Chapter 242: Heavenly Fortune Dragon Tiger Longevity Furnace

Long Chan Vajra Sutra.

In the room, Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes slightly narrowed, as this supreme art obtained from Master Long Yin had already welled up in his heart.

"This method of transmitting martial arts is truly terrifying."

Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

He had clearly never read it through completely, yet the text of this supreme art's introductory chapter was as if Ta Yin-ed into his mind, the memory extraordinarily vivid.

"Transmitting through will... if the previous life had such a method, no matter how many Daoist canon classics there were, I could have memorized them all."

Li Yuan's mind recalled this supreme art.

The Long Chan Vajra Sutra, one of the nine supreme arts of Dragon Tiger Temple, was transmitted in earlier years by the founding patriarch, Chan Master Long Yin, and supplemented by successive patriarchs of Dragon Tiger Temple through the ages — an extremely perfected Wu Gong.

The introductory chapter consists respectively of stance arts, stillness arts, breathing methods, and visualization methods.

"Metal — steadfast and indestructible; vajra — pure yang and fierce. The Long Chan Vajra Sutra, also called 'Indestructible Vajra,' fuses horizontal training and ascetic Chan into one."

Li Yuan murmured inwardly: "Externally tempering the vajra, internally storing the Long Chan, cultivating both inside and out..."

Judging by his current understanding of martial arts, this too was an extremely perfect supreme art.

Ascetic Chan is ascetic practice — using all manner of suffering to hone the spirit; vajra is horizontal training of the flesh. This supreme art merges the strengths of both, a method of unifying body and spirit.

"Body and spirit united, penetrating the wonders of yin and yang. The opening of this supreme art points straight at the Grandmaster realm — truly worthy of being one of Dragon Tiger Temple's highest supreme arts."

Dragon Tiger Temple naturally had more than nine supreme arts; it was just that these nine were the most widely known, passed down the longest, and the most complete.

Li Yuan sorted through the scripture; in his mind it was as if memorized by rote, but to truly practice it, he still had to digest it himself.

"Hoo!"

Li Yuan closed his eyes and sat in stillness, dividing his attention — while familiarizing himself with the Long Chan Vajra Sutra, he did not set aside the God-Worship Visualization Method.

Hum!

In the place of spiritual light, dark as the night sky, there was only a single glimmer of jade-like radiance.

From Dechang Prefecture to Mount Hengshan, the journey had taken nearly two months. Benefiting from the Mysterious Whale Qi, Li Yuan's spiritual force had grown considerably, and his visualized spirit-self had grown increasingly robust.

The four limbs and five features were already very distinct; only beneath the skin and membrane, the circulation of qi, blood, and internal force had not yet formed, and it lacked the finer details of bones, flesh, blood, and meridians.

"Before this God-Worship Visualization Method reaches Great Completion, I'm afraid this spirit-self body will be no different from a True Person's. This must be why a Grandmaster can split off true qi and manifest a form ten thousand li away?"

Li Yuan's thoughts wandered.

Compared to a wisp of true qi being able to manifest a form outside, like a True Person, what lay behind this must contain a great many things.

The meeting of yin and yang, the union of body and spirit — he felt that the God-Worship Visualization Method might differ from other supreme divine arts, but in the end they must all reach the same destination by different paths.

"True qi taking form, locking souls across a thousand li... visualizing the spirit-self walking out of the place of spiritual light is one great threshold; leaping out of the human body and merging with true qi is yet another enormous threshold."

Li Yuan murmured inwardly, feeling a touch of longing and stirring.

"Grandmaster..."

He settled his mind, switched the weapon he was wielding, and continued reshaping his bone structure.

On the road, because Old Han had urged him on rather urgently, his progress in reshaping his bone structure had slowed somewhat; but now, he was only a single step away from gathering the full thirty-six forms.

The room was utterly still; the little tiger cub lay on the windowsill.

Under the bed, the little mouse that had been huddling without poking its head out ever since arriving at the inn had just crept out, and saw wisps of moonlight flowing in like water from outside the window.

"Squeak~"

It was somewhat frightened; its already gentle movements grew gentler still, yet it quietly crept into a patch of moonlight, and drew in a deep breath.

"Hiss!"

On the windowsill, the little tiger cub had at some unknown point turned its head back; seeing the little mouse's comical movements and panicked expression, it could not help narrowing its eyes.

"Squeak?"

The little mouse's frightened cry cut off abruptly; it only felt a blur before its eyes, and was already pinned down on the windowsill, moonlight shining on its body, feeling only terror and trembling.

