Chapter 4: Five years later

Chapter 4: Five years later

"Little one,"

"Let me see your hand."

While the abbot, head monks, and others were immersed in their thoughts, the long-browed old monk stepped forward, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Alright."

Lin Yuan did not refuse, and, in fact, he couldn't refuse.

As he looked at this long-browed old monk, Lin Yuan felt the prenatal Qi he had just condensed in his lower abdomen trembling.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

It was evident that this long-browed old monk's strength far exceeded Lin Yuan's imagination, at least stronger than the abbot, head monks, and others, as Lin Yuan didn't sense such pressure from them.

"Perfect mastery in martial arts, self-generating inner Qi."

"Indeed, you have perfected a superior martial art to such an extent."

The long-browed old monk gently touched Lin Yuan's right hand, and a scorching inner Qi spread out. Shortly after, he sighed.

"Self-generating inner Qi?"

The abbot and the head monks, hearing this, simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

Even though they had speculated earlier, they still found it inconceivable.

In this world of martial arts, practitioners were categorized into postnatal, prenatal, master, and grandmaster levels.

In general, reaching the master level was considered the ceiling, and it might take several centuries to produce one.

Postnatal and prenatal practitioners constituted the vast majority of martial artists in the world.

To transition from postnatal to prenatal, there were three main paths.

One: Ingesting some rare spiritual medicine from heaven and earth. After absorbing its power, even an ordinary person could become a prenatal martial expert.

Two: A postnatal peak practitioner seizing a breakthrough opportunity, successfully advancing into the prenatal realm. This was the mainstream path, followed by almost all prenatal martial experts.

Three: Cultivating a superior martial art to perfection.

Superior martial arts were the painstaking works of master-level martial experts. When such martial arts were cultivated to perfection, individuals naturally developed prenatal inner Qi. This wasn't a strange occurrence.

However, entering the prenatal realm through this path usually happened to martial experts in their fifties or sixties, dedicating decades to the relentless study of superior martial arts and, finally, experiencing a fortuitous event where they comprehended something.

To have someone like Lin Yuan, who comprehended a superior martial art at the age of three or four, at least according to the abbot and the head monks' knowledge, was unheard of.

This kind of feat could only be vaguely explained by a martial prodigy, someone born with innate knowledge, a rarity occurring once every thousand years.

The long-browed old monk waved his hand, adopting a somewhat resigned posture. Since he couldn't teach Lin Yuan, he decided to let the masters of the Great Zen Temple throughout the ages be Lin Yuan's instructors.

In reality, the scripture repository was a restricted area, and ordinary disciples had no qualification to enter. However, Lin Yuan was different.

With the permission of the long-browed old monk, entering the scripture repository posed no problem.

After that day, the long-browed old monk declared seclusion. Lin Yuan, on the other hand, resided frequently in the scripture repository.

At the young age of three, Lin Yuan began perusing numerous martial arts. The scripture repository housed an extensive collection of martial arts, with the seventy-two transcendent skills being just the most renowned part. There were many other martial arts as well.

"The Muscle Transformation Scripture?"

On the second floor of the scripture repository, Lin Yuan took out an ancient scroll. The Muscle Transformation Scripture was a unique martial art that could reshape the muscles and enhance martial aptitude. Its value might even surpass that of the seventy-two transcendent skills.

However, this particular martial art had not been mastered by anyone in the entire Great Zen Temple. The reason was its high threshold, requiring not only martial comprehension but also an understanding of Buddhist scriptures.

Perhaps the long-browed old monk had the foundation to master the Muscle Transformation Scripture, but for a master, it was not as crucial.

Lin Yuan picked up the original Muscle Transformation Scripture and began reading it attentively.

Three days later:

[Due to your extraordinary comprehension, watching the special martial art Muscle Transformation Scripture, you have comprehended the special martial art 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique'.]

Lin Yuan felt a slight joy in his heart. A mysterious force began circulating between his limbs and bones, gradually strengthening his meridians, flesh, and blood.

This force wasn't limited to his physical body; it extended to Lin Yuan's spirit and soul, nurturing them.

"The original Muscle Transformation Scripture had a limited effect, but this 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique' I've comprehended now can strengthen every aspect without any shortcomings. Even masters would probably envy it."

Lin Yuan couldn't help but smile. After two months of guidance from the long-browed old monk, Lin Yuan was no longer ignorant of the current martial arts world.

Masters emphasized muscles and bones, and each master had developed their muscles and bones to the pinnacle of an ordinary person.

However, the subsequent forging of the body, blood exchange, and spirit refinement had a significant impact on masters.

Especially spirit refinement, it was said that even masters were eager to enhance their mental martial arts.

"With this 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique,' stepping into the realm of a master should be achieved ahead of time."

Lin Yuan nodded slightly, highly satisfied. After comprehending the 'Great Buddha Fist,' Lin Yuan had advanced into the prenatal realm, surpassing the ordinary prenatal martial practitioners. However, his prenatal realm was somewhat lacking, given that others achieved it with abundant vital energy and blood.

In contrast, Lin Yuan, with the body of a three-year-old, naturally couldn't match the quantity and quality of the prenatal internal energy of regular practitioners.

Nevertheless, with this 'Muscle and Bone Cleansing, Body Forging, Blood Exchange, and Spirit Refinement Technique,' Lin Yuan could save time and improve his physical and spiritual attributes comprehensively.

And so, Lin Yuan stayed in the scripture repository for five years.