Chapter 723

Many cultivators chose a meditation cushion and sat cross-legged.

The old Confucian Songtaosheng first taught everyone the methods related to hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl.

Both spells require corresponding magic tools; the former uses hemp rope, and the latter uses a wooden awl.

Kong Ran's face became paler and paler; he looked left and right, a bit unable to sit still.

He hoped from the bottom of his heart that someone could take the initiative to leave; as a result, he saw with disappointment: the remaining cultivators were either solemn or expressionless, and had no intention of leaving at all.

Songtaosheng said slowly: "You choose your own classics and use the two methods to assist in learning. This Temple of Literature has long been arranged; if there are any cheaters, they will be severely punished!"

A warning couldn't help but make everyone's heart solemn.

Next, Songtaosheng was quite straightforward and directly announced the start of this Xingyun Trial.

Unlike Ning Zhuo did not rush to act, but fell into rapid thinking.

He felt a bit troubled in his heart: "I have classics, of course, but—what should I choose to learn?"

"Is it one I have already learned and know by heart?"

"Or a classic I only half-understand and haven't learned well?"

"Or choose one that is completely unfamiliar?"

Unlike Ning Zhuo's trouble was not just his own, but also other Confucian cultivators.

Mainly because the selection criteria for this Xingyun Trial were not publicized. Everyone didn't know, so they couldn't grasp it.

So the next moment, Bai Jiyun took the initiative to stand up and salute Songtaosheng to ask.

Songtaosheng was expressionless and shook his head: "This is also one of the test contents of this small trial. Most of you are Confucian cultivators; may I ask if you were participating in the national examination of the Huawen Kingdom, would you also hold the test paper and ask the invigilator?"

Bai Jiyun had to sit down.

The cultivators were sad-faced, almost all thinking about what the evaluation criteria for this Xingyun Trial were.

Only Unlike Ning Zhuo understood in his heart: this regulation is very inclined toward him!

Liu Fushu gritted his teeth secretly and made a decision: "It seems I can only perform with all my strength."

Kong Ran held a fantasy: "Do I really have to do this? If this small trial tests our ability to decisively give up and make wise choices, that would be great."

Kong Ran also knew that this was just his own wishful thinking.

But he really didn't want to hang his head from the beam or pierce his thigh with an awl.

During his childhood, when he was first learning, he was personally left with a shadow by his own father, Kong Zhaoming.

Kong Ran used expectant eyes to scan the audience from time to time: "Whoever of you leaves, I will follow. I will also leave here!"

"Sigh, if I had known it was comparing this, I definitely wouldn't have come."

"Even sleeping in would be better than this."

Kong Ran, at a young age, was already unable to control himself.

He carried the name of a prodigy and was one of the facades pushed out by the Kong family. His father was one of the current Prime Ministers of the Feiyun Kingdom, so his performance was also related to Kong Zhaoming.

Burdened by fame!

Unlike Ning Zhuo realized that this Xingyun Trial was also quietly taking care of him, so he let go of his previous concerns.

He radiated his spiritual sense into his storage belt and had already begun to actively select the classics to learn next.

There were a large number of classics in the storage belt.

For example, the "Ice Sculpture Secret Canon" gifted by Ning Jiufan, the "Curved Snake Movement Array Collection" from Chef Lao, and the Blood Demon Disintegration Small Method, Death Moon Offering Song, and Heaven Burial Ceremony that Unlike Ning Zhuo bought himself.

In the Jiao family's jade slip, there were several cultivation techniques of the Jiao family, as well as treasure maps.

The Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment chapters of the "Myriad Phenomena Scripture."

Chef Lao's inheritance jade slip, which recorded cultivation techniques, recipes, cultivation insights, etc., of the dark cuisine school. It was both proof of identity and an admission ticket and competition ticket for the Hundred Kingdoms Culinary Competition.

By the way, there were also the Frost-Ling and Proud-Snow Comprehension Diagrams, which were one of the foundations of the Ning family. Although they were pictures, they could also be learned and studied.

The precious military book "Gao Sheng's Last Testament."

The special "Underworld Criminal Code."

