Meng Qi glared at the little bird with gritted teeth, enduring its grating voice. After a long while, he slowly turned around and walked back in front of the “door” of the Cold Turtle, sitting down once again to cultivate.
This time, however, Meng Qi tore off two pieces of his robe and stuffed them into his ears.
“Innocent! Do you really think that’ll stop you from hearing me?”
“Where was I just now? Grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa? Speaking of my grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa, I should start from my grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa…”
Meng Qi took a deep breath and whispered inwardly: Pretend it’s mute, pretend it’s mute!
Under the dual assaults of cold and noise, Meng Qi nearly failed to endure for five hours before barely managing to survive the ordeal. His face turned bluish, and his entire body trembled.
“Hey, the chill has penetrated deep into your bones. If you don’t warm up soon, you’ll definitely be bedridden for days.” The “Drooping-Winged One” hadn’t stopped chattering since the very beginning.
(Note: “垂翼子” is translated as “Drooping-Winged One” to preserve the poetic/mysterious tone, with capitalization to indicate it’s likely a title or epithet. The phrasing maintains the urgency of the warning while adapting the cultural reference naturally.)
Meng Qi struggled to move outward, his voice hoarse: “Your choice of words doesn’t really sound like a monster…”
He planned to lure this creature near the prison cell, bind it, and stuff its mouth shut—Meng Qi had already noticed that the bird’s power was not high, not even triggering the Ten Thousand Character Seal.
“Of course! As a Kunpeng, I must be well-versed in knowledge, spanning heaven and earth!” the bird said shamelessly. “How could you, a foolish human, understand our lofty aspirations? How can swallows and sparrows understand the ambitions of a great goose?”
“I’m the goose…” the Fire Goose interjected, disdainfully shifting inward slightly.
“Is that so? What lofty aspirations do you have?” Meng Qi asked gently.
Suddenly, the winged demon burst into laughter: “Don’t think I don’t know you’re just trying to get close so you can stuff my mouth! I’m a Kunpeng, after all—do you really think I’d fall for such a trick? You bald monks, just because I ate a few people, you captured me! What about the tigers on the mountain? They’ve devoured so many lives, yet you didn’t imprison them! Why is it normal for beasts to prey on humans, but not for demons?”
Once it started talking, it couldn’t stop at all.
Meng Qi deeply regretted ever speaking to this chatterbox…
Thus, under the dual torment, Meng Qi’s life became increasingly difficult. However, his progress in the Golden Bell Shield was unusually fast. A month and a half later, he successfully completed the third stage, reaching the “Qi Accumulation – Minor Achievement” level, comparable to the Iron Shirt skill, with even greater potential ahead.
“A full half-month earlier than expected…” Outside the Cold Turtle’s prison cell, Meng Qi looked at his bare upper body, faintly sensing a new texture. He felt both surprise and joy inwardly. At the same time, he silently prayed that the next reincarnation task would come only after he had completed the fourth stage of the Golden Bell Shield.
As he donned his monk’s robe, Meng Qi frowned and cast a glance at the incessantly chattering Chuiyizi, grumbling to himself: “Could this hideous bird’s chatter actually be considered a form of tempering? Can it truly refine one’s willpower?”
Sigh, he still couldn’t resist the urge to stuff a rag into its mouth!
“My grandpa’s grandpa once discovered a ruin under the sea. Unfortunately, it had already been looted clean, with bird droppings scattered everywhere. Isn’t that strange? Bird droppings in an underwater ruin? Hey, little monk, don’t leave yet! Alright, alright, let’s continue tomorrow.”
Meng Qi paused, clenching his jaw.
Due to his early breakthrough, Meng Qi returned to Xuan Bei’s courtyard an hour earlier than usual. As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Xuan Bei holding a戒刀, effortlessly practicing sword techniques.
Xuan Bei showed no surprise at his apprentice’s sudden arrival, as he had sensed Meng Qi’s approach from a great distance.
Meng Qi casually glanced over, planning to return to his meditation room first and report his breakthrough of the third stage of the Golden Bell Shield later.
This wasn’t because he wasn’t curious or didn’t want to secretly imitate his master’s sword techniques. Rather, he clearly understood that the sword techniques practiced by his master at this level were extremely profound and intricate. Without a manual for reference, watching alone would be completely ineffective. Therefore, his master was also confident enough to practice openly in the courtyard without concern for others watching.
