Chapter 9: Learning the Arts
Huo Yuhao, who was in the middle of performing the ceremonial bow, froze. He sensed Tang San's prying gaze again. Was he done with his work already?
One day in the God Realm equals one year in the mortal World. Doing the math, only a few seconds should have passed in the God Realm, right? Isn't this Rabbit playing a bit too fast?
He must have seen this scene of me bowing to my master. Good that he saw it. I was worried he might be blind and miss it.
Thoughts churned in Huo Yuhao's mind as he viciously pondered.
You think you're the mastermind operating from the shadows, but you have no idea that every single move you make is laid bare under my Heavenly Eye.
After the master-Disciple ceremony concluded, the will of the douluo continent once again veiled itself, preventing Tang San from observing.
Tang San's brow furrowed deeply, his anger slowly rising. What was wrong with this Douluo Continent? Was it having a fit?
However, since Huo Yuhao had now officially become a Disciple of the Tang Sect, everything was within his grasp. Affairs in the God Realm were busy and required his attention... Helped up by Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao sensed the gaze disappear again, and his heart settled somewhat. Playing the 'hiding in plain sight' card was indeed effective. Let him think he's in control, be lax in his oversight. That would give me more time to develop. As long as I don't actively bare my fangs, I'll be safe.
"From now on, little Yuhao, you are my Disciple. Bei Bei, you're demoted to Senior Brother, responsible for teaching the Sect's secret arts to the Disciples." Tang Ya planted her hands on her hips, her face beaming with a smile, looking rather smug and carried away.
"Yes, my esteemed Sect Leader." Bei Bei's gaze was full of resentment. She had it good—taking on a Disciple and immediately becoming an absentee boss.
"The Tang Sect's secret arts: the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Purple Demon Eye, and the Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons. I will teach you the first five first. The Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons concerns the crafting of Hidden Weapons and the cultivation of ingenious throwing techniques. This is an era dominated by spirit tools; Hidden Weapons have already fallen out of favor. You can learn that one slowly later on."
Bei Bei explained while simultaneously demonstrating each secret art for Huo Yuhao to see.
Huo Yuhao watched intently. Although he came from the modern World, the martial arts of the Tang Sect, famous throughout the Wuxia World, naturally had their merits.
Roughly two and a half hours later, the three of them, pushing themselves hard, finally managed to exit the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Huo Yuhao had already grasped the general principles of those secret arts. With the powerful assistance of his Heavenly Eye, he would master them completely with diligent practice.
He had already memorized the spirit power circulation routes and key movement principles that Bei Bei used when executing the secret arts.
Passing by that small river again, with no threat from Spirit Beasts in the vicinity, the trio slowed their pace.
"Let's rest for a bit first. Yuhao, your Sect Leader is hungry. You understand, right?" Tang Ya hinted at Huo Yuhao, proactively helping him untie his bundle.
She still remembered there were a few fish inside the backpack.
Bei Bei rubbed his forehead. This Sect Leader really was something else. But it was also a good opportunity to stop and teach Yuhao the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
"I'll go gather firewood. Yuhao, you wait here." After putting down Huo Yuhao's bundle, Tang Ya quickly walked off to collect dry grass and dead branches. Using the Controlling Crane Catching Dragon technique, she could pick things up without bending over, which was very convenient.
"Yuhao, let's rest for a while. You must be tired from the journey. With only Rank 11 spirit power, long treks are very taxing. It's a good time for me to guide you through the cultivation route of the Mysterious Heaven Skill once, to see how much you can remember." Bei Bei sat down on the ground, smiling gently.
"Alright, thank you, Senior Brother." Huo Yuhao did not decline and sat down cross-legged.
Bei Bei moved behind Huo Yuhao, extended his palms, and channeled his own spirit power into Huo Yuhao's body.
The moment they made contact, Bei Bei exclaimed in surprise, "Yuhao, the spirit power within your body is very dense and solid. It's just that your Meridians seem somewhat clogged and obstructed. Do you feel a stinging pain when circulating your spirit power?"
Especially the governor vessel along your back; there's significant blockage from cold dampness. Prolonged contact with raw, cold food, pent-up emotions, or frequent exposure to cold can all lead to this condition. It's clear Yuhao's life has indeed been very hard.
"Just a little bit. It's at a tolerable level." Huo Yuhao nodded lightly. It seemed he really needed to learn more. He had thought the slight pain was caused by his dual divine Spirits being too domineering, impacting his Meridians. Who would have thought it was due to blockages... No wonder, even after my mutated Spirit Awakening and absorbing a spirit ring, my Rank didn't increase much. So it was because my body was too weak... Bei Bei sighed silently in his heart and began clearing the blockages within Huo Yuhao's body.
However, the more he cleared, the more solemn his expression became. He kept feeling there was a domineering power hidden within Yuhao's body. It lay dormant in the darkness, working alongside his own spirit power to unblock the acupoints, as if it possessed a will of its own.
Bei Bei simply assumed it was Huo Yuhao's Heavenly Eye Spirit protecting its master. Since it was a good thing anyway, he didn't think too much about it.
After about ten minutes, they had completed one full cycle of the Mysterious Heaven Skill's circulation route. Bei Bei slowly withdrew his power. "So? How much did you remember?"
A layer of fine sweat beaded on Bei Bei's forehead. This was a major undertaking. Although it didn't consume much spirit power, it demanded an extremely high level of mental focus.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Senior Brother was truly a good person. He looked directly into Bei Bei's eyes with a bright gaze and said, "I remembered all of it."
"You remembered... Huh? What? All of it?" Bei Bei exclaimed, losing his composure. He remembered it took him three attempts to barely memorize it all when he was learning.
"Not only did I memorize the Mysterious Heaven Skill, I've learned everything you taught me on the road."
Huo Yuhao said with a smile, using his palm to Adsorption (suck up) the bundle from the ground. His fleshy palms turned crystalline like jade, and his footsteps became ethereal and elusive. Only the Purple Demon Eye required specific cultivation conditions to activate, but he knew how to use it.
Tang Ya, returning with an armful of dry grass and dead branches, stood dumbfounded, her mouth agape wide enough to fit a large egg.
"Holy crap! Yuhao, are you serious?! You can perform them without even practicing! You're a total Genius!" Even the usually steady-tempered Bei Bei couldn't help but curse.
Tang Ya threw the firewood in her hands aside, ran to Huo Yuhao's side, and started poking and prodding him. "The structure seems about the same... one head, two eyes, one nose, one mouth, normal hands and feet... How... how did you just learn by watching, Yuhao... This... is this even right?!"
Being felt up by a beautiful young girl, Huo Yuhao was still very shy. He took a step back, scratching his head bashfully. "I just used my eyes to watch, memorized the key movements, then simulated them in my mind. If I want to perform them, I can just perform them."
Huo Yuhao didn't really understand it either. He just learned by watching with his Heavenly Eye. Watch enough and you can imitate it. Maybe this is what being a Genius is.
"Fine... fine 'if I want to perform them, I can just perform them.' I have no rebuttal." Bei Bei wore an expression of utter despair. What did all those days of his own bitter training count for? Did they just mean I was diligent?!
"I have nothing left to teach you. This is the complete theoretical manual for the Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons. And this Storage Spirit Tool Ring is my gift to you. Please accept it..." Bei Bei held the book in his left hand and the ring in his right, placing them into Huo Yuhao's hands.