Comprehending Tiger Form Fist

The Nine Cauldrons World's original story followed Teng Qingshan's life. Most of its content revolved around the protagonist, Teng Qingshan.

Therefore, staying by the protagonist's side gave one the greatest chance of disrupting destiny and karma, and the greatest chance of triggering side quests.

If the various factions in this world were ranked by starting conditions, then for Reincarnators who knew only their missions and not the plot, Teng Village, Gui Yuan Sect, and Heavenly God Mountain were heavenly starts.

The further the story progressed, the greater their influence became. With careful management, the rewards would be abundant.

The Ying Family, Yu Emperor's Gate, Desolate Temple, and the Mani Temple Chan Sect lineage were ordinary starts. Though they might end up somewhat pathetic in the late stages, protecting their own interests would not be much of a problem.

The remaining members of the Eight Great Sects were the truly difficult starts. They looked imposing now, but without knowing where the greater trend lay, once the curtain rose, no one knew how they might die.

Of course, below difficult were even harsher beginnings. Small and large factions like the Iron Vest Sect, which had been casually wiped out in the original story, could not even control their own fates.

Yet for various reasons, they had caught the attention of major factions and could only drift with the current. The Reincarnators there could truly only rely on luck.

Further down were hellish starts. Like Teng Village right now, to those unaware of the situation, this was a hellish start.

They lived in troubled times, their clan struggled merely to protect itself, and they did not even possess a manual for Inner Force. It was an exceptionally unfavorable beginning. Nearby places such as Wang Family Village and Da Li Village were much the same.

Of course, there was only greater hardship, never the greatest hardship. If a Reincarnator's luck was even worse, they might directly become refugees or beggars, unable to know whether they would survive the day and constantly wandering about.

For them, let alone completing missions, staying alive was far more important.

That was getting off track. Right now, Gu Sheng had no mind to care about others. All he could see and think about was the set of Tiger Form Fist Teng Qingshan was teaching.

As Teng Qingshan practiced his fist art, many thoughts also ran through his mind.

"Xingyi Boxing is broad and profound. Without seven or eight years, even ten years, one could never achieve much. A mixed bag is inferior to specialization; rather than teaching my cousins all Twelve Forms, I may as well teach them only the Tiger Form. It will be easier for them to achieve something by practicing the Tiger Form."

"Xingyi Boxing values intent over form. The tiger is the king of beasts, mighty and ferocious, unmatched by all other animals. A tiger has the courage to pounce upon its prey. Tiger Form Fist, the Tiger Pounce of Xingyi Boxing—the essence lies in one word: 'pounce'..."

Gu Sheng watched Teng Qingshan move and crouch, shifting left and right. At times, he moved slowly while taking deep breaths; at times, he held his breath; at times, he breathed lightly. Together with his movements, he resembled a fierce tiger descending the mountain.

"Ding!"

The more Gu Sheng watched, the more absorbed he became. His eyes remained fixed on Teng Qingshan while his body unconsciously copied Teng Qingshan's movements. At one point, the system notification suddenly sounded in his mind again.

Multiverse Reincarnation System notification: Congratulations, Host, on mastering the skill Tiger Form Fist at the Beginner level (C-rank skill, three-star martial art).

"Whoosh!"

Gu Sheng exhaled a long stream of white mist. His face was flushed red, but after going through the fist routine once, he felt completely refreshed.

"Qingshan, let's go!"

Teng Qingshan had also stopped practicing. He had just walked over to watch Teng Qinghu for a while when the door opened, and Teng Yongfan came out supporting the drunken Teng Yonglei.

"Cousin, I'll be leaving first. See you tomorrow!"

Teng Qingshan nodded to Teng Qinghu, picked up his long spear, and ran toward Teng Yongfan and Teng Yonglei.

Inside Teng Qinghu's room, Gu Sheng sat alone at the bedside. The pink System Sprite was like a warm little lamp, flying up and down around him.

"Xiao Yu, burn Luck Points and use the skill deduction function."

After considering it for a long time, Gu Sheng finally made his decision. As mentioned before, aside from using Luck Points for reincarnation and securing a good start, the Multiverse Reincarnation System had only three functions.

Healing and recovery, heavenly secret deduction, and skill comprehension. However, the most important thing was that all three functions were weakened versions and did not truly live up to their names.

Take skill comprehension, for example. It truly only helped one comprehend and learn the martial art. To make it genuinely one's own still required diligent study, hard training, and personal practice.

That was right. This system could not directly instill skills into one's body like the Lord God. It could only provide various insights.

To develop bodily memory or even reach the corresponding realm still required one to cultivate step by step.

"Ding!"

System notification: Multiverse Reincarnation System skill comprehension function activated...

Congratulations, Host, on comprehending Tiger Form Fist at the Mastery level!

Congratulations, Host, on comprehending Tiger Form Fist at the Proficient level!

Congratulations, Host, on comprehending Tiger Form Fist at the Perfected level!

Congratulations, Host, on comprehending Tiger Form Fist at the Return to Simplicity level!

Beginner, Mastery, Proficient, Expert, Perfected, Return to Simplicity, and Beyond Limits—these seven realms applied to all skills throughout the myriad worlds, including martial arts and cultivation methods, battle qi, magic, and all manner of other skills.

"Phew! Those 160 Luck Points were well spent!"

At the bedside, Gu Sheng sat up clutching his head, drenched in sweat. Memories churned within his mind. In such a short time, his understanding of Tiger Form Fist had reached the highest theoretical realm.

In terms of Internal Fist, he was now a Grandmaster-level fist fighter, second only to an Internal Fist Grandmaster. However, this was merely comprehension. To truly reach that realm himself, he still needed to cultivate diligently and turn that realm into actual strength.

Once he thought of it, he acted. In this world, Gu Sheng was a true man of action. After resting briefly to ease his discomfort, he sprang up with a kip and began practicing Tiger Form Fist in the main hall.

"In the original story, Teng Qinghu went from knowing nothing to learning Internal Fist and cultivating Inner Force in three months and eight days—nearly a hundred days.

"With the system helping me comprehend the key points, I've already passed the hardest stage. I'll strive to sense qi within ten days. Within twenty days, I must become a Third-Rate expert with five hundred jin of strength. Only then will I have the qualifications to survive in these troubled times."

Gu Sheng set himself a small goal. His fist force swirled through the air, his movements fierce as a tiger, causing Tiger Mom, who had quietly reached the doorway, to retreat again.

The sky had only begun to brighten. Morning practice had not yet started, and there were not many people training at Teng Village's martial arts field. However, the Hunter Squad members had already begun gathering, and many wore grim expressions.

In the battle two days ago, the Hunter Squad had lost six members. Five had died, while Captain Teng Yonglei had lost an arm. Now, only twenty-six members remained in the entire Hunter Squad.

Teng Qingshan, who had arrived early, asked, "Is everyone here?"

"Everyone's here. Let's go!"

After checking everyone over, Gu Sheng—Teng Qinghu—nodded at him. Whether in the original story or now, Teng Qinghu was one of the people Teng Qingshan trusted most.

"Good. Move out!"

At Teng Qingshan's command, the twenty-six hunters of Teng Village, each holding a long spear, carrying a longbow, and dressed in beast-hide robes, walked out of Teng Village beneath the complicated gazes of the others.