Chapter 9: The Elephant Armor Technique

Han Li smiled faintly, recalling memories of the past year. He and Zhang Tie, bonded by similar backgrounds and temperaments, had become inseparable confidants.

Stretching his numb legs after hours of meditation, Han Li rose from the stone chamber. The room, carved from granite and sealed with a massive slate door, was a privilege reserved for sect elites—masters, elders, and hall leaders. Yet Doctor Mo had secured one for Han Li alone.

As he left, Han Li glanced back at the chamber. *A luxury even core disciples of the Seven Extremes Hall can't enjoy.*

Since becoming Mo's formal disciple, Han Li had been given daily herbal concoctions and medicinal baths. Though unnamed, their rarity was evident from Mo's reluctant expressions when administering them.

The treatments accelerated Han Li's progress. He recently broke through the **nameless mantra's** first layer, though the ordeal nearly ruptured his meridians. Mo's frantic care during his recovery—far exceeding typical master-disciple concern—left Han Li uneasy. *Why such devotion?*

Mo continued restricting Han Li to the mantra but compensated by teaching him medicine unreservedly. Zhang Tie, meanwhile, embarked on a rare martial path: the **Xiangjia Gong (Elephant Armor Technique)**.

Unlike conventional arts, this technique's early stages were simple. But from the fourth layer onward, practitioners endured excruciating trials. Few persisted past the sixth layer, where monthly agony persisted even after mastery.

Zhang Tie, enticed by tales of invulnerability and elephantine strength, dove in headfirst. Under Mo's guidance, he reached the first layer's peak within months.

The technique's final layers promised near-invincibility: skin like armor, immunity to blades and flames, strength to wrestle tigers. Yet its founder—a pain-insensitive prodigy—remained the sole ninth-layer master.

Most cultivators abandoned it mid-way, unable to bear the suffering. Mo had warned Zhang Tie, but the boy, blinded by ambition, dismissed the risks.

Lately, Zhang Tie trained under a waterfall at **Chishui Peak**, leveraging torrents to break into the second layer. "Just a thin barrier left," he boasted, oblivious to the agony ahead.