404: Anchor of Martial Arts

Shen Bei wasn't particularly concerned about whether Professor Gu Xinrou could replicate or refine other odd object masks.

As long as the odd object mask was nominally his, that was enough.

After all, this thing was truly useful, the best choice for going into the crypts.

If it could be replicated, it would be a great joy for the country.

If it couldn't be replicated, the mask still had to be firmly held in his hands.

Zhuang Bifan and Professor Gu Xinrou didn't stay for long.

They placed the odd object mask into a multi-layered safe, and it was escorted by numerous Military personnel to the capital.

Zhuang Bifan personally escorted it, which put Shen Bei at ease, not having to worry about it being lost.

Zhuang Bifan's strength wasn't low, and he was also a person who dared to fight and take risks. Although he sometimes hesitated and wasn't decisive enough, on matters of principle, their intentions were highly consistent.

The two quickly left.

Shen Bei stood by the window, watching Military vehicles drive out of the community one by one, and touched his nose.

He estimated that the team led by Professor Gu Xinrou would probably need some time to research it.

During this period, he wouldn't be able to go into the crypts.

No.

It wasn't that he couldn't go into the crypts; he could go into them anytime.

But the area near the Human Martial Artist camp could no longer satisfy Shen Bei's needs.

He had to go deeper.

This would require the help of the odd object mask.

"Can that mask really turn humans into Stranger?"

Jian Tong asked, her small mouth agape, utterly astonished.

Shen Bei nodded: "Naturally, but there's also a backlash effect. Wearing it for too long will cause permanent disfigurement."

Jian Tong shivered upon hearing this: "That's so terrifying, what's there to research? Who would wear that thing?"

"You're wrong about that."

Shen Bei turned and sat on the sofa, saying: "Any Military, if he's assigned a mission to infiltrate the crypts, and is clearly told that wearing the odd object mask will cause irreversible damage, do you think the Military will charge forward without hesitation?"

Jian Tong's eyes instantly fell silent.

Shen Bei yawned, then quickly grinned, laughing silently: "The Military will consider this an unparalleled honor, scrambling to sign up. This is the Military of Huaxia, unyielding."

Jian Tong took a deep breath and tentatively asked: "Is there no way to solve this backlash?"

Shen Bei nodded calmly, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, and said with certainty: "Yes, but besides me, no one else can resolve this backlash in the crypts?"

"I don't understand, they're all Martial Artists, why can you do it, but others can't?"

"Because..." Shen Bei paused: "I am Shen Bei, a rare Prodigy, a Dragon and Phoenix among men, seen once in a millennium."

"You're endlessly bragging."

Jian Tong gave Shen Bei a fierce glare.

I'm really not bragging.

In this world, besides himself, everyone else, without exception.

Even the Headhunter Tribe's Eight Great Killers—no, now it's Seven Great Killers.

Or the Apocalypse Cult's twelve archbishops.

Or the Ten Heavenly Kings of the country.

Anyone who wears the odd object mask will suffer a backlash, but he has a way to solve this problem.

That is to make a trip to Chuancheng.

However, Shen Bei wasn't in a hurry.

He had plenty of time. He would stay in the Northeast for a few more days, then go to Chuancheng.

After the two had breakfast, Shen Bei pulled out another Cultivation Technique, the "Instant Shadow Return to Origin Pact" given by Bai Wei.

Shen Bei had initially underestimated this Martial Skill.

Similar to Zhuang Bifan's instant movement, Shen Bei's Magnetic Pole Cyclone Yuan Skill also had it, but the voltage hadn't been reached yet, so it hadn't been activated.

But Shen Bei now thought about it carefully, and it seemed that the Instant Shadow Return to Origin Pact also had its advantages, which was its disregard for the constructed environment.

According to the description in the Magnetic Pole Cyclone Yuan Skill book, to move instantly, not only did the voltage need to be in place, but also clouds needed to be summoned and lightning called forth.

