Han Li smiled faintly as he recalled the past events. Over the past half year, he and Zhang Tie had become close friends, bound by their similar backgrounds and personalities. It was a natural bond, one where they could share anything without hesitation.
Stretching his legs, Han Li slowly untangled his crossed legs, feeling the numbness and tightness in his muscles from prolonged meditation. He rubbed his calves, slowly restoring the circulation, and once the feeling returned, he stood up and shook off the dust from his clothes. Pushing open the stone door, he stepped outside.
Looking back at the stone room where he had practiced, Han Li couldn't help but chuckle at himself. The room was carved out of solid granite, and the door itself was made of a massive slab of stone. It would take a giant axe hours of work just to break through. Such a training room was rare even among the core disciples of the Seven Mystical Gates, let alone the regular ones. Only those of high status, such as the sect leaders, elders, or hall masters, would have access to such facilities.
This stone room, which was especially constructed for the purpose of high-level cultivation, was meant to ensure that practitioners could focus without distractions or interference, preventing them from losing control of their inner energy. Han Li still didn't know how Doctor Mo had managed to convince several elders to allow a regular disciple like him to use it, but he was certainly grateful.
Since becoming Doctor Mo's official disciple, Han Li had been provided with various herbs and medicinal concoctions to assist with his cultivation. Although he couldn't recognize the names or uses of many of the herbs, he could tell that they were of exceptional quality, especially seeing the rare emotional expression on Doctor Mo's usually impassive face whenever Han Li took them. These concoctions undoubtedly sped up his cultivation, helping him breakthrough the first layer of the mysterious mantra.
However, the breakthrough had not come without a price. Several of his meridians had nearly ruptured, leaving him with minor internal injuries. Fortunately, Doctor Mo's medical skills were unparalleled, and with proper treatment and the use of more rare herbs, Han Li recovered without lasting damage. Doctor Mo had been more anxious about his recovery than Han Li himself, pacing restlessly throughout the healing process, only relaxing once Han Li's injuries were fully healed.
Such attention from his master made Han Li feel both grateful and uneasy. He had never experienced this level of care, and it made him wonder if there was something more to Doctor Mo's behavior. It wasn't until later that he realized his family had no one else who had ever left their small, poor village, and he almost wondered if Doctor Mo was a distant relative.
Leaving his stone room, Han Li stretched and walked toward his new quarters. After officially becoming a disciple, both he and Zhang Tie had moved into their own small private rooms. As he passed Zhang Tie's room, Han Li casually glanced inside, but Zhang Tie wasn't there. He was probably practicing at the waterfall below Chi Shui Peak again.
Since becoming a formal disciple of Doctor Mo, Han Li had only been allowed to practice the mysterious mantra and hadn't been taught any other martial arts. However, Doctor Mo had been very generous with teaching him the art of medicine, answering all his questions and allowing him to freely study any medical texts in his collection.
As for Zhang Tie, Doctor Mo had stuck to his original plan and taught him a different technique—an ancient and rarely seen martial art called the Elephant Armor Technique (象甲功). According to Doctor Mo, this martial art was almost forgotten in the martial world, with very few practitioners even aware of its existence.
Unlike most martial arts, which become progressively harder as one advances, the Elephant Armor Technique had an unusual progression. The first three layers were relatively easy to learn, similar to the difficulty of ordinary martial arts. However, starting from the fourth layer, the difficulty increased dramatically, requiring practitioners to endure unimaginable pain and suffering. Many who attempted this technique stopped at the fourth layer, unable to bear the agony, leaving their cultivation stagnated.
The real challenge came in the fifth and sixth layers, where the pain became unbearable. However, once a practitioner broke through the sixth layer and entered the seventh, the subsequent layers became progressively easier, with only occasional bouts of intense pain. Most practitioners would hesitate to continue, but those who endured reached incredible heights of strength.
The ultimate power of the Elephant Armor Technique was legendary. Once one reached the ninth layer, they were said to have a body as tough as armor—immune to blades, fire, and water. Ordinary weapons would struggle to even scratch such a person, and their strength would be on par with an elephant's, capable of tearing apart wild beasts with their bare hands.
However, the technique was not without its drawbacks. The pain it caused during the cultivation process was excruciating, and the ability to endure such pain was key to progressing. Furthermore, the origins of this technique were mysterious. It was said to have been created by a master who was born without the ability to feel pain, allowing them to endure and overcome the unimaginable suffering required to develop such a powerful martial art.
Despite knowing the potential consequences, Zhang Tie had eagerly accepted the challenge, drawn by the promises of power. In just two months, he had reached the peak of the first layer. Doctor Mo had recommended that Zhang Tie practice under the waterfall at Chi Shui Peak, where the intense force of the falling water could help him break through. Zhang Tie had reported that this method was highly effective, and he was confident that he was on the verge of breaking through to the second layer.
Han Li couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Zhang Tie's progress, but at the same time, he was glad to see his friend improving. They were both on different paths, but they shared the same goal—to become stronger, to learn, and to find their place in the world. As Han Li continued his own training, he couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for him to reach his own breakthrough. But for now, all he could do was focus on the mantra and hope that his own efforts would one day bear fruit.