After the little tiger cub arranged it into a strange posture, it went on bathing itself in the moonlight, a "purr-purr-purr" sound emanating from within its body.

Gradually, the little mouse's terror faded; it carefully looked up at the "ancestor of cats" above its head, and suddenly noticed something, adjusting its breathing anew.

"Hoo!"

"Haa!"

……

Mount Hengshan had no curfew; even at night it was quite lively.

Dragon Tiger Temple, however, did have a curfew — when the moon rose, every lamp had to be extinguished, including the candle flames in every hall; before dawn, they had to be lit anew.

Cumbersome, yet it had continued for over two thousand years.

In the night, footsteps were not infrequent within Dragon Tiger Temple. Chu Shan Xuan Kong paused on a hill, quietly watching hall after hall dim:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't Martial Uncle's hall be due for repairs soon?"

"Many years ago, when Martial Uncle returned gravely wounded, the temple began repairs; later, when his injuries improved, they stopped again; a few years ago, they started once more."

Lin Tianhe stood shoulder to shoulder with him, but his gaze was directed toward the halls at the very peak of 'Dragon Mountain.'

Dragon Tiger Temple had no gods or buddhas; every hall enshrined successive patriarchs. The higher the hall, the higher the status — and the more flourishing the incense and offerings.

"A pity, the Dao Lord strictly forbids 'erecting halls for the living' — otherwise, that incense and offerings would be a fine thing indeed."

Chu Shan Xuan Kong stood with his hands behind his back; a few rather aged copper coins leapt between his fingers, occasionally giving out crisp clinks.

"That's the way of the Xieshen Sect, Senior Brother Chu — better not discuss it within the temple. If the Dao Lord were to find out, it would be another three years of ascetic practice."

Lin Tianhe had no wish to broach this matter; no matter how good the incense and offerings, they were not something he dared enjoy. He promptly changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, Senior Brother Chu, did you know long ago that this Li Yuan's talent was peerless?"

"... I did not."

Chu Shan Xuan Kong sighed: "Junior Brother Lin also knows that Chu is Liu Liu Jingshan in the art of divination. When I heard of this man before, I once cast a hexagram..."

"Not too favorable?"

Lin Tianhe's heart stirred slightly; as for the Dao of Divination, he trusted only the 'Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva' lineage of the Star-Picking Tower, even though his senior brother Chu Shan Xuan Kong here was hailed as the number one diviner of the Longhu Temple.

But in fact, not many people within the temple had ever learned the Dao of Divination.

"Very poor."

Chu Shan Xuan Kong nodded: "Just now, I cast another hexagram. This person's fate is fraught with misfortune; by all rights, his lifespan should not be long..."

"I used him as the subject of the hexagram to calculate his fate number and discovered that his palace and killing stars are mixed..."

"What does it mean for palace and killing stars to be mixed?"

Lin Tianhe felt some interest arise.

"People of such scattered patterns are heartless and disregard life..."

"Is that so?"

Lin Tianhe felt no waves in his heart; among those who walk the Jianghu, there are countless heartless people. The Longhu Temple is not the imperial court; where would they care about this?

Just from the fact that this young man dragged along an elder from the Divine Weapon Valley to the banquet during the day, one could see that this person at least cares for his sect and is respectful to elders.

Much better than those genius disciples within the city and the temple.

"Anyone showing signs of violent death yet remaining alive often... never mind, never mind."

Seeing that Lin Tianhe seemed indifferent, Chu Shan Xuan Kong sighed inwardly and lost all desire to continue the conversation.

He knew very well that for someone recognized and granted transmission by the Ancestral Master, unless there is concrete evidence proving this person is a great villain, no matter what he says, it will be of no use.

But he truly did not expect that a small Gao Liu County would produce two freaks in succession; this one, even better in talent than that person.

"Within two hundred years, the Azure Dragon has appeared five times. Once the news spreads, I fear even the imperial court will be shaken. It is just that the Dao Master is not here; otherwise..."

Lin Tianhe felt somewhat wistful. The clouds and mist hide, the Azure Dragon appears; he knew all too well what this meant.

As long as this person does not die, even without the inheritance of a Grandmaster, there is hope of becoming one; if he encounters an opportunity, he might even contend for a top ten spot on the 'Hero List'.

"All six true inheritances already have masters. This young man appearing out of nowhere may not necessarily be a good thing."

Chu Shan Xuan Kong sneered coldly.

The Longhu Temple has only six true inheritances, a number that has never changed in over two thousand years.

