The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 9: Elephant Armor Skill

As Han Li recalled these memories, a faint, knowing smile appeared on his face.

Over the past half year, he and Zhang Tie had naturally become close friends who shared everything, thanks to their compatible temperaments and similar backgrounds.

Han Li slowly uncurled his legs and rubbed his calves. Prolonged meditation and training had left his legs somewhat numb, and his blood circulation was not entirely smooth.

After a few more rubs, he felt the sensation in his legs fully return. Only then did Han Li stand up from the cushion, habitually brushing off the dust that had settled on his clothes, and pushed open the stone door to step outside.

Glancing back at the stone room where he had been practicing, Han Li couldn’t help but mock himself a little.

The room was entirely hollowed out from solid granite, and the door was made from a single large slab of bluestone. An ordinary person trying to force their way in from the outside would need a massive axe and a considerable amount of time to succeed.

Such a meditation chamber was not something just anyone could have. Even core disciples of the Seven Wonders Hall couldn’t casually possess one. These stone rooms were specifically built for those cultivating profound Internal Skills, to prevent them from being disturbed by external factors and to avoid Qi Deviation. It was unclear what methods Doctor Mo had used to convince the Elders to allow the construction of such a room in the Valley of Divine Hands, a privilege not available to ordinary disciples.

Once the room was completed, Doctor Mo designated it for Han Li’s exclusive use. This decision left Han Li feeling both honored and slightly overwhelmed.

Doctor Mo had been exceptionally good to him as a disciple. From the day Han Li officially became his disciple, Doctor Mo had been giving him various medicines daily and even prepared herbal concoctions for him to soak in. Although Han Li didn’t recognize the names or effects of these medicines, he could tell they were precious by the reluctant expressions Doctor Mo showed whenever he used them.

Clearly, these external aids were effective. Han Li’s cultivation speed had noticeably increased, and not long ago, he had finally broken through the first layer of the unnamed chant.

However, during the breakthrough, several of his meridians had nearly ruptured, leaving him with a moderate internal injury. Fortunately, Doctor Mo’s medical skills were exceptional, and the damage to his meridians wasn’t severe. Combined with the use of high-quality medicines, Han Li didn’t suffer any lasting effects.

After Han Li’s injury, Doctor Mo had been even more anxious than Han Li himself. Throughout the treatment, he had been restless, only breathing a sigh of relief when Han Li’s condition finally improved.

This level of concern far exceeded the usual bond between a master and disciple, leaving Han Li with an inexplicable sense of unease. If it weren’t for the fact that, aside from his third uncle, no one from the Han family had ever left their remote mountain village, Han Li might have even suspected that Doctor Mo was some distant relative of his.

After leaving the stone room, Han Li stretched lazily and slowly made his way back to his own quarters. Since becoming an official disciple, both he and Zhang Tie had moved out of their original shared room and now had their own private huts.

As he passed by Zhang Tie’s hut, Han Li casually glanced inside.Sure enough, Zhang Tie was not in the room, probably gone to practice under the waterfall at Chishui Peak again.

After becoming Doctor Mo's formal disciple, Doctor Mo still instructed Han Li to only practice this nameless chant, with no intention of teaching him any other skills. Perhaps to console him, Doctor Mo was unreserved in teaching him medical knowledge, guiding him step by step. Whenever Han Li had questions about medicine, Doctor Mo would answer them thoroughly, ensuring his satisfaction, and allowed him to freely browse all the medical books in his room.

As for Zhang Tie, Doctor Mo, true to his previous words, taught him another practical skill.

The skill Zhang Tie practiced was quite peculiar. According to Doctor Mo, it was a rare martial art called the "Elephant Armor Skill." This skill, as he described, was seldom seen in the Jianghu, with many people not even having heard of it, let alone practiced it.

Unlike the common martial arts circulating in the Jianghu today, which generally progress from easy to difficult, becoming increasingly challenging and requiring exponentially more effort as one advances, this skill was divided into nine layers. The first three layers were easy to practice, no different from ordinary martial arts in terms of difficulty. However, starting from the fourth layer, it suddenly became extremely difficult, requiring practitioners to endure unimaginable pain and suffering. Many who practiced this skill could not bear such inhuman agony and stopped here, their progress stagnating. As for the fifth and sixth layers, the pain was several times worse than before.

But once one broke through the sixth layer and reached the seventh, the path became smooth and unobstructed again, except for a few days each month when one had to endure that excruciating pain.

These factors deterred many from practicing this skill, which is why it is now almost lost.

This martial art is so unique, and its power at higher levels is truly astonishing. It is said that those who reach the ninth layer are like wearing a treasure armor, impervious to blades and spears, fire and water. Not only can they withstand palm and fist strikes, but even precious swords and sabers find it difficult to seriously injure them.

What’s more, after practicing this skill, ordinary people gradually gain the strength of a giant elephant. At higher levels, they become immensely powerful, capable of capturing wolves alive and tearing tigers and leopards apart with their bare hands, making them incredibly formidable.

This skill is both feared and coveted by those who know of it. Apart from the master who created it, no one else has been able to reach the ninth layer. Legend has it that this master was born without the ability to feel pain, which allowed him to create such a perverse skill and bring it to its peak.

Although Doctor Mo explained the pros and cons of this skill to Zhang Tie in detail, Zhang Tie, having no personal experience of its drawbacks, did not take them seriously. Enamored by the power of the "Elephant Armor Skill," he agreed to practice it without hesitation. Moreover, this skill seemed to suit him well, as he reached the peak of the first layer in just two short months.

Recently, to break through the first layer of the "Elephant Armor Skill," Zhang Tie, following Doctor Mo's advice, practiced daily under the tens of meters high waterfall at Chishui Peak, enduring the immense impact of the falling water.

According to Zhang Tie himself, this method was quite effective. He was just a thin layer away from the second layer, and with a bit more effort, he would break through the bottleneck.

(End of Chapter)