Body Refining and Qi Guiding

Chapter 3: Body Refining and Qi Guiding

The entrance opened into a training ground, where dozens of apprentices were practicing punches, the sounds of their movements rising and falling.

Leading Lin Le to a corner, Hou Guang stood facing him.

"Today, I'll teach you the White Ape Shoulder-Hunching Fist first," Hou Guang said. "Once you've gotten the hang of it, I'll teach you the White Ape Spear."

Hou Guang added, "Of course, the martial arts school won't count your time until you've started learning the White Ape Spear."

"Alright," Lin Le nodded.

"Now, I'll demonstrate the White Ape Shoulder-Hunching Fist for you. Starting stance." Hou Guang relaxed his posture and began to punch, performing White Ape Offers Fruit, White Ape Explores Claw, White Ape Flips Over...

Lin Le watched from the side. When Hou Guang finished the set, he asked Lin Le, "How much did you remember?"

Lin Le recalled for a moment and replied, "All of it."

"Your memory is quite good," Hou Guang praised. "But just remembering isn't enough. Your body needs to be able to execute it. Show me a practice run."

Lin Le punched, recalling as he went. Hou Guang watched, a hint of surprise gradually appearing in his eyes.

In the past, some youths had arrogantly claimed to remember everything, but their practice was full of mistakes.

Yet, Lin Le executed the movements flawlessly, his form already very close to the standard.

After Lin Le finished, Hou Guang couldn't help but ask, "Junior Brother, what is your name?"

"Lin Le," Lin Le replied.

Hou Guang asked again, "Junior Brother Lin, how old are you?"

"Fifteen by lunar calendar," Lin Le said.

Fifteen by lunar calendar, so actually fourteen. Not too late, Hou Guang mused.

"Junior Brother Lin, you performed exceptionally well just now," Hou Guang applauded. "I didn't do as well as you on my first try."

Lin Le's expression was calm. "Senior Brother is too kind. I merely relied on my good memory and memorized it by rote."

Since awakening the mystery within the womb, his memory had indeed become much stronger, as if he had hyperthymesia. As long as he willed it, he could recall anything he had seen.

"Memory is also a talent. Having talent is a good thing; it's better than having no talent," Hou Guang sighed. "Let's continue. Since Junior Brother has a good memory, Senior Brother will have much less work to do."

"Okay," Lin Le nodded.

An afternoon passed, and under Hou Guang's guidance, Lin Le had learned all the active and passive exercises of the White Ape Shoulder-Hunching Fist.

"Alright, you've thoroughly learned the White Ape Shoulder-Hunching Fist. It's getting late, so I'll teach you the White Ape Spear tomorrow," Hou Guang said, clapping his hands. His expression seemed a little cooler than when they first started.

"Okay," Lin Le nodded and turned to leave.

Watching Lin Le depart, Hou Guang shook his head slightly. "What a shame."

What a shame? It was Lin Le's bone structure, of course.

While teaching, Hou Guang had also felt Lin Le's bone structure. It was of medium-to-low grade. While there was hope of generating Blood Qi, without significant resource assistance, it would be difficult to even become a Cultivator.

Lin Le also didn't look like he came from a wealthy family. He likely had some savings, but not much, otherwise, he wouldn't have come wearing coarse linen.

Back at the inn, Lin Le ate dinner, then opened the window, letting the moonlight stream in.

He immersed his consciousness into the divine ability's inner landscape. He saw two lotus leaves, each with a drop of dew on it.

One was the Sun-Moon Spirit Nectar, refined from the essence of the sun and moon. The other was the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid, condensed from his own scattered vital energy.

Although he had only just acquired it, the miraculous nature of the Lotus Incarnation divine ability was already evident.

He could skillfully refine the sun and moon essence that ordinary people could not absorb. By collecting his own scattered vital energy to form the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid, from another perspective, the divine ability had also forged him into a body without leaks, where no energy escaped.

Lin Le's gaze fell upon the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid, and he chose to use it.

The lotus leaf swayed slightly, and the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid dripped into what appeared to be a calm lake.

