Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Heavy Body Technique, Geng Metal Technique

Strolling around, Chen Ye’s light steps gradually became heavy.

“Damn it, why don’t they just go rob someone!”

He felt the heavy Spirit Stones in his embrace turning light.

A First Tier Middle Grade Magic Sword priced at thirty-five Spirit Stones!

The steep price completely shattered Chen Ye’s dream of becoming a Sword Immortal!

The Lower Grade Magic Sword was cheap, but the Bone-Scraping Whip at his waist already occupied the Lower Grade Magical Artifact spot, and what’s the point of having more useless items?

He considered buying a Pill Furnace to refine some Pills.

Goodness, the price of this thing was even more outrageously high.

The lowest Bronze Furnace was covered in cracks, yet boldly demanded fifty Spirit Stones, and the shopkeeper shamelessly claimed it was “essential for an Alchemist beginner”!

He could only honestly be a Spirit Plant Master for now…

“Fellow Daoist, at what price are these Technique Books?”

Chen Ye finally squatted at a moldy-smelling book stall, where five-colored spell manuals were piled haphazardly.

Entanglement Technique, Geng Metal Technique, Fireball Technique…

They were mostly low-tier Five Elements spells, and quite complete.

The stall owner didn’t look up, engrossed in the Erotic Album:

“Three Spirit Stones per book, no bargaining!”

The price was cheaper than what Chen Ye had imagined.

Such low-tier spells were common, not too pricey.

Among low-tier spells, the Gold Series and Fire Element spells were the most destructive.

He picked and selected for a while, finally picking up the Geng Metal Technique and flipping through it.

This technique allows one to cultivate a breath of Geng Metal Qi.

The first few pages showed various weapons transformed from Geng Metal Qi, impressive in power.

Chen Ye turned to the page featuring a Golden Arrow piercing the sky and couldn’t peel his eyes away.

Oh, even a simple First Tier spell can wield such power?

He was entranced,

completely unaware that the stall owner had put down the Erotic Album and was staring at Chen Ye’s coarse clothes with bean-sized eyes, snatching the book back:

“Fellow Daoist, you’ve gone too far! Letting you leer at it for so long was already gracious, and now you want to copy the spell patterns as well?”

Chen Ye confidently slapped down three Spirit Stones:

“Fellow Daoist, forgive me; three Spirit Stones are not a small sum, and buying techniques is no trivial matter. Surely I can inspect the goods?”

The glimmering Spirit Stones sparkled like glazed crystals in the sunlight, tempting the stall owner’s eyes:

“Oh dear, Fellow Daoist, if you’d said earlier you wanted to buy, but please forgive; if you’ve examined this spell thoroughly, I wouldn’t be able to sell it, right?”

“Besides, I’ve been hustling as Seventh Hu in the market for decades, my home is on Apricot Blossom Street—not even a monk can run away from a temple! These techniques, you can be assured there are no issues!”

Chen Ye’s lips curled up, having Spirit Stones in hand gave him confidence!

He cupped his hands with a laugh: “No, no, it’s I who was rash. Since spells can’t be scrutinized, how about these Mortal Martial Arts?”

The stall owner stirred his three strands of rat whiskers, pondering briefly: “Certainly, Mortal Martial Arts are just throw-ins, a few Spirit Sands at most. If Fellow Daoist decides to buy a spell, I’ll even gift you one booklet. Don’t say, these martial arts are quite prestigious in the jianghu!”

The stall owner’s slick tone made Chen Ye somewhat hesitant.

He steadied himself, squatting to examine the Mortal Martial Arts.

Spells were crucial, the primary means of combat.

But a strong body is the revolution’s capital.

Chen Ye was quite frail now, barely able to hold Qing Jun, let alone carrying a disciple in each arm?

With Zuo Qingjun and Zhiwei, two little girls clinging to his neck, calling “Master” sweetly…

Chen Ye was motivated, but lost interest quickly flipping through the renowned martial arts.

“Iron Palm, Black Tiger Claw, Grasshopper… Wow, they’re indeed famous.”

Chen Ye was a bit speechless.

But he could understand,

In reality, even low-level Cultivators might not be able to defeat the highly skilled martial artists among mortals.

Only upon reaching the Middle to Late Period of Qi Cultivation, with spells at their fingertips, would there be a substantial difference in combat power compared to mortals.

Thus, truly profound martial arts aren’t common even in the Cultivation Realm.

He was bitterly disappointed, flipping through until he saw a book on “Heavy Body Technique”

Opening it revealed an introductory story:

“In the thirtieth year of Hongzheng, Ghost Foot Seven challenged the Shaolin Arhat Array, deliberately choosing a rainy day.

As the monks struggled in the muddy ground, he shattered the eighty-pound Iron Bull Hide wrapped around his legs, instantly breaking through eighteen Copper Men. The Abbot sighed: ’I thought him a brute for body refining, yet he mimics Dharma’s wisdom of crossing a river with a reed.’

This art, though clumsy, has a legendary reputation in the jianghu: those who persist for thirty years harness profound acumen while stepping on Eight Trigrams positions. Alas, many seek quick success, and those willing to dedicate half a life refining their legs, they number less than a palmful in a century.”

This martial art was also not of great depth.

It emphasized training with weight to enhance agility, divided into three levels.

The first level, daily bound with heavy stones, walks a hundred miles without traces.

The second level, shoulders eighty pounds of meteorite iron, shatters gold and cracks stone.