Yet, just this one glance rooted Meng Qi’s feet to the ground, and he couldn’t move at all. This was exactly the first move of the “Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique”—”Cutting Purity”!
Due to concerns about being discovered by his master, Meng Qi had never had the opportunity to practice this move. He had only continuously visualized it in his mind, planning to seize the chance to practice it in the reincarnation space or during missions. Yet, today, he unexpectedly saw a master-level expert demonstrating the move—albeit very clumsily, with slow and fundamental variations.
So this is how it is… Watching his master’s demonstration, most of Meng Qi’s doubts and uncertainties about visualizing the sword technique vanished, giving him a sudden sense of enlightenment.
“Zhen Ding, you’ve completed the third stage?” Xuan Bei noticed Meng Qi hadn’t left and stopped his swordplay, asking gently.
Meng Qi regained his composure and replied, “Yes, Master. I was fortunate enough to break through ahead of schedule.”
“Although you seem outwardly frivolous, you harbor inner perseverance and steadiness. Your current achievement is only natural,” Xuan Bei nodded approvingly. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll cultivate the fourth stage in the gap between the Fire Goose and the Cold Turtle. Hmm, I’ll accompany you to the Stupa, as it’s difficult for you to find the balance between cold and heat.”
“Yes, Master.” Meng Qi enthusiastically asked, “Master, what sword technique were you practicing just now? It looked so profound, far surpassing anything I’ve learned.”
Xuan Bei patted his monastic knife: “This is the ‘Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique.’ I only became interested in it after you mentioned it. In the future, when you reach the Qi Opening stage, if you still wish to learn this sword technique, I can teach it to you directly.”
“Thank you, Master.” Meng Qi bowed and returned to his meditation room with lingering doubts, only to find Zhen Hui happily munching on pastries.
“Hey, little apprentice, no cultivation today?” Meng Qi found it strange.
Zhen Hui replied cheerfully, “Brother, I opened my dantian at noon, and Master rewarded me with these.”
He proudly presented the pastry to Meng Qi, which was already covered in drool.
“You’ve already opened your dantian?” Meng Qi was inwardly astonished. Although it typically takes two to six months to open the dantian, Zhen Hui’s three and a half months wasn’t particularly fast—some could achieve it in just over a month. However, Zhen Hui had switched to practicing the “Nail Flower Finger,” one of Shaolin’s most challenging techniques, where failing to open the dantian within three years was considered normal. Yet, Zhen Hui had succeeded so swiftly!
Zhen Hui nodded earnestly and then asked, “Brother, did you have something to ask me earlier?”
Meng Qi decided not to dwell on whether Zhen Hui was naturally suited for the Nail Flower Finger. He nodded and asked, “I want to ask you, when did Master start practicing the Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique? Why is he practicing sword techniques at all?”
“A month and a half ago,” Zhen Hui had a good memory. He looked at Meng Qi with puzzlement. “Brother, isn’t Master practicing sword techniques just to teach you?”
“What?” Meng Qi was quite astonished.
Zhen Hui didn’t understand why his senior brother would ask such a question. He replied earnestly, “Because you want to learn sword techniques.”
“This… maybe… Could it be that Master is being too kind to us?” Meng Qi admitted that Zhen Hui’s explanation made sense, yet he still felt uneasy. “We’re not related by blood or friendship, so why would Master be so kind to us?”
Zhen Hui looked at him as if it were obvious: “What do you mean not related by blood or friendship? He’s our Master.”
“But Master wouldn’t just be kind to us without reason,” Meng Qi frowned tightly.
Zhen Hui gave Meng Qi a puzzled look: “Brother, you’re kind to me too. What’s wrong with that?”
Meng Qi merely shrugged his mouth, finding it impossible to explain things to this guy, and took out his Lingzhi Qi-replenishing pill, continuing with his “homework.”
…
“Here.” After entering the Stupa, Xuan Bei stood at the outer edge between the Fire Goose and Cold Turtle cells, pointing at the empty space in front of him.
Meng Qi responded and walked over, sitting cross-legged. Instantly, he felt his left side burning like fire while his right side’s blood turned stiff and frozen. The extreme heat and cold clashed, creating an unprecedented torment and agony.
Gritting his teeth, Meng Qi endured the pain without uttering a single groan, beginning to circulate the fourth stage of the Golden Bell Shield’s technique.
