Martial Arts

At around 8:45 in the morning, the sunlight had already grown quite warm, spilling across the Martial Academy's broad bluestone training ground.

More than twenty Martial Disciples stood in neat rows, dressed in identical blue training uniforms embroidered with the character "Ping" over their chests.

Jiang Qinghe stood among them, anticipation stirring in his heart as he looked toward Fifth Senior Brother Zhao Guangyi on the raised platform.

"Everyone, quiet!"

Zhao Guangyi gave a soft shout. His voice was not loud, yet every word carried clearly.

The once-noisy training ground fell silent in an instant.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he swept his gaze across the crowd before slowly speaking.

"Today, I will explain the first major realm of martial arts to you all: Body Tempering!"

"At this stage, you will mainly cultivate the Iron Shirt Skill. Once you have entered the skill, it is further divided into three stages: Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Completion."

Zhao Guangyi paused before continuing.

"Minor Accomplishment is Copper Skin. The skin becomes tough, and ordinary clubs and staffs can hardly injure it. Major Accomplishment is Iron Flesh. The muscles grow firm, strength courses through the limbs, and one's power greatly increases. When skin and flesh merge, hardness and softness complement each other—that is Completion. At that point, one may enter a forest of blades barehanded."

As he spoke, Zhao Guangyi turned his gaze to the front row and beckoned to a short, stocky young man who stood just over five feet tall and looked exceptionally solid and strong.

"Junior Brother Gong, come forward."

"Yes, Fifth Senior Brother!"

Gong Jie answered and stepped out of the line, quickly making his way onto the platform.

His muscles were full and well-defined, his steps steady. Clearly, he already possessed a considerable foundation.

Zhao Guangyi said, "Junior Brother Gong Jie has cultivated the Iron Shirt Skill for nearly a year and has spent a long time at the Minor Accomplishment Copper Skin stage. Look carefully at his skin."

Hearing this, Jiang Qinghe immediately focused his attention and examined him closely.

The exposed skin on Gong Jie's body carried a peculiar texture, gleaming with a bluish-gray luster and faintly exuding a sense of toughness.

"See it?" Zhao Guangyi said blandly. "This is the outward manifestation of qi and blood soaking and nourishing the skin day and night."

He walked to Gong Jie's side and faced the apprentices.

"Remember this well! True methods of training skin and flesh are by no means about turning yourself into a dead, hard rock. The essence lies in constantly nourishing and tempering the skin with your own qi and blood, allowing it to possess both hardness and resilience. It must be able to withstand heavy blows and disperse force, yet also use its supple elasticity to shed impacts. Hardness and softness must aid each other, becoming one seamless whole!"

Before his words had faded, Zhao Guangyi casually flipped up his right hand, his palm curving slightly inward.

He pressed it against the thickest part of Gong Jie's right shoulder in what appeared to be an understated motion, then withdrew it like lightning.

Bang!

A dull slap of flesh against flesh rang out.

Gong Jie's burly body visibly tipped toward the left front, and he staggered half a step.

Yet his stance was exceptionally steady. His left foot slammed into the ground, and he instantly stabilized himself, standing upright once more.

Jiang Qinghe clearly saw a dark red mark appear on the patch of flesh Gong Jie had been struck. It seemed to be swelling and bruising.

Then, centered on the point of impact, the red mark quickly spread evenly outward, its color fading as it did.

Within only three or four breaths, that patch of skin had returned to normal, as though it had never suffered a blow at all.

"Very good."

A trace of approval appeared in Zhao Guangyi's eyes, and he nodded slightly.

"This is the sign of Copper Skin having achieved success!"

Facing the crowd, he raised his voice, carrying the air of instruction.

"The moment a blow lands, the skin instantly disperses and transmits the force concentrated at one point throughout the entire body, allowing it to bear the impact together! Ordinary clubs and blunt weapons can at most leave a few red marks, which vanish in the blink of an eye and cannot harm the foundation."

Immediately afterward, Zhao Guangyi pressed together the index and middle fingers of his right hand like a sword and drew them across the outer skin of Gong Jie's bare left arm.

Screech!

