Immortal Martial: Pushing Across the Two Worlds from Reality — Section 6

This was true martial arts!

It was by no means a mere increase in strength!

The Skin Tempering Realm already possessed such might.

What lay beyond Skin Tempering, then?

In this world, the wonders of martial arts might well verge on divine powers!

Jiang Shu's blood roiled. He forcibly suppressed the craving for strength deep within his heart, took several steps back, and left the chance to experience the stone disc to the other apprentices.

"You lot have plenty to learn. New apprentices, step forward. Follow me in practicing the breathing method and Sitting Cave Stance for half an hour. The rest of you, stand to the side and practice your stances as well."

"Keep five feet between each person. Squat down."

After a quarter of an hour, once he saw that the newcomers had all experienced a Martial Artist's capabilities, Elder Qiu spoke again.

"Every martial arts school has its own visualization object for stance training."

"Our Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School's Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance requires you to imagine yourselves as peerlessly fierce tigers that have gone hungry for days, crouched within a cave—enduring, yet on the verge of eruption."

"Follow my breathing!"

Elder Qiu, who had practiced stances for countless years, crouched like a fierce tiger.

His breaths were long and heavy, exceptionally clear in the silent training yard.

Exhale... inhale... exhale... inhale.

Jiang Shu, whose Horse Stance had already reached minor accomplishment and who could Sense Qi and Blood within himself, watched Elder Qiu's posture. Gradually, he found the rhythm of the Hungry Tiger Breathing Method, his waist and hips moving as one in the tiger-crouching Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance.

"You, stop. Go over there. Have your Senior Brother teach you stance training later. First, lay a solid foundation."

Not every newcomer could find the rhythm as Jiang Shu had.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Elder Qiu stopped practicing. He pointed at a Little Fatty among the new apprentices and motioned for him to go to the edge of the courtyard.

Little Fatty's face flushed red. He knew his breathing had gone out of order.

At this moment, everyone in the courtyard was practicing the Hungry Tiger Breathing Method. Whose breathing had gone awry was obvious at a glance.

Before long, all the newcomers who had arrived within the past five days had walked to the other side, faces red, leaving only Jiang Shu struggling to persist.

A panel slowly emerged in his mind:

Jiang Shu--

Hungry Tiger Breathing Method: Beginner (6/1000)

Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance: Beginner (9/1000)

"Alright, stop for a while. Take care of the newcomers."

Jiang Shu had no idea how long he had been standing there. He persisted with his eyes closed until Elder Qiu's voice rang by his ear. Only then did he let out his breath, nearly dropping onto the ground on his backside.

A fierce hunger rose from his gut, rumbling softly.

"Every martial arts school has its own unique stance techniques and breathing methods. But stance techniques and breathing methods alone are not enough. After all, it isn't as if you can't buy them in the county's Black Market. So why do so many people still flock to martial arts schools one after another to learn martial arts?"

"That is because—Secret Medicine! Whether stance techniques or breathing methods, both transport Qi and blood. Without sufficient meat to replenish yourselves, you will only harm your bodies and weaken your Qi and blood."

"But meat is hard to come by. Nearly all the meat in Pingling County is in the County Office or in the hands of wealthy households. For commoners to buy even a little meat, the price is so exorbitant that it is no lower than the tuition for martial arts schools! Yet if you join a martial arts school, then with the Secret Medicine of our Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, not only can you ease the soreness in your skin, flesh, sinews, and bones after practicing stances and breathing, you can also strengthen your Qi and blood. One serving is worth ten jin of meat!"

"Of course, what you are drinking now is merely meat broth diluted with Secret Medicine. But even so, this bowl of soup cannot be bought anywhere outside!"

Elder Qiu's breath was long as he shouted loudly.

As soon as his words fell, two maidservants carried wooden buckets out of the room.

The unique fragrance of Secret Medicine Meat Broth drifted through the courtyard, stirring the cravings in every apprentice's stomach.

Under the maidservants' watchful eyes, the apprentices lined up. Each person filled exactly one bowl of meat broth, not daring to let even a drop overflow.

"Practice the Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance within half an hour after drinking the Secret Medicine Meat Broth, and you will achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

After circling the entire courtyard several times and seeing that none of the thirty-odd apprentices had made any mistakes, Elder Qiu finally said unhurriedly:

"Martial arts have methods of practice, nourishment, and combat."

"Stance techniques are practice. Breathing methods are nourishment. Once you finish this round of the Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance, this old man will teach you the combat methods of our martial arts school."

"A tiger has only three killing moves."

"Pounce."

"Lift."

"Scissor."

"The Tiger Form Three Styles: Pounce, Lift, Scissor."

