In the blink of an eye, another ten-odd days passed.
Zhang Wan saw that Zhao Qixin and Yu Shui had already gained a little understanding of the martial techniques for the Crimson Sun Fist and Bronze Iron Body.
Xu Hui and the others also began cultivating the martial techniques included with their cultivation arts.
So he put cultivating martial techniques on his own schedule as well.
The cultivation art he had obtained only covered the first six levels of Bronze Iron Body, but it lacked none of the martial techniques that went with it.
After some selection, Zhang Wan chose three martial techniques to cultivate.
They were the Stacked Force Palm, Bone Piercing Finger, and Nine Step Movement Technique.
All three were supporting martial techniques for Bronze Iron Body. To unleash their full power, one had to cultivate Bronze Iron Body to at least the Seventh Level Postnatal.
But that did not stop a rookie at the First Level Postnatal like Zhang Wan from cultivating them.
At most, he simply could not bring out their full power.
They were still quite formidable when used to contend with others in the same realm.
"Stacked Force Palm. Stack force upon force, then unleash it in a single burst—rotten wood and withered grass will crumble before it, leaving nothing to stop it."
"Bone Piercing Finger. Piercing metal and stone with an edge no one can withstand. For now, cultivating these two offensive martial techniques will be enough."
"Add the Nine Step Movement Technique, and I won't be lacking in movement speed either."
"There's no need to rush into cultivating a defensive martial technique. The powerful body tempered by cultivating the Bronze Iron Body art is the best defense."
Holding the Bronze Iron Body cultivation art, Zhang Wan read through the cultivation methods for the three martial techniques.
He had not been idle during this period. He had been diligently studying martial arts knowledge in his academic lessons, and he had also thoroughly comprehended the First Level Postnatal technique of Bronze Iron Body. Thus, as he pondered the cultivation methods of these three martial techniques, he gained some insights.
But only some.
"They can be practiced, but just as unleashing their full power requires cultivation at the Seventh Level Postnatal or higher, thoroughly comprehending them isn't something a First Level Postnatal cultivator can accomplish either."
These martial techniques were designed to work with the cultivation art and could be used all the way to the Ninth Level Postnatal. Although they could be used at the First Level Postnatal, thoroughly comprehending them likely required reaching the Sixth or Seventh Level Postnatal.
"But that's only true for ordinary martial artists. I can cheat with experience points."
Zhang Wan opened the panel. Sure enough, the three martial techniques had appeared under the martial techniques section.
Stacked Force Palm (0/155), Bone Piercing Finger (0/103), Nine Step Movement Technique (0/127).
"Just comprehending them requires over a hundred experience points each. No wonder they can be used all the way to the Ninth Level Postnatal."
The experience required by the three martial techniques did not surprise Zhang Wan. It was within his expectations.
Among the three martial techniques, the Stacked Force Palm was indeed the most difficult to comprehend.
But that did not mean the Bone Piercing Finger was inferior to the Stacked Force Palm.
Among the three martial techniques, once the Stacked Force Palm and Nine Step Movement Technique were comprehended, using them a few more times was enough to master them.
These two martial techniques were methods for using magical power and force. Once comprehended, they could be performed smoothly.
But the Bone Piercing Finger was different.
The Bone Piercing Finger was not as complicated as those two martial techniques and was somewhat easier to comprehend. But comprehending it was not enough. To master it, the ten fingers had to be tempered separately.
They had to be trained until they were as hard as iron and stone. Only then, when combined with magical power, could the ten fingers pierce metal and stone, shatter bones, and split skulls as easily as turning over a hand.
Its overall cultivation difficulty was no lower than that of the Stacked Force Palm. The process was even more painful.
It was only because cultivating Bronze Iron Body had strengthened his physique that he could practice the Bone Piercing Finger. Otherwise, he truly would not have been able to.
Although ordinary martial artists had bodies that were not weak, if they tried to practice the Bone Piercing Finger, all ten fingers would only be ruined, leaving them crippled!
In the independent courtyard that afternoon.
Zhang Wan invested one experience point into each of the three martial techniques.
At once, insights into the three martial techniques surged into his mind, and he absorbed them.