A faint yet piercing sound of friction rang out.

A pale mark about an inch long appeared on Gong Jie's arm.

Though the mark had not broken the skin or drawn blood, it remained imprinted there, its color refusing to fade for a long while.

"I merely used two fingers as a sword just now. If truly sharp blades were to flash across Junior Brother Gong's skin, he naturally would find it difficult to withstand them."

"Before completing the first major barrier of Body Tempering, remember this when facing sharp objects such as swords and knives: evade and block—do not try to endure them head-on."

Jiang Qinghe fell into thought and rubbed his palm.

The blood scab where a shard of porcelain had cut him while he climbed over the wall last night now seemed to ache faintly.

It appeared that the Wood Splitting Skill he had cultivated to Completion had only greatly increased his strength, while its tempering and strengthening effect on the skin was nearly nonexistent.

Zhao Guangyi's voice rang out again, pulling his thoughts back.

"After completing the first major barrier, an ordinary person can possess physical strength approaching a thousand jin. Those gifted by heaven may possess even more."

Then his tone shifted.

"However, merely possessing brute strength without refined techniques to support it means that even if you strike with ten parts of force, it is already sheer luck if six or seven parts truly land and injure your opponent."

Zhao Guangyi slowly raised a hand, palm facing upward and five fingers naturally spread. An invisible aura began to gather.

"Our Martial Academy is famed for its fierce and majestic palm techniques. Today, I shall teach you the basic palm art: the Rock Crushing Palm."

Hearing this, excitement flashed in Jiang Qinghe's eyes. He stared intently at Zhao Guangyi's every movement.

"The Rock Crushing Palm has three forms."

"The first form: Rock Breaking. Remember—your wrist must be like steel, your force like a drill; where the palm falls, stone veins burst open!"

Zhao Guangyi shouted in a deep voice. His right foot suddenly stepped forward into a bow stance, and his right palm exploded forth from his waist. His forearm was like an iron hammer, his palm carrying a fierce gust straight ahead.

"The second form: Mountain Shattering."

His body suddenly sank, both palms drawing back before his chest before thrusting forward in a crossing motion. The edges of his palms were like gigantic axes splitting mountains, their force driving through layer upon layer.

"Your waist and back must be like a boulder, your strength piercing along a single line; before one palm has finished, the next palm follows!"

"The third form: Mountain Crushing."

Before his words had faded, Zhao Guangyi twisted his waist and turned his hips, swinging his right arm in a full arc like an axe. With a howl of tearing air, the edge of his palm chopped diagonally down onto the Stone Lock beside him.

With a bang, the one-foot-square Stone Lock split apart, fragments of stone scattering in every direction.

"Your body must be like a drawn bow, your palm like thunder. This form must be struck cleanly and decisively!"

Gazing at the shattered Stone Lock on the platform, Jiang Qinghe was deeply shaken.

This was true martial arts, far beyond the level of relying on brute force to split firewood and break timber.

Zhao Guangyi seemed accustomed to everyone's reaction. His expression remained calm as he took two thread-bound booklets with blue covers from his robes.

The booklet edges were already somewhat worn, clearly having been read often.

"These are the Iron Shirt Skill and Rock Crushing Palm. They may only be circulated and cultivated within the academy. Should anyone be discovered copying them privately or leaking them outside, they will not be spared."

Next, he took out a transparent little bottle.

Inside was a jet-black medicinal pill.

"This is Blood Activating Powder."

Zhao Guangyi raised the small bottle so that all the apprentices could see it clearly.

"It can clear the meridians, disperse blood stasis and clots, and promote the circulation of qi and blood. Each person may receive one pill per month."

He explained the method of use in detail.

"Dissolve the pill in warm water, then soak your entire body in it. The duration of the medicinal soaking varies from person to person. Only when the water has completely returned to clarity can it be proven that the medicine has been fully absorbed by the body."

At last, Zhao Guangyi waved his hand, bringing the day's lesson to an end.

"That will be all for today. Practice diligently. If you have any questions regarding cultivation, you may seek guidance from Junior Brother Gong Jie. In half a month, I will assess your progress."