As for the matter of Chui Yizi, he didn’t mention it to his master. His master had deliberately chosen this place for cultivation, intending it as a test. If he couldn’t even endure the disturbance of idle chatter and noise, he might as well give up early.
The Cold Turtle and Fire Goose slowly approached the iron bars, wanting to maximize Meng Qi’s torment.
The simultaneous assault of cold and heat made Meng Qi’s dantian feel as if pierced by thousands of steel needles, causing excruciating pain.
He circulated his inner energy, using the drastic temperature changes to slowly temper his physical body.
His body gradually transformed, his dantian expanded step by step, and his meridians widened little by little. While enduring immense agony, Meng Qi could clearly feel his own progress.
Xuan Bei, standing nearby, nodded slightly and smiled: “Zhen Hui’s practice of the Nail Flower Finger is more suitable than I expected. He opened his Dantian yesterday. It won’t be long before he reaches ‘Qi Accumulation – Minor Achievement,’ perhaps catching up to you soon.”
Upon opening the dantian, attaining the ‘Qi Accumulation – Minor Achievement’ was simply a matter of gathering enough Qi. Thus, Xuan Bei was confident that Zhen Hui would swiftly reach this stage, bringing his strength on par with Meng Qi, who had already achieved the same level.
He said this precisely to create a sense of urgency for Meng Qi. However, urgency would hinder Meng Qi’s current cultivation, adding mental obstacles that would further temper his character.
“However, Zhen Ding, you’ve also surprised me. Your hidden perseverance is admirable. If you continue like this, even if you start slowly, there will come a time when you soar into the sky. While others might take a year to complete the fourth stage, you might only need half that time, overtaking Zhen Hui again.”
After instilling a sense of urgency, he began to encourage Meng Qi, ensuring he wouldn’t be overwhelmed by mental obstacles.
Once the fourth stage of the Golden Bell Shield is fully mastered, it will reach ‘Qi Accumulation – Major Achievement,’ allowing the refinement of acupoints and preparation for Qi Opening. As for the Nail Flower Finger, it might take one, two, or even eight to ten years.
After speaking, Xuan Bei turned and left, leaving Meng Qi alone to endure the dual torment of ice and fire.
“Do you think I’m afraid just because you brought a powerful monk here?” As soon as Xuan Bei left, Chui Yizi started chattering again.
“What’s so special about Shaolin martial arts? I know where the ‘Yao Huang Classic’ is hidden! It’s an unparalleled martial arts manual left by the one and only Demon Emperor between heaven and earth…”
“What do you say? Free me, and I’ll take you to the Demon Emperor’s Palace?”
For some reason, Chui Yizi’s voice always echoed in Meng Qi’s heart, deemed the most terrifying sound in the world—a spiritual torment that intertwined with the physical extremes of cold and heat, amplifying its impact twofold.
Meng Qi’s spirit gradually became scattered, and he unconsciously recalled the “Ananda Breaking Precepts Sword Technique” practiced by his master the previous day, cross-referencing it with his own understanding of sword intent—cutting off purity amidst worldly suffering.
Cutting off purity amidst worldly suffering… As Meng Qi was tormented by cold, heat, and noise, he suddenly had an epiphany. His sword intent became clear, as if he saw a monk with a bitter expression walking forward with difficult yet firm steps.
“Breaking precepts, the red dust is like a furnace, forging my Buddhist heart!”
Breaking precepts, the red dust is like a furnace, forging my Buddhist heart… Aren’t the torments I’m enduring in body and mind just like a furnace, forging my inner and outer self?
Boom!
Meng Qi’s sword intent surged internally, his consciousness heightened. He clearly felt the torment in his body and mind, sensing how they were “tempering” his being, solidifying and transforming it inch by inch.
External demons are the furnace, internal demons the charcoal. Meng Qi remained steadfast at the center, letting the sword intent of “Cutting Purity” fill his body!
Amidst the combined internal and external pressures, Meng Qi, driven by sword intent, didn’t notice his body surface gradually emitting a dark yellow glow.
His sword intent surged, breaking through successive barriers under the pressure of cold and heat, rapidly renewing himself to resist external demons.
Crackling sounds echoed throughout Meng Qi’s body like popping beans, and the dark yellow glow grew brighter, making him resemble a bronze warrior!
This was a sign of the fourth stage of the Golden Bell Shield reaching perfection!
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