Chapter 21: Jade-Fingered Mastery, the Fragrance of Mortal Flowers
Everyone stands on equal ground; it depends only on whether you’re willing to climb higher. If you stay there enjoying the cool breeze while watching others struggle under the heat, and then claim the world is unequal and unfair, that’s true injustice. (Gu Long)
……
At this moment, Liu Yi gradually opened his eyes. His first sensation was that the surroundings were clearer—he seemed to be able to see farther and more distinctly. His ears also seemed more sensitive, and all his other senses felt indescribably good…
After the guidance earlier, there seemed to be a circular object inside his dantian, as if it were a space. Even when trying to look inside, Liu Yi couldn’t discern how large this space really was.
Liu Yi turned to look at the Wolf King sitting beside him and asked, “What is that thing inside me?”
The Wolf King waved his fan and said, “That’s the inner dan—a yet-to-be-fused inner dan. Over time, through cultivation, it will become yours. It will also gradually expand and merge as you refine it. But it can only grow to its original size, because you can’t absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth yet.”
Liu Yi didn’t understand and shook his head.
The Wolf King waved his fan again and said, “Let me put it this way: You now possess the basic form of an inner dan, which is equivalent to the internal energy of a martial arts master. But since an inner dan isn’t something humans can naturally have, you must follow the techniques I teach to gradually refine it and turn it into part of your body. If you don’t do this, you might suffer from the opposing forces within the inner dan, causing even greater pain. Unless one day the inner dan fully merges with you, you must practice those techniques every day.”
Liu Yi nodded, now understanding. It was simply a reminder that he needed to practice the techniques daily, otherwise he might die from freezing or burning.
The Wolf King waved his fan proudly and said, “Fortunately, I discovered the ways of demons and humans a few days ago; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to create these techniques. I thought they wouldn’t work, but they actually proved effective on you.”
Liu Yi stretched his arms and asked, “What are the ways of demons and humans?”
The Wolf King smiled and said, “You humans only know of three races in the three realms: humans, demons, and immortals. But according to my research, there are at least six races in total. The ghost race among demons has always remained hidden, the supreme gods among immortals rarely appear and are almost forgotten, and then there’s the demon race.”
“When Pangu created the world, he created the first lifeform—the Heavenly Dragon, a guardian of the wild beasts. The so-called wild beasts have evolved into what we now call demons. The demon race has a long history, and for ordinary creatures to become demons, they must pay a price of a thousand years. Surprisingly, this thousand-year sacrifice grants them human form and immortality—that’s what makes the demon race capable of transformation.”
“And the transformation of demons into human form is what I’ve been studying. So far, only you have practiced these techniques, with just a little progress.”
The Great Sword King showed an eager expression. The mysteries of the martial world across the three realms were irresistible to anyone—who wouldn’t want to become a legend in those realms? Just like Cold Sword.
The Wolf King glanced at Liu Yi, who was still deep in thought, and said, “As long as you follow the techniques I teach you, your internal energy will surely grow exponentially, thanks to the help of the inner pill. But… even if you have the strongest internal energy, if you don’t know how to fight opponents, it won’t work. How about this? I’ll teach you a set of finger techniques to protect yourself.”
Liu Yi looked at the Wolf King, whose smile seemed lecherous, and thought to himself, “Showing excessive kindness without reason is either deceit or theft.” He shook his head firmly and refused. “I’ve said I’ll never take you as my master.”
The Wolf King shook his head. “I just feel we’re fated to work together and want to help you. Do you know that what I teach is something others dream of having? Can’t I teach you unconditionally now?”
For some reason, Liu Yi didn’t feel any goodwill toward him. Seeing someone around his age trying so hard to take him as a disciple made him uncomfortable.
Liu Yi still shook his head. “No. Even so, if you tell others that it was I who taught that kid Liu Yi martial arts, wouldn’t I end up being your disciple?”
The Wolf King became anxious. “Can’t I swear on heaven? If such a day comes, I’m willing to suffer the punishment of being struck by heavenly lightning—is that not enough?”
