Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 10 True Blood Flows Like a Torrent, Martial Arts Fight for Life

Chen Yu retrieved the manual and carefully examined it.

The opening lines describe the general principles of cultivation in the entire manual.

"Form is the trace of death; power is the opportunity for life."

"When viewing my paintings, seeing the form is not as important as seeing the momentum, seeing the momentum is not as important as seeing the spirit. When you see the spirit, you forget the form and the momentum, and only have one thought."

As you flip through the pages, a series of human figure drawings appear before your eyes.

The shapes in these pictures are all different, and the actions and postures are also very varied.

Some people stand on one leg, with the other leg kicking high behind their back, the toes pointing overhead.

Some figures sit cross-legged, with the left foot pressing down on the right knee and the right foot hooking back to the left knee, forming a lock-like position.

Some of the figures are humanoid bodies curled up, their backs bent into a question mark shape, their heads drooping to their chests, their arms crossed tightly around their shoulders, and their fingers digging into their shoulder blades.

……

Turning to the last page, there were several more lines of small red text.

"Only after swallowing the blood of a thousand people can a lotus bloom."

"The day the lotus blooms is the day of rebirth."

"Those who obtain this book will either be destined for greatness or face calamity."

"Once you reach the fifth level of the Lotus Bone Realm, you can go to the shore of the Green Lotus Lake to find the Blood-Clad Fairy. If you are dull-witted, you can burn her to avoid being killed."

The rain outside the window gradually subsided, and a ray of moonlight fell precisely on the pages of the book.

Chen Yu gazed at the faint light and suddenly remembered that Shi Le had mentioned it before—

Thirty years ago, there was a "Blood-Clad Sword Immortal" in the martial arts world, who wielded a blood-flower sword and was a formidable figure in the sixteen prefectures of the Great Liang Dynasty.

However, their whereabouts became unknown afterward.

Some say she died from a qi deviation during her practice.

Some say she has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, transforming her physical body into a sword, her sword energy into a rainbow, and soaring into the sky.

That legendary realm is too far removed from my current self.

Let's take a look at the manual in front of us.

"Whoever obtains this book will either be destined for greatness or face certain calamity..."

Chen Yu silently repeated it to himself.

Behind "The Eighteen Styles of the Chopping Wood" lies a somewhat bizarre martial arts manual.

Is this really a coincidence?

Does Li Sandao know about this?

If you knew, why did you give this secret manual to yourself?

There seems to be something wrong with this Li Sandao!

Next time I encounter Li Sandao, I must test him and see what's going on.

Thinking too much was pointless, so Chen Yu decided to try cultivating the "Blood Lotus Great Technique".

Since I have the equipment slots, which allow me to determine whether a technique is suitable for me, there's nothing to be afraid of.

With a thought, information about the "Blood Lotus Great Technique" appeared in the [Techniques] section.

【Technique Section (Tier 1 34%)】

[Technique]: Blood Lotus Great Technique - Blood Refining Chapter (Incomplete)

[Description]: This is a high-level cultivation technique circulating within the Blood Lotus Sect. Reaching a certain level will cause the practitioner to become violent and bloodthirsty, with a significant probability of qi deviation. This book only contains a fragment of the Blood Refining chapter, and therefore poses little harm to the practitioner's physical or mental well-being.

[Quality]: Mid-grade, Tier 6

[Status]: Not equipped

[Progress]: First floor (0/100)

[Equipment Requirements]: None

[Equipment Effect]: Cultivation will surely yield results, once proven, forever, progress is visible, cultivation efficiency +20%.

After reading the description of the Blood Lotus Technique, Chen Yu felt relieved.

Although I've never heard of the Blood Lotus Cult, judging from its quality, this cultivation technique is quite powerful.

Moreover, this skill requires no special conditions and anyone can practice it; however, there are significant risks only when one reaches a high level of mastery.

Then what are we waiting for? Let's equip ourselves and start training!

……

The next day, early morning.

The inner courtyard, guard rooms.

Zhuang Fangyuan invited Chen Yu to have tea, saying he had something important to tell him.

Since becoming Song Xiangxiang's bodyguard, he has been extremely obsequious to her, constantly trying to impress her.

Wiping boots, warming feet, and flattering others are all commonplace for them.

They even figured out the best position to kneel and pay their respects.

