Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 734 Five Thunder Orthodox Method (Second Update)

Two bodyguards sat quietly on a bench outside the ward. Were it not for the scattered bloodstains behind the bench, no one would have guessed they were dead. Their sins were so profound that their souls had departed for a lower plane the instant they died. Salomon heard the footsteps of the bodyguards coming to relieve him from the fire escape. He slowly walked in another direction, intending to take the elevator out of the hospital, avoiding any contact with anyone connected to Wilson Fisk. Wilson Fisk wouldn't die at his hands, and he had no need to associate with him. Besides, he didn't want anyone hindering his work.

Aside from Kunlun, no one knows why they buried the dragon's remains in Manhattan.

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem wrong. After all, Manhattan at that time was a small island surrounded by salmon and bass, teeming with various plants. Furthermore, being far from the Kunlun Mountains, it was largely ignored except by Native Americans. The dragon's remains were buried so deep that Salomon had to plan a series of means—acquisition, bribery, and threats—to acquire the land and facilitate construction work. Before this, Kunlun had told Kamar-Taj about several demiplane locations he used as prisons, making them Kamar-Taj's territory, and even presented her with a copy of the *Taishang Laojun Kaitian Jing*, a text over two thousand years old, for "communication."

On the surface it's called "exchange," but in reality it's just payment.

The fact that they could even present such a Daoist scripture shows how important this dragon bone is to Kunlun. Salomon could even guess the thoughts of those in Kunlun; they must have struggled with this decision before making it. In the eyes of the Kunlun faction, Kamar-Taj was also considered a cultivator, so gifting him the "Taishang Laojun Kaitian Jing" was not a waste.

When Salomon reported back on the difficulties of the mission, the Kunlun sect, without hesitation, added another layer of difficulty, providing a complete method for cultivating the Shangqing Thunder Technique, leaving the sorcerer somewhat bewildered. Kamar-Taj and the Kunlun sect shared some overlap in their Taoist philosophical concepts and even teaching content; some of the Kunlun sect's cultivation methods could be used directly without modification, including the Shangqing Thunder Technique. It wasn't until the Kunlun produced these scriptures, enough to establish their own sect, that Salomon realized he had truly underestimated their strength—their isolated environment had preserved their heritage remarkably well. Almost all the Taoist scriptures within Kamar-Taj originated from the Kunlun sect, and the meditation methods Salomon had learned since childhood all bore the shadow of Taoist cultivation methods. Even the method for converting life force into magic power, housed in the Kamar-Taj library, borrowed from internal alchemy. Only after examining the scriptures provided by the Kunlun sect did Salomon realize that he had already practiced internal alchemy.

Looking back, it becomes clear that the New York contact "Iron Fist" Daniel Rand, provided by Kunlun, had a truly appalling level of spiritual cultivation. He was completely ignorant of the *Shangqing Jing*, *Shangqing Dadong Zhenjing*, and *Huangting Jing*, and knew nothing of the cultivation methods such as meditation, breath control, saliva swallowing, incantations, or wearing talismans. As a result, when Salomon tried to discuss the writing practices of Yang Xi, the Eastern Jin Dynasty Celestial Master Daoist of the Shangqing School, with him, he only received bewilderment. Salomon had no idea what the Kunlun School had actually taught him, or did this foreigner think that a fist that could glow was powerful? Was the so-called "Iron Fist" merely a decoy used by the Kunlun School as cannon fodder for protection?

"If you're going to buy that piece of land in Clinton, you're going to run into a lot of trouble." Daniel Rand, a real estate businessman, became Salomon's accomplice in digging up the keel. "Hell's Kitchen is the worst place in Manhattan. Irish, Russians, Japanese—it's hell on earth. Even if you offer the residents a high price, they won't sell you their houses."

Why?

“Because the owners of those houses aren’t ordinary people, they’re gangsters.” Daniel Rand shrugged. He was a young man with bushy brown curly hair and a messy stubble, but he looked extremely energetic. He had a very good impression of the young man who had come to him with the Kunlun decree, so he didn’t mind saying a few more things. “This is probably the lowest, most filthy area in the entire city. Your money won’t go into the pockets of ordinary people. Those gangsters will see the value here and then keep extorting you. Ordinary business methods don’t work here.”

"You mean... I know your fists glow, but can you please put them away now? It's bright enough here." The arcane mage clicked his tongue. He was currently in Daniel Rand's small rented room in Hell's Kitchen. The conditions were appalling; the plaster on the walls and ceiling was cracked, and the damp environment fostered an astonishing amount of mold. Salomon could smell the musty odor even sitting on the sofa in the living room. It was evening, and the lights in the house couldn't illuminate any corners. The tightly drawn curtains completely blocked out the outside light. Salomon was able to tell the time by the gunshots and curses coming from the street. Shootings happened every day in Hell's Kitchen, but they were never reported because the police didn't want to come to the place.

"You're planning to teach those gangsters a lesson with your fists?"

“Yes, and by the way, to investigate the Hand’s influence in Hell’s Kitchen. I must avenge my parents and reclaim Rand Corporation.” Daniel Rand nodded. “You don’t need to persuade me to return to Kunlun to fulfill my Iron Fist duties. If I take back Rand Corporation, it will help with the excavation of the dragon bones. So…”

"I will not offer any help in this matter." Salomon flatly refused Daniel's invitation. "I am not one of Kunlun's people. I only agreed to help Kunlun because the matter of the dragon bones is related to the extradimensional invasion. In addition, the secret technique given by Kunlun is really important."

"You're not from Kunlun? Then how do you know so many secret techniques?"

"Because I can read, Mr. Rand." Salomon made a gesture. "Summoning wind and thunder, subduing demons and monsters, praying for rain and clear skies, stopping floods and droughts. This is the Five Thunder Orthodox Method, a secret passed down only by the Kunlun Shangqing School. Regardless of the type of thunder magic, internal cultivation is fundamental, and external application is secondary. If a person can gather the five elements' energy into the Five Thunders, then thunder magic is the innate way, and the Thunder God is my own god. Sincerity within can move Heaven; cultivation within can manifest without. I truly admire you for passing on the true teachings but not entering into them, only focusing on cultivating external methods. If you learn this method, you won't even need to use your fists to solve problems."

Daniel Rand was rendered speechless by Salomon's words. During his training in Kunlun, he only focused on how to use his fists and feet. His master had repeatedly reminded him to practice the methods of internal alchemy, but he treated it as some kind of religious ritual and did not take it to heart at all.

The sorcerer stood up from the tattered sofa.

"I'll handle this myself. If you want to settle this through legal channels, I can give you the phone number of Officer Carter from the 8th Precinct of the NYPD. She's an upright officer. You may have seen it in the newspapers; she cracked down on the corruption within the police department and completely eradicated it. Just say you know Harold Finch, and don't reveal my name to her."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)