After swearing, the Wolf King muttered to himself, “Why does it feel like I’m begging this kid to learn from me?”
Liu Yi originally didn’t like learning martial arts, but after leaving Liu Fu and going through many things, he had changed a lot. Facing this world of survival of the fittest, he realized how weak his own skills were. If he had known martial arts back then, the demon fox might not have died… Liu Yi’s heart wavered. Since he could learn something without becoming a disciple, it wasn’t bad. Besides, it was finger techniques—probably simple.
After what seemed like a long time of consideration, Liu Yi stood up, waved his fan, and said, “Since the Wolf King is so sincere, if I keep refusing, it would be disrespectful. I’ll reluctantly learn it then.”
The Wolf King tilted his head at Liu Yi, slightly annoyed. “Huh? This isn’t right… It seems like I’m the one begging you.”
The Great Sword King stood up, leaned against the withered tree where Liu Yi had been lying, and stretched. “Joking! What do you mean ‘seems like’? You’re clearly begging!”
The Wolf King pointed at the Great Sword King, angry. “You…” but he didn’t know what to say next.
Liu Yi waved his fan impatiently. “Are you going to teach me or not? If not, I have to go. The Ninth Princess is waiting for me to save her. I don’t have much time to waste.”
The Wolf King quickly turned around. “I’ll teach! Let’s start now.”
With that, he grabbed his right hand, activated his movement skills, and vanished quickly from the sight of the Great Sword King and the Ten Heroes, leaving behind six afterimages…
The Great Sword King sat up abruptly and asked, “Where did that guy go? So fast!”
The Ten Heroes shook their heads. “We don’t know. I didn’t see him. Let’s wait here for the leader to return.”
The two sat under the withered tree and began discussing the other three races the Wolf King had mentioned earlier…
A hundred meters away, on a large tree with lush branches and leaves, stood a swordsman in white, holding a blue long sword. His entire body was almost transparent, and under the sunlight, his face could not be seen. His body was even more peculiar—it could float in the wind like a paper figure. The swordsman murmured to himself, “It seems I underestimated you. Being able to leave six afterimages—guarding a divine beast is no easy task…”
Liu Yi felt as if he were floating, with the scenery around him rushing backward at high speed. The wind blew painfully in his ears. He didn’t know how far he had run, but it must have been quite far. Finally, he stopped. Looking up, Liu Yi realized that the Wolf King had brought him to the demon fox’s cave.
Liu Yi asked curiously, “Why did you bring me here?”
The Wolf King smiled and said, “Do you think anyone else can easily learn what belongs to me, the Wolf King? If I’m to teach you, I need a quieter place. With those two around, I can’t stand it.”
Liu Yi looked at the Wolf King and thought to himself, “So you’re just afraid that Eleven and the Great Sword King will steal your skills?”
The Wolf King seemed to notice Liu Yi’s thoughts. He cleared his throat and said, “Don’t guess my intentions like a child. Even if I showed them openly, they wouldn’t be able to learn. The Great Sword King might be able to, but his true energy is insufficient. Eleven has plenty of true energy, but he’s extremely stupid. I just want to find a quiet place for you to learn.”
Liu Yi asked, “How do you know everything?”
The Wolf King smiled and said, “One day, when you’ve seen all the aspects of the world, you’ll know a lot too, just like me.”
Liu Yi nodded in understanding.
The Wolf King waved his fan and said, “Now, let’s get to the point. I know many types of finger techniques. I’ll name them, and you pick one.”
“Hundred-Color Fingers: Compresses true energy to absorb toxins from space, creating a hundred colors.”
“Sky Cicada Fingers: As the name suggests, they are light, agile, and fast, but not very lethal.”
“Mysterious Void Fingers: Powerful techniques, but require a lot of true energy. Multiple bursts of energy can be sent in one move.”
“Floating Flowers and Falling Leaves Fingers: Not very lethal, but can be used repeatedly at extreme speed. Very difficult to master; not suitable.”