That's on the third seam of the blue bricks in front of the door, not too far, not too close, just right for the young lady to see when she looks down.

Using his talent for flattery, Zhuang Fangyuan successfully secured a position as a guard leader.

He showed a completely different face towards Chen Yu and his servants.

"The young lady has a task to assign."

Zhuang Fangyuan leaned back in the tiger-skin chair, twirling two walnuts in his hands, without even lifting his eyelids.

"The daredevil who fought for the young lady was beaten to death on stage the other day."

"Someone needs to fill in now."

"A daredevil?"

Chen Yu put down his teacup, his brows furrowing slightly.

"What do you do?"

Zhuang Fangyuan stood up, looking arrogant.

"There is an underground martial arts arena on the east side of Qili Town. It used to be a filthy place for cockfighting and dog racing."

"Later, the wealthy patrons found the animal fights not exciting enough, so they started to devise a plan for human-to-human battles to the death."

"Once on stage, the iron gates closed, and the two men tore at each other like wild beasts, locked in a life-or-death struggle."

"If you win, you'll receive a silver ingot; if you lose, you'll either die or be maimed."

"Who did the young lady choose?"

"you."

"I……"

Chen Yu remained silent for a moment, his fingertips gently stroking the rim of the teacup.

Seeing Chen Yu's solemn expression, Fang Yuan couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

It was he who strongly recommended Chen Yu to be the "daredevil" in front of the young lady.

This kid is good-looking, and his kung fu is better than mine.

If the young lady takes a liking to me one day, I might lose my position as leader.

We must strike first and find a way to get rid of him.

We were all born into the same household slave family, so why are you so outstanding?

You're better than me, right? Since you're so good, then I'll recommend you to the young lady to fight your way to the death in the martial arts arena.

In the arena, people fight to the death; even if they don't die, they'll be crippled.

You may think this in your heart, but you can't say it out loud.

Zhuang Fangyuan walked over to Chen Yu and patted him on the shoulder.

"This is the young lady's way of recognizing your talent and giving you a chance to make a contribution. Don't be ungrateful."

"Alright, that's all for now. Get ready."

"Ten days from now, we look forward to your performance in the arena."

Zhuang Fangyuan left after he finished speaking.

There are only ten days left.

Chen Yu was deep in thought.

I need to hurry up and practice the Blood Lotus Technique.

Fighting for one's life is no easy task; the stronger the means, the higher the chance of victory.

……

In the afternoon, inside the guards' quarters.

Chen Yu opened the "Blood Lotus Great Technique" and imitated the human figures in the picture, sometimes sitting and sometimes standing, in strange postures.

After completing the entire set of exercises, I was drenched in sweat, and fine black impurities were expelled from my body.

After practicing ten times in a row, a wisp of robust true blood was born from the dantian.

[Technique]: Blood Lotus Great Technique - Blood Refining Chapter (Incomplete)

[Progress]: Three floors (6/300)

Having successfully reached the third level, the three strands of true blood within his body gradually grew stronger.

Nine days later.

Chen Yu studied and practiced diligently, and finally broke through to the Great Perfection of Blood Refinement.

【Technique Section (Tier 1 69%)】

[Technique]: Blood Lotus Great Technique - Blood Refining Chapter (Incomplete)

[Progress]: Nine floors (900/900)

This Blood Lotus Technique has a maximum of nine levels. Once mastered, nine strands of powerful true blood circulate endlessly within the body, generating life indefinitely.

Chen Yu experienced the earth-shattering changes in his body.

Nine strands of true blood flowed through his limbs, reaching every part of his body. His muscles and bones trembled slightly, and his strength increased significantly.

Ordinary blood-refining martial artists can only condense a wisp of true blood over many years.

The difference between one strand of true blood and nine strands of true blood is like heaven and earth.

When a martial artist exerts force, it greatly depletes the true blood in their body.

A nine-fold difference in true blood volume translates to a nine-fold difference in combat power.

The gap in actual combat often goes beyond this.

Having nine strands of true blood means being able to cultivate higher-level techniques, and one's actual combat power is naturally far superior to that of ordinary blood-refining martial artists.

Chen Yu opened his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"After nine days, I have finally achieved the Great Perfection of Blood Refinement."

Tomorrow is the tenth day, the day of the armed conflict.