Starting With The Martial Arts Holy Fire Order

Chapter 002: Practicing the Wedding Garment Divine Art

It had been years since he arrived in this world, and the system was only now making its appearance.

Ling Yihan couldn’t help but laugh bitterly in his heart. “Accept, of course I’ll accept!”

“Good. The host has successfully accepted the gift package. Please check your rewards!” the system’s voice echoed in his mind again.

Ling Yihan focused his consciousness inward and found something like an inventory slot from an online game. Inside, he saw an icon representing the gift package, which he quickly opened:

“One storage ring, one Persian Language Mastery Card, one Mongolian Language Mastery Card, a complete manual of the Wedding Garment Divine Art, and a bottle of Body Refinement Pills.”

Seeing these items, Ling Yihan was overjoyed. He had been wondering how to decipher the Persian script on the Holy Flame Tokens, but now, with the Persian Language Mastery Card, much of the trouble was resolved.

The storage ring was a convenient item to store objects, making it an essential tool. As for the Body Refinement Pills, their purpose was self-evident; after consuming them, his body could become stronger and more resilient.

As for the Wedding Garment Divine Art, however, it troubled Ling Yihan. Although this divine art was an exclusive martial skill of the Iron-Blooded Banner Sect, praised as the “Zen of Martial Arts,” like the Ming Jade Skill, it was a supreme martial art.

But this art was extraordinarily fierce. Once cultivated, the internal energy would burn through the eight extraordinary meridians like fire, requiring constant practice to maintain control. However, the stronger the inner energy grew, the greater the suffering and torment it brought. Lady Ye, who had practiced this art, endured the burning torment day and night, her appearance disfigured, her body mutated. Only after she passed her internal energy to Tie Zhongtang did she regain her former beauty and charm, only to die from her depleted inner energy.

The name Wedding Garment Divine Art hinted at its meaning—to make a wedding garment for someone else. Legend had it that if one hated another deeply, the best way to exact revenge was to give them this Wedding Garment Divine Art manual.

Aside from Tie Zhongtang, who practiced a transferred version of the Wedding Garment Divine Art, only one person truly mastered the complete version: Yan Nantian.

Though Yan Nantian possessed both the physique and the indomitable will far surpassing that of Lady Ye, even he struggled to control this divine art on his own, stalling in his practice at the sixth or seventh level. Later, when he was ambushed by the Five Villains in Villain’s Valley, he was severely wounded, his martial skills destroyed, and turned into a living corpse. But it was due to this injury that he was able to rebuild his strength, unwittingly reaching the peak of the Wedding Garment Divine Art at the tenth level.

Ling Yihan was well aware that if he wanted to master this art, he could either pass it on to someone else to cultivate and then have them transfer their inner energy back to him, though this would reduce its power. Or, like Yan Nantian, he could cultivate up to the sixth or seventh level, then destroy his martial arts, rebuild his strength, and achieve the peak power, though this was incredibly risky.

“Detected that the host possesses the Wedding Garment Divine Art manual. Do you wish to cultivate it?” the system reminded him once more.

Ling Yihan shared his concerns with the system, finally asking, “System, is there any way for me to practice the complete version of the Wedding Garment Divine Art without the risk of crippling myself?”

The system replied, “Yes, the host can take the Body Refinement Pills. Combined with the host’s perfected Nine Yang Divine Art, the Wedding Garment Divine Art can be fully cultivated without the need for external cultivation and transference.”

“Really? You’re not deceiving me, are you?” Ling Yihan asked with surprise and suspicion.

“Of course not. I have no reason to deceive the host. As the saying goes, ‘To make use of its strength, first dull its edge.’ The internal energy of the Wedding Garment Divine Art is excessively fierce, so its sharpness must be dulled through a secondary cultivation. It’s like eating a walnut—you cannot swallow it whole with the shell on; you must first crack the shell,” the system explained slowly.

Ling Yihan nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I understand that. But why did you say that after I practiced the Nine Yang Divine Art, I wouldn’t need to cripple myself to practice it?”

The system patiently explained, “It’s simple. To dull the sharpness of this fierce internal energy, one could either disable the inner strength or use an equally powerful inner strength to suppress it. Given the host’s current state, the Nine Yang Divine Art is the best choice. However, the clash of two fierce energies would inevitably harm the host’s body, so it is essential to take the Body Refinement Pills to strengthen your physique.”

Understanding dawned on Ling Yihan. “Got it. I’ll cultivate it as you’ve instructed.”

He then stored the Holy Flame Tokens, the Imperial Seal, and the treasures and supplies in the storage ring. Leading the three camels, he found a hidden mountain cave nearby to begin his cultivation of the Wedding Garment Divine Art.

Before starting, Ling Yihan swallowed one Body Refinement Pill. Shortly after, he felt significant changes in his body; his muscles and bones grew tougher and more robust. Only then did he confidently begin following the Wedding Garment Divine Art’s mental instructions.

With the power of the Nine Yang Divine Art, his learning of martial arts proceeded swiftly. Ling Yihan quickly reached the sixth level of the Wedding Garment Divine Art, at which point he could feel two fierce streams of yang energy clashing within him.

Though the pain was intense, his body, strengthened by numerous spiritual peaches from the white ape and the Body Refinement Pill, held up under the strain.

However, on the seventh day, as he broke through to the ninth level, he suddenly felt a dragon of fire rampaging within his dantian. The scorching heat surged through his eight extraordinary meridians, even reaching his internal organs.

In an instant, Ling Yihan felt as though he were engulfed in flames. His skin alternated between shades of purple and red, radiating intense heat. His once refined face contorted in agony.

Unable to bear the scorching pain, he let out a furious roar and struck a massive boulder beside him. Boom! The boulder shattered into countless fragments, dust flying everywhere.

“Am I about to suffer a Qi deviation?” Ling Yihan thought in a frenzy, though a thread of clarity remained in his mind.

Afraid to continue, he quickly sat cross-legged, calming himself and slowly guiding and absorbing the rampaging internal energy.

Without realizing it, Ling Yihan spent ten days and nights in the mountain cave cultivating and regulating his energy. By the ninth level of the Wedding Garment Divine Art, he felt as though he had been reborn. His internal energy was thicker and more powerful, as fierce as lightning and blazing like fire, yet completely under his control, perfectly integrated with his body.

Although he took more Body Refinement Pills later, he could not break through to the tenth level. It seemed he had reached a bottleneck.

Still, Ling Yihan was content. Reaching such a level in just ten days was already astonishing. Haste makes waste; forcing a breakthrough might truly lead to Qi deviation. He would wait for the right opportunity and circumstances.

Later, he used the Persian and Mongolian Language Mastery Cards, quickly mastering the martial arts inscribed on the Holy Flame Tokens. This was far easier than the Wedding Garment Divine Art and did not take him long.

“Hm? There seems to be a cave here. Is anyone inside?”

At that moment, a gentle, melodious voice called from outside the cave.