I Fabricated the Techniques, but my disciple really mastered them? Chapter 2 - 2: Impromptu Cultivation Technique On-site_1

2 Chapter 2: Impromptu Cultivation Technique On-site_1

Translator: 549690339

“Disciple Xu Yan, greeting Master!”

Swept up in a wave of fervor, Xu Yan dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, performing a deep and respectful kowtow.

“Hmm, you may rise!”

Li Xuan reached out to shut the chest containing the apprenticeship gift. His expression remained grave, perfectly embodying the image of a stern and disciplined Master.

He hadn't intended to play the charlatan, but the treasures Xu Yan presented were simply too magnificent to refuse.

He would take the boy as a pupil, but what about the actual cultivation technique?

He didn't possess a single one!

Nevertheless, it didn't matter; he would just fabricate one on the spot.

Li Xuan told himself that since he was a failed webnovel writer in his previous life, dreaming up a cultivation method shouldn't be difficult at all.

Judging by the naive and somewhat gullible look on Xu Yan’s face, it was highly improbable that the youth could distinguish between a profound manual and a total fake.

And if the boy failed to reach the entry-level of cultivation?

That would certainly be blamed on a lack of innate talent rather than any flaw in the cultivation technique itself.

“Yes, Master!”

Xu Yan stood up with visible excitement, his gaze fixed intently on Li Xuan.

“Master, when will you impart the cultivation technique to me?”

Observing the yearning in Xu Yan’s eyes, Li Xuan adopted a mysterious aura and spoke unhurriedly, “I have accepted you as a temporary disciple. However, if you cannot reach the entry-level of cultivation within one year, it proves our destiny as master and disciple is lacking. If that happens, you are not to seek me out again. Do you understand?”

A shiver ran through Xu Yan at these words. He inhaled deeply and replied with utmost seriousness, “I understand!”

“Please be at ease, Master. Should I fail to cultivate within the year, it will be due to my own poor aptitude. I will not hold any resentment toward you, Master; I will simply give up and trouble you no more.”

Li Xuan’s heart filled with relief. It was excellent that his disciple was so reasonable.

Reaching the entry-level in a year? He wouldn't manage it in a century.

Before he could weave a fake cultivation technique to mislead Xu Yan, Li Xuan needed to grasp the current state of martial arts in this world.

Since Xu Yan already viewed him as a hidden hermit who stayed away from mundane affairs, Li Xuan decided to ask his questions directly.

The more ignorant Li Xuan appeared regarding the outside world, the more Xu Yan was convinced he was looking at an ancient, ageless master of incomparable martial prowess who had long been in seclusion.

Naturally, Xu Yan shared everything he knew without hesitation.

After a short discussion, Li Xuan gained a basic understanding of the lands beyond.

This tiny mountain village was situated in the Eastern River region of the Qi Country, a powerful nation founded over a century ago.

The world was divided into three major powers: the Qi Country, the Wu Country, and the Barbarian Kingdom to the north.

According to Xu Yan, the martial arts of this world were quite grounded. There was no mention of earth-shattering strikes or the ability to fly through the clouds. Even the strongest warriors were limited to running up walls, leaping a few meters into the air, or lifting heavy weights.

As for Xu Yan himself, he had been obsessed with legends since childhood, always dreaming of finding a true immortal master to teach him a peerless cultivation technique.

This fixation had made him somewhat famous in the Eastern River region, though mostly as a laughingstock. People frequently ridiculed the Young Master of the Xu Family for being a fool who chased myths and sought non-existent masters.

Li Xuan felt a flicker of disappointment upon hearing about the outside world; he had hoped he was in a world of high-level cultivation. Could it be that Xu Yan simply didn't have the status to know about the real experts?

Regardless of the truth, it was currently beyond Li Xuan’s reach. However, he now had a solid plan for how to deceive Xu Yan with a made-up cultivation technique.

Success in cultivation was impossible. Xu Yan's inevitable failure would be framed as a lack of talent, not a problem with Li Xuan’s imaginary method.

Li Xuan then began to speak, “The cultivation technique I am about to teach you centers on the word ‘enlightenment’. Whether you can reach the entry-level depends entirely on your own perception and gift.”

