Supreme Martial Arts: The Path of the Prodigy

Chapter 4

In the Zhou Family Village, the population was not large, but they owned thousands of acres of fertile land. The village also had hundreds of farming households, and within a radius of one hundred miles, it was considered one of the top households. The family also had businesses in the county town, adding to their prominence.

Among the third-generation disciples, each person had their own courtyard, albeit not very large. Nevertheless, they were considered separate and distinct households.

Upon returning to his own courtyard, Zhou Yi hadn’t even pushed open the door when he saw his third brother, Zhou Yixuan, standing before him with a mischievous smile.

“Third brother, why are you here?” Zhou Yi asked with a mix of surprise and joy. “Didn’t father ask you to seclude yourself for cultivation?”

Zhou Yixuan waved his hand dismissively. “Being in seclusion all the time is too suffocating. That’s why I came out for a stroll.” He pushed open Zhou Yi’s door and entered first.

The room was modest yet practical. Zhou Yixuan directly placed a transcribed book on the table.

Zhou Yi took a closer look, and his expression slightly changed. “Third brother, this is the manual for Ripple Palm.”

“This is the internal energy manual that I specialize in,” Zhou Yixuan calmly said. “I broke through to the sixth level with this technique. I heard you were considering switching to another cultivation method, so why not give this one a try?”

Zhou Yi’s heart raced, realizing that his third brother hadn’t secluded himself out of frustration but had come specifically for him.

Without further pleasantries, Zhou Yixuan opened the book and began explaining it in detail. Furthermore, at the back of the manual, there were his personal notes on cultivation, ranging from the first to the sixth level. The section about breaking through to the fifth level was particularly densely recorded.

It wasn’t until evening that Zhou Yixuan bid farewell and left. Even the dinner and supper were taken care of simply within the courtyard.

After Zhou Yixuan left, Zhou Yi held the manual in his hands and looked at the tiny words on it. His heart surged with emotions, realizing that the relationship between biological brothers was truly incomparable.

He took a deep breath and made up his mind. He couldn’t afford to disappoint his father and third brother. He had to overcome this damn fifth level, no matter what.

Entering the secret room, Zhou Yi closed the door behind him and sealed it gently from the inside. Opening the manual for Ripple Palm, he carefully scrutinized every word and sentence.

This Ripple Palm was a water-based cultivation technique for internal energy, equivalent in level to his Mixed Yuan Power. However, everyone’s constitution was different, so the effects varied during cultivation.

Since he had decided to switch to a new cultivation manual, instead of randomly choosing one and starting from scratch, why not practice his third brother’s manual? After all, his third brother had dedicated over ten years of effort to this manual. That much was evident from the insights and experiences recorded, which were several times more detailed than the content of the manual itself.

Standing on the shoulders of giants often allowed one to see farther. Since he had this opportunity, Zhou Yi naturally wouldn’t give up easily.

He memorized the techniques of the first level and studied his third brother’s insights and experiences. Though he couldn’t claim full comprehension, he had a basic understanding.

Ripple Palm was different from Mixed Yuan Power. One was a water-based internal energy, while the other was metal-based. Although they were similar in terms of the level of the technique, the routes of internal energy circulation within the body were significantly different.

Zhou Yi closed his eyes and slowly circulated his internal energy according to the pathways of Ripple Palm. The previously existing internal energy in his body followed his mental control and ran through the new meridian routes like a snail’s pace.

Unbeknownst to him, the moon had risen, its half-crescent shape radiating a pure and bright light. Moonlight seeped through the skylight, illuminating Zhou Yi’s training room.

His eyes suddenly opened wide, and an indescribable expression appeared on his face. He extended his hands flat and looked at them, then pressed a few points on his body, wearing an incredulous expression.

Just moments ago, he had successfully completed the entire circulation of internal energy along the pathways of the first level of Ripple Palm. He could confirm that this was his first encounter with Ripple Palm and the first time he had practiced a water-based cultivation technique.

Although he had reached the pinnacle of the fifth level in Mixed Yuan Power cultivation, the metal-based Mixed Yuan Power and the water-based Ripple Palm were two completely different techniques. Although there were similarities in internal energy, the circulation in the new meridians was completely different.

Based on his prior estimation, being able to complete the circulation of internal energy for the first level of Ripple Palm within three months would already be considered a great blessing. If he couldn’t successfully follow the first level’s pathways after six months, it would indicate that his physique was not compatible with water-based techniques, and he would need to switch to another manual for cultivation.

