Chapter 12: Eye Technique, the Fragrance of Horse Manure
“Pop!”
A faint sound echoed as Lu Sheng skillfully dispatched a serpent with a burst of internal force. His fingernail sliced open its body, deftly extracting the gallbladder, which he promptly popped into his mouth.
“Mmm! This gall tastes excellent—far more bitter than the last, yet with a subtle sweetness lingering beneath the surface.”
“As expected of a mutated beast with demon blood; its flavor is truly unique!”
Savoring the taste, he simultaneously sealed the serpent’s wound with his arcane energy, preventing any scent from escaping. Lu Sheng mused to himself:
“Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty—the five flavors are ever-changing and endless!”
“Since my arcane energy began nourishing my mouth orifice, my sense of taste has sharpened immensely. Just this one gall, and I can perceive so many distinctions!”
“The previous snake was bitter with an astringent note; this one’s bitterness is tinged with sweetness. Not only is the flavor different—the effects of their galls vary greatly as well!”
“If I can find a few more snakes like this, I might even open my eye orifice!”
By channeling arcane energy into his mouth and perineal orifices, he continuously refined his spirit, enhancing his innate abilities. Now, Lu Sheng’s taste and control over his own voice had increased dramatically.
Moreover, after much experimentation, he had finally succeeded in infusing a wisp of spiritual power into his arcane energy when nourishing his spirit.
With this breakthrough, merging his cultivated spirit entirely into his arcane energy became a natural progression. What was a formidable challenge for many grand martial masters—the unity of spirit and energy—came easily to him.
Next, Lu Sheng guided his arcane energy into his upper elixir field, coordinating with the central and lower fields, using virtue as fuel to form a vortex in each.
At this moment, all three of his elixir fields contained a vortex. Though he was a complete novice at the martial master realm, the total amount of arcane energy in his body rivaled the peak of early-stage masters!
Furthermore, thanks to the fusion of spirit and energy, his control over arcane energy had become agile and precise, as if it were an extension of his own limbs. This allowed him, a newcomer, to quickly adapt to wielding such power.
Having opened both his mouth and perineal orifices, Lu Sheng first refined the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, and other organs tied to digestion, thereby strengthening his ability to absorb and process nutrients.
Now, consuming serpent gall, he relied on his enhanced digestive system to absorb its medicinal essence, hoping its vision-improving properties would hasten the opening of his eye orifice.
“This world is home not only to myriad martial arts but also to arcane arts, crafted by inscribing mystical patterns with arcane energy!”
“Many spiritual orifices, once opened, grant access to unique arcane arts that bolster corresponding abilities.”
“For instance, the Gold Mouth Jade Teeth I now cultivate is an arcane art from the Primordial Harmony Technique, specifically for the mouth orifice.”
“When mastered, the teeth and jaws become so powerful they can gnaw gold and chew iron!”
“In this serpent pit, shrouded in perpetual darkness, if I could open my eye orifice and cultivate a related arcane art, my chances of survival would surge!”
The inheritance I received included not only three legacy stones related to the Primordial Harmony Technique, but also a stack of beast hides, seemingly from the grasslands.
On them were recorded various martial arts of the steppe, alongside ocular arts like Eagle Eye and Wolf Eye, passed down among the tribes—accessible only after opening the eye orifice.
Eagle Eye enhances long-distance and microscopic vision—legend has it, with mastery, one can discern the finest detail.
Wolf Eye grants night vision; with even a sliver of light, one sees clearly, and in utter darkness, the eyes themselves emit a glow to illuminate the world.
One typically can cultivate only one of these two ocular arts.
In my current state, trapped in the serpent pit, Wolf Eye is the greater necessity.
But once I escape, Eagle Eye will prove invaluable!
So, the best outcome would be to fuse the two, cultivating both after opening my eye orifice!
With that thought, Lu Sheng glanced at his attributes:
“Essence 6.36, Energy 6.36, Spirit 6.36; Fortune 297, Merit 562, Karma 23.”
“My essence, energy, and spirit have increased from nourishing the mouth and perineal orifices with arcane energy, and my fortune has risen as well.”
“But merit has been steadily consumed. Even after slaying many serpents, I have only 562 points—still a long way from the 1,126 needed to merge Eagle Eye and Wolf Eye!”
Having considered this fusion, Lu Sheng had attempted it through his wish-fulfilling function. The ever-useful merit did not disappoint; though the cost was high, it remained within his means.
“My eye orifice is not yet open, so there’s no rush to practice the ocular arts. There’s still some distance to the cave exit—if I keep slaying serpents along the way, I should be able to accumulate enough merit!”
“And should I fall a bit short, I can always convert fortune into merit to make up the difference!”
With that in mind, Lu Sheng moved on all fours toward another cave opening.
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At the entrance to a serpent pit on Blackstone Mountain, two burly men, both bearing facial scars and moving with the lithe grace of predators, encircled a thin, raggedly dressed man.
“Wan Gu Xiao, you really know how to hide—nearly two months in there!”
“So, have you uncovered the secrets of Blackstone Island? Care to share?”
The younger of the two, seemingly confident in his advantage, addressed Wan Gu Xiao with a casual air.
He was Ma Bu Ti, the very man who, on the day Wan Gu Xiao attacked Lu Hai, had arrived at Longsang Island and driven Wan Gu Xiao into the serpent pit. He had originally been pursuing Wan Gu Xiao for another matter, but unexpectedly stumbled upon Wan Gu Xiao targeting the Lu family.
Sensing there was more to the story, Ma Bu Ti not only stayed to keep watch on Blackstone Island himself, but also summoned his elder brother, Ma Bu Ting, to join him in guarding the place.
Today, at last, they had cornered Wan Gu Xiao after he emerged from the serpent pit.
Staring at the Ma brothers who hemmed him in, Wan Gu Xiao suddenly scattered some medicinal powder over himself, sniffed carefully, and his expression darkened as he said in a low tone:
“Horse Dung Musk—when did you slip that onto me?”
The Myriad Venoms Sect was famed for its mastery of poisons, second only to the Hundred Herbs School.
Though the scent of Horse Dung Musk was notoriously elusive, Wan Gu Xiao hadn’t noticed it at all at first. But after applying the powder, he keenly sensed something amiss about himself—he was likely already marked by the musk.
“You’re quite perceptive.”
Ma Bu Ti offered the briefest of compliments, then continued, “Then you must also know that the scent of Horse Dung Musk lingers for at least three months.”
“If we hadn’t wanted to trap you outside, you think we couldn’t have found you in the serpent pit?”
The Ma family of Western Liang crafted the musk from horse stones—a secret formula. Once applied, it lingered for three months and allowed Ma family descendants, through special bloodlines and techniques, to detect it from a hundred miles away.
Others, no matter how vigilant, would scarcely notice a thing!
Realizing matters would not end peacefully today, Wan Gu Xiao’s lips curled into a chilling smile as he said, “Two against one—do you really think you have me cornered?”
“Because now, I have become—”
“A Grandmaster!”
With those words, Wan Gu Xiao erupted into sudden motion, lunging not at Ma Bu Ti, who stood nearer the cave’s mouth, but at Ma Bu Ting, farther from the exit.
“The Two Horses of the Northwest—the saying goes that Ma Bu Ting is the stronger.”
“But—”
“You’re injured, aren’t you!”
Having spotted this weakness, Wan Gu Xiao chose Ma Bu Ting as his breach point, not Ma Bu Ti by the exit.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed in fierce combat!