All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

Chapter 150 Finally Achieving Immortality

With that matter settled, Kou Zhong approached again, shamelessly asking, "Sect Leader, it seems our Free and Unfettered Sect isn't short of money. I wonder how much we disciples are paid a month?"

Zhang Cheng glanced at him: "Are you short of money? Is there something you want to do? For the next period of time, you will all be deciphering the secret manual for me. If there is anything you want to do, you can say it now."

Kou Zhong scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up: "I want to borrow some money from you to redeem Sister Zhen from the Feng family's steamed bun shop in the south of the city. She is a good person and often helps poor people like us brothers."

Unfortunately, her family owed money and sold her to that scoundrel old Feng as a concubine, where she was bullied by that wicked woman every day.

He paused, then added, "Of course, I won't take this money for nothing. Even if Xiaoling and I aren't fortunate enough to become your true disciples in the end, we will still treat you with the same filial piety as your own sons."

These words amused everyone nearby. Kou Zhong was bewildered by their laughter: "Did I say something wrong?"

"I didn't expect you to have such a kind heart. I can lend you the money first, but you can't go out looking like this."

Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "Change into clean clothes and get a good night's rest. I'll find someone to go with you tomorrow, so they won't try to raise the price if they see you're just two children."

Kou and Xu were overjoyed upon hearing this: "Thank you, Sect Leader! Thank you, Sect Leader!"

Zhang Cheng led Kou and Xu into the dome. The room had already been simply furnished by Mu Wanqing and the others using items brought by Lingjiu Palace. The table, chairs, and bed were all there, and a few luminous pearls were embedded in the ceiling for lighting.

Although it was still simple, it was still quite a novelty in the eyes of Kou and Xu.

Zhang Cheng didn't linger and led the two towards the entrance of the tunnel. The three of them descended the steps. The walls on both sides of the tunnel were inlaid with many gems, and the shimmering light made the entire passage seem dreamlike, as if they had entered some kind of treasure cave.

After Shuanglong descended into the tunnel, he was startled to see hundreds of Lingjiu Palace disciples dressed in uniform and carrying swords at their waists. He instinctively shrank behind Zhang Cheng.

"Master...Master, are all these people from our Free and Unfettered Sect?" Xu Ziling asked in a low voice.

Zhang Cheng nodded without explaining further. He glanced at the eight disciples who were cultivating, and secretly made a note in his mind: the tunnel was still too small; he needed to find time to expand a few more secret rooms from the side.

He called Xiao Yu over, gave her a brief introduction, explained the situation to her, and then snapped his fingers, causing Kou and Xu to lose their composure.

Although one can directly invade with divine sense without snapping fingers, Zhang Cheng has always liked to leave some misleading habits as a smokescreen.

Zhang Cheng led Xiao Yu and the hypnotized Kou and Xu back to the Tianlong World. After dispelling their dazed state in the Lingjiu Palace, he temporarily placed them under Xiao Yu's command and went down the mountain alone.

As for the rest, Xiao Yu will take care of it. Since he, as the master, has decided to accept the two into the sect, he should prepare some things in advance.

After leaving Lingjiu Palace, Zhang Cheng used his lightness skill to head north.

Now that the world of Tianlong no longer possesses the abundant spiritual energy of the Tang Dynasty world, it is no longer possible to fly on a sword as before.

However, the increase in his cultivation level was real, and his speed was much faster than it had been a month ago.

With the added benefit of traveling alone, even half a day is enough for him to travel thousands of miles.

Zhang Cheng first went to the borderlands to meet Xiao Feng, obtaining the cultivation methods for the Dragon Subduing Palm and the Dragon Capturing Skill. He then went to the Great Wheel Temple to find Kumārajīva, also acquiring the "Divine Foot Sutra." With all matters settled, he then returned to the Tianshan Mountains.

By the time he returned to Lingjiu Palace, it was nearly dusk. The palace was brightly lit, and disciples from all departments had already returned.

Kou and Xu had finished washing up, eaten, and changed into Lingjiu Palace attire made by disciples skilled in needlework.

The two were being led by Xiao Yu to identify acupoints. Xiao Yu held a thin, long silver needle and gently touched the two of them. Each time he touched a point, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling would call out the name of the acupoint.

Upon seeing Zhang Cheng enter, Xiao Yu quickly stood up and bowed, and Kou and Xu followed suit.

Zhang Cheng nodded, asked Xiao Yu a few questions about the progress of the two of them, and then asked her to leave.

The door closed, leaving only the three of them in the room. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling stood ramrod straight, barely daring to breathe, a stark contrast to their lively demeanor when they first met that afternoon.

