Chu Tian stepped forward and helped him up.
"Big Brother... you guys go to the second level, don't mind me! It seems I still underestimated the Saint Spirit Realm trial that opens once every hundred thousand years!
I thought... I could at least reach the third level, even the fourth!
Heh heh... it seems I was too arrogant." Miao Zuo's body had reached a breakthrough, but he was also heavily injured and felt his own shortcomings.
Thus, he wanted to retreat and did not want to drag Chu Tian and the others down.
"What nonsense are you talking! Since you call me Big Brother, how can I not care about you?" Chu Tian reprimanded.
Turning to Wei Jin, he asked, "Can you set bones?"
Wei Jin was already examining Miao Zuo's injuries and nodded, "The pressure here is too great, which is not conducive to his recovery."
"Let's go to the second level!" Chu Tian waved his hand and conjured a stretcher from his spiritual soul space.
This was the one used by Luo Yiyi's father when they left the Luo family last time.
Wei Jin and Chu Tian, one behind the other, carried Miao Zuo and quickly entered the half-open door.
The three plunged into darkness, and their surroundings changed.
The scenery before them was a vast expanse of white. Feathery snow fell from the sky, and visibility was very low.
This was a world of ice and snow.
The place where Chu Tian and the other two appeared was likely a more peripheral area.
At a glance, one could vaguely see rolling mountain peaks. Some peaks were only half visible, with the other half piercing straight into the sea of clouds.
Wei Jin was busy setting Miao Zuo's bones.
Chu Tian, meanwhile, gazed into the distance, vaguely sensing an extraordinary aura calling out to him from that direction.
"Big Brother... please don't go there!"
Miao Zuo's weak voice came.
Chu Tian froze and turned around.
Wei Jin had already set his leg bone.
He even found branches, shaved them into splints with his knife to fix it.
Even the wound on his leg was bandaged.
He also looked in that direction. Before Chu Tian could speak, he asked, "What's over there? I feel it calling me!"
"There is a lake there. Ancient texts record that the lake is a forbidden area on this second level. It calls out to everyone.
But... no one who goes there has ever returned alive.
Some people have seen from afar that those who reach the lake go mad and eventually commit suicide by jumping into it!"
Chu Tian and Wei Jin were taken aback.
"You are truly a living map. Without you, I might have gone there!"
Chu Tian smiled and activated his ancient tree form.
Green mist continuously emanated from his hands.
Healing, Mend, Life Bloom, Wild Growth.
A set of healing skills were all cast upon Miao Zuo's leg.
"Ugh..." A numb, biting itch made Miao Zuo feel worse than the pain.
In this freezing second level, beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
"Big Brother... you... Oh no... it's so itchy!" Miao Zuo said, reaching to remove the wooden splints tied to his leg.
Chu Tian held him down and patted his shoulder, "Endure it... this is how bones heal!"
He remembered feeling this way after his own arm was broken, set by Lin Yu, and then being treated by himself, so Chu Tian empathized with Miao Zuo's current state.
"Chu Tian... do you think... Xiao Hei might have gone there?"
Suddenly, Wei Jin spoke.
Chu Tian's smiling expression froze.
That's right... Xiao Hei wouldn't know what that place was.
Moreover, although Xiao Hei was clever, he was still very childlike.
Upon arriving here, he would inevitably be unable to resist his curiosity and investigate the call from the depths of his heart.
Even now, after hearing Miao Zuo's words, Chu Tian felt an urge to go and find out.
"I will teach you three movements now. You must remember them!"
Wei Jin and Miao Zuo were puzzled, why Chu Tian would do this.
Chu Tian ignored them and demonstrated the first three movements from the set taught to him by Old Yang.
Miao Zuo was even more speechless. These strange movements were neither offensive nor defensive techniques; what were they for?
"Isn't this the set Old Yang practices every morning?" Wei Jin said.
"You've seen it?" Chu Tian turned to ask him.
"Yes, I only saw the first movement. Old Yang's movements were as slow as a snail. By the time I finished a set of punches and went back for breakfast, he hadn't even finished one movement. Later, he stopped showing it to me," Wei Jin replied.
Chu Tian listened and then looked at Wei Jin, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"What's wrong?" Wei Jin asked, confused.
"My physical body is stronger than yours precisely because of this set of movements. Later, when he stopped demonstrating in front of you, do you know why?" Chu Tian said, a bit exasperated.
"Ah? You mean..." Wei Jin was stunned.
"Yes... he was teaching you, but you lacked patience!" Chu Tian directly stated the reason.
From Chu Tian and Wei Jin's conversation, it was clear that these strange movements were a powerful body-tempering technique.
Furthermore, having witnessed Chu Tian's physical prowess, he had already judged that Chu Tian had practiced at least a Heaven-tier body-tempering technique to be able to walk with such ease on the Ascension Stairway.
Now, this man before him was generously imparting this technique to him.
Even if it was a Heaven-tier technique, even if it only had three movements.
It would benefit him for a lifetime.
After Chu Tian finished speaking, he didn't pay attention to Wei Jin and Miao Zuo's shocked expressions and stood up.
"This method must first temper the tangible, serving as an aid to the intangible; and cultivate the intangible, serving as a support for the tangible. There are twelve movements in total.
You should diligently practice these first three movements, and I will teach you the rest later.
The key to this technique lies in..." Chu Tian paused here and looked at Wei Jin.
He slowly uttered a word: "Slow!"
As soon as he said this, Wei Jin's face turned red.
While he was usually calm and insightful in his dealings, when it came to practicing martial arts, he was always about quick moves.
Fists like thunder, blades like lightning, had always been his style.
Therefore, when Old Yang had demonstrated this set of movements to him, he had not paid attention or focused, nearly missing this opportunity.
"Don't worry, Boss, I will practice diligently!" Miao Zuo stood up, hopping around.
Although there was still a slight pain, after being cleansed by Chu Tian's healing techniques, it was no longer a major issue.
"Alright, I'm going to find Xiao Hei. If I delay, something might happen! Let's meet on the Ascension Stairway on this level! You two be careful."
As Chu Tian spoke, he took out a Silver-grade long saber from his backpack and handed it to Wei Jin.
He turned to leave...
"Xiao Tian, wait, Bai Chi is awake!"
As he spoke, a spatial bag at his waist vibrated violently, and a figure fell out, landing on the ground.
"Ouch..." The guy's face made intimate contact with the ground.
"Knock him out and stuff him back in, I don't have time for him now!"
As Bai Chi looked up, he heard Chu Tian's words.
Bang...
Wei Jin didn't waste any time and kicked him on the back of the head.
The guy rolled his eyes and made contact with the sharp rocks on the ground with his forehead again.