Book 3, Chapter 271: Mind Shattering Hammer, Hollowed Heart Mark

After returning to the Arcane Palace, Chen Chuan opened the box to take a look. The medicine ingredients were packaged nicely, and there were also some notes, which told him to store the ingredients in a cool, dry area.

He could store them anywhere in his room.

According to the ritual, for the ingredients to be made into medicine candle wick, they needed to be combined with the jade cores. After being used once, the wicks would be gone.

Right now, the jade cores were still useful to Chen Chuan. He also had a feeling that he was going to need them again when he was close to the limit of his current stage, so it wasn’t the time for him to make the medicine yet.

He set aside the ingredients and asked Dawncall to keep an eye on them before going to do his daily training.

The next morning, Chen Chuan left his room at 8:50 a.m. and went to the training hall on the seventieth floor. After waiting for just a bit, it was 9 a.m..

Xue Shou, as usual, was late.

Chen Chuan sat down and started practicing his breathing technique.

When it was almost noon, he heard footsteps outside, along with Xue Shou’s apology.

“Sorry, Chen Chuan, I really am! I’m late again! I didn’t intend for this to happen, but some things are just out of my control.” Xue Shou sighed.

Chen Chuan stood up and said, “I understand.”

Xue Shou sighed and said, “No can do. I have to admit my mistakes. Didn’t I say that if I’m late again, I’ll do something to make it up to you?”

He then took out a jade coin from his pocket and handed it to Chen Chuan.

“I got this by accident. It can help you focus your mind. If you ever don’t have any incense sticks, you can use this jade coin as a replacement. Its effects might not be as good, but it’s better than nothing. It’s yours now.”

You were planning to be late, huh?

Chen Chuan thought.

The jade coin was cooling to the touch, and it was clearly no simple coin. It resembled a shell.

“This is a jade coin from the old era. I had someone inspect it. Apparently, it goes all the way back to more than five thousand years ago,” Xue Shou explained.

“Thanks, Mr. Xue,” Chen Chuan said sincerely.

You can be late a few more times. I don’t mind.

“No need to thank me. This is my apology gift.” Xue Shou waved off his thanks and observed Chen Chuan before stroking his chin. “Have you learned some mental techniques?”

“Yes. I’ve been attending Instructor Chen Bitong’s classes. He taught me ways to stabilize my mental frequency. Is there a problem with it?” Chen Chuan answered honestly.

Xue Shou dismissed Chen Chuan’s worries. “It’s nothing. It’s just some simple techniques you can pick up easily. As long as you have a stable foundation, you can practice them.

“Hmm... since your mind is somewhat stable now, I’ll teach you how to use mental energy. Sit.”

Chen Chuan only sat down after Xue Shou took a seat.

Xue Shou jumped straight to the topic. “You’ve run into opponents skilled in mental energy, haven’t you? I reckon they most likely gathered their mental energy to attack you.”

“They did,” Chen Chuan answered with a nod.

Yue Lie and Jiancheng Sheng had both done it.

Jiancheng Sheng had used a bit of technique, though his mental energy didn’t seem sufficient, which led to him not being able to bring out the full power of his technique. Jiancheng Sheng should have known this as well, which was why he had used the Skyhigh Jade’s jade cores to help him.

“It’s a superficial way, but it’s not because they don’t want to use better attacks that they use it. It’s because their minds aren’t refined and concentrated enough to use stronger techniques.

“Ramming your mind against another person is very simple. Those who have never gone through mental training are also defenseless against it.

“That Jiancheng Sheng came from Fierce Wave School. The martial artists there all walk down the path of mental training, and their school is more suited for those born with outstanding minds.

“Based on what I know, all their disciples are one-in-one-thousand or one-in-ten-thousand. Once they become disciples, they get filtered again. If they can’t get through that process, they drain their minds and die.

“If you don’t improve, you fall behind. That’s how it was in the old era. Everyone fought for their lives, so Fierce Wave School’s way of doing things makes sense, but we’re in the new era. They could use gentler methods. Such extreme measures should no longer be in use.

“What we need to do is to improve step by step. Now, you’ve compressed your mind to a basic degree. Next, you’re going to start learning some easy ways to use your mental energy.

“The mind and body complement each other. You’ve fought against someone or sparred against them recently, right? Did you notice your mental energy infiltrating your opponent’s body?”

“I did. One time, I used my mind to give pressure to my opponent, and he was unable to move after that,” Chen Chuan answered with a nod.

