Five Mysteries Art

At home, he went directly to his grandfather, and asked, "Grandpa, can you help me to process those herbs?" With a "thud," he put the full bag of herbs on the ground.

"Huh? What are doing with those things?" Yin Kong asked, surprised by the sudden endeavor of his beloved child.

"I want to be strong as you," Yang Wu smiled, preferring to use the "I'm just a child," tactic.

Indeed, Yin Kong's eyes got brighter all of a sudden and he laughed hard, "Hehehe, you finally know how great your grandpa is?"

Yang Wu nodded and said, "I want to make medicine with those herbs, but I don't know most of them."

"Don't worry, I will show you the mighty skills of your grandpa!" Yin Kong grinned and started to process the herbs.

Yin Kong gained a living by being a herbalist, and his old age was a sharp tool on his table because of the experience it brought. Many in the small Fang City would prefer to simply consult him rather than formal doctors since it was cheaper.

After a while, Yin Kong finalized the process of cleaning, cutting, and sorting all the herbs. He slowly explained the use of each of them and how Yang Wu had to use them, and how to not use them.

"You can't use both Sun Grass and Feng Flower at the same time, otherwise you will get a nice problem to yourself.

"Blood Flowers are useful to improve one's body, but you can't use too much.

"Green Clouds Herb can be useful to treat the body's deficiency of energy, but using it along blood flowers will cause severe diarrhea."

It took a few hours for Yin Kong to explain everything that needed to be explained, and Yang Wu took note of everything to not forget.

"Don't be greedy and use them all without care, otherwise you might die!" Yin Kong warned severely, "If you have any doubts, you can ask me later! I have some patients to attend."

Yin Kong left, but he was happy that Yang Wu was interested in herbs. It was a fine opportunity to pass on his knowledge to a fine successor.

Yang Wu began to analyze the proprieties of the herbs he learned from Yin Kong and began to plan a way to prepare his body for martial arts.

The first step to Martial Arts in his original world wasn't a Realm at all, it was called Internal Organs Tempering Stage. It was about refining and tempering the internal organs of the whole body, be it the brain or the marrow. It was a very important step since it would pave the way for a stronger Qi Blood in the true First Realm, the Qi and Body Realm.

Because Yang Wu didn't have a special constitution and never trained until he was already twelve, his body was as weak as it could be, and wouldn't be able to bear strong pressure.

The herbs he bought were just a tool to ease the process of the body getting used to the pressure of having its internal organs strengthened.

Yang Wu sighed, he knew that in this world it would be way more difficult to practice martial arts than in his first life. It might take a few years until his internal organs were strong enough for him to try and enter the first Realm.

He scanned his memories and found a nice exercise for a "novice" like him. "The 365 Stars Method."

The human body had an uncountable amount of acupoints, but 365 of them were called "The Main Constellation." They were the easiest acupoints to exercise and open, and when completely opened, they would bring a surge of strength to even the weakest body.

They were easy to open because one only needed the skill and a nice needle to be opened. They could be easily located in the body and had no hidden dangers.

Yang Wu opened them for lots of people in his first life, when he was still "playing the hero." So he was very used to the process, even after a long time since then. He only needed to try a few times and get the right way again.

He secretly went inside Yin Rong's bedroom and picked a needle from her collection. It was the finest of them all, and he was sure his grandma would be pissed after she failed to find it.

But Yang Wu stelled his heart and vowed to give it back to her when he ended the job.

Because his body was weak, he didn't dare to open lots of acupoints in one go but decided to let his body get used to it with the help of the herbs he bought.

"Fuck! It hurts!" he cursed as he pierced the skin between the ear and the face with precision, "Wrong! It's not here!"

He tried again a few times and finally seemed to pierce a strange "ball of air" inside the skin, the feeling came and went away so quickly that he almost didn't notice.

"Alright! Only 364 left!" he motivated himself despite the sharp pain, he then drank a full mouthful of bitter medicinal tea he prepared and went to rest his body in a tree shade.

Time passed and passed, he pierced a new acupoint every two days and always left a day for his body to rest, for fear of it breaking down without him noticing.

After a year, because of the routine of taking medicinal herbs, his body got stronger and he didn't seem skinny as before.

After two years, he finally ended the job. The last acupoint was opened.

Yang Wu carefully pierced the needle between his eyebrows in the front of a mirror, he easily felt it piercing a "ball of air." The feeling disappeared quickly, but he knew he finally was done.

Although opening the 365 acupoints would strengthen his internal organs, it wouldn't happen overnight. His body needed great amounts of nutrients and constant physical exercise to gain the greatest benefit.

