After performing the Foundational Claw Technique, Eryndor immediately knew which path of body refinement suited him best. Among the three foundational martial arts, the claw technique was the most complex.
The Foundational Claw Technique was divided into:
* 18 Minor Joint Locks – Techniques targeting fingers and elbows.
* 36 Major Joint Locks – Techniques targeting shoulders and larger joints.
While the moves seemed numerous, only a handful were practical for real combat. Mastering a few key techniques was sufficient for effective use.
* Minor Joint Locks involved intricate techniques to manipulate fingers and elbow joints.
* Major Joint Locks extended to shoulders and larger areas.
Since practicing Minor Joint Locks required a partner, Eryndor called upon a mortal servant to act as a practice dummy. He ensured his movements were controlled and gentle, stopping just before causing any pain or harm.
He carefully practiced each technique:
* Twisting the thumb,
* Manipulating the pinky,
* Bending the elbow,
* Adjusting the shoulder...
Each move was executed slowly and methodically. As he practiced, Eryndor couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity, almost as if he were practicing modern grappling or martial arts techniques from his past life.
“Decision made! I choose you, Pikachu— I mean, Foundational Claw Technique!”
With a wry smile, Eryndor mentally declared his choice. From this day forward, the claw technique would be his path for physical refinement.
However, he knew that the grappling techniques was merely a combat method. It had no real use for strengthening the body. The true essence of the Foundational Claw Technique lay in a series of Body-Refining Claw Exercises, a dedicated regimen designed for physical enhancement. This would be his primary focus moving forward.
Eryndor decided to bring in an additional servant to help rotate between them as training partners for his Joint Lock Techniques. This way, no single servant would suffer continuous joint manipulation, potentially resulting in dislocations. After all, they were mere mortals, not cultivators. Despite his young age, Eryndor’s consistent consumption of spiritual meals and rigorous physical training had given him considerable strength—small in comparison to a cultivator but significant enough to injure a mortal if he wasn't careful.
Eryndor meticulously repeated the techniques over and over, aiming to etch these movements deeply into his muscle memory. His goal was to make them instinctive, requiring no conscious thought to execute. If he could achieve the level where his body moved before his mind, it would be a significant breakthrough.
From early morning until midday, Eryndor trained relentlessly. The physical exertion began to take its toll, even on him. As for the two servants assisting him, they were visibly exhausted. Their arms and joints had been subjected to countless repetitions of bending, twisting, and locking.
Although Eryndor’s sharp mind had memorized the techniques long ago, he refused to stop. He knew that mastery didn’t come from simple recollection but from repetition until perfection. He tirelessly drilled the moves again and again, aiming to push past mere knowledge and into true reflexive execution.
At that moment, Serene's voice called out: "Dori, come back and eat! It's time for lunch."
Eryndor suddenly realized he had been training all morning without noticing. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he replied, "Coming, Mother!"
As he hurried back to the house, a strange, enticing aroma caught his attention. The fragrance was so rich and delightful that it seemed to seep into his very soul. Curious, he asked:
"Mother, have your cooking skills improved again? What is this amazing smell?"
Serene, also noticing the aroma, furrowed her brow and said, "That's odd. I didn’t prepare anything with this scent today. It smells like a ripe spirit fruit. But for a scent like this to travel all the way here to Artifact Refinement Peak, it must be something extraordinary—unless..." Her expression shifted to excitement. "Could it be the Ten-Thousand-Year White Moon Buddha's Hand Fruit? This is wonderful!"
Eryndor couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, "What is the Ten-Thousand-Year White Moon Buddha's Hand Fruit, Mother? Why is the name so long? Is it delicious? And wow, ten thousand years old? That tree has lived a long time!"
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His curiosity grew even stronger. It wasn’t the age of the tree that surprised him—after all, the cultivation world was filled with ancient spirit trees—but rather the fact that he had never heard of this fruit before. Despite reading extensively about spirit herbs and fruits, this one wasn’t mentioned in any of the texts he’d studied.
"Ki-iuu-uuuuu-uuuuuu!" A sharp bird cry echoed throughout the entire Skyshade Sanctum, followed by an overwhelming pressure descending upon the sect. The immense aura made many of the lower-level disciples struggle to breathe.
Eryndor’s face turned pale as the oppressive force bore down on him, feeling as though a massive weight, hundreds of pounds, was pressing onto his body, compelling him to kneel.
But as a proud child, Eryndor clenched his fists tightly. "A man kneels only to heaven, earth, and his parents. How can I yield to this mere pressure? And as a cultivator striving to defy the heavens, bowing now is unacceptable!"
