Chapter 381: Martial Arts Crash Course

Small Dispute Peak, martial arts arena.

Ning Zhuo and Han Zhou were sparring.

Han Zhou's fighting style was completely different from Lin Shanshan's. He was open and aggressive, with offensive moves making up the vast majority, and defensive moves were rare unless his own vital points were involved.

Once Han Zhou launched an attack, his offensive was continuous, as if a freezing wind and snow were sweeping across the sky.

Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth to hold on, seemingly falling back into the situation he faced during his initial sparring with Lin Shanshan—only able to defend, with no power to attack.

Seeing that Ning Zhuo's defensive stance was full and extremely tight, Han Zhou could not help but feel surprised.

"How long has it been? Ning Zhuo has actually made such huge progress in martial arts!"

His perception was much deeper than that of an ordinary person.

Because not long ago, it was he who had taken the initiative to challenge Ning Zhuo. During that fight, he and Ning Zhuo had engaged in close-quarters combat.

After not many rounds, Ning Zhuo's defense had collapsed, and he was pursued by Han Zhou. If not for a spiritual talisman saving the day, Ning Zhuo would have already lost to him.

But now, Han Zhou had unleashed his full offensive tide, yet he still hadn't made Ning Zhuo unable to parry.

Don't look at Ning Zhuo's disheveled appearance; his defense was indeed tight, forcing Han Zhou to adopt other methods in an attempt to break the stalemate.

"Be careful, I'm going to use martial arts." Han Zhou called out softly, giving a heads-up.

The next moment, a layer of white frost covered his fists, and the air temperature plummeted.

Martial Art—Frost Fist.

Bitter cold qi also radiated out along with it.

Ning Zhuo dared not resist head-on; he tapped his toes, his figure agile, and he kept jumping backward.

Han Zhou followed closely.

Ning Zhuo focused mainly on dodging, every dodge and shift flowing like clouds and water, without the slightest hesitation, reflecting his solid basic skills.

Martial Art—Old Cold Leg.

Han Zhou's leg strength was sharp, striking out with whistling cold winds.

Ning Zhuo struggled to parry, remaining at an absolute disadvantage.

Long defense leads to mistakes; Ning Zhuo revealed a flaw.

Han Zhou's eyes lit up suddenly, seizing the opportunity, he exerted force abruptly, a fist carrying biting cold qi heading straight for Ning Zhuo's face.

Ning Zhuo's gaze sharpened, he stepped lightly, attempting to dodge sideways.

He avoided most of it, but was still struck on the shoulder by Han Zhou's fist.

Ning Zhuo stumbled back, his defensive stance finally collapsing at this moment.

Han Zhou, however, withdrew his hand, stood his ground, and stopped attacking.

"Impressive, impressive!" Ning Zhuo clutched his shoulder; the pain from the strike was secondary, his mood was very pleasant, and he sincerely praised Han Zhou.

Ning Zhuo's previous practice sessions with Lin Shanshan had seen diminishing returns, and his insights regarding martial arts and combat were becoming fewer and fewer.

But now, he had switched to sparring with someone else, and his previous state had returned. Although this sparring session was not long, Ning Zhuo had gained a lot, with many insights that needed to be reviewed, memorized, and actively absorbed immediately.

"Brother Han Zhou, sparring with you is truly the right choice. I have learned a lot, thank you! Thank you!" Ning Zhuo thanked him sincerely.

Han Zhou's eyes flashed. He harbored other motives; the more times and the longer Ning Zhuo sparred with him, the easier it would be for Ning Zhuo to be converted.

The Foundation Establishment stage, after all, was not the Jin Dan stage; cultivation techniques could still be changed!

Han Zhou thought for a moment and indicated that Ning Zhuo had made great progress, bringing him a completely different feeling compared to their previous fight.

"But you lack relevant martial arts; otherwise, you would have been able to contend with my Frost Fist and Old Cold Leg."

"Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, the cultivation technique you practice focuses on the Qi Sea, which is already at a great disadvantage in close-quarters combat."

"I suggest you practice some martial arts. Although some martial arts are just techniques, not cultivation methods, they can also mobilize and utilize your physique and energy well."

Ning Zhuo said "Oh": "I wonder what good suggestions Brother Han Zhou has? I am all ears!"

Han Zhou then said: "If Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo doesn't mind, I am willing to teach you martial arts like the Frost Fist and Old Cold Leg."

Ning Zhuo immediately frowned: "Is that appropriate?"

"Appropriate, it's absolutely appropriate!" Han Zhou laughed inwardly. "Once you learn these martial arts, you will be more inclined to specialize in bitter cold cultivation techniques. If I can eventually convert you, wouldn't that be a great good deed?"

On the surface, Han Zhou said: "Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, the fact that you can grasp the true meaning of bitter cold shows that you have a natural affinity for the Bitter Cold Scripture. This is fate."

"You and I can be considered to have become friends through fighting; teaching you a few martial arts, which are not the fundamentals of the technique, is nothing."

"In fact, even the Bitter Cold Scripture is not impossible to teach. Back then, I was just a beggar, and it was in a dilapidated temple amidst ice and snow that I received the scripture from someone else, leading me onto the path of cultivation."

"I am teaching you these martial arts, just as others taught me the entire Bitter Cold Scripture back then. It is planting a good cause to reap a good fruit."

Ning Zhuo understood: "Hearing these words from you, Brother, further confirms some of my guesses. The Bitter Cold Scripture is indeed a Buddhist scripture, right?"

Han Zhou hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded: "That is exactly so."

"However, please do not spread it lightly, Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, so as not to reveal my roots."

"The Bitter Cold Scripture comes from the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism, emphasizing self-salvation. As the saying goes, the sea of suffering is boundless; only by experiencing the tempering of bitter cold can one forge a precious body and will for cultivation."