“I shall give you one year. If the entry-level remains out of reach by then, it simply means the Dao is not for you.”

While Xu Yan’s heart raced with anticipation, he also felt a pang of anxiety. He was terrified of failing to cultivate. Taking a shaky breath, he said with deep reverence, “Please bestow the cultivation technique, Master. If I fail to attain the entry-level, it is only because I lack the fortune.”

Li Xuan leaned back and gazed toward the horizon, his voice slow and rhythmic. “The path of martial arts is infinite, yet the foundation of cultivation is nothing more than refining the skin, refining the bone, and refining the viscera…”

Xu Yan hung on every word, his eyes burning with passion, terrified of missing even a single syllable.

Li Xuan drew upon the power systems he had designed for his webnovels. He expanded on those concepts, organizing them into a seemingly logical summary of a cultivation method.

“The start of martial arts lies in sensing one's Qi and blood. Only by perceiving the Qi and blood can one begin the skin-refinement stage. Without sensing the Qi and blood, all further efforts are useless…”

“Skin-refinement, as the term implies, involves tempering your outer shell. Once this stage is mastered, your skin will become so resilient that ordinary blades or swords cannot pierce it. Even a direct strike would leave nothing but a faint white mark…”

Since he was making it up, he figured he should exaggerate the power levels. Being invulnerable to weapons after just the first stage sounded impressive, didn't it?

Seeing Xu Yan’s transfixed expression, Li Xuan knew his deception was working perfectly.

‘This is true martial arts! Just at the skin-refinement stage, one becomes immune to weapons. If refining the bones and organs are even stronger, how powerful must they be?’

‘I, Xu Yan, have finally found a true Master and am learning real martial arts. Once I reach the entry-level, we shall see who dares to mock me!’

Xu Yan’s eyes were filled with fanatical devotion, his heart thumping against his ribs.

“Master, does finishing skin-refinement mean I have reached the entry-level?” Xu Yan asked with urgency.

“Well…”

Li Xuan was about to nod and confirm that skin-refinement was the entry-level.

But he paused. Wouldn't that make it seem too easy?

Since he was already spinning a yarn, he might as well make it legendary.

Thus, he replied with a grave tone, “Of course not. Skin-refinement, bone-refinement, and viscera-refinement are merely the absolute basics. They aren't even considered reaching the entry-level!”

Xu Yan was stunned. “If skin-refinement makes one impervious to blades, and bone and viscera-refinement are even more profound, that still isn't the entry-level of martial arts? Then just how powerful is someone who actually enters the path?”

At that moment, Xu Yan was consumed by a desperate longing to reach the true entry-level of martial arts.

“Master, when can one be said to have truly entered the path of martial arts?”

“The entry-level of martial arts… is when your viscera-refinement is complete, your Qi and blood flow through your entire being, and your body undergoes a minor transformation. Your bones and muscles will roar like thunder, and your Qi and blood will surge like the vast sky. Only then have you reached the entry-level.”

“Master, what lies beyond the entry-level? What is the stage of small success, or great success? How strong can a person become?”

“This path… has many tiers. Beyond the entry-level, when your Qi and blood can erupt toward the heavens like a raging inferno, dispelling evil spirits and boiling rivers and seas—that is the stage of great success…”

Li Xuan continued to improvise wildly.

Xu Yan grew more and more ecstatic as he listened. Just as he was about to press for more details, Li Xuan raised a hand to cut him off. “Enough. You haven't even touched the entry-level yet; do not ask for what is beyond your reach! One must not be overly ambitious. Cultivation demands a calm heart; impatience will only lead to your downfall!”

“Yes, Master!”

Xu Yan snapped out of his trance and bowed respectfully.

“Hmm!”

Li Xuan nodded, satisfied. It wasn't that he didn't want to keep talking—he just hadn't thought of the rest of the cultivation technique yet.

The skin, bone, and viscera-refinement stages he had invented were absurd enough to keep Xu Yan busy. The boy wouldn't even finish skin-refinement in a year, or even a decade.

Reaching the entry-level was, quite literally, impossible.