A fierce determination rose within him. "I, Eryndor, will not kneel!"
With a low growl, sweat began to bead on his forehead and drip down his face as he resisted the crushing pressure.
Seeing that the situation was turning dangerous, Serene moved swiftly to his side, wrapping him in her protective embrace. Channeling her spiritual energy, she formed a barrier around him, shielding him from the oppressive force.
With the weight lifted, Eryndor exhaled deeply, finally able to catch his breath.
Serene stepped onto her flying sword and soared into the sky. By now, Skyshade Sanctum was filled with both inner and outer sect elders, all flying upwards, their expressions tense and ready for a confrontation. Array masters quickly moved into position, prepared to activate the sect's defensive formation at a moment’s notice.
Jin Eryndor appeared before Serene and Eryndor, his presence exuding calm authority.
He glanced briefly at Eryndor before sending a quiet voice transmission to Serene: “The Ten-Thousand-Year White Moon Buddha Fruit Tree is nearing ripeness. It seems one of those reckless golden crows from the Golden Crow Clan has come to stir up trouble.”
Above the sect hovered a magnificent Three-Legged Golden Crow. Its feathers gleamed in radiant gold, with hints of fiery red at the tips of its head crest—a sign of some form of mutation, making it slightly different from the standard members of its clan.
On this Continent, it wasn’t just humans who inhabited the land. There were also Demonic Tribes, Beast Tribes, and Demonic Beasts. Among these, beasts without spiritual intelligence or the ability to transform were considered low-tier. The leaders of these groups, however, were High-Rank Demonic Beasts, beings capable of transformation and cultivation, and members of the true Beast Tribes.
The Golden Crow Clan was one of the most powerful factions among the Beast Tribes.
Their bloodline was exceptionally noble, and their cultivation levels were profound. The Golden Crow Clan's elders were on par with the ancient elders of Skyshade Sanctum, who had been in secluded cultivation for countless years. Although the Golden Crow Clan's numbers were few, their resources were vast—so abundant that they were considered one of the wealthiest factions on the Continent. For a member identified as a key figure within the clan, resources were allocated to ensure they could cultivate uninterrupted all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage or even higher. However, such treatment was extremely rare, with perhaps one individual receiving this privilege every hundred years.
While this strategy allowed the clan to quickly foster powerful individuals, it came with significant drawbacks. Members with such privileges often lacked real-world experience, their mental fortitude remained underdeveloped, and they frequently displayed arrogance, acting as if the heavens and earth were beneath them.
Considering these traits, Serene and Jin Eryndor quickly deduced two possible scenarios for why this Golden Crow dared approach Skyshade Sanctum to seize the ripening Ten-Thousand-Year White Moon Buddha Fruit Tree:
1. Absolute Confidence in Its Strength: This crow might believe it had the power to overpower the entire Skyshade Sanctum, even shattering the sect's formidable protective formation if necessary.
2. A Reckless Youth on Its First Adventure: It could be an inexperienced member of the clan, full of arrogance and blinded by greed upon encountering a rare treasure like the sect's ten-thousand-year-old spiritual tree.
Normally, Skyshade Sanctum's response to such a blatant offense would be straightforward—elimination. However, the Golden Crow Clan's status complicated matters. Killing the crow could provoke a war with their powerful kin. This situation called for a careful and measured approach.
Jin Eryndor, observing the situation, quickly deduced the second scenario was far more likely. If the Golden Crow had even a shred of knowledge or wisdom, it would never have dared to provoke Skyshade Sanctum. The sect wasn’t some unknown minor faction; it was a formidable force with a Soul Formation Stage cultivator as its guardian. Moreover, with the sect's protective formation, any attempt to attack would demand the Golden Crow Clan's full strength—a move far too costly for the mere gain of a single spiritual fruit.
This recklessness pointed to one conclusion: the intruder was a brash and inexperienced member of the Golden Crow Clan, passing through the area and succumbing to greed upon sensing the Ten-Thousand-Year White Moon Buddha Fruit Tree ripening.
As the winds stirred, an unsettling energy rippled through the air, amplifying the tension across Skyshade Sanctum. Suddenly, a booming voice shattered the oppressive atmosphere, dispersing the suffocating aura that had weighed down the sect’s disciples:
"How audacious! Do you truly believe Skyshade Sanctum is so easily bullied? The Golden Crow Clan has never dared to steal from us, and yet you strut here, flaunting your arrogance? Have you grown tired of living? Who gave you this confidence? State your name! Dying under my sword will not make you an anonymous spirit!"
The sheer force of the shout echoed across the peaks, silencing even the restless winds.