Chapter 35: Grilling Chicken with Bare Hands, such a Sin i

Xu Yan was on the hillside, constantly practicing according to his understanding, hammering the ground into pits one after another, until the night grew deep. He had expended much of his inner energy and felt tired, so he reluctantly returned to the village. The next morning, Xu Yan, spirited, returned to the hillside to continue his training. Boom! With a single palm strike, soil flew up three yards away, leaving a pit. "My power has increased again, my understanding is correct, I’m still at the superficial stage, I can continue to strengthen my palm’s force.” Xu Yan stared at the pit on the ground, his heart humming with excitement. This strike was twice as powerful as before he started practicing the Descending Dragon Palm technique. Finally, he had abandoned the fighting style that relied on brute strength. "Let’s check how my silly disciple is doing in his practice.” Li Xuan approached with a leisurely stride. "Master!” Xu Yan quickly performed a respectful salutation. "Hmm.” Li Xuan glanced at the various pits on the ground, all made by Xu Yan’s training. He was delighted, “Has he had an epiphany? Judging by the power of these pits, it’s beyond the realm of brute force. Though he has not yet mastered the Descending Dragon Palm, given time, he is certain to succeed.” "Master, I have gained new insights.” As Xu Yan said this, he raised his hand and struck, producing a loud boom and carving out a hole in the ground. Li Xuan’s face remained calm, but inside, he marveled, “This disciple truly has an extraordinary level of comprehension. He has found a way to harness his inner energy to maximize his power.” "Did he understand the first part of the verse?” Li Xuan then spoke, “The fact that you realized something shows that you have the potential to master the Descending Dragon Palm. However, always remember that an enemy will not give you time to gather your strength. Your palm must move with your heart’s will.” "Only when you have mastered the dragon-shaped palm force can you be considered to have barely entered the initial stage.” "Keep your mind tranquil, contemplate more, practice more.” Xu Yan was taken aback, “That’s right. Each time I strike, I go through a preparation process. Even though it’s very brief, mighty warriors can determine life or death in an instant.” "The direction of my understanding is correct, but it’s not deep enough. I still need to continue my efforts.” He respectfully saluted, “Disciple thanks Master for the guidance!” "Hmm.” Li Xuan nodded and left in his leisurely stride. He couldn’t afford to stay too long or offer too many empty pointers. If he ever got stumped by his disciple’s questions, it would be too embarrassing! So, after a glance at Xu Yan’s progress, Li Xuan turned and quickly left. In the following period, Xu Yan practiced the Descending Dragon Palm in the morning and contemplated the movement technique in the Eight Diagrams in the afternoon, enhancing his strength through practice at night. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. The hillside was covered with pits of various sizes. Xu Yan’s mastery of the Descending Dragon Palm had made tremendous progress. He could now launch his palm force instantly with a single thought, at his will. Every time he struck, the palm force transformed from his inner energy was like a stream as thick as a calf’s leg, hitting the ground with high speed and ferocity. The palm force was extremely positive and powerful. Compared with before his training, his power had increased more than threefold. However, he hadn’t yet been able to produce the dragon-shaped palm force. Though the palm force he released was no ordinary inner energy stream, and its power had increased by more than threefold, it was still not regarded as having mastered the Descending Dragon Palm. At this moment, Xu Yan was deeply understanding the mnemonic of Descending Dragon Palm and was summarizing his training experience of the past half month. "How should I gather the power of the Dragon Palm? Why should it be fashioned into the shape of a dragon?” "How can I start cultivation?” Xu Yan fell into deep thought. In his mind, an image of the True Dragon emerged. His Qi and blood rotated, a surge of energy flowed from his palms, under his command, the Qi and blood gradually transformed towards the form of a dragon. However, in the end, it turned into a palm force resembling a python, far from the desired form of a dragon. "I understand, consolidating the shape of a dragon, is the control over one’s Qi and blood. Only by enhancing the control of Qi and blood can a dragon form manifest. "If achieved, the Dragon Palm formed would be indistinguishable from a True Dragon. This might be the ultimate form of the Descending Dragon Palm. "At this stage, what I need to do is consolidate the dragon form, with horns, whiskers, and claws…” Once he determined the direction, Xu Yan began his training of the Descending Dragon Palm, manipulating the Qi and blood to form a dragon shape. However, each time he managed to form a horn, he was unable to form the claws, and his Qi and blood would uncontrollably collapse. Xu Yan realized that if he wanted to consolidate into a Dragon Palm, he must first enhance the use of Qi and blood. This was also the prerequisite for becoming proficient in the Descending Dragon Palm. "Once I master the Descending Dragon Palm, my palm power will surge once again. Its strength will be under my control, no longer uncontrollable like now.” After figuring out the key to practising the Descending Dragon Palm, Xu Yan began to try to enhance his control over Qi and blood. Three days later, although his control over his own Qi and blood had made some progress, he was still far from being able to synthesize the Dragon Palm. “Master, how can I enhance my control over Qi and blood?” Unable to hold back any longer, Xu Yan took advantage of a meal to ask this question. Li Xuan’s hand paused slightly. How to enhance control over Qi and blood? How would I know? Of course, as a master, he couldn’t respond like that. He glanced at the chicken leg in his bowl, suddenly had an idea, and said, “My disciple, understanding the importance of Qi and blood, shows you have reached a bottleneck.” "Qi and blood come from oneself. How to enhance control? Utilise every bit of Qi and blood, let it go where your heart desires? "You could try using your Qi and blood to roast meat.” Li Xuan tore a piece of meat from his leg, and while eating, he continued, “Roasting meat with one’s bare hands is a lost art. It requires a high degree of control over one’s Qi and blood.” "To have the roast crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just right, is not easy.” "You see this chicken leg?” Li Xuan tore off the remaining chicken leg, added it to his bowl, and continued, “When you can roast a chicken leg with your hand, have it perfectly cooked but the meat around it remains raw, your control over Qi and blood can be said to have passed the test.” Upon hearing these words, Xu Yan seemed deep in thought and exclaimed, “So, cultivation is all about everyday practice. I’m far behind. Master’s realm is too high.” "Why didn’t I think of that?” Abandoning his meal, he said, “Master, your disciple understands!” "Good, that you understand!” Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. Xu Yan excitedly ran to the chicken coop, grabbed a chicken, skillfully plucked and butchered it, then held it in his palm. His Qi and blood surged, and the intense heat from them instantly enveloped the chicken. A hissing sound rang out, but as soon as the savory aroma wafted out, the chicken turned charred when he withdrew his Qi and blood. It was inedible now. Xu Yan scratched his head, summarizing the experience just now, grabbed another chicken, plucked and butchered it, then used his Qi and blood to roast it in his hand. He scorched another chicken. Li Xuan, having finished his meal and strolling around the village, saw more than a dozen charred chickens scattered around Xu Yan’s feet. And in his hand, he was roasting a freshly butchered chicken. "How sinful!” Li Xuan’s mouth matched.. It’s just been a short time, and there are already more than a dozen chickens ruined! If he doesn’t stop now, all the chickens will be gone by tomorrow!