Late at night in the border fortress, the howling gale seemed ready to fall asleep as well. At last, it stopped rolling and gradually died down.
Under the night sky, where a bright moon hung high overhead, Li Qing returned to his camp tent after washing his mess tin.
He had a thick tome tucked beneath his arm. Only after entering the tent did he carefully take out a rag and wipe the dust from its surface clean, finally seeing the four words on its cover.
"Ancient Profound Hammer Technique"!
Ancient Profound?
Li Qing frowned slightly. Wasn't Master Gu's name Gu Tianxing? Why was this hammer technique named after Ancient Profound?
"Never mind. I'll go to the Eternal Night World to study and practice it. After what happened this afternoon, no one should come looking for me tonight."
Li Qing murmured to himself, then hugged the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique with both hands and closed his eyes.
After quite a while, Li Qing's figure inside the camp tent gradually began to blur, before vanishing from the tent altogether.
Sensing the change in temperature around him, Li Qing opened his eyes, his face wearing an expression of exhaustion.
It was not only the temperature that had changed, but the scenery around him as well. The border fortress covered in endless yellow sand had become a small city with strange customs.
"Hah!"
"This is even more tiring than forging several broadswords!"
Inside an elegantly furnished classical room, Li Qing let out a long breath.
This place was called the Eternal Night World. Of course, Li Qing had named it himself. Ever since he had been able to see his own lifespan at the age of ten, he had accidentally discovered that, in the dead of night, he could come to this world of perpetual darkness through sheer thought.
However, this kind of bodily traversal was exceedingly exhausting, consuming an enormous amount of physical strength every time.
When he had first crossed over at the age of ten, he had nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Only in recent years had that condition gradually improved.
Now seventeen, he had become considerably stronger and sturdier, but carrying physical objects across still placed a great burden on him.
After crossing over many times, Li Qing had already discovered several unusual aspects of the Eternal Night World.
For instance, time flowed differently here from the world he originally inhabited. Three days passed in the Eternal Night World while only one day passed where his original body was.
That was why his ironworking and forging skills had improved so quickly. It was all thanks to the tempering and practice he received in this world.
"I have nearly a whole day. I need to hurry and comprehend the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique."
Li Qing treasured his time. Before he had even taken a few more breaths, he opened the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique Master Gu had given him and began reading.
The very first sentence resolved the doubts in his heart.
"This hammer technique was passed down from my ancestor, Ancient Profound. It is a martial art that balances the tempering of one's physique with hammer techniques and moves. Later, when this old man, Gu Tianxing, became a blacksmith, I modified this hammer technique by adding methods for forging iron. One may serve as a blacksmith while strengthening the body as well. Not bad at all."
Upon seeing that first passage, Li Qing could not help showing an excited expression.
Just as expected!
His master and those unbelievably strong soldiers in the army really had practiced martial arts!
Otherwise, strength so far beyond reach that it left others choking on dust simply could not be explained by common sense.
Li Qing still clearly remembered once seeing a commander of a thousand men in the army lift a massive cauldron dozens of centimeters off the ground during a public martial demonstration!
His heart had been shaken beyond measure at the time, yet all the other soldiers had merely clapped and cheered.
And now, he had finally obtained a secret martial arts manual!
Thanks to nature. Ah, no—thanks for Master Gu's gift!
Filled with excitement, Li Qing began reading this hammer technique that had been passed down through who knew how many generations.
Contrary to what he had imagined, the entry point of this martial art was actually teaching people to stand in a stance—stance training!
".When a person leaves the ground, he is like duckweed without roots. At the instant one exerts force, both feet must be planted firmly upon the earth."
It had to be said that this hammer technique explained force generation and borrowed force in great detail. It was exceedingly suited for a beginner to martial arts like Li Qing.
After spending roughly two hours, Li Qing had firmly memorized the foundations of this hammer technique.
Then he left the room, casually draped a padded coat over himself, and came to the separate courtyard outside. Bathing in the moonlight cast down by the crimson moon overhead, he began to assume his stance.
The air all around was cold, not because winter had arrived, but because the Eternal Night World had always been this frigid.
Li Qing's first attempt at stance training lasted only around fifteen minutes before his legs began trembling incessantly from exhaustion, as though he had sprinted several thousand meters at full speed.
bang!
"Gah! Standing in a stance while following the mental method from the hammer technique is actually this exhausting." Li Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead in astonishment, stunned by the difficulty of merely getting started.
"Still, martial arts like this are best practiced from childhood. Someone like me, who has already passed that age, can only slowly grind it out with time."
Fortunately, he did not lack time.
After resting for a while, Li Qing climbed back up and began another round of stance training.
The second time, he lasted nearly twenty minutes before collapsing from exhaustion.
The third time, he lasted nearly thirty minutes.
