6 Curse (1/2)
Within a gap in space, a man sat cross-legged abosrbing the primordial chaos surrounding him. His appearance was of a young man. He had devilish looks, his eyebrows were shaped like swords and his hair was spiked upwards, showing the man's ferocity. His eyes glistened like the stars as his iris was colored a dark crimson red, contrasting the gleam. Within those eyes held an insurmountable amount of experience, showing his shrewdness that was well hidden.
All of a sudden, the man stopped cultivating as he conjured a mirror in front of him, reflecting a certain person. The person in the mirror was sitting cross-legged as he read through the book he was holding with great interest. The person then placed the book on the floor as he copied the movements that were written in the book.
”Oh? It's seem that there's still one more person that hasn't fallen under the curse. To decide if it's a curse or a blessing is based on the person itself. I hope he can free us from this seal,” the man looking at the mirror sighed.
He extended his index finger and a small red ball of qi hovered just a few centimeters above it.
”To be honest, I didn't really want to do this,” he was weighing the possibilities of success and failure once he does the thing related to the red ball of qi. ”Then again, I'm taking all of my chances, just to free the whole family once again. If he frees us all, then I won't hesitate to make him the patriarch.”
Without hesitation, the man shot the red ball towards the mirror, appearing on the other side. He then manipulated the ball to look like a small red pearl that was quite similar to another precious treasure. He also infused the ball with enough qi to only land on the ground at night, making the pearl look more dazzling.
”Now, it's up to you if you take this chance,” the man sighed as he closed his eyes.
”I hope it doesn't consume you.”
…
Within a courtyard of the Shi clan.
Shi Li continued to imitate the movements that were depicted in the book. Gradually, he could feel that his skin was compacting bit by bit, increasing his defense.
”Man, the first layer is quite hard, but it's already allowed me to experience the compacting of skin. According to Shi Li's memories, it would be at the 2nd stage where the compacting of skin would start. With this, I would have an edge against my peers!”
The [Skin Tempering Foundation Manual] focuses on three parts of the body, namely agility, defense, and strength. There are three layers to the technique, with the first one focusing on defense.
Its name is the [Dance of Earth and Skies].
It consists of 32 movements, with each one pushing the flexibility of one's body to the limit. Once one is able to replicate the 32 movements from start to finish, one would feel that their body has gotten more light, thanks to the flexibility of their skin being increased. Simultaneous, by stretching the skin, one would increase the elasticity of the skin, increasing the force it can exert, not only for offensive purposes, but for defensive purposes as well.
Fifteen minutes later, Shi Li sat down on the ground, his body dripping with sweat.
”Man, just repeating the first 8 movements is already strenuous for my body. I wonder if it was 16 movements, or even the full 32,” Shi Li started to imagine his progress if he was able to replicate all of them.
”But one thing's for sure, with 8 movements alone, I'm already close to the middle of the 1st stage. If I practice for a few more days, I'm sure I'd be at the middle of the 1st stage in no time!”
The reason why he was able to cultivate to the brink of reaching the middle of the 1st stage was all thanks to the previous Shi Li's cultivation.
At the time the current Shi Li took over previous Shi Li's body, the body was already at the first stage of Skin Tempering, and not to mention halfway to the middle of the 1st stage.
With the amount of effort Shi Li exerted these past few minutes, he was able to reach the brink of the middle of the 1st stage. If one were to see his cultivation speed right now, they would definitely call Shi Li a monstrous cultivation genius.
After taking a ten minute break, he continued on repeating the first 8 movements again and again, slowly gaining more and more strength.
…
Shi Xingwan sent a voice transmission to one of the clan elders. ”How is he doing?”
The clan elder who received the message was currently in stealth, checking Shi Li's every move. ”So far, he's doing well. Within 4 hours, he has already reached the middle of the 1st stage. I think he could even possibly be halfway to the peak of the 1st stage.”
'Eh? So fast?' Shi Xingwan couldn't believe it. His son that used to indulge in worldly desires day after day...was actually a genius in terms of cultivation.
'At this rate, he would be able to reach the 2nd stage in about a week or so. If he does reach the 2nd stage, I think I can include him as one of the participants of the Shi clan Novice Tournament,' Shi Xingwan thought about the possibility, but ultimately shook his head, getting back to filing his papers.
…
The moon hung up above the starry sky. Shi Li was still furiously cultivating as he copied the movements again and again.