Dual Techniques Practiced Together!

Evening clouds gathered, and the sun sank in the west.

Half the sky was woven with amber and deep purple. The clouds were like golden foil rubbed to pieces, floating in the glow as it gradually sank.

Though it was late winter, the brilliant sun held a warmth all its own.

At that moment, not a soul in the spacious courtyard was paying attention to the beauty of the sunset.

They slumped against the wall, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Their hands rested on their thighs, and their limbs trembled faintly.

Three hours... a full three hours!

They'd been practicing from morning until night...

Now their limbs ached, their hands and feet were weak, and their vision kept darkening.

Practicing Stance Skills was never easy. They'd been prepared for that, but even so, they couldn't stop groaning.

They had no idea what pace they were supposed to maintain, so they'd just desperately followed that figure and practiced alongside him.

But that was exactly where they'd gone wrong. They shouldn't have followed that madman!

They were slumped in the corner by the wall, practically face-down with exhaustion, while the fellow on the wooden stake continued to slowly go through the motions.

His movements weren't practiced or swift; some were even a little off. But he was steady, going through each one carefully without stopping.

"That guy..."

"He doesn't even look that strong. How's he got so much stamina...?"

Shi Zhong, the burliest-looking of the youths, wore a deeply unwilling expression.

Who knew how that guy had managed to keep going?

He'd even noticed the youth's trembling body swaying slightly atop the stake.

That proved the other guy had reached his limit too... Yeah, right!

He remembered seeing the youth sway like that two hours ago and had even scoffed at him then.

Who'd have thought that two hours later, the guy would still be practicing up there, while Shi Zhong had nearly passed out from exhaustion?

"His movements aren't even fluid, and some of them are ridiculously wrong. Doesn't practicing like that wear him out?"

Wan Qing's face was deathly pale, his head slick with sweat. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

Of the youths present, he'd been the first to fall, and he wasn't surprised. He knew his own physical condition better than anyone.

He couldn't understand how a youth as thin as he was—or even more "frail"-looking—could keep going for so long!

In the end, he was the only clown here!

No, perhaps...

He glanced unconsciously at Shi Zhong and the others, all burly and broad-shouldered. The dejection on Wan Qing's face vanished.

All right, he wasn't the only one.

"..."

Calm and even-tempered, with his breathing matched to the rhythm of his movements, Lin Yin smoothly performed Cloud Settling Stake Technique's Lifting Wings and Spreading Sideways, then flowed into Vajra Stake Technique's Falling Stone and Sinking Crown.

He could feel the occasional glances sweeping up at him from below, but right now, he was immersed in improving his Stance Skills and didn't pay them much mind.

"So Cloud Settling Stake Technique also boosts my own blood and qi!"

This discovery felt like he'd stumbled upon a whole new world.

His movements might look stiff and methodical, but each one was actually performed with the utmost precision. He'd perhaps even made a few adjustments compared to Senior Brother Li.

This was the training method best suited to him. Outsiders might think some of his movements were incorrect, but that wasn't the case.

His methodical practice was steadily improving him.

He broke the next few linked routines into scattered pieces, then practiced each one in turn.

[Heaven rewards diligence; Will achieve something]

[Cloud Settling Stake Technique: Beginner (4/100)]

[Vajra Stake Technique: Beginner (82/100)]

"This rate of progress... It's ridiculously fast."

Lin Yin slowly lowered his hands and sat cross-legged atop the wooden stake, his mind alight with excitement.

A faint trace of blood and qi was rising within him, lending a little color to his previously pale face.

Cloud Settling Stake Technique also improved his blood and qi, though the boost was much smaller than what he'd just gained from practicing Vajra Stake Technique.

But more than the increase in blood and qi, Lin Yin was struck by another benefit.

If practicing Vajra Stake Technique greatly increased his blood and qi, strengthened his muscles and bones, and gave him a little more "heft," then Cloud Settling Stake Technique brought a kind of "lightness"!

One technique's movements radiated power; the other's conveyed alertness and agility.

Since he was on the verge of reaching Minor Accomplishment in Vajra Stake Technique, he could deeply appreciate how it improved his stamina and blood and qi. Naturally, that made him all the more curious about Cloud Settling Stake Technique.

At first, he'd regarded it as nothing more than a perfunctory skill to help him stay at Fist Manor, with his main focus on Vajra Stake Technique.

But the light, agile feeling in his blood and qi had changed his mind at once.

With Vajra Stake Technique as his foundation, his progress in Cloud Settling Stake Technique could be called rapid. Why not practice both together?

That was why Lin Yin had found it harder and harder to stop once he'd started.

"I wonder if anyone here practices two Stance Skills at once, or even three?"

Lin Yin was curious to see how much such a method might improve someone.

"Phew! He's finally come down..."

"He gave me a fright. I thought he was going to keep practicing."

Lin Yin glanced at Shi Zhong and the others, whose expressions had instantly relaxed, then pretended not to notice and went to rest by the wall.

Gurgle, gurgle...

Just as Lin Yin let his guard down, his stomach suddenly rumbled loudly.

The tension eased, and the hunger he'd been forcibly suppressing surged over him like a crashing tide.

The sudden, overwhelming change made Lin Yin's usually placid expression shift at once.

His vision went black, his steps wavered, and he instinctively pitched forward.

"Junior Brother!"

The awkward scene of him face-planting never came to pass. The darkness cleared, and Lin Yin instantly pulled himself free of the sensation of exhaustion.

When he opened his eyes, he found a hand resting on his shoulder.

Its owner was holding him steady.

"Senior Brother Xu!"

Lin Yin's face was pale as he hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting.

"You're new to Cloud Settling Stake Technique, and you overdid it."

Xu Chang, who had reached out to steady Lin Yin, looked at the youth with a helpless expression.

As he spoke, he took two steaming buns from inside his robe.

"Here, take these!"

Lin Yin accepted the buns without hesitation.

"When you spend so long tempering your blood and qi, replenishing your energy becomes especially important. You pushed yourself too hard, so naturally you couldn't hold up."

Xu Chang gave him a careful explanation as he lightly patted the joints of Lin Yin's arms and legs.

Lin Yin's eyes flickered. He could feel a strange force flowing through his flesh and into his body.

The numb ache in his limbs faded at once, replaced by a warm feeling.

What was this...?

"All right. Remember to be careful next time."

"Senior Brother, these buns..."

"Go ahead and eat. They're from the Dining Hall. Everyone gets some."

Xu Chang nodded for Lin Yin to look behind him.

Two large pots sat on a wooden cart that came up to a person's waist. Through the gaps beneath the lifted lids, Lin Yin could just make out heaps of white steamed buns.

Shi Zhong and the others, who had been sitting, lying, or sprawling by the wall, had already raced over to the cart and were waiting there eagerly.