Shadowless Fist

When the disciples in the courtyard saw Master return, they immediately trained with even greater diligence, their shouts louder than ever before.

Sun Chengshan swept his gaze over them, a satisfied look appearing on his face, then walked to the edge of the courtyard.

There stood a well-crafted Grand Tutor's chair and a matching small tea table. It was his personal seat.

He did not sit down just then, merely picked up a cup of tea a disciple had prepared on the table and said calmly to Wang Yu, "Take a horse stance."

Wang Yu froze for a moment, then quickly glanced at the several disciples in the courtyard who were holding horse stances and lowered his waist in imitation.

But compared to a true martial artist, his stance was far inferior, looking unsteady and flimsy.

Sun Chengshan did not mind. He reached out and kneaded and tapped various parts of Wang Yu's body.

"That will do."

A moment later, Sun Chengshan withdrew his hand and had Wang Yu stand up.

Wang Yu could not read Sun Chengshan's thoughts, so he simply did as told.

"He Zheng, you do it." Sun Chengshan sat in the Grand Tutor's chair and beckoned to the older disciple beside him.

"Yes, Master." Song Hezheng answered solemnly, striding into the courtyard.

"I will demonstrate only three times. Memorize every detail of my movements as best you can."

After speaking, Song Hezheng did not wait for Wang Yu's response before assuming his stance.

He drew in his abdomen, lifted his qi, stepped forward, and threw a fierce punch.

Smack!

His fist flashed like lightning, piercing the air with a sharp crack.

Then came the second punch, the third punch—

Song Hezheng moved fluidly, his footsteps steady and governed by a certain rhythm as he followed the flow of his fists.

Wang Yu's eyes widened. What Song Hezheng was demonstrating was undoubtedly a fist technique.

Guessing that this was another test before being accepted as a disciple, he did not dare let his guard down, focusing intently on Song Hezheng's every movement.

Before long, Song Hezheng's fist sequence came to an abrupt halt.

"That was the first time."

After that simple reminder, he began the second demonstration from the start. His punches and footwork remained as smooth as drifting clouds and flowing water, every movement seeming precise to the smallest fraction.

Wang Yu groaned inwardly.

After the first round ended, he hurriedly reviewed it in his mind, but he could only remember several of Song Hezheng's dazzling punches. The rest was still hazy and indistinct.

After all, he had never come into contact with martial arts before. He was relying entirely on raw memory to force it into his head.

The second round ended quickly as well, and without pausing for even a moment, Song Hezheng began the third.

Wang Yu stood motionless, his gaze never once leaving him.

By the end of Song Hezheng's second demonstration, he had already remembered quite a bit.

Only after the third round did he gain some confidence that he could reproduce most of Song Hezheng's movements from memory.

After finishing the fist technique, Song Hezheng's expression remained unchanged. He was not even breathing heavily; such a small amount of exercise was not enough to make him sweat.

"This is half of Shadowless Fist's Basic Fist Style. Show me what you remembered."

Sun Chengshan had already sipped half a cup of tea. Once Song Hezheng returned to his side, he spoke to Wang Yu.

Wang Yu rarely did anything he was not confident in, but this time he could only force himself to step forward.

As he took up the opening stance, he naturally lacked the presence of Song Hezheng, a proper disciple, and his movements were not very standard either.

Wang Yu could not worry about that. He forced himself to calm down and, relying on his memory, reproduced as many of the movement details as possible.

After finishing the half set of Basic Fist Style, Wang Yu was fairly satisfied with his performance.

In such a short time, he believed that remembering so many movements and linking them together so convincingly already counted as an exceptional performance.

Sun Chengshan nodded after watching. "Your natural physique is so-so, but your comprehension is passable."

"Then I..." Wang Yu's heart leaped with joy. Though the evaluation was not high, it was enough as long as he could practice martial arts.

As long as he could attain even a little skill, he would be able to survive in this world rather than work himself to death in the mines.

Sun Chengshan narrowed his eyes and gave a soft snort. "Do not celebrate too soon. The path of martial arts costs time, effort, and money.

"Setting aside the distant future, if you cannot reach the Body Tempering First Level under me within three months, that will prove martial arts are not meant for you. At that time, you will have to leave on your own, losing both your money and your place. Think it over carefully."

"I have thought it over. Please accept me!"

Wang Yu did not hesitate in the slightest. With a resolute expression, he offered up the tuition fee with both hands.

That night, Wang Yu moved into the martial arts school.

The thousand in tuition was not paid for nothing. In name, he was now a provisional disciple of the martial arts school and could stay there.

The martial arts school's courtyard residence was quite large, with several rows of rooms stretching inward.

Wang Yu was assigned a room with two other provisional disciples.

One was called Wang Sanwa, and the other was called Li Niushan.

Wang Sanwa had an ordinary appearance and a small build. He did not look like he came from a well-off family.

He was two years younger than Wang Yu.

The other, Li Niushan, lived up to his name. Dark-skinned and built like an ox, he was already twenty this year.

"Brother Wang, we share the same Old Ancestor. We ought to look out for each other in the martial arts school from now on."

Wang Sanwa was the first to approach Wang Yu. He had a lively, talkative personality.

"I'm only provisional too. In three months, I might have to leave as well," Wang Yu said with a shake of his head.