"Yin Bone Art," "Nether Heart Scripture," "Detailed Explanation of Soul-Guiding Technique," etc., a large number of classics related to soul cultivation. Most of these had to thank the contribution of Tianshuang, one of the Heaven-Earth Twin Ghosts.

There was also the newly obtained "Mother-Sound Reed Book," which Unlike Ning Zhuo had already mastered.

After thinking about it, Unlike Ning Zhuo felt that taking out those soul cultivation techniques seemed to have a bad influence. Therefore, he still chose the "Ice Sculpture Secret Canon."

Unlike Ning Zhuo had read it several times before and clearly recognized his own shortcomings—the carving technique, especially the "inner carving technique" that requires carving array patterns and talismans inside while separated by ice layers, was his biggest weak link at present. Traveling outside, he was unable to attend to everything, so this technique had always been regarded by him as a minor detail, temporarily shelved, and only used as a reference to broaden his horizons.

Recently, Unlike Ning Zhuo used the Intent-Comprehension Brush to copy this book and learned more information that could only be understood intuitively and not put into words.

This time, he was using the Confucian technique of hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl to comprehend this book.

Unlike Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged, his waist and back straight like a pine. He channeled magic power, mobilized his spiritual sense, and urged the magic tool rope.

Thus, the cinnabar hemp rope became agile, actively tying Unlike Ning Zhuo's hair bun. Then the other end of the rope bypassed a protruding beam on the top of the stone room behind him, fell down, and began to tighten with just the right amount of force.

The roots of the hair held by the hemp rope brought Unlike Ning Zhuo a continuous, subtle, and clear feeling of pulling and the slight pain of the scalp tightening.

At the same time, Unlike Ning Zhuo held the wooden awl and used force lightly, piercing toward the outside of his left thigh.

The yellow boxwood awl pierced steadily into the skin and flesh, about an inch deep.

A sharp, direct pain continuously stimulated Unlike Ning Zhuo.

Hanging the head from the beam, piercing the thigh with an awl!

Unlike Ning Zhuo was almost the first cultivator to act, inevitably attracting the attention of many cultivators.

On his young face was a calm expression, and he hadn't even frowned in the slightest.

Some cultivators were secretly surprised; Kong Ran opened his mouth slightly, thinking in a flustered and resistant way: "You started already?"

Songtaosheng naturally had been paying attention to Unlike Ning Zhuo for a long time.

Seeing Unlike Ning Zhuo's performance, he nodded in his heart, but still remained watching: "The hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl I teach are ancient versions, so even if they are not Confucian cultivators, they can use them."

"The key lies in whether the cultivator using this method can overcome the pain and concentrate on learning?"

"If they are interfered with by the pain, and their learning ability does not increase in the slightest, and they learn nothing, they will instead suffer in vain."

Unlike Ning Zhuo fell into deep thought.

His mind was concentrated on a paragraph in the "Ice Sculpture Secret Canon," the content of which was roughly how to use micro-carving techniques to construct array patterns on the inner wall of intersecting ice ridges.

Before, this content was like being covered by a layer of thin ice to him, seemingly transparent but actually blurry.

How do the array patterns intertwine and connect with each other without damaging the ice wall structure? How does spiritual power maintain a balanced and smooth flow in the nine-turn loop patterns? He had pondered these questions repeatedly, but always separated by a layer of fog, unable to grasp the core essence.

But now, with the blessing of hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl, everything became different.

The pain of the scalp being pulled was like an invisible hand, continuously brushing away the distracting thoughts and fog he produced during the thinking process.

The sharp pain on his leg was like a cold clear spring, repeatedly washing his thinking, making it maintain a state of near-excitement and high sensitivity.

"So that's it!" A flash of essence exploded in Unlike Ning Zhuo's eyes, "The key lies in 'layering without breaking, guiding without stagnation'! It's not a simple intersection, but to use the texture of the ice wall itself as a base, letting the array patterns naturally 'grow' like natural ice ridges; the depth of every carving mark and the angle of every turn must fit the internal structure of the ice ridges! Instead of forcibly embedding them!"

As if the thin ice melted in the sun, this difficult point that had troubled him for a long time was thought through by him!

"Effective!"

"These two Confucian spells are quite effective."