Following those insights, Zhang Wan circulated the magical power within his body and began practicing the Stacked Force Palm.
The strength gained from cultivating Bronze Iron Body was mobilized by the Stacked Force Palm. It coursed through his body, and with the support of magical power, its might multiplied before finally gathering in his palm and striking out.
It stirred up whooshing winds and produced sharp cracks as it struck through the air.
After practicing it several times, using the Stacked Force Palm became smooth, and all the related insights transformed into practical strength.
Zhang Wan found a three-centimeter-thick solid-wood plank and struck it with one palm. The plank immediately split into four pieces.
"Tsk, tsk. With a palm like that, an ordinary mortal's skull would be smashed apart on the spot, and they'd drop dead." Zhang Wan unleashed more than a dozen palms with all his strength before his power ran dry.
At this point, his body and magical power were still insufficient to support him in continuously unleashing the Stacked Force Palm at full strength.
Of course, based on Zhang Wan's current comprehension of the Stacked Force Palm, what he performed was not the complete version. He could only mobilize the strength and magical power within his body; he still could not stack his force.
Even so, Zhang Wan's battle strength had increased considerably in an instant.
Sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, Zhang Wan swallowed and exhaled spiritual energy to recover his magical power. Then he practiced the Nine Step Movement Technique several times. His figure darted and shifted through the small courtyard with astonishing speed.
Once he had thoroughly familiarized himself with the portion of the Nine Step Movement Technique he had comprehended, he took one step and instantly crossed more than five meters.
"Extremely fast, but not nimble enough. The disturbance is a little too great." Zhang Wan looked toward the courtyard and could clearly see the footprints left by his steps.
The courtyard's ground was not soft, yet it still bore footprints. This was because he had exerted too much force while moving with the movement technique.
But the essence of the Nine Step Movement Technique was to stomp heavily on the ground.
Even after the movement technique reached perfection in the future, it would still be difficult to pass without leaving a trace.
"Still, it's not a big problem."
"I'm developing quietly and don't plan to go do anything evil. For now, I have no need for a light and nimble movement technique."
"Whether traveling or fighting to the death, the Nine Step Movement Technique is enough."
But it faced the same problem as the Stacked Force Palm: his magical power was still insufficient to support Zhang Wan in using the movement technique for a long time.
Once his magical power recovered again, Zhang Wan tried the Bone Piercing Finger.
Layer upon layer of finger shadows pierced through the air before him, swift and razor-sharp.
But Zhang Wan did not test the Bone Piercing Finger's power on anything tangible.
His ten fingers had not yet been fully tempered. If he tested the Bone Piercing Finger now, he feared he would stab all ten fingers until they were a bloody mess.
After familiarizing himself with the three martial techniques, Zhang Wan opened the system panel again.
Host: Zhang Wan (ten years old) Realm: First Level Postnatal (2.5/120) Realm Bottleneck: None Cultivation Arts and Martial Techniques: Bronze Iron Art, Sixth Level Postnatal cultivation art (14/114, First Level Postnatal technique comprehended), Stacked Force Palm (1/155), Bone Piercing Finger (1/103, 0/46), Nine Step Movement Technique (1/127) Available Experience Points: 8170
"Hm? What is this 0/46?" Zhang Wan opened the panel and immediately noticed the change.
Originally, after the Bone Piercing Finger, it had only displayed the 103 experience points required to comprehend the Bone Piercing Finger. The 0/46 had not been there, and it was even grayed out and unselectable.
Zhang Wan tapped the gray 0/46. A line of text appeared on the panel: "Progress of tempering the ten fingers according to the Bone Piercing Finger method. Experience points cannot be invested to increase this progress before the Bone Piercing Finger is fully comprehended."
Zhang Wan understood. So that was how it was.
After comprehending the Stacked Force Palm and Nine Step Movement Technique, practicing them a few times was enough to master them.
But after comprehending the Bone Piercing Finger, he still needed to temper his ten fingers before he could be considered to have fully mastered the martial technique.
It was perfectly normal for an additional experience requirement for tempering to appear afterward.
It was just that he had to wait until he had fully comprehended the Bone Piercing Finger before he could invest experience points into the tempering progress. That left Zhang Wan somewhat speechless.
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