Martial Arts Sainthood Begins with the Tiger-Taming Fist

Chen Mo killed Wu Duan with extreme speed, and then ran out of the Wu family compound along a familiar route.

As they passed a secluded stone path, they suddenly heard Wu Zhi'ai's faint call.

"Chen Mo..."

Chen Mo turned his head to look at a cluster of flowers.

Wu Zhi'ai quickly emerged from the flower bushes and shoved a note into his hand. "Go quickly, don't come back!"

Chen Mo said "Take care," then turned and ran, easily vaulting over a courtyard wall before landing on the street.

Based on his familiarity with every street and alley in Heihe Town, he quickly devised an escape route and slipped into a deserted, dark alley.

In the dim light, he unfolded the note Wu Zhiai had given him, which read, "Five li along the mountain road north of the town, there is a safe wild temple by the roadside."

"Five li along the mountain road north of the town, a wild temple stands by the roadside..."

Chen Mo pondered to himself, "There is indeed a long-abandoned dilapidated temple there, which should be a place that Wu Zhiai had scouted out beforehand. For now, we have no choice but to go to the deserted temple to take refuge."

After thinking it over, he used the Luo Yan Step, his figure flashing out of the dark alley, and sped towards the mountain road north of Heihe Town.

The journey was quiet.

The sky was like an immortal spilling ink from an inkstone, spreading ink for thousands of miles.

It's only five miles away, and you can get there in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

After finding a secluded temple and carefully observing that there was no danger around it, Chen Mo cautiously entered the temple. Once he confirmed that it was safe, he sat down to catch his breath.

He took out the two items he had just seized.

First, there was a white porcelain bottle.

After pulling out the stopper, he smelled the medicinal aroma inside the bottle, poured out a crimson pill into his palm, frowned and pondered for a moment, recalling that Yin Shanshan had mentioned this kind of pill before.

This pill is called the Crimson Scale Pill. It is made from the scales of a snake whose entire body is covered in red scales. After taking it, it can temporarily increase strength and defense.

"The deputy leader of the Hansha Gang was probably too confident and didn't take the medication beforehand."

He carefully put away the Crimson Scale Pill.

Then he took out the book.

The book cover is the color of Danxia landform, with the words "Li Huo Xuan Gong" written on it. When you touch it with your hand, you can feel a faint warmth.

"nice one……"

Chen Mo couldn't wait to open the cover. The inner pages began to describe a technique called "Li Huo Xuan Gong". Cultivating this technique requires extremely high comprehension. The book also explained its origin, evolution, cultivation methods, and functions.

One of them instantly captured Chen Mo's heart:

"Upon mastering this technique, one can breathe fire from their palms, which can be used for forging weapons."

Fire spitting from the palm...

Used in forging...

Doesn't this perfectly align with the practice of cultivating oneself through mountains and waters?

If this statement is true, then Chen Mo would no longer need to stay in the blacksmith shop all the time, and could hone his skills anytime, anywhere.

"The martial arts manual mentions that the Blazing Fire Technique is also an offensive martial art, where fire is emitted from the palm to attack the enemy..."

He became more and more excited the more he thought about it.

But he frowned slightly. "However, this book seems to be an incomplete copy, with a second volume. If I can obtain the complete version, my strength will be greatly enhanced."

"Perhaps the second volume is in the Black Tiger Hall? Liu Sha has this technique but doesn't practice it, probably because he lacks comprehension, but I have no problem with it."

After reading it, a red flag suddenly appeared in my mind:

[Refined through countless trials, nurtured by mountains and rivers]

[Successfully bound to the Blazing Fire Mystic Art; the required spirit essence for refinement: Cicada Molt]

Polishing this material will unlock its inherent potential and enhance your martial arts comprehension.

"free oneself?!"

Chen Mo cried out in surprise.

After a few moments of stunned silence, he quickly fell into deep thought.