Lin Le also felt a change in his body. He withdrew from the inner landscape and began practicing punches in the tidied room.

White Ape Offers Fruit, White Ape Explores Claw, White Ape Flips Over...

As he performed the boxing routines, Lin Le could feel a small ball within his body moving with his strength, causing a tingling sensation in his muscles, a slight itchiness, as if his muscles were growing.

Crack!

During the third repetition, as Lin Le threw a punch, a crisp sound came from his arm.

Through-the-Back Nine Sounds, the first sound. This signified that Lin Le had thoroughly grasped the basics of the White Ape Shoulder-Hunching Fist.

However, this only represented his mastery of the boxing technique, not his entry into the Body Refining Realm.

The Body Refining Realm was the term given to martial artists who had not yet reached the proper Qi Guiding Realm.

To enter the Body Refining Realm, one's physical body needed to be honed to the limits of an ordinary person, capable of lifting a five-hundred-jin stone with their arms.

Beyond that, came the generation of Blood Qi, nourishing the body, and opening the Secret Realm.

During this process, there were four minor milestones, known as the Four Limits, which were Blood Qi Gauze, Blood Qi Wolf Smoke, Blood Qi Like a Dragon, and Blood Qi Furnace.

Upon breaking through one limit, one was considered to have achieved mastery and could be called a Martial Master, and even attempt to enter the Spiritual Platform Secret Realm to become a Cultivator.

However, the success rate was less than one in a hundred. Moreover, the Spiritual Platform was located in the heart. Failure in the attempt would result in severe damage to one's vital energy, or even instant death.

Most people only dare to attempt to reach the Spiritual Platform after becoming a Martial Master of the Three Limits, at which point they have a fifty percent success rate.

After completely refining the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid, Lin Le clenched his fists. "I wonder where I am now?"

Even before the demon disaster, he could lift a 180-jin stone, putting him on par with normal men who did manual labor year-round.

He didn't know if he had regressed or improved since then.

'I'll go to the martial arts school tomorrow,' Lin Le thought to himself.

Standing by the window, Lin Le gazed at the bright moon, his fists unconsciously tightening.

"Wait, just a little longer!" Lin Le muttered to himself.

He had mediocre Bone Structure, not just Hou Guang knew this, but he himself knew it too. How could his father not have had his bones examined?

However, with the Lotus Incarnation, he was confident that he was no worse than someone with superior Bone Structure, and surpassing them wasn't impossible.

He heard that those with superior Bone Structure could temper their bodies to the peak of ordinary people and generate Blood Qi within a month. This was seemingly under normal nourishment conditions; with the aid of Treasure Medicine, it could be even faster.

'You have Treasure Medicine, I have Treasure Liquid, so I'm not at a disadvantage.'

Lin Le looked at the lotus leaf that condensed the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid and thought to himself.

The next day, after breakfast, Lin Le went to the White Ape Martial Arts School to practice martial arts.

Because he arrived early, there weren't many people in the training ground.

Lin Le walked straight towards the Stone Locks on the side. After picking one up, he chose the 140-jin one to warm up.

He assumed a horse stance, grasped the wooden handle with both hands, then let out a soft shout. Power surged from his waist, and with a heave of his arms, he suddenly lifted the 140-jin Stone Lock.

Lin Le tried the 160-jin one and could still lift it, then the 180-jin one.

'It's heavy, but it doesn't feel like my limit.'

Lin Le looked at the 200-jin Stone Lock next to him and exerted force with his arms again.

This time, it reached Lin Le's limit. He could hear his muscles groaning.

Bang!

Lin Le dropped the Stone Lock and took several deep breaths. In the end, he still couldn't lift it, but he managed to get it past his eyebrows. He estimated his strength to be around 190 jin.

After enduring hunger and hardship for days while fleeing, not only had his strength not regressed, but it had even reached 190 jin. This truly exceeded Lin Le's expectations.

'Is the Blood Essence Treasure Liquid really that effective?' Lin Le pondered.

After a moment's thought, Lin Le shook his head slightly. Why think so much? He would know tonight when he used it again.

After testing his strength, Lin Le began practicing his punches.