Mastery and Dawn

Two days slipped by quietly.

Wednesday morning. The sky was still a smudge of impenetrable blue-gray. Thin mist, like fine plain silk, hung tangled among the branches of the small grove, dampening the newly sprouted buds and soaking the scent of rotting leaves into the soil. Chen Mo appeared at the edge of the familiar grove right on time. The grass beneath his feet felt soft, chilled by the night dew. He took a deep breath, his nasal passages instantly flooded with the crisp fragrance of vegetation and the sweet, raw scent of earth. The cool air slid down his windpipe into his lungs, loosening the nerves that had been taut for days.

Without a moment's hesitation, he walked straight to the old locust tree. He spread his feet to shoulder width, sank his waist, dropped his hips, and settled into the Black Tiger Stance.

Practicing the stance had long since been etched into his bones and blood, becoming an unshakeable daily ritual. There was no need to consciously recall the essentials; his intent naturally sank into his Dantian, and his breathing became long and dense, subtly harmonizing with the morning breeze in the woods. The warm mass of energy in his Dantian felt like a small pool filled to the brim, circulating slowly with the rhythm of his breath. Wisps of warmth permeated outward, traveling along his meridians to nourish every inch of his limbs and bones.

Unlike the stagnation of previous days, his Qi and Blood were far more abundant now, thanks to the nourishing food supplements sent by Zhao Peng's family—the tenderly stewed beef, the yam and goji berry paste, and the black chicken soup with its faint medicinal aroma. At this moment, the Qi and Blood Transportation felt incredibly smooth, as if a blocked river channel had been completely cleared. Wherever the warm current passed, his muscles vibrated slightly and his bones emitted a faint hum. It was an indescribable sense of comfort, like parched earth meeting sweet rain; every cell seemed to be letting out a satisfied groan that only he could clearly perceive.

On the eastern horizon, the sky gradually turned a pale, fish-belly white. The mist began to dissipate slowly, and the chirping of insects and birds in the woods grew clearer. Time ticked by second by second. Morning dew dripped from the tips of the locust leaves, hitting his shoulder and bringing a touch of chill.

[Black Tiger Stance proficiency + 1]

The familiar system prompt sounded in his mind right on time, like the crisp clinking of jade pendants.

However, the moment the prompt rang out, a sudden change occurred!

Chen Mo felt as if an invisible film that had covered the depths of his mind for a long time had been gently poked by a fingertip. With a "pop," it shattered! The instant the film broke, an indescribable sense of cool clarity and enlightenment—like a sudden infusion of wisdom or a clear spring from a mountain stream—rushed in from his Baihui Acupoint at the top of his head, flowing down his spine and through his entire body!

Even more wondrous was that his perception of his own body had reached an unprecedented level of precision.

In the past, when practicing the Black Tiger Stance, he had merely followed the chants and essentials, imitating the standard posture and using his intent to stiffly guide his Qi and Blood, striving for every movement to be accurate. But now, he suddenly "understood."

He understood why one must "sink the shoulders and drop the elbows"—it wasn't just for a standard, aesthetic posture, but to lock the key Qi and Blood nodes at the Jianjing Acupoint and Zhoujian Acupoint. This prevented the warm current within from dissipating uselessly during circulation, forming a small internal loop between the shoulders and elbows that increased the efficiency of nourishing the Qi and Blood several times over.

He understood why one must "keep the waist and back straight like a pine"—this was by no means a simple requirement of deportment, but to ensure the spine, the "great dragon" of the human body, was completely unblocked. This allowed the power of the Qi and Blood surging from the Dantian to travel up and down along the spine, from the waist and back to the limbs, forming a unified force rather than scattered strength fighting on its own.

He understood the seemingly ordinary breathing coordination—when inhaling, it wasn't just about drawing air into the lungs; it required coordinating his intent to slightly lift the anus and contract the abdomen. Using the contraction of the abdomen, he forced the inhaled clear Qi into the Dantian to merge with the warm Qi and Blood within. When exhaling, his entire body's muscles and bones would relax slightly, allowing the nourished Qi and Blood to disperse naturally like spring rain, slowly nourishing every capillary at the extremities of his limbs.

A stance—was it merely "standing" there?

It was a state, a posture that allowed the body to resonate with heaven and earth; it was an intent, a realm where intent and Qi and Blood merged; and it was even more so a cultivation method for subtle resonance with oneself and the surrounding environment!

Chen Mo could even clearly feel that while his stance looked no different from the outside, its internal "spirit" was completely transformed. The force beneath his feet was no longer a rigid downward press, but like an old tree taking root, seeping into the ground bit by bit. It felt as if he truly had some kind of intangible connection with this land. Even as the morning breeze blew through the woods, his body remained as steady as a rock, with not even the corner of his clothes fluttering more than a fraction.

The circulation of Qi and Blood within his body was no longer "guided" by his intent; instead, it seemed to have gained a life of its own. Under his more precise control, it operated actively and efficiently along the optimal path. The nourishing efficiency had increased by more than a few notches!

An irrepressible excitement nearly caused his stance to collapse. Chen Mo hurriedly focused his mind, suppressing the wild joy in his heart. He slowly ended the practice, lowered his hands, and exhaled the last bit of Turbid Qi from his chest.

He couldn't wait to call up the system panel in his mind, and a pale blue light screen instantly appeared:

[Host: Chen Mo]

[Skill: Black Tiger Stance Lv.4 (Proficient) (1/500); Body Tempering Fist Lv.3 (Minor Achievement) (297/300)]

I broke through!

Black Tiger Stance, officially stepped into the Proficient level!

Chen Mo's heart hammered wildly, almost leaping out of his chest. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain at all.

What surprised him even more was that his Body Tempering Fist proficiency was only 3 points away! With his current training intensity and abundant Qi and Blood state, he would need at most one more hour of practice. By the end of the day, his Body Tempering Fist would definitely reach the Proficient level as well!

A massive wave of joy and a sense of accomplishment surged into his heart like a tide.

Proficient level!

These three words carried immense weight within the circle of martial arts students in the third year of No. 6 High School! Out of the hundreds of martial arts students in the entire grade, only a few dozen had managed to train a basic skill to the Proficient level. It was already a definitive mark of the top tier!

Aside from monsters like Song Yunliang—who was said to have trained Black Tiger Stance to Great Achievement (Lv.5) back in his second year—and a very small number of gifted top students like Xu Yunjing who might be approaching the peak of proficiency in a certain skill, the vast majority of top students were merely stuck at the early stage of Proficient!

And he, Chen Mo, who just a month ago was a bottom-tier student with barely passing Qi and Blood values and the lowest skill proficiency, had now actually joined their ranks!

More importantly, the breakthrough in Black Tiger Stance meant that his control over his own Qi and Blood, as well as his nourishment efficiency, had climbed to a whole new level! From here on out, the growth rate of his Qi and Blood value would enter a brand-new fast track!

My foundation is also much more solid now... Chen Mo slowly stretched his limbs, feeling the surging yet steady power within his body, and couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward.