Effort Is a Kind of Ability

Stepping out of the rock cave and into the biting wind, Lin Lin began recalling everything he had learned about martial arts in this life.

The martial path began with Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Origin.

Through nourishing food and medicine, combined with basic training, one could fill the body with vitality, essence, and spirit, thereby laying a solid foundation for formal martial cultivation.

After completing Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Origin, one could begin formal martial cultivation.

Through persistent cultivation, one tempered one's muscles, bones, skin, flesh, and internal organs.

This strengthened the physique and made one's qi and blood ever more vigorous, until they finally surged like rivers.

These were the three steps of the first martial realm, Body Refinement: Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Origin, Refining Blood and Strengthening the Body, and Surging Qi and Blood.

After completing the three stages of Body Refinement and reaching the realm of Surging Qi and Blood, a martial artist's Essence and Qi Blood would brim over within the body, giving rise to Qi Sensation in the Dantian Qi Sea.

Using this Qi Sensation to condense inner breath meant pushing open the gates to the profound realms of martial arts.

After passing through the five Qi Refining stages of Qi Nurturing, Meridian Unblocking, Acupoint Opening, True Qi Condensation, and Spirit Nourishing, one might hope to perceive the natural world and attain the realm of Spirit Merging with Heaven and Earth, formally stepping into the halls of profound martial arts.

Lin Lin had been brought to Hundred Flowers Valley by his parents at the age of eight. While learning to read and write and studying foundational martial knowledge such as meridians and acupoints, he had already begun laying the groundwork for formal martial cultivation.

Every day, his parents gave him foods that greatly nourished qi and blood, and prepared medicinal baths from various herbs that replenished qi and strengthened the body.

Besides that, Lin Lin's father, Lin Yue, would take him to do household chores such as carrying water and chopping firewood, using them to train his physique.

Thus, although Lin Lin had maintained a three-days-fishing, two-days-sunning-the-nets attitude toward martial training throughout the two and a half years since he had formally begun practicing at age ten,

he had still reached the third stage of Body Refinement, the realm of Surging Qi and Blood.

Upon reaching the realm of Surging Qi and Blood, one could run like the wind and possess the strength of an ox; a dozen or so ordinary grown men would be no match.

It sounded rather impressive.

But as a Martial Arts Holy Land of the martial world, Hundred Flowers Valley had extremely stringent requirements for accepting disciples. Those who entered were all people of exceptional comprehension and innate talent, and Lin Lin, who had entered the sect upon his elders' recommendation, was no exception.

It had taken Lin Lin two and a half years of formal cultivation to reach Surging Qi and Blood, while the fellow disciples who had entered at roughly the same time had already reached the realm of Meridian Unblocking.

The most outstanding among them had even attained the level of Acupoint Opening.

From this, it was not difficult to see why Lin Lin had been punished with a month of reflection facing the wall in Yin Wind Gorge.

The only reason he had not been expelled outright was because of his family's unwavering loyalty to the sect.

"The only martial art I currently know is the sword technique every beginner disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley learns, Hundred Flowers in Disarray."

"Since I've decided to start working hard from this moment on, I'll set a small goal: cultivate this sword technique until I achieve modest success. By then, my qi and blood will advance further as well, and I'll be able to generate Qi Sensation and condense inner breath."

From entry to mastery, martial cultivation was divided into: first learning and tentative practice, glimpsing the doorway, achieving modest success, consummate mastery, divine skill, transcendent perfection, and reaching the summit.

Lin Lin's current mastery of the Hundred Flowers in Disarray sword technique was at the level of glimpsing the doorway—he could use it, but was far from proficient.

After recalling the martial knowledge he possessed and carefully considering and analyzing the parts related to swordsmanship, Lin Lin made up his mind.

Then, facing the cold wind, he began practicing his sword technique.

Hundred Flowers in Disarray had been created three hundred years ago by Cui Xin, the Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley, after watching countless petals drift and dance through the air when flowers bloomed in abundance.

It consisted of eighteen forms, each with nine variations.

The moves and forms could also be combined and transformed. Once unleashed, they gave others the impression of being unfathomable and ever-changing, with immense power.

Though it was an introductory martial art of Hundred Flowers Valley, once practiced to mastery, it could still be used to roam the martial world unhindered.

However, that was merely the combat application of Hundred Flowers in Disarray. During ordinary practice, it also exercised all the flesh, bones, and internal organs throughout the body. Cultivating this sword technique could effectively temper the entire physique, strengthen Essence and Qi Blood, make it easier to pass through the Body Refinement realm, and foster Qi Sensation to condense inner breath.

Before long, as Lin Lin practiced the sword technique, his figure began to whirl, shift, leap, and weave across the ground.

Sword light flashed. The sound of the longsword splitting the air mingled with the cold wind howling through Yin Wind Gorge, making it far from conspicuous.

After completing one round of the sword technique, Lin Lin felt heat steaming from his entire body. Even the bone-deep cold that had clung to him like a shadow seemed to have lessened considerably.

"Martial training isn't all that difficult. They say that once the martial path reaches great mastery, one can ride alone against a thousand and take a general's head from amidst ten thousand troops. How cool is that?"

"I really can't understand why I didn't like practicing martial arts before awakening my Past Life Wisdom."

As the thought crossed his mind, even Lin Lin, as the person involved, found it somewhat incomprehensible. Perhaps this was the change in thinking brought about by different experiences.

Without stopping, Lin Lin began his second round of sword practice, followed by his third and fourth.

As his sword practice continued, Lin Lin felt his proficiency with Hundred Flowers in Disarray slowly rising, but at the same time, the Essence and Qi Blood contained within his body was declining with the ongoing cultivation.

Fatigue washed over his body and mind, and the cold wind in Yin Wind Gorge seemed to grow ever more piercing.

At that moment, Lin Lin began yearning for a warm bed and steaming-hot food.

"Maybe I should stop here for today. I've already cultivated for quite a while, and it feels like I've made considerable progress."

"I can continue tomorrow and maintain this pace. If this keeps up, not only will I easily accomplish the small goal I set in a month, I might even exceed it. When my period of reflection ends, my parents will surely be pleased by the progress I've made."

"After all, moderate cultivation benefits the body, while excessive cultivation only harms it."

At that moment, the thought of stopping his cultivation naturally surfaced in Lin Lin's mind.

And as that thought arose, the sword in his hand stopped. He then took a step toward the relatively warmer rock cave.

But the instant he moved, Lin Lin froze.

"I think I understand a little why I didn't like practicing martial arts before."

A bitter smile appeared on Lin Lin's face.

Everyone knew that studying and training diligently could make them better.

But humans were creatures who nestled against comfort and pleasure by nature. Diligent study and training did not bring happiness; they only brought pain.

Unless one was forced by circumstances, unless one could not survive without striving, no one was willing to work hard.

It was precisely because of this that those who could still defy their instinct for life and diligently train and study in a stable environment seemed so rare and exceptional.