After opening all the acupoints, Yang Wu could finally sense a little bit of his Qi Blood flowing through the opened circuit of acupoints. It was so little that he only managed to feel it because of his background.

He took a deep breath and looked at the precious needle of his grandma, "How should I let her get it back without suspecting me?" It was a new headache for him.

After opening all 365 acupoints, he finally began to do physical exercises daily, to the happiness of Yin Kong. However, he still daily educated Yang Wu about the superiority of scholars over brutes.

Yang Wu didn't let him down too much, and from time to time showed his talent in "scholarly things." Of course, he never planned to follow the route of a scholar.

After eight months, his body no longer resembled that of a child, but of a grown man. His internal organs were much stronger and, in consequence, his whole body benefited.

After a whole year of patient waiting and preparing, when he just turned fifteen years old, Yang Wu felt his internal organs were strong enough for him to begin to refine and temper them actively, rather than just letting them develop by themselves, which would be too slow.

He took out of his memories a set of special methods named "108 Strange Continous Methods of Inner Strengthening." It was about using strange meditation sessions, physical moves, and postures to focus the body's natural energy on strengthening the internal organs.

The 108 methods had to be followed from "the earth to the heaven." In other words, Yang Wu had to start from the first method, have success with it, and have his body receive a round of strengthening, and then proceed to the second method, and so on until the 108° method.

Yang Wu calculated it would take at least three years for him to reach great success with this set of techniques. It was so slow because he didn't have the assistance of pills and special treasures available in his first life. All he could use was common herbs and normal meat.

But the thing that worried him the most wasn't his prospects with martial arts, but the fact that the Yin couple was getting older by the day. Both of them were already over seventy, and they only managed to live so long because of the medical knowledge of Yin Kong.

Yin Kong could perhaps live a few more decades because of his naturally strong vitality and body, but Yin Rong was just a frail old woman, just a harsh winter could kill her.

Yang Wu know it was the natural course of life, he experienced it too many times. But he didn't want to become numb to this feeling, he felt he might stop being a "living being," and just be like some psychos he knew in his first life.

Because he had yet to develop enough strength, he couldn't do much to help her body, and this world seemed to lack life-prolonging treasures.

It was sad, but at least he knew she was having a happy time with her family, Yin Kong, and him, Yin Ming.

Although he never accepted Yin Ming as his true name, he never expressed dissatisfaction and just let them call him by that name. In his second life, he was called Mu Xing by the Gu couple, and he just acted as if he didn't care until they died.

A few months after he turned eighteen years old, Yang Wu felt his body receiving the last surge of strengthening bought by the set of techniques he was practicing. His once weak, almost invisible, qi blood could now be clearly felt by him, running through the 365 acupoints and then the rest of his body.

Although his body's strength was still within the limits of a normal person, his vitality far surpassed any mortal. His internal organs, be it the marrow, the brain, or anything else, were far more resilient than any strong man. Of course, a farmer's sword could still kill him.

But it was resilient enough to support the training needed for Yang Wu to enter the Qi and Body Realm, the first official Realm of martial arts. All he did before was for his body to support it.

Yang Wu had long since decided the path of martial arts he would take. He wouldn't follow the same path as Yang Wu, the Martial Sage, he would surpass himself!

"The Five Mysteries Art" was the name of the martial art he was going to practice from then on. It was a martial art he created using all his knowledge of martial arts from his first life. It had all his insights, and also all the changes of heart and maturing he suffered in the other lives as well. It involved the highest mysteries of the human body and soul he knew of.

Yang Wu was greatly scared of his own creation and even wondered if he wouldn't be punished by the heavens because of it. The same day he finalized the creation of it, there was a thunderstorm, but strange enough no lightning stroke the earth of Fang City, the sky kept its rage to itself.

The Five Mysteries were the five wonders of the world, the five elements. Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. To reach the first Realm with this technique, Yang Wu had to strengthen the five elements of his body and harmonize them enough for his Qi Blood to acquire the characteristics of the five elements.

Although it sounded complicated, it was easier than most high-end techniques. The five elements were abundant in the world, and just eating common food was enough for him to acquire a good deal of it. He only needed to use his qi and blood in the process of digestion and then use the five main organs of the body as the foundation.

"Yin Ming, come and help your grandma!" Yang Wu's train of thought was interrupted by Yin Rong, who was trying to go upstairs to the manor.

Yang Wu smiled warmly and helped her carefully. He felt her body was getting weaker by the day, she wouldn't live past eighty. He sighed but kept the sadness to himself.

"Your grandfather also needs your help, go!" Yin Rong smile and waved her hands as she entered her bedroom.