"Pounce emphasizes momentum. You must seize a man's soul and cow his spirit. When a hungry tiger pounces on a sheep, before it even leaps, the ferocity in its eyes is enough to frighten down a flock of sheep."

"A seemingly simple word—pounce—actually requires training your gaze, the explosive force of your body, and the strength in your arms and palms."

"Lacking any one of them, it is not a true pounce."

Qiu Hai shouted loudly, his throat issuing something like a tiger's roar.

He leaped into the air, his sinews and bones cracking like thunder. With a single punch, he blasted the air.

"Lift. When a tiger lifts its body, it lifts itself and thrusts against its enemy. Lift emphasizes bodily coordination. Pounce is hard; lift is soft. With hardness and softness in harmony, one can fight many alone!"

As Elder Qiu shouted, his body spun sharply. His outstretched palm became a claw, striking fiercely at the upper, middle, and lower paths.

"Scissor. Strike when least expected. Tigers have tails; men have legs. Between kicks and sweeps, every step takes a life."

There was not a cloud for ten thousand miles, only a great sun red as dripping blood hanging in the center of the sky.

After Elder Qiu demonstrated several times and saw the apprentices below beginning to perform the moves with some semblance of form, he narrowed his eyes at the sun, waved his hand, and returned to his room for a midday rest.

"Hah, he's finally gone..."

Little Fatty, who had practiced the Tiger Form Three Styles three or four times beside Jiang Shu, let out a long breath. He was drenched in sweat, his cotton clothes plastered tightly to his skin.

"Practicing martial arts is too hard. Brother, how are you so amazing?"

Little Fatty's legs trembled as he looked at Jiang Shu with eyes full of admiration.

With his eyesight, he could naturally tell that Jiang Shu, like himself, had yet to reach the realm of Qi and Blood Transportation.

Yet at the same realm, Jiang Shu, who had arrived later, could persist longer than him and possessed greater talent.

In the Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance, one round of standing for Jiang Shu lasted longer than two rounds for him!

And when practicing the Tiger Form Three Styles, Jiang Shu looked far more convincing than he did!

"Not really. Aren't you pretty amazing too?"

Jiang Shu finished practicing and steadied his breathing. He was not deliberately flattering him. Judging by Little Fatty's appearance, he was only fourteen or fifteen.

On Mystic Star, that was merely the age of someone who had just graduated middle school. Yet Little Fatty had already Sensed Qi and Blood—he could have gone straight into university.

Even in this Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, every one of those who could transport Qi and blood was at least eighteen or nineteen, or even in their twenties.

To Sense Qi and Blood at fourteen or fifteen was indeed not bad.

"No, no." Little Fatty repeatedly waved his hands, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I ate my way there. My dad said that if you want to practice martial arts, the first step is eating—eat more, eat fiercely, eat until you can't swallow another bite. Then practice stances and digest it."

"This time, I sneaked over behind my dad's back. I heard the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School's stance techniques have miraculous effects. After practicing, your stomach becomes unbearably hungry, just like a fierce tiger that has starved for several days. Then I can keep eating more, eating fiercely, stuffing myself to bursting. That way, my martial arts progress will definitely be lightning-fast."

"Brother, my name is Zhou Yang. My dad owns several restaurants in the city. If you ever lack meat, come to one of our restaurants. I'll give it to you at cost—just mention my name."

"Jiang Shu."

Jiang Shu merely gave his name and said nothing more.

After three months in Pingling County, how could Jiang Shu not know how precious meat was?

What kind of restaurant could sell meat at cost?

Most likely, the moment he stepped into the restaurant, he would be boarding the Zhou Family's ship.

Sure enough, though the world was different, human nature was the same.

On Mystic Star, what fourteen- or fifteen-year-old child had such deep schemes?

He traveled between the Two Worlds. Meat that Pingling County regarded as precious could be bought casually on Mystic Star, enough to eat until he could not eat another bite.

Why should he owe someone such a great favor for such a trifling resource?

Though this Little Fatty had Sensed Qi and Blood, it seemed that he still relied on abundant wealth.

With such a calculating mind, he might not travel far on the martial path.

The martial path was like climbing a towering mountain, like wading through deep waters. Without great perseverance and grand courage, one could not scale its heights or cross its depths.

That was truly an absolute truth.

Jiang Shu closed his eyes and ignored whatever Little Fatty said next. Recalling Elder Qiu's every movement from that day, he resumed his stance, crouching like a tiger and breathing like a tiger.

The Tiger Form Three Styles were still somewhat too profound for him.

After practicing them several times, he discovered the many flaws in his own body.