Tiger Subduing Stance Breakthrough

The courtyard gradually darkened, yet Fang Mo was still holding his stance. His body rose and fell like a crouching tiger, his blood and qi surging with each breath, flowing through him and nourishing his flesh. Sweat dripped continuously onto the sandy ground, shattering into countless droplets.

At that moment, a group of five emerged from the Central Hall.

Three men and two women—these were Guan Lie's five chief disciples. More accurately, four of them were disciples; the tall woman among them was his daughter, Guan Lu.

The other somewhat proud-looking girl was Chi Jing, the Fourth Junior Sister. Then there were Senior Disciple Brother Feng Qingyuan, Second Senior Brother Miao Ping, and Third Senior Brother Yang Yunxing.

The five chatted and laughed as they headed outside. It looked as though they were going out for dinner; they had even changed clothes.

By then, there were no students left in the courtyard. Only Fang Mo remained, standing alone in his stance, making him seem especially conspicuous.

They all noticed Fang Mo and could not help glancing at him.

"Is that the new student?" Yang Yunxing looked at Fang Mo, who was holding his stance, and said with a smile, "His Tiger Subduing Stance is fairly solid. It's starting to have some flavor. To perform like this after only two days, his comprehension seems quite good!"

"He's pretty hardworking. Yesterday, I saw that he was the last one to leave too," Senior Disciple Brother Feng Qingyuan said with a smile.

Chi Jing said coolly, "What use is comprehension alone? In martial cultivation, Bone Structure is what matters most. Without the right Bone Structure, all that effort is wasted."

Her Bone Structure was quite good, and her family was well-off, so she had developed a rather arrogant temperament.

"Junior Sister Chi is right!" Miao Ping looked at Chi Jing, the arrogance vanishing from his face as he smiled. "Without a martial artist's Bone Structure, entering Ming Jin within half a year is probably impossible!"

Feng Qingyuan smiled faintly. "You can't say that for certain. Perhaps he might break through."

Mockery flashed through Chi Jing's eyes. "That's wishful thinking. With his Bone Structure, he probably won't break through to Ming Jin even in ten years!"

"Forget it, why talk about him?" Guan Lu hurriedly said when she heard Chi Jing's harsh words. "Let's go quickly! The gathering will start soon. We can't miss the exciting matches!"

The group stopped discussing him and headed out. Fang Mo had heard their conversation, but he pretended not to and continued cultivating with all his strength.

Guan Lie stood in the hall, watching Fang Mo sweat like rain beneath the night sky. He shook his head as well, then turned and headed toward the inner residence.

He shared the same opinion.

For a martial artist, Bone Structure was paramount. Without it, everything else was empty. Besides, Fang Mo was already eighteen years old. His body had taken shape long ago, and there was no possibility of changing it.

If he had been treated as a child—if a Core Strength Practitioner had massaged and guided him, if medicines had tempered his body, and if he had eaten plenty of Exotic Beast Meat to supplement himself—then perhaps there might have been a chance to change things.

But judging by the situation, his family circumstances were not very good either. Otherwise, they would not have allowed his body to become so weak.

He sighed softly and turned to leave. He had seen Fang Mo's efforts, but they were wasted effort. He had seen too many children from poor families work hard, only for it all to come to nothing in the end.

[Tiger Subduing Stance: Beginner's Practice (42/100)]

Fang Mo stopped cultivating and looked at the information displayed on the Bronze Mirror, his heart surging with excitement. It seemed that he would break through in less than a week.

He did not care in the slightest what the others said. With his divine ability, he believed that he would surely succeed in entering Ming Jin.

Dragging his exhausted body back to the small courtyard, Fang Mo cut off half of the Exotic Beast Meat and put it on to stew. He cooked a pot of rice, then filled the bath with hot water for a Medicinal Bath.

This time, he remained awake, and the sensation was even clearer. The Medicinal Liquid was scorching hot, and energy occasionally flowed into his body. It was as if countless tiny, warm hands were massaging his muscles, easing the exhaustion in his body. At the same time, the medicinal power entered him, flowing with his blood and qi and strengthening his body.

After soaking for two hours, he felt refreshed and invigorated, his bodily exhaustion greatly eased.

After the bath, he wolfed down three large bowls of rice with the Exotic Beast Meat, filling his stomach before resuming his stance to digest the Exotic Beast Meat's energy.

After completing seven cycles of Heavenly Cycle Breathing, the energy from the Exotic Beast Meat gradually weakened, and only then did he stop to wash up briefly.

It was already past midnight, so he went straight to bed.

Another night of sweet dreams passed.

The next day, he woke feeling refreshed, his body light and strong, brimming with power.

In the morning, he could already complete three cycles of Heavenly Cycle Breathing with ease while holding his stance. With the Exotic Beast Meat and Medicinal Liquid working together, he improved rapidly. His physical condition was far stronger than it had been three days earlier.

This filled Fang Mo with motivation. Every day, after holding his stance at home, he went to the Martial Hall and continued without stopping, only returning at eight or nine in the evening.

He soaked in medicine, ate Exotic Beast Meat, then continued training.

He was like a man possessed. Aside from necessary rest, he was always holding his stance. The people at the Martial Hall saw it too. Though they believed it was futile, Fang Mo's persistence and madness still shook them.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, another three days had passed. Fang Mo could now persist through four cycles of Heavenly Cycle Breathing, and he was only five points away from advancing.

His heart was full of anticipation. He was about to break through, and he desperately wanted to know what it would feel like afterward.

He settled into a bow-legged horse stance, both hands posed as if seizing and pressing down a tiger. His body rose and fell slightly without pause, like waves, coordinating with his breathing to drive his blood and qi through his body.

One cycle.

Two cycles.

He held on stubbornly. Sweat rolled from his body like raindrops, striking the muddy ground until a large patch of earth had been soaked through.

At last, he completed the fifth cycle.

[Tiger Subduing Stance: Initial Grasp of the Basics (1/1000)]

The Bronze Mirror in his mind trembled, golden words appearing upon it. The Tiger Subduing Stance had finally advanced.

It was as though thunder roared in Fang Mo's mind. Then, an invisible realization poured into his heart like the warm sun of spring. In that instant, his understanding of the Tiger Subduing Stance seemed to open the door to an entirely new world. Every movement, every breath, became incomparably clear. It felt as though his body had formed a wondrous connection with heaven and earth, and every inch of skin could sense the subtle ripples of power.

At the same time, he felt an unprecedented surge of blood and qi roiling within him, like a rushing river. It burst forth from his Dantian, passed through his meridians, and flowed into his limbs and bones, cleansing every cell in his body anew.

That current of heat not only warmed his body, but warmed his soul as well. His exhaustion seemed to scatter in an instant, replaced by boundless strength and vitality.

"So this is the first body tempering Ding Zhiyuan spoke of!"

Five days—he had completed the first body tempering in only five days. That should not be considered slow, right?

However, when he saw the second realm required 1,000 proficiency points, the excitement in his heart gradually settled. The road ahead would be even more difficult. The number had increased so drastically that he would have to work twice as hard if he wanted to break through.

Fang Mo took a deep breath, determination gleaming in his eyes.

He knew he still had a long road ahead of him, but he was ready to face the challenges.

He knew that his future was filled with limitless possibilities.

He knew that as long as he persevered, he would certainly become a powerful martial artist.

He knew that his effort and persistence would one day be rewarded.

He, Fang Mo, would use his own hands to write a legend that belonged to him alone.