The fourth time, he could not hold on for even five minutes.
Too exhausting!
Soaked through with sweat, Li Qing removed the padded robe and clothes draped over himself, then sat bare-chested and limp in the courtyard to rest.
The lines of his muscles were exceptionally distinct, and sweat continuously dripped onto the ground.
Though the temperature around him was cold, he felt warm all over, with white steam rising from his body.
Just as he had rested for quite a while and was preparing to practice again, a sudden clattering sound came from outside the courtyard.
"Damn it, Old An, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
"You dog that struts on another's power, get lost! Tell the Yan family that my granddaughter will never marry into the Yan family for as long as she lives!" An angry, aged voice rang out.
"Then you grandfather and granddaughter can wait to starve to death! You offended the Yan family—let's see how you survive in Obsidian City! Don't even dream of getting another Black Rye Mushroom in the future!" That shrill and caustic voice shouted again.
Li Qing had no desire to pay attention, nor did he wish to meddle in anyone else's business. He still narrowed his eyes and regulated his breathing according to the methods of the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique.
The Eternal Night World was no peaceful, harmonious place. It could even be said to be far more chaotic than the Feng Kingdom.
Because this place was dark all year round, food was scarce, and the population was somewhat sparse, nine out of ten homes standing empty was commonplace.
Laws and rules were empty talk. Everyone had already exhausted every effort simply to avoid starving to death. No one was willing to expend even the slightest bit of strength on someone else's affairs.
Take the separate courtyard Li Qing lived in now, for instance. This courtyard was not actually his. It was simply that there were hardly any residents on this street.
He had naturally moved in, and no one paid him any attention at all.
Because of this, no one cared whenever Li Qing disappeared for long stretches of time.
Knock, knock, knock!
Soon, knocking came from outside the door. Li Qing, who had originally intended to keep his ears shut to all matters beyond his window, frowned slightly.
In the end, he still decided to open the door.
Creak—
When the courtyard gate opened, a scrawny little man with a shifty, rat-faced look stood outside.
"Oh! Little Master Li is home. I've knocked on your door several times lately, and I finally happened to catch you."
This man was Yan San, one of the Yan family's lackeys. His original surname had not been Yan. It was only because he had won the Yan family's favor that, to show his loyalty, he had directly changed his surname.
"Yan San, if you have something to say, say it plainly. Don't beat around the bush," Li Qing said calmly.
Only then did Yan San see Li Qing's current state clearly. He was bare-chested, heat still steaming from his entire body, his muscles solid and powerfully built.
A trace of wariness flashed through his eyes before he adopted a flattering tone. "Little Master Li, the Yan family recently needs a batch of new farm tools forged for harvesting Black Rye Mushrooms. Would that be convenient for you? The payment will be the same as before: half a jin of Black Rye Mushrooms for every three sickles forged!"
Black Rye Mushrooms were a specialty of the Eternal Night World. Ordinary people generally survived by eating Black Rye Mushrooms.
Li Qing had no interest whatsoever in these fungi, which tasted like moldy wheat flour.
After pondering for a moment, he said, "I heard several martial arts schools in Obsidian City went out of business before. The Yan family gathered up all the fist-and-kick martial arts from those schools with just a little food. I don't want the Black Rye Mushrooms. Go ask whether the Yan family can let me borrow those secret martial arts manuals for a read."
Upon hearing these words, Yan San froze for a moment, then a flash of delight appeared in his eyes.
Who still practiced martial arts these days? They could not be eaten as food.
Those so-called martial arts manuals gathering dust in corners had long since become worthless.
People who practiced martial arts also ate a great deal. Even the Yan family was reluctant to spend resources raising so many fighters. Nowadays, no one truly practiced those secret manuals of fist-and-kick techniques.
"So Little Master Li is interested in these fist-and-kick techniques. Leave it to me—I guarantee I'll get them exchanged for you!" Yan San said happily.
There were not many people in the city who could forge iron now, and Black Rye Mushroom yields were low. Being able to use some useless things as payment was naturally the best outcome!
Yan San immediately left the street in high spirits.
At the courtyard gate, Li Qing watched Yan San leave and could not help sighing inwardly.
"Alas, I still did not handle this cautiously enough. I should have used a more clever and tactful method to obtain them."
"But war will break out along the border soon. There is no helping it. Urgent matters call for expedient measures, urgent matters call for expedient measures."
After returning to the courtyard, Li Qing conducted a deep self-reflection, continually reviewing what could have been improved in this encounter with Yan San.
As a blacksmith who forged iron in the city, no one would likely investigate his background.
But in this day and age, someone refusing Black Rye Mushrooms in favor of martial arts manuals that no one practiced would always make a small group of people stop and think.
They would not be able to guess his secret of traversing between two worlds, but it was still somewhat rash in the end.
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