Chapter 45 Master Liang Huo's Secret Technique: "Treading on Frost, Solid Ice Arrives."...
She channeled her spiritual energy into the array's core, and suddenly heard two soft popping sounds.
The array and mechanisms in the distance immediately sprang into action and attacked her in an instant.
Zhou Fuling retreated, only to see the ground beneath her feet collapse. A roar like the sharp cry of a Vermilion Bird echoed as the entire stone chamber crumbled, accompanied by a force Zhou Fuling had never seen before.
What's this?
That power was extremely ancient, as if it were some kind of power from ancient times, and it was incredibly profound.
Zhou Fuling retreated step by step, flipped herself down, and at the same time drew a spiritual array to graft this power to protect herself, thus avoiding serious injury.
But she was also pushed deep underground.
That power became increasingly unpredictable and vast!
If it weren't for Zhou Fuling, a first-rank expert, she would probably have perished.
Crack!
At the same time, the mechanisms in Zhou Fuling's hands were hit and destroyed.
She took a deep breath.
All these efforts have yielded no results. At this point, will she really have to rely on her poisoned body to fight to the death against Ning Chengshan, whose background is unknown?
Kuang Yunchu most likely has a backup plan to deal with her.
Zhou Fuling was unwilling to face this situation.
She was filled with frustration, but she couldn't come up with a solution. She removed the spirit array and stood up, only to find herself in a strange underground chamber.
The underground chamber was dark and gloomy. Zhou Fuling recited a talisman, intending to find out the origin of this place before leaving.
However, she stopped in her tracks.
The surrounding stone walls were locked, and the sound of wind could be faintly heard, but the formation was in disarray, making it difficult to discern directions.
Like a maze, winding and turning.
As you approach the corner, mechanisms are triggered from time to time, causing giant stone beasts to burst forth from the ground and launch a ferocious attack.
At this moment, Zhou Fuling roughly guessed what this place was.
And why Ning Hong dared to let them be killed here.
This must be where Ning Chengshan used to practice martial arts; it's a hidden place in the second part, full of traps and mechanisms.
That is why Ning Hong underestimated their cultivation level, believing they were doomed. Even if they discovered this place, they would still be killed.
Unexpectedly, among the people she wanted to kill was her rival, Zhou Fuling.
But what's the use of that? Zhou Fuling thought to herself.
She has gained nothing now.
She attempted to send another message to Miao Shanzhu.
But thinking about it, if the Miao Mountain Lord knew that she was trapped, and then told Kuang Yunchu, Kuang Yunchu would definitely take advantage of the situation.
She doesn't know what else she might do to harm her.
Zhou Fuling gave up the idea, but a sense of desolation arose in her heart.
She lived to be over a hundred years old, but in this vast world, she had no father, no mother, no friends, and no one she could trust.
But over the past century, she has gradually gotten used to it and no longer thinks about it.
She then focused intently on finding her way. The maze was intricate and strange, but Zhou Fuling, familiar with the art of divination and skilled in calculation, managed to break through it.
However, she suddenly exclaimed "Ah!"
She walked for about half an hour, and there was a stone wall in front of her. Countless Taoist spells were drawn on the stone wall, and spiritual energy was surging.
With just one glance, Zhou Fuling felt her blood surge and nearly vomited blood.
It was on this stone wall that the array of vast spiritual energy was drawn.
This formation was very strange, like a floating mirror reflecting Zhou Fuling's figure.
"Is this Ning Chengshan's training ground?" Zhou Fuling was delighted, but also felt a sense of unease.
She struggled to hold on, only to see the following written in seal script on the wall:
"If you tread on frost, solid ice will follow." (Note)
Zhou Fuling recognized these characters. This was precisely the first line of the Kun hexagram in the Sixty-Four Hexagrams of Immortal Cultivation.
A hexagram consists of six lines, from the first line (初六) to the last line (上六), representing six stages in the development of things.
This hexagram's meaning is "If you step on a light frost, solid ice will soon follow," warning people to be aware of subtle signs and take precautions before problems arise.
Looking further down, one finds numerous Taoist principles described below the hexagram text, the underlying mechanisms of which are closely related to these principles.
Next to the Taoist text, there are also annotations.
[Master Liang Huo's secret methods are supreme. His descendants, Cheng Shan, received his teachings and gained the following insights...]
The next moment of realization was that he was debating the Dharma with this very Dharma.
Zhou Fuling couldn't understand much of the content of the debate, but she still tried to figure it out.
She knew Liang Huo; he was the number one person in Yun Ning for thousands of years.
The revered immortal possessed boundless power.
Ning Chengshan's annotations, mentioning both "Master Liang Huo" and "Chengshan, a descendant, received instruction from him," made it seem as if he had obtained this person's secret method and was currently practicing it!
Zhou Fuling's expression changed slightly.
[Having received profound instruction from Master Liang Huo, Cheng Shan benefited greatly. Subduing Yun Ning would be a piece of cake from now on, and Cheng Shan was confident he could compete in the Heavenly Terrace Examination. However, before that, he needed to endure hardship and bide his time.]
The test at Tiantai?
Zhou Fuling frowned and her body trembled.