The previous techniques, such as the Tiger Subduing Fist, Dragon Subduing Stake Skill, Luoyan Step, and Iron Mane Skill, were all made from minerals.

Cicada molts are not minerals, but rather the shells of living beings; more precisely, they are the shed bodies of living beings.

"The essence of mountains and waters should encompass all the substances condensed from the heavens and earth..."

He seemed to realize something.

It's summer now, so cicada shells shouldn't be hard to find in the mountains and forests.

"I'll go out early tomorrow morning to look for cicada shells and some wild fruits."

I'll stop thinking about it.

He practiced his boxing and Iron Light Skill and Luo Yan Step a few times in the quiet, deserted temple, then sat down to rest, half asleep and half awake.

……

The sky was just beginning to lighten when a ray of dawn pierced through the dense clouds.

Chen Mo opened his eyes and first placed a blade of grass at the temple gate to detect whether anyone had entered the temple after he left.

He then went into the deep mountains and dense forests, and after two hours of searching, he found three cicada shells and several sour wild fruits.

Wild fruits can be used to fill the stomach. Although they don't provide the same energy as meat, they are enough to make one feel full.

Back at the deserted temple.

Chen Mo took out the cicada shell and examined it closely.

"Ore can be smelted and forged, but how is cicada molts used...?"

I was at a loss for what to do.

However, he immediately thought, "Cicada molts can be used in medicine. Grinding them into powder and making pills could also be a way to refine the spirits of mountains and waters?"

Thinking of this, Chen Mo went out again to pick some common herbs, then returned to the wild temple, built a simple fire pit, and while burning the fire, he ground the cicada shells and herbs into powder, shaped them into balls, and then roasted them over the fire.

About an hour later, Chen Mo, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly felt a flash of red light in his mind, and then he focused his attention on it.

【The Mysterious Art of Separating Fire: An Ancient Technique for Controlling Fire】

Comprehension: 1/50 (Beginner)

"It really worked!"

He immediately recalled the introduction to the Li Huo Xuan Gong technique, and from being completely confused, he now had a slightly vague understanding.

He immediately became very interested and crushed the other two cicada shells into pills, then roasted them over a fire.

During the waiting period, he did not forget to practice his boxing and body-building exercises, leaving nothing out.

By evening, two more pills had formed. He analyzed the Li Huo Xuan Gong (a martial arts technique) sentence by sentence again, and this time he had gained a rudimentary understanding.

Compared to martial arts like the Tiger Subduing Fist, the Fire Separation Mystic Art is more like a cultivation technique.

In his previous life, he had read some "fantasy" books, all of which contained mysterious and profound martial arts techniques, such as ascending to heaven and descending to earth, condensing flames and gathering water, and raising sand and summoning lightning. These were all skills outside of physical techniques.

This "Fire-Separating Profound Skill" allows one to condense flames in their palm; isn't that a martial art for cultivating immortality?

Chen Mo was immediately filled with excitement.

Who among us young hasn't dreamt of standing atop a mountain, cultivating immortality with a sword?

He let out a breath and tried to use the simple principles he had just grasped to condense flames in his palm.

He then extended his right palm, focused his consciousness on the Laogong acupoint, and at that moment, all the energy in his body flowed along a unique route to his palm, manifesting itself in a certain form.

The first attempt failed...

The second time, it failed...

The third time, failed...

……

The seventeenth attempt failed...

……

On the thirty-fifth time, as all the energy in his body gathered in his palm, he manifested it as the shape of a flame.

In an instant.

He felt a heat in his Laogong acupoint, and a spark rose from his palm, swaying in the wind and bringing a slight warmth.

But in an instant, the spark was extinguished by the mountain wind, turning into a wisp of smoke, which was then dispersed by the wind.

Chen Mo stared at his palm for a long time before he came back to his senses, a smile hard to hide on his face.

This means that, under the enlightenment of cultivating skills in mountains and waters, the Li Huo Xuan Gong has begun to enter the right track of cultivation.