"The Bitter Cold Scripture is about transforming the various sufferings and poverty in one's life path into the resources for cultivation!"

Ning Zhuo nodded: "In that case, please teach me the relevant martial arts, Brother Han Zhou."

Han Zhou, however, smiled slightly: "I have a method that can allow you to achieve success quickly, Fellow Daoist."

Ning Zhuo showed a strange expression and immediately asked.

Han Zhou then took out a small bowl from his storage belt, which was eighty percent full of water.

"Back then, that expert taught me the Bitter Cold Scripture using this."

"This bowl of water is refined from bitter water and contains many true meanings of the Bitter Cold Scripture. Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo only needs to drink a small sip to instantly penetrate the various barriers of the relevant martial arts and master them completely."

"Ordinary people find it difficult to use this method. This is because this bowl of bitter water is extremely difficult to swallow, and its extreme bitterness can even cause people to fall into extreme gloom, feeling that life and the world are gray and desolate, leading them to commit suicide."

"But I see that since Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo can clash with my bitter cold qi and grasp some of the mysteries of the Bitter Cold Scripture, it is clear that your comprehension is superb, and you have a natural affinity for this Buddhist scripture."

"Would you like to give it a try, Fellow Daoist?"

Ning Zhuo looked at the water in the bowl, seeing it present a deep black-blue color, with a faint, cold light flickering on the surface.

Standing relatively close, Ning Zhuo could clearly perceive that this bowl of water radiated a bone-chilling cold, as if it could freeze a person's soul.

"Bitter water, I have heard of it long ago; this is a treasure of water-element sin." Ning Zhuo sighed.

In Fire Persimmon Immortal City, he had witnessed the 'Supreme Goodness is Like Water,' which is a treasure of water-element merit.

Now he had seen bitter water; it stood in opposition to 'Supreme Goodness is Like Water' and was a treasure of sin.

The existence of bitter water itself was a symbol of sin; legend has it that it was condensed from countless tears of pain and regret.

Those who hold or come into contact with bitter water will be forced to face the deepest mistakes, grievances, bitterness, and pain within their hearts. Long-term possession will gradually erode the spirit, causing the cultivator to gradually fall into endless pain and regret.

After this erosion reaches a certain level, the cultivator will experience auditory hallucinations, constantly hearing whispers and weeping sounds in their ears, all of which are complaining to them.

This was definitely a huge torture.

Ning Zhuo showed a cautious expression.

Han Zhou comforted him: "Fellow Daoist, do not worry too much. This bitter water has already been refined. With me overseeing it, it can allow you to gain insight into a portion of the true meaning of the Bitter Cold Scripture and instantly grasp seven martial arts."

"Of course, there is a prerequisite for this."

"The prerequisite is that you need to resist the sense of bitterness and gain insights from it, rather than having your emotions affected by the bitterness, your heart-lake overwhelmed by sorrow, and sinking into various negative emotions, unable to extricate yourself."

"If that happens, let alone mastering any martial arts, even wanting to return to a normal state would require a huge price."

"The risks involved are very high."

Ning Zhuo thought for only a moment before smiling: "Since Brother Han Zhou is so frank, I trust you! Trying it out is fine."

"However, the martial arts arena is not a suitable place."

"Can I take some of this bitter water away?"

Han Zhou nodded: "Of course you can."

He immediately took action, pouring out a small bottle and handing it to Ning Zhuo.

After bidding farewell to Han Zhou, Ning Zhuo returned to his cave dwelling.

He first carefully checked with Sun Lingtong to confirm that the bitter water had indeed been refined and no longer posed a huge danger.

Ning Zhuo then asked Sun Lingtong to look after him, as he wanted to taste this bitter water.

Sun Lingtong was very interested and told Ning Zhuo that he hadn't tasted it since he was a child, reminding him to leave a little for him so he could also have a taste.

The two entered the spiritual plant cabin together.

Inside the spiritual plant cabin, the yellow-brown soil had already shown signs of fading compared to before.

Although it was only a shallow layer, in reality, because the array had folded the space, the thickness of the soil was much greater than what met the naked eye.

In the center of the cabin stood a Spirit-Hidden Willow.

Crisp and pleasant wonderful sounds were circling, the spring breeze was blowing gently, and the willow branches were swaying in the wind.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong both looked at the Spirit-Hidden Willow, observing carefully; the former frowned slightly, while the latter showed joy.

Sun Lingtong said: "Little brother, look, these withered willow branches have shown signs of improvement. Before, they were like they were completely dehydrated, but now they have become a bit fuller."

Ning Zhuo, however, sighed: "It seems that the consumption of the Spirit-Hidden Willow is much greater than I imagined."

"We have already done our best to prepare the best treasures we could currently use, but the recovery speed of the Spirit-Hidden Willow is not ideal."

Ning Zhuo lowered his head and looked at the soil near the roots of the Spirit-Hidden Willow. He released his spiritual sense, penetrating into the soil, and saw that the Five-Colored Divine Sand and Three-Treasure Spiritual Soil that had been sprinkled before were almost exhausted, with less than one-tenth of the original total remaining.

Previously, Star River Spiritual Liquid had been poured in advance, and the soil was moist, but now the soil was leaning towards being dry, and the spiritual liquid had also been consumed!

Ning Zhuo immediately decided: "It seems this Spirit-Hidden Willow is not easy to provide for. We must continue to invest in order to maintain its vitality."

Sun Lingtong also frowned: "Regular means are probably not easy to handle. Lin Shanshan is the apple of the Nascent Soul Sect Master's eye, and yet she was grounded because of this matter."

"But I believe there must be more spiritual soil and divine sand in the Ten Thousand Medicines Sect; otherwise..."