Chapter Twenty-Four: Passing on the Teachings

The next morning, in a small courtyard outside the county town.

"How many more unfortunate souls do you think Master Zhang needs before he masters the art of internal energy transfer?"

"I reckon three more. I examined the corpse of the last one; the damage to his Taiyin Lung Meridian was already much lighter."

"Two, I’d say. Given Master Zhang’s natural talent, I feel—"

"Ahem!"

Su Xinghe silenced his disciples' chatter with a light cough and waited patiently. He estimated that Zhang Chengyi would need to finish off at most one more person to fully grasp the techniques of energy transfer. Whether such a transfer could actually be applied to him, however, remained a matter for debate.

*Creak.*

The door opened. Zhang Chengyi dragged in a still-unconscious bandit, dropped him on the ground, and declared with triumphant satisfaction, "My path is complete!"

"Who is next?"

He had told them he was a genius. It had only cost twelve lives to bring his proficiency with internal energy to a new level. Now that he was skilled in energy transfer, it was time to buff his underlings.

As his gaze swept across them, Xue Muhua instinctively took a half-step back, and the others wore troubled expressions. For the past few days, they had watched poor souls being carried out of that room covered in internal injuries and suffering from cultivation deviation. To be asked to step up now—who could handle that?

Seeing the atmosphere grow awkward and watching his teacher, Su Xinghe, prepare to risk his own life, the eight of them spoke in unison:

"Let me do it!"

"Why argue?" The eldest, Kang Guangling, stepped forward. "I am the senior disciple; naturally, I should go first."

Before the others could debate, Zhang Chengyi ignored them, grabbed Kang Guangling, and pulled him into the room. "You’ll do."

He was genuinely confident. After the fourth attempt, he had already mastered the core technique. However, to ensure safety when transferring to his own people, he had experimented with various potential failure points, intentionally causing chaos to summarize the common problems that could arise. He wouldn't claim perfection, but his success rate was now eighty to ninety percent. Even if a problem occurred, his current control allowed him to minimize the damage.

At worst, their internal energy would be dispersed, and they would need to rest for a while to recover from internal injuries; it wouldn't be fatal. Besides, given their current level of martial arts, it made little difference whether they had profound internal energy or not—they were simply too weak.

Incidentally, practicing energy transfer had an unexpected benefit. He discovered that as he continuously attempted to circulate the North Sea Divine Art through others, his own understanding of the technique, internal force, and meridians progressed by leaps and bounds. In just a few days, he had digested and understood the basics of the North Sea Divine Art. While he couldn't innovate yet, he certainly wouldn't be lagging behind.

Now, he could put learning other martial arts on the schedule.

Of course, it was impossible for others to learn his method of cultivation. The consumption of internal force alone reached tens of thousands of points. Wuyazi was a rare, all-around talent with over seventy years of cultivation, yet even his body could only hold seven hundred points of internal force. Where would others find such an abundance of energy to waste?

Most importantly, transferring internal energy to others was not a one-to-one ratio; there was loss involved. How much was lost depended on the recipient's talent, as well as an element of luck. When Wuyazi transferred his power to Xuzhu, he remarked that the boy was exceptionally blessed, far exceeding expectations. He never intended to turn him into a powerhouse overnight; who knew the boy would be so lucky as to digest seventy years of power in one go?

Under such premises, practicing energy transfer was a luxurious and highly uncertain endeavor. Only Zhang Chengyi, with his "cheat code" nature, could squander internal energy so freely.

*Click.*

After closing the door, the upright Kang Guangling couldn't help but swallow hard. Being upright didn't mean he wasn't afraid of death.

"Relax," Zhang Chengyi reassured him, found the correct acupuncture point, and placed his hand on him. A surge of *qi* poured in.

Kang Guangling felt a warm current flood his body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. His own internal energy melted away like snow under the sun, leaving him empty in an instant.

A wave of weakness washed over him, and his head began to buzz. Before he could collapse to the floor, that warmth suddenly thickened, rushing along his meridians to every acupuncture point in his body, causing a sensation of intense swelling.

"Hold on," Zhang Chengyi’s voice came from beside him. "If you can endure it, you will receive more internal energy."

Kang Guangling focused his mind, gritting his teeth. Soon, sweat poured down like rain, soaking his clothes. As the heat took root and flowed into his organs, the swelling subsided, and the heat suddenly transformed into a chilling cold.

"Ch-ch-ch..." He couldn't help but tremble, his teeth clattering together.

But after the alternation of hot and cold, the *qi* flowed freely through his limbs. Every pore in his body seemed to open at once, leaving his mouth salivating as if he had just eaten ice in midsummer, yet feeling as though he were huddled by a furnace in the biting cold of a snowy day. He felt light, as if he were about to take flight on the wind.

"Four hundred and something, just under five hundred."

Zhang Chengyi’s voice echoed as he withdrew his hand. Kang Guangling tumbled backward, but just as he was about to hit the floor, his toes instinctively pushed off, and he soared up, landing slowly and gracefully.

"Circulate your energy."

Kang Guangling opened his eyes, feeling amazed. At Master Zhang's command, he instinctively let his internal power circulate naturally.

*Whoosh!*

His sweat-soaked clothes dried instantly. The masculine *qi* evaporated, forming a cloud of steam that wrapped around him before drifting out the window.

"Forward circulation is *Yang*, reverse is *Yin*. When *Yin* and *Yang* complement each other, that is the North Sea *Qi*."

Zhang Chengyi tossed the North Sea Divine Art manual toward him; he had essentially mastered the booklet thanks to the contributions of his "lab rats." "Go familiarize yourself with it alongside the others. Tomorrow, follow me to that Hero Assembly."

It was said that the Beggar Sect and several famous temples had joined forces at Jingfu Temple to hold a Hero Assembly to crusade against the Deaf-Mute Sect and a certain "demon" surnamed Zhang. He really had to go and join in the fun.

"Yes, Master Zhang." Kang Guangling’s body reacted before his brain, catching the manual gracefully before bowing in acknowledgment.

"You reek of sweat."

Zhang Chengyi held his breath in disgust. The misty steam looked ethereal, but it was actually just vaporized sweat, and since Kang Guangling was a rough man, it didn't smell like incense.

He pushed the door open and said, "Who is next?"

Energy transfer was exhausting for others, but for him, it was a process of constant points-adding; he remained at full capacity, and the speed was incredibly fast. What felt like days of sensory experience for Kang Guangling had only taken a stick of incense in reality. It wouldn't take long for all nine of them.

And so, the Eight Friends of Hangu—save for Xue Muhua, who had stood by to provide emergency aid in case of trouble—accepted the transfer in order.

Finally, after Su Xinghe, it was Xue Muhua’s turn.

The Eight Friends of Hangu generally had internal energy levels around four hundred. Kang Guangling, the first to receive the transfer, had actually ended up with the highest. Their innate talent was truly limited; they were far below Wuyazi's potential limit.

Su Xinghe, on the other hand, was quite impressive. Despite his thin and withered appearance, his maximum internal energy was over six hundred, falling short of Wuyazi by only a little over a hundred points. It proved that if he hadn't wasted his time studying miscellaneous arts, he might have actually had a chance to go head-to-head with Ding Chunqiu.