Unlike Ning Zhuo tidied up his thoughts, suppressed his excitement, and continued to learn.

He could clearly feel that his learning ability had increased significantly.

The condensation and shaping control of ice essence, the spiritual power micro-manipulation of inner carving knife paths, how to stably record talismans in an extremely cold environment, and even how to use the refraction characteristics of the ice body itself to strengthen the effect of array patterns—the profound content he had swallowed whole before was now dismantled, analyzed, and comprehended one by one!

Layers of thin ice shattered one after another.

"Hmm? A bit interesting." Seeing Unlike Ning Zhuo immersed in learning, not being interfered with or dragged down by the pain, and still having a sense of immersion, Songtaosheng couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation in his heart: "I didn't expect this kid to be able to eat the bitterness of learning! Wen Ruanyu didn't recommend the wrong person."

"Such a youth, even without our help, will definitely be able to stand out!"

Pain?

Unlike Ning Zhuo's state of mind had long been tempered in Huoshi Immortal City.

The continuous pulling pain of the scalp? To him, it was like a bell used to drive away fatigue and remind him to concentrate at all times.

The sharp pain of a red-hot fine needle piercing the outside of his thigh? Like a breeze blowing on his face, it couldn't even stir up a ripple. It existed objectively, but was easily isolated and ignored by his powerful willpower.

This degree of "bitterness" was no longer an obstacle, but a sharp weapon he used to hone his thinking and pierce through the maze, tamed by his powerful willpower.

"Memory has become much stronger; this is the spell power of hanging the head from the beam. Thinking is like an awl, becoming penetrating, able to penetrate many obstacles in learning before. This is the power of piercing the thigh with an awl!"

After learning the entire "Ice Sculpture Secret Canon," Unlike Ning Zhuo still felt unsatisfied.

He scanned the surroundings with shining eyes and found that almost every cultivator was hanging their head from the beam and piercing their thigh with an awl.

Sounds of gasping for cold air came from time to time.

Unlike Ning Zhuo only heard this—before, he was too immersed in bitter learning, and his spirit was too focused and concentrated.

"Next, what should I choose to learn?"

A flash of inspiration flashed in Unlike Ning Zhuo's sea of spirit.

"Why don't I directly study the two methods of hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl?"

Unlike Ning Zhuo used hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl while studying them.

With greatly increased learning ability, Unlike Ning Zhuo soon made progress.

"Alert to laziness, reflect on oneself three times a day!"

"This kind of continuous, unavoidable micro-pain is like a ruler, constantly beating the spirit, not giving it any chance to slack off, forcibly gathering attention to the present. This is exactly in line with the profound meaning of 'caution when alone' in the Confucian school."

"Without supervision, one must also reflect on oneself at all times and remain alert. The spirit is forced to be highly concentrated, so distracting thoughts are difficult to breed, thinking is focused as one, memory is naturally profound, and understanding is naturally transparent."

Next is piercing the thigh with an awl.

"Reflect on the pain, and then you can understand!"

The sharp, severe pain, one after another, was like a thunderclap exploding on the calm lake of the heart, instantly shattering all inherent inertia. The spirit was highly concentrated in an instant, bringing a penetrating effect to thinking!

Unlike Ning Zhuo used the wooden awl to stab himself while paying attention to the upper Dantian sea of spirit.

He saw that every time he stabbed, under the influence of the spell of piercing the thigh with an awl, a large number of thoughts would be ejected in the sea of spirit.

These thoughts were like awl tips that had been tempered, abandoning all vanity and hesitation, becoming extremely sharp, direct, and focused. Consuming them to think about problems could achieve a penetrating effect.

The rope on the beam was pulled tighter and tighter, and the wooden awl stabbed into his thigh again and again.

Unlike Ning Zhuo gradually fell into a state of self-forgetfulness.

The old Confucian Songtaosheng's gaze stayed on Unlike Ning Zhuo more and more.

In the field, very few people tortured themselves so continuously for such a long time like him.

Many people had to stop halfway, and while treating themselves, they observed the surrounding competitors. Thus, many people's gazes were focused on a few cultivators.

Among them was Unlike Ning Zhuo.

