Dual Cultivation of Wild Goose Formation Fist

Even as a freshman, Zhou You had heard of Li Hao's great reputation.

Although Li Hao's late father was merely a low-ranking officer in the city gate guard, his family barely managed to reach the threshold of official households.

An accidental incident led to Li Hao's father being killed in action.

The young man's fate quickly took a turn, and his family's situation plummeted.

The government's pension was delayed, and the relatives and clansmen who had been taken care of by his father changed their tune.

Li Hao watched his family's assets being swallowed up, his mother and younger brother left with no support, and gritted his teeth, joining the Jianxiong Martial Arts School.

He had a determined personality, developing Internal Force within two months and becoming a formal apprentice of the martial arts school.

This way, with a backer, the clansmen no longer dared to be presumptuous and returned his father's belongings.

The government's response also came late. The pension was naturally not mentioned, and they agreed to let him take up a post and receive pay, but he could no longer inherit his father's official position, as it had long been occupied by someone else.

Li Hao had high aspirations and decisively refused to become a common soldier in the city gate guard.

He chose to stay at the martial arts school, vowing to break through the Blood Qi Gate and revitalize his family's business.

The Blood Qi Gate was a height his father had never reached before his death.

With this determination, Li Hao cultivated desperately after joining the outer court, never wasting any time.

Zhou You felt that Li Hao was quite similar to himself, both harboring many secrets in their hearts and unwilling to share them with others.

"Belongings? I understand."

A flash of inspiration struck Zhou You's mind. It was rumored that the belongings detained by Li Hao's clansmen included not only family property but also Li Hao's father's martial arts notes.

Li Hao's father was a martial officer in the city gate guard, practicing the internal martial art, Thousand Army Shattering Fist.

Since Li Hao had entered the Internal Force stage, he would surely practice his family's martial arts, unwilling to let others pry.

No wonder Li Hao looked so reluctant when Zhou You suggested being his sparring partner.

Zhou You chuckled. Coincidentally, he also wanted to practice Wild Goose Formation Fist in private and didn't want Li Hao to know.

Both of them had secrets, and an unspoken understanding was reached.

The eighth martial arts training ground was located in the outer court, a place Zhou You had never set foot in.

It was surrounded by tall walls, with large bluestone slabs and bushes providing cover, making it a secluded place for martial arts practice.

In contrast, the place where the freshman apprentices practiced was an open field, bustling with people.

"Let's make a pact. I'm a person who likes quiet. Unless it's something important, try to talk as little as possible."

After Li Hao brought Zhou You to the training ground, he said to him with a serious expression.

Although they both had a connection with Senior Disciple Shen, personal relationships were one thing, and martial arts practice was another.

Zhou You nodded, "I think the same way. Why don't we divide the training ground before it gets dark? We can each cultivate separately and not disturb each other?"

"Huh?"

Li Hao was surprised. Why was the other person even more reluctant about being sparring partners than he was?

Zhou You's suggestion was exactly what he wanted, and he agreed without hesitation.

The two of them picked up the stone slabs on the ground and drew a line down the center of the training ground, building a temporary stone wall.

The bluestone slabs in the training ground were all high-quality stones quarried from the mountains, serving as targets for apprentices to ponder Internal Force.

They were stacked layer by layer, quickly dividing the training ground into two halves, with an equal amount of space on each side.

Zhou You carefully examined the stone wall. It was at least four to five meters high, tightly stacked with no gaps for peeking.

This stone wall was an illegal structure. It would be fine if it wasn't discovered, but once discovered, it would definitely be dismantled.

Considering that the senior disciple did not have a habit of surprise inspections, they would leave it like this for now!

"That's settled!"

"Unless one party requests to spar, neither shall intrude upon the other's territory."

After agreeing on the principles of getting along, they each entered their respective halves of the training ground and began to practice earnestly.

Zhou You heard the sound of air being broken through the stone wall, indicating that Li Hao had already started practicing impatiently.