Lin Tianhe frowned slightly but did not take up that thread of conversation; instead, he spoke of the matters at today's banquet, and then, at the appropriate time before the curfew, bowed his hands and took his leave.

"Relying solely on a single hexagram..."

Glancing sideways at Chu Shan Xuan Kong who was playing with bronze coins, Lin Tianhe shook his head inwardly, feeling that perhaps he should keep his distance from him...

"Li..."

In the night wind, Chu Shan Xuan Kong paused for a moment, then returned to the courtyard before the curfew. Before he even entered the gate, he saw Wang Shan Xuan Ying.

"Senior Uncle Chu."

After half a day, Wang Shan Xuan Ying had calmed down, though his expression still was not very good.

The scene from the day had truly frightened him and left him incredulous.

Before the eldest senior brother took a master, he had not joined any faction or sect, so his talent not showing before was understandable, but that Li Yuan was a true disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley!

The Divine Weapon Valley is also a Qiannianda Sect; could it have fallen so far that it did not even know the talent of its own disciples?

"The intelligence went wrong."

Closing the courtyard gate, Chu Shan Xuan Kong's face also looked quite grim.

"Perhaps it was done deliberately by the Divine Weapon Valley?"

"Perhaps."

In the courtyard, both men frowned tightly, occasionally exchanging glances, both feeling depressed in their hearts, for this differed far too greatly from what was recorded in the intelligence.

Never mind the Dragon-Form Bone Structure; even the Great Dragon-Form Bone Structure, the Longhu Temple never lacked, yet they had never seen anyone who could receive the Ancestral Master's recognition and transmission.

"Mew~"

The little tiger cub opened its eyes in dissatisfaction; the sky had not yet brightened, but Li Yuan was already up.

After his spiritual power increased, his sleep quality became better and better; sleeping only two or three hours a day was no longer enough for him to fall back asleep.

"The visualization method is good, but one must still practice boxing."

Li Yuan muttered inwardly; he had actually had a wet dream last night. If it were not for the lack of necessary material in his mind, he might have already overflowed with essence.

Previously, when he hammered iron and stood in the post every day, his energy consumption was great, so similar phenomena had not occurred.

"Hah!"

The room, sized like the character 'Heaven', was naturally not small. Li Yuan held the hammer and assumed the Soldier-Body Stance, feeling that although the visualization was extremely realistic, there was still some difference from actually holding a hammer weapon.

"Over these past few years, he has almost daily commanded the heavy hammer; perhaps the augmented talent has slowly become my own talent?"

Holding the hammer weapon, Li Yuan felt a sensation of flesh and blood connection; this was just an ordinary hammer weapon, so this feeling naturally did not come from the weapon itself.

He tried to remove the hammer weapons he commanded one by one and discovered that although that sensation had faded greatly, it still existed.

"Collect various weapons, command them for a long time, and finally merge them into oneself..."

Li Yuan became even more convinced that the path was correct, or at least, it was stable.

"But if this is the case, the hammer weapons I command must also be constantly replaced. Pity, this is just my own feeling; exactly how much has been digested, the Soldier Command Talisman will not remind me."

Li Tianhe sighed inwardly slightly. Xu Tui assumed the Soldier-Body Stance; after executing several sets, the physical expenditure was considerable, yet he felt no fatigue.

With his current physique, the Soldier-Body Stance was no longer sufficient for daily training; a more refined standing post was needed...

"Dragon Zen Eight Sufferings Post."

Li Yuan muttered the name inwardly, opened his eyes, and found the little tiger cub was looking at him, its anthropomorphic expression one of surprise.

"What, can you understand this?"

Li Yuan wanted to tease the cat, mainly wanting to pet it, but before he could get close, its sharp little claws were already flailing about like a windmill.

He had the posture of someone who would fight to the death if you dared to touch him.

"This cat is not easy to tame."

Li Yuan did not dare to force it; after all these days, the little tiger cub no longer ran away on its own, proving it could still be tamed.

"Squeak~"

At this moment, the little mouse poked its head out from the hole in the wall.

"Digging another hole?"

The little mouse's fur was soft and smooth, easy to pet; Li Yuan took out the Zeng Xue Dan from his robe, still following the ratio of seven cat parts to one mouse part.

"Behave yourself, don't dig holes randomly."

Watching the cat and mouse bury their heads in the pills, Li Yuan suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction from raising them; he had many things hidden in his heart, and sometimes he needed an outlet.

"Brother Li."

At this moment, Liu Zheng's voice came from outside the door.