Kong Ran's small face was pale, holding the wooden awl, staring at Unlike Ning Zhuo, revealing a look of surprise.

In his impression, Unlike Ning Zhuo was a child of a big clan; he really didn't expect that the latter could endure and suffer like this.

Learning became more and more in-depth, and the enlightenment in Unlike Ning Zhuo's heart accumulated enough, and he began to see the clouds and see the sun.

"The Confucian school emphasizes 'self-restraint'; these two arts are the embodiment of 'self-restraint'."

Hanging the head from the beam is to restrain the 'self' of laziness and looseness in constant micro-bitterness. And piercing the thigh with an awl is to overcome the 'self' of pretending to understand, fearing difficulty, and having blurry thinking in sharp, severe pain.

"The sea of learning is boundless, bitterness is the boat!"

"Pain is not the goal, but the boat to cross the river, the bell and drum to sound the alarm, and the whetstone to hone thinking!"

"Therefore, pain is just a tool, used to hone willpower, clarify the spirit, condense thinking, and break through the maze!"

"Therefore, what they improve is not my own intelligence, but to stimulate, temper, and elevate the cultivator's own potential (willpower, concentration, understanding, penetration) to a limit state far exceeding ordinary days through the catalyst of 'pain'!"

On the surface, the two are just spells to assist learning, but in essence, they are the truth of "the heart and intent dominate, hone the heart with bitterness, and borrow pain to understand clearly."

Unlike Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

Learned it.

He had a deeper understanding and grasp of hanging the head from the beam and piercing the thigh with an awl.

Unlike Ning Zhuo rarely took the time to scan the surroundings.

He found that most of the cultivators had interrupted their learning and could not hold on anymore.

Only less than thirty percent of the people were still persisting.

"Next, it's time to use them to learn more things!" With a trace of excitement, Unlike Ning Zhuo began to study other classics.

This time he chose the "Curved Snake Movement Array Collection."

To be ashamed, Unlike Ning Zhuo obtained this classic but had always had no time to study it deeply, equivalent to leaving it in the bottom of the box to eat dust.

The author of the book was White Scale Resident, a male snake demon. He was injured and disabled, so he could only use mechanisms to replace it.

What was recorded in the jade slip were various array patterns arranged on mechanism snake bodies and flesh-and-blood snake bodies.

Hanging the head from the beam! Piercing the thigh with an awl!

Unlike Ning Zhuo studied with all his might, and the progress was gratifying.

The rope on his hair was pulled tighter and tighter, gradually having a creaking sound. The blood holes on his thighs were getting more and more, and blood kept flowing down.

More and more cultivators stopped.

Liu Fushu was sweating all over from pain and had to stop.

As for Bai Jiyun, he looked at it openly and was one of the first batch of people to give up. If Songtaosheng hadn't opened the temple door, he would have left the field long ago.

"Is the rope and wooden awl he uses really the same as the one I use?" Kong Ran opened his mouth slightly, puzzled and shocked.

Songtaosheng's gaze had long been unreserved, staring directly at Unlike Ning Zhuo, with unmasked appreciation in his eyes: "I didn't expect this kid to be able to eat the bitterness of learning! Wen Ruanyu didn't recommend the wrong person."

"Such a youth, even without our help, will definitely be able to stand out!"

Unlike Ning Zhuo had forgotten himself, completely immersed in the pleasure of learning.

"Refreshing, this kind of progress really makes me unable to stop!"

"If I return to the Bluestone Cave Dwelling and superimpose the use of the Intent-Comprehension Brush and Luoshu pages, what kind of grand scene will it be?"

Thinking of this, Unlike Ning Zhuo couldn't help but reveal a smile, full of expectations for the future.

"Is this person a pervert?!" It was precisely this smile of Unlike Ning Zhuo that defeated the last competitor who was holding on.

Fighting to the end, only Unlike Ning Zhuo remained.

Songtaosheng nodded and said in a low voice: "Good."

In such a situation, there was no need to use means to control it at all.

He immediately announced: "This big-headed youth, you are the winner of this Xingyun Trial!"

No one objected.

Unlike Ning Zhuo, however, was too immersed and didn't hear Songtaosheng's words.