Old Affairs, Hidden Dragon Style Body

Li Qi waved a hand. "They're all old affairs. Back then, this old man and Ning Yatou's grandmother were in love and almost got together. Unfortunately, her husband didn't agree..."

Xue Jing: ""

"Tell me more."

For once, Xue Jing's gossiping instincts had been ignited.

Li Qi rubbed his smooth bald crown and said modestly, "Ah, it was nothing much. When I was young, I looked decent enough—about evenly matched with you, I'd say—so there were naturally more temptations around me.

I was young and hot-blooded then, fond of fighting and killing, so I found a way to join the renowned Dragon Cult. Back then, Ning Yatou's grandfather hadn't yet become the cult leader. He and I were as close as brothers, and I often visited his home..."

A nostalgic look appeared in Li Qi's eyes.

"The first time I saw my sister-in-law, her backside..."

Xue Jing sat down and listened with rapt attention, afraid of missing a single word.

Who would have thought that Li Qi would merely smack his lips? "Sigh, there's nothing more to say. The past is too painful to revisit."

Xue Jing grew a little anxious. "Don't stop, Master. Tell me more."

Li Qi shot him a glance. "Did you come here to learn martial arts or listen to stories? Young people shouldn't pry into the affairs of their elders."

Xue Jing's lips twitched. He barely managed not to curse aloud.

Damn cliffhanger bastard!

"Enough. You can hear about that another time. Let's get down to business first," Li Qi said.

Xue Jing composed himself and nodded. "Yes."

"Come here. Let this old man feel your bones." Li Qi beckoned.

Xue Jing walked over to him.

"Hold out your hand."

Xue Jing did as instructed.

Li Qi extended his somewhat withered palm, seized Xue Jing's wrist, and gave it a violent shake as though snapping a noodle! Xue Jing felt an overwhelming force surge from his wrist into his body.

He was like a small boat caught in raging waves, involuntarily making all sorts of movements as a string of crisp crackles erupted from the bones throughout his body.

"Hmm... hmm?"

Using the feedback transmitted through his force, Li Qi examined Xue Jing's body. First came confusion, then surprise.

"You brat, what kind of exercise do you usually do?"

he asked doubtfully.

Xue Jing said, "Just running and the like. I don't really do anything else."

After hearing this, Li Qi muttered, "Impossible. Could such a thing really exist?"

He raised his head, and his formerly clouded old eyes gleamed with a frightening brightness. "You brat, do you know what condition your body is in?"

Xue Jing felt uneasy under his gaze. "What is it, Master? Is my body in poor condition?"

"Poor?" Li Qi shook his head, seeming almost amused.

"It's not poor. It's too good—good to an almost impossible degree."

"Your body is like something sculpted by a god with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Every muscle, every bone, every organ... they're all balanced and perfect to a terrifying extent."

Li Qi marveled as he stroked the muscles on Xue Jing's forearm, as if caressing a priceless treasure.

"If I weren't sure that this old man had nothing worth coveting, I would definitely think you were an artificial genius created by those big companies through technological means."

"I never thought there would truly be a naturally born human body this perfect in this world..."

Xue Jing narrowed his eyes.

There was no doubt that this was because of the Skill Panel.

Ever since activating the Skill Panel, especially after unlocking the "Fighting" skill, his body had become like this.

In a sense, he really was the "artificial genius" Li Qi had described.

"Little Jing."

The look in Li Qi's eyes became far more fervent.

"Without a doubt, you are the person most suited in the world to cultivate the Hidden Dragon Style."

"If it's you, you should be able to cultivate the most perfect Hidden Dragon Style Body."

"Style body?" Xue Jing's gaze shifted.

Another new term.

Li Qi smiled. "A 'style body' is the physique gradually forged after cultivating an entire martial arts school's techniques."

"Every school has different methods of training and fighting, each with its own focus. Some emphasize agility and speed, others explosive power. Those who cultivate different martial arts will ultimately develop physiques suited to those arts."

"Just as sprinters' leg muscles are bound to be more developed, and a fighter's muscular structure is completely different from a basketball player's, the body trained to adapt to different things is what we call a style body."

"For example, the Golden Wind Dojo you know of. Their school is called the Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword. When their style body reaches mastery, their internal bodily structure becomes completely different from that of ordinary people. They can generate force as sharp as a blade. Punching someone is like carving them up with a knife, tearing off huge chunks of flesh with every strike. Using a Palm Blade to sever someone's head is no difficult task either."

Xue Jing's eyes shone. "Then what are the characteristics of our Hidden Dragon Style Body?"

Li Qi smiled. "You could say it has them, or you could say it doesn't."

Xue Jing: "Hmm?"

Li Qi said with some pride, "You know what a hexagonal warrior is, right?"

"The core philosophy of our Hidden Dragon Style is eight words—hide the dragon in the body, nurture the dragon in the heart."

"Once the style body reaches mastery, it is like having a complete true dragon hidden within your body. It can grow large or small, rise or conceal itself. Agility, speed, strength, defense, penetration... it possesses everything and encompasses all things. It has five Killing Moves and three ultimate arts, able to handle every situation without any weakness."

Then he sighed. "Of course, trying to be good at everything often means being mediocre at everything. The Hidden Dragon Style demands far too much physical talent. Those without sufficient talent will only become mediocre if they cultivate it."

"Even your senior brothers and sisters do not all possess enough talent. Though they also cultivate the Hidden Dragon Style, each of them has found ways to alter the training methods and develop style bodies with different focuses."

Li Qi patted Xue Jing's shoulder. "Your physical talent is the greatest this old man has ever seen. You're balanced to an absurd degree—the body best suited to the Hidden Dragon Style's 'hexagonal' philosophy."

That sounds damn impressive...

Xue Jing said expectantly, "Please teach me, Master."

Li Qi smiled. "Good. No time like the present. Today, I'll first teach you the still stance from the Hidden Dragon Style's moving and still stances—the Hibernating Dragon Art."

He grabbed Xue Jing's hand and gave it a simple shake. Force extended from his palm into Xue Jing's body, controlling his movements.

Xue Jing's legs spread apart involuntarily, his torso tilted left and pressed downward to its limit. His hands clenched into fists and drew up beside his ears, while a burst of bone-cracking sounds rang out all over his body. His posture resembled a dragon lying dormant.

"Remember this posture, along with the corresponding breathing and the vibrations of force at every key point throughout your body," Li Qi instructed.

"The Hibernating Dragon Art is meant to 'Nurture Dragon Qi.' By visualizing a dragon's posture and imitating its form, you cultivate the imposing aura of dragon qi within your body."

"Once you become proficient in this stance, I will teach you the moving stance, the Shaking Armor Skill, which is used to 'train dragon strength.'"

Xue Jing said nothing, focusing completely on memorizing every change within and around his body at this moment.

Please keep reading~