A Night of Desperation

Chapter 290: Anning 2

As evening approached, Yu Hong went out again in

At this moment, the autumn air was clear and refreshing, with the sun seeming bright but carrying little warmth. It slanted from above the courtyard of the Taoist temple, casting a bright light everywhere.

"Brother Yu, how is your practice with the Guanwu Skill coming along?" Guo Shangdong whispered as he watched.

"Not good... I find this Daoist Skill very challenging," Yu Hong shook his head, a troubled look on his face.

He has been here for two months now, and the initial layers were quite simple. But he’s been stuck on the Fifth Layer for a week already.

Still, not a single move forward.

"Master said it’s normal to feel it’s difficult. In the process of cultivating the Guanwu Skill, the most important thing is not to be impatient," sighed Guo Shangdong. "From what I’ve gathered, the stronger a person’s willpower is, the easier it is for them to complete the first step of Condensing. Once the Condensing is complete, as long as you successfully defeat it, you can break through. But an elder told me, the Fear Illusion that is condensed, its physical condition surpasses one’s own... Defeating it is anything but easy."

He had barely managed to enter the gateway in these past few days, Condensing out the illusion of the First Layer, only to be miserably defeated by it.

"Have you heard about any Magic outside of the Daoist Skills?" Yu Hong asked softly.

"Magic? Like handprints, dog blood, chicken blood, Hundred-year-old Peach Wood Sword, that sort of thing?" Guo Shangdong blinked. "I did ask about that, but the elder said without a foundation in Daoist Skills, using Magic is useless. It won’t have any effect even if you use it."

"Are you guys talking about Magic?" Xun Yang joined in from the side, smiling eagerly.

"Xun Yang senior sister, come and give us two new juniors a lecture," Guo Shangdong promptly invited her to join the casual conversation. "If it’s good, we’ll treat you to a meal at Hualing Restaurant!"

"You said it!" Xun Yang immediately got excited. "If you want to learn Magic, you must at least have mastered the first level of Daoist Skills because all types of Magic ultimately aim to facilitate calling forth the Fear Illusion we’ve overcome in the face of danger and commanding it to crush the threat. In short, use my fear to make the opponent also fearful, thus losing their will to fight."

"That’s so mysterious?" Guo Shangdong exclaimed, "Senior sister, can the Fear Illusion really be summoned?"

"Yes, but others can’t see it, only you can. Simply put, it’s you practicing until you hallucinate, and then using that illusion to overcome unknown threats. Of course, in practical application, it’s mainly against those ethereal threats. If you expect it to block knives and bullets for you, forget about it," Xun Yang said with a laugh.

"You can explain it like this?" Guo Shangdong was surprised.

"Of course, an illusion you can control at will is called Daoist Skills. An illusion you can’t control, that attacks you and affects your mental state, is called a mental illness," summarized Xun Yang.

"..." Yu Hong looked slightly odd from the side.

Having practiced up to the Fifth Layer, he indeed felt just as Xun Yang described – his condition was roughly the same.

"So this way, we can’t run up walls and fly across rooftops like martial arts masters?" Guo Shangdong continued to inquire.

"We’re not training in martial arts, but it’s still necessary to exercise. Didn’t they teach us a set of Seven Feather Fist during the morning exercises? That’s to promote blood circulation and stretch tendons and muscles. What era is it now that you still want to train in martial arts? Have you heard the saying, ’No matter how high your martial arts are, a gun brings you down." Xun Yang said with a mischievous smile.

"Ah... and here I was fantasizing for a long time," Guo Shangdong sighed.

"So that means, all Daoist Skills are about training the mind?" Yu Hong couldn’t help but cut in.

"Definitely. With guns around, why use a knife? Wouldn’t you be scared of a beyond-visual-range blast that could blow you away?" Xun Yang energetically waved her little fists as if it were obvious.

"That’s also true." Yu Hong nodded understandingly.

"Our temple’s Daoist Skills are still quite good. The Daoist Skills of the Nine Sects are really outrageous. Those who train to the higher levels, each one looks a bit inhuman. That aura, simply standing anywhere with their power released, feels like they could cleanse someone’s body and soul completely, seriously outrageous!" Xun Yang used ’outrageous’ twice to express her shock.

"Then in our temple, who has the highest level of Guanwu Skill?" Yu Hong asked again.

"Who knows about that, just focus on your own practice. Unless you say it, no one will know at what level you are. If your practice goes awry, just get medicine to save yourself. The elders don’t usually ask either. I only know that Official Disciples must at least complete one layer. The rest, I’m not sure about," Xun Yang whispered.

One layer...

Yu Hong shook his head inwardly, isn’t that something anyone can achieve with just hands?