He first performed a round of Tiger Subduing Fist, using the movements to mobilize Internal Force and refine the overlooked details within his body.

Being guided by Lu Qiang with the perspective of a Qi and Blood practitioner was immensely beneficial to him.

After completing the 108 movements, Zhou You broke out in a sweat and felt a slight soreness and stiffness in certain parts of his body, a process of tearing and strengthening previously unexercised areas.

Internal Force was a key to strengthening the physical body and then cultivating more Internal Force.

Zhou You increased all three of his attributes to 22 points in one go, surpassing many apprentices who had just entered the Internal Force stage.

He was not in a hurry, calmly integrating Tiger Subduing Fist with Internal Force and digesting the improvements brought about by the physical enhancements.

Half a day later...

Zhou You opened the Wild Goose Formation Fist and read Lu Zhigang's martial arts notes.

Lu Zhigang came from a common background and had good martial arts aptitude. After joining the martial arts school, he cultivated Internal Force, became a formal apprentice, and mastered the essentials of Wild Goose Formation Fist.

Because he hadn't broken through the Blood Qi Gate for a long time, the martial arts secrets he had learned were only at the Blood Qi Gate level, which happened to be the same as Zhou You's current progress.

But after all, he had over a decade of experience with Internal Force, making his moves seasoned and shrewd.

"Just luck, just luck."

Zhou You closed the booklet, feeling a wave of lingering fear.

The Lu Zhigang he encountered wasn't in his prime, but a damaged version, gaunt from hardship and starvation.

At that time, Lu Zhigang was so starved that his muscles had atrophied and he had no body fat; the strength of his punch was less than thirty percent of his peak.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily killed by Zhou You, who was just starting out.

"Please forgive me, please forgive me. Killing you, taking your money, learning your martial arts, and using your name were all out of necessity."

Zhou You silently prayed to Lu Zhigang's spirit in the void.

Then, he began to formally practice the Wild Goose Formation Fist.

"Pecking Ground Vertical Step."

This was the basic footwork of the Wild Goose Formation Fist, as its movements, one down and one up, resembled a chick pecking at rice.

Zhou You tiptoed, landing without a sound, the tendons in his calves and thighs taut like bowstrings, sometimes tightening, sometimes springing open.

The Tiger Subduing Fist, on the other hand, trained the bones, hardening the entire skeletal frame to the toughness of tempered steel, capable of smashing enemies into pulp.

The Wild Goose Formation Fist was different; its momentum was swift as the wind, incredibly fast, with the focus on using the tendons.

With each step, he pecked the ground, his posture appearing light and agile, yet he gripped the ground, borrowing strength from nothingness.

Flying birds, unlike beasts, moved by hopping, making their movements unpredictable.

While the Tiger's Stance had a downward pouncing force, the Bird's Stance had an upward lifting force.

According to the theory of martial arts, if one relied solely on brute force, their center of gravity would be unstable, requiring hand movements to adjust their balance.

Therefore, in the boxing principles of the Wild Goose Formation Fist, the hands acted like wings, coordinating with the Pecking Ground Vertical Step to strike, moving high and low, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.

Zhou You benefited greatly, meticulously studying the secrets of the Wild Goose Formation Fist bit by bit.

As long as he could fully grasp and integrate the Wild Goose Formation Fist and the Tiger Subduing Fist, he would be like a tiger with wings, fierce and invincible.

"You practiced Pecking Ground Vertical Step for one hour, experience points +1."

"You practiced Wild Goose Formation Fist for one hour, experience points +1."

The advantage of the Wild Goose Formation Fist over the Tiger Subduing Fist was its simpler moves, which corresponded to higher experience points.

"Name: Zhou You. Strength: 22. Speed: 22. Defense: 22. Experience Points: 632. Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice. Level: Initial Internal Force. Skills: Imperial Strike Hand lv8, Square Step lv8, Tiger Subduing Fist lv10, Pecking Ground Vertical Step lv1, Wild Goose Formation Fist lv1."