Basic Knowledge of Martial Arts

Time flies.

More than half a month has passed since Li Kui and the other two died. During this time, Yang Heng acted as usual, delivering medicine and training his body, without going to the place where the fist manual was buried.

Yang Heng worried that the pharmacy would send people to monitor him secretly.

With Li Kui dead, he was highly suspected.

First, he had a grudge against Li Kui, which was known to everyone in the pharmacy and was not a secret.

Second, Li Kui was heading west of Qingyang Town, and he happened to be delivering medicine in that area that day. Moreover, both he and Li Kui did not return that night.

Based on these two points, he was highly suspected.

Yang Heng also knew that he was under heavy suspicion, so he had been acting cautiously these past few days, observing in private whether anyone was monitoring him.

After several days, no abnormalities were found.

Could it be that Shopkeeper Chen really didn't suspect him?

Or perhaps something else had happened.

Unable to figure it out, Yang Heng stopped thinking about it.

Now that the storm had passed, it was time to cultivate the Vajra Fist and embark on the path of a Martial Artist.

Yang Heng, with an excited heart, strode as fast as he could towards the place where the fist manual was buried.

Actually, Shopkeeper Chen had suspected Yang Heng, but after thinking carefully, the possibility was slim.

Zhang Meng and Liu Xin were martial artists, not far from the Blood Strengthening Realm. They could hold their own against a tiger, their strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.

In the past month, although Yang Heng's physique had improved significantly, he was still essentially an ordinary person, incapable of being an opponent to Zhang and Liu.

Of course, there was another possibility.

Li Kui colluded with the two of them to try and kill Yang Heng, but Yang Heng was killed by a martial artist behind him.

If that were the case, Shopkeeper Chen would be too busy trying to hide to question Yang Heng.

As a martial artist in the middle stage of the Blood Strengthening Realm, Shopkeeper Chen had seen the world. He knew how terrifying the strength of someone who could casually produce a Marrow Cleansing Pill would be, a level he could never hope to reach.

It was highly likely a powerful martial artist surpassing the Body Tempering Realm.

If he were foolish enough to press Yang Heng, he would be seeking his own death.

Therefore, no matter the situation, he had no reason, nor did he dare, to question Yang Heng.

Unable to find the killer, Shopkeeper Chen had to find a few local ruffians to take the blame, letting outsiders know that the Hundred Herbs Pharmacy was not to be trifled with.

Yang Heng arrived at the hiding place. He scanned the surroundings and found no traces of outsiders having been there.

He took out the fist manual and carefully perused it.

This secret manual seemed to possess a magical power that captivated Yang Heng's mind. As soon as he opened the first page and glanced at it, he became engrossed, unable to extricate himself, completely unaware of the passage of time.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Yang Heng reluctantly closed the fist manual, a look of excitement and joy on his face.

He had carefully read through the manual several times and discovered that this technique, named Vajra Fist, was far more valuable than he had imagined.

The manual was richly illustrated, with accompanying notes from the cultivator detailing the obstacles and challenges encountered from the beginning of martial arts to the Iron Bone Realm, along with corresponding solutions.

Anyone who obtained this manual, as long as they were not illiterate and possessed a certain talent for cultivation, could become a Blood Brave Disciple by diligently practicing according to the text and illustrations.

Initially, Yang Heng had worried that even if he obtained a martial arts technique, he might not be able to understand or comprehend its meaning.

After all, martial arts techniques were different from ordinary books. You might recognize every word, but when put together, you might not grasp their profound meaning.

Martial arts cultivation was inherently a dangerous endeavor, fraught with perils and thorns.

If one were to practice without fully understanding the technique, death would be inevitable.

As the ancient saying goes, "The master leads the way; the rest is up to the disciple."

Without a master's guidance and personal instruction, opening the door to martial arts would be extremely difficult.

Unless you were a damn genius.

But geniuses were rare. The vast majority of martial artists had mediocre talent and could only persevere on the path of martial arts through sheer willpower and unremitting effort.

The words within martial arts techniques were pearls of wisdom, containing profound martial truths that were difficult to decipher without explanation.

It was rumored that some advanced cultivation techniques contained the cultivator's mental intent within the text. Those with insufficient cultivation would experience dizziness just by looking at it, and in severe cases, it could even endanger their lives.

Furthermore, some martial artists, unwilling to have their skills learned by others, would leave traps in their techniques to mislead future practitioners.

Practicing such techniques could very likely lead to qi deviation or even death.

Therefore, it was best not to practice a technique of unknown origin without absolute certainty, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

But Yang Heng had no such worries.

The Vajra Fist manual was clearly a family heirloom technique. Every step of cultivation was meticulously recorded, making it easy to understand, as if fearing that later generations would not comprehend.

Moreover, many places in the book contained words like "family" and "descendants," expressing the ancestors' earnest hopes for their descendants to bring glory to the family.

Moreover, this boxing manual was Li Kui's payment to those two for killing someone. He wouldn't dare to fake it, nor could he.

This way, Yang Heng could cultivate with peace of mind, without any worries.

Yang Heng picked up the boxing manual again, his eyes wide, and carefully flipped through it, afraid of missing a single word.

After reading through it several more times, Yang Heng gained his own insights into martial arts cultivation.

He truly understood the strengths of a Martial Artist and the difference between them and ordinary people.

Martial arts cultivation first requires understanding one thing: what exactly are you training when you practice martial arts?

If you don't understand this question, your cultivation will often yield half the results with twice the effort, with very little gain.

In the early stages of martial arts cultivation, practicing martial arts is about training Blood Essence.

Blood Essence is the body's origin, the source of all a Martial Artist's strength.

With sufficient Blood Essence, one's strength will inevitably be formidable.

For the same set of moves, a Martial Artist with deep Blood Essence will often unleash more powerful attacks.

Furthermore, deep Blood Essence also leads to greater stamina, longer combat duration, and the ability to persevere for longer.

Blood Essence has infinite uses; it can not only enhance offensive power but also strengthen one's defense, resisting sword and blade attacks.

Blood Essence moves with one's will.

When a certain part of the body encounters an attack from a club or sword, a thought arises, and Blood Essence immediately rushes to that area. The skin and membrane defense in that area instantly increases dramatically, becoming as tough as oxhide, difficult for blades to wound.

The introductory realm of martial arts cultivation is called the Blood Brave Realm.

The Blood Brave Realm is divided into two stages: the Blood Essence Sensing stage and the Blood Essence Accumulating stage.

When a martial arts practitioner cultivates a martial arts technique and senses the existence of Blood Essence, they have already stepped through the great door of martial arts and are considered a quasi-Martial Artist, known as a Blood Brave Disciple.

Martial Artists in the Blood Essence Sensing stage already possess physical qualities surpassing ordinary people. They can lift three hundred jin with one hand, and their perception, reaction speed, agility, and other aspects have all seen minor improvements, far exceeding ordinary people.

Martial Artists at this stage can easily handle being surrounded and attacked by seven or eight unarmed strong men.

As for the Blood Essence Accumulating stage, a Martial Artist's strength will experience an explosive surge. While it cannot be called a qualitative breakthrough, it is still extremely astonishing.