7: Chapter 7 Successes and Shortcomings

Yi Hua Jie Mu Version of the Marrying Clothes Divine Skill!

After deciding to choose it, Meng Li did not select it immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath, concentrated strength in his fingers, tapped several of his major acupoints, and discarded his original Martial Arts.

He had transmigrated into this world from the womb, born into a Meng Family that had never appeared in the original drama.

When he was ten, his parents died in a Jianghu vendetta. The mental shock broke the mystery of the womb and awakened his memories of his past life.

Before this, he had already come into contact with his family's Martial Arts: an Internal Skill called the Meng Family Mind-Cultivation Technique and a fist technique called the Meng Family Fist. The effects and power of both were only average in the Jianghu. His father in this life had only reached Major Achievement and gained some fame around the Meng Family Village where they lived.

Since Meng Li had not been cultivating for long and his power was shallow, discarding his Martial Arts now did not cause severe trauma; he just became somewhat weak.

After a short rest, he made his choice.

Instantly, options like Hun Yuan True Qi, Heart Shattering Palm, Mi Xin Great Technique, and Divine Sword Technique disappeared from his mind.

In the next instant, the option for the Yi Hua Jie Mu Version of the Marrying Clothes Divine Skill transformed into a small figure practicing in his mind, accompanied by written explanations.

Looking at these movie-like images, Meng Li's mind drifted, entering a profound state of Epiphany.

Spirit wandering beyond the physical, Qi dispersing within, thoughts quieting with the heart, returning to nothingness...

The mnemonic for Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees surfaced in his heart, and he involuntarily began to practice along with it.

It felt like an eternity, yet also like a mere moment.

The ninth layer of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees, success!

Immediately after, using the higher to govern the lower, he reverse-cultivated the first layer of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill. Success!

Second layer, success!

Third layer, fourth layer... eighth layer, success!

By the time Meng Li exited his cultivation state, all nine layers of the Yi Hua Jie Mu Version of the Marrying Clothes Divine Skill had been fully mastered.

He sensed carefully and found that the Internal Energy in his Meridians had grown significantly compared to before he discarded his Martial Arts. If the previous Internal Energy was like a thread, it was now like a woven strand. His previous Meng Family Mind-Cultivation Technique had been cultivated for a long time, but now, although all nine layers of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill were complete, the cultivation time was less than a day.

The difference between these Cultivation Techniques was clear to see.

However, although the Wedding Dress Divine Skill was strong, it didn't make him invincible on the spot.

In the original drama, Jiang Yuyan didn't become invincible immediately after learning Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees either; instead, she rose to power by taking advantage of openings to absorb the Martial Arts of Yao Yue and Lian Xing.

That's why Xiao Yuer said her success was luck, luck, and more luck.

The reason is that a Cultivation Technique is the method of practice, while Internal Energy and True Qi are the results of practice and the Foundation of strength.

To have results and a strong Foundation, mastering a good method is important, but it also takes time to nurture and forge.

The way most Martial Arts increase power is through diligent practice and accumulation over time.

The Wedding Dress Divine Skill can also follow this path, but it has a more powerful shortcut: plundering the results of others!

Liu Xi's Absorbing Qi Technique is the same, though its power is inferior to the Wedding Dress Divine Skill.

Compared to diligent practice, this method is too tyrannical and unreasonable, easily attracting jealousy and fear.

Therefore, many people in the original drama called the Absorbing Qi Technique an evil skill. The fact that Yihua Palace was seen as an evil sect was also related to the Wedding Dress Divine Skill. However, neither Liu Xi nor Yihua Palace were to be trifled with, so most people only dared to talk behind their backs.

Meng Li naturally wanted to increase his strength quickly, but if possible, he didn't want to be hated or become a target for everyone.

Because in the original drama, being powerful in Martial Arts didn't mean one couldn't be killed.

In the Gu-style Wuxia Jianghu, what people truly fear isn't just Martial Arts, but also the human heart and strange poisons.

