Time slipped by quietly over the next two days.
On Wednesday morning, the sky was still a deep blue-gray that refused to lighten. Thin mist, as fine as the finest gauze, clung to the branches of the Small Woods, dampening the fresh buds and mingling with the earthy scent of decaying leaves. Chen Mo arrived at the familiar edge of the woods right on time. Night dew left the grass cool and soft beneath his feet. He took a deep breath, filling his nose with the fresh scent of plants and the rich smell of soil. The cool air slid down his throat and into his lungs, easing some of the tension that had built up over the past few days.
Without wasting a moment, he walked straight to the old locust tree, set his feet shoulder-width apart, lowered his center of gravity, and settled into the Black Tiger Stance.
Stance training had long since become part of his very being, a daily ritual he never missed. He no longer needed to consciously recall the key points. His thoughts naturally sank to his Dantian, and his breathing grew long and steady, each breath faintly in tune with the morning breeze through the woods. The warm breath in his Dantian was like a small pool filled to the brim, flowing gently in rhythm with his breathing. Its warmth spread in fine threads along his meridians, nourishing every inch of muscle and bone throughout his body.
Unlike the sluggishness he had felt before, the nourishing food sent over by Zhao Peng's family over the past two days had left his Qi and Blood far more abundant than usual: tender braised beef, yam and goji berry soup simmered into a thick paste, and black chicken soup with a faint medicinal aroma. Now, his Qi and Blood flowed with remarkable ease, as if a blocked river had been cleared. Wherever the warm current passed, his muscles trembled faintly and his bones hummed softly. It was an indescribable comfort, like parched earth receiving rain. Every cell seemed to sigh with satisfaction, a sensation only he could clearly perceive.
A pale streak of dawn gradually appeared in the eastern sky. The mist began to disperse, and the chirping of insects and birds grew clearer. Time passed second by second. Dew slid from the locust tree's leaves and landed on his shoulder, bringing a touch of chill.
[Black Tiger Stance Proficiency + 1]
The familiar system notification rang out in his mind right on time, like a clear chime of jade pendants striking together.
But the instant the notification sounded—something changed!
Chen Mo felt as if a thin, invisible film that had shrouded the depths of his mind for ages had been gently poked by a fingertip. With a soft pop, it broke! The moment it shattered, an indescribably cool clarity flooded through him, like an enlightenment from above or a mountain spring. It surged in through his Baihui Acupoint, traveled down his spine, and spread throughout his limbs and body!
Even more wondrous was that his awareness of his own body had reached an unprecedented level of precision.
Before, when he practiced the Black Tiger Stance, he had simply followed the instructions, imitated the standard posture, and stiffly guided his Qi and Blood with his thoughts, striving to make every movement precise. But now, he suddenly understood.
He understood why he had to "sink his shoulders and drop his elbows." It wasn't just about looking correct. It was about locking down key Qi and Blood nodes, such as the Jianjing Acupoint and Zhoujian Acupoint, so the warm current within him wouldn't dissipate needlessly as it circulated. That created a small internal loop between his shoulders and elbows, multiplying the efficiency of nourishment.
He understood why he had to "keep his back straight as a pine." This wasn't merely a matter of posture. It was meant to fully open the spine, the body's "Great Dragon," allowing the force of Qi and Blood rising from his Dantian to travel smoothly up and down each vertebra. From his waist and back to his limbs, it formed a unified force rather than scattered strength acting independently.
He understood the seemingly ordinary coordination of his breathing. When inhaling, he wasn't simply drawing air into his lungs. He needed to pair it with the intent to slightly tighten his pelvic floor and draw in his abdomen, using the contraction of his belly to drive the clean air deep into his Dantian, where it would merge with the warm Qi and Blood within. When exhaling, he needed to relax his muscles and bones slightly, allowing the nourished Qi and Blood to spread naturally like spring rain, gently nourishing every capillary in his extremities.
A stance—how could it simply mean "standing" in place?
It was a state, a posture that let his body resonate with the world around him; an intention, a state of mind in which thought and Qi and Blood became one; and, more than that, a cultivation method that let him resonate subtly with himself and his surroundings!
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Chen Mo could even clearly sense that, though his stance looked little different from before, its inner "spirit" had changed completely. The force beneath his feet no longer pressed rigidly downward. Instead, it sank into the ground bit by bit, like the roots of an old tree, as if he had formed some faint connection with the earth. Even as the morning breeze swept through the woods, he stood as solid as a rock, his clothes barely stirring.
The Qi and Blood within him no longer relied on his thoughts to "guide" them. Under the finer control of his intent, they seemed almost to have a will of their own, flowing actively and efficiently along the best path. The efficiency of nourishment had increased several times over!
A surge of excitement nearly made him lose his stance. Chen Mo quickly focused and steadied himself, suppressing his joy as he slowly ended the exercise. He lowered his hands and breathed out the last of the Turbid Qi in his chest.
Impatient to check, he summoned the System Panel in his mind. A pale-blue screen appeared at once:
[Host: Chen Mo] [Skills: Black Tiger Stance Lv.4 (Proficient) (1/500); Body Tempering Fist Lv.3 (Minor Accomplishment) (297/300)]
He had broken through!
The Black Tiger Stance had officially reached the Proficient level!
Chen Mo's heart pounded wildly, as if it would leap from his chest. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, yet he felt no pain.
What delighted him even more was that the Body Tempering Fist needed only three more points of proficiency! At his current training intensity and with his abundant Qi and Blood, another hour at most would be enough. The Body Tempering Fist was sure to break through to Proficient today!
A wave of joy and accomplishment surged through him.
Proficient!
Those three words carried immense weight among the Martial Arts students in their senior year at Sixth Middle School! Of the hundreds of students in the entire grade, only a few dozen had mastered a basic skill to the Proficient level. It was a sure sign that they belonged to the top tier!
Apart from monsters like Song Yunliang—who was said to have reached Major Accomplishment with the Black Tiger Stance (Lv.5) back in his sophomore year—and a handful of exceptionally talented students like Xu Yunjing, who might be close to the peak of Proficient in one of their skills, even the vast majority of top students had only reached the early Proficient stage!
And Chen Mo, who just a month ago had barely passed the Qi and Blood Value test and ranked at the bottom in Skill Proficiency, had now joined their ranks!
More importantly, the Black Tiger Stance breakthrough meant his control over his Qi and Blood and the efficiency of nourishing his body had both improved by a major step! From now on, the growth of his Qi and Blood Value would enter an entirely new, accelerated phase!
"My foundation is steadier now, too..." Chen Mo slowly flexed his hands and feet, feeling the surging strength within him, solid and free of any hint of instability. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
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