Yang Wu once thought about using his Qi Blood to extend her life for a couple of years, since it would acquire the characteristics of the five elements soon, but he quickly denied the idea. Injecting one's Qi Blood into another person was extremely painful, and an old person might just die from the pain.

After a year of training, Yang Wu reached a small success in the first level of the Five Mysteries Art. It was a huge surprise to him, he never expected to make such quick progress without the assistance of pills and treasures.

Each level of the technique was subdivided into entry, proficiency, small success, great success, and perfection. He once calculated that he would take ten years to reach small success, but he simply reached it in a single year, what was the concept of it?

He knew something was out of place, his body was just a common one, and he had no external assistance. Why would he make such quick progress? Even the once mighty Martial Sage had no clue about it.

But since it was a happy thing, he commemorated it by drinking and wasting a night in the Fang City's red district along with some youngsters he befriended. He had no deep friendship with anyone other than the Yin and Wu couples, but he liked to waste time like this from time to time.

Speaking of the Wu couple, they had a girl "the same age" as Yang Wu. She was as beautiful as a precious flower, and extremely talented with numbers, so much so that she was accepted to work in an auction house, she was their pride. But for some reason or another, she and Yang Wu never had a deep friendship.

The next day after his commemoration, however, Yin Rong fell seriously ill. It was a heart pain for Yang Wu, but there was nothing he could do besides accompany her.

"Oh, my loved child. Don't be sad," Yin Rong said with a smile while lying in the bed, "Grandma was the happiest with you growing up beside me."

"I can't help it," Yang Wu muttered as he held her hand, "Even after experiencing it too many times, I still feel hurt."

Yin Rong looked at him with meaningful eyes and said, "I have always known you are special, but don't put a burden on your shoulder because of it."

Yang Wu stayed silent for a while but decided to not tell her about his origin. It would be too big of an impact for her, instead, he just said he awakened some memories when he was very small, so he was more mature than other children.

"I see..." Yin Rong was somewhat shocked, "It explains your mood swings when you were younger."

"I have always known you knew things you were too young to know!" Yin Kong was also there, and he just tapped Yang Wu's shoulder and said, "But as she said, don't put a burden on yourself."

Yang Wu nodded calmly, he suddenly felt they were wiser than himself. He had always put a burden on himself because of many things, but all of it was vanity and self-righteousness.

"Say, child," Yin Rong asked with an increasingly weaker voice, "Are you unsatisfied with anything?"

"Yes," Yang Wu answered, "I wish I could have the ability to not see you sad."

"I'm happy, though..." Yin Rong smiled for the last time and her eyes closed peacefully.

Yang Wu and Yin King buried her beside a peach tree in the manor's garden. It was her favorite tree, she spent years of blood and sweat taking care of it.

The Wu couple went to attend her funeral. Both were much older, and their hair had long lost its youthfulness, but their condition has improved significantly because of their talented daughter.

Wu Ming'er was there with them, she was as beautiful as always. Yang Wu greeted her briefly but didn't try to strike up a longer chat.

Yin Kong named him Yin Ming because of Wu Ming'er, he hoped they would support each other as they grow. "What a foolish old man," was what Yang Wu thought. Although Wu Ming'er was beautiful and talented, she still smelled like maternal milk to him. Even in the red-light district, he would always go after older beautiful women.

After the initial deep sadness, Yang Wu returned to his routine. He would practice after helping Yin Kong with his work. He gained the fame of "genius herbalist" in the city and was highly requested when his grandpa was unable to receive patients.

Although Yin Kong was sad that Yang Wu didn't go after a scholarly career, he was happy to have a successor to his life-long passion.

After just a year, Yang Wu reached great success in the first level of the Five Mysteries Art. He was somewhat scared by his fast progress and wondered again what the problem was. But he had no answer for it.

After another year, he reached perfection at the first level. He was finally ready to enter the first Realm of Martial Arts, the Qi and Body Realm!

Feeling his exuberant Five Elements Qi Blood, Yang Wu took a deep breath and... did nothing.

If he was an inexperienced youngster, perhaps he would have rushed to enter the Qi and Body Realm, but who was he?

Although his Qi Blood was ready, his "shell" still had room for improvement. All he had to do was to use his Qi Blood to temper his whole body over and over. Moreover... he could open new acupoints!

He planned to open another 2635 acupoints, they were a level higher than the 365 basic acupoints and needed Qi Blood to be opened. Opening all of them would form the 3000 Acupoints Greater Circulation, it would make it easier for the Qi Blood to penetrate the deepest parts of the body and then temper them.

Although it was not something he had to do, he choose to do it anyway. He believed it would greatly ease the burden in his body in the process of entering the first Realm, thus enabling him to build a better foundation.