The third level, nine times with iron chains imprisoning a golden torso, soaring like a dragon.

After reaching the Third-Layer, one could master a body technique: Cloud Chasing Step.

“Good, good!”

Chen Ye was very satisfied, now there should be no problem carrying two adorable, soft disciples in each hand.

Moreover, the training method deeply resonated with him.

As long as weight was added, proficiency could steadily increase!

“Then it’s the Geng Metal Technique, add this Heavy Body Technique!”

…

Next, Chen Ye bought enough food for the three of them to last more than half a month, along with a large number of daily necessities.

But the more excited he was when buying, the more tiring it was to carry…

Even though he was a cultivator at the fourth-layer of qi cultivation, his body was depleted, and compared to ordinary people, low-tier cultivators only had more spiritual power.

Chen Ye bent his back, his coarse cloth clothes soaked with sweat, leaving dark and light patches.

Two bags of rice creaked against his shoulder blades, and he carried a large bamboo basket full of supplies on his back.

Meanwhile, the two small ones carried little bamboo baskets. The vegetables and quilts protruding from the baskets almost drowned their tiny figures.

Chen Ye was initially worried about attracting attention, but he saw that all the cultivators coming and going were in similar situations.

There were brawny men carrying rice stacks as tall as two people, and old women guiding donkey carts loaded with parcels.

In the dusty crowd, they looked particularly ordinary as master and disciples.

It was because entering the market once cost five spirit stones in spiritual sand dust tax, so ordinary cultivators would only visit every few days, purchasing several days’ worth of supplies at once.

Chen Ye reached out to steady the quilt precariously positioned in Qing Jun’s back basket:

“Qing Jun, Zhiwei, can you still manage?”

“Mas-Master, Qing Jun… can manage!”

The small girl bent over, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she choked on a gust of cold wind, tears welling up in her eyes.

Her eight-year-old frame wrapped in loose coarse cloth looked like a tattered piece of clothing hanging on a bamboo pole.

She bit her lower lip and held her breath, her slender ankles shaking within her pant legs.

The basket held no more than a new quilt, yet it pressed the little one into nearly a flat pancake.

Zhiwei, without saying a word, stood on her toes to take down the quilt from Qing Jun’s back basket.

The coarse hemp rope dug into her thin shoulders, yet her tightly pressed lips did not even quiver, as if those frail shoulders were not her own.

Chen Ye hadn’t expected the two disciples to be so weak!

He had only allowed them to carry the quilt, thinking vegetables and other lighter items were manageable.

At this moment, Chen Ye couldn’t help but recall Old Man Ye’s ring with longing,

Wishing he had a storage magical artifact, it wouldn’t be so laborious and troublesome!

Chen Ye reached out to take the quilt from Zhiwei’s hands, tying it to the back basket, apologizing:

“Master didn’t think it through.”

They are too frail; in the future, I must ensure the two disciples grow plump and healthy!

Chen Ye vowed to himself.

When he took the quilt, his hand brushed against the girl’s cold fingertips.

Zhiwei flinched as if electrocuted, pulling her hand back, her eyes flickering beneath her black hair, glancing at the sweat-soaked Chen Ye.

How could she suspect that without her intervention, Chen Ye might just collapse under the weight?

Moreover, the biggest surprise for the two little girls was that Master not only thought about their well-being today, but even apologized!

Even Zhiwei thought clearly, it was their frailty that burdened Chen Ye.

Yet in Chen Ye’s words, it was his responsibility.

The gaze from the two disciples made Chen Ye instinctively straighten up, exuding every bit of masterly authority!

But he was suffering silently… he couldn’t carry it either.

Chen Ye cursed himself inwardly, how vainly he was suffering just for appearances!

He was enthusiastically thinking about what was lacking at home while shopping, but he overlooked how feeble this body was…

But being tired is one thing, losing face is another!

Chen Ye gritted his teeth, stars dancing before his eyes, his face nearly twisted, barely maintaining his posture.

Qing Jun sniffed and peeked over,

The little girl suddenly realized Master’s shoulders, back basket, and hands were fully loaded.

It was as if he was bent over under the weight of a small mountain, walking like a lopsided shrimp!

“Heh heh…” The little girl laughed mischievously.

“What’s so funny?”

Chen Ye’s face flushed, straightening his back to scold. He thought, if the gym trainer from his previous life saw this physical state, he would probably laugh his head off.

Qing Jun’s face turned pale, hastily covering her mouth, staring at her toes, too afraid to speak.

She actually couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

Was Master about to suspend her for a whipping lesson again…

Seeing the trembling little white furball, Chen Ye felt both body and heart weary, not expecting a casual scold to throw the little girl into such disarray.

Sigh, taking care of problem children is truly no easy task.

“Hmph, when we get back, Master will punish you by having you cook! And punish you by continuing to deliver meals to Master!”

Chen Ye tried to sound as amiable as possible, while putting on a smile he believed was gentle.

The white-furred ball was trembling but heard Master’s gentle rebuke.

She gawked, raising her little face, only to see Master’s contorted face dirtied by sweat, with the ugliest smile…

“Qing Jun… Qing Jun understands!”

The little girl fiddled her fingers, fixedly staring at the ground, not daring to look at Master again.

The early winter chill wrapped with the muddy stench outside the market, shattering Master’s mountainous silhouette onto the bluestone pavement.

The shadow swayed, Master’s waist bending more and more.

Qing Jun looked at the shadow again and again,

Finding on the shadow the quilt that was supposed to be in her back basket.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep