Green Pine Body Forging Stance, Spirit Crane Finger

Green Pine Body Forging Stance? Spirit Crane Finger?

Lin Xuankong immediately cupped his fists. "Please teach me, Young Lady!"

Having finally recovered from her surprise and embarrassment, Li Xiaolan gave a slight nod.

Then her body moved, and she once again displayed the Green Pine Body Forging Stance she had demonstrated before. The light mist in the courtyard had yet to disperse; as she explained, the faint white fog swirled with her shifting figure, making every movement exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Lin Xuankong held his breath and focused, not daring to miss a single detail as he watched her every move carefully.

A moment later, Li Xiaolan changed her movements, shifting from the vigorous, grand Green Pine Body Forging Stance into the nimble, razor-sharp Spirit Crane Finger.

"The essence of martial arts lies in seizing the spirit, with force as its key. If you merely imitate the shape and form, your exterior may resemble it, but without inner force, you will have only the appearance. In the end, you will find it hard to face a powerful foe. You must remember this!"

"The Spirit Crane uses weakness to overcome strength, like a crane striking at rice with its sharp beak, winning by surprise;

it uses density to break ferocity, like crane wings shaking off water—one touch and it falls, exhausting the marvels of spiritual transformation!"

"This is Crane Points North,

this is Crane Plays in Water,

this is White Crane Spreads Wings,

this is Moon Grasping from Under the Water,

this is Parting Grass to Find Snake,

this is Crane Kicking Fight."

After a dazzling display of Spirit Crane Finger that left Lin Xuankong's eyes spinning,

Li Xiaolan drew in her breath and withdrew her stance. Seeing the obvious daze on Lin Xuankong's face, the corners of her lips could not help but lift.

Then she brought two fingers together and lightly tapped a blue stone over half a man tall in the courtyard.

With a soft hiss,

although she had seemingly used little force, those two fingers pierced straight into the hard, dense stone. When she withdrew them, a finger hole several inches deep abruptly appeared.

Lin Xuankong stared at the hole in the stone, surprise and envy appearing on his face.

Li Xiaolan was greatly satisfied by the expression on this little old man's face. Hmph, now you know what it feels like to be dealt a blow.

"When you cultivate the Pine Crane Technique to the realm of mastery, Mortal Transformation Layer One should also be complete.

At that point, once the sinews, flesh, and skin of your arms have been tempered, you can circulate your Mortal Transformation Vitality and use Crane Points North with this little bit of power!

By then, the likes of Zhang Wu from the Black Tiger Gang will certainly die on the spot if they take one finger from you!"

"Of course, the realm of mastery is far deeper and harder to cultivate than Entry Level!

You might need three or four years,

or perhaps six or seven years!

In any case, remember to cultivate two rounds of the Mind Method Breathing Technique every day, along with one round each of the Body Tempering Stance and Spirit Crane Finger. So long as you are not lazy, there is hope of reaching it!"

After hearing the Young Lady out, Lin Xuankong nodded repeatedly.

Li Xiaolan took a small booklet from her robes. "I copied down the movements and secrets of the Green Pine Stance and Spirit Crane Finger long ago. Take it and study it! If there is anything you do not understand, remember to buy freshly baked chive dumplings before coming to ask me!"

When she mentioned chive dumplings, her tone grew a little heavier.

"Also, the Early Stage of Mortal Transformation Layer One is the most crucial time for a Martial Cultivator to lay their foundation.

For the time being, you can put selling flatbread aside. Cultivate the Mind Method Breathing Technique at night, and make time during the day to practice the stance and Spirit Crane Finger!"

Having said that, she clasped her fair little hands behind her back and drifted away.

Lin Xuankong held the booklet in his hand and earnestly thanked her. Then, his gaze burning slightly, he looked toward the finger hole in the blue stone.

A little bit of power that could pierce stone?

It felt as though, if the Young Lady had used just a little more force, she could probably have thrust her entire arm into the stone!

Even pistols and AKs from his previous life could not produce this kind of power. At the very least, it would take a Barrett sniper rifle, right? If that finger landed on someone, it could probably punch through from the crown of their head to their heel.

The crucial thing was that as long as he cultivated the Pine Crane Technique to mastery and brought Mortal Transformation Layer One to completion, the Spirit Crane Finger would possess this "little bit of power." By then, even against that big shot Zhang Wu at Late Mortal Transformation Layer One, he could kill him with a single finger.

With his fiftyfold cultivation speed bonus, it should not take too long, should it?

It should not be like the young lady said, taking six, seven, eight, or nine years, right?

Filled with longing, Lin Xuankong recalled the finger techniques and stance techniques the Young Lady had demonstrated earlier. Wherever his memory fell short, he carefully consulted the exquisite booklet she had drawn.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Lin Xuankong tucked the booklet into his robes and assumed the stance according to the movements of the Green Pine Body Forging Stance.

The first movement was called Pine Breaks the Sky. It required his right leg to brace against the ground in a half squat, his left leg raised and pointed diagonally upward, his arms bent before and behind him, while the Mortal Transformation Vitality within his body had to circulate along a strange route.

When the Young Lady performed these movements, they appeared effortless and graceful, full of beauty. In truth, they were immensely difficult, hard to imitate correctly, and extremely taxing on vitality and stamina.

Had Lin Xuankong not already entered the Transformation First Layer, with his flesh and blood transformed and strength far beyond that of ordinary people, he likely would not have been able to hold even the first movement for half the time it took an incense stick to burn!

More than an hour passed before Lin Xuankong, whose imitation was seventy or eighty percent accurate, completed all twelve movements.

By then, his clothes were soaked through with sweat. He had been wearing padded cotton clothes in the early spring, yet even they were drenched. One could imagine just how much strength and vitality these twelve stance forms had consumed over the past hour.

He sat beside the Old Willow Tree in the courtyard and rested for a while. Once his Mortal Transformation Vitality had nourished every muscle in his body and his strength had recovered somewhat, he began practicing the Spirit Crane Finger again.

However, since it was his first time cultivating the Spirit Crane Finger,

compared to Li Xiaolan's fluid Spirit Crane Finger technique, Lin Xuankong's finger art, which paused after every movement, was clearly far less seasoned. The difference was roughly like comparing a hairy chunk of raw pork to a delicious braised lion's head meatball.

Yet Lin Xuankong was not discouraged in the slightest.

As he practiced, he carefully sensed every movement, occasionally recalling the Young Lady's demonstration or consulting the booklet. Gradually, his sharp senses caught many omissions and mistakes in his movements, and a great many new insights arose in his heart!

[Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Initial Glimpse 2/80]

Half an hour later, Lin Xuankong rested beside the willow tree with joy on his face. With so many new insights, after his body had rested and fully recovered over the course of a day, tomorrow's Green Pine Stance and Spirit Crane Finger should see obvious improvements!

The second floor of the old Wooden Building,

Li Xiaolan gazed at Lin Xuankong resting beside the Old Willow Tree.

"Though he counts as a genius, he truly is a complete martial arts fanatic. All he knows is how to cultivate without stopping! Sigh, he has not even eaten breakfast. Even if I have never let you touch me, I am still your wife. Does he not know his wife can get hungry?

Martial cultivation is not something achieved in a day. Did he enter the door in one month and now expect to reach mastery in another month?"

Gurgle, gurgle.

Frowning, she rubbed her rumbling little belly.

Then she looked at the one hundred silver taels laid out on the table.

The one hundred silver taels the Eldest Young Lady had lent her looked like a lot, but they could only make thirty portions of Nine Revolutions Qi Strengthening Soup, which greatly replenished vitality and blood.

If she used it for her own cultivation, it would last a little over twenty days. But he had now entered the Early Stage of Mortal Transformation Layer One, the most important period of martial cultivation. She had to help him greatly replenish his vitality and blood. If the two of them used it, it would only last a little over ten days!

Moreover, borrowed silver taels always had to be repaid. She had to find a way to earn more money; embroidery and selling flatbread alone would definitely not be enough.

With her current strength, hunting demon beasts would certainly bring in money faster!

But if she wanted to leave the city to hunt demon beasts and earn silver taels, she had to prepare Evil Warding Armor. In all of Great Marsh Prefecture, aside from the authorities, only the Huang Family, Feng Family, Guo Family, Black Tiger Gang, Yin Talisman Sect, Spirit Snake Gang, and the like possessed Evil Warding Armor!

How could she get Evil Warding Armor? Li Xiaolan frowned in thought.

A moment later, Lin Xuankong's voice came from downstairs. "The food is ready!"

That martial arts fanatic finally remembered to eat!