practiced countless times.

This time, he did not deliberately try to imitate Su Chen, but acted entirely on his body's instincts.

At this moment, a faint but uniquely his own 'momentum' finally appeared on him.

At the same time, the Witch Clan bloodline within him seemed to receive some kind of call and instantly awakened.

An overbearing aura erupted from his thin body!

Shi Yi bent over naturally and gripped the axe handle.

This time, the axe he had been unable to lift no matter what he did was easily picked up from the wooden stake.

"Ha!"

Shi Yi let out a loud roar and swung the axe forward using the first form of the 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes'.

The black axe in his hand drew a black arc in the air.

"Boom!"

The axe landed heavily on the wooden stake in front of him.

The entire wooden stake was instantly split in two, then exploded, wood chips and soil flying into the sky.

Finally, the entire wooden stake disappeared, leaving a pit more than half a foot deep in the ground.

Su Chen nodded slightly as he watched this scene; after half a month of hard training, Shi Yi had finally touched the threshold of the first form.

Although his control of strength was not very good, he could at least perform it.

Shi Yi looked at the destruction he had caused with an expression of disbelief.

Then, his nose felt sore, and tears were about to flow from his eyes, but fortunately, he restrained himself in time.

"I finally succeeded." Shi Yi couldn't help but shout in his heart: "I am not a piece of trash!"

Su Chen walked to his side and patted his shoulder.

"Congratulations, you have officially stepped into the threshold of the 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes'."

"Senior, many thanks, Senior!"

Shi Yi came back to his senses, so excited he was incoherent, and was about to kneel to Su Chen again.

"Enough, I said don't kneel all the time." Su Chen held him up, "You have only just stepped into the threshold of the first form; the road ahead is still long. This technique has a total of six realms, and every six forms mastered constitutes one heaven. You are still far from the first heaven."

Su Chen looked at him and said with a serious expression: "Remember, the path of physical cultivation is all about diligent and hard practice. You must not be lazy in the future; you must practice constantly every day, polish your body, and refine your Qi and blood, understand?"

"Yes! Disciple understands!" Shi Yi nodded heavily.

In the following half month, he practiced the first form every day and finally mastered it completely.

And at this time, the moment of parting had arrived.

Before leaving, Su Chen took out a blank jade slip.

His spiritual sense surged, and he recorded the entire 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes' technique as well as some of his cultivation experience into it.

After finishing all this, he set a refined restriction on the jade slip.

He handed the jade slip to Shi Yi and said: "This jade slip contains the complete inheritance of the 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Axes'. However, I have set a restriction; you can only unlock the restriction and see the cultivation method for the next form after you have completely mastered the previous one."

"I do this so that you won't be overly ambitious and bite off more than you can chew."

Of course, another reason was to prevent this divine technique from being stolen by others and easily learned if Shi Yi were to meet with an accident.

But Su Chen naturally would not tell Shi Yi this reason.

Shi Yi took the jade slip solemnly and tucked it away carefully; this thin jade slip carried his hope for the future.

Su Chen took out a few bottles of pills and handed them to him: "These are pills for consolidating the foundation and restoring Qi and blood. If you feel physically exhausted during cultivation, take one. But remember, external objects are ultimately just aids; true strength still depends on one's own hard work."

"Disciple will keep Senior's teachings in mind!"

After giving these instructions, Su Chen prepared to leave.

He said to Shi Yi for the last time: "You can choose to pass this divine technique down in the Qingxi Sword Sect, but you must remember: an innocent man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a target. Although this divine ability has harsh cultivation requirements, it is ultimately a top-tier divine technique in the Three Realms. If you don't want to bring trouble to the Qingxi Sword Sect, it is best not to publicize it."

"I will remember!" Shi Yi nodded.

"Then let us part here; I hope you will achieve something in the future." Before Su Chen's voice had faded, he had already disappeared from the small courtyard.

Shi Yi looked at the place where Su Chen had disappeared with reluctance, kowtowed three times to that spot, and whispered "Master".

Su Chen, having left the courtyard, found Daoist Priest Qinghe to bid him farewell.

"Senior, are you leaving already?" Daoist Priest Qinghe was equally reluctant, "Won't you stay for a few more days? It would allow this junior to listen to more of your teachings."

"No." Su Chen shook his head, "I have important matters to attend to and cannot delay any longer."

He said to Daoist Priest Qinghe: "Daoist Priest, the technique I passed to Shi Yi, while powerful, is also extremely dangerous to cultivate. In the future, I hope you can look after him a little. If he can achieve something, he will surely be a great help to the Qingxi Sword Sect in the future."

"Senior, rest assured!" Daoist Priest Qinghe hurriedly promised, "Shi Yi is also a disciple of my Qingxi Sword Sect, and now that he has received your inheritance, this junior will definitely look after him as if he were a direct disciple and will never let him suffer any grievances!"

Su Chen nodded; he had done what he needed to do.

How far Shi Yi could go on his future path would depend on his own fortune.

He bid farewell to Daoist Priest Qinghe, then turned into a stream of light, soared into the sky, and left the Qingxi Sword Sect.

Daoist Priest Qinghe looked in the direction where Su Chen had disappeared and cupped his hands in salute.