Chapter 110: The Twelve-Character Meditation Technique

Xu Tianming stood up, his cold gaze sweeping over the frail man as a thick, suffocating murderous intent gradually enveloped him.

"Do you have any final words?" Xu Tianming asked coldly.

The frail man collapsed to his knees, wailing and begging for mercy: "Young Master, please spare me!"

"Young Master, this was an accident. It’s all that kid Shen An’s fault, not mine! Please, give me one more chance."

"If you can't even handle a small task like this, what use are you to me?" Xu Tianming’s eyes turned crimson. He grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him off the ground with a single hand.

The man’s face turned deep red, and he gasped for breath.

"Young... Master... spare... me..."

*Snap!*

With a slight exertion of force, Xu Tianming crushed the man's neck, leaving no room for survival.

As the man's corpse slumped to the floor, the hearts of the others in the room hammered against their ribs, each fearing they would be next. However, Xu Tianming simply dusted off his hands and sat back down on the sofa. The men breathed a collective sigh of relief, realizing they had been granted a reprieve.

"The Tongcheng Hospital has been sealed off. Bai Weiwei confiscated all the blood we collected, as well as the existing stock in the blood bank. Not a single bag remains."

"Tell me, what should we do now?" Xu Tianming asked, looking at the men who kept their heads bowed in silence.

A man in a black shirt replied, "Young Master, it doesn't matter that the Tongcheng Hospital is sealed. We still have the orphanage as a backup plan, don't we?"

Xu Tianming nodded and looked at one of the men. "Wang Gang, how are things going with the orphanage?"

Wang Gang remained silent for two seconds, his expression grim. "Young Master, I went to acquire the Yincheng Orphanage yesterday. The contracts were ready, but Director Zhao of the orphanage refused to sign and kicked me out."

After speaking, Wang Gang glanced up to gauge Xu Tianming’s reaction. Fortunately, the Young Master only looked annoyed, not murderous.

"Fool! If he refuses to sign, can’t you think of other ways to force him? If all else fails, just kill him!"

"Yes, Young Master is wise!"

Xu Tianming, appearing to lose patience, said coldly to Wang Gang, "I’ll give you two more days. If the orphanage matter isn't resolved by then, you will share his fate!" Xu Tianming pointed at the frail man’s corpse on the floor.

Wang Gang shuddered and nodded, promising, "Don't worry, Young Master, I will definitely complete the mission this time!"

"Enough. Get out, all of you."

Xu Tianming waved his hand, and the men fled the office as if escaping death itself.

***

A quarter of an hour later, in the basement of the Zhicheng Pharmaceutical building.

A heavy concrete door slowly rose, and Xu Tianming stepped inside.

The basement was filled with circular stone pillars etched with eerie, inscrutable totems. These pillars were arranged in an orderly fashion, forming a square pattern that surrounded the largest pillar in the center.

Xu Tianming approached the central pillar, placed his hand over his chest, and bowed respectfully.

Before long, a mass of black mist swirled around the stone pillar, containing a terrifying, suffocating power.

"Why has there been no blood sacrifice these past few days?"

A long, echoing voice emanated from the black mist, questioning Xu Tianming.

Xu Tianming hurriedly explained, "There were complications. My plans were interrupted by a person named Shen An. But have no fear, My Lord; in a few more days, I will collect enough blood to complete the sacrifice and break your seal."

"Useless trash. You have so many Awakened under your command; can you not kill a mere mortal?"

"My Lord, that man, Shen An, is not a mortal. He is an Awakened, at least at the late second-rank stage. I fear that even I am no match for him."

A sneer of disdain came from the black mist. "A mere late second-rank? I could crush him with one hand."

"I will give you two pills. Consuming them will significantly boost your power, allowing you to dispose of him."

With a wave from the black mist, two black pills drifted into Xu Tianming’s hand.

Xu Tianming was overjoyed. If such powerful medicine existed, he wished they had given it to him sooner; he wouldn't have had to endure Shen An’s insolence for so long.

"Don't be too happy," the voice in the black mist warned. "The pills I gave you only boost your power temporarily. The effect will last no longer than half an hour. You must take them at the most critical moment."

Xu Tianming tucked the pills away and bowed deeply. "I understand, My Lord."

"Hurry. I have no patience left to wait..."

Xu Tianming nodded. "Yes!"

As the words faded, the black mist slowly dissipated, the voice growing distant until it vanished.

***

Early morning.

Shen An opened his eyes. Having spent the entire night practicing instead of sleeping, he felt not a hint of fatigue, but rather more refreshed than if he had slept for a full day and night.

"This Tiger Breathing Technique is indeed powerful, but it’s a bit slow to cultivate. I need to get Future to teach me a more potent cultivation method."

Shen An opened his phone and sent a few messages to Future. He waited for several minutes, but there was no reply.

"Did Future go into hibernation again?"

"Is that guy a pig? All it does is sleep!"

Shen An blurted out the words before realizing he was essentially insulting himself.

"Never mind, I'll go take a shower first."

After a night of training, he was covered in grime, which felt uncomfortable. He grabbed a clean suit, went to the bathroom, took a refreshing hot shower, and changed his clothes.

Shen An wasn't used to wearing suits, but he had errands to run today and needed to look formal.

"Hmm, not bad. Quite handsome," he remarked to the mirror after dressing.

After the shower, he rummaged through the fridge, ate two packs of instant noodles, and drank a bottle of yogurt for breakfast.

*Ding-dong.*

His phone rang. He picked it up to see a reply from Future.

"I don't know much about Zhicheng Pharmaceutical. I told you everything I knew last time; I don't have any other information."

"In any case, be wary of Xu Tianming. There is a mysterious power backing the Zhicheng Group; they are not easy to deal with."

Future had only sent two messages, neither providing much of value. Since Future Shen An and the current Shen An were the same person yet lived different lives, and the future version hadn't been involved with Xu Tianming’s affairs, it was natural that he lacked the inside scoop.

Oh well, ignore the Zhicheng Group for now.

Shen An sent another message to Future: "Then at least give me a new technique. The breathing method you gave me last time isn't cutting it anymore."

Shen An waited half a minute before Future replied with two messages.

"Very well. Your strength has improved significantly compared to half a month ago, so I will teach you a new technique."

"This technique is called the Twelve-Character Meditation Method..."

The Twelve-Character Meditation Method was lengthy, spanning over ten thousand characters. It took Shen An half an hour just to commit it to memory.

This meditation method was quite different from the breathing technique, yet it was a practice that could only be cultivated on the foundation of the breathing technique.