However, no matter how Zhou Yi had estimated beforehand, he had never imagined that he would successfully complete the progress of the first level during his first attempt at practicing Ripple Palm.

He lifted his head and looked at the moonlight outside the skylight. The only thought in his mind was whether he was dreaming…

After hesitating for a while, he extended his trembling hand and picked up the handwritten copy of Ripple Palm given to him by his third brother. It wasn’t a thick book, but it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hands at this moment.

Taking a deep breath, he silently prayed in his heart that if this was truly a dream, he didn’t want to wake up too soon.

His gaze swept over the second level page of Ripple Palm, silently memorizing and contemplating it while combining the insights and experiences from the internal energy manual.

After a long while, a realization seemed to dawn upon him. Gently placing the manual down, Zhou Yi once again sat down, entering a state of cultivation.

The internal energy in his dantian pulsated vibrantly, brimming with vitality, providing powerful momentum to Zhou Yi’s body.

Under Zhou Yi’s mental control, this internal energy flowed smoothly through his mysterious meridians, akin to a river coursing through his body. Whether it was the previously established meridians or the newly traversed ones, his internal energy’s movement encountered no obstacles.

His internal energy effortlessly traversed all the pathways of the second level of Ripple Palm within his body.

When Zhou Yi opened his eyes, what he displayed was no longer just ecstasy and confusion but also a faint sense of palpitation and bewilderment.

As a young man who had been exposed to internal energy since the age of five, his elders had mentioned countless times the most taboo aspects of cultivating internal energy: the dangers of overeagerness and attempting to cultivate beyond one’s abilities.

In their words, cultivating internal energy was like planting radishes — only through immense hardship could one achieve remarkable accomplishments.

However, Zhou Yi couldn’t recall any of his elders ever mentioning the possibility of completing the cultivation of the first two levels of an internal energy technique within half a night.

He took a deep breath, shifting his gaze to the manual of Ripple Palm, as countless thoughts surged within him.

Could it be…

I am a genius, a true prodigy in cultivating water-based techniques!

Apart from this explanation, there seemed to be no other way to make sense of it. The speed of his cultivation could only be described as unimaginable. Even when he first encountered internal energy and managed to cultivate directly to the third level of Mixed Yuan Power within a year, he hadn’t experienced such astonishment at that time.

He straightened his chest, raised his neck, and his eyes shimmered with a peculiar light. His heart was filled with excitement as he gazed at the Ripple Technique with unwavering determination.

He reopened the secret manual of the Ripple Technique and carefully studied it. Perhaps due to the sudden surge of immense confidence, Zhou Yi’s face flushed slightly. His emotions surged, unable to be suppressed. Although this wasn’t an ideal time for cultivating internal energy, he was like a person enchanted, completely focusing all his energy on the Ripple Technique.

Third level… Fourth level… Fifth level…

The moonlight outside the window remained as radiant as ever, but when Zhou Yi opened his eyes again, the brilliance in them had been completely replaced by numbness.

He had started practicing the Mixed Yuan Force at the age of five and successfully reached the fifth level after four years. Although he had been stagnant in the following four years without making any progress, among the nine third-generation disciples in the family, he was indeed the fastest in cultivating the first five levels.

However, tonight, that record had been completely shattered.

He had actually spent only… no, merely half a night to directly cultivate the Ripple Technique, which he had never touched before, from the first level to the fifth level.

Zhou Yi’s mouth trembled slightly, and he wanted to shout in excitement. But a voice inside his heart desperately screamed, as if invisible hands firmly gripped his throat, preventing him from uttering a word.

Although he was merely a thirteen-year-old teenager, growing up in this family made him understand that this couldn’t be explained solely by talent. Perhaps, describing it as a monstrous anomaly was the only way to make sense of it.

After being dazed for a while, a vague worry started to creep into his heart.

With such a rapid cultivation speed, could there be serious consequences? He recalled the stories his elders had told him about practitioners who had gone astray due to weak foundations, and a chill ran down his spine.

Swift progress in cultivation was undoubtedly a good thing, but if it came at the cost of losing control and falling into madness, he would rather not have it.

He circulated his internal energy a few times within his body and was convinced that he had no risk of bursting or perishing.

Once again, his eyes gazed at the Ripple Technique manual on the table, and a daring thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

Since he was able to directly cultivate up to the fifth level, what about the sixth level…