As for Martial Arts, Meng Li already had the nine layers of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill to protect himself.

Regarding the human heart, with the advantage of knowing the plot, there was no need to worry too much.

Only the last item, strange poisons, required enhanced preventive measures.

The reason he said "enhanced" was that he already possessed a certain level of medical skill and poison-using ability.

This was an unexpected harvest from his frequent purchases of slaves to "open blind boxes."

Most of the people who sold themselves into slavery and were bought by him were ordinary. Their original destiny was to be commoners, and the best opportunity in their lives would be to learn a trade for a living, such as farming, hunting, blacksmithing, or embroidery.

But there were a very few outstanding ones who entered paths different from the masses.

For example, some would have joined the Tang Clan according to their original trajectory, learning some poison techniques and hidden weapon methods.

Some would become apprentices at medical clinics and eventually succeed in their studies, understanding the Medical Arts.

When Meng Li saw this, to increase his own methods, he chose the best among them and also taught them according to their individual talents.

However, the abilities formed by their opportunities weren't deep and could only deal with ordinary people.

If Meng Li wanted to improve his abilities and make up for his shortcomings, he had to find another way.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the medical and poison experts in the original drama.

Among the first-tier figures were the Ghost Doctor Chang Bai Cao, the Poison Queen Su Rushi, and their daughter Su Ying.

However, because Chang Bai Cao had a fallout with Su Rushi and offended people from the Kongtong Sect, he fled to Demon Island to avoid trouble. Although Meng Li knew the general situation of Demon Island, he didn't know its specific location and currently had no channel to find it.

If he wanted to go to Chang Bai Cao to learn medical skills, he would probably have to wait for Xiao Yuer to leave the island.

Su Rushi seemed to live in Poison King Valley, but due to careless use of poison, something went wrong with her; when she appeared in the original drama, she was only conscious for two hours a day. Her daughter Su Ying traveled everywhere to seek a cure for her symptoms.

The second-tier poison expert was the Old Ancestor of the Five Poisons of the Five Poisons Sect.

This person was quite famous in the poison circle, the Poison Sect. Later, recommended by Hong Ye, he was employed by Jiang Yuyan and helped her accomplish many things.

Hua Wuchuan was hit by his drug, which allowed Jiang Yuyan to take the opportunity to get what she wanted.

But this fellow has many Poison Sect methods and is insidious and cunning.

In the original drama, even while working for Jiang Yuyan, he was suspected of having ulterior motives. When he showed off the Midnight Demon Orchid to Hong Ye, he accidentally mentioned that it was prepared for Jiang Yuyan. And the Midnight Demon Orchid is the main ingredient for making the lethal Poison King Holy Water.

Thinking of the Old Ancestor of the Five Poisons, Meng Li suddenly remembered a segment from the Poison King Heroes Gathering in the original drama.

At that time, Xiao Yuer had given up on himself due to the death of Mu Rong Xian, getting drunk everywhere and accidentally entering the Poison King Heroes Gathering. Seeking death, he took the initiative to act as a test subject, letting the Poison Sect members present poison him for a competition.

In the second or third round, the Old Ancestor of the Five Poisons poisoned him invisibly, but it was easily neutralized by a person with a Mohawk hairstyle using an Ice Silkworm.

According to him, that Ice Silkworm had been fed various poisons since it was small, selected as one in a hundred using the Gu-raising method. Once successful, it would eat any poison with relish and could easily neutralize it.

These words might be exaggerated, but judging from the Ice Silkworm's performance, its detoxification ability was indeed extraordinary, worthy of being called a rare item.

If he had the chance, Meng Li planned to get his hands on it.

However, he couldn't quite remember the name of the person with the Mohawk hairstyle or which sect he belonged to. The reason he remembered this segment was that this Ice Silkworm was similar to the one in "demi-gods and semi-devils."

Just as Meng Li was about to recall further, a knock came from the door.

Knock, knock!