Twelve Moves
Seeing that Yi Yun was the first to follow his instructions, Zhang Yuxian nodded with satisfaction.
The others did not think likewise. Zhao Tiezhu looked at Yi Yun eating the tree and sneered, it isn’t so simple eating wood.
You may be trying to be a hero, but I’ll see how you burst to your death later.
When the people faced famine, people ate grass roots and tree bark. But no one tried eating wood, especially uncooked hardwood.
Besides termites or borers, few animals in the world ate wood. The wood fibers in the wood was not something the stomach could digest.
“Go! Dig up some Guanyin clay!” Zhang Yuxian ordered. Guanyin clay was actually magnesium silicate. No one knew why it was called Guanyin clay. Maybe during the famine periods, the people looked to the Guanyin goddess for help. This clay could fill the stomachs, so it obtained such a name.
But in reality, Guanyin clay was a poison. It was not harmful in small amounts. But slightly larger portions would result in indigestion. It would be impossible to excrete it out, and a person would eventually die of abdominal distension.
Coincidentally, the Lian tribal clan had such a material. Some people may wonder why would people eat the Guanyin clay if they knew it could kill?
This was because of the ignorance of the local people. They believed that if they had a sincere heart, they would receive salvation from Guanyin.
The second reason was that Guanyin clay tasted much better than tree bark and grass-roots. Its appearance and taste resembled flour. Some people who could not resist the temptation under extreme hunger would die from eating too much.
The Guanyin clay was dug up and piled into a bunch.
This Guanyin clay was moved here by the citizens. The citizens of the Lian tribal clan had became onlookers.
Seeing the people from the warrior preparation camp about to eat the Guanyin clay, the onlookers were worried. It was okay eating some Guanyin clay, but the results would be devastating if they finished that large amount.
“Begin.” Zhang Yuxian said lightly. Yi Yun did not hesitate and began eating the Guanyin clay in large amounts. It did not have any special taste but a bit creamy.
The Guanyin clay was much easier to swallow than the wood.
Seeing Yi Yun’s actions, the people from the warrior preparation camp could not take that lying down.
They bit the bullet and began eating.
They believed Zhang Yuxian wasn’t out to harm them. Although it was awful eating that, but for practicing the skill, they had to endure it!
But just as the thought flashed in their heads, Zhang Yuxian destroyed that thought when he said, “The Elephant Swallowing Technique isn’t that easy to learn. Some people who ate the Guanyin clay for the practice of Elephant Swallowing Technique did not manage to learn it before dying of abdominal distention.”
“What!?” Hearing Zhang Yuxian’s words, the courage they had summoned deflated.
If you can’t master the Elephant Swallowing Technique, eating all this wood and Guanyin clay would result in death!
Learning this technique would result in deaths. They thought they would be subjected to suffering, but it would not be life-threatening. But the truth proved that they had thought wrong!
Seeing Zhao Tiezhu and company’s expressions, Zhang Yuxian gave a disdainful glance, “Do you think the practicing of martial arts is to treat others to dinner and having a good time? And from that, you will learn a peerless skill?”
“When a warrior practices the arts, he has to understand that he will constantly confront death! There are often deaths even among the Jin Long Wei members’ normal training! Without pushing your body to its limits, how do you expect to breakthrough!?”
“The path of martial arts, entering mysterious lands, vendettas, vying for treasure, destroying the devil within, escaping death, surviving tragedies! Which one of those doesn’t have deaths? You are only at the beginning stages. If you don’t dare to eat Guanyin clay, then don’t practice martial arts. Just die in this vast wilderness!”
Zhang Yuxian had no more demands from the likes of these people. He also did not say how much Guanyin clay or wood a beginner of the Elephant Swallowing Technique should consume.
It was up to a person’s courage to determine how much he should eat.
The warrior preparation camp members looked at each other. They unknowingly began to slow down their eating speeds.
As for Yi Yun, he paused for a while. After a short silence, he began eating at a constant speed, not affected by those words.
Zhang Yuxian noticed Yi Yun and nodded. This courage was admirable.
As for Zhao Tiezhu and company, they naturally noticed Yi Yun non-stop eating of the wood and Guanyin clay. Zhao Tiezhu maliciously whispered, “That little bastard, he may be showing off now, but he will die from bursting later!”
“Don’t mind the idiot, Brother Zhao. We are just beginners. Let’s not eat too much. Half a pound, no…four to five ounces should do…”