"That was quite a large quantity of medicinal broth. There aren't that many field hands at East Mountain Farmstead... There's a group of people inside the manor that none of us know about."
"Could it be that those who were eliminated stay at the farmstead for a while before going down the mountain?"
"Even if that's true, why would they be drinking this broth? Without the meat of ferocious beasts to pair with it, what does this medicinal broth actually do?"
"Perhaps the force behind Suspended Fate Manor really is that religious sect..."
Returning to the dormitory from the Medicine Pavilion, An Jing was filled with questions.
An Jing possessed Innate Wisdom and had studied diligently from an early age. Over the years, his experiences, supplemented by the An Family's information channels, made him exceptionally knowledgeable in the world of Huaixu.
Coupled with his experiences over the past few months in Suspended Fate Manor, An Jing was able to deduce that the manor's backers were likely far from clean.
As for just how unclean they were, he hadn't given it too much thought before.
Purely out of sentiment, he had wanted to trust Suspended Fate Manor, and for that reason, he had preferred to overlook certain details.
Yet now, those details were shoved right in front of his eyes. Try as he might, he could no longer ignore them. Once suspicion took root, it was difficult to dispel.
No matter what, he had to carry out a second probe and uncover the true secret hidden behind Suspended Fate Manor.
However, An Jing did not intend to head out on a nocturnal investigation right away. He was not yet strong enough to easily evade the patrolling instructors.
Furthermore, there was only a single open, straight road leading from the main manor to East Mountain Farmstead. Getting across unseen would require a dark, overcast night.
An Jing staying awake in the dead of night was not for an immediate midnight scouting trip, but to push himself further and master the Mysterious Step from the Imperial Heaven Spirit-Piercing Primordial Qi-Nourishing Art as quickly as possible.
Mysterious Step Without Confusion was a movement technique rarely seen in Great Chen.
Lethal methods and nourishing methods were not uncommon in Great Chen, but mental methods and movement techniques—even the simplest ones—were enough to serve as the core lineage inheritance of a martial house.
Just as An Jing considered the other two parts of the Imperial Heaven Qi-Nourishing Art to be methods of assassination, the Mysterious Step truly adhered to the core philosophy: "vague as heaven's will, vanished without a trace."
It wasn't particularly fast, but it concealed sound and breath to an extraordinary degree, making it exceptionally discreet. Its essence lay in approaching silently, bursting forth with sudden violence when necessary—striking like thunder carrying heaven's decree—and then vanishing without a trace to make good its escape.
Moreover, this was the advantage of having a complete set of martial skills.
While the Mysterious Step was normally not fast, in crucial moments one could use piercing spirit without doubt to unleash Armor-Penetrating True Jin for a burst of speed. Though it couldn't be sustained for long, it was more than enough in a pinch.
In contrast, was the Empress Earth Body-Nourishing Art primarily a martial manual focused on body tempering and head-on combat? Or perhaps it centered on nourishing the meridians and better unlocking physical potential?
At night, by the moonlight and with his vision sharpened from martial training, An Jing studied the secret manual in detail. By day, he practiced only on the surface, concealing his true progress.
Having already secured first place and earned every entitlement, holding something back could do no harm. Above all, An Jing was curious about where those medicines were going.
After all, over these past few days, a vague sense of unease had persistently lingered in his mind.
Those animal bones etched with black patterns, suspected to be from demons; that medicinal broth of unknown purpose; and the overly mysterious background of Suspended Fate Manor—all left him at a loss.
That was simply who An Jing was: if something lay beyond his grasp, he would strive to bring it under control.
He would never remain indifferent, nor fool himself into thinking "nothing is wrong."
Before long, a dozen days passed.
An Jing reached initial mastery in the Mysterious Step. When executed, the force surging and subsiding under his feet was like treading upon mist and clouds; even if he snapped a twig in the woods, not the slightest sound escaped, every vibration thoroughly absorbed.
It could also be paired with other cultivation methods. Holding the mindset of approaching the abyss while walking the stake stance with the Mysterious Step accelerated the efficiency of nourishing qi.
With this benefit, An Jing felt the Innate Primordial Qi within him growing increasingly vigorous; he would soon be able to break through to Inner Breath.
Yet the timing was not right. If he broke through to Inner Breath, it would surely create an astounding commotion, drawing immense attention and making it impossible to investigate Suspended Fate Manor.
During this period, the roster of trainees remaining in Suspended Fate Manor stabilized at a total of one hundred and eight.
Compared to the initial pool of over two hundred and forty, the count had been reduced by more than half. However, those who remained were truly elites possessing superior talent and stronger mindsets.
This was the final headcount; no one would be eliminated from this point on.
Upon learning this, the one hundred and eight youths looked delighted, yet none broke into joyful cheers. Instead, there was a collective sigh of relief and peace of mind.
In the end, they had not been eliminated.
Nearly half a year of nurturing and training had made their temperaments more "steady," more "mature," or perhaps... more "callous"?
Even Gu Yeqi and Cang Linzu were no exception. Both had grown increasingly composed, though toward friends they truly acknowledged, their bonds had only deepened.
An Jing observed all of this.
As he cultivated the Imperial Heaven Qi-Nourishing Art, he sensed a subtle shift in his own state of mind. It grew ever more lofty and distant, like the heavens themselves, fostering a strange, detached feeling of looking down upon everything unfolding before him.
Though An Jing knew what emotions he ought to feel, he felt an unshakable calm, as if he were merely controlling a game character.
At first, An Jing didn't find anything amiss. But one day, when he took a bowl of water from Gu Yeqi and politely said, "Thank you, Yeqi," he caught the bizarre expressions on Gu Yeqi's and Cang Linzu's faces, and it suddenly struck him.
To begin with, what was there to thank each other for between them?
Even if he genuinely meant it, he shouldn't have been so formal. Casual phrasing like "Thanks" or "Hey, thanks a lot!" would have been natural. In their relationship, the more formal the etiquette, the more distant it felt!
These cultivation methods... and the diet and training were altering his temperament!
*No fear, no self; no doubt, no confusion.*
Perhaps this was how the Imperial Heaven Art reshaped a person.
"Indeed. Approaching the abyss without fear makes one restrain one's emotions; piercing spirit without doubt calms the mind while allowing intense emotion to erupt in an instant... And the more one cultivates Mysterious Step without confusion, the more one's thoughts become lofty and distant, looking down from on high like heaven itself."
An Jing grew wary. *If I cultivate the complete Imperial Heaven Qi-Nourishing Art, the effect will surely be even stronger... What will it turn me into in the end?*
It was hard to call it a good thing.
Resisting the technique's influence was not difficult, but Suspended Fate Manor was changing as well.
Once the numbers were finalized, Suspended Fate Manor divided the one hundred and eight youths into twelve groups, drilling them under the names of the Twelve Celestial Stations. An Jing was the leader of the first group.
The group An Jing led was named Xingji. Counting himself, there were nine members—five boys and four girls, most of them youths from around Mingshan City on the Northern Frontier.
Gu Yeqi and Cang Linzu were among them. They were the only two remaining from the original circle that had gathered around An Jing, and by now, they served as his left and right hands.
Beyond requiring the members of each group to achieve mutual understanding and meditate in stillness together, Suspended Fate Manor also had each group drill in a peculiar battle formation.
An Jing had seen similar battle formations before during militia drills back in his hometown, but the target of these drills was clearly not human. It was meant for beings far larger than a person.
The various rolls, spear thrusts, and strikes aimed at the lower body were all exceptionally specialized.
"Is Suspended Fate Manor training these kids... to hunt ferocious beasts?"
Chapter 19