Mysterious mirror hanging high

Chapter 1005 Give everything you have

Inside the secret chamber, the blood-red amber light shimmered, casting flickering shadows on Jing Yu and Guo Tingshu's faces.

Jing Yu felt the warmth of the blood amber in his palm and said, "Fellow Daoist Guo, there is more blood amber here than we can use. Let's cultivate here and wait for the exit of the Demon Refining Realm to reopen."

"I've benefited from Fellow Daoist Bai Yuan's influence again," Guo Tingshu said embarrassedly.

Jing Yu shook his head. If Guo Tingshu hadn't suddenly teleported to the Pot Palace, he probably would have died several times at the hands of Bai Zhaoyue and Yuan Jiqing. They were, after all, sworn brothers. So he said:

"Baiyuan is my alias. My real Daoist name is Xuanjing, and I am also a human."

Guo Tingshu was stunned: "You...you're not a true dragon? Sigh...that's right, I should have realized it sooner. If you weren't a human cultivator, why would you care about my life or death in the demon market? It turns out that it was a fellow human who saved my life!"

“Brother Xuanjing, you don’t need to be so formal with ‘fellow Daoist’ from now on. Just call me by my given name.”

Jing Yu disagreed. Guo Tingshu was clearly part of a scheme orchestrated by some important figure. Even if he hadn't happened to be there at the time, he didn't believe that Guo Tingshu would die in the Azure Dragon Demon Market.

"By the way, Brother Guo, I am so grateful to you for stopping Bai Zhaoyue for me earlier... But you only have human blood, so your basic physique is not comparable to that of a true dragon. How were you able to overpower Bai Zhaoyue with just a few martial arts moves?"

Guo Tingshu shook his head and said, "I don't know. I've been wandering around the demon refining world for the past few years. I only feel that my strength has increased a lot and I'm more resistant to beatings... As for cultivation techniques and martial arts? I just imitated the forms of some demon beasts and figured them out on my own."

"Imitating the form of a demonic beast... a body-refining technique I devised myself?"

Jing Yu repeated, his tone filled with disbelief: "Brother Guo, do you know what kind of existence Bai Zhaoyue is? She has the bloodline of the Ancestral Dragon and the body of a true dragon. She is uniquely favored in this demon refining world, and her strength is close to that of a Three Tribulations Loose Immortal! You think you can stand up to her head-on with the body refining method you devised by imitating demon beasts?"

Guo Tingshu scratched his head, seemingly a little embarrassed by Jing Yu's serious question: "Actually, it's not that mysterious, Brother Xuanjing. I just feel that those fused beasts, their hunting, fighting, and defense, every action seems to be the most suitable for their physical instincts, it's their innate [Dao]."

"I thought to myself, we humans don't have sharp teeth and claws, nor thick skin and scales, and we are naturally physically weak. But what are the advantages of the human race? It is observation, learning, imitation, and integration."

"So after every life-or-death battle, I try to recall the moves, the way I exerted force, and the momentum that my opponent used that made me feel the most uncomfortable and the most unable to resist. Then I think about how I would use my body to deliver that move if I were in that situation. And then I think about what body posture and angle of force would be the most energy-efficient and effective way to counter that move?"

"Over time, I've accumulated a lot of poses in my mind. Some are the power of a tiger pouncing, some are the light and coordinated leap of a nimble ape, some are the steady and heavy stance of a black tortoise carrying its shell, and there are the poses I used against the white dragon earlier, like a crane, like a mantis, like a sea anemone... all sorts of random poses."

“I gave these postures a name: ‘Beast Forms.’ During my practice, I visualize these beast forms and adjust my breathing, blood circulation, and the movement of my muscles and bones, trying to make my body get closer to and simulate that state.”

"The more you use it, the more your body seems to remember it. When you encounter a similar attack, you naturally know how to move, what form to use to deal with it, and even... how to counterattack."

"After I comprehended dozens of beast forms, it seemed that a picture formed in my mind. The picture recorded all the shapes I had comprehended before. A voice in the dark told me that this picture was called the 'Hundred Beasts Picture'."

"There are also the [Thousand Beasts Painting], [Ten Thousand Beasts Painting]... but those can only be mastered much later."

Guo Tingshu spoke simply, even somewhat trivially, but Jing Yu was deeply moved by his words.

This is not merely the imitation of martial arts techniques, but also touches upon the essence of cultivation—observing the universe and all things, learning from nature, and drawing upon the "Tao" and "principle" that suit oneself.

However, Guo Tingshu put it into practice in the most clumsy, direct, and pure way. Moreover, in the special environment of the Demon Refining World, where bloodlines and instincts are greatly enhanced, and under the pressure of countless brushes with death, he actually found an incredible path!

"You mean, the [Hundred Beasts Diagram] is not a set of fixed moves, but a kind of... a general outline of body-refining methods that can be called upon, combined, or even created according to the characteristics of the opponent?" Jing Yu grasped the key point.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Guo Tingshu's eyes lit up: "Brother Xuanjing's summary is excellent! It's the general principle! Actually, there are no fixed moves, just those 'forms' and the 'principles' behind them."

"The palm techniques I used to deal with Bai Zhaoyue were temporary combinations and variations of many [beast forms]. Later, as the pressure increased, I felt that some postures could be combined and some principles were the same, so I gradually simplified them into eighteen more core postures. When used as palm techniques, they became the [Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms].

In the end, he himself felt that the name was a bit too flamboyant and chuckled awkwardly.

"Furthermore, I discovered that while imitating the beast form, it seemed that my physical strength was gradually increasing. I wonder if this triggered some kind of bloodline change."

"Hmm, I can't quite explain it either. How about this, Brother Xuanjing, let me demonstrate for you, and you can give me some pointers."

Jing Yu hesitated slightly: "This is a unique skill that Brother Guo himself comprehended on the brink of death. How can the Xuanjing be obtained without effort..."

"So what..."

Guo Tingshu chuckled and immediately began demonstrating various [beast forms], leaving Jing Yu marveling at the sight.

Jing Yu met all the prerequisites for the [Hundred Beasts Diagram]. This unique skill was not something that only the stupid could learn. In terms of talent and comprehension, Jing Yu far surpassed Guo Tingshu, so he could learn it much faster. He had only glanced at it a few times when he felt that he had already grasped the basics and had vaguely mastered one of the beast forms.

Gradually, Jing Yu closed her eyes.

He no longer merely observed, but began to try to follow Guo Tingshu's flow of Qi, using his own body to feel and imitate it.

One, two, three... Jing Yu was immersed in this peculiar "imitation cultivation".

Guo Tingshu seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and he demonstrated without reservation the various animal-shaped meanings he had comprehended between life and death.

The secret room fell silent, with only the faint hum of their blood circulating within them...

Jing Yu sensed a subtle change in his human bloodline. Combined with the Ancestral Dragon Bloodline bestowed upon him by the True Dragon Ancestor, the two bloodlines gradually and completely merged under the operation of the Hundred Beasts Diagram, becoming indistinguishable from one another...