HSSB466: Things begin to stir
The Cold Marrow Needle Technique was already no longer a secret from Yuan Zhengfeng, Yan Di, Fu Enshu and the others.
Because of this, having always been treated by all of Broad Creed Mountain like treasures, Yan Zhaoge and Feng Yunsheng had been subject to a round of vicious scolding.
If not for Feng Yunsheng herself being insistent on it, Yuan Zhengfeng would definitely not support such an act.
While Yan Zhaoge had been chided, he felt that it was only right. In truth, he himself did not like using this technique as well. If not for Feng Yunsheng’s impassioned request, he would not have revealed it to her at all.
It was instead Fu Enshu who approved of this somewhat, the worth of Feng Yunsheng who was able to suffer through this technique also increasing in her eyes.
However, this became tragedy for Yin Liuhua.
As Fu Enshu saw it, since Feng Yunsheng could bear it, there was no reason why Yin Liuhua could not as well.
“Master, that Cold Marrow Needle Technique…” Hearing Fu Enshu’s question, Yin Liuhua’s face instantly turned rather green as her eyes were filled with fear.
Seeing how she dared not meet her gaze, Fu Enshu knit her brows slightly, “What?”
Yin Liuhua said slowly, “Master, I really cannot take those Cold Marrow Needles.”
Yan Zhaoge said from the side, “After trying it once, junior apprentice-sister Yin expressed that she was completely unable to bear it, and I had to stop it then.”
Seeing Fu Enshu’s brows gradually rise, Yan Zhaoge shrugged, “Because of the constitution of Maidens of Extreme Yin, the pain they have to bear with the Cold Marrow Needles is even more intense than that felt by ordinary people.”
Fu Enshu’s expression remained stern, “But Yunsheng can bear it.”
Yin Liuhua lowered her head, not daring to speak.
Curling his lips, Yan Zhaoge sent Fu Enshu a sound transmission, “At the end of the day, it is not everyone who has so firm a will as junior apprentice-sister Feng.”
Fu Enshu’s brows gradually levelled as her gaze moved between the trio of Yan Zhaoge, Feng Yunsheng and Yin Liuhua before she said, “Let Yin Liuhua try one more time.”
Looking at Yin Liuhua, she said sincerely and solemnly, “Although your senior apprentice-sister Feng improves at a tremendous rate, you must not lose your drive to improve as a result.”
“Your senior apprentice-sister Feng once lost her Extreme Yin Physique due to an accident, and that Sacred Sun Clan’s Meng Wan also fell to defeat in the Second Extreme Yin Bout due to being injured.”
“Many unforeseen circumstances occur in this world that we just have to guard against. Contesting for the Extreme Yin Crown is not merely something that can be achieved with Yunsheng’s effort alone.”
Fu Enshu said, “Liuhua, you started out later than the others. If you do not chase after them persistently, how are you to compete with the other Maidens of Extreme Yin?”
“If you remain as you are now, let alone Meng Wan, Fan Qiu and them, you won’t even be able to catch up with that Sacred Sun Clan’s Yun Xiuqing, or even those like Nian Lei and Ling Hui who get last place every year. Even surpassing them would be a difficult thing-do you understand?”
Yin Liuhua pressed her lips together, “This disciple will cultivate diligently. Please guide me more, Master and senior apprentice-brother Yan.”
Fu Enshu said, “It will really be good if you can take this to heart.”
She swivelled her head to look at Yan Zhaoge, “Zhaoge, is it convenient for you to teach me that Cold Marrow Needle Technique? I will be personally watching over Liuhua in the future.”
Yin Liuhua’s face turned a little green as Yan Zhaoge said nonchalantly, “Of course it is convenient.”
Watching on from the side, Feng Yunsheng sighed.
After Yan Zhaoge and Fu Enshu had finished speaking, Yin Liuhua asked rather softly and hesitantly, “Master, this disciple has some questions regarding Extreme Yin Arts that I would like to ask senior apprentice-brother Yan.”
Fu Enshu nodded, “Naturally.”
Yan Zhaoge glanced at Yin Liuhua before leading her a distance away, Fu Enshu and Feng Yunsheng remaining where they were as the master guided the disciple in her cultivation of some other supreme martial arts of Broad Creed Mountain.