"Who isn't? I've already been here for almost two months, and I haven't even caught a glimpse of the Body Tempering First Level. If anyone has to leave, it'll be me first."

Wang Sanwa's bed was next to Wang Yu's. Li Niushan was usually honest and good-natured, but he was also a stuffy gourd who could go half a day without speaking.

Now that Wang Yu had finally arrived, Wang Sanwa eagerly chatted without end.

Wang Yu was willing to talk as well, and through Wang Sanwa, he learned quite a few things about the martial arts school in advance.

For instance, their Master, Sun Chengshan, had arrived in Island Town No. 732 only three years ago, yet had already made the martial arts school flourish.

That was all thanks to his formidable personal cultivation.

It was said that he had cultivated a Body Tempering Fifth Level strength through an unfathomable Shadowless Fist.

Over the past three years, he had defeated the masters of three martial arts schools in succession, rising swiftly to fame.

In truth, Wang Sanwa did not know much about Master Sun Chengshan either. After all, he himself had only been there for around two months, and most of it came from what other disciples had said.

The next day, early in the morning.

All the provisional disciples gathered in the courtyard and began their morning training.

Song Hezheng appeared an hour later and went directly to Wang Yu.

"You have already watched the first half of the Basic Fist Style yesterday. Next, I will teach you the complete Shadowless Fist - Basic Stance.

"Train well. Strive to reach the Body Tempering First Level within three months and remain here."

Song Hezheng offered Wang Yu a brief word of encouragement.

He was the Senior Disciple Brother here, so he was qualified to teach on Master's behalf.

Wang Yu had been unable to wait any longer and immediately nodded in agreement.

Song Hezheng filled in the part where yesterday's fist sequence had abruptly stopped, performing the entire Basic Fist Style before Wang Yu.

There were no more interruptions, all the way to the closing move.

"First memorize this fist style and practice it until you are proficient. Remember: the more practiced and standard your movements are, the better the fist technique's body-tempering effect will be. If you encounter any confusion during practice, you may come find me," Song Hezheng said unhurriedly.

"Thank you for your instruction, Senior Brother," Wang Yu said.

Song Hezheng nodded, then went on to instruct the other provisional disciples.

Wang Yu immediately withdrew his gaze and called up the panel in his mind.

Name: Wang Yu

Race: Humanity

Cultivation: None

Martial Arts Technique: Shadowless Fist - Basic Stance (Can be practiced)

"I have it!"

Wang Yu clenched his fists. After looking at the panel countless times, it had finally changed this time.

Under the Martial Arts Technique section, the Shadowless Fist - Basic Stance that Song Hezheng had just taught him had appeared, marked as something he could practice.

"But how do I practice it?"

Wang Yu frowned. He tried taking up the opening posture of the Basic Fist Style, then stepped forward and threw a fierce punch.

His punch was already much better than yesterday's, no longer so floating and weak.

The panel showed no reaction, so Wang Yu simply completed the entire set of Basic Fist Style.

His stamina was far inferior to Song Hezheng's. Even though his movements were unstandardized and exceedingly unfamiliar, he still broke into a sweat.

A distinct feeling of exertion spread through his muscles, leaving them slightly sore and numb.

"So miraculous?" Wang Yu was taken aback. For the moment, he forgot about the panel in his mind, his attention wholly focused on this set of Basic Fist Style.

Though he was merely copying a cat while drawing a tiger and producing something neither fish nor fowl, the training effect was absolutely real.

"Could it be these special force-generating movements?" Wang Yu guessed inwardly.

"As he said, if I could perform this whole set with standard, practiced movements, the degree of bodily training would probably rise sharply."

This made Wang Yu even more interested in the fist technique. After a short rest, he immediately took up the stance again.

He threw a more standard first punch with force.

+1

"Hm?"

Wang Yu froze. Something seemed to have popped up before his eyes just now?

He looked at the panel, but everything was unchanged. Steadying himself slightly, he threw another punch.

+1

This time, Wang Yu saw it clearly.

At the instant he punched, a translucent "+1" rose from his fist.

Though he did not yet understand what the number above his fist meant, he could basically conclude that it was related to the panel in his mind.

Wang Sanwa had not mentioned these numbers last night. He was likely the only one experiencing this.

Wang Yu simply completed an entire set of the fist style in one smooth stretch.

During that time, the translucent "+1" appeared a total of eleven times.

"This seems to be the game proficiency function I set."

To verify his theory, Wang Yu began repeating the Basic Fist Style over and over.

When he was tired, he rested. Once he had rested, he continued training, never slacking for a moment.

Soon sweat poured from his entire body, soaking through his clothes and trousers, but Wang Yu did not notice at all.

He only felt his whole body burning hot, his heart pounding, his blood boiling.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter. With every repetition of the form, he gained new insights, discovering increasingly standard details and techniques for exerting force on his own. He had no need for Song Hezheng's guidance at all.

In just one day, he was already performing it with impressive form, not at all like a novice who had only just begun.

Even quite a few provisional disciples who had trained for one or two months were not as skilled and natural as Wang Yu when practicing the fist technique.

"He grasped so many force points and techniques without a teacher in a single day, yet Master said his comprehension was merely passable..."

Song Hezheng's mouth twitched slightly.