Some cultivators were secretly surprised, Kong Ran slightly opened his mouth, somewhat flustered and resistant, thinking: "You’re starting now?"
Song Taosheng had naturally been paying attention to Ning Zhuo for a long time.
Seeing Ning Zhuo’s performance, he nodded in his heart but still remained observant: "The techniques I taught, ’Hanging from the Beam’ and ’Piercing the Thigh’, are ancient versions, so even if one is not a Confucian Cultivator, they can use them."
"The key is, can the cultivator using this method overcome the pain and focus on studying?"
"If one is disturbed by the pain, their learning ability won’t increase at all, and they’ll achieve nothing, making it a futile endeavor and unnecessary suffering."
Ning Zhuo fell into deep thought.
His mind was focused on a passage from the "Ice Carving Secret Scripture," which was roughly about how to use the Microcarving Technique to construct formations on the intersecting inner walls of ice crystals.
Previously, this passage to him was like being covered by a thin layer of ice, seemingly transparent but actually obscure.
How to intertwine the array patterns inside without damaging the structure of the ice wall? How to maintain the balanced and smooth flow of spiritual power in the winding lines? He had pondered these questions over and over, but they always seemed shrouded in a mist, eluding the core essence.
But now, aided by the Hanging from the Beam and Piercing the Thigh techniques, everything was different.
The pain of the scalp being pulled felt like an invisible hand, constantly clearing away the distracting thoughts and mist during his contemplation.
The sharp pain in his leg was like a cold spring repeatedly washing over his mind, keeping it in an almost ecstatic, highly sensitive state.
"So that’s how it is!" Ning Zhuo’s eyes shone with a bright light, "The key lies in ’layering without breaking, guiding without stagnating’! It’s not just a simple intertwining, but the array patterns must ’grow’ naturally like the natural texture of ice, with each carving’s depth and turning angle fitting with the internal structure of the ice wall! Not forcibly embedded!"
Like thin ice melting in the sunlight, the problem that troubled him for so long was thoroughly comprehended!
"It works!"
"These two Confucian cultivator spells have a significant effect."
Ning Zhuo tidied up his thoughts, suppressing his excitement, and continued studying.
He clearly felt his learning capacity had increased significantly.
The refinement and shaping control of the ice core, the micro manipulation of spiritual power along the internal carving paths, how to stably inscribe talismans in an extremely cold environment, and even how to utilize the refraction properties of the ice itself to enhance the effect of the array patterns...previously challenging content was now dissected, analyzed, and comprehended one by one!
Layers of thin ice shattered in succession.
"Hmm? Interesting." Seeing Ning Zhuo immersed in learning without being disrupted by pain, exhibiting a sense of immersion, Song Taosheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of appreciation in his heart.
Pain?
Ning Zhuo’s temperament had long been tempered in Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
The continuous pulling pain in his scalp? To him, it was like a bell used to stave off fatigue and constantly remind him to focus.
The sharp pain like red-hot needles piercing the outside of his thigh? Like a breeze blowing across his face, unable to stir even a ripple. It existed objectively, yet was easily isolated and ignored by his strong willpower.
This level of "suffering" was no longer an obstacle, but had been tamed by his formidable will, turning into a tool to hone his mind and pierce through confusion.
"My memory has strengthened significantly; this is the power of the Hanging from the Beam spell. My thoughts have become like an awl, gaining the penetrative ability to overcome many previous learning obstacles. This is the power of Piercing the Thigh!"
Having finished studying the entire "Ice Carving Secret Scripture," Ning Zhuo felt a lingering desire for more.
His eyes shone with brilliance as he quickly scanned around, noticing that almost every cultivator was using Hanging from the Beam and Piercing the Thigh.
The sound of sharp intakes of breath occasionally echoed.
Only then did Ning Zhuo hear it—previously, he was completely immersed in intense study, his spirit overly focused and concentrated.
"What’s next to choose to study?"
A flash of spirit light flickered and disappeared in Ning Zhuo’s Divine Sea.
"Why don’t I directly study these two magic techniques, Hanging from the Beam and Piercing the Thigh?"
Ning Zhuo continued to use Hanging from the Beam and Piercing the Thigh while studying them.
The significant increase in learning capacity allowed Ning Zhuo to make rapid progress.
"Stay alert to indolence, reflect on oneself thrice daily!"
"This continuous, unavoidable micro pain, like a ruler, constantly taps on the spirit, leaving no room for the slightest slack, forcibly focusing attention on the present. This perfectly aligns with the essence of Confucianism’s ’self-reflection in solitude.’"
"No supervision required, yet consistently self-reflecting and staying alert. With the spirit forcibly highly focused, distracting thoughts find no ground to grow, thought becomes as concentrated as one, memory naturally deepens, and understanding naturally becomes thorough."
Next was Piercing the Thigh.
"When the pain is acute, only then can the pain lead to understanding!"
"Each sharp pain is like thunder exploding on a tranquil mind lake, instantly shattering all inherent inertia. The spirit gathers in an instant, bringing about penetrative thinking!"
Ning Zhuo, while poking himself with a wooden awl, focused on the Upper Dantian in his Divine Sea.
Each time he pierced, influenced by the Piercing the Thigh spell, an eruption of thoughts occurred in the Divine Sea.
These thoughts, like awl tips that have been refined, shed all vanity and hesitation, becoming extremely sharp, direct, and focused. Using them to ponder problems affords a penetrating effective result.
The rope of the beam was pulled tighter and tighter, and the wooden awl stabbed into his thigh repeatedly.
Ning Zhuo gradually fell into a state of self-forgetfulness.
Old Confucian Song Taosheng’s gaze lingered more and more on Ning Zhuo.
In the field, few were like him, continuously enduring such self-torture for such a long time.