"No need to be so formal," Zhang Cheng broke the silence. "I heard from Xiao Yu that you two are very talented and have already memorized all the acupoints on the body. But are you still a little inaccurate when you actually apply the pressure points?"

The two quickly replied, "It's all thanks to Sister Yu's excellent teaching. We've memorized the acupoints, but we haven't had any proper practice, so we're not confident and afraid we won't be able to find the right spots."

Zhang Cheng nodded, took out the "Longevity Manual" from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

"That's perfect. Come and take a look at these seven pictures."

He turned to the pages in the booklet with the illustrations of Qi circulation. "Don't worry about the words. Just let your intuition tell you which one is the most useful, or which one resonates with you the most?"

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged a glance, then stepped forward, picked up the "Longevity Manual" from the table, and began to read it side by side.

If they hadn't known the acupoints before, these red dots and arrows would have been nothing more than meaningless scribbles to them; but now, they could clearly see the pathways of meridians and acupoints.

The two stared intently at it for a long time. Kou Zhong spoke first: "I think the sixth one is the most useful."

Xu Ziling's voice rang out almost simultaneously: "It seems that the seventh picture is easier for me to work with."

Both of them were taken aback and turned to look at each other.

The sixth and seventh images they selected were precisely the two most complex of the seven images.

The sixth picture is an image that appears to be walking, and the seventh picture is a supine figure. The acupoints involved in both are exactly the same, but the Qi circulation routes are completely opposite.

The former begins at the Tianling acupoint and returns to the Tianling acupoint; the latter begins at the Yongquan acupoint on the right foot and returns to the Yongquan acupoint on the left foot.

Although Kou and Xu were not brothers, they usually had a great understanding of each other, so they found it rather strange to see such a big difference in their opinions.

Zhang Cheng wasn't surprised at all. On the contrary, that was exactly right.

In his memory, the two were like two contrasting personalities: one hot-tempered, the other cold; one active, the other still. Their abilities complemented each other, yet each had their own strengths. Only now that they were facing off did it prove that what he had obtained was the real deal.

Zhang Cheng looked at the two of them and said, "In that case, you two should each try to cultivate according to the diagrams tonight."

The two nodded at first, then looked embarrassed.

Kou Zhong scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "Sect Leader—we know all the acupoints and the energy circulation routes, but we don't know the internal cultivation method. How are we supposed to refine our internal energy like this?"

Xu Ziling nodded in agreement, gazing longingly at Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng was taken aback upon hearing this. So, refining internal energy requires a cultivation technique?

In the past, when he practiced his martial arts, he would just follow the Qi circulation route directly, and his internal energy would grow on its own. He never paid any attention to the mental techniques or formulas.

Fortunately, although he had never used them, he had memorized all the techniques. Zhang Cheng had already planned the martial arts configuration for the Twin Dragons, so he didn't hesitate and gave the mental techniques of the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" to Kou Zhong and the "Lesser Formless Art" to Xu Ziling.

These two martial arts styles, one domineering and the other formless, perfectly suited the personalities of the two individuals.

Kou and Xu had excellent memories; they memorized the mental technique after hearing Zhang Cheng explain it only once.

The two, having just acquired the divine skill, were overjoyed and immediately sat down cross-legged, practicing their skills according to the mental cultivation method.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng didn't disturb them, quietly left the room, and waited for news the next day.

The next morning, Zhang Cheng skillfully climbed out of the specially made large bed in Lingjiu Palace. After dressing, he pushed open the door to the courtyard and walked towards the room where Kou and Xu were resting.

As dawn broke, the Lingjiu Palace remained silent. Several disciples on night duty bowed respectfully from a distance upon seeing him emerge, but Zhang Cheng casually waved them off.

Before he even reached the destination, he saw the two people in an open courtyard.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were lying on their backs, spread out in two "big" shapes, staring straight at the sky, lost in thought. The morning dew was still wet, and the hems of their robes were soaked, but they were completely unaware of it.

Zhang Cheng silently approached the two of them. "It seems your cultivation is progressing well?"

Both of them were startled by the sudden sound and scrambled to their feet.

"Greetings, Sect Leader!" the two greeted in unison. Kou Zhong then broke into a smile, "Sect Leader, we have lived up to your expectations. We completed our respective drawings last night!"

As he spoke, he threw a punch into the air. A very faint icy blue aura emerged from his fist, like a thin layer of frost, and vanished in a flash.

After throwing the punch, Kou Zhong stared expectantly at Zhang Cheng, his face full of anticipation, waiting for praise.

But Zhang Cheng frowned after seeing the punch. His frown startled the two of them.