“Duo Luo Wind Leaf Fingers: Gentle techniques. Not very fast, but cause severe internal injuries. Also very difficult to master.”
“Green Lotus Water Floating Fingers: Known for being slow and gentle. Can be used repeatedly to break protective auras.”
The Wolf King waved his fan again and said, “Well? Pick one of these techniques. Master even just one, and you’ll be able to protect yourself.”
Liu Yi thought for a moment and said, “They all seem powerful, but I don’t want to practice any of them.”
Hearing this, the Wolf King rushed to say, “Weren’t we in agreement? Why do you want to back out now?”
Liu Yi complained and explained, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t practice. Are there any nicer names? These techniques have such ugly names that I don’t even want to try them!”
The Wolf King replied, “What kind of logic is that? It’s about how powerful the technique is, not its name. Why care about the name?”
Liu Yi shook his head and said, “Just tell me if there are any nicer names for techniques. If not, I’m leaving.” He then pretended to walk away.
The Wolf King immediately waved his hand and said, “Yes, there are.”
Liu Yi asked, “What are they?”
“Sky Condensing Fingers, Willow Smoke Fingers, Jade Flower Calamity Fingers…”
“Wait…” Before the Wolf King could finish speaking, Liu Yi stopped him and said, “Jade Flower Calamity Finger. I’ll practice this one. Tell me about its characteristics.”
The Wolf King tilted his head and said, “This Jade Flower Calamity is the first finger technique I mastered. It’s very fast. Once mastered, the finger energy turns jade-colored and carries the scent of various flowers. Each pulse of energy has a different floral scent. The speed and strength of the technique depend entirely on the amount of true energy. It’s not suitable for you—too difficult and of little use. Your true energy isn’t strong, so you won’t be good at it.”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “I like this technique. I’ll practice it anyway. My true energy isn’t strong? Once I integrate my inner core gradually, it will become stronger. Even if I’m not great at it, I can still scare people. It’s better than learning nothing.”
The Wolf King shook his head and said, “But this technique is harder to master than the previous ones. I didn’t mention it at first because I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to learn it.”
Liu Yi laughed and said, “Don’t worry about that. Whether you can learn it or not is determined by fate. Just teach me. Besides… ‘Jade Flower Calamity Finger’ doesn’t sound right. Let’s rename it Jade Flower Finger.”
With a “thud,” the Wolf King fainted. Good heavens, how could there be such a shameless scholar…
Yet the Wolf King was diligent. He somehow gathered hundreds of different flowers and surrounded Liu Yi with them. These flowers immediately took root in the cave, absorbing the light from the night pearls…
Liu Yi had no idea the Wolf King possessed such powers. After asking, he learned that the flowers were planted by the Wolf King himself in his celestial ring—a small ring that could hold many things. Such items were common among immortals, with almost everyone in the Divine Gate having one. But they didn’t exist in the human world, for complex reasons, which Liu Yi didn’t bother to inquire about.
“Jade Flower Finger” seemed extremely difficult to master. With the Wolf King’s careful guidance, Liu Yi finally began to practice from within, trying to channel the energy from his dantian and release it from various parts of his body to exchange for the vitality of the flowers. Liu Yi completely shut off his consciousness and relied on his senses…
The Wolf King sat at the entrance of the cave, preparing some dry food. As he ate, he said, “With such a difficult technique, even if your foundation is good, it will take at least half a year to master the basics…”
But perhaps the Wolf King forgot two words: miracle.
Time passed outside, and Liu Yi’s consciousness gradually became clearer. As his true energy exchanged with the vitality of the plants, a stream of energy began to circulate within his body. Liu Yi realized this was the energy of the Jade Flower Finger the Wolf King had mentioned. The energy flowed through the twelve major meridians in his body—Hand Yangming, Hand Shaoyang, Hand Taiyang, Hand Taiyin, Hand Jueyin, Hand Shaoyin, Foot Yangming, Foot Shaoyang, Foot Taiyang, Foot Yin, Foot Jueyin, Foot Shaoyin—before quickly returning from Foot Shaoyang to Hand Yangming… In this cycle, it became faster with each repetition… Thus, moving from hand to foot, from foot to head, and from head to hand, over and over again.
