Chapter 44: The So-called Ultimate Technique

Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

"Brother Shen, what brings you to visit today?"

"After personally testing it, Brother Wang, how do you feel about the Inner Dan Nourishing Technique?" Shen Congyun asked with a smile.

"So, Brother Shen, this was the reason for your visit!"

"What else could it be?" Shen Congyun smiled faintly and continued, "Otherwise, would Brother Wang think I came to invest in your hall's disciples? My Wanhua Pavilion's investments have always been selective; we value fate above all else. If we encounter someone and they catch our eye, we invest."

Wang Jin nodded. "True. How could the so-called 'prodigies' of ordinary standing ever catch the eye of Brother Shen and Wanhua Pavilion?"

Shen Congyun gave an noncommittal smile.

Wanhua Pavilion did indeed invest in and cultivate true martial arts geniuses.

The reason Wanhua Pavilion could grow so large was its ability to recognize talent—placing bets and investing in geniuses before they had even taken flight.

Only by providing warmth in the snow can one earn true friendship.

With such relationships spanning the world and reaching every faction, how could Wanhua Pavilion fail to grow?

His previous friendliness toward Wang Jin was precisely due to this factor.

As they conversed, the two continued walking toward the backyard of the martial arts hall.

Wang Jin said, "The Inner Dan Nourishing Technique you mentioned earlier is indeed miraculous. It truly is an authentic Taoist method of internal strengthening. I feel my bodily functions have recovered significantly, and there is a possibility for further progress."

Shen Congyun glanced at Wang Jin, sensing from a distance the rhythm of Wang Jin's breathing and the beat of his heart.

"Has Brother Wang successfully mastered the fragments I gave you?"

Wang Jin nodded, a sharp light gleaming in his eyes. "I have. I officially entered the stage a few days ago! Now, I feel my bodily functions have recovered immensely, as if I have grown five to ten years younger."

"Brother Wang's talent is indeed impressive!" Shen Congyun praised.

"Impressive? Not at all!" Wang Jin shook his head. "If not for that box of secret medicine you gave me, I wouldn't have been able to sense the so-called essence of heaven and earth at all, let alone enter the stage."

Shen Congyun shook his head with a smile. "Even a normal person would still be unable to sense the essence of the solar radiance even with that medicine. Brother Wang, you were born with innate spiritual intelligence; that in itself is extraordinary."

"To successfully enter the stage using the secret medicine in just two months represents your exceptional nature even more. No wonder you have been able to reach the peak of the Seventh Rank of Martial Arts in this small county."

As he spoke the latter part, Shen Congyun sounded quite moved.

At this moment, Wang Jin showed a look of confusion. "I have heard you mention 'spiritual intelligence' many times, Brother Shen, saying I am born with it. What exactly is this spiritual intelligence?"

Hearing this, Shen Congyun smiled. "Brother Wang, you may not know, but in the ancient era of gods and immortals, only those born with innate spiritual intelligence could practice the Immortal Path. If the Immortal Path is achieved, one can stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods, free from all constraints, attaining great freedom and ultimate transcendence."

"The Inner Dan Nourishing Technique is an ultimate art derived from the Immortal Path methods of the ancient era. Only those born with innate spiritual intelligence can, with the help of my secret medicine, sense the essence of the great sun and cultivate this technique."

At this moment, Wang Jin's face was filled with shock.

"Brother Shen, are you saying that the Inner Dan Nourishing Technique is an ultimate martial art? One that ranks even above superior martial arts?"

A smile appeared on Shen Congyun's face. "Naturally. The Inner Dan Nourishing Technique is indeed an ultimate art that ranks above the superior tier. Furthermore, even in its original form, it is extremely profound and exquisite."

"I wonder, what price would Brother Shen require to teach me this Inner Dan Nourishing Technique?" Wang Jin spoke, a look of longing instantly appearing in his eyes.

As a practitioner of martial arts, who wouldn't crave powerful techniques?

Not to mention that the Inner Dan Nourishing Technique was an ultimate art for strengthening the internal organs. It would be of immense help to him, strengthening his viscera, restoring his bodily functions, and extending his life.

This way, he would have the chance to take another step forward and enter the ranks of the Sixth Rank of Martial Arts.

"It's easy!" Shen Congyun continued with a smile. "We call each other brothers, and I think highly of your talent, Brother Wang. Naturally, I am willing to invest in you. Therefore, if you wish to learn this technique, it will not be difficult."

"However..."

Wang Jin immediately picked up the thread. "However, what?"

Shen Congyun continued, "I only hope you are mentally prepared. This Inner Dan Nourishing Technique is incomplete. I do not possess the full manual that has reached the level of perfection."

"To what level can it be practiced?" Wang Jin asked hurriedly. This technique concerned whether he could recover his bodily functions and pursue the path to the Sixth Rank, so he was naturally extremely concerned.

Shen Congyun said, "I only possess the method to reach the Great Success stage; the most crucial method for Perfection is missing. However, even the Inner Dan Nourishing Technique at the Great Success stage is comparable to superior martial arts. If you can reach Great Success, where your organs resonate like thunder and your internal breath is like astral qi, you will reach the stage of Great Success in internal strengthening and can enter the Fourth Rank of Martial Arts."

Hearing this, Wang Jin breathed a massive sigh of relief, and a smile spread across his face.

"That is enough! Even if it is an incomplete method, it is comparable to superior martial arts. To reach Great Success, with organs like thunder and breath like astral qi—is that not enough? A Fifth Rank martial artist at the Great Success stage of internal strengthening is no more than that."

Shen Congyun sighed softly, his expression filled with deep regret. "That may be so, but the most core and exquisite part of the Inner Dan Nourishing Technique is the stage of Perfection."

"To draw the fire of the midday sun into the body, making the self like a furnace to internally refine the Golden Dan."

"Once the Golden Dan is formed, it fulfills the legendary meaning: 'Swallowing a Golden Dan into the belly, my fate is mine to command, not heaven's.'"

"Only then can it truly be called an ultimate art. At the very least, one gains over a hundred years of longevity, and the internal breath undergoes a qualitative change."

Hearing these words, Wang Jin's eyes lit up. Such a powerful technique completely shattered his understanding.

Immediately after, his gaze dimmed slightly.

Because the most core part of this technique was missing, and even Shen Congyun, the Deputy Pavilion Master of Wanhua Pavilion, could not find it, how could he possibly find it?

At this moment, Shen Congyun walked side by side with Wang Jin, feeling very satisfied with him.

Wang Jin was a person born with innate spiritual intelligence whom he had unexpectedly discovered. After testing him, and now verifying that Wang Jin had entered the stage of the technique, he had completely made up his mind to invest in and support him.

The reason Wanhua Pavilion could open branches in any county across the nine provinces of Great Xia was due to its unfathomably wide and deep network of connections.

If they discovered a talent worth investing in, they would often provide support while the person was still weak, or help them through their difficulties.

As the saying goes, many add flowers to brocade, but few provide charcoal in the snow.

With such investments, once a supported genius grows, it becomes a massive harvest.

The gratitude of the strong is worth ten thousand gold.

And Wang Jin was the genius Shen Congyun had set his sights on.

A genius, even if of advanced age, is still a genius.