"Sect Leader, is there something wrong with Xiao Zhong's training?" Xu Ziling asked cautiously.

Zhang Cheng shook his head and turned his gaze to him: "Xiao Ling, why don't you demonstrate the martial arts you've mastered?"

Xu Ziling, though not understanding why, did as instructed. He imitated Kou Zhong's earlier actions, focused his mind, and threw a punch into the air.

This time, what appeared on his fist was a faint orange flame, yet visible to the naked eye.

Zhang Cheng then confirmed that the two of them had actually used colored energy in the world of Tianlong, an energy that could only be condensed by borrowing the power of the Tang Dynasty's heaven and earth. Although it was extremely weak, it was still an extraordinary feat.

Interesting. If that's the case—

With a thought, Zhang Cheng began to channel the internal energy he had refined in the Tang Dynasty world using the "Taiyin Xiaoyao Jue" from his dantian.

The true energy flowed slowly along the meridians, eventually condensing in the palm of the right hand.

Although the internal energy in his hand was still colorless, it faintly emitted a certain luster, like the shimmering light refracted by water ripples, flowing and uncertain.

With a thought, he switched his true energy to a state of extreme yang and strength. The luster in his palm immediately changed, from colorless to orange-red, like a solid flame dancing in his palm.

So that's how it is. What is this? Could it be that the internal energy cultivated by absorbing the energy of heaven and earth is of a higher level?

But these two boys clearly cultivated the "Longevity Technique" in the Tianlong World. This world doesn't have such rich spiritual energy. How did they manage to develop colored energy?

Or perhaps, other practitioners don't exhibit this phenomenon, and it's simply because the "Longevity Technique" and "Taiyin True Explanation" are of too high a grade?

The sample size is too small. Let's wait until we have the chance to capture an enemy from the world of Twin Dragons and use them to conduct experiments.

Zhang Cheng's mind raced, but he put the matter aside for the time being and said to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your cultivation. It's just that I suddenly thought of something else."

As he spoke, he placed his hands on their shoulders, one on each side. "Each of you should circulate your internal energy once more." The two did as he was told, circulating their inner strength.

Zhang Cheng silently sensed the flow of true energy within the two individuals, their internal force flowing slowly along their meridians like silk threads.

He discovered that the Qi circulation path of the "Longevity Formula" was far more than just the two main channels of the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians; even the collateral meridians and collateral vessels below them were mobilized.

Those meridians that ordinary people could not even perceive were opened one by one in the two people's bodies, and true energy flowed through them, like streams flowing into rivers, endlessly.

So that's how it is. The seven diagrams only marked the main framework of Qi circulation; many details were omitted. If one only followed the diagrams blindly, it would be strange if one didn't go astray.

As for why Kou and Xu were able to master the technique despite the lack of details, Zhang Cheng could only attribute it to fate. It was destiny that this technique was prepared for them.

Having memorized the complete Qi circulation route, Zhang Cheng silently withdrew his arm.

"Now that you have deciphered the secrets of the Longevity Manual, I will naturally accept you both as my disciples as promised. After breakfast, I will announce to everyone that I have accepted you both as my personal disciples."

Kou and Xu were overjoyed and immediately knelt down, saying, "Disciples greet Master!"

This time, Zhang Cheng did not stop him, but accepted the bow without hesitation.

After the two men finished kowtowing, he said, "I don't have many rules here, but you must remember them. If you break them in the future, I will come to you personally."

First and foremost, respect your teachers and the Way. Never betray your teachers or ancestors, and never abandon your lineage.

Article Two: Fellow disciples must protect each other. Siblings must not fight each other; in times of trouble, they must do their utmost to help each other.

Thirdly, be a good person. Do not deceive the kind and honest, do not take advantage of others, do not bully the weak, and do not forget righteousness for personal gain.

After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he glanced at the two of them and said, "Just these three points, remember them?" The two nodded quickly.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng said, "Then you should go back and cultivate first. It's still early, and it won't be time for breakfast for a while." After saying that, he prepared to turn around and leave.

"Master," Xu Ziling suddenly spoke, "we both have one more thing we'd like to ask."

Zhang Cheng stopped and turned around, waiting for him to continue.

Xu Ziling hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Actually, Zhong Shao and I practiced all night last night. Perhaps because we were excited, we didn't feel tired even though we didn't sleep a wink all night."

After completing the task, I wanted to come out and test my skills, but seeing that every brick and tile was quite expensive, as if it were made by a famous craftsman, I was afraid of disturbing the sisters' rest and also afraid of damaging the family's property, so I just said goodbye to the sister on night duty and went outside to practice my skills.