Capítulo 1046: Chapter 385: Hanging the Head and Piercing the Thigh!
Many cultivators chose a cushion and sat down cross-legged.
The old Confucian, Song Taosheng, first imparted to everyone the magic techniques related to hanging one’s head from a beam and stabbing one’s thigh with an awl.
Both spells required corresponding magic artifacts, the former using a hemp rope, the latter a wooden awl.
Kong Ran’s face grew increasingly pale. He looked around and felt restless.
He secretly hoped someone would leave voluntarily, but he was disappointed to see: the other cultivators were either solemn or expressionless, with no intention of leaving.
Song Taosheng slowly said, “Choose your own texts and use the two techniques to assist in learning. Arrangements have already been made in this Confucian Temple; if anyone cheats, they will be severely punished without pardon!”
This warning inevitably made everyone’s heart tremble.
Afterwards, Song Taosheng straightforwardly announced the start of this Xingyun Trial.
Ning Zhuo did not rush into action but instead fell into rapid contemplation.
He felt troubled in his heart: “Of course, I have texts, but… what should I choose to study?”
“Should it be something I’ve already learned and mastered thoroughly?”
“Or half-understood texts that I haven’t completed learning?”
“Or should I choose something entirely unfamiliar?”
Ning Zhuo’s dilemma was not his alone; other Confucian cultivators shared it too.
The main reason was that the selection criteria for this Xingyun Trial had not been made public. Everyone was unsure and couldn’t decide.
The next moment, Bai Jiyun stood up proactively, saluted Song Taosheng, and inquired.
Song Taosheng shook his head expressionlessly and said, “This is also one of the test contents of this trial. Most of you are Confucian cultivators. If you were participating in the national exam of Huawen Country, would you ask the invigilator with the question paper in the exam room?”
Bai Jiyun had to sit down.
The cultivators were worried, almost all bowing their heads in thought, pondering the evaluation criteria for this Xingyun Trial.
Only Ning Zhuo was clear in his heart: this rule was very favorable to him!
Liu Fushu secretly gritted his teeth and made a decision: “It seems I can only do my best.”
Kong Ran harbored illusions: “Do I really have to do this? What if this trial tests our capability to wisely give up decisively, that would be great.”
Kong Ran also knew this was just his wishful thinking.
But he really didn’t want to hang his head from a beam or stab his thigh with an awl.
In his childhood, during his enlightenment learning, he was personally left shadowed by his father, Kong Zhaoming.
Kong Ran swept his hopeful gaze around the room from time to time: “If any of you leave, I’ll follow. I’ll leave here too!”
“Sigh, if I had known this was the test, I definitely wouldn’t have come.”
“Even sleeping in would be better than this.”
Kong Ran, at a young age, was already beyond his control.
He carried the name of Divine Child and was one of the faces promoted by the Kong Family. His father was one of the Prime Ministers of Flying Cloud Country, so his performance also related to Kong Zhaoming.
Burdened by a great reputation!
Ning Zhuo realized this Xingyun Trial quietly favored him, so he set aside his previous concerns.
He released his divine sense into his storage waist belt and began actively selecting the texts he would study next.
The storage waist belt contained a large number of texts.
For example, the “Ice Carving Secret Scripture” gifted by Ning Jiufan, “Curved Snake Bouncing Array Collection” from Old Chen, and the Blood Demon Disintegration Small Method, Dead Moon Sacrificial Song, and Heavenly Burial Ceremony that Ning Zhuo bought himself.
The Jiao Family’s jade slip contained several cultivation techniques and a treasure map from the Jiao Family.
The Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment chapters of the “Myriad Phenomena Scripture”.
Chef Old Man’s inheritance jade slip, which recorded various cultivation techniques, recipes, and cultivation insights from the Dao of Dark Cuisine. It served as both proof of identity and an entrance and competition ticket for the Hundred Nations Culinary Competition.
And also, the Spirit Movement and Proud Snow Understanding Law Maps, one of the legacies of the Ning Family. Although they are paintings, they can also be studied and referred to.
The precious military book “Gao Sheng’s Legacy”.
The special “Underworld Punishment Book”.
The “Yin Bone Technique”, “Netherworld Heart Sutra”, “Detailed Explanation of Soul Attraction Technique”, and many other texts about soul cultivation. Most of these were thanks to the contribution of Tian Shuang, one of the Heaven and Earth Ghosts.
Also, the newly acquired “Vowel Reeds Book” that Ning Zhuo was already familiar with.
After thinking about it, Ning Zhuo felt that taking out the soul cultivation techniques might not leave a good impression. So, he chose the “Ice Carving Secret Scripture”.
Ning Zhuo had flipped through it several times before and clearly recognized his own shortcoming—carving skills, especially the “Inner Carving Skill” that required using the knife as a pen through an ice layer, was currently his greatest weakness. While traveling far and wide, he had little time to practice this skill, so he had treated it as a minor branch for broadening his horizons and temporarily shelved it.
Recently, Ning Zhuo used the Ideograph Brush to copy this book, learning more information that can only be understood but not expressed in words.
This time, he used Confucian Skills, hanging one’s head from a beam and stabbing one’s thigh with an awl, to comprehend this book.
Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged, his back straight as a pine. He infused mana, mobilized his divine sense, and activated the magic artifact rope.
The vermillion hemp rope came to life, proactively tying itself to Ning Zhuo’s topknot. Then, the other end of the rope wrapped around a protruding crossbeam in the stone chamber above, gently tightening with just the right amount of force.
The roots of Ning Zhuo’s hair, bound by the hemp rope, gave him a continuous, subtle, and palpable sense of pulling and slight tightness on the scalp.
At the same time, Ning Zhuo held the wooden awl, gently exerting force, and pierced the outer side of his left thigh.
The wooden awl made of boxwood penetrated steadily into the flesh, about an inch deep.
A sharp, direct pain continually stimulated Ning Zhuo.
Hanging one’s head from a beam, stabbing one’s thigh with an awl!
Ning Zhuo was almost the first cultivator to take action, inevitably drawing the attention of many cultivators.
His young face was as calm and composed as the wind and clouds. He did not even furrow his brows for a moment.