That is, under the clouds, at the moment lightning struck, that was Shen Bei's opportunity for instant movement.

Relatively speaking, the environmental and time requirements were a bit high, and the distance was also limited.

However, the Instant Shadow Return to Origin Pact disregarded the constructed environment, allowing movement whenever desired.

This was much more convenient.

Without another word.

Anyway, he had nothing else to do, so he would Cultivate directly!

"Where are you going?"

Jian Tong, holding a plate of sliced fruit, asked as she watched Shen Bei walk towards the backyard.

Shen Bei held up the book in his hand: "Cultivate."

"Can't you not Cultivate?"

"Are you going to support me?"

Jian Tong: ...

"Pfft!"

Jian Tong rolled her eyes.

A flicker of playfulness passed through Shen Bei's eyes, his tone slightly teasing: "It's just that we don't have a Dual Cultivation Technique, otherwise we'd definitely be a perfect match."

"Get lost!"

Jian Tong's cheeks flushed crimson.

Shen Bei looked up and met her half-smiling eyes, raising an eyebrow and sincerely saying: "This Cultivation Technique was given by Bai Wei. You should practice it too later."

Jian Tong shrugged: "We'll see."

Shen Bei arrived at the backyard.

Jian Tong's family not only had a villa, but the backyard environment was also excellent, truly a good place to Cultivate.

Surrounded by dense vegetation, layers of leaves and branches formed a highly private area.

He estimated that when Jian Shan was creating the backyard, he had considered Jian Tong's Cultivation needs and had prepared the space early on.

As a father, Jian Shan was undoubtedly excellent.

Then.

Shen Bei sat cross-legged. Although the surroundings weren't ancient trees reaching the sky and swaying green bamboos, the air was filled with a faint scent of grass and wood.

He slowly flipped through the instructions in the book.

After studying for about three hours, he pondered the process for a while.

Then, he took some "tools" to use as anchor points.

There were no strict requirements for what kind of tools to use as anchor points.

Any tool would do, as long as his mark was placed on it.

However, the book recommended that the tools should preferably be inconspicuous and ordinary things.

Such as river pebbles, screws, iron pieces, and so on.

In short, anything that wouldn't be picked up even if it fell on the ground would work.

There were two purposes for doing this.

One was to prevent others from moving the anchor point tools. If they were taken away, exceeding the maximum instant movement distance, then it would be a disaster, inevitably causing the Instant Shadow Return to Origin Pact to fail.

The other was that the anchor point tools could withstand the erosion of time.

Things like apples and bananas could also be anchor point tools, but over time, after they rotted, the anchor point would become ineffective, leading to a breakdown in emergencies, which would be very frustrating.

Therefore, anchor point tools followed the principle of being ordinary, not rotting, and not being easily damaged.

Shen Bei's choice was simple: river pebbles the size of a fingernail.

These river pebbles were even fished out of Jian Tong's family fish tank.

The river pebbles were set aside for now, not needed at the moment.

Next, Shen Bei closed his eyes and focused, his breathing long and steady, recalling the Cultivation instructions in the book, and slowly entering a state of concentration.

He slowly guided the True Qi within his body to flow through his Meridians, like small streams converging into a vast river, gentle yet surging.

This step, called "Mind and Spirit as One," required Shen Bei to completely discard distracting thoughts, making his spirit and True Qi merge into one, laying the foundation for subsequent Cultivation.

As time passed, a faint glow gradually appeared around his body, a sign of True Qi overflowing.

Actually, this step was pretty much a universal process.

Many Martial Skills and Martial Arts had this process of Mind and Spirit as One.

It was practically an all-purpose beginning.

Of course, this was also a process that could not be ignored.

It was like a student taking an exam; at the very least, you had to bring a pen, right?

Without a pen, how could you answer the questions?

This Mind and Spirit as One, when applied to Cultivation, was equivalent to the pen used for an exam.

Cultivation continued, entering the second step: True Qi Anchor Point, Intent Moves, Form Follows!