“That’s one of the ways to use mental energy. Once you have enough mental energy, you’ll start using it subconsciously. If your opponent hasn't been trained in it, your mental energy will seep into them.

“Then, you can make their mutated tissue go limp or become undone. In a fight, even the slightest delay can lead to a person’s rhythm falling apart. This will improve your chances of winning the fight.”

Chen Chuan agreed with it wholeheartedly.

“You’ve been using it subconsciously so far. While that can guarantee you complete victory against normal martial artists, it won’t be useful against martial artists who have done mental training. Just like when others attack you, your attacks against them won’t be effective.”

Xue Shou pointed at the center of his eyebrows before pointing at Chen Chuan. “Since your enemy has increased his defenses, you need to increase your attack power.

“If you’re at the same level, then attacking is always better than defending. You need to know that in a contest of mental energy, the one who attacks first has a higher chance of winning. So, I’m going to teach you how to attack first.”

He reached out and clenched his fists. “You were able to pour your mental energy into your opponent when you punched him not because of the power of the punch, but because you had a clear desire to attack. You also wanted to win against your opponent, so your mind responded.

“When you have enough mental energy, this is what happens.”

Then, he patted the back of his fist. “During this, your fist will become a medium. Your fist can be substituted with a saber, longsword, or some other thing, like your biofield. It doesn’t make much of a difference. At the end of the day, it’s your will and belief that make the attack effective.

“Of course, since beginners don’t have a lot of mental energy, it’s best if they have a medium. Aside from landing an attack, it can also strengthen their confidence.”

Chen Chuan nodded. When he fought against Jiancheng Sheng, he broke Jiancheng Sheng’s saber, which made Jiancheng Sheng unable to touch him, but the attack hadn’t ended there. This had to be the reason behind it.

If Jiancheng Sheng’s saber hadn’t snapped and he had cut Chen Chuan, more mental energy would have charged into him. Even if it didn’t hurt him, the impact would have frozen him, and Jiancheng Sheng’s saber would have cut through him.

“I’m going to teach you a stance known as the Mind Shattering Hammer. Your mental energy will be channeled out through your eyes, voice, or biofield as a medium. You won’t need to touch your opponent directly to use your mental energy during battle,” Xue Shou said, and his eyes lit up.

Chen Chuan had been ready for it, so he immediately focused his mind. Then, he felt a thought charging into his head to deliver all the information about the stance to him, including how to use and practice it.

Once Xue Shou passed the information, the light in his eyes faded away. “If you pick up the basics for it, you can attack your opponent’s mind before hitting them physically. It’s a good way of intimidating them and destroying their fighting spirit.

“When you get more familiar with it, normal people and even average martial artists will be affected by your mind as long as they’re within your biofield. Even their physical state might suffer. Some could even faint.

“The moment you’re close to mastery, you can even affect other people’s Realm Pass signals. You can hide your biofield and the biofields of those around you to avoid detection.

“I would just like to remind you not to abuse it. Some domain entities can protect your opponents and even subjugate your mind, so unless you’re absolutely sure, use this technique with caution.”

“Got it. I’ll remember it,” Chen Chuan answered seriously.

Xue Shou hummed in satisfaction before standing up and saying, “Wait for me.”

He went outside, then came back with two pots of plants with fat leaves. He set them down in front of Chen Chuan.

“These plants came from the merged space and have become used to our environment, but they retain some of their characteristics. They’re quite sensitive to mental energy and biofields and react once affected by them. Try it.”

Chen Chuan regulated his breathing before focusing according to the technique he just learned and staring at one of the plants.

A moment passed before the leaves started swaying violently. They curled up into a ball, like a child curling up with his head in his hands.

“Looks like a child, doesn’t it? That’s just a disguise. This thing can sense the weaknesses of a human mind and imitate them to reduce the harm to itself.

“Mental attacks and defenses are brutal, so you shouldn’t be deceived by the things you see or care about. Otherwise, you’re the one who’ll end up dead.”

Chen Chuan nodded.

Xue Shou then stared at the plant. “You needed around four breaths to make the plant react. That’s too long for a fight. Mental energy is only effective after you compress your mind for a long time and keep training it. Once you do it more, you’ll cut the time in half.

“If you have no other choice, you can use your mental foundation to increase the power of your mental energy.”

“I understand,” Chen Chuan said.

Xue Shou smiled. “Alright. Now, you know how to attack. Then, I’m going to teach you how to defend. This is the Hollowed Heart Mark.”