Suddenly, as he moved toward the Kongzui point on his right arm, his speed slowed down, and he gradually approached the Taiyuan point on his wrist. Liu Yi could clearly feel a slight pain. When he moved away from the Taiyuan point, the pain disappeared, and his true energy quickly split into three streams, rushing toward the interfinger points. There, they merged into a perfect stream of finger energy…
Liu Yi abruptly opened his eyes and stretched out his finger. A stream of jade-green finger energy, carrying the scent of the night-blooming cereus, shot out from the Shaochong point on his little finger.
Meanwhile, the Wolf King was sitting at the entrance of the cave, holding a piece of food stored in his celestial ring—a large cake—he was about to eat when a jade-green light flashed by. With a whoosh, a hole appeared right through his cake. After the jade-green light vanished, he smelled the fragrance of the night-blooming cereus.
The Wolf King pressed his eye against the cake and muttered, “That can’t be real.” Turning around, he saw Liu Yi walking toward him with great enthusiasm through the hole in the cake.
The Wolf King quickly put down the cake, stood up, and cursed, “Damn you, brat! Do you want to kill me?” With that, he raised the cake, ready to hit Liu Yi.
Liu Yi glanced at the Wolf King’s ridiculous expression and said, “It took a few days.”
The Wolf King put down the cake and said, “It seems like nine days… oh, no, ten days.”
Liu Yi hurriedly replied, “Ten days? I haven’t eaten in ten days! No wonder I’m so hungry.” Then he snatched the cake from the Wolf King’s hands and started eating voraciously. There was no trace left of his scholarly demeanor—truly worthy of the Wolf King’s description of him as a shameless scholar.
The Wolf King waved his hand and took out another cake. “Since you have an internal core, it doesn’t matter if you don’t eat for ten days. You can just use the spiritual energy in your internal core to sustain yourself. When you can absorb spiritual energy again, replenish it.”
Liu Yi kept eating greedily, asking between bites, “Brother Wolf, may I ask something? Didn’t you say this skill is very difficult to master? How come I mastered it so quickly?”
Hearing this, the Wolf King stopped chewing, put down the cake, and circled Liu Yi. “That’s right. I just realized this—even with my aptitude, it would take me half a year to achieve some progress. But the floral scent you just emitted was clearly from a night-blooming cereus. That means your finger energy has reached at least the fourth level.”
Liu Yi continued eating and asked, “How many levels are there in total? What’s the difference between each level?”
The Wolf King explained, “There are seven levels in total. By enhancing true strength, one can improve finger energy. Above the fifth level, one can freely emit various floral scents with finger energy. At the seventh level, one can shoot three streams of finger energy at once.”
Liu Yi kept eating and asked, “So, what level have you reached?”
Hearing Liu Yi’s question, the Wolf King felt as if large drops of sweat were falling from the back of his head. He replied awkwardly, “Because to advance beyond the fourth level, one needs to double their true strength. That’s why I’ve only reached the sixth level.”
It seemed Liu Yi didn’t notice the Wolf King’s embarrassment. He continued eating and asked, “Then how do you know that at the seventh level, one can shoot three streams of finger energy?”
The Wolf King didn’t know how to explain and snapped, “Do you really not believe what the Wolf King says?”
Liu Yi shook his head and said, “Who knows you?” Then he reached out… offering me a big pancake. Before the Wolf King could react, Liu Yi snatched the untouched pancake from his hands and started eating it greedily. Just as the Wolf King, helpless, planned to get another pancake, he was shocked to find that there were no more pancakes in his ring at all… The Wolf King cursed, “HeavenAh…” Then he pounced on Liu Yi, trying to seize the last pancake…