Chapter 32: The Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique

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Teaching a secret technique just for a bun-eating assessment, just to earn a perfect score? 

Xu Yuan wasn't foolish.

In essence, it was just a method of circulating soul power to aid digestion.

Ordinary soul masters could achieve similar effects by simply circulating their soul power; otherwise, the exam wouldn't have specifically prohibited its use.

However, Xu Yuan's technique made this effect more potent.

That was all.

Calling it a "secret technique" served two purposes: first, to grab Little Fatty's attention, and second, because Xu Yuan genuinely intended to refine these techniques further, eventually developing them into a true secret technique.

The seed of a future secret technique.

It could still be considered a secret technique.

No problem there.

Little Fatty didn't help Xu Yuan out of interest in some secret technique either. His assistance stemmed from curiosity and his inherently kind nature, combined with the fact that he still had energy to spare.

Xu Lizhi wasn't foolish either. Though he might not consider deeper pros and cons, like hidden point bonuses, he at least knew Xu Yuan wouldn't give away a secret technique just for a few buns.

Or rather, no secret technique could possibly be so cheaply given.

Even if it were just a technique to aid digestion, Xu Lizhi felt he'd gotten his money's worth.

"Watch closely, Little Fatty. This is my Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique!" Xu Yuan circulated his soul power.

The surrounding heaven and earth origin energy converged, and faintly, the five elements gathered, merging into his body.

"Hmm?"

In another room, Cai Yue'er, watching Xu Yuan through the monitors, let out a surprised murmur.

"It's not a scam?"

She was stunned.

Though Xu Yuan had used the name "secret technique" to attract Little Fatty's help, strictly speaking, he hadn't deceived him.

The so-called Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique was indeed a secret technique developed by Xu Yuan himself. It was still in its rudimentary form, not merely a summary of techniques, though it required certain prerequisites.

Of course, even without meeting those prerequisites—without mastery of the five elements—one could still reference Xu Yuan's soul power circulation methods.

The soul power flowed within his body, entering the five internal organs.

Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth corresponded to the five organs. As the soul power flowed to the respective organs, Xu Yuan drew in the external five elements, refining them into his soul power.

The five elements corresponded to the five internal organs, maintaining a balance through mutual generation. Xu Yuan circulated his soul power, gradually shifting the five elements. Fire generated earth, increasing the proportion of earth element in his soul power. Using his technique, he fed this change back into his bodily organs.

The feedback of elemental bias onto the organs was the core of Xu Yuan's technique.

Earth corresponded to the stomach and spleen.

As the stomach's function strengthened, combined with the comprehensive enhancement of soul power, the buns in Xu Yuan's stomach were rapidly digested.

As wave after wave of energy was digested, the spleen transformed the energy into qi, nourishing the lungs. Thus, earth generated metal, and metal generated water. The essence of the lungs descended, nourishing the kidneys and aiding their ability to absorb qi.

Water generated wood. The kidneys stored essence to nourish the liver's blood, and kidney yin supported liver yin to prevent excessive yang in the liver.

Wood generated fire. The liver stored blood to support the heart, and its regulation aided the heart in circulating blood.

Then fire generated earth once more.

The five elements mutually generated each other, endlessly cycling.

Through this circulation, the five internal organs were influenced and mobilized, further affecting the entire body. The digested energy was transported throughout the body.

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

By now, the buns in his stomach had been almost entirely digested and absorbed, transforming into soul power while also replenishing his vitality. His previously depleted stamina had nearly fully recovered.

Little Fatty looked on in amazement.

In the observation room, Cai Yue'er wore a contemplative expression.

A secret technique that promoted digestion using the five elements?

Which sect did this come from?

Or was it a new discovery from the Spirit Pagoda?

"Little Fatty—"

"My name is Xu Lizhi."

"All right, Little Fatty. Do you have control over the five elements?"

Xu Lizhi shook his head in confusion.

Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

"It's fine even if you don't. The efficiency will be slightly lower, but it'll still be better than ordinary techniques. You're probably taking the Inner Court exam too, right? Once you're in the Inner Court, come find me to learn this secret technique."

Xu Lizhi nodded, not worried that Xu Yuan would deceive him.

It was impossible to deceive him about this.

Ye Xinglan, watching from the side, gradually relaxed her furrowed brows. Meeting Xu Yuan's gaze, she snorted and turned her head away, no longer glaring at him.

"Junior brother, your Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique is quite impressive," Wang Hao remarked, having personally sensed the changes in Xu Yuan's vitality, spirit, and energy.

To digest the energy from such a large number of buns in such a short time and replenish both physical strength and soul power...

"In truth, there's still much to refine in this secret technique. I'll likely need Little Fatty's help in the future," Xu Yuan chuckled.

His Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique hadn't been created out of thin air. While the idea of correlating the five elements with the five internal organs stemmed from his past life's insights, the true core lay in mapping the elemental biases of soul power onto the body's organs, effectively strengthening the five internal organs and further integrating the five elements with them.

To achieve this, one couldn't do without the circulation of soul power and its pathways within the body's meridians.

This was the result of Xu Yuan leveraging his uncle's authority to investigate the soul power circulation patterns of soul masters with different elemental attributes. He had collected a vast amount of meditation techniques refined and adjusted by soul masters with five-element attributes.

Without Xu Shengqun, those soul masters would never have fully disclosed their meditation techniques—the pathways of soul power circulation within their bodies. If exploited to find weaknesses in their soul power flow, they'd be in serious trouble.

Though Xu Yuan currently had enough material on the circulation paths of five-element soul power, he still lacked other resources.

For instance, the characteristics of soul power circulation in someone like Xu Lizhi, who naturally had an extraordinary appetite and digestive capacity.

Additionally, there were the records within Shrek Academy: the meditation techniques of Xuan Zi from ten thousand years ago, as well as those of soul masters with swallowing or exceptional digestive abilities accumulated over the past twenty thousand years.

As for why he didn't take resources from the Spirit Pagoda?

Hmph. Soul masters at the Spirit Pagoda prioritized spirit souls. Even if their martial souls had relevant traits, how much could they apply them to meditation techniques?

The Body Sect, on the other hand, had abundant resources, but they were mostly related to bloodline cultivation, which could serve as complementary material.

Back to the topic.

Though Xu Yuan's Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique seemed to have taken a significant step forward, there was still a long way to go.

He had only been researching it for half a year.

How could he possibly have fully perfected the steps correlating the five elements with the five internal organs? He hadn't even finished optimizing the soul power circulation paths he had collected.

"All right, all three of you are taking the Inner Court exam. Next, we'll proceed together. The next trial is combat—it tests comprehensive combat ability."

Wang Hao, along with the teacher who had previously escorted Ye Xinglan, led the three to the next trial.

This time, they arrived at an enormous circular room. Their opponents had already been arranged—ten adversaries stood lined up before Xu Yuan and the others.

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Author's Note: Don't twist the narrative. The protagonist isn't foolish—he wouldn't just give away a secret technique for the sake of a perfect score in an assessment.

First, the secret technique has only been under development for half a year, and it requires mastery of the five elements. Without that ability, it's at most an enhanced digestion technique. Second, the protagonist still needs Xu Lizhi's cooperation to further refine this secret technique in the future.

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