Xu took out his phone and saw that it was already four o'clock. He hadn't realized that this practice session had taken so long.
His body reeked, so Xu Hang quickly went to the bathroom for a shower.
After changing into clean clothes, Xu Hang sat back on the sofa and began to study the martial talismans.
There are many types of martial talismans, but without exception, they all seal martial power within the talisman, ready to be used at any time. Moreover, when used, they hardly consume the user's internal energy, making them essentially an external storage device for martial arts techniques.
He found two A4 sheets of white paper, cut them into eight pieces, and placed them on the coffee table in front of him. Xu Hang closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, directly biting his right middle finger and began to draw on one of the white sheets.
The best paper for drawing talismans is specialized talisman paper, which can greatly preserve the power of the martial talisman. Of course, using other types of paper is also acceptable, but the effect will be somewhat reduced.
The talismans of the Wu Fu Sect do not require a brush or cinnabar; blood alone is sufficient. Xu Hang was drawing a low-level Great Strength Talisman, the same one that Leng Feng had used. Once completed, this talisman can increase the user's strength by more than double.
The fresh blood seeped through, tracing intricate and mysterious patterns on the white paper. At the same time, Xu Hang felt the internal energy in his dantian surge, flowing through his meridians into his right hand, mixing with the blood from his fingertips and merging into the white paper.
The final stroke completed, a mysterious talisman symbol appeared on the paper, emitting a faint golden light amidst the blood. Xu Hang's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Boom!"
A wisp of smoke rose, and the talisman paper instantly burned to ashes right before Xu Hang's eyes.
It had failed; the talisman power was unstable and self-ignited!
He had expected this, so Xu Hang did not become discouraged. Even Leng Feng wouldn't necessarily succeed every time he drew a talisman. There is always a failure rate when drawing talismans.
He continued to draw.
By the fifth attempt, it finally stabilized. The blood-drawn talisman symbol flashed and then disappeared into the paper, leaving only the character "力" (strength) on the paper.
Xu Hang breathed a sigh of relief, looking at his masterpiece with great satisfaction. He then cut a few more pieces of paper and continued to draw, as if blood were free.
Fortunately, drawing a talisman doesn't require much blood. Xu Hang, being strong and healthy, could withstand the loss. However, the internal energy consumption was significant. He stopped when his internal energy was more than half depleted.
In total, he drew over twenty talismans, but only four were successful. The others turned to ashes. The four successful talismans were a Great Strength Talisman, a Vajra Talisman, a Divine Speed Talisman, and a Sword Talisman.
The talismans were complete, but Xu Hang didn't know how much power they would exert. With only four, he was reluctant to use them. He folded the four talismans into triangles and put them away, intending to use them as protective amulets for his little sister.
Having not slept all night, Xu Hang didn't feel tired. He sat back on the sofa and practiced the Qi Attraction Technique for a while. The Heavenly Talisman Martial Canon is different from other sects; it begins by drawing in the energy of heaven and earth. For other martial artists, this ability only comes at the level of a先天武宗 (先天武宗, a high-level martial artist), when they can sense and draw in the energy of heaven and earth.
However, for those who practice the Heavenly Talisman Martial Canon, they begin to cultivate the energy of heaven and earth from the very beginning, even at the Martial Disciple level. Xu Hang didn't know if this method was stronger or weaker, but it was the only internal cultivation technique he had, so he had to follow it.
Closing his eyes, he sensed the energy of heaven and earth, which appeared as tiny, scattered points around him, like mischievous little sprites.
This was something Xu Hang had never felt before.
Is this what they call the energy of heaven and earth?
He activated the Qi Attraction Technique, and those tiny points of energy seemed to be called forth, gathering towards Xu Hang. They quickly formed thin, flowing ribbons and seeped into his body.
Every pore on his skin breathed wildly as the energy of heaven and earth, driven by the Qi Attraction Technique, rapidly merged into his meridians and was refined into his internal energy.
...
—
When Xu Hang opened his eyes, he was greeted by a face full of curiosity, nearly giving him a fright.
"Brother, were you practicing?" Seeing Xu Hang awake, Su Xi immediately asked with excitement and curiosity.
She had clearly been there for some time. Seeing Xu Hang meditating on the sofa, she didn't wake him, knowing from TV shows that martial arts masters must not be disturbed while practicing.
"Why did you get up so early?" Xu Hang asked, avoiding the question.
Su Xi straightened up, "It's already 5:30, is that early? You said to get up early so you could teach me martial arts."
Xu Hang was speechless.
5:30, is that late? The sky was just beginning to lighten. Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, she probably didn't sleep well last night.
"Come on, get up. I have to go to school today, and if you don't teach me, I'll be late." Su Xi, eager and impatient, pulled Xu Hang up.
About a hundred meters behind the house, there was a forest.
It was still early, and the forest was shrouded in mist, with scattered graves, making the environment quite eerie. However, this did not dampen Su Xi's enthusiasm for learning martial arts.
"I'll teach you a set of exercises to strengthen your body. Learn it well!" Xu Hang said to Su Xi in the forest.
"Great, great."
Su Xi was very excited. She didn't care what kind of exercises Xu Hang taught her; as long as they were exercises, she believed her brother wouldn't let her down.
...
Ten minutes later.
"What? You said you'd teach me martial arts, but you're making me do gymnastics, and such difficult ones at that. Teach me something else."
Su Xi, rubbing her sore shoulders, refused to continue. She had been full of interest, but the exercises Xu Hang taught her were bizarre and extremely difficult. He had to force her to complete one set.
Every part of her body ached, and this was nothing like what she had imagined martial arts practice to be.
"Do you want to become more beautiful?" Xu Hang asked her.
Su Xi glanced at Xu Hang, "I'm already beautiful enough."
"Vain." Xu Hang rolled his eyes, "Do you want to have a good figure?"
This little girl was only fifteen, and while she was already quite pretty, she definitely didn't have a good figure yet.
"Yes."
The desire for beauty is universal. Su Xi nodded; even young girls today are aware of this.
Xu Hang's lips curved into a smile, "Then memorize the set of exercises I just taught you and practice it every morning and evening."
"Will that really give me a good figure?" Su Xi looked at Xu Hang skeptically.