The Trial at the Heavenly Terrace is a test for those vying to become immortals!
Zou Lanci has held his position as an immortal for hundreds of years, yet Ning Chengshan here claims she wants to compete. Just how strong is she?!
Zhou Fuling only wanted to observe this technique, but she couldn't understand it just by looking at it.
This is because the evil techniques she practiced in the past are completely different from Yun Ning's cultivation method.
She couldn't help but sit down cross-legged.
She had to find out exactly what level Ning Chengshan was at.
Learning some of Yun Ning's techniques now will probably benefit her as well.
Zhou Fuling then tried to practice along with the poem, line by line.
The martial arts techniques on the high wall were incredibly profound. Zhou Fuling practiced them, becoming so immersed that she gradually lost all sense of the world around her.
Initially, Zhou Fuling practiced demonic arts, but now she was forcibly practicing the Yun Ning technique, and she felt her spiritual energy clashing, causing her some pain.
But she was already used to the hardships of training, so she pushed herself to the limit to participate in the competition, forcing herself to get through it, hoping to understand those words.
"If you tread on frost, solid ice will follow?"
Zhou Fuling kept reciting and trying to comprehend it, and gradually entered a better state. The spiritual power was still clashing, but she seemed to be hallucinating, as if she had returned to her childhood.
Zou, Kuang, Ning, and her stepfather raised her. They were like a loving father and a strict mother, but they never talked about the past, only saying that she had to listen to them.
When she mentioned her worries, Zou Lanci only said, "It has nothing to do with what you should be doing."
No parent who truly cares for their children would act this way.
From small things, one can see the big picture.
Zhou Fuling was unaware at the time, but looking back now, she realizes that many things had been foreshadowed long ago.
Zhou Fuling's thoughts were in turmoil, and her heart was filled with surging emotions.
She only felt some changes in the spiritual energy within her body and in her eyes, but she couldn't figure out exactly what those changes were.
It's getting late. She needs to finish her studies quickly so she can figure out how to get out.
Zhou Fuling lowered her gaze.
Below, as expected, is the second line of the Kun hexagram:
"Six in the second place: Straight, square, and great; even without practice, there is no disadvantage."
It means upright, fair, and tolerant; it does not have any disadvantages even if one does not study.
These qualities had virtually nothing to do with Zhou Fuling. When Zhou Fuling forced herself to practice this, she felt her blood and qi surging, and she couldn't suppress it no matter what she did.
She snorted and went straight to the next sentence.
"Line 63: Containing virtue, one can be steadfast. One may serve the king, but without success, there will be an end."
It means possessing talent and waiting for the right opportunity while remaining righteous. Serving the king, one may not achieve great things initially, but will eventually succeed.
There are also Taoist methods below.
With continued practice, this sentence became much better than the previous one. Upon further integration and mastery, even the parts of the previous sentence that didn't make sense became clear.
Zhou Fuling seemed to have returned to her childhood, where Zou, Ning, Kuang, and others taught her martial arts. Although the evil techniques they taught her were unorthodox, they were all expansive and all-encompassing, and she also had to learn to distinguish between orthodox and unorthodox techniques.
After that, she killed for them. Each time she finished killing, Zou Lanci would give her a gift and whisper, "Good child, you killed your mother's enemy."
At that time, she was filled with pride and wished she could kill all her enemies.
Recalling that experience, Zhou Fuling inexplicably gained a partial understanding of the second line and the subsequent techniques. The third line, especially the one about "serving the king," stirred Zhou Fuling's inner energy even more intensely.
But things took an unexpected turn, and her training progressed to the latter two stages.
"Line 62: Closing the bag, there is neither blame nor praise."
"Six in the fifth place: Yellow skirt, great fortune."
The two phrases mean to tighten one's belt and to be cautious in one's words and actions.
He ascended to the highest position of power again, and was adorned with the imperial yellow robe.
Zhou Fuling inexplicably thought of her past, a century of seclusion. She had practiced the "Six Two" technique with great difficulty. But when she reached "Six Five," Zhou Fuling seemed to see herself participating in the Yunmen Grand Competition, wearing a crimson robe, and becoming the leader of a continent.
When she practiced these two lines, she first felt a sense of dormancy and suppression, and then a boundless desire to reach the top and become invincible arose. Her spiritual power was first suppressed and then soared, with infinite power and desire that seemed impossible to control.
Zhou Fuling was initially wary of Ning Chengshan for practicing this technique, but then she realized that she had also practiced it, so how could she be afraid of Ning Chengshan?
She sensed the wonderful power within and only wanted to continue practicing.
However, the next sentence is—
"The sixth line: Dragons fight in the wild, their blood is black and yellow."
Zhou Fuling also knew this line of the hexagram.
Literally, it refers to dragons fighting in the wilderness, shedding their dark yellow blood. The implication is that things reach their extreme and then reverse; after reaching the pinnacle, they become arrogant and ambitious, leading to rivers of blood flowing on the battlefield.
Below, someone wrote in ancient Chinese:
[end! ]
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Author's note: Note: The text of the hexagrams is derived from the Kun hexagram of the sixth line.
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