Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 50 Dragon Crystal

The bed in the side room was very soft, much more comfortable than the hard wooden plank in the clinic's woodshed.

The bedding was newly changed and washed clean; you could smell a faint scent of soapberry if you got close.

The pillow was filled with some kind of down, and my head sank in half as soon as I put it down; it was so soft that all the bones in my body felt relaxed.

But Jiang Xun couldn't sleep.

He opened his eyes and stared at Cheng Chen above his head.

The Gu family's affairs kept flashing through my mind.

He remembered Gu Yunqian's smile—it was that day, in front of the porridge stall, the sunlight fell on her face, she smiled at him, her eyes crinkling, more dazzling than the sunlight.

But the next moment, those eyes widened suddenly and gradually lost their luster.

Jiang Xun closed his eyes in pain, tears sliding down his cheeks and soaking into the pillow.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Jiang Xun got up.

The light in that room was still on last night. He walked over and pushed open the door.

Shen San remained seated in his original spot, with a teapot and teacups in front of him.

His eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like he hadn't slept all night.

Old Yu is nowhere to be found.

"Old Yu's back at the clinic." Shen San looked up at him. "Have a seat."

This time, Jiang Xun didn't hesitate, walked in, and sat down opposite him.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Jiang Xun suddenly spoke up: "Who exactly are you people?"

Last night, because of Gu Yunqian's death, he was in a state of mental turmoil and couldn't think of anything.

As the night passed, those chaotic thoughts gradually subsided, and he began to think about these things.

Shen San's eyebrows twitched, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes—the child had calmed down in just one night.

"Who I am doesn't matter." He raised his chin. "I came to Yunzhou this time specifically to see you."

"See me?" A hint of doubt flashed in Jiang Xun's eyes. "You know me?"

Shen San smiled and said, "I don't know you. This is the first time we've met."

"Then why do you want to see me?"

Shen San didn't answer, but just looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze: "Do you know the name of the martial art you practice?"

"The Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique?" Jiang Xun asked tentatively.

Old Yu had mentioned this name before, but when asked further, Old Yu pretended to be confused and claimed to know nothing.

"Not bad." Shen San nodded. "This technique is very special and powerful. It doesn't need to be practiced deliberately; it will gradually become stronger on its own."

"I know." Jiang Xun raised his hand and gestured to several meridians on his body. "It runs around inside my body on its own, wandering everywhere."

Shen San looked at the position he was gesturing, a strange light flashing in his eyes—this kid has already figured out the direction of the Buzhou Tian Yin Jue.

"Do you even know where the internal energy in your body comes from?"

Jiang Xun was taken aback.

This isn't the first time someone has asked this question; Ying Shisan asked it, and Lao Yu asked it too.

But he couldn't answer.

"I don't know, I've never learned martial arts," he said honestly. "This internal energy just... appeared out of thin air."

"It didn't come out of thin air." Shen San's expression turned serious. "It was passed down to you by Shen Bufan."

"Shen Bufan?" Jiang Xun was taken aback. "Who is he?"

"He's my younger brother," Shen San said, staring at him, enunciating each word clearly, "and also the one who raised you."

Jiang Xun's mind went blank, a sudden buzzing sound.

Old man?

That old man, covered in wounds and reeking of decay?

His name is Shen Bufan?

"Impossible." Jiang Xun blurted out, "The old man is so sick that he can't even walk steadily. How could he possibly be a martial artist? Besides, I can be sure that he has never taught me any martial arts techniques."

Shen San didn't speak, he just looked at him.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "The Bu Zhou Tian Yin Jue (不周天引诀) is a rather special technique. Besides practicing it step by step, there is another method of transferring its power—"

When a practitioner reaches the pinnacle of their skill, they can transfer their life's worth of internal energy to another person, planting a seed within that person's body.

These seeds will take root and grow on their own; there's no need to deliberately train them.

Shen San paused.

"That's exactly what Shen Bufan did back then. He probably transferred all his life's power to you while you were asleep."

"Why did he do that?" Jiang asked, his voice a little hoarse.

Shen San paused for a moment.

"Because he's dying."

Jiang Xun was stunned.

"Shadow Thirteen examined him and found that Shen Bufan had suffered very serious injuries, old wounds from many years ago that had never healed and had reached a point of no return." Shen San's expression was somber. "He didn't want this martial art to be lost, and he didn't want you to continue living that kind of life where you were bullied."

He opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

When the old man taught him to read, his eyes always looked strange, as if he were gazing into the far, far distance. When the old man taught him how to live, he always sighed and said over and over again, "You must live well."

He didn't understand at the time.

Now he understands.

The Buzhou Tianyin Technique was a gift that allowed him to break free from the oppression of the Black Tiger Hall.

But it can also be a death warrant.

"The Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique is indeed domineering. The internal energy will grow stronger and stronger on its own, without end. In the end, the meridians will not be able to withstand it, and the body will explode and die."

Shen San seemed to see through his thoughts, and paused.

"But it's not like there's no other way."

Jiang Xun raised his head.

"What method?"

"Only one thing is needed."

"What is it?"

"Dragon Crystal".

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Dragon Crystal? What's that?"

"It's from outer space, shaped like a water droplet, crystal clear, and contains a vast amount of energy. It can reshape your meridians, making your body stronger and able to hold more internal energy."

Jiang Xun listened, his mind starting to wander.

"Can this thing save me?"

"It can not only save you," Shen San nodded, "but also greatly improve your martial arts. Sword God Lu Qingfeng relied on it to reach the Grandmaster realm. After his death, this thing was passed down to Mirror Lake."

Jiang Xun's eyes lit up, then dimmed again.

"Mirror Lake? That's one of the top sects in the martial arts world. Would they really give me something like that?"

Shen San smiled.

"On the fifteenth of next month, the Fairy of Mirror Lake will hold a martial arts tournament in Qiantang Prefecture, saying that she will give the Dragon Crystal to a destined person."

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Give it to someone destined to have it? They don't need it themselves?"

"It's unusable." Shen San shook his head. "Dragon Crystals aren't something anyone can handle. If used improperly, it can lead to qi deviation at best, and demonic possession at worst. The Mirror Lake Sect Leader swore an oath in front of everyone back then that he would only keep it safe and would never use it for personal purposes. Now that all the forces are watching, Mirror Lake can't withstand the pressure and has no choice but to openly let others compete for it."

Upon hearing this, the spark of anger within Jiang Xun reignited.

"you mean……"

"If you want to avenge the Gu family," Shen San looked at him calmly, "you have to survive first, and you have to become stronger. Dragon Crystal is an opportunity."

Jiang Xun remained silent. He didn't understand why Shen San was telling him this, but the information was indeed useful to him.

"But dragon crystal..." He frowned, "I've never even seen one before, how do I know if it's real or fake?"

"Don't worry," Shen San smiled, "You'll naturally sense it once you get close."

"induction?"

Jiang Xun blinked. Was it really that mysterious?

Shen San didn't explain further, and continued, "Dragon Crystal has another problem: it affects a person's mind, and you have to constantly expend your internal energy to withstand it."

Jiang Xun asked, puzzled, "Then how do you use it?"

"I don't know either." Shen San shook his head, "But Lu Qingfeng was able to use the power of the Dragon Crystal for his own purposes back then, and I believe you can too."

Why?

"I told you, I don't know."

"..."