He pushed the door open; Wang Wang Peiyao, Gao Gang, and even Qiu Qiu Changying, who had not spoken the entire journey, had arrived, their eyes looking at him just like the disciples of the Dragon Tiger Temple yesterday.

Even more, there was a bit more shock in their gaze.

"Low profile has the benefits of low profile; high profile also has the joy of high profile."

A thought flashed through Master Li Dao's mind.

He was the type to think deeply and plan ahead; he had already mapped out his path within the Dragon Tiger Temple while on the road.

A vast power existing for over two thousand years, spanning numerous factions, must not only attach itself to a specific branch but also be conspicuous enough...

"Congratulations, Brother Li."

"Brother Li still doesn't know, does he? Yesterday's 'Azure Dragon Appears' incident has spread throughout Mount Hengshan; many people are comparing you to that Dragon Tiger Xuanjing Daozi!"

"I heard that any Dragon Tiger disciple who can summon the Azure Dragon to appear becomes a Grandmaster as long as they don't die, and some even become Earth Immortals..."

"Yesterday, the Shopkeeper of this inn came; not only did he waive our room fees, but he also said that this room you are staying in will not be given to anyone else in the future, kept for you at all times."

As Wang Wang Peiyao spoke, the shock the others had been holding back all night poured out in one go.

"Rumors are mostly exaggerated; you only obtained the introductory chapter of a supreme technique."

Li Yuan smiled and explained a couple of sentences; after everyone's excited emotions subsided slightly, he looked at Feng Feng Zhongyi, who had just come upstairs.

A night had passed, and Feng Feng Zhongyi still carried a bit of alcohol scent; yesterday, he had truly been drunk into a stupor and hadn't even had time to dispel the intoxication.

"Elder Yan is already waiting downstairs."

The smile on Feng Feng Zhongyi's face could not be concealed.

"Let's go together, Elder."

Li Yuan called out.

"No need; I have an appointment with someone."

Feng Feng Zhongyi waved his hand: "You just take Qiu Changying with you."

Li Yuan glanced at Qiu Qiu Changying; the latter was still wearing a black combat suit; if one didn't know she had brought multiple sets, one would think she hadn't changed clothes at all.

"Thank you."

Qiu Qiu Changying felt slightly uncomfortable.

"We come from the same sect; we should naturally support each other; why the need for thanks?"

Li Yuan didn't care much; after greeting everyone, he took Qiu Qiu Changying and went downstairs.

Outer sect disciples also need to be registered and cataloged.

Elder Yan Yan Sanxing's carriage was more spacious; not only was the space large, but there were also two maids attending to them on the side.

"These are some intelligence regarding the sect, mainly the various halls and oars within the sect, numerous elders, and the true transmissions..."

As soon as they boarded the carriage, Yan Yan Sanxing took out a thick stack of files.

Li Yuan said thanks, then handed half to the slightly reserved Qiu Qiu Changying; without avoiding Yan Yan Sanxing, he began to read them right there in the carriage.

Yan Yan Sanxing smiled, stepped out of the carriage, and signaled his disciple to drive directly into the sect; as an elder, he was naturally different from outer sect disciples like Yu Yu Xuanfeng.

"The Dragon Tiger Temple has nine halls in total, mostly named after supreme techniques; the Vajra Hall's main supreme technique is the Dragon Zen Vajra Sutra, while the Dragon Tiger Hun Tian Hammer must be found at the Hun Tian Hall..."

The factions of the Dragon Tiger Temple appear very clear on the surface.

The Dao Master branch, the Longshan branch, and the Hushan branch; under each branch are three major sub-halls, and under each hall are six oars.

"Vajra, Hun Tian, and Tian Long; the three major sub-halls under Longshan correspond exactly to the three supreme techniques: Dragon Zen Vajra, Dragon Tiger Hun Tian, and Great Might Tian Long."

His cheap master was the Master of the Dragon Gate.

After flipping through a little, Li Yuan had a rough idea; intelligence regarding the Dao Sect was naturally known clearly by insiders.

Various halls, various oars, various families.

Rules within the sect, various elders, the sect master and deputy sect master...

The carriage was very quiet, with only the sound of turning pages; seeing the two immersed in reading, the two maids conscientiously got out of the carriage.

"Inner sect disciples, if they wish to select a supreme technique, need to..."

Li Yuan was flipping through the book when suddenly his heart trembled; he abruptly looked up, and an extremely magnificent dark light, ignoring the carriage's obstruction, came into view:

【Dragon Tiger Life-Nurturing Furnace (Tier 11)】

【???】

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