After asking Yan Zhaoge some questions on Extreme Yin Arts, Yin Liuhua asked in a rather dismal tone, “Senior apprentice-brother Yan, I, am I exceptionally slow?”
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze was calm, “In terms of talent, you are indeed inferior to junior apprentice-sister Feng somewhat. However, you are far from slow. On the contrary, you have the potential to see great success.”
Looking at Yan Zhaoge, Yin Liuhua said rather hesitantly, “My talent is inferior to junior apprentice-sister Feng and I started out far later than her as well. No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to catch up with her.”
Yan Zhaoge asked mildly, “What, are you saying that no matter how hard you try, you can still only be backup at most?”
Yin Liuhua hurriedly shook her head, “I wouldn’t; I didn’t mean that.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “I remember that when you just entered our clan, senior apprentice-aunt Fu once mentioned that if you could become more outstanding than junior apprentice-sister Feng and had greater chances of winning the Extreme Yin Bout, you would naturally then become our main.”
“It is true that you entered late and started out late as well. However, the clan has never ill-treated you in terms of all of our resources, having distributed them in accordance to what junior apprentice-sister Feng is given.”
“At the end of the day, you two are fellow disciples. Your opponent is not simply junior apprentice-sister Feng. Precisely speaking, the two of your opponents are the Maidens of Extreme Yin of the other Sacred Grounds.”
Yin Liuhua nodded, “Yes, senior apprentice-brother Yan. I understand.”
She bit her lips, “It is just that I feel like I truly cannot see any hope at all.”
Yan Zhaoge shook his head slightly, “At the beginning, junior apprentice-sister Feng could see even less hope. Her current achievements were all fought out through her own efforts.”
Yin Liuhua said softly, “Senior apprentice-brother Yan is too humble. The Yin-Yang Coexisting Technique was developed by you and taught to us. The Extreme Yin Scripture was something you obtained in a fortuitous encounter, while the Cold Marrow Needle Technique was also an ancient technique that you obtained. Apart from that, there is still much, much more…”
“Whether it is me or junior apprentice-sister Feng, Broad Creed Mountain’s Maidens of Extreme Yin were all enabled by you.”
Yan Zhaoge said mildly, “With everyone provided the same, different eventual results can also be seen with different people.”
“It is a well-said old adage that ‘The master leads one through the doorway, future cultivation then depends on the disciple.”
Yin Liuhua lowered her head, “Yes, senior apprentice-brother Yan.”
Watching Yan Zhaoge’s departing figure, she bit her lips tightly, “There must definitely still be some other secret techniques. Even if there is nothing else, there must be some technique that can lessen the pain from the Cold Marrow Needle Technique that senior apprentice-brother Yan definitely has.”
“Even he himself has said that that was one of the Seven Great Tortures before the Great Calamity that was specifically used to torture people. Performed on us Maidens of Extreme Yin, we are even more unable to bear it. If it were so easy to bear and could even be used to cultivate as well, how would they still be the Seven Great Tortures?”
Feeling Yin Liuhua’s gaze on him from behind, Yan Zhaoge inwardly shook his head, “Her mindset isn’t right.”
While Feng Yunsheng had regretfully been defeated in the Sixth Extreme Yin Bout by just the narrowest of margins, Yan Zhaoge, whilst feeling that it was a pity, was still not all that disappointed.
The situation was generally as he had predicted. From how it looked now, the Seventh Extreme Yin Bout was really one that he could look forward to.
Bar any major unforeseen circumstances, the Sacred Sun Clan and Meng Wan would be swept off their thrones in a year’s time.
After the Extreme Yin Bout had ended, Yan Zhaoge placed most of his attention back on the Earth Domain.
While working hard on his martial cultivation, he also worked on the refining of formation-supporting artifacts for the Taiyi Imperial Breaking Formation as well as busied himself on the matter of the Lofty Prestige Mirror. Yan Zhaoge passed his upcoming days in an incomparably fulfilling, substantial manner.
Amidst his busyness, time flowed by.
In the blink of an eye, yet over another half year had passed.
It had already been more than a year since Yan Di had entered seclusion, just that he had currently still yet to show any signs of emerging.
Yan Zhaoge had already almost completed all the matters that he had on hand, but he still had not the leisure to leave the Eight Extremities World and try to look for Xu Fei and the others in the Vast Ocean World.
Because as time passed, things over in the Earth Domain gradually began to stir once more!