Ren Qing stayed in the Firework Hall for a full seven days before going out.
The occasional gruesome corpse was handed over to the Li Brothers and Xiaowu. The three of them were already handling the work with ease.
Ren Qing's main purpose was to figure out the Cultivation Method for the Human Skin Book and to test the effects of various animal eyes.
Unlike the No-Eyes Technique, which uses Visualization, the Human Skin Book required external stimulation. The simplest method was to beat one's body.
A specially prepared medicinal bath would probably also have a wondrous effect.
Of course, the Human Skin Book certainly had even more bizarre Cultivation Methods, but Ren Qing had no intention of trying the one that involved flaying.
As for the eyes, the larger the volume, the better the effect. Pig eyes were indeed the most cost-effective option.
At the same time, he secretly considered the matter of advancing to a Repeater, though he was already prepared to consume another year and a half of his Lifespan.
'But I'm still more than a little wary of such a bizarre power system.'
Ren Qing recalled the things Song Zongwu had said, seemingly casually, in the Prison Cell, and decided to verify his suspicions.
He made some preparations, hiding a sharpened short knife at his waist and bringing some pig eyes with him, then headed for the Martial Arts Arena.
Ren Qing had originally planned to bring Xiaowu along, but there were many places in the Government Office that White Servants were forbidden from entering, including the Martial Arts Arena.
The Martial Arts Arena was shared by the four districts—East, South, West, and North—and covered a vast area.
From a distance, Ren Qing could see a good number of constables practicing with their swords and spears, while the spectating Government Constables cheered them on.
His appearance made the constables give him sidelong glances; after all, Fireworker Black Slaves rarely came here.
But they quickly lost interest.
The constables' attention was focused on the two people sparring in the open space.
The two clashed with blunt-edged Wooden Swords, their movements exquisitely refined as they maneuvered. The Swordsmanship they displayed was well-balanced, proficient in both attack and defense.
Ren Qing watched for a few moments before finding it dull.
He walked toward the Martial Arts Tower at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. It housed many Martial Arts for honing the body, but only Government Constables were allowed to learn them.
Ren Qing pushed open the main door, and the rotten stench of damp books washed over him.
He couldn't help but cough a few times, drawing displeased looks from the others inside.
Glancing around, Ren Qing was somewhat disappointed by the so-called Martial Arts Manuals. The place looked no different from an ordinary bookstore.
Three rows of bookshelves were scattered about, holding extremely old books, some of which were even damaged.
Ren Qing casually picked up a book. The cover prominently displayed the title: *Qingfeng Swordsmanship*.
He flipped through a few pages and could only describe it as unremarkable. The descriptions of the techniques and moves were detailed, but it wasn't the kind of Martial Arts that cultivated both internal and external aspects as he had imagined.
Without much hope, Ren Qing summoned the Information Flow, but the result was unexpected.
[Qingfeng Swordsmanship (Incomplete)]
[Created by Daoist Qingfeng, it contains thirty-six forms and is known for its speed and stability. When supplemented with Inner Power, the sword strikes become more fluid.]
[The Qingfeng Swordsmanship is missing its Inner Power section and cannot be mastered by consuming Lifespan.]
Ren Qing's muscles tensed slightly. In disbelief, he picked up one manual after another, only to find the results were all nearly identical.
Without exception, every manual in the Martial Arts Tower was marked as "(Incomplete)." 'Did the Government Office intentionally abridge these Martial Arts?'
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes, contemplating what this all meant.
'The styles of Martial Arts and Magic Techniques are worlds apart. Logically, shouldn't it be the body-strengthening Martial Arts that are widespread?'
'It wouldn't be right to say that these bizarre Cultivation Techniques can lead to one becoming Immortal and Enlightened, either.'
'Even someone like Song Zongwu only has a Lifespan cap of just over three hundred years. Compared to the risks involved, the increase in Lifespan is far too small.'
'And how many of them actually die a natural death?'
Ren Qing rubbed his temples, a headache brewing. He felt as if he had inadvertently stumbled upon the bizarre truth of this world.
Unfortunately, he was still clueless.
Ren Qing calmed his Heart Spirit. 'What Song Zongwu wanted me to see probably wasn't this. After all, no one else knows about the Information Flow.'
Following the order of the shelves, Ren Qing patiently flipped through the manuals one by one, placing each back after seeing the prompt from the Information Flow.
His actions were a bit strange, naturally making the other constables in the room increasingly displeased.
But before any constable could step forward to warn him, Ren Qing picked up a thick book and walked to a corner to read quietly.
The book was titled *Grass Hall Travelogue*. Its contents were about absurd legends of Ghost Gods, but the stories were rather dull.
Ren Qing had looked around and found that this was the only book that wasn't a Cultivation Technique manual.
He carefully read every line, and several hours passed without him noticing.
When the evening sun shone in through the window, Ren Qing finally lifted his head, a trace of surprise on his otherwise calm face.
Around page one hundred, the content of the *Grass Hall Travelogue* suddenly changed. It began to use myths and legends as metaphors for the bizarre and for Cultivators.
Through this, Ren Qing learned about the Realms of Cultivation, which consisted of Martial Artist, Half Corpse, Ghost Emissary, Yin Messenger, Yang God, and Celestial Deceit.
Someone like him, who had mastered a Magic Technique and whose body was gradually mutating but had not yet achieved Transcendence, was in the Martial Artist Realm.
Once the first mutation was complete, one would reach the Half-Corpse Realm.
Furthermore, the direction of mutation varied greatly depending on the Cultivation Technique.
The No-Eyes Technique alone had three paths—the Hundred-eyed Man, the Single-eyed, and the Repeater—to say nothing of other Magic Techniques.
The *Grass Hall Travelogue* also answered a question that had puzzled Ren Qing for a long time.
'Cultivating these bizarre Magic Techniques usually requires an immense price. With such a high threshold, is there really no shortcut?'
In fact, there was a shortcut, and that shortcut lay with those in the Martial Artist Realm.
When a Cultivator dies, they produce a Mysterious Object, which mortals can use to master a Magic Technique.
However, this was limited to the Mysterious Objects from a deceased member of the Martial Artist Realm. Anything from the Half-Corpse Realm or above carried significant risk.
For instance, when a Martial Artist Realm Cultivator of the No-Eyes Technique dies, their eyes transform into a Mysterious Object. Simply consuming them allows one to skip the initial forty-nine days of cultivation.
But for such a Cultivator to advance their Magic Technique, they would have to rely on a Mysterious Object from the next Realm, which was equivalent to losing all their potential.
In contrast, a Magic Technique mastered independently did not have this limitation.
What surprised Ren Qing the most was that the forbidden zones were inextricably linked to Mysterious Objects.
When a Cultivator at the Half-Corpse Realm or higher died, their Mysterious Object would gain Spiritual Wisdom and become active within a certain area, thus forming a forbidden zone.
Ren Qing subconsciously touched his eyes, a chill running down his spine.
'So the forbidden zone in the Prison was actually created because a Cultivator who practiced the Human Skin Book died inside.'
'Wait a minute.'
'If the bizarreness of a forbidden zone is related to the level of the Realm, then just how terrifying would the forbidden zone created by a High-Realm Cultivator who mastered multiple Magic Techniques be...'
'It's hard to even imagine.'
Ren Qing finally understood why Song Zongwu had guided him in this way.
His transformation in the Prison was directly related to the Human Skin Book. Song Zongwu must have mistakenly believed that Ren Qing had accidentally ingested fragments of human skin, thereby entering the Martial Artist Realm.
Ren Qing put himself in Song Zongwu's shoes. 'A Martial Artist Realm Cultivator whose Lifespan is nearly depleted, and who reached that realm by relying on a Mysterious Object, has absolutely no potential to speak of.'
'There's no reason to recruit someone like that into the Forbidden Guards.'
Song Zongwu's actions were already the height of kindness. He was preventing Ren Qing from unknowingly exposing his Martial Artist Realm Cultivation and being targeted by certain people.
'For me, the lower my profile, the better. That way, my breakthrough